A/N: Another day and another update! Thank you once again for the reviews and likes. WWe're about to head into the actual battle, it'll likely be split up over 2 or 3 chapters as not to make it overwhelming.

I want to address two quick things:

First, I know that in canon Elrond's wife left for Valinor and that technically she is still alive, but I decided for the purposes of this fic that she died in that orc attack. I also know that elves deal badly with heartache but we will come to that at a later point, after all it is Fanfiction.

Second: I also know that Elrond does not appear in the battle canonically but I've decided to change that for the purpose of this fic.

Elvish translation:

Mellon-nin: My friend

Hir-nin: My lord

Penneth: Little one

Chapter Twenty-Five: Of Battles Dawning…

Maggie's dream ended abruptly, as she was shaken back to reality by the sound of loud voices. For a moment, everything was blurry when her eyes opened, her eyelashes faintly batting against her lids when she blinked. Her muscles felt weak, just like her energy. Maggie gently put her hands on her stomach, hoping her touch would somehow let her know that the baby was okay. There was no way to really know of course, except what her gut said. She exhaled an exasperated sigh and got out of the makeshift bed she'd been sleeping on. How long was I asleep for? She wondered, but the darkness outside told her it couldn't have been for more than a few hours. There was still noise around Dale and many still seemed to be awake despite the late hour. As she slowly began to wake up, Maggie recalled the events of earlier that day. After their departure from Erebor, Bard and Maggie had been greeted (to her dismay) but Lord Thranduil who had set up a camp the size of a small town within the borders of Dale. It took all of Maggie's self-restraint to not just walk up and punch the elf-lord in his face for all the harm he had caused them. It surprised her to find that Bard had allied with him, but she had a feeling that it wasn't because he wanted to but rather because it was a necessity. Thorin was far gone and Maggie suspected that her leaving Erebor might have only made it worse. Still, she couldn't compromise the safety of their child, no matter how much she loved him.

"Since when has my counsel counted for so little!?"

At the sound of the familiar (yet angry) voice, Maggie's heart skipped a beat. Gandalf! She followed the voices, which lead her outside to Thranduil's tent. The night air was cool and despite the slight chill, actually being outside instead of deep inside a mountain, was a welcome change of scenery. Maggie stood outside the tent and listened to the conversation taking place inside.

"What do you think I'm trying to do!" Gandalf snapped.

"I think you're trying to save your dwarvish friends." came Thranduil's voice. "I admire your loyalty to them, but it does not dissuade me from my course."

Maggie moved closer and watched from the entrance as Thranduil circled Gandalf, just like he had circled her in Mirkwood. Her hatred for Thranduil had only grown stronger since leaving Mirkwood. She was certain that there was no kindness in the heart of that elf and she wondered what happened to make him so cold? Maggie was grateful that Legolas was different from his father.

"You started this, Mithrandir." said the elf. "You will forgive me if I finish it."

The next voice that spoke brought instant tears to Maggie's eyes. A voice she hadn't heard since the Midsummer's Eve when they'd left Rivendell, more than three months earlier. Maggie knew the story well enough to know that Lord Elrond never showed up at the Battle of the Five Armies and she couldn't for the life of her understand what she was doing there.

"Thranduil, mellon-nin." Elrond said "Risking war will cost more than what it is worth. Your desperation will only drive the enemy forward. You must listen to Gandalf."

"You were always too kind, Elrond." Thranduil told him. "Such traits will get you nowhere in these dire times."

Maggie had heard enough and walked inside the tent. "You think Thorin is the one mad with greed? Seriously? Have you heard yourself?"

"Margaret Spencer..." Gandalf breathed a sigh of relief and leaned on his staff. "You are a sight for sore eyes."

The wizard greeted Maggie with a hug and she realised how much she had missed him. Although, when she studied Gandalf's face, she couldn't help but think he looked more tired than usual and worn out. Riley had shared the same expression on his face and Maggie wondered what the two of them had been through together. Riley still wouldn't talk about it and it was enough for her to know it was something awful. Maggie then turned to Elrond who merely smiled and gave her a gentle nod. He was sat in a chair with one leg crossed over the other and his chin resting on his hand.

Thranduil ignored Maggie's comment and turned to one of his guards. "Are the archers in position? If anything movies in the mountain, kill it."

"You're insane." Maggie said, shaking her head. "You think threatening war is going to scare Thorin? It will do exactly the opposite."

Gandalf marched up to Bard who was outside.

