Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Chapter 37: Toll of the Eleventh Hour

When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home.

—Tecumseh

The massive bell swung right over Gemma's head and smashed into the makeshift wall that the dwarves had constructed to blockade the gate. Its toll boomed out across the battlefield, a deep ring that momentarily froze the warriors on both sides. The dwarves charged out onto the field, yelling battle cries in Khuzdul in an overly dramatic fashion. Gemma just kind of… walked after them. What was the point in running towards her death?

Still, eventually she slammed into the thick of it, and was soon moving with the same lightning quick speed as the rest of them. She wielded her knife with as much skill as she could, but ended up mostly fighting up close with knuckles and pistol, which left her blood-soaked and often crashing directly into her opponent. Close calls were frequent, and her coat was in shreds, shallow cuts littering her body. Really, it was a wonder that she wasn't dead yet.

Gemma felt extremely uncomfortable letting Thorin out of her sight, though perhaps that was only because she still couldn't believe that they were okay again. Okay and engaged. So... that was something. The precious ring was secured in the inner breast pocket of her ruined coat. It tapped out a foreign but reassuring beat against her chest as she ran through the battle. It was too soon, she knew. In fact, she was still rather furious at Thorin, and she knew that eventually they would have a shouting match of epic proportions about it all. That is, if they lived through this battle. Which they very well might not. And wasn't that why he hadn't waited to ask her? And wasn't that why she hadn't hesitated to say yes? There were so many things left unsaid between them, but at the end of it all, they still loved each other.

Finally, she caught sight of Thorin again, fighting alongside his cousin Dain. She slowly made her way to them, gutting an orc that got in her way, and knocking another off its feet with a well-placed punch, aided by the knife's brass knuckles. "Thorin," she said breathlessly when she reached him, careful not to startle the dwarves, lest their battle reflexes cause either one to decapitate her before they recognized her as friendly. She'd rather her head remain firmly on her shoulders, thank you very much.

"Gemma," Thorin nodded back, with a fire in his eyes reserved for battle and the bedroom.

"Thorin, please don't tell me," Dain said as he head butted (actually head butted) an orc, "that this is the lass you've just been telling me about."

"Aye," Thorin replied, with the slightest smirk as he sliced his sword through another orc gracefully, moving to press his back against Gemma's.

"But she was in league with the elves and men! And she is the most disrespectful, hard headed, sorry excuse for a lady that I've ever met."

"Isn't she just," Thorin agreed, grinning at Gemma. "We're engaged to be wed."

Dain looked at the pair of them with raised eyebrows. Gemma turned away from him for a moment, just to put the muzzle of her gun against the skull of an oncoming orc, pulling the trigger quickly as she sidestepped its blade. Blood and innards splattered in all directions, and she spat to get it out of her mouth. When Gemma turned back to Dain, he was grinning from ear to ear. He slapped them both on the back in that incurable dwarvish manner, and told Thorin sincerely, "She's a catch for sure, lad." Thorin and Gemma grinned back at Dain, and then at each other, before refocusing on the war at hand.

"There's too many o' these buggers, Thorin," Dain declared as they fought together. "I hope you've got a plan."

Another cacophonous war horn blared in the distance, and all three of then looked up in the direction it had come from. A tall peak on a northern hill sported a wooden platform, supporting the signal flags that Gemma had spotted earlier. She pointed her rifle that way and peaked through the scope, but she could not positively identify the orc they all knew was up there. "Azog," Thorin growled, as if reading her thoughts. "Aye, I have a plan. We're going to take out their leader. I head for Ravenhill," he said, mounting one of the large mountain goats that Dain's dwarves had ridden.

"I'm coming too," Gemma said. Thorin looked ready to argue, but Gemma stopped him before the words left his lips. "Don't even think about stopping me. I may have just agreed to marry you, but I'm still incredibly angry with you. Don't push your luck." Thorin said nothing, and Gemma climbed on the goat behind him.

