A/N: 5,000 words of pure battle fury! Wow, I am seriously excited for this. I debated waiting to post this until tomorrow, but since, 1) tomorrow I am back at college, 2) tomorrow is actually my 'graduation into adulthood' day (basically, my 18th birthday), and 3) I really wanted to post it today... here it is! I hope you enjoy it, that your questions will be answered, and I guess I'll see you next week sometime ;) Enjoy!
Big thanks to the following people for following/favouriting: daydreamingbadwolf, Lyryenn, XxCherryblossonxX33, Dunideen and Hkokuryuha. :)
Review Response(s):
Dinosaur Imperial Soldier: Well, if I told you that, that would be spoilers, hmm? ;)
Sophia Kaiba: Hopefully it lives up to expectations. :P
Airedhiella: Something tells me those 'honey buns' of yours will not be so appreciative of your new name for them ;) Hope you like it!
MissCallaLilly: Oh yes!
ro781727: Yeah, she'll talk to Dain quite a lot. But for that to happen, I kept Thorin's dramatic entrance the same as in the movie.
Lyryenn: Yay, thanks! Glad to hear it, and hopefully I can maintain the standard... ;)
CheekyLittleFoxy: *squints at the screen* Yeah, a whole twenty minutes. It's like you have some kind of telepathic connection to me that lets you know when I'm doing this bit... Suspicious... XD
Chapter 36:
Alana was extremely lucky, she realised as she scaled down the wall of the mountain, that the orcs were too preoccupied with the dwarves to notice her and pick her off while she was vulnerable. She took only two seconds once her feet were on solid ground to observe her surroundings before she was drawing her sword and rushing into the fight. A few of the dwarves she fought alongside were so startled by her appearance that they stopped to gawp at her, and she had to dart forward and hack through more than one orc that had tried to take advantage of their distracted states. For this reason, she found herself giving away a lot of her 'that was stupid' looks, though thankfully the dwarves were quick on the uptake and eventually they stopped being surprised to see her there.
War was different to any other kind of battle she'd been in. Even during their frantic escape from goblin town there hadn't been this many things to watch out for. Alana had to keep moving near-constantly, as even the slightest pause meant the risk of being attacked and caught off-guard. She was able to stay in a relatively small space, which meant she didn't have to waste too much energy on moving around, but the adrenaline building in her system wasn't helping. Her heart was in her throat, her hands were trembling, and her vision was not as sharp as it usually was. She was grateful, however, that she had such strong instincts that she was able to get past all these things.
It wasn't long before she found herself battling side-by-side with none other than Dain Ironfoot, who seemed to be enjoying himself far too much, swinging his massive hammer around his head and whooping every time another orc was sent flying. Alana barely avoided being hit herself, ducking under a wild swing and then simply spinning on her heel and stabbing the intended target with her blade. She turned back and shot Dain a frustrated look.
He smirked at her, transferring his hammer from his hands to his shoulder. "What in Mahal's name are you doing here, lass?" He seemed completely unbothered by the fact he was open to attack, and didn't so much as flinch when Alana growled and pulled out a throwing knife, chucking it past his ear so it could embed itself in the throat of the orc that had tried to sneak up on the dwarf Lord.
"Saving your life," she retorted shortly, spinning out of the path of a crude orc axe and then slashing out with her sword. The orc's head sailed through the air, landing on top of and dazing another orc, which Dain was quick to take care of. "Have you got a problem with that, Lord Dain?"
Dain chuckled. "Nay, I do not."
With a brief nod, Alana threw herself back into the fray. She gasped with pain when an orc came up behind her and smashed her side with a blunt mace, but was saved from mortal injury by the chainmail. With a curse she grabbed a dagger and plunged it into the orc's throat, wrenching the blade downward and spilling its blood all over both her and the ground. She cradled her tender ribs and tried to ignore the throbbing pain, but it wasn't easy. Suddenly she felt confined and claustrophobic, and as she spared a second to scan the area around her, she realised she was completely on her own. The nearest ally was at least twenty metres away - twenty metres of space which was filled with orcs.
