A/N: Here we are then, the second half of the battle. Like I mentioned in the last chapter I wrote them at the same time, which is why this chapter is up so soon. There's going to be a LOT of movement in the chapter and switching point of views, mainly between Riley and Maggie. This is where things begin to change in terms of what happens in the book/movie. So some things might not be exactly as they happen in the books/movies. I'm still not very good at writing combat so I hope you guys will forgive me and still enjoy it :)

There'll still be a few more chapters to go after this one, so we're not quite at the end yet.

There's not much else to say really except, hold onto yer butts.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Of Battles Fought….

When Maggie heard the horn blaring from Erebor, she stopped everything she was doing. She turned to Bilbo and when their eyes met, she knew that the hobbit was thinking the exact same thing. She wasn't sure how it was possible, but somehow, she knew Thorin had snapped out his madness. She ran up a set of steps to the rampart and watched as a giant bell crashed through the walls of the mountain, which collapsed. Shortly after, the company and Riley came running straight for the army, with Thorin in the lead. Dain's army cheered him on and soon enough the orcs did not know what was coming for them.

"Thorin…" Maggie and Bilbo said at the same time.

Gandalf walked up behind them and the three of them watched the scene playing out beneath them. Maggie, Bilbo, Elrond and Gandalf stood on the rampart and watched as the dwarven army washed over the orcs.

"The dwarves," Bilbo said "They're rallying."

In the distance, Maggie saw her brother fighting and she excitedly grabbed Bilbo hand. Somehow, they'd both managed to survive this far and it gave her a sense of hope that maybe luck was on their side.

"They're rallying to their king." Gandalf said, with a smile on his face.

Watching the dwarves take on Azog's army of orcs was a sight beyond anything Maggie had seen. No matter how many times her father had read the story to her, regardless of how often she'd seen it on the screen, experiencing it in person was something different entirely.

Behind her, Maggie heard Bard rallying up the surviving men. There was determination and anger in his voice.

"Any man who wants to get their last, follow me!" Bard said

The men certainly didn't need convincing.

The adrenaline alone was something Riley had never felt before and all his previous fear left him. He stabbed an orc to his left while Thorin decapitated one to his right. As Riley ran, his slid on the ground and his foot kicked another orc, which Nori then headbutted. It was almost as if they were in sync with each other and Riley had never felt so alive. Bombur used the sole weight of his body as a weapon and the orcs stood no chance. At one point, he stood between Fili and Kili and their combined move took out four orcs all at once. Bofur and Bifur used their axex. Thorin was the impressive one though; as he used all his pent up anger to completely destroy any orc that crossed his path. The fighting seemed to go on forever and Riley lost all sense of time. He was so caught up in it all that he couldn't even feel how tired he probably was.

Throughout the journey with the company, he'd known that were skilled fighters, but nothing could have prepared Riley for how amazing they truly were. Riley himself only had the basic skills that he'd been taught by Fili and Kili, although he picked up on the movements quickly by following the others. Dwalin and Thorin fought side by side and Riley watched as Ori ran towards them, and by using the palm of Dwalin's hand as a step, they threw him into the air and the young dwarf landed on top of two orcs. Riley let his feet guide his movement as he dodged one orc who lost its balance and headbutted right into another one. Their clumsiness worked against them and Riley was able to use it to his advantage. While the orcs were one thing, the trolls served as another problem and required a different kind of strategy. Oin used his staff, almost as martial arts experts.

Nori threw an axe at Bofur, which he caught mid-air and threw at one of the trolls. Thorin was relentless in his fighting and slew orc after orc, next to Fili and Kili.

"Dain!" Thorin shouted

"Thorin!" Dain replied "Hold on, I'm coming!"

The Lord of the Iron Hills jumped on the back of an orc and then landed in front of Thorin and Riley. Surprisingly gracefully, Riley thought, for a dwarf.

"Hey cousin!" Dain greeted "What took you so long?"

Without even looking, Dain knocked out a troll and then embraced his cousin in a hug. No matter how much time Riley had spent with dwarves, they still managed to surprise him. Especially when it came to their love and loyalty for their kin.