"Bowman! Do you agree with this? Is gold so important to you?" Gandalf asked. "Would you buy it with the blood of dwarves?"

Bard studied the wizard. "It will not come to that. This is a fight they cannot win."

"That won't stop them! You think the dwarves will surrender but they will fight to the death to defend their own."

"Bilbo Baggins?" the wizard was in disbelief. "You never cease to surprise me."

While Maggie was happy to see Bilbo, Gandalf was overjoyed and surprised. In fact, for a moment Maggie swore she saw a hint of tears in the wizard's eyes. Then again, Maggie thought, they had all learned that hobbits were full of surprises. Bilbo had certainly proven this to be true time and time again over the past few months. They went back inside the tent, this time with Bard and Bilbo.

"If I'm not mistaken." Thranduil sat down and his gaze fell upon Bilbo, who nervously twiddled his thumbs. "This is the halfling who stole the keys to my dungeons, from under the nose of my guards."

"Yes, after you threatened to let me and the others rot in said dungeons." Maggie said. "You might want to hire better guards in the future."

Elrond shot Thranduil an angry look, which the Mirkwood king ignore. Bard raised an eyebrow and then looked at Maggie, and she knew he would ask about this afterwards.

"Yes..." Bilbo cleared his throat. "Sorry about that. I came, to give you this."

Bilbo walked up and placed a cloth on the table, when he unfolded it, it revealed the Arkenstone. Nobody said anything for a few minutes and Maggie wasn't sure if she was relieved or worried that Bilbo had the stone. It didn't surprise her that Bilbo had managed to take it without Thorin noticing and she was happy that Bilbo wasn't going to be in his presence when the mountain king eventually found out.

Thranduil stood up and stared at the jewel in front of them. For somebody who claimed to the dwarves for their greed, Maggie thought, he shared a lot of similarities with them. "The heart of the mountain, the King's Jewel."

"And worth a king's ransom." Bard said.

Elrond turned to Bilbo. "How did you come by this?"

"And how is this yours give?" Bard asked.

All his life, Bard had grown up hearing stories about the Arkenstone and its powers. To him, it had always seemed strange that something that was really only a jewel could cause so much trouble. He didn't know much about hobbits, except what he had learned from getting to know Bilbo Baggins, but he had a feeling that not all hobbits were as selfless and quick to give up something that others would fight for. Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit of admirable nature and he possessed far more patience with the dwarves than Bard had.

"I took it as my 14th share of the treasure." Bilbo replied.

Maggie chuckled at Bilbo's matter-of-factness.

"Why would you do this?" Bard asked "You owe us no loyalty."

"I'm not doing it for you, just as much as you're not doing it for the gold." Bilbo replied. "I know that dwarves can be obstinate and pigheaded and difficult."

Bilbo turned to Gandalf. "They're suspicious and secretive."

He turned to Elrond. "With the worst manners you can possibly imagine."

Then he turned to Maggie. "But they are also brave and kind and loyal to a fault. Maggie, Riley and I have all witnessed that kindness and loyalty. Maggie more than any of us and I think I speak for all three...four of us when I say that I've grown very fond of them and I would save them if I can."

For the second time in her life, Maggie was left completely speechless. Her brother was an idiot if he ever let Bilbo slip out of his arms.

"Now, Thorin values this stone above all else," Bilbo continued "In exchange for its return, I believe he will give you what you are owed. There will be no need for war."

"Come on…where is it?"

"Riley, what in Durin's name are you doing?"

Fili had been standing in the doorway to the pantry for a while, watching as Riley rather frantically searched through every inch of the shelves. He'd pulled out boxes and discarded empty bottles, while mumbling angrily to himself. By the looks of it, he also hadn't slept and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Riley and Maggie had only been reunited for a few days until the parted ways again. Then, a few hours earlier, Bofur had told Fili that Bilbo too snuck out, undoubtedly following Maggie into Dale. Fili wondered why Riley had chosen to stay behind, instead of going with his sister. Perhaps, the Crown-Prince thought, Riley felt a sense of duty towards the company. It was an admirable trait but Fili also saw that he was suffering.

"For being a dwarfish pantry…." Riley pulled out a barrel, shook it and then put it back. "There is surprisingly little booze in here. I'd have thought at least something would be left behind, in case you guys came to the mountain."

"Booze?" Fili asked, he'd never heard such a word before.

"Alcohol, Fee."

Finally, Riley found a small wooden barrel, which when shook, revealed some kind of liquid content. Riley opened it and carefully sniffed it. He couldn't quite tell what it was, its closest resemblance was some sort of brandy that had matured for a long time.

