Raewyn might be girlbossing a bit too close to the sun
Tw: Raewyn is pulling a season 8 Daenerys Targaryen, description of violence and use of of weapons, but no mention of injuries or blood. Thorin with dragonsickness, shitload of angst, just pain; Kili cries.
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Armies of elves and men littered the front gates of Erebor, archers hidden behind the gates of Dale, awaiting the command of their leader. As Raewyn and Kili reached the group above the entrance of the mountain, the ranger was able to make out the familiar figure of Bard, and - much to her surprise and dismay - that of king Thranduil. Frowning upon the sight, she turned to Kili, who merely gave her a confused look, having not expected the two either.
Thorin, who had been standing in front of the dwarves, drew his bow, shooting an arrow toward the pair. The projectile embedded the floor directly in front of the elk Thranduil was riding, making him halt the animal, looking up at Thorin in shock.
"I will put the next one between your eyes!" The dwarf bellowed, glaring at the elven king.
Drawing his bow again, the dwarves began to cheer, shaking their weapons in warning and pride. Rolling her eyes at the pair, Raewyn walked forward, trying to find the hobbit.
Suddenly, the bowmen from Dale pulled back their weapons, aiming their arrows toward the crowd of dwarves. Abruptly, their cheering ended, their axes and swords freezing mid-air. Some of them began to duck, yet Thorin stood in place, Raewyn only shortly removed from him.
"We have come to tell you, payment of your debt has been offered..." A brief silence struck as the elven king spoke. "And accepted."
"What payment?" Thorin chuckled, almost mocking the men and elves below. A sinking feeling began to settle into Raewyn's stomach as she inhaled sharply, as if she had just gotten hit by a blunt kick.
"I gave you nothing! You have nothing!" The dwarf shouted, his bow still drawn.
The Asha noticed Bard moving forward, reaching for something in his pocket. Taking two steps to the ramp, Raewyn stood beside Thorin, not sparing him a second glace, her eyes instead glued onto the man.
"We have this!" Bard claimed, pulling the Arkenstone from his robe, holding it above his head.
"They have the Arkenstone?" Kili wondered aloud, surprising the ranger with his sudden presence. "Thieves! How came you by the heirloom of our house? That belongs to the king!"
Though her face was facing forward, and none of the dwarves could see it, Raewyn formed her lips in a thin line, looking down at her hands.
"And the king may have it. In our good will." The man offered, putting the Arkenstone back where it is hidden from sight. "But first, he must honor his word."
Now finally looking at the king, Raewyn awaited his words, knowing that perhaps now was the worst time to ever speak up.
"They are taking us for fools," Thorin muttered to himself. "This is a ruse, a filthy lie."
His eyes scanned over his subject, before ultimately landing on Raewyn, his eyes set in anger, though it was obvious to both it was not necessarily directed towards her.
"The Arkenstone is in this mountain!" He roared, facing the Lakeman. "It is a trick!"
"It-It's not a trick," A new voice spoke up, drawing the attention of all those on the rampart. "The stone is real. I gave it to them."
"Bilbo," Raewyn whispered, staring at the hobbit in horror.
"You..." Thorin whispered, near enraged.
"I gave it-" "I took it as my fourteenth share." Bilbo interrupted, shaking off Raewyn's attempts to help him.
"You would steal from me?" The king hissed.
"Steal from you?" The hobbit repeated. "No, no. I may be a burglar, but I like to think I'm an honest one. I'm willing to let it stand against my claim."
Closing her eyes upon his choice of words, Raewyn shook her head, knowing Bilbo had the right intentions, but the wrong choice of speech.
"Against your claim? Your claim?!" Thorin raged, throwing his bow down in anger. "You have no claim over me, you miserable rat!"
Crazed with greed and anger, the dwarf marched up to Bilbo, setting a threatening pace. Making a quick decision, Raewyn ran up to the king, halting in front of him, thankful her armor had now made her heavier, and therefore more difficult to move.