Readjusting her grip on her sword, she bared her teeth at the orcs around her and fought on, eventually forgetting about the pain in her ribs. Her limbs still trembled, with fatigue now as well as adrenaline, but the need to survive kept her moving. Every move was followed by another. Swing, duck, stab, spin, jump, slice. She began to complete the same pattern over and over again, never failing to have another orc in front of her to cut down. She used the momentum of her previous moves to begin carving her way through the orcs, ignoring the sights and sounds and smells of the battle, focusing only on the need to survive, to endure.
It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours, but eventually she found herself once more amongst the ranks of the dwarves. She returned to her position beside Dain, glad to have the sturdy dwarf as an ally in this. He had at this point lost his battle ram, and was on his own two feet.
"Where's Thorin?" Dain asked her. "We need him - where is he?"
Alana shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "I don't think he left the mountain."
"What use is he in there?!"
"How the hell should I know?!" she shouted back, ducking as an arrow soared towards them. She heard the clink of metal on metal as it bounced harmlessly off the armour of one of the dwarves behind her. "This isn't going well," she murmured, looking around.
Dain huffed. "Well, what do you suggest?"
"We need to pull together," she answered after a moment, swinging her blade and taking out two orcs at once. "We need to gather our forces and perform a charge. With luck we'll be able to split their force in two."
Dain grunted, glancing around, then nodded. "Aye, I think you might be right, lassie." He then raised his head and hollered to his men, "Fall back! Fall back to the barricade! Fall back!"
Alana remained by the dwarf Lord's side as his men started to gather around him, the orcs following, though they left a decent amount of space between the two armies. Over the sounds of battle came the clear sound of an orc horn, and the orc army began to march towards the mountain, and the dwarven army defending it.
"We need something with force to break that line," Dain muttered. "We wouldn't last long with just a frontal assault. Not while they are so tightly packed."
"So make a shield wall and use it as a battering ram," Alana suggested with a shrug. She met Dain's suddenly perplexed gaze, and cocked an eyebrow at him. Dain chuckled and nodded, and quickly gave the order for the dwarves to do exactly that. As they prepared the wall, five monstrous trolls ambled from the orc army. Alana frowned. "How the hell are they surviving the daylight?"
"Doesn't matter now," Dain grumbled. "All that matters is this last stand." He frowned at her. "You've not given me your name, lass."
Chuckling, Alana introduced herself. "Alana, daughter of Arathorn of the dúnedain, at your service, Lord Dain."
"Well then, Alana of the dúnedain, it's been an honour fighting with you."
She smiled sadly. "Likewise, Master Dwarf. Somehow I always knew I'd die with a sword in my hand."
"What better way is there to go?" Dain shot back.
Laughing properly this time, Alana grinned down at him. "Oh, I could think of a few, I'm sure."
They settled into low crouches, preparing to make the last charge, when suddenly a loud horn echoed over the land. All across the plain and even into Dale, elves, men, dwarves and orcs alike paused and turned towards the mountain. Alana glanced up and then yelped when the makeshift gate built by the dwarves shattered, raining chunks of rock down on the ground. A large, golden bell swung through the empty gap, its low-toned ring filling the sudden silence. Then from within the mountain came the company, Thorin at the lead with Fili and Kili immediately behind. Relief crawled its way into Alana's heart when their eyes met, and she twirled her sword in preparation of joining their charge.
Dain's voice came next, almost deafening her from how loud it was. "To the King! To the King!"
Thorin's war cry came next, echoed by the dwarves. "Du bekâr!" Alana felt herself being filled with renewed hope as she joined in the charge, keeping her strides shorter so as not to break the lethal arrow-head formation they had formed. In those suspended seconds everything sharpened, and suddenly it wasn't just about survival anymore; it was about protecting those she loved, about protecting the dwarves who had set out to achieve the impossible, and had actually succeeded.