"Smells decent enough, I guess I'll find out if I wake up blind."

"What's wrong, little brother?" Fili asked as he grabbed a couple of jugs and placed them on the table. It reminded him of their first night in Rivendell, all those months ago. "You're acting...well a bit manic, if I may so?"

"Oh I'm great.." Riley lied. "Because, you know, my pregnant sister is somewhere in Dale and my sort-of boyfriend snuck out in the dark of the night and I have no idea when I'll see either of them again."

"Sort-of boyfriend?"

"We haven't really talked about it." Riley sighed. "I'm not sure we'll ever get the chance to."

Riley was about to pour the Brandy-like alcohol into the jugs, but then felt the weight of his body give in, and he sank onto the floor. Fili sat down next to him and felt his heart break as he saw Riley cry for the first time. In some ways, Fili understood him, being the older sibling was difficult sometimes and it meant you always had to be the strong one, no matter what you were dealing with yourself. Fili knew that Riley was a great brother, not only because he'd seen how he interacted with Maggie and knew how much she loved him.

"It's alright, Riley." Fili put an arm around his friend's shoulder. "I have no doubt that you will see both Maggie and Bilbo again. They're both in good company and they're safe away from here."

Riley dried his tears and for a moment he felt a bit silly for allowing himself to be so vulnerable, but Fili showed no judgement.

"I'm terrified, Fili." Riley admitted. "Not necessarily because of Maggie, I know she's fine. But I'm scared of the battle. So far, we've only fought a small number of orcs and that's nothing compared to what's out there. I'm not prepared for this and yet I know I have to fight. Thorin expects it and I know that's what I'm supposed to do. Not just because of Thorin but I think...no I know, that's my part in this. To fight beside you."

"You are not alone." Fili told him. "No matter what happens, we will fight with you and if it comes to that, we will die together, as brothers. As Mahal intended. But, I know in my heart that we are going to make survive this together. We have come this far, right?"

"Right.."

Riley let out a sigh and truly hoped that some things could be changed.

"You should sleep, penneth."

Maggie had given up any pretence of sleep a while ago. As always, she had too many thoughts spinning in her mind and she didn't know what to do with them. After the meeting in Thranduil's tent, Bilbo had gone with Gandalf and Maggie had briefly spoken with Bard before returning to the small stone alcove that had been set up for her. Seeing Elrond there was one of the things that occupied her mind. Not that it wasn't good to see him, she had missed her friend, but Elrond never did anything without a reason. Maggie sat up and looked at Elrond who stood in the entrance. He carried a concerned expression on his face, as he often did, yet he remained calm. It was still late into the night, but Maggie thought dawn couldn't be too far away. Some birds chirped in the background and there was more movement from the people around them.

"How can I sleep with all of this going on." she asked.

"You and the baby both need your rest." Elrond replied.

It didn't surprise her that Elrond knew she was pregnant, nor did it worry her. In the midst of all the chaos, she was glad to see another friendly face. Maggie watched as the Lord of Rivendell walked up to her and then knelt in front of her so that they were eye level with each other. Maggie looked into his grey eyes and wondered what he was thinking about all of this. When they'd left Rivendell, Maggie and Thorin weren't on speaking terms and now they were engaged and having a baby. Did Elrond think they were foolishly rushing things and did he judge her?

"May I?" asked the elf-lord.

Maggie wasn't sure what the elf-lord meant at first but when she did, she nodded. Carefully, Lord Elrond put his hands on Maggie's stomach. The first thing that surprised Maggie, was that it didn't feel uncomfortable. Elrond's presence had always been calming to her and that was still the case. The second thing that surprised her was how she could feel the baby's heartbeat again as she breathed in and out. Elves also had heightened senses and she figured that was the reason why. They stayed like that in silence, as Elrond sometimes shifted his hands as if he was trying to figure something out.

"Your son is strong." he said after a while. "Just like his parents. "

"Son? I'm having a son?"

Elrond nodded and Maggie couldn't believe her ears. She was going to be the mother of a son and she wondered what Thorin would say when he found out. Elrond removed his hands from Maggie's stomach and the excitement died down when she thought about Thorin. She wondered if he had truly meant what he said about not wanting to be a father earlier, or if it had just been the dragon-sickness talking.

"Why are you here Elrond?" Maggie asked "As good as it is to see you, there's always a reason."

