Legolas picks beef with an ancient wizard (it was not a wise decision)
Tw: Not proofread. Violence, blood, lots and lots of emotions. Raewyn cries. I can't part Raewyn and Bilbo I'm so sorry. Legolas slander, mentions/descriptions of anxiety and fears, unresolved tension, angssttttt
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Raewyn was not one to lose hope quickly. She lost her home, her family, her heroes, her respect and her status. But she had never lost hope. Gandalf had taught her the most important thing anyone could possess was a bright outlook on the future; to believe that everything will work out the way you intended. But having found herself in the midst of the desperate shield Dain's army set up in front of Erebor made her lose hope. The armies of the orcs was too large, and the thought of being slaughtered by orcs had not been a comfortable thought.
Over the plains, she could hear Azog's voice again, calling out to his army as they neared the dwarves. Large trolls made their ways through the orcish crowds, causign multiple dwarves to swallow thickly, under which Raewyn.
Then, the horn sounded. A dreadful sound filled the field as the trolls slowly began marching. The orcs followed them sternly, in line, yet as chaotic as they act. Raewyn shot one final look to Dain, nodding her head to him in acknowledgement and respect. One he returned.
The dwarves readied their weapons, as stadfast as they always were. That was, until a second horn sounded. This one nearer than the first one. Turning around at the sound, Raewyn spotted Bombur on top of the gates of Erebor, a large horn in his hand.
From Laketown, Bilbo's head shot up at the moment the first horn was sounded, but it wasn't until the second one that he realised what was happening. The hobbit and the wizard shared one look before the shorter creature called out.
"Thorin!"
In their confusion to the second horn, the orcs stopped moving. Slowly at first, but then quicker, the barricade of rocks the dwarves had build up days prior came barreling down. Then, a large gold statue smashed against the inside of the gates, knocking the entire barricade down. Smoke appeared from where the rocks had crashed down, before figures began to rise out of that smoke.
Thirteen dwarves came running out, their weapons held high as they shouted proudly. Dain looked around grinning, raising his weapon as his kin had done, he begun shouting too: "To the king! To the king!"
"Du Bekâr!" Thorin shouted, running up front. The other dwarves formed a line behind him, smashing the orcs that they came across as the dwarven army continued their attack.
Though involuntarily, her heart skipped a beat as she watched the company run through the gates, led by their rightful leader, and not some mad king. Her first instinct was to run to them, despite what they had gone through, but she was called back by Dain.
"Asha, with me! We need you up front!"
Usually, she would have argued, but she understood the urgency of the situation and followed the dwarven lord in reluctance. Slicing her way towards the front, she stood beside Dain. With the blade in her hand, she defended herself fiercely, stabbing orcs as she dodged their efforts to hit her.
"Dain!" A voice carried over the field, causing the said dwarf to turn his head. He couldn't quite spot his cousin, but he knew he was close. No response came from the red haired dwarf but his eyes scanning the crowds.
"Dain!" Sounded again. But this time, there was a visible mop of hair between the crowds.
"Thorin!" Dain shouted in acknowledgement, turning his head around in hesitation.
"Go!" Raewyn voiced, swinging the sword harshly against an enemy. "We got it here!"
Nodding in confirmation, Dain began paving his way through the orcs. He didn't get far before one blocked his path, winging its club dangerously close to the dwarven lord. Too occupied with her own handful, Raewyn lost vision on the dwarf before she could intervene.
"Hold on! I'm coming!" Dain called. trying to hit the orc, but it seemed too agile. It wasn't until a blade suddenly impaled the creature that it stopped moving.
Laughing in glee as it fell over, Dain walked towards the other dwarf. "Hey, cousin! What took you so long?!"
Despite their surroundings, the pair met for a short hug, both patting each other's backs in relief. Raewyn hadn't noticed it, but a pair of eyes fell on her as Thorin looked over Dain's back.
"There's too many of these buggars, Thorin. I hope you have a plan." Dain spoke as he broke the hug, now clutching his weapon tighter. Both looked up at the hilltop where Azog's voice had come from constantly, now spotting the wooden machines and the leader himself.