Thorin looked at her, then back to his cousin. "I'm going to kill that piece of filth," he snarled, and Gemma nearly beamed. She had missed that stubborn conviction of his.

"Filth isn't the word I would have used, but I guess it works too," she teased, and then they were off.

Goat travel was worse than horse travel, and Gemma was not fond of either. Thorin called over Fili, Kili, and Dwalin, each dwarf mounting their own goat and following them towards Ravenhill. The best warriors of the company, riding for the final stand, to cut the head of the snake. At least, they hoped it was the final stand. If Azog truly was under the command of Sauron, Gemma had a feeling that this would follow the legend of the hydra: cut one head off and two more will grow back.

They smashed their way through the hordes of orcs until they made it to rocky terrain that was too steep for anyone, friend or foe, to climb without a mount. It had begun to snow lightly as they rode to higher altitude, and Gemma was thankful that her coat, tattered and blood soaked though it may have been, was still quite warm. The ground around them became icy, and it was only due to their goats' superior climbing abilities that they were able to make it up to Ravenhill. Soon they came to the ruins of an old structure, perhaps a lookout post built by the dwarves or men of old, partially destroyed in the dragon's attack, and then more so by time and erosion. Each of them dismounted and armed themselves, keeping their eyes peeled for the orcs that they knew were close.

They were met with a suspiciously low number of enemies. A small band of orcs, no more than a dozen, swept from the ruins. The five of them cut through them effortlessly. And then they were left alone. No other monsters came from the shadows, only an icy mist that seemed to coat the ruined fortress in mystery. Nobody made a sound, and Gemma could hear her heartbeat, loud in her ears.

"This isn't right," she said, her voice piercing the silence in a way that made her nervous, as if she would alert their enemies or wake the dead.

"Where is he?" Fili voice echoed her thoughts.

"I think Azog has fled," Kili said with an innocent hopefulness that Gemma and Thorin had long since lost. The couple shared a look.

"I don't think so," Thorin growled, and Gemma agreed.

"Gandalf!"

Legolas galloped into Dale with Tauriel perched behind him on his steed. They'd cut their way through the battle until they found the grey wizard and his hobbit companion; Bilbo, Legolas remembered Gemma had called him.

"Legolas Greenleaf!" Gandalf said, sounding somewhat surprised.

"The lady Gemma, have you seen her?" Legolas asked quickly, slipping off his steed.

"Gemma? Oh, well, yes. But–"

Legolas cut him off. "I must speak with her at once. She believed that a higher power was at work, and I have come to agree with her. She sent Tauriel and I after Bolg to gather information, but we were delayed in our return, for what we have seen is far worse than we had feared."

Tauriel piped up. "There is a second army. Bolg leads a force of Gundabad orcs. They are almost upon us."

"Gundabad?" the wizard questioned, then scowled. "This was their plan all along. Azog engages our forces, and then Bolg sweeps in from the north."

"The north?" Bilbo the hobbit questioned. "Where is the north, exactly?"

"Ravenhill," Gandalf said quite grimly, though Legolas could not understand why.

The hobbit looked horrified. "Thorin is up there. And Fili, and Kili, and Dwalin, and Gemma. They're all up there."

Legolas' head shot up at Gemma's name, just as Tauriel's had when that young dwarf was mentioned. Legolas ignored that sting in favour of asking Gandalf, "So the dwarves survived the dragon, then?"

The wizard nodded. "Oh yes. Thorin took back the mountain, though there were some… complications. Still, it seems as though Gemma made her way back to the mountain once more and got through to him." Legolas frowned and wanted to ask about the nature of these complications. They did not sound good, and, despite their troubled first encounter, Legolas had come to like and respect Gemma. He hoped nothing bad had befallen the strange woman.

But there was no time for questions. Tauriel had suddenly shot off, no doubt headed for Ravenhill, and Legolas could not allow her to go alone. Nor could he allow Gemma to be ambushed.

"Legolas," Gandalf stopped him as he turned to go. "Your suspicions were correct. A great darkness is rising once more, and Azog's forces answer to it. When this is all over, come find me. We few who do not turn a blind eye must speak about this."