Elrond sighed and realised there was no point in hiding anything from Maggie."Even with the Arkenstone, there will be war. You know Thorin as well as I do, and you have seen how that strain of madness affects those cursed with it." Elrond said. "Maggie, there is a safe place for you, away from all of this. Where you and your unborn son can be safe, at least until this is over."

"You want me to come with you to Rivendell." Maggie realised. Her eyes fell to the ground. "Elrond, I can't do that. My place is here. With him, no matter what that means…"

"If you stay here, you risk the chance of dying." Elrond said, with concern in his voice. "A thought I cannot bare."

"Hir-nin…" Maggie spoke softly in elvish, which surprised the elf-lord. She took his hands and looked up at him. "Please trust that I know what I'm doing. If there is a chance that I can save him, no matter how small, I need to take it. I can't do that if I am not here. He needs me and I cannot leave him."

Elrond sighed, admitting defeat and released Maggie's hands. She stifled a yawn and crawled back between the warm blankets. Like he had once done before, Elrond whispered soothing words in Elvish as Maggie finally drifted off into sleep.

Riley Spencer never managed to fall asleep and when dawn finally arrived, he thought it was much too soon. The dwarves had spent the first hour or so preparing for battle by dressing in armour and gathering their weapons. Even Riley had been given armour to put on and he wasn't sure how he would ever be able to move in something so uncomfortable. After this, they marched out and gathered on the small balcony, looking out over the field below them. As promised, Thranduil's elven army had gathered at the gates of Erebor and they were joined by a small army of men from Dale, led by Bard. Riley could only assume that the blonde-haired elf on a giant elk was none other than Thranduil himself. Under any other circumstances, Riley would have allowed himself a moment of excitement, but now was not the time. As for time, Thorin wasted none almost immediately fired off a warning arrow at Thranduil.

"I will put the next one between your eyes!" he threatened.

The dwarves cheered and Riley rolled his eyes. In one swift movement, Thranduil's archers pulled their strings and aimed at the dwarves who ducked down. Riley stood still in his place next to Thorin. Maggie wasn't there and neither was Bilbo, thankfully.

"We have come to tell you, payment of your debt has been offered and accepted." Thranduil announced.

Already, Riley didn't like the elf-king and thought he sounded suspiciously calm.

"What payment?" Thorin shouted."I gave you nothing."

Thranduil revealed a cloth, smothered in dark blood. Riley's heart began to beat faster and a horrible thought formed in his mind.

"I regret to tell you that your unborn child has not survived." Thranduil announced. "His death serves as a sacrifice for your selfish actions."

No, Riley thought and fought back the tears. He refused to believe it. Not even King Thranduil could be so cruel as to take the life of an unborn child. A child who had done him no harm, no matter what he thought of his parents. What was the point? Was he so driven by greed he would take an innocent life? Riley's eyes wandered to Bard and there was surprise in them too, the bowman hadn't expected Thranduil's words.

"He's lying.." Riley whispered. "I don't know why. But he's full of it."

Riley watched as Bard reached inside his shirt and pulled out the Arkenstone. "We also have this."

Thorin lowered his bow and the company whispered, wondering how it was possible for them to have the Arkenstone. Riley knew why of course, but he wasn't about to share that information with the company.

"The king may have it, by our goodwill." Bard said "But first he must honor his word."

"If he does not." Thranduil said. "His lover will die too."

"Son of a bitch.."

Even if Thranduil was lying for whatever reason, maybe to shock Thorin out of his psychosis, it was a cruel and heartless thing to do. Riley hoped however, that there were enough people around Maggie who would not let them die.

"This is a ruse." Thorin hissed "A filthy lie. The Arkenstone is in this mountain. It is a trick!"

Riley couldn't believe his ears, even with the possibility of his child's death, all Thorin cared about what the jewel and the gold within the mountain. No matter how much Riley tried to tell himself that the king wasn't himself, it still infuriated him. Suddenly, an all too familiar voice spoke.

"It's no trick." Came bilbo's voice. Riley wasn't sure how long Bilbo had stood there, but Riley was glad to see him. The hobbit took a few careful steps towards Thorin and Riley could tell how nervous he was.

"The stone is real. I gave it to them." Bilbo said. "I took it as my 14th share of the treasure.

"You would steal from me?" Thorin asked. He had fire in his eyes and in that moment, Riley wanted to step between him and Bilbo, but he knew he couldn't.

"Steal from you?" Bilbo chuckled. "No, I may be a burglar, but I'd like to think I'm an honest one. I'm willing to let it stand against my claim."

"Against your claim?" Thorin was getting angrier "You have no claim over me, you miserable rat."