"Uh guys..' Riley said "I love a good reunion, but in case you haven't noticed, we're surrounded by orcs!"

"The grumpy lad is right." Dain said. "There's too many of these buggers."

"Grumpy?" Riley said "I'm grumpy? I'm sorry but have you met your cousin, the King of Emotional Distance over here?"

Thorin rolled his eyes. "Not now, Riley."

"I hope you've got a plan." Dain said.

Thorin looked at Azog's stronghold and Riley knew what that meant.

"Aye." he said "We're going to take out their leader. Riley, come with me."

Thorin climbed onto one of the giant goats and Riley behind him. Dain walked up to them and seemed less than impressed. The battle continued around them, with no sign of stopping anytime soon.

"Thorin, you cannot do this." he warned "You're our king."

"That is why I must do it." Thorin said

"How do you plan to fight your way single-handedly to Ravenhills?"

Before Thorin could answer, a ruckus came from behind them and just when Riley thought he had seen everything, a cart pulled by goats stopped just next to them. Dwalin, Fili, Dwalin and Kili sat in it.

Balin chuckled "It's been a while since I've done this."

Riley heard Dain mumble something about 'mad buggers' as they set off. Thorin and Riley in front and slew the orcs in their path. The wagon wasn't far behind them. Soon, Dwalin, Fili and Kili caught up with them and they began the journey towards Ravenhills. They just had an army of orcs to get through first.

"You know," Bilbo said as he pushed Sting through an orc. It had been shaky in the beginning, but now, Bilbo was getting the hang of sword fighting. He thought was something oddly cathartic about taking out the built up rage on the orcs. "If I wasn't terrified, I might even be a bit excited."

"Bilbo Baggins." Maggie slashed the arm of an orc and then cut off its head. "Are you telling me that you, dare I say it, like adventures?"

"Maggie!"

Elrond's voice reached Maggie and as she turned to the elf-lord, who was fighting by Thranduil, she saw what he pointed at. Gandalf was standing in front of a giant troll and tried to use his staff but it wasn't working. Maggie couldn't help but wonder if even a wizard's staff ran out of batteries from time to time. Gandalf moved out of the way of a troll who tried to hammer him weapon, while the grey wizard tried to get his staff working. Bard wasn't far from Maggie and when he knew she had his attention, the two of them moved in on the troll at the same time. Bard slashing it from behind and Maggie from the front. Then, something that came flying through the air knocked it over and Maggie saw Alfrid's dead body in its mouth.

"We may yet survive this." Gandalf said

"Gandalf!" Bilbo called out "It's Thorin! "

They gathered on another part of the rampart and watched the events beneath. In the distance, she saw her brother and dwarves climbing up the narrow steps of Ravenhill on what looked like giant goats.

"And Fili, Kili and Dwalin."

"And Riley!" Maggie couldn't believe her eyes and a small part of her wondered what their parents would say if they could see them now. "What are they doing?"

"He's taking his best warriors." Gandalf explained.

"To do what?"

"To cut the head off the snake."

Something changed in the wizard's voice, something Maggie hadn't heard in a long while. Hope. Maggie felt it as well and she thought that maybe, just maybe they would be able to win this. In the middle of everything, the sound of a galloping horse reached them and when Maggie turned around she saw Legolas and Tauriel arriving into the city.

"'Las!" Maggie threw her arms around the blonde elf, who was surprised at first but then welcome it.

"Legolas Greenleaf!" Gandalf called out.

"There is a second army." Legolas announced with urgency. "Bolg leads a force of a Gundabad orcs. They are almost upon us."

Another army? There were already thousands of orcs on the battlefield and in Dale, how could there possibly be another army.

"This was their plan all along." Gandalf realised "Azog engages our forces, then Bolg sweeps in from the north."

"The north?" Bilbo asked "Where is the north exactly?"

Maggie looked around her and worked it out quickly in her head and then a silence fell and a terrifying reality dawned upon Maggie as well as Bilbo.

"Ravenhill."

"Thorin is up there!" Bilbo followed Gandalf "Fili and Kili, they're all up there."