Legolas nodded and then ran after Tauriel.

He found her in a difficult position. His oldest friend had her bow aimed directly at his father.

"You think your life is worth more than theirs," she cried at Thranduil. Her grip on her bow shook, as Legolas had never seen it do before. "But there is no love in it. There is no love in you!" She steadied her grip once more, and Legolas suddenly had a difficult time believing that she would not do it. But what was he to do? Defend his father, or the woman he… well, it was Tauriel.

He watched as his father, with lightning reflexes, severed Tauriel's bow in two, and leveled his sword at her. "What do you know of love?" Thranduil demanded. "Nothing. What you feel for that dwarf is not real." Legolas remembered a conversation with his father several years back. Thranduil had said nearly the same thing to him, but in regards to Tauriel. He had been wrong then, and, though it pained Legolas immensely to admit it, he was wrong now. "You think it is love? Are you ready to die for it?"

Legolas could not stand by any longer. He stepped out and drew his sword, using it to knock his father's away. "If you harm her, you will have to kill me," he declared confidently. His father may be heartless, but Legolas knew he would not harm his own son.

Legolas turned to Tauriel. "I will go with you." Tauriel nodded, and he followed her toward Ravenhill. He may never win her love, but she was still his best friend. Besides, Tauriel wasn't the only one who cared about someone up there. And Legolas would always help his friends.

"Fili, Kili, go scout out the tower. If you find anything, report straight back. Do not engage, do you understand?" Thorin said.

The two young dwarves nodded, but Gemma could tell that Thorin was still nervous about sending them off on their own. They were his nephews, after all. Gemma touched his arm softly. "I'll go with them."

Thorin looked even more nervous about this, but before he could say anything, Dwalin shouted, "We've got company! Goblin mercenaries. No more than forty."

Thorin turned back to Gemma. "Go. We will deal with this."

Gemma frowned. "You'll be okay?" She didn't like leaving him like this. She had probably developed some sort of attachment anxiety, but really, was that her fault?

Thorin smirk. "Of course, my love," he said, planting a quick kiss on her lips. "It's only goblins."

Gemma smiled back, holding his hand. "Be safe," she urged. Their moment was broken by Kili making a gagging sound behind them. They broke apart.

"You too," Thorin said, and then looked at his nephews. "All of you."

They split off, and Gemma waited until they were on the frozen river, out of Thorin's sight, before whacking the back of Kili's head. Fili burst out laughing as Kili rubbed his head and whined, "Ow! What was that for?"

Gemma narrowed her eyes at him. "You know."

"You didn't have to hit me so hard, though," Kili grumbled.

"Oh come on, it was a playful smack."

Fili, still chortling, piped up, "I thought you didn't approve of our playful smacking?"

Gemma whacked him too, and it was Kili's turn to laugh. "It's grown on me. And I suppose I should get used to it."

They continued to creep around the river, towards the tower. "So," Fili said after a moment. "Now can we start calling you Aunt Gemma?"

Gemma lifted her eyebrow at him. "You really want to test me? I'll smack you again."

"Of course not," Kili said. "Aunty."

Gemma rolled her eyes as the brothers smirked and giggled. Then she reached into her coat and pulled out the beautiful little ring. Holding it up for the brothers to see, she said, "Well, I suppose it is appropriate."

The brothers gaped at her for a second, before matching grins spread across their faces. Gemma flung her arms around their neck and pulled them into her side snugly. "You're stuck with me now boys. Now let's get a move on," she said as they crept into the tower.

"Thorin!"

The dwarf in question whirled around as Bilbo appeared out of nowhere.

"Bilbo!" Thorin exclaimed, and he only realized at that moment just how much he cared about the hobbit. He felt immense joy at seeing his friend once more, mixed with horror and sadness as he remembered what he had done to Bilbo. "Bilbo, my friend, I am so sorry…"

"No, no time for that now Thorin," Bilbo cut him off, still panting. Had he run all this way? Thorin became deadly serious. If Bilbo had run all the way here, it was doubtful that he brought good news. "Thorin, you have to leave here, now. Azog has another army, attacking from the north. Soon the tower will be surrounded; there will be no way out!"