And then the dwarves clashed with the orcs, and the battle began anew. Alana had to work furiously to keep up with the company, none of whom had spent their energy in the half an hour of battle (at the very least) that had already taken place. They left behind them a trail of bodies, and for each dwarf that fell, twenty orcs would die; maybe more. It wasn't long before their formation broke though, and Alana found herself surrounded once more. But this time she had Fili and Kili and Dwalin at her side, the four of them creating a lethal circle of flashing blades and axes, felling any foe who came upon them. Alana danced away when she saw Dain beginning to become overwhelmed several metres away, cutting a rough path through to him and then taking out two of his opponents in one fell swoop.
The dwarf laughed, now able to swing his hammer around and knock out the remaining three at once.
"Dain!" Thorin called from the side, cutting through an orc as he did.
Dain chuckled. "Thorin!" He swung his hammer, once again narrowly avoiding hitting Alana with it, and then grinned as the two dwarf Lords met. "Hey, cousin, what took you so long!"
"He was being a stubborn bastard, that's what!" Alana cut in, whirling around and drawing a knife to catch an orc blade, then using her other hand to stab it through the stomach and out through the back of its neck with her sword. It collapsed with a shriek of pain.
Dain bellowed out a laugh. "Ah, a feisty one you've got here, Thorin! Don't think I didn't notice those braids in her hair."
"Not to ruin the moment," came Alana's exasperated voice as she again had to jump in to stop one of them frown being skewered from behind, "but could we perhaps save this conversation for a time when we're not fighting for our lives?!"
"Aye," Dain agreed with another chuckle, swinging his hammer once more. "I do hope you've got a plan, cousin - there's too many of these bastards for us to win by arms alone."
Thorin nodded grimly. "We're going to take out their leader," he answered simply.
"Azog," Dain rumbled, nodding solemnly. "Well then!" He called forward a group of battle rams, and Thorin quickly mounted.
He gazed expectantly at Alana, who was twisting the ring on her finger in a moment of pause. She shook her head. "They're too small for me," she explained, yelping when a blade arced her way, only for Thorin's arm to snap out, saving her from the blow. Dain quickly threw in his piece and smashed the side of the orcs skull in. Alana turned back to Thorin. "I've called Firebrand - he'll be here soon. You go ahead. And don't you dare kill that thing before I get there."
He smirked. "No promises," he retorted, before calling Fili, Kili and Dwalin to his side, the three quickly grabbing a battle ram each and heading towards Ravenhill.
Alana turned back to Dain. "Will you be okay by yourself down here?" she asked, swiftly dodging a stray knife and then hacking through the flesh of the offending orc, who died with a gurgle.
Dain huffed. "Are you kidding, lass?"
"Well, I have had to save your life a few times already," she pointed out with a smirk.
Laughing heartily, Dain swung his hammer in a wide arc, forcing Alana to duck away from its path for the third time, and that single swing killed or seriously injured no less than eight orcs. "Aye, I'll be fine. You go on ahead with the lads. Let's bring this bloody battle to an end, hmm?"
"I couldn't agree more, my friend," she said with a grin, before throwing herself back into the fray, trying to reach the edge of the battle so she could meet Firebrand without as great a risk of being killed in the process. On her way there, she was blocked by a massive, armoured troll, which caught sight of her by its feet and bellowed out a fearsome roar. Swearing loudly, Alana ducked out of the way of its massive club, spinning and slicing the skin behind its knee. It let out a loud wail of fury, but came at her again with renewed vigour. It swung its arms around aimlessly, and while she did everything she could to keep out of the way, it was only a matter of time before one of them hit her. She cried out when she was smacked right across the middle, getting sent careening back into the crowd of orcs around her. She took out the three orcs she'd landed on, gasping and trying to regain the breath that was knocked out of her. With a curse she tilted her head back upwards, staring at the troll, trying to find its weakest point. The horned helmet it was wearing meant it couldn't really be attacked from above, and its thick skin meant she'd probably only have one swipe at it. That narrowed her options down until she was left with only one - she had to go for the throat.