"I found it!" She lied, knowing Thorin would believe her would it only be in his hatred against her. Now all eyes fell on her, including Bilbo's, who was at loss for words.
"When I left Erebor," She convinced. "I found the stone minutes prior, but I knew you were suspecting me of treason. I gave it to Bilbo as to keep it within the mountain, making him promise he'd hand it to you when you were thinking clearly again."
"You would have taken the Arkenstone with you?" The king seethed.
"I would have if you were alone. But you are not." Raewyn explained, gesturing towards the group surrounding them. "I would have given you the right to the gem, had you only kept your word and sanity towards the people of Laketown."
"Who are you to decide my right?" Thorin hissed, taking another step closer to the Asha, who refused to take one back, only looking down at the dwarf. "You are nothing, you come from nothing! You come from a line of impure imbeciles, who wander the lands as if they owned them. Without respect, without dignity! And you are no better." He cursed, his face now mere inches removed from Raewyn, but yet, she refused to yield.
"You have traveled with my kin," He whispered harshly. "You have deceived my kin. And now you dare wear the armor of my kin. You are not one of us, you are not a dwarf, nor will you ever be. You are the worst creature I have encountered."
"You can say any words you think of me," The Asha returned, her voice venomous and sharp. "You may insult me, you may call me names, accuse me of the things you yourself have done, I could not care. But you bring my clan into this once more, and this mountain will no longer house a king."
Deciding against her speech, the dwarf showed a mocking smirk, narrowing his eyes at her, speaking his next words in a low tone.
"You are the last of a line of rebels, naysayers, traitors, and thieves. No one cares about them anymore. Your name is weak and unfortunate." The words were spat in her face, causing her to clench her jaw together in anger.
"Had my nephew not been so fond of you, I would have killed you that night in Bag-End. But I will not make that mistake again." Finally taking a step back, the king unsheathed his sword, pointing it at the woman, who merely stared at him in anger, her hand subconsciously reaching towards the ax she had carried with her.
"You have insulted me, attacked me, stolen from me, and lied to me; The King Under The Mountain!" He boomed, now holding his sword up. "You stand accused of these four major crimes against the throne. And I will carry out your sentence immediately." He decided.
His sword swung down with an impressive pace, leaving Raewyn a mere two seconds to jump from the place of impact. Bofur and Oin, who had stood beside her, took four steps back, dragging multiple dwarves with them. Bilbo had disappeared at the sudden movement, leaving him incapable of seeing what was happening.
His breath caught in his throat as he tried to push past the dwarves, only hearing the clinking of Thorin's sword. His heart rate sped up as his feet grew heavier with each step. From above the crowd, Thorin's sword was seen again, before crashing down once more.
Moving between Dwalin and Balin, Bilbo caught hold of Raewyn, who was now wielding her ax, the look in her eyes almost terrifying him. Though he knew she had always held a demanding glint in her eyes as she fought, this was something entirely different. The grip she held on her weapon was tighter than it usually was, and there was an almost crazed expression hidden in her eyes. She was wielding her ax as he had never seen her wield a weapon before.
She was hitting back every single shot Thorin send her way, not a single tired breath leaving her lips. It was almost as if she was challenging him, for, with every hit he gave her, she took a step closer to him, forcing him back. And she did not falter once.
In his shock, the poor hobbit did not know what to do but stand and watch. He dared to let his eyes wander to Fili and Kili, who had seemed to be caught in the same position he was. Where Bilbo would have gone to stand beside Raewyn, he no longer knew whose side to protect. Because the longer he watched her, the more he began to realize; She was not defending herself. She was attacking him.