Dwalin growled, "But we are so close. That orc scum is in there. I say we push on."

Perhaps in the past, Thorin, stubbornly, would have agreed. But now all he could think about was who he would lose should they be trapped by the second force: his best friends, his nephews, and his fiancé. He could not allow that to happen. And if there was anything he had learned from Gemma, it was thinking about all the angles. It was clear that Azog had planned this from the start. "No, that's what he wants, to draw us in. This is a trap!" He turned to Dwalin and said, somewhat frantically, "Find Fili, Kili, and Gemma. Call them back. We'll live to fight another day."

Dwalin hesitated, and then nodded his assent. But just as he started off, they heard the drums. The sound made Thorin's blood run cold.

"'Kay, so we'll split up. Kili, take the lower level, I'll take this one, Fili, take the top. Go quick, and stay safe. Remember what Thorin said; do not engage." The brothers nodded and they split.

Gemma slunk through the stone passages on her level of the tower, slowly making her way upwards. A deep silence pervaded the spiralling corridors and set her nerves on edge. Gemma had never been good at surveillance; too much waiting. She didn't have the patience or coordination to slip silently through the halls and return without engaging her enemies. She much preferred to jump right in with a loud and surprising entrance. Thorin had been right after all; when it came to an op or a battle, Gemma had a flair for the dramatics.

When a noise finally shattered the quiet, it was far too close for comfort, and it made Gemma jump out of her skin. Boots, numerous and heavy and clumsy, marched towards her, but the sound echoed throughout the floor, so that she had no idea which direction they were coming from. They drew closer, and Gemma whipped her head from side to side, attempting to figure out where the approaching contingent was. She was well and truly done for. Screw it, she thought, and, crossing her fingers, headed left.

True to form, she was horrendously unlucky. She had taken no more than a few steps when she was caught around the waist, a gnarly hand covering her mouth to muffle her screams as the creature held her in an unyielding grip.

There were about six orcs, a fair fight if she hadn't been taken by surprise. In her position now, it was nearly impossible to gain the upper hand. All she could do was allow herself to be pulled along and wait for an opportunity to present itself. She only hoped that Fili and Kili had not suffered the same fate.

Her hopes were dashed when the group of orcs escorting her merged into another group as they came to the upper levels. She caught sight of a blond head in the midst of the new group, and her heart caught in her throat. Fili was being shoved and dragged along beside her, and when their eyes found each other Gemma clearly saw terror there, no matter how he tried to mask it. She reached through the hoard and tried to catch his hand. Their fingers skimmed over each other and locked together, the best they could do as they were brutally ushered forward.

Gemma looked around more frantically now. She would get them out of this. Of course she would. She had to. Fili, no matter his age or the brave façade he wore, was still too young. As a dwarf, he was only a teenager, really. The only consolation was that Kili wasn't there with them. He would have time to escape, surely. Gemma watched the blond dwarf beside her, trying to convey to him that she would get them out of this. She would.

They stopped at one of the highest levels of the tower. The orc mass pushed them forward until they were at the front, standing before a nightmarish figure: Azog the Defiler. The pale orc came close enough that Gemma could feel his breath, hot on her face. Gemma's eyes darted back and forth, looking anywhere but into the cruel eyes of the Defiler. She searched for an escape that did not exist.

And then low drumbeats filled the air and Gemma and Fili were being pulled apart. The brave face Fili had put on slipped away completely. They struggled to hang onto one another, but soon they were forced away and their arms were restrained painfully behind their backs as they were led through a crumbling archway and out onto an open ledge.

