"Arthur, something's happened."
Thorin's voice was laced with panic. He burst through the Mayor's door and stumbled in.
Arthur had just finished his morning exercise and was resting in the living room, not sleeping.
He heard the door being knocked open immediately, and almost instinctively, his hand reached into his spatial backpack, pulling out a dagger suitable for indoor combat, gripping it tightly.
However, upon seeing that the intruder was Thorin, Arthur quietly put the dagger back.
He noticed the panic on Thorin's face, his brows furrowing slightly, but quickly relaxing.
Arthur gestured to the seat opposite him and said gently to reassure him, "Don't panic, Thorin. Sit down and tell me clearly."
Thorin couldn't calm down immediately at that moment. He stood anxiously by the seat, not sitting down, and spoke rapidly, his voice trembling slightly, his eyes full of worry and unease: "Dain's army was ambushed by Azog."
Arthur's originally calm expression immediately turned serious upon hearing this, realizing the gravity of the situation.
He looked directly at Thorin and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened?"
"This morning I noticed a grey pigeon flying into the inn, but I never expected it to bring such unfortunate news," Gandalf's voice came from another room, tinged with a hint of heaviness and helplessness.
Then, the old wizard walked out of that room and came over to Thorin, his face also full of solemnity.
Arthur frowned, looked at Thorin, and asked again, "Where's the letter?"
Thorin took a few deep breaths. He knew that these two in front of him were the most reliable helpers he could count on at the moment, so he forced himself to calm down.
Thorin spoke, and although he tried to be composed, his voice still trembled slightly from anxiety: "The letter is at the inn. It's written in dwarvish, so you wouldn't understand it. That's why I rushed over to tell you its contents: Dain was ambushed by Azog three days ago. That hateful and cunning orc actually used Earthworms to destroy Dain's chariots. Then, the orc army launched a surprise attack on Dain's forces through the pits left by the Earthworms."
"Dain fought valiantly, but suffered heavy losses. Currently, less than two thousand dwarf heavy infantry and over a hundred War Ram Knightss remain, and they are retreating towards Lake-town. Dain sent for help to both me and my father. I'm not sure about the situation with my father yet, but Dain hopes I can persuade the human guards of Lake-town to help cover his retreat. Now, Dain is leading his remaining forces towards Lake-town from the northeast."
Thorin finished speaking in one breath, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times. He looked at Arthur and continued, "Although Bard promised to be an ally to us Dwarves, I don't have much hope for the human combat strength of Lake-town, which is why I came to you first."
Arthur nodded slightly and said calmly, "I understand. I will do everything I can to deal with Dain's situation. But Thorin, I think you should set aside your prejudices and at least tell Bard about this in detail to see what he plans. Time is urgent now; you should grasp every available strength. In such a critical moment, an extra bit of strength means an extra bit of hope."
Thorin was silent for a moment, seemingly considering Arthur's words carefully.
Then he nodded vigorously and said firmly, "You are right, Arthur. I will follow your advice and seek help from Bard, demanding that he fulfill his oath."
Thorin briefly bid Arthur farewell, then turned and left the Mayor's house in a hurry.
Arthur kindly and tactfully reminded him, "Thorin, mind your wording, so Bard doesn't misunderstand."
"I will."
After Thorin's brief reply, his short, sturdy figure disappeared from the Mayor's doorway. Only the wooden door, shattered by his impact, lay quietly on the ground, allowing the cold wind to continuously blow into the house.
Gandalf sighed softly, his staff gently tapping the floor.
As the staff tip touched the ground, although the wooden door shattered by Thorin still lay on the ground unrepaired, the biting cold wind of Lake-town no longer raged inside the house, and the air within seemed to become slightly warmer due to this action.
Having completed this small task, Gandalf turned his gaze to Arthur.
At this moment, the heavy expression he had when Thorin was present had vanished from his face, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and his tone became a little lighter: "Seeing that you don't have a particularly panicked expression, do you already have a solution for Dain's predicament?"
However, Arthur's expression remained very solemn. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about something extremely important, or perhaps worrying about some unknown variable.
Gandalf's voice brought Arthur out of his contemplation. He pondered for a moment, then slowly began, "Since Dain's situation has already happened, all we can do now is try our best to meet them. In fact, Bernal can go with the Lake-town guards to handle the reception. But I always feel like something is very strange…"
At this point, Arthur's brows furrowed even more. He paused, seemingly trying to clear his thoughts, then continued, "It's precisely this strange feeling that makes me constantly feel that something bad is about to happen, as if some danger we haven't yet perceived is approaching."
Gandalf listened, then asked in confusion, "What exactly makes you feel something is wrong? Logically, haven't you already got a handle on Dain's trouble?"
Arthur shook his head slightly, then raised his eyes, looking at Gandalf with some confusion, and asked, "Earthworms, I don't know much about these creatures. But do you think Dain encountering a combination of Earthworms and the orc army is really as simple as a crushing defeat and escape?"
Gandalf explained to Arthur, "That is indeed possible. Although Earthworms are massive, they are not inherently skilled in combat. They are more like destroyers of nature, rather than warriors on the battlefield. Although I'm not sure how Azog managed to control these Earthworms, their greatest use is to chew out wide tunnels underground, allowing orcs to quickly reach the battlefield and launch attacks."
At this point, Gandalf's face showed a pained expression, and he said regretfully, "It's a pity for those dwarf soldiers of the Iron Hills. With the strength of Dain's forces, they must have encountered orcs several times their number to suffer such a devastating defeat."
Arthur suddenly slammed the table and stood up, saying, "Yes! That's it!"
"What did you think of?" Gandalf was unsure why Arthur was suddenly so startled.
Arthur's expression became even more anxious than Thorin's had been. He said, "Since Dain was surrounded by orcs several times their number, do you think Dain really had a chance to send a message to Thorin via carrier pigeon for help? Or rather, did Dain really have time to write a letter on such a brutal battlefield?"
Gandalf's expression also darkened, and he asked, "Are you saying...?"
Arthur suddenly jumped up from his seat and grabbed Gandalf's wide sleeve: "Go now! Immediately call your Giant Eagle friends and have them rush to Thráin's aid. Azog's objective is not just Dain, but also the dwarf allied army led by Thráin! Thorin mentioned that Dain not only sought help from him but also from his father. Think about it, the only reason Dain could successfully send out a distress signal from such an intense battlefield is because Azog wanted him to; he must have set up an ambush along Thráin's marching route as well!"