A long promised insight on Kili's desperate attempts on trying to show Raewyn how much he cares
Tw: Mentions of blood, injury, poisoning etc. Description of poisoned blood. Mentions of death etc. Really little warnings for once
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Now covered in warm blankets and fresh clothes, the company sat in Bard's living room, their clothes drying by the fire. Raewyn sat on the floor in the corner, her back against Kili's legs, who was on the chair behind her. The two were most shielded from the dwarves, giving the ranger the possibility to tend to her leg again.
Sigrid had been kind enough to offer her a dress, instead of a pair of trousers, so that the fabric would not scratch the wound as much as it otherwise would. And though the ends of the dress were visibly taller on the Asha than on the human girl, Raewyn had been grateful nonetheless. She had already asked the daughter to find some Kingsfoil, and - much to her luck - the girl had returned within a matter of minutes.
Tilda was busying herself with handing out blankets to the company, while Sigrid stood beside the two in the corner, her back to them as she observed the dwarves, making sure they would not get suspicious towards Raewyn. The ranger had made it obvious she did not want anyone else to find out about her current state, and Sigrid knew better than to disobey her orders. However they had been the guests, the girl could not deny the help Raewyn needed.
"It may not be the best fit, but it'll keep you warm." Raewyn heard Bard speak to the company.
"Thank you very much." Bilbo thanked quietly, relishing in the warmth the blanket around him brought him.
"Kili, can you hand me those bandages?" Raewyn mumbled, her hands occupied with smearing the Kingsfoil over her wound. A sharp hiss escaped her mouth as her finger touched the nearly blackened skin around the cut.
"Rae?" Kili tried to offer, already leaning over.
"Please, Kili." She interrupted, waving off his concern, her eyes still on the blood gushing from her leg, even as she tried to stop it.
A hesitant hum came from the said dwarf, but he handed her the bandages all the same. In one swift movement, the ranger grabbed the fabric, before retreating to her leg, her used bandages serving as a towel to make sure nothing spilled onto the floor.
From behind them, it appeared as if Balin was telling a story again, thankfully engrossing all dwarves into the tale. Kili took one quick look around, making sure no one was looking at them, even though Sigrid had been a loyal lookout this far.
When his eyes landed back on the woman in front of him, his eyes widened. Where a mere wound had decorated her skin earlier, countless black veins began walking from it, a darkened color around the place of impact, her blood turning even darker than it had been before. A gasp escaped his mouth as his hands gently laid on her shoulders, alerting her of his presence once more.
"Are you sure that won't be a problem?" He dared to whisper.
"I have Kingsfoil," Raewyn clarified in a hushed voice. "It will slow down the poisoning."
"Will it be able to stop it as well?" The dwarf went on. The uncomfortable silence from her after his question was enough to answer his question. "Is there anything we can do?" He tried out of desperation. "Other medicine? New bindings? Some sort of spell?"
"Gandalf could have helped." Raewyn sighed, trying to wrap the new gauge around her wound. "But he is gone. And to where, I do not know. And the elves do not like us. They will not help us."
"The elves of Rivendell, perhaps?" Kili offered again. "Could they help?"
"Where will you find Sindar elves in those parts that are not from the Woodland Realm?" The ranger countered, another hiss escaping her mouth as she tugged on the bandages. "I could send Farris out with a message, but they will never get here in time."
"Time?" The dwarf repeated, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "How long do you have, then?"
A frown formed on the ranger's face, the red already visible through her newly applied bandages. "A fortnight, would I apply Kingsfoil every hour. But they do not have the amount I would need to last this long." Raewyn sighed in defeat, referring to the inventory Bard held.
"So?" The dwarf whispered, swallowing harshly as he felt himself growing terrified at the possible answer.
The ranger huffed for a moment, coming to terms with reality. "Six days, maybe seven." She uttered.
"Six days?" Kili repeated incredulously, his voice rising slightly.
"Shhh!" Raewyn shushed him, nudging his knee trying to quiet him. "Yes, six days. Farris would arrive in two, but the elves cannot make it to here in three nights."
Kili nodded slowly, disappointment slowly overtaking him. "What will we do, then? We cannot sit by and watch it happen."
"I'm afraid that would be the only option we have, Ki." The Asha admitted. "I could have amputated my leg when we were still in Mirkwood, but the poison has already spread through the top of my leg, so we are beyond that now."
Sigrid, who had been beside them the entire, could not help but intercept the conversation, leaning over them momentarily. "I know this is not my conversation, but should you not tell the others?" She tried to offer.
"To do what?" Raewyn returned, a helpless look on her face. "It would cause nothing but more chaos and grief. They should focus on the mountain, and not me."
"Should Bilbo not know?" Kili agreed with the girl. "I think he'd want to know."
"Would I have to tell Bilbo, I'd have to tell Fili, and I cannot do that to either." The ranger countered.
"But you could do that to me?" The dwarf argued.
"No," Raewyn answered truthfully. "You simply caught me tending to my leg, you would have known either way."