Azog leered at Gemma, then growled and gestured to the other orcs holding her. With some difficulty, because Gemma was violently struggling now, they pulled her back. The pale orc looked down, across the ledge to the frozen river Gemma and the brothers had crossed only moments ago. There stood Thorin, and Dwalin, and… Bilbo? What was he doing there? Gemma didn't have long to ponder this, because then Azog was moving towards Fili, grabbing the young dwarf roughly by the neck. "No!" she shrieked, twisting painfully in her captors' grasps, frantic. "Leave him alone! Please!"

Azog ignored her, and in her desperation, her eyes unconsciously found Thorin's. The terror in his eyes induced physical pain. Azog's voice boomed out in Black Speech, which, in the same manner as that cursed vision she had nearly forgotten about, was somehow understandable to Gemma. The guttural tones seemed to morph into growling English words in her ears, though she didn't understand how. "This one dies first," the pale orc snarled, dragging Fili forward and then hoisted him out into the open, hanging him over the edge by one arm. "Then the brother. Then you, Oakenshield. You will die last."

Gemma's scream was muffled by the grimy hand of an orc covering her mouth. Thorin, Bilbo, and Dwalin looked on in paralysed horror. It seemed that Fili, of all of them, was the only one able to form clear words. "No! Run!"

Azog raised his sword and rammed it through the young dwarf's back. Gemma's eyes were forced open; she could not look away. Fili convulsed slightly and then went limp. A heavy silence descended for a moment, and denial seemed to weigh everyone down, so that no one moved. Then Azog pulled his sword out of Fili's back with a sickening soundand let the body drop over the ledge, and Gemma was suddenly forced into movement. She shrieked and thrashed until she had broken free of the orcs restraining her, and struggled forward on hands and knees to peer over the ledge. Far below, Fili's lifeless body lay sprawled out at horrifying angles, unmoving. Gemma choked, and gripped the edge as tears blurred her vision. She heard a wail of pain, and recognized the voice as Kili. Oh God, Kili… he had seen.

The orcs who had held her grabbed her roughly once more, but Gemma was hysterical, and her violently thrashing elbows and feet connected with several bodies before they were able to lock her arms behind her back and hoist her up into several waiting arms. She was still gasping and shrieking, though her voice had broken and the sobs choked her, and soon a gag was forced into her mouth. Azog watched the whole thing with a sneer, and Gemma could see Thorin and the others below looking on with despair and terror. Oh her sweet Fili… Thorin looked absolutely broken. It was a sadness that couldn't, in the moment, be hidden behind his mask. Gemma knew because she could not hide her pain either.

"You will watch them all die, Oakenshield," Azog boomed in his rough speech. "And you will be helpless to stop it. But the woman... my master has other plans for your off-worlder woman. She will suffer and beg for death. You will know this as you die, and it will make your death all the more painful!"

Gemma began her thrashing with renewed effort. Her eyes sought out Thorin's and held his gaze. Despair still lingered there, but something else was swelling: anger, so intense that it Gemma could feel it burning despite their distance. Her eyes widened and she tried to tell him to go, to leave her and run. But Thorin yelled "Gemma! Kili! I am coming for you!" and Gemma, despite her fear for him, could not help but feel relief.

She would be okay because Thorin would save her.

It was her last thought before she was struck in the head and slipped off into unconsciousness as the orcs dragged her back into their tower.

AN:

So… yup. I'm sorry. Well, not really. Well, maybe a little. I'm a sadistic writer. Now you know. Be afraid, be very afraid.

The good thing about this chapter is the Legolas POV! Also, we got some more Fili, Kili, and Gemma bonding time, right before… yup. Please don't hate me. I never intended to hold back for this sort of thing, but I wanted to do it properly. I feel like Fili didn't get the death he deserved in the movie. Like, everyone was sad for a minute and then just moved on. So hopefully I did him a bit of justice.

Thank you for all of your lovely reviews on last week's ultra-fluffy chapter, which hopefully softened this week's blow. This might also help heal your aching hearts: it looks like the sequel is a go! I can't tell you anything about it yet, because it will ruin the ending of this story, but I think it'll be fun.

Oh, and sorry this chapter is wicked late. I'm so behind!

Drop me a line, even if it's just to curse me for the first death of the story.