The next time it lunged for her, Alana ducked under its hand and grabbed its wrist, swinging herself up onto its arm. The troll jerked instantly, throwing her off, but she managed to grab hold of the back of its chest plates. She dodged out of the way of its flailing arms, clambering up so she was balanced on its shoulders, before she sliced her sword across its throat. The blade shuddered when it hit the troll's tough skin, but it dug deep, and red blood splattered from the gaping wound. The troll let out a bellowing wail, before it tumbled forward. A sharp tug told her she wouldn't be able to free her sword from its throat without significant effort, and doing so would give an enemy the chance to attack her. She'd have to leave the blade behind and rely instead on her shorter weapons. Alana drew two long daggers and began hacking and slicing, taking a few seconds to find her rhythm with the lighter blades.
She managed to reach the edge of the battle after only a few more minutes, leaving a trail of blood and death in her wake. Firebrand was already there, dancing on his hooves as he tried to find the best route to her. When he finally saw her he charged forward, barrelling over any orcs in his way, and he barely slowed enough for Alana to jump on his back. "Amon Crebain, (Ravenhill,)" she told him as she mounted. "Asca, Ylfruin! (Hurry, Firebrand!)"
Firebrand took off like the wind, racing around the armies, darting to and fro to avoid being hit by arrows or spears, and occasionally riding headlong into the battle to knock down any orcs that looked to be gaining the upper hand over the dwarves. He raced across the land so fast he and his rider were almost a blur to the others. It wasn't long before he began to make the ascent to Ravenhill. He was forced to take a longer and shallower route than the dwarves, as he didn't have the grip or familiarity with steep hills that the battle rams of the dwarves did. Alana pulled out her bow as he climbed higher, notching an arrow to the string and leaning low over Firebrand's neck so she wouldn't be dislodged from her place in the saddle.
Firebrand rode higher and higher, climbing up the side of the incline until he reached the top, where he paused both to catch his breath and to give Alana time to eye their new surroundings. She did so quickly, noting that she and Firebrand were now above the towers of Ravenhill. Below her she could see Dwalin, Thorin and... Bilbo? What was he doing all the way up here?
Her head snapped towards Ravenhill when she heard the low sound of a drum, and with wide eyes she saw orcs swarming the top of the tower. "Get closer," she murmured to Firebrand, who picked his way along the hill to bring them nearer to the tower. Alana kept her eyes locked on the tower, and almost cried out loud when she saw Azog emerge. He was dragging something behind him, and utter horror settled in her heart when she realised it was Fili.
"No..."
Her face morphed into one of raw fury, and she urged Firebrand further forward, putting Azog within the reach of her arrow. She then pulled him to a stop, eyeing Azog closely. His attention was on the dwarves further down the valley, so he hadn't noticed her yet. She narrowed her eyes and pulled back her arrow, ignoring the dull burn in her side, and aimed the arrow at Azog's head. As he began to pull his arm back - the one with a blade protruding from his elbow - Alana released her arrow. It sailed straight and true at first, but then the wind rolling down from the mountain caught it and caused it to start veering right. Alana held her breath, thinking she was gong to miss, but then the arrow planted itself in his bicep. Azog let out a roar, dropping Fili out of instinct. Alana's heart flew up into her throat, but before Fili could hit the ground, Kili leapt out from within one of the lower levels of the tower, tackling his brother onto the ground. They remained still for a moment, before they pushed themselves back onto their feet and headed back towards Thorin's group.
She raised her eyes back to Azog, who was silent, but his gaze was fixed on her. Even from such a distance she could feel his hate and his rage, and knew that he would be coming for her at some point. She smirked, before taking her eyes off the pale orc and directing Firebrand towards the others, the descent far easier for her steed than the climb up. As soon as the two reached the platform that the others were stood on she jumped off the saddle, grabbing Fili by the shoulders and hugging him tightly but briefly, patting Kili on the shoulder, and then coming to stand beside Thorin.
"Thank you," he whispered, though both had their eyes trained on the top of the tower, where Azog was retreating, along with his army.
"It's not over yet," she reminded him grimly.
Thorin nodded. "We have to move quickly," he muttered, glancing down into the valley, where the dwarves, elves and men were still fighting valiantly, but were still massively outnumbered. "Bilbo says there's another army on the way. It won't be long before this place is overrun." He glanced back, and quickly addressed the others. "I want you all to go back into the valley. Get away from this place."