"You wouldn't have told me otherwise?" He frowned.
All the ranger could answer with was a short shake of her head, her eyes now back on her leg as she hid the wound under the dress. "I could not have done that to you had it been anyone else who saw me. Kili, you must understand why. So keep this between us, please?"
"So I should just stand by as you go through your last days?" The dwarf objected. "And I should do nothing about it?"
"What is there to do, Kili?"
"I can take you to Rivendell." He quickly spoke. "We can grab a boat here, and I will take you to Rivendell. Right now."
The dwarf rose from his seat, Raewyn's back now without support. Ignoring her stares, he knelt down beside her, clasping her hand in both of his.
"We can leave now and make it in time."
"Kili...The mountain." Raewyn pointed out in defeat.
"I don't care." He interrupted. "I will not aimlessly sit by whilst you waste your last days reclaiming a kingdom that you don't even care for."
"I don't, but it is your home. You should not forget it as if it is a mere thing such as an old letter." The ranger justified, looking at Sigrid to see if she was still listening. But it had appeared she was lost in a conversation of her own with her younger sister.
"What you don't know, you can't miss, right?" Kili pressed, a slight smile on his face.
Raewyn formed her lips in response, an almost sad smile displayed on her face, trying to mimic his. "I...I don't know, Kili." She admitted hesitantly. "We cannot leave them here. You least of all."
"What is this?" Thorin suddenly asked, his voice louder than before.
Kili shot up at the sound immediately, thinking his uncle had heard their conversation. However, as he spotted the metal objects now displayed over the table, he let out a silent sigh of relief. Raewyn stumbled up from behind him, using the chair Kili was earlier vacating as support.
"Pike-hook," Bard began. "Made from an old harpoon."
"And this?" Fili questioned, gesturing to one of the other objects.
"A crowbill, we call it." The man answered. "Fashioned from a smithy's hammer. It's heavy in hand, I grant, but in defense of your life, these will serve you better than none."
Shouts of disagreement and insult were tossed in the air. To prevent any upcoming questions, both Kili and Raewyn walked up to them, looking at the weapons on the table.
"You won't find better outside the city armory. All iron-forged weapons are held there under lock and key." Bard countered, trying to silence the company.
"Thorin," Balin called, gaining the king's attention. "Why no take what's been offered and go? I've made do with less; so have you. I say we leave now."
"You're not going anywhere." The man quickly interrupted.
"What did you say?" Dwalin boomed, now taking his stane in front of the taller Lakeman threateningly.
"There are spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in town. You must wait till nightfall."
However discontent, the dwarves seemed to calm down under these words, taking their seat back onto the chairs and benches. With one empty chair left, Kili was quick to push the ranger in, leaving her with no room to argue.
Before either of them could even say anything, the younger daughter of Bard - Tilda - walked up to Raewyn, her eyes shifting between her and the door.
"Can I pet your owl?" She asked shyly, making Raewyn raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Oh, she wondered whose owl that was. I told her they belonged to you." Bilbo remarked, having his seat close to Raewyn's.
The Asha nodded in understanding, before turning back to the girl. "Yes, of course. Do not touch her wings, though. She tends to get protective of them." She advised, before sending the girl on her way.
As her eyes followed Tilda running out the room, she noticed Bard whispering to his son. She nudged Kili's shoulder lightly, nudging towards the two in the distance.
"What's going on there?" The dwarf mumbled.
"No idea, but I do not like the way he glares at us." She whispered back, making eye contact with him briefly, before the man took off, leaving the room as well.
"Do you think he'd turn us in?" Kili asked quietly.
"No," Raewyn answered plainly.
"We are in his home. It would not look good for him."
—
"What about that boat?" Kili whispered to Raewyn, gesturing towards one of the floating structures in the water.
Somehow, Raewyn had managed to get convinced of stealing weapons from the town archive. Bain had tried to stop the company, but - unfortunately - 13 dwarves were not so easily pushed over. So, now she and Kili had wandered at the back of the group, Bilbo and Fili in front of them, though both two at the back knew their talk went unheard by them.
"Kili, we are not leaving." She spoke back, her voice equally hushed.
"Fili will be just fine on his own."
"If Thorin did not hate me already, he most certainly would when we come back." Raewyn protested.
"Firstly, I am sure Thorin does not hate you anymore." Kili bargained. "And who says we have to come back?"
At those words, Raewyn looked towards the dwarf, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as he slowed her steps down.
"Well, we-"
"You could show me that waterfall you told me about! In Eryn Vorn." The dwarf continued, doing his best to convince the ranger, who was at loss for words.
"As soon as we have the weapons, we make straight for the mountain." Thorin announced, alerting Kili and Raewyn that the group had stopped walking, and were now huddled together to keep their voices down.
"Go, go, go!" The leader ushered.
A pile of dwarves began to pile together high enough to reach the open window of the armory. Nori was the first to run up, urging the rest to follow him.