"Aye," The king mumbled, nodding his head towards the hilltop. "We're going to take out their leader!"
Glaring at the orc in question, Dain let the name slip, looking for silent confirmation. "Azog..."
Thorin let out a short hum of agreement, his eyes now falling back on the Asha, who struggled to keep a much larger orc at distance. He was about to intervene before she ran her blade between the eyes of the creature, successfully knocking down. For a second he had forgotten strength and cunning of her family.
Carefully, he walked up to her, trying not to catch her off-guard. Yet, she swung the sword towards the dwarf, its tip directed at his head. It wasn't until her head spun as well that she lowered the blade. Her face was still set in a snarl, but it slowly fell as she registered the changed atmosphere emanating from him. Then, she simply stared at him, unsure of what to say or what to do.
"Words fall short of my gratitude and regret." He spoke up sincerely, creating a featherlight feeling in her stomach. So bothering, she would've almost scratched it. The anger she had shown in battle faded in record time. She could feel her heart race at the words, but refused to show it, trying to keep a stone face.
"But I am sorry," He went on. "About everything."
And those words were enough for her to finally break her facade. Her lip trembled upon the words, her hands shaking slightly as she struggled to keep a hold on the sword that now seemed heavier than ever.
"You were a young girl," With every word he spoke, the grip on her weapon loosened. Her feet seemed to sink through the floor as the floating feeling in her stomach transitioned into her upper torso. "It wasn't fair to you. Never has been."
And that's when the weapon fell to the floor. All the fights she has had with him, the hateful words, poisonous looks, spiteful threats and bottomless string of curses seemed to be forgotten with those three words.
'I am sorry'
Before she could find it in her to give him a nod, a smile or even a verbal thank you, her feet carried her. Surprising even herself, she wrapped her arms around the dwarf, pulling him in for a hug. Silent tears streamed down her face as she looked over her shoulder, ignoring Dain's looks. Maybe it had been the adrenaline pumping through her veins due to the battle she was in only seconds prior, maybe it was pent-up frustration and sorrow, but with those words, all hatred seemed to subdue.
Hesitantly, but firmly, Thorin reciprocated the hug. Whispered 'thank you's kept spilling from Raewyn's mouth as she sighed deeply, tying to force the light feeling down again. As they broke their embrace, Thorin placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her an encouraging smile.
"Will you join us?"
A large mountain goat from Dain's army pranced forward as Thorin took the reigns, holding it in one place. As the goat stood still, the dwarf swiftly mounted it, holding one hand out for Raewyn to take. Still caught up in her head, she dubiously accepted offer, ascending the goat behind him.
"Thorin, you cannot do this!" Dain tried to protest, fearing he'd lose his leader within battle. "You're our king!"
"Which is why I must do this." The dark haired dwarf spoke, looking off into the distance.
"You cannot fight your way single handedly to Ravenhill!"
As Dain spoke these words, a loud yell was heard, and six goats came barreling in, carrying a wagon behind them with a heavy weapon loaded on top. On the wagon sat Dwalin, Fili and Kili, with Balin guiding the goats.
"It's been a while since I've done this." The older dwarf exclaimed, though he seemed happy in his place. Kili's eyes briefly met Raewyn's, and neither could help the little flood of relief washing through their bodies as they found both of them to still be standing. Before either of them could say or do anything, Thorin spoke up.
"Let's go!"
"Hold on, lads!" Balin warned, his six goats now coming into movements suddenly, jerking the four dwarves forwards slightly.
"Give that piece of filth a good pounding from me!" Dain shouted to the pair, to which the group nodded, now leaving the battlefield.
The wagon barreled through the middle of the orcish army, decapitating orcs and trolls with the knives lodged into the center of the wheels, whereas Thorin took a safer road, as he and Raewyn had not been located on a safer transport.