"Thorin-!"
"No, Kili," he cut off. "This is a trap - it always was. I nearly lost one of you to my recklessness; I am not making the same mistake again. Go down to the valley, join the battle down there. Dwalin, keep an eye on them. Bilbo, I want you to head back to Dale. Help in whatever way you can. Do you all understand?"
Dwalin nodded, shouldering his weapon, and eventually the others agreed. Fili and Kili exchanged a look, obviously not happy, but they turned and left with Dwalin a moment later.
Bilbo hesitated. "Be careful," he said at length, before he turned around and chased after the other three.
Thorin faced Alana again, who cocked an eyebrow. "You didn't ask me to leave," she noted with a small frown.
Thorin chuckled, though there was little humour in the sound. "Would you have gone if I had?"
"Of course not!"
"Exactly." Thorin inhaled deeply, then exhaled again, his breath turning to a cloud of mist in the frigid air. "Are you ready?"
Alana snorted. "Thorin, I've been ready for more than eight years."
"Almost nine," he noted. Alana shot him a questioning look, and he responded with a grim smile. "It's your birthday, Alana."
She blinked. "Is it?"
He nodded. "Aye. We had planned to celebrate it in Erebor, but I suppose those plans have failed now."
Alana shrugged. "I think a war is slightly more important than remembering the day of my birth." She chuckled. "And if today is the day Azog dies, I could hardly ask for a better birthday gift."
Thorin nodded. "We'd best get to it, then."
The two began edging their way across the ice, Thorin's sword held tightly in his grip, Alana with her long daggers back in her hands. They drew nearer to the tower, finding it to be devoid of sound, but neither allowed themselves to be fooled by this. They were glad of that, because a moment later Azog burst forth from the mist hovering over the area, his blood-covered arm still bearing the arrow Alana had planted there. His face was fixed in a snarl, his teeth bared.
Thorin blocked the first strike of the orc's blade, and Alana surged forward, striking out with her daggers. The Defiler dodged and lashed out with his mace, causing her to skirt back, and then he focused on Thorin again. Thorin danced away from Azog's swing, striking out with his blade and hitting the Defiler in the back, ripping into his skin. The orc roared, spinning around and thrust out with his mace, knocking Thorin back and onto the platform below. Alana bared her teeth and lunged forward, kicking out with her feet and knocking Azog onto his back. She attacked with her daggers again, but he rolled out of the way. The arrow in his arm snapped, widening the wound and causing black blood to come oozing out of it at a faster rate. He thrust his arm back, knocking Alana between the shoulders and sending her sprawling onto the ground.
With a growl, Azog jumped back onto his feet, lashing out at Alana, who barely managed to spin away from his blade. Thorin appeared then, slicing his blade down Azog's back, though it was stopped this time by the orc's armour. Thorin ducked then when Azog swung, giving Alana the chance to rush forward, slicing her blade across the orc's bare side, more blood leaking from his skin. Thorin and Alana moved to stand together, facing the furious orc with bloodied and blank faces, their only desire being to survive long enough to kill the beast. What happened next... they didn't dare think about it. The two lunged forward together, Azog managing to block their attacks, but two strong kicks sent him tumbling down an icy slope, beyond their reach.
Before either of them could follow, they were swarmed by orcs. They danced around one another, taking out their enemies with swift elegance, ignoring every slight scratch they received. Alana growled when a blade cut through the skin on her arm, throwing her hand out and slicing through the orc's chest, up to its throat. She glanced around, finding that they had killed all the orcs between them.
"You alright?" she asked Thorin, who blinked a few times to clear his eyes of the blood that had dribbled down his face from the wound above his eye.
He nodded. "I'm fine. You?"
"Nothing I can't handle," she assured him, and with another shared look the two made their way back onto the river. More orcs were charging towards them, but before they got within reach they began to fall, one by one. Alana glanced up and saw Legolas above them on a high tower, shooting them down from above. She and Thorin began to work their way forward, cutting down whichever orcs Legolas missed. But they don't make it far before the vast number of orcs started to separate them. Thorin was nudged towards the sheer cliff where a waterfall would usually be, and Alana was quickly surrounded in the middle of the frozen river. She fought as hard as she could, but with such short blades there was only so much she could do without getting hurt.
