/Evidently, this chapter will contain spoilers from the book and film. If you haven't read the book or seen the last film, and have become emotionally invested in these characters (Like I have) Then you may want to come back later. Seriously, I'm sure the film will show the events much more dramatically, so if you wish to watch it as a spoiler-virgin, don't read past here until you've seen it.

A Battle

Watching as the army drew closer, Idria worried about what would happen if the elves and men refused to let them past, as they most likely would. There could be a fight, and even if the dwarves could win, many would die. The party began to prepare as if for war, wearing thick armour and carrying their weapons all of the time. Thorin insisted that she be protected as well, and though not much armour fit her, she was able to find chainmail her size which she wore beneath her clothes. She also wore a helmet that was slightly too big for her, but nothing on her hands. Gloves that were too big would affect her grip on her sword, and her hands were the wrong shape to fill dwarven gloves. She considered taking a shield, but she had never trained with one, and did not have the time to learn how to use it. And since her right hand would not move, it would be awkward to rely on a strap to hold it to her arm, as she couldn't grip it herself.

When the army of dwarfs reached the one of men and elves, it slowed. They watched as it came to a stop and sighed as she knew that they would not be allowed to pass. Then the army of men came forward, bows drawn, about to rain down upon the dwarves.

"Ready the gate!" Thorin shouted, he would not leave the mountain, but would be welcoming the dwarves inside as soon as they got close enough. But then a dark cloud fell, a huge one that darkened the sky and sent a chill through the air. And then an army of black appeared, a shrieking rush that swiftly covered the horizon. Idria went cold as she placed the sounds. There were two, the shrieking of goblins and the howling of wolves. The others on the walls saw it and their faces fell. The armies moved swiftly, the dwarves soon joining with the elves and men, for goblins were a common foe of them all. They hurried about arranging themselves, and Thorin shouted, "To arms! To arms." And they rushed to obey. Her hand found her sword and grasped the hilt tightly as she watched the goblins charge forward. The elves were the first to meet the charge, slashing at the goblins and wolves with a grace that no other race could match. Then the men and dwarves joined the fray, though they were all outnumbered, and she could tell the fight would be a tough one.

"To the gate!" Balin yelled at them, "We fight!" She went with the rest of them, following them down stone paths towards the main gate. The sounds of the battle were muffled, but she could hear the shrieks and shouts. Eyes widening, her breath came heavy and she took a step back, suddenly fearful.

I'm not ready, I could die!

For a fleeting second, she considered running. If she hid within the stone city, she could prepare to run should something bad happen. She was only one woman, she doubted she could do anything much. But then Thorin stepped up beside her, and as if he sensed her mood, he kissed her once on the lips, and said to her,

"Stay by me, we'll fight together and the world will never overtake us." Her cheeks flamed with shame that she had even considered fleeing. She would have been abandoning him, and if they won this fight, even if he forgave her, she would never forgive herself. She whispered,

"Thank you." He smiled and then turned back toward the gate,

"Open the gate!" And as it came crashing open and the sunlight flooded in, she drew her sword and charged forward with him.

Outside, the lines of different armies had entwined into a single mass of bodies. She charged forwards and slashed her sword through the bodies. It was sharper than she would have believed, cutting through muscle and even bone easily. Pressing forward, the group of them were a sight of relief. Although she kept in the group with them, she didn't know how she managed it, she only focused on the goblins and wolves. She parried a cut that would have taken her head off, and saw the other sword blade snap clean in two. The blow jarred her arm, but she wasted no time goring her attacker in the knee and watching as he went crashing down. An accidental blow with the flat of her blade broke the leg of one small wold and made it yelp.

As she fought, her fear melted away. She realised that death would only come the second she let her guard down, not before. So long as she stayed aware of her enemies, she would be fine. As time went by, though, her arm soon began to tire and her legs burned. She began to move slightly more slowly, conserving her energy in a way she hadn't had to before. And somehow, they began to move apart, fighting in smaller groups. Standing with Thorin, Fili and Kili, the four of them fought non-stop. And still the ranks of goblins would not thin out, then rushed forward until it was like trying to stop a river with her hands. Blood flew from her blade, now stained a dirty red color. She panted, hair flying about her head and she wished she'd tied it back before fighting. Leaping towards a goblin, a stone beneath her foot twisted and sent her to one knee. The goblin brought his blade down towards her neck and she cried out, wrenching herself back. Then she swung her sword upwards and sent it through his chin, as his blood fell onto her. Pulling herself to her feet, she re-joined the three dwarves and stood at their side.