He drove through orcs removed from the wagon, taking them down as he lead the way for the other dwarves. His sword was wielded in his hand as he defended the goat, paving the way successfully. It was now that Raewyn realized she had left all her weapons on the battlefield, and was left with nothing else. Where she would usually be stocked with weapons, she now only had the dagger, which was left in an orc corpse near Dain, and two stolen weapons. Both of which also discarded. Silently, she kept those thoughts to herself, hoping an opportunity would arise later.
Back in Dale, Gandalf tries to help the men of Laketown take down their enemies. He can see the trolls nearing the city as well, but begins to smile when he sees one falling to the hands of the human fighters.
"We may yet survive this." He mumbled to himself, then looked around, looking for the hobbit who had run off only seconds prior.
"Gandalf!" A voice suddenly shouted, revealing Bilob, who had leaned over the edge of one of Dale's surroundings. The wizards slays an oncoming orc, rushing to his friend to make sure of his safety. It is there that he sees a small group of dwarves on top of mountain goats ride up to Ravenhill.
"It's Thorin!" Bilbo continues, then spots the figure behind the said dwarf. "Is that Raewyn?"
Looking over his shoulder, Gandalf cannot suppress the grin spreading across his face, his eyes twinkling slightly upon the sight. "And Fili, Kili, Balin and Dwalin!" He confirmed. "He's taking his best warriors!"
"To do what?" Turning around to face the grey pilgrim, the said wizard's face morphed into a stern one, even though his eyes remained somewhat joyous as they almost met Raewyn's.
"To cut the head off the snake."
"Gandalf!" A third voice calls out, alerting both creatures before the ledge. A horse comes marching through the crowds before two elves jump off of it. Bilbo recognizes them as the elves from Mirkwood and involuntarily makes a face of disdain towards them.
"Legolas!" Gandalf announces happily. "Legolas Greenleaf!"
"There is a second army!" The elf speaks after bowing his head to the wizard. "Bolg leads a force of Gundabad orc. They are almost upon us!"
"Gundabad...." Gandalf repeated, his voice trailing off slightly. "This was their plan all along. Azog engages our forces, then Bolg seeps in from the north."
Gandalf's face showed panic, but Bilbo hadn't caught onto why. "What..the north..." He mumbled, audibly thinking to the newly formed crowd. "Where is the north, exactly?"
Turning his head to look at the six disappearing in the distance, Gandalf spoke glumly. "Ravenhill."
"Ravenhill..." Bilbo swallowed, his heartbeat speeding up as he begun to realize where this laid. Following the wizard's line of sight, the hobbit sighed deeply, the sound wavering as a sinking feeling entered his stomach. "Thorin is up there! And Raewyn! And Fili and Kili - they're all up there!"
"The Asha?" Legolas interrupted. "I thought she died!"
"You've met her?" Gandalf asked in wonder, not aware of their unpleasant passage through the elven kingdom.
"She escaped her sentencing." The elf explained, oblivious to the relationship the wizard held with Raewyn.
"For what?"
"Killing the queen." Was the response Gandalf was met with. His eyebrows knit together in confusion as he shook his head in denial.
"That cannot be," He began. "Raewyn was not even born when Êlúriel was killed."
And then, Legolas raised his head as his mind got thinking. To him, it was obvious the grey pilgrim had held some sort of bond with the Asha, and though the reason was unknown to him, he quickly shot into defense: "It was her kin that murdered mine."
"And it was yours who refused her kin shelter when the dragon killed her ancestors," Gandalf countered quickly, slow anger washing over his features. "Surely, you did not fight over this."
"The king wished for her trial."
As the pair agreed, Bilbo's eyes set on the other elf. There was something about her he could not quite decipher. She seemed familiar, but Bilbo couldn't place where he'd seen her, besides a short moment in Mirkwood, when he was stalking the halls.
No, there was something else about her. He observed her hesitant stance from her other elven friend, and her uneasy appearance. And then, finally, the puzzle pieces connected, and the hobbit let out an audible gasp, drawing attention from the other three.
"She saved her!" He exclaimed, pointing to the red-haired elf. "You saved my friend's life! Raewyn told me about you!"
