Ya'aburnee

Failed Robbery

Thorin had explained the plan before they left. Bain had tried to stop them, but he was only a human boy, against a troop of dwarves, and they easily pushed past him and slipped through the streets on the way to the armory. Only Thorin, Kili, Bilbo, Nori, and Bofur were going to go inside, up through a window, and then out through a back door.

It was dark, by the time they reached the armory and fully developed their plan, and Liv, since she was tallest, was going to stand up against the wall so that the group headed inside could run up the group on the ground like a staircase into the window.

"Can you see anything?" Bilbo whispered.

"Shh! Keep it down," Oin whispered back.

"As soon as we have the weapons, we make straight for the mountain," Thorin instructed, the group all nodding. "Go, go, go," He said when he saw a window in the guard rotation, the group sneaking quickly past the guards and around the city armory.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Nori asked Olivia. "Dwarves are heavy."

"I can brace myself against the wall," She said, "And you're not asking anyone else if they'll be alright. Just do as Thorin says." 

The dwarf nodded, quickly backing away to get ready to make a running start. He wasn't wrong, he was heavy, but Olivia was able to manage, only having his weight for a brief time, shoving him upwards to roll into the window. Bilbo was next, much much lighter, and she almost tossed him too high, but now there were two inside. Fili and Bofur went next, and Thorin was last, the group waiting down below the window incase the group above needed to come back down through the window.

Suddenly, there was a loud clattering from inside, and the sound of someone thumping down stairs. Olivia let out a sigh, eyes fluttering shut. The sound was followed shortly by guards shouting, and Olivia quickly sprung into action, guiding the group. "Come on, quickly!" She only lead the group a short distance before armed guards appeared in front of her, blocking their escape entirely, unless they wanted to swim in the icy canal.

They were dragged by the guards into a group with the rest, all being shoved amongst shouting villagers to the town hall in the center of the town. "I though I told you to get them out of there," Thorin said to Olivia as the two came together.

"I tried," She said, "We weren't fast enough."

Some of the dwarves were struggling, but just like with the Goblins, Thorin and Olivia and a couple others knew that struggling was to no avail, and let themselves be dragged along silently.

The group were arranged in a semi-circle in the square,  guards flanking them. Thorin grabbed Olivia's wrist, pulling her beside him, behind Bilbo. She glanced down at him questioningly, but said nothing. "What is the meaning of this!?" A grumpy man burst out from the town hall, guards opening the door for him. 

"We caught 'em stealing weapons sire," The head guard explained.

"Ah, enemies of the state, ehm?" The man concluded. The way he said it made Olivia not like him very much. 

"A desperate bunch of mercenaries if ever there was sire," A slimy man Olivia recognized said. It was Alfrid, from the gate when Bard had brought the company through that morning.

"Hold your tongue!" Dwalin stepped forwards, "You do not know to whom you speak! This is no common criminal!" He stepped towards Thorin, holding his arm out towards him. "This is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!" Thorin sighed and stepped forwards, putting a hand on Dwalin's shoulder to tell him to calm.

The king turned and looked up to where the mayor of the town stood. "We are the dwarves of Erebor." The crowd murmured amongst themselves, pointing at members of the group. "We have come to reclaim our homeland." He walked forwards. "I remember this town in the great days of old." He turned, looking up at the buildings, then around at the people. "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!" He put his hand in a fist for emphasis, the crowd cheering and murmuring louder amongst themselves. Olivia knew the dwarf often seemed to be of few words, but when he began speaking, he had much to say, eloquently as well. "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!"

More cheers erupted, Thorin turning once more to the Master of the Lake, until the voice of Bard cut through the shouting. "Death! That is what you will bring upon us!" Bard appeared from behind her, pushing past her and Bilbo, approaching Thorin. "Dragon fire and ruin. If you waken that beast, it will destroy us all."

"You can listen to this naysayer," Thorin addressed the crowd, "But I promise you this: If we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain." The crowd was again appeased, cheering. It sounded good to them, and as Thorin's eyes found Olivia's in the group, she gave him a smile, and a small nod. He turned back towards the crowd, pulling his eyes from hers. "You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!"

The cheers only grew till Bard cut them off again. "All of you! Listen to me! You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?!"

"No," and "We haven't" came from the crowd, all looking more unsure now.

"And for what purpose?" Bard spat, "The blind ambition of a mountain king." He turned to Thorin, who also slowly turned to face the man. "So riven by greed he could not see beyond his own desire!"

Thorin glared up at Bard, who was glaring at him. "Now, now," The Master said, "We must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget, it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!"

Thorin's expression darkened slightly at the realization. "It's true sire," Alfrid said, "We all know the story. Arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing it's mark."

Olivia was growing sick of this, stepping forwards, "None of which is relevant now. Bard is not Girion. And Thorin is not Thror. We can blame neither of them for what happened all those years ago, nor predict, simply by their bloodline what will happen now." She felt a little bad; she knew what was going to happen, but she knew that she could not sway Thorin, and she could not let herself fall out of his favor by talking back, and be unable to save him. She realized how selfish it was. So many of the townsfolk would die, loose their homes, and she hated herself for it, but all she could think of in that moment was Thorin. She glanced down at him, to see that he looked up at her with a soft, fond expression, and she smiled, giving him a firm nod.

Bard, however, was not happy. He turned to Thorin, saying lowly. "You have no right. No right to enter that Mountain."

Thorin looked up at him, away from Olivia. "I have the only right." He turned from Bard, walking up the steps towards the Master, halfway to the top. "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?" There was a hesitation, the Master saying nothing. "What say you?"

Everyone waited with baited breath, listening for the Masters reply. "I say unto you..." The master finally said, "Welcome! Welcome! And thrice, welcome, King under the mountain!"

Bard slowly closed his eyes, sighing. He turned to Olivia, muttering, "You would trust a dwarf over your own people? Or did he promise you a share of the gold? Are you just as greedy as him?"

She gave him a startled look. "Thorin is my friend..." She looked up at him as he turned out to the cheering crowd. She turned back to Bard. "He is not paying me a single coin. And this is not just about gold. It is his home."