A goblin approached, cutting through men and even elves relatively easily, in a straight line towards them. When he drew close, he swung his large club at them. Thorin was the one to meet him, blocking the club with his axe. Then her attention was torn away as a pack of wolves approached and they had to deal with them. It took a minute, but then she turned back to watch Thorin. He had struck the large goblin in the side, but it seemed not to affect him. Then the goblin brought down his club and she saw Thorin step out of the way, she smiled and turned to fight another goblin, defeating him in four swings of her sword. And then she heard a shout, and turned to see Thorin falling to the ground, his legs tangled around the club of the goblin. He hit the ground hard and sprawled on his back. She screamed and tried to approach him, only to be cut off by another wolf.

"Move!" She screamed desperately, and behind it she saw the goblin bring his club down onto Thorin, making a huge dent in his armour. She screamed and drove her sword into the skull of the wolf. Then she yanked it free and charged the goblin. He had lifted his club again and as it hurtled down she barrelled into it, wrapping her arms around it and shifting it to the side. The momentum carried it downwards and her legs crumpled beneath her as she fell to the ground, but luckily it struck a foot away from Thorin's face. He lay with his eyes closed and fear once again flamed within her. Behind him, two other bodies lay, fallen. It took her a moment to recognise who they were, and a few seconds more for her to accept it. Fili and Kili… they weren't moving.

No. Please no…

Whilst she lay on the ground, the goblin tore the club from her grasp and hit her on the cheek with his other hand. The force of it made her bite her tongue and her head snapped backwards, the too-large helmet she wore falling off. He laughed at her, and it made her anger rise. She noticed that Thorin still drew breath, she could still help him. Her grip on her sword tightened and she rose, blood streaming from her mouth and dripping from her chin.

"I swear." She said in a snarl, "You will never touch him again whilst I draw breath." Anger burned in her chest and her grip tightened. She stepped forward and positioned herself between Thorin and the tall goblin, holding the sword forward, ready. The anger within her was a blaze, she quenched it to a spark. It would cloud her mind too much, though a little would help her defend herself. Then she shouted and charged forward, swinging with her weapon. The goblin struck out with her club and she dropped below it, knowing it was too big and heavy to parry properly. The dodge brought her into range, and even though the goblin stepped back, her sword cut the inside of his arm, from elbow to wrist. Wasting no time, her sword flashed obsidian as she tried to cut him three more times. The first two were dodged, but the third blow caught the goblin on his wrist and with a bright spray of blood, the hand was severed from his body.

The club went spinning to the ground and the goblin howled. Preparing herself for another attack, she leapt forward screaming. Managing to get his shield between them, the goblin bellowed and she hit the shield, but the sword in her left hand slipped past it to bury itself in the chest of the goblin. His black blood spurted forward with each pulse of his heart, and he fell to his knees with another roar. Another time, she would have felt joy, but the moment was too serious for her to take pleasure from it. She lifted her sword one more time, and watched as the diamond blade soared towards her enemy, cutting him in the right shoulder as it travelled diagonally across his chest. Collapsing, she wrenched the sword free and stepped back, looking down at Thorin, Fili and Kili. The two younger dwarves had not moved, and now she saw the grave wounds across their bodies, and knew they were either dead or would be soon. Going to their sides, she noticed that whilst Kili lay motionless, arrows piercing his chest and heart, Fili twitched. His eyes fell to Kili and he whispered,

"My brother…" And his hand shakily reached out towards his brother, falling short in the bloody mud. She knelt beside him and turned him over gently, his head fell back and she saw the red patterns and the wounds in his stomach. Closing her eyes, a single tear fell from her eye and splashed onto his chest. Fili murmured again,

"Kili… No." Then he let out a groan, blood pulsed from his stomach, staining his mail. He cried out, "It hurts!" His eyes fell to her, though they were clouded and she didn't know if he was seeing her. Then they filled with tears that ran down his cheeks, mingling with blood, creating pink tracks across his face. His hand lifted off the ground but he could not lift it enough to touch her. "Stop it. Please make it stop hurting!" A sob escaped Idria's lips and she cradled his head. She didn't want him to be in pain, but he couldn't be saved. Suddenly, she was aware of the sword by her side and the battle raging around her, and knew that if she left him he would die in agony.

It's not fair…

Bringing her head down to his, she kissed him on his brow, fighting more of her tears. Then her hand slid to the hilt of her sword and she slid it up to his throat.

"It's okay." She lied, and then with a single slash, his eyes widened and he choked, blood appearing on his lips. Then a sound like a sigh escaped him and his eyes screwed shut. Setting him down, she stood up again and wiped her tears away with her wrist. Then she made her stand over the body of Thorin. His armour was dented and he was unconscious, but he breathed, however shallowly.

She could never tell how long she fought for after that. It may have been minutes or hours. She cut down one goblin and another would take its place. Her world became less of a battle, and more like a series of one-on-one duels. Her arm ached but would not stop. Fighting to clear a space and protect Thorin, that was all she had to live for.