Maggie turned to Legolas "You have to take me up there."

Elrond grabbed Maggie's hand in protest, which made her turn around to the Elf-lord. As Bilbo looked on, he realised then that even if Elrond had good intentions, his feelings for Maggie were still there. "Maggie, you cannot.."

"My brother is up there!" Maggie told him. "I won't let him die."

Maggie knew Elrond cared, she could see it in his eyes and she could feel it whenever they touched. Perhaps he even cared a bit too much about that would have to be a conversation for later.

"You can either let me go and help me." Maggie said "But if you stop me, I will fight you."

Maggie hadn't meant for it to sound like a threat but Elrond didn't argue. Instead he let go of her hand and let her leave with Tauriel and Legolas.

They reached the top of Ravenhills without much trouble. Of course, using the goats had made it is. Once they reached the top, it was icy and much colder than back on the ground. Riley was glad he didn't suffer from any kind of vertigo, otherwise this would be difficult. Killing the orcs on Ravenhill was surprisingly easy and soon enough the stronghold was abandoned. It had been almost too easy and Riley didn't like it. A fog rolled in over lookout and Riley began to feel uneasy about the whole thing.

"It looks empty." Thorin said.

Riley held back a remark about how Thorin was being Captain Obvious, it was mostly his nerves talking.

"I think Azog has fled." Fili said.

"I don't think so."

Thorin turned to his oldest nephew. "Fili, take your brother. Scout out the towers."

"I'll go with them." Riley said. "Four eyes see better than two and all that."

Thorin nodded. "Keep low and out of sight. If you see something, report back. Do not engage. Do you understand?"

Fili and Kili nodded, but knowing the two brothers, Riley wasn't sure how well they would keep their promise. Dwalin returned from his own scouting mission and spoke with urgency.

"We have company." Dwalin announced "Goblin mercenaries. No more than a hundred."

"Oh I really hate these guys." Riley said as his mind flashbacked to the goblin tunnels.

"We'll take care of them." Thorin said. "Go!"

Riley left with Fili and Kili, leaving Thorin and Dwalin to handle the goblins.

Maggie and Tauriel had been waiting for Legolas when they saw Thranduil coming their way, with a handful of his soldiers behind him. It didn't a genius to figure out that he was trying to leave the city. For somebody with a son as brave as Legolas, Thranduil was a coward and despite the fact that they'd fought side by side, she still hated him.

"You will not turn away." Tauriel said firmly "Not this time."

"Get out of my way!" Thranduil hissed.

"Or what?" Maggie asked "You'll kill us? I saved your life, Thranduil. You owe me one, big time."

Of course, her threatening words didn't work and she hardly expected Thranduil to care about life-saving favours.

"The dwarves will be slaughtered." Tauriel said

"Yes, they will die." Thranduil replied with a smug expression "Today, tomorrow. One year hence, a hundreds years from now. What does that matter?"

The elf-king took careful steps towards Tauriel and Maggie, who remained unmoved.

"They are mortal." Thranduil turned to Maggie. "And so is she. Your loyalty is not to them, but to your kin."

Tauriel aimed her bow at the king and Maggie sensed the fury in him. It was then that Maggie realised that her feelings for Kili were true. Tauriel had been something of an enigma to Maggie since their first encounter. The original stories had never mentioned her, but then Maggie knew that just because something wasn't written, it didn't make it less real or true.

"You think your life is worth more than theirs, when there is no love in it?" she said "There is no love in you."

Suddenly, Thranduil cut her bow in half and pointed his sword at Tauriel, who was shivering. .

"What do you know of love?" he asked, "Nothing! What you feel for that dwarf is not real?"

"Who are you to decide what's real and what isn't?" Maggie said. "How is that your choice to make? Just because you don't understand something, it doesn't make it true. Love is not bound or confined to the rules created by our society. Rules created by you. It was never meant to be and you can't control that. It scares you to feel powerless in the face of it because you know you're wrong."

"So you think it is love? Are you ready to die for it? Either of you?"