"HEY!" Riley protested and as he stepped in front of Bilbo, the hobbit put an assuring hand Riley's shoulder as he took another step towards Thorin.

"I was going to give it to you." he said. "Many times I wanted to, but…"

"But what...thief?" Thorin hissed.

"You are changed Thorin." Bilbo's voice was resolute, even though he was afraid. "The dwarf I met in Bag End would never have gone back on his word! Would never have doubted the loyalty of his kin! Or the love of the mother of his child!

"Do not speak to me of loyalty!" Thorin turned to the company. "Throw him from the rampart!"

"Are you insane!" Riley bellowed, his face flushed with angry heat. "Bilbo is our friend! Don't you dare hurt him!"

"Have you come to punch me again, Riley son of Amandil?" Thorin mocked "Go ahead. Your threats mean nothing."

It took all of Riley's self-control to resist the urge to punch Thorin. Balin's hand on his shoulder reminded him that it was not worth it. They could not afford fighting amongst themselves and none of the dwarves touched Bilbo, which angered Thorin even more.

"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME!?"

He tugged Fili but the blonde dwarf pulled himself from his uncle's grasp. He had fear in his eyes.

"I'll do it myself!" Thorin grabbed Bilbo and pulled him towards the rampart. "Cursed be the wizard that forced you upon this company!"

Riley and the dwarves began to fight him but were interrupted by a thundering voice that scared that frightened all of them. Riley didn't have to look to know who the voice belonged to.

"IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY BURGLAR THEN PLEASE DON'T DAMAGE HIM! RETURN HIM TO ME!"

Gandalf's thundering voice reached them and even Thorin quieted down for a moment. The wizard's timing was, as always, perfect. If it was one thing that Riley had learned over the course of the past few months, it was that one should never anger a wizard. The oldest Spencer gazed down and met Gandalf's eyes.

"You're not making a very splendid figure as King Under the Mountain, are you, Thorin son of Thrain?"

With some hesitation, Thorin let go of Bilbo who fell to the ground and Riley ran up to him, as did Nori and Fili.

"Never again will I have dealings with wizards!" Thorin shouted "Or shire rats!" he turned to Riley "Or humans from other worlds!"

"The feeling is quite mutual." Riley muttered as he brushed dirt off Bilbo's clothes. Along with Bofur, he helped Bilbo over the wall and they managed a brief hug before the hobbit climbed down the rope. Thorin was still arguing with Bard and Thranduil and Riley could tell all parties were getting frustrated.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Thorin bellowed "UPON MY OATH! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

"Your oath means nothing!" Thranduil snapped "I have heard enough."

Thranduil turned to his army and with a gesture, they all moved together as one, ready for his orders.

"Thorin, lay down your arms" Gandalf pleaded as he walked towards the gate. Riley really wanted to believe that the wizard's words would mean something but he knew it was fruitless. "Open these doors. This treasure will be your death. Your future wife needs you."

"Sire…" Balin turned to his old friend. "We cannot win this fight."

"Give us your answer!" Bard demanded

"Will you have peace?" Thranduil asked

"Or war?"

Silence fell and as it did a raven landed on the stone wall. The black bird croaked at Thorin, who seemed torn as he deliberated his answer. For a brief moment Riley swore he hinted the true version of the king, but just as quickly it was gone.

"I will have war."

Something new caught Riley's attention, another army marched over the hill and they were neither men nor elves. They were dwarves. Hundreds and hundreds of dwarves.

"Okay, who the hell are these guys?" Riley asked "And are those...giant pigs?"

"War hogs." Nori corrected.

"War hogs." Riley repeated. "Of course they are. Why would they be anything else?"

Below them, Thranduil shouted orders in elvish and the army turned the focus from the mountain to the new arrivals. One of the dwarves marched forward on his war hog and the company cheered excitedly.

Dain marched to the front of the elven army.

"Good morning," he greeted. "How are we all?"

There was silence as nobody seemed to know what to do with his unexpected politeness. "I have a wee proposition, if you wouldn't mind giving me a few moments of your time. Would you consider...JUST SODDING OFF!"

"Isn't he charming.." Riley scoffed.

The small army of men lead by bard backed off in fear but Bard didn't move.

"Stand fast." he commanded.

"Oh come now, Lord Dain." Gandalf stepped forward and bowed.

"Gandalf the Grey." Dain said "Tell this rabble to leave. Or I'll water the ground with their blood."

"There is no need for war between dwarves, men and elves."