Bilbo, who was next in line, climbed up behind him, followed by Fili, and then Raewyn, who got up relatively easy. When she jumped through the window, Fili offered her an arm shortly, taking notice of her leg, even though it had not been that painful to begin with. But she did not have the heart to tell him.
When everyone was in, weapons began to get ripped off the walls. Raewyn remained close to Bilbo, who did his absolute best to duck from the swinging swords and axes.
"Hold your arms up." Raewyn instructed, gently lowering two swords into them. "Is that okay?" She checked, making sure the hobbit could hold up the weight. But when his face turned to that of determination, she shot him a reassuring smile.
"Good."
"Bilbo, look out!" One dwarf suddenly warned, but Gloin had already bumped into the hobbit, knocking the weapons to the floor, a loud clanging filling the air.
Raewyn's eyes widened at the sight, already hearing the shouting outside.
"Run!" Dori yelled, already running downstairs.
The rest of the company followed him swiftly, weapons in hand, but they were stopped by two watchmen pointing pikes at them. Bilbo tried to grab a second sword, but other guards surrounded him too, pointing their spikes at him. Raewyn shoved him behind her quickly, covering his body with hers, before Kili did the exact same with her.
"Next time, I do the planning."
——
The company was lead outside, to a square, where a crowd had already begun to form.
"What is the meaning of this?" Someone asked, a voice so booming and demanding that Raewyn could only assume that he was the Master of Laketown.
"We caught 'em stealing weapons, sire." The head of the guard announced.
"Ah," He gasped. "Enemies of the state, then."
"This is a bunch of mercenaries, if ever there was, sire." A new voice advised, followed by the figure of a sleek-looking man. She was quick to recognize the voice of that of the man at the gates of Laketown, who had earlier threatened Bard.
"Hold your tongue," Dwalin defended immediately, taking a step forward. "You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal! This is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!"
The said dwarf now stepped forward as well, announcing his presence to the crowd, who all gasped and murmured at the revelation.
"We are the dwarves of Erebor!" Thorin called. "We have come to reclaim our homeland. I remember this town and the great day of old! Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake! This was the center of all trade in the North!"
The Master's eyes widened at his words, obviously pleased with the speech of the dwarf. Multiple crowd members began to nod and hum in agreement.
"I would see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!" The dwarf continued.
Cheers and applause sounded throughout the square, and for once, Raewyn caught hope that they might actually make it. The Master looked towards the people in doubt, silently calculating his options.
"Death!" Bard's voice sounded throughout the people, his figure emerging from the crowd. "That is what you will bring upon us. Dragon-fire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all."
Suddenly, the cheers ceased, anxious mumbled taking their place.
"You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this; If we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain." Thorin promised, trying to cancel out Bard's cries. "You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!"
As if their minds were made up in a matter of seconds, shouts of excitement shot throughout the town. And once more, the Master looked on, now smiling and nodding at the turning events.
"Why should we take you for your word, aye?" The supposed assistant of the master taunted. "We know nothing about you. Who here can vouch for your character?"
Silence struck at once, the heavy question lingering in the air. Raewyn saw Bilbo's hesitation, laying a hand on his shoulder with a smile.
"I will!" A third voice called out. "I, Raewyn Asha, Tolmiró; ranger of the west, Apprentice of the Grey Wizard and daughter of Raegon Asha of the Clan of Six, will vouch for him."
Gasps filled the square as the ranger took a step forward, showing herself to the crowd and the town's master. Disbelief was written on the Master's face whilst his deputy frowned at the woman.
"Didn't all Ashas die during the orc raid?" He tested.
"Not the one who knew how to hide." Raewyn spoke confidently. "Though I like Thorin as much a I reckon you like me now, he holds true to his word. I have traveled with this company for months now, and I feel bold enough to tell you that you can trust him to keep to his promises."
"All of you, listen to me! You must listen!" Bard protested loudly. "Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?"
Multiple people uttered in doubt, whilst some shouted no, supporting Bard's cause.
"And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a mountain-king so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"
Bard and Thorin came face to face, both staring at each other angrily. The crowd gets louder at the confrontation, which the Master takes as his queue to step forward.
"Now, now, we must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame." He soothed, though malice was low on his tongue. "Let us not forget that it was Girion. Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!"
"It's true, sire." The servant of the Master shouted over the clamoring of the crowd. "We all know the story; Arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark."
Bard looked visibly angry, and with good cause. He walked up to the king once more, who had taken a couple steps back.
"You have no right to enter that mountain!" He accused lowly.
"I have the only right." Thorin seethed back.
The dwarf turned around to face the Master of Laketown, knowing his speech made quite the impression.
"I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?"
Anticipation settled in the air as the people stared at their master, desperate for that one definitive answer.
"What say you?"
The Master seemed to think about it for several seconds, taking quick looks to the shorter man beside him, who seemed to hold that ever-present, slimy grin. With one last look, he smiled at Thorin, pointing his finger at him.
"I say onto you....welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!"
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