Then, Legolas used his sword to push down his fathers and spoke to him in elvish. Maggie couldn't understand it but she figured out the context from the look in Legolas' eyes.

"I will go with you." Legolas said. "Both of you."

Maggie, Legolas and Tauriel left.

The caverns were empty and an uneasy feeling formed in the pit of Riley's gut. Just like earlier, he felt like this was too good to be true. If he'd learned anything over the past few means, that usually meant there was trouble ahead. A sort of snarling sound came from behind them

"Stay here." Fili said "Search the lower levels. I've got this."

Kili hesitated at first, but didn't argue his brother. Fili and Riley kept searching the upper levels and Riley could tell that the blonde dwarf was getting frustrated. Riley couldn't blame him and he felt the fear returning to him. Riley wasn't sure when he realised they weren't alone, but he saw torch fires lighting up the tunnels in the distance. It was faint at first but then light spread and in every direction they turned, new noises reached them. At first, it was a rhythmic thumping which echoed from a distance and it filled Riley with more dread. Suddenly, he'd lost Fili and searched everywhere for him. Riley followed a sound that sounded like snarls and quickly hid when two orcs, speaking to each other in the Black Speech, passed by him. Quietly, he followed them through the tunnels, until they took a left turn and Riley hid out of sight again. They were standing outside, Azog who had Fili grabbed by his hair. Instantly, Riley's heart began to beat faster and a million thoughts ran through his mind. This is it, Riley thought as his breath became more shallow, This is where Fee is supposed to die. But he wasn't going to let that happen. By just being in Middle-Earth, Riley and Maggie had changed a lot and if that meant Riley could save Fili and Kili, he would try.

Okay Ri, he thought, you can do this. And then just like that, Riley Spencer put all his fears aside and let out a battle cry as he charged for her. He stabbed Azog through his leg and slashed his arm. In turn, that made Azog loosen his grip of Fili and as quickly as he could Riley grabbed the blonde dwarf and they made a run for it.

"You saved my life." Fili said. "How did you know what would happen?"

"Save your brother now, thank me later." Riley said "We don't have much time. I know where Kili is."

Riley heard Azog's angry cry and knew it was time to go. The Pale Orc was beyond pissed off and shouted orders in the black speech. He'd planned to kill Fili and Riley had stopped that from happening, which meant it would only be so much worse for Kili when he found him. It didn't take long before the other orcs followed them through the tunnels and soon enough, they were surrounded. Fili took out one orc after another and Riley followed suit but they were outnumbered and as the orcs closed in on the pair, Riley thought he had failed after all. He'd spoken to soon though and when an orc collapsed in front of him, he looked at Fili who simply shrugged. When Tauriel appeared in front of Riley and took out the orcs one by one, Fili felt both surprised and relieved. But then, Maggie appeared in front of Fili his eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Maggie?" Fili said "Mahal, you're not-"

"I know, I know." Maggie interrupted him and stabbed an orc. "I'm not supposed to be here."

"We're having words later." Riley told his sister. "But I'm glad to see you. Is the baby?"

"Fine." Maggie assured him.

"Where is Kili?" Tauriel asked

"He's down below." Riley replied. "Follow me."

They ran through the tunnels, fighting the orcs as they went. Tauriel kept calling out Kili's name and at one point, Maggie heard him reply. As they followed the sound of his voice, they soon reached the lower levels and saw Kili. The prince ran up a set of steps, killing every orc and goblin in his way. He was fuelled by rage but when he came up to another level with an orc none of them had seen before. He was similar to Azog in size but wore different scars. Maggie realised that this must be Bolg who was Azog's second in command. Kili hesitated at first but then began to fight Bolg with every bit of his remaining strength, but the orc was much stronger than Kili. Bolg grabbed Kili by his armour and held him mid-air. Maggie watched as Tauriel jumped off the edge and onto Bolg but the orc threw her off and Tauriel nearly tumbled off the edge of the cliff. Just as the orc blade is close to Kili's heart and Tauriel calls out, Riley and Fili interrupt. Fili slides under the troll and Riley grabbed the younger brother from its grasp. Bolg's now lifeless body fell over and landed with a thud. For a moment the three of them just lay there, allowing themselves to catch their breath.