Gandalf walked up to Dain, the annoyance rang clear in his voice. "A legion of orcs march on the mountain. Stand your army down."

"I will not stand down before any elf." Dain snapped "Not least this faithless woodland sprite. He wishes nothing but ill upon my people. If he chooses to stand between me and my kin. I'll split his pretty head open."

There was no anger from Thranduil, instead Riley saw a rather smug grin spread across the elf's face and she understood why his sister hated him so much. Dain turned his hog around trotted back to his army, ignoring Gandalf's aalls.

"Let them advance." Thranduil said "See how far you get."

Dain was having none of it. "You think I give a dead dog for your threats, you pointy-eared princess."

"I take it back," Riley said. "I like him."

"Ya hear that lads? We're on! Let's give these bastards a good hammering!"

The dwarves began chanting in khuzdul and Riley watched as Thranduil marched his army forwards, while Bard and his men stood down. As if things couldn't get stranger, Riley watched as riders on giant goats trotted through the dwarven army. Giants goats, Riley thoughts, they have an army of giants goats.

"Thranduil!" Gandalf shouted "This is madness!"

The riders were ready to charge with their spears and Thranduil's archers ready to shoot on order, which they did. The arrows were fired but were completely destroyed by the dwarves weapons, which Riley couldn't describe even if he tried. The company cheered as the weapons knocked out a handful of the elven soldiers, much to Thranduil's shock.

"How do you like that, ya old twirly-whirlies?" Dain taunted.

This only angered Thranduil more and he shouted more orders in elvish. Riley wasn't sure what the elf-king thought would happen, but the same events repeated itself. The elven arrows were destroyed and this time, the dwarven army had reached the elves who formed a defense as the giant goats jumped over their shields. Some of the elven soldiers were trampled immediately and their armour couldn't withstand the tusks from the hogs, which also weakened their defenses against the dwarves' axes. It was one thing to hear or read about wars, but watching it play out in front of you was something Riley never wanted to witness again. The excitement had died down in the company as they saw their kin being slain by elves and the elves dying by the hands of the dwarves. Nobody spoke a word and even though Riley couldn't stand watching it, he found it difficult to look away. Suddenly, the fighting stopped when something else caught everyone's attention. It sounded like rumbling thunder in the distance, but Riley knew immediately that it was not thunder. Something that looked like colossal rainworms with rock-lick skin and massive jaws appeared from beneath the ground. There were at least three of them and they seemed to create tunnels of sorts.

"Were-worms." Riley whispered. "We are so screwed."

"Have faith, little brother!" Fili told him, his voice filled with excitement. "I'm climbing over the wall! Who's with me!"

The company cheered, but Thorin would not have it.

"Stand down!"

An army of orcs ran towards the mountain. The dwarves formed a concrete wall with their shields, but they elves remained unmoved. The orcs moved like a wave of unstoppable evil and Riley thought for sure they would die until something happened nobody could have foreseen. Instead of fighting each other, the elves joined forces with the dwarves and jumped over their shields, into the army of orcs. They fought together as if they had always been allies but they were still greatly outnumbered by the orcs. Then, the sound of a horn echoed throughout the battlefield.

"What now…" Riley sighed, but instantly regretted asking.

Something that looked like mountain trolls clumsily marched across the field, destroying everything in their path. The elven archer fired more arrows which killed them almost instantly, but the ones that survived destroyed the dwarven war machines and some of the dwarves along with them.

Their eyes were set on the City of Dale.

"Maggie…"

"Elrond?"

A watchtower collapsed and as the bricks tumbled onto the streets of the city, Elrond quickly grabbed Maggie as they took shelter behind a wall. The attack on Dale had been instant and less than a minute later, orcs penetrated the city's defenses and entered the city.

"Are you alright?"

Maggie nodded. "It's his army, isn't it? Azog is here."

For some reason, the army had turned from the battlefield and marched on the city, the giants beasts destroyed the wall and the orcs ran in, immediately beginning to devour everything in its path. Maggie and Elrond left their hiding place and ran down the streets of Dale. This was nothing like their encounter with the goblins in tunnels and Maggie felt overwhelmed by the chaos happening around her. All around them, women and children screamed and men took to arms. In the distance, Maggie saw Sigrid and Tilda in the middle being surrounded by a group of orcs. She looked at Elrond who only nodded at her. Using his sword, the elf-lord slew the orcs in one swift movement, giving way for make to reach the girls.