She was swinging wildly at him, a scowl set on her face as her feet kept carrying her forward. It was becoming increasingly obvious who had begun to grasp the upper hand in their battle. Enraged, Thorin stabbed his sword straight ahead, the gesture unexpected by Raewyn. Quickly ducking out of the way, Thorin tripped lightly, but managed to regain his balance. Hooking her ax behind the blade of Thorin's sword, she tried to knock it out of his hands. But the dwarf was quicker, and turned around swiftly, placing both hands on the handle as he took a step back.
Sneering at his actions, Raewyn ran at him again, now wielding her ax high, ready to strike down as Thorin had tried to do with his sword earlier. Holding his sword above his head, he caught the hit, his arms straining against the weight, yet managing to hold him save.
Not thinking clearly anymore, Raewyn kicked her left leg from underneath her. The metal boot came into contact with Thorin's chest plate, forcing him to stumble back while the Asha could only hiss at the impact.
"You took away my entire life!" She screamed, her voice raised in anger, sending goosebumps down Bilbo's back.
In her delusion, her eyes fell upon Fili and Kili, who were still staring at the whole ordeal, frozen to the floor. Fili just stood there, a helpless look washing over his face as he dared not to make eye contact with the ranger. Kili, however, stared straight into her eyes, pleading for her to come to her senses, though there was visible fear and hesitance in his eyes as well.
Swallowing harshly, as if mentally fighting with herself, she pointed her ax towards the pair, a newfound determination spread on her face.
"It is because of you that I fear going to sleep at night!" She accused, her eyes set on Thorin, who was slowly recovering himself. "It is because of you I fear to even talk to other people!" As her voice rose, her ax began to swing, not violently, yet threatening enough for Fili and Kili to not dare to move. Nor anyone else for that matter.
"It is because of you I still suffer every single day! That I cannot find myself to be happy as long as I have to live with the fact that you are here!" She now stormed. The fact that she had never spoken these words out loud should have made her cry, and should have made her rethink her choices. But at the moment, it only fueled her rage.
"It is not fair that you have become king after all that, and I still haven't had my revenge." She seethed, grasping her ax even tighter, her knuckles pressing against the metal in her armor, surely leaving bruises on there.
"Raewyn," Kili whispered, his voice hoarse, barely there, but she heard it. Turning her head towards him, she glared at him. "Please."
Ignoring his words, Raewyn turned back towards Thorin, who stood with a conflicted look on his face, finally understanding his situation.
"I have waited long enough, Oakenshield." She spat out, holding her ax higher, the blade now facing both Fili and Kili.
"Please," Kili whispered again, a stray tear falling down his cheek as he kept looking at the Asha, trying to ignore the imposing ax pointed at his face. The ax he had given her.
For a short moment, her could swear he saw the weapon move slightly, but it returned before he could even register the movement.
"Raewyn Asha, what are you doing?!" A booming voice spoke up, shocking everyone on the rampart. Everyone except for the person who was mentioned. She still stood there, her eyes trained on Thorin as her weapon was held to the side.
"Raewyn Asha, ishalo ter ulma e ashada!" The wizard called again, but to no avail.
Her eyes did not once fall from Thorin's shocked face, delusion still there, but slowly fading.
"Be the bigger person!" Gandalf offered, earning a groan from the Asha.
"I have been the bigger person for my entire life, and it has gotten me nowhere!" She yelled in frustration, lowering her ax briefly. "I'm sick and tired of it. I'm ending my pain."
As she spoke her last words, the ax was wielded once more, the muscles in her arm slowly straining, but she choose to ignore the objection.
"Do you not think your pain would only become worse when you have his blood on your hands?" The wizard pointed out, but all Raewyn gave in response was a short "No.".
A deafening silence struck the plains as the armies awaited the words of the wizard, and the group in Erebor began to grow scared of the woman they had traveled with the entire year.
Bilbo dared to step forward, not saying a word, but removing him from the crowd. He was standing behind Raewyn, who had already expected him to step out. He kept himself removed a relative distance from her, but besides the two princes, he was closest to the ranger now.
"You do not truly want to kill them." He tried, his voice hushed, knowing very well it might as well be his last words.