The elf seemed taken aback by his claim, and stood still. Her friend looked at her in surprise, while Gandalf managed to find a tiny sliver of a smile after his argument with Legolas.
"Then, I must thank you." He spoke, bowing his head to her. She seemed to not respond to him, almost nailed to the ground.
"Tauriel?" Legolas wondered aloud, his face almost insulted.
"Now is not the time for this petty banter," The wizard stopped before they could start, now pointing towards Ravenhill. "They might need assistance up there!"
"The king will not be pleased with this." The blonde denied, shaking his head in disagreement.
"He'll have to take it up with me." Were Gandalf's words, before they took a slightly more hostile turn: "I did not take you for someone who'd turn his face to people in need, Legolas Thrandulion. Will you truly let these decades ruin your trust in a loyal warrior?"
The elf seemed stuck on this thought for a while, but Tauriel had already made her way back into the crowds, her eyes set on the hill they had been discussing. Seeing his companion leaving, Legolas gave an adamend nod, following Tauriel suit.
"Thank you."
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"Onwards!" Thorin yelled as the goat pranced over a bridge, his sword raised as the group had now managed to escape the orcs and wargs that were trailing behind them.
"Lead on!" Dwalin shouted, now mounted on top of one goat, instead of the wagon Thorin and Raewyn had seen earlier. As the group met halfway, they continued their path, the goats' paces now matching.
"Good to see ye, lass!" The biggest dwarf yelled, gaining the Asha's acknowledgement.
"Rae!" Kili shouted upon the sight of Raewyn, now speeding up his goat to catch up with Thorin. His eyes seemed to pierce hers, and for the first time in a long time, she did not quite know what to say. All that she managed to do was muster up a little smile.
"Where's Balin?" Thorin called, noticing the wagon was left behind and his companions were now riding three lone goats.
Silence was met upon Thorin's question as Dwalin looked forward mindlessly.
"He stayed behind to shield off the wargs." Fili explained, trying to keep his voice as even as possible, keeping the dread to himself.
"He'll be fine, lad," Dwalin tried to soothe. "He's a fierce warrior."
A stray arrow suddenly shot past the dwarf's head, barely missing him. Immediately alarmed at the sight, all dwarves drew their weapons. From his back, Kili drew a greataxe, slowly urging his goat closer to Thorin's, extending his arm to hadn Raewyn the weapon. She was quick to recognize it as the same one she had used atop the Erebor gates.
"Thought you might need it." Kili offered with an insecure smile, urging the Asha to accept the weapon. Hesitantly, she took it, giving the dwarf a short nod of her head.
"They're hiding here, alright." Dwalin alerted as the company worked their way up the hill. At the words, Raewyn gripped the axe tighter, unsure of how to feel at the sight of it. Flashes of Fili and Kili's petrified faces flashed before her as she looked at the blade of the axe, swallowing thickly as she saw Thorin's menacing grin.
"Raewyn," The call of her name ripped her out of her dwindling thoughts. "Can you see something?" The voice came from directly in front of her, and for a second, she had to get used to the sound of her name coming out of his mouth.
Blinking twice, she cleared her mind, looking in the distance, trying to spot any hostile figures. If years of practice of survival in the world had taught her anything, it was to spot enemies or creatures before they could even think to strike.
And then she saw it; in the hills, multiple figures sneaking up. They held their eyes on the company, but did not engage. It almost seemed as if the arrow had been an accident.
"They're moving." She ultimately spoke to the group.
"Why?" The largest dwarf wondered, his eyes falling on the Asha
Would she not have been so caught up in her mind and emotions, she would have made a snide remark along the lines of "ice cream" or "birthday party", but for now, she remained silent yet again, merely shaking her head in answer.
"They're fleeing!" Kili announced in a somewhat happy tone, but Raewyn shot him down quickly.
"No," She denied, staring up the hill in anticipation. Then, her eyes fell on her friends, looking at them in remorse and dread.
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
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Du Bekâr: To Arms in Khuzdul (Dwarvish)
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