"Go with the children, I'll follow you." he said

There was chaos everywhere and the orcs were like a tsunami, devouring everything it could touch. Maggie took Tilda's hand and with Sigrid they ran, while Elrond fought off orcs behind them.

"Come on."

Maggie grabbed the sword she had been gifted back in Rivendell and recalled her fighting lessons with Thorin. She stabbed an orc behind her and using her foot, Sigrid made one of the orcs trip and then Tilda stomped on his head. They kept running and as one of the orc's caught up with them, Bain put his sword through the creature. He looked terrified and Maggie couldn't blame him.

"Da!" Sigrid called out when she saw her father fighting amongst the other men. Most of them didn't have a clue how to fight and for some of them it had been so long since they last saw battle, that they'd forgotten how to fight. "We're down here!"

Bard caught Maggie's eyes, the fear in his eyes was for the safety of his children and understandably so. At first, Maggie thought she saw a chance for an escape and turned around, but as she did another war beast appeared, heading right towards them. There was no way Maggie or Bain would be able to fight the beast and she heard Bard shouting behind them. The beast swung its morning star-esque weapon at them and the girls screamed, tumbling backwards. Only seconds later, Elrond appeared in front of Sigrid, Tilda and Bain with a sword in his hand, swinging it from left to right in one graceful movement. Maggie watched him in awe, realising it was the first time she'd seen Elrond in combat. It didn't take long before the beast was dead and Bard ran up to his children. He took the sword off Bain who was shaking with fear.

"Gather the women and children." Bard told him. "Take them to the Great Hall and barricade the door. You must not come out any reason."

Poor Bain only managed a nod and even though the girls protested at first, saying they wanted to stay with their father, Sigrid, Tilda and Bain eventually left with Alfrid.

"You should go with them.." Bard said to Maggie. "But I have a feeling you will not listen to me."

"You are correct Master Bard." Maggie said "Shall we?"

Bard shook his head and sighed, but Maggie was grateful he didn't challenge her. Behind her, she saw Elrond fighting and then she watched as Thranduil rode through the city gates. At first, he seemed to be doing well and decapitated a handful of orcs at the same time, but then an arrow shot his elk which made him tumble and fall off. Maggie appeared at his side and just managed to stab the orc that was going for Thranduil's head. He stared at her for a moment, equally as surprised as she was but he said nothing. Before Maggie knew, she was fighting side by side with Thranduil. Something she never thought would be a possibility, but that seemed to be a recurring theme. In the midst of the fighting, Maggie finally caught sight of Gandalf who was busy knocking over orcs with his staff.

"Gandalf!" Maggie called out.

"Maggie…" Gandalf looked horrified "This is no place for you!"

"So I keep hearing, yet here I am."

No matter how many orcs they fought off, more kept streaming into the city and it became very clear that they would be outnumbered. Maggie could tell from the expression on Gandalf's face that he was worried.

"We're not going to win."

"Since we do we forsake our own people?!"

Unlike his brother, Dwalin was a dwarf of very few words, but when marched up to Thorin's throne, Riley knew that he wasn't about to hold anything back. Thorin sat on the stone throne, his mind clearly somewhere else and he barely moved when Dwalin and Riley stood in front of him. "Thorin! They are dying out there!"

Thorin said nothing for a while and turned his glance away from them, but it wasn't because of fear or because of guilt.

"There are halls beneath halls within this mountain." he said "Places we can fortify. We must move the gold further underground to safety."

"Did you not hear me!" Dwalin snapped, which made Riley take a step back. "Dain is surrounded. They're being slaughtered, Thorin."

Not even this seemed to phase the King Under the Mountain.

"Many die in war." Thorin said calmly "Life is cheap, but a treasure such as this cannot be counted in lives lost."

Riley couldn't believe his ears. Even with the dragon-sickness, he would have thought Thorin might have a small bit of humility left inside him. It seemed like not even the news of his dying kin outside was enough to snap him out of his mad psychosis.

"What about Maggie?" Dwalin asked "Did you forget about her? Is her life not worth more than this treasure?"

Riley guessed that Dwalin hoped a shock of some sort might snap Thorin out of it, but it did nothing.

"It is worth all the blood we can spend." Thorin told him.

The oldest Spencer had just about had enough and began marching up to Thorin but Dwalin stopped him by stepping in front of him.

"You sit here in these vast halls with a crown upon your head." Dwalin said. "And yet, you are lesser now than you have ever been. You do not deserve her love."

"Do not speak to me as if I were some lowly dwarf lord." Thorin hissed. "As if I were still Thorin Oakenshield. I am your king!"

