The Hobbit: Unexpected Allies
Chapter 21 of my Hobbit story, enjoy.
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Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: The Hobbit belongs to JRR Tolkien.
Chapter 21
Seeing the Orc army, any doubts Dain might have had vanished.
"Quickly lads, wheel about, we're on!" He bellowed to his men. "Let's give these bastards a good hammering!"
The Dwarf army turned and soon they were charging the orc army, they soon clashed and the fighting began. Bard glared and drew his sword.
"Quickly, to me, we must drive them off!" He cried out.
The men of Lake-Town let out a yell as they followed him, also charging into battle. Gandalf casually approached Thranduil.
"I daresay this is far more important than mere jewels, wouldn't you?" He remarked sarcastically.
Thranduil glared at him but quickly gave the order and soon he and his Elves joined the battle. Dain was quick to wreak havoc, riding through the orcs wielding his Warhammer with deadly efficiency. Thranduil also charged into the thick of battle, his Elk utilizing its horns while he cut down any stragglers.
Bard and his men fought a more cautious battle, mainly due to the lack of experience of many of the Lake-Towners. But none the less, they were fighting for survival and knew it. As such they fought valiantly. Fili glared as he quickly cut down some orcs too; he didn't care what it took, he would fight, even if his uncle would not.
'I will even fight him if I have to.' He thought to himself. 'If only to protect these people; they're the only ones I see here, seeking the gold for a good reason. Out of necessity, not greed.'
Cutting down another orc, Fili strengthened his resolve and once more charged forth.
The fighting continued to rage, with neither side claiming the advantage. What one side had in sheer numbers, the other matched with their resolve and determination. Observing the battle from his position on top of the steep hills that were nearby, Azog grinned, this was just the start of his attack. The large army below, was just the first wave and the only one composed entirely of orcs.
He had other tricks; other dark creatures to put to use. He raised his arm, giving the signal.
"Raise the flag, signal the second wave, send in the ogres and trolls!" He bellowed. "Attack the city, they cannot hope to successfully defend both at once!"
The sound of a war horn cut through the air and one of the flags next to Azog was raised. Seeing the signal the second wave advances, heading for Dale. Witnessing the second wave emerged, those fighting braced themselves, ready for more enemies. But then, saw the second wave change direction.
"Where are they…?" Bard began, but then, to his horror, realized. "NO!"
Panic spread in the ranks of the Lake-Towners as they realized Dale was under attack, the people still there were defenceless.
Bard wasted no time. "Calm yourselves; rally together and follow me! We must go to defend Dale!"
With that he and his men charged for Dale; seeing that Dain and his Dwarves had matters in hand, Thranduil and his Elves followed.
Gandalf turned to Bilbo. "This is getting far too dangerous Bilbo, you should find somewhere to hide and stay out of trouble."
Before Bilbo could reply, Gandalf then hurried off to join the battle himself. Bilbo however shook his head and drew his sword, he wasn't going to hide, he was going to stay and fight.
The fighting continued in the fields before Erebor; the Dwarven army was finally gaining an advantage over the orcs attacking them. That was when Azog gave the signal and the third wave advanced. Once again they were outnumbered.
Completely undeterred, Dain continued to fight. His men had brought ballistae with them and they were put to use, especially against the trolls that had appeared. Unfortunately the trolls had catapults which made things even more difficult. Before long Dain found himself cut off from his men, alone and encircled by orcs.
Still undeterred however he continued to fight as the orcs tried to close in on him.
He let out a triumphant battle cry as the attack partially subsided. "YE BUGGERS!"
Just then; Dain noticed a way out of the press had opened up. A large number of orcs had been killed, making a gap, he rushed through it and soon found himself next to Fili.
"Nice work boy." He cried out.
Fili nodded. "It's not over yet, there's still more of them."
Dain nodded and together, he and Fili continued to fight, Dain bellowing orders to the other Dwarves as he did so. The ballistae had managed to dismantle a few of the catapults but there was still more coming. Watching from the walls, Kili bit his lip, he was conflicted. He could see that all the others were conflicted too.
They were all ready for battle, their weapons close at hand. But his uncle had refused for them to go out and fight. He wasn't even on the walls anymore, he had left for the throne room.
'We've got to do something, we can't just sit here.' He thought desperately. 'We need my uncle to return to himself. He needs to lead us, otherwise morale will deflate and we'll all die.'
It was a desperate situation, but one he could not think of an answer for.
When they finally made it to Dale, the place was already under attack; the few people who were yet to make it to the most secure shelter in Dale were in danger. Bard led his men through and began to cut down any orc they came across. His heart clenched at the sight of those already dead.
He knew it would be equally hard for those following him; especially since they had already lost a few on the battlefield. Shortly after their entrance, Thranduil and his Elves charged in, attacking the orcs and their foul beasts, while quickly tearing through the streets.
Bard then called out. "Quickly, kill only those you can, focus on getting everyone to safety!"
He dismounted and then spotted the last three people he wanted to see out in the danger zone. His children. From the looks of things, there had been a larger crowd previously, trying to get to safety.
They must have been caught and jostled in that crowd and had been separated; Tilda had fallen. Sigrid was just now helping her up, Bain stood next to them, looking around in a panic.
"Da!" He cried out when he saw their father approach them.
The girls turned, relief flooding them.
"You have to get out of here." He told them frantically. "There are more coming, where's the safest place in the city?"
Sigrid answered at once. "The great hall, that's where everybody was hiding."
Bard nodded and then, to Bain's shock, handing his son a sword. "Bain, you must protect your sisters, get to the great hall, now."
Bain nodded and Bard returned to the battle. While Bain began to lead his sisters to the great hall and, hopefully, to safety.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.