Two more arm wounds and one particularly harsh slice to the stomach later, Alana dispatched the last of her opponents. Thorin was also finishing off the last couple of orcs against him, so Alana spun to find Azog. He was stood perfectly still, a hint of a smirk on his lips, and there was a large rock tied to a chain in his hand, replacing his mace. Alana snarled at him, making her way forward. She came to a halt just outside his reach, readjusting her slippery hold on the daggers. Exhaustion clung to her limbs, but she was so close. Just a few more minutes, she told herself. Then she could rest.
Before either of them moved, an orc horn echoed across the river, and from behind Azog she spotted the second orc army Bilbo had promised. A foul smile spread across Azog's lips, but Alana felt herself relaxing. Thorin was back by her side, having somehow reclaimed Orcrist, and the two faced down the pale orc for one last battle.
Azog lunged forward, swinging his rock wide. Alana and Thorin ducked, Thorin darting around behind Azog and attacking his side. Azog roared and threw the rock over his head, sending it smashing into the ice and cracking it. Alana jumped forward, jamming her dagger hilt-deep into the space between his shoulders, but he threw his elbow back and caught her head, knocking her back. She would have called his swinging of that rock aimless had it not so many times come close to hitting either her or Thorin, further cracking the ice around them. Every time he turned his back, one would have the chance to attack him, and now his skin was littered with scratches and was covered in dark blood. Somehow he continued to fight, ignoring his injuries.
Azog swung forward again, the rock hitting the ice just in front of Thorin's feet, and while he tried to yank it out, the stone stuck. In doing so he cracked the ice further, and Alana watched with wide eyes as a piece of ice bearing both of the others separated her from them. She barely noticed the eagles arriving, allowing herself only to sigh in relief as she watched them swoop down and take out the second orc army in the corner of her eye. When the ice chunk Thorin stood on crashed into the rest of the frozen river, he dropped Orcrist, stooping to pick up Azog's stone and chucking it to the orc. Instinct caused him to catch it, and for a moment everything came to a standstill. Then Thorin took a single step backwards, and the combined weight of Azog and the stone caused the ice to tilt, and the orc was dragged under.
Alana let out a half-sob, half-sigh of relief, sinking to her knees and dropping her daggers on the floor. She inhaled sharply, trying to catch her breath and calm her body down, her limbs trembling from the adrenaline that had built up during the fight. She jumped when the ice behind her suddenly shattered, and she whipped her head around. Thorin was pinned down by Azog - who was now without his stone - and their blades were locked. Alana grabbed her daggers and leapt forward, throwing one blade at the orc to distract him. It worked, making him tilt his face her way just before she leapt on his back, jamming her other dagger in the space between his shoulder and his collar bone. A feral snarl escaped his lips, and he wrenched back, trying to dislodge her. In doing so he removed the pressure of his blade from Thorin's, and the dwarf King took full advantage of that. He thrust his blade forward, the tip piercing through Azog's chest plate and burying itself in the orc's heart. Alana let go of the orc, and with a determined heave Thorin pinned the orc to the ice, using his strength and weight to force Orcrist all the way through Azog's body and the ice below, pinning him down.
Both Alana and Thorin watched closely as the orc gasped for breath, only becoming satisfied when he stopped breathing, his body falling limp. With a groan Thorin slumped back onto the ice, arms spread wide, breathing heavily. Alana knelt down beside him, offering him a shaking hand and pulling him to his feet. They left their weapons abandoned on the ice, instead heading towards the frozen waterfall that overlooked the rest of the battle. The eagles had moved down into the valley now, picking off trolls and orcs, and for the first time since the battle had started they could be confident in a victory.
"Is that it?" Alana asked, her voice weighed down by her exhaustion. "Is it over?"
Thorin smiled wearily, lacing his fingers with hers, and nodded. "Yes," he breathed. "It's over."