Thorin swung his sword at Dwalin who still stood resolute, without as much as flinching. Riley's heart was still pounding heavily. There were so many ways in which this could go wrong and he hoped Dwalin knew what was he was doing. Despite Thorin's threats, the bald dwarf was unphased and stood resolute against Thorin.

"You were always my king." Dwalin told him calmly. "You used to know that, once. You cannot see what you have become."

Thorin glared at Dwalin and then at Riley.

"Go." Thorin commanded. "Get out, before I kill you."

Riley could hear a small hint of the real Thorin in those desperate words. He didn't really want to kill Dwalin but the sickness was taking over. Dwalin walked out through the entrance, but Riley stayed for a while and watched through the doorway. Thorin walked across the solid gold floor, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. He wandered aimlessly for some time and seemed to be fighting something within himself.

"No…" Riley whispered.

"Riley?" Dwalin asked when he noticed that Riley hadn't followed him, he walked back.

"Fuck this."

"Riley don't-"

It was too late, Riley had already made up his mind and ran down the steps into the giant hall. Thorin didn't seem to notice Riley's presence at all, instead, he fell onto his knees while mumbling incoherently to himself. Thorin covered his ears with his hands and cried out, as if he was trying to shut out the voices inside him.

"I am not my grandfather…"

Riley crouched down in front of Thorin, removing his hands from his ears, forcing him to listen. "Thorin! I know you can do this! I have seen you fight enemies and taken on so many obstacles. I've seen you choose love instead of anger and fear. You are a fierce leader to your people and a good friend. You need to get through this because I am not about to watch my sister become a single mother!"

"The child is dead!" Thorin cried out. "Did you not hear Thranduil!"

"Thranduil lied." Riley said. "The baby is okay and so is Maggie."

"What…" Thorin shook his head, refusing to believe but Riley knew that his words were working. He grabbed Thorin's shoulder and forced the dwarf king to look right into his eyes.

"Thorin...I have been where you are right now." he said "I know what it is like to be so consumed by darkness, that you do not know who or what to trust. It hurts like hell and nobody understands it because they haven't experienced that pain. It nearly killed me but it also taught me to fight and so can you. This is not the Thorin Oakenshield I have come to know. Maggie may be my sister by blood but Thorin, you are my brother by heart and I love you."

Thorin cried out in pain and then suddenly fell silent for a good while, until he finally spoke.

"Riley…" Thorin whispered. "I am...so sorry."

Riley knew it was the real Thorin when the dwarf more or less fell into his arms and sobbed into his shoulders.

"It's alright." Riley said "Is this really you, though?"

"Aye," Thorin nodded, and wiped his tears as he exhaled a deep breathe. "It is. Thank you, Riley. I do not know how I can repay you for your kindness. You have saved me."

"I'm not the one you need to talk to." Riley said "You have a company of dwarves in there who are pissed off and would like their king back. Can you do that?"

Riley helped Thorin back up onto his feet.

"Are Maggie and the baby truly alive?" Thorin asked

"Yes." Riley nodded, "At least, I think so."

Together, they walked back up the stairs and through the doors to the room where rest of the company were sitting. At first, they all seemed surprised to see him and Kili was the first one to show his anger.

"I will not hide behind a wall of stone, while others fight our battles for us!" Kili shouted. "It is not in my blood, Thorin."

Thorin marched up to his nephew and squeezed his shoulder."No." he said. "It is not. We are Sons of Durin and Durin's Folk do not flee from a fight."

Thorin smiled and Kili's eyes filled with tears as he leaned his forehead against Kili's. Then, he turned his attention to other dwarves who were keen to hear what their leader had to say.

"I have no right to ask this of any of you." Thorin told the company "But will you follow me, one last time?"

Without hesitation, each member of the company grabbed their weapons. Maybe, Riley thought, Maybe we do have a chance. Maybe we can actually change things. He knew that one part of their struggles were but it only paved the way for the worst that was yet to come.

To be continued….

And that's the first half of the battle done! I still struggle with writing combat so I'd love to know what you think. I know Elrond isn't in this but then neither is Legolas if you go by book canon so I thought I'd add some twists. It will make sense later on, I promise. Also I know Maggie is pregnant and she shouldn't be fighting, but I figure she doesn't feel as though she has much of a choice, and using suspension of disbelief I think it's okay.

What will happen next? You'll simply have to read and find out. I wrote this and the second part of the battle close together, so as usual it shouldn't be too long before the next chapter is up.