Though the anger in her face had begun to grow less recognizable, it was still very much clear that she had no intention to yield just yet. However, she did turn back towards the pair next to her, swallowing thickly as she observed the two.
"I don't." She whispered.
"Come back down, Raewyn, and we can settle this." Gandalf called out again.
A short glimpse was thrown over her shoulder as she looked at Bilbo, her face softening at his hopeful eyes. But as she heard Thorin near, her eyes darkened again, flying back towards the dwarf.
"No," She decided. "No, we cannot."
"Throw him off the rampart." Thorin called to his company, yet again, surprising everyone. But the dwarves stood nailed to the floor, their eyes shifting between the raging Asha and their delusional king.
"Do you hear me?!" Thorin boomed, deciding to ignore the ranger who had her weapon pointed towards the head of his kin.
"I will do it myself!" He claimed, running towards Bilbo, who still stood behind Raewyn.
Widening her eyes, Raewyn's ax was now pointed towards Thorin, her feet parted for more balance as a scowl formed onto her face once more. The king held his sword in front of him as well, ready to continue their battle.
"Cursed be the wizard that forced you on this company!" The dwarf shouted at Bilbo, the words not going unheard by Gandalf.
"If you do not like my burglar then please don't damage him! Return him to me!" He shouted, alerting Raewyn of his presence once more. "You are not making a very splendid figure as King Under The Mountain, are you? Thorin, son of Thrain?"
Dwarves behind the Asha hesitantly began to move as they helped Bilbo climb down the rampart.
"Never again will I have dealings with wizards or Shire-rats!" Thorin cursed, still forced to face Raewyn. "Or rogue wenches."
In response, the Asha swung her weapon in anger, nearly hitting Thorin, who managed to block the hit rather clumsily. Blinded in her rage, and his provocation, she began to hit wildly, no longer placing strategy behind her attacks. She was ready to throw everything on the line, would it only be for her final moment of revenge.
In a surprising move, she swung the ax low, beneath his feet. Quick as he was, the king tripped over the blade, landing on his back, coming face to face with the ax pointed at him, Raewyn looming over him with a threatening look.
Making up his mind quickly, Kili stepped away from his brother, just missing the hand extended to him. Another tear slipped from his eyes as he approached the ranger from behind, gently laying a hand on top of hers, which were wielding the weapon.
Having successfully drawn her attention, the ranger turned to look at the dwarf, shooting him a questioning look, her anger fading once more. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pointed the weapon away from Thorin, gently lowering it to the floor.
"Leave," He whispered, choking on his own word as he watched her expression fall. "Please."
Slowly, his hand fell from hers as he took a step back, leaving her to make up her mind. Staring at him blankly, she processed his words, looking at his saddened face. Now, she finally looked at the crowd around her, save the dwarf she had gotten on the floor. Though she could not have cared less for their ideas, the plain sight of the fear and terror on their faces was enough to knock her back to her senses.
Letting the ax slip from her hands, she stepped back from the fallen king, not flinching upon the sound the metal made as it hit the floor. She only looked at Kili, nodding at him with a heartbroken expression.
As she made her way to the rope Bilbo had climbed down from, the dwarves parted, none of them daring to even offer the girl a hug or goodbye. It was a quiet departure, leaving her to climb down in shame.
"Are we resolved?" Bard spoke up, watching Raewyn's figure near the grounds below Erebor. "The return of the Arkenstone for what was promised?"
Thorin showed up above the ledge again, breathing heavily, yet fixing his crown with a brave face.
"Give us your answer! Will you have peace or war?" The man asked.
For the second time, a painful silence struck the area. None dared to make the wrong move. None, except, of course, the stubborn king himself.
"I will have war."
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Raewyn Asha, ishalo ter ulma e ashada!: Raewyn Asha, let go of your weapon and turn around in Asyr (Language of the Ashas)
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