Once Maggie knew they were alright, she turned attention the noise coming from the other side of the cliff and ran as fast as she could back up the steps. She saw Dwalin and Bilbo fighting off the orcs and when she finally joined them, Dwalin looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Maggie!" Dwalin couldn't believe his eyes "Mahal, you're not supposed to be here."

"That seems to be the general consensus. Where's Thorin?"

Dwalin didn't have to answer before he heard familiar grunts from below them. Thorin was fighting the orcs on the ice. If it wasn't for Legolas firing arrows at them, he would have been helpless against them. Thorin nearly nearly fell over the edge. Legolas threw his sword, hitting the beast in the heart and it fell over the edge.

"THORIN!"

Azog stood on the ice and Thorin walked forward. The pale orc swung his weapon and the giant boulder cracked the ice beneath their feet Thorin fell backwards but rolled over as Azog missed him each time. He slashed Azog's stomach and soon the water was. Eagles flew overhead. Thorin threw the boulder at Azon who sank into the water. Azog floated beneath the eyes and suddenly his eyes opened, stabbed Thorin through his foot and resurfaced.

"NO!

"Maggie!" Riley, who joined them, grabbed his sister and stopped her from running down the steps. Azog's blade pushed into Thorin's chest. Riley watched as Thorin somehow managed to turned Azog around and kill him.

"NOOO"

Maggie pulled herself away from her brother's grasp and ran as fast as she could down the steps and onto the ice. Thorin had managed to drag himself off the ice and soon, Bilbo came after Maggie. Immediately, Bilbo began to see to Thorin's wound while Maggie kneeled in front of him, her eyes filling with tears. Thorin was covered scars and injuries, he was bleeding and when he coughed Maggie could hear his pain. Still, when his eyes met hers and his hand cupped her chin, he smiled. Maggie hated that when she'd left Erebor, it had been because she'd been scared of him. The last thing she wanted was for Thorin to think that she was angry with him or held any kind of resent. She knew that he hadn't been in his right mind and that he hadn't been her Thorin. Despite everything they'd been through, all the hardships they'd faced together and how much they had argued over the past few months, Margaret Spencer loved Thorin Oakenshield with all her heart. Since their arrival in Middle-Earth, Maggie had been uncertain about what her purpose was and what life she wanted when all of this was over. That night, when Thorin had asked her to marry him in the privacy of their makeshift bedroom at Brenna' house, Maggie was sure that she wanted to spend her life with him. She didn't care about being a queen or any sort of royalty, she just wanted to be his wife.

"Maggie." Thorin said "Bilbo, I'm glad you're both here."

"Lie still." Bilbo told him. "Don't move."

Bilbo tore the fabric of Thorin's shirt and looked at his wound. When he realised how bad it was and how deep the wound ran, he winced but composed himself quickly.

"I wish to part from you in friendship." Thorin stuttered as he coughed.

Bilbo shook his head and tried to hold back his tears. "You're not going anywhere."

Thorin then turned to Maggie. "And I wish to part from you in love. Even though I know I do not deserve it. I am sorry.."

"It's okay." Maggie hushed him and gently stroke his hair. "All is forgiven."

Thorin put his hand around Maggie's neck and pulled her close to him. As their forehead touched, which Maggie now knew was a sign of affection amongst dwarves, she kissed him softly.

"H-how...how is our child?" Thorin asked

"Our child is fine." Maggie said between the tears. "It's a boy."

"I-I'm going to have a son?"

Maggie nodded and struggled to form the words. "Yeah. The line of Durin will continue."

Thorin coughed more blood. "I would take back my words and deeds at the gate. You did what only a true friend would do. Forgive me, I was too blinde to see. I am so sorry that I have led you into such peril."

The coughing worsened but Thorin squeezed Maggie's hand as if holding onto her meant that he was holding onto life.

"No, I'm glad to have shared in your perils, Thorin. " Bilbo said "Each and every one of them. It is far more than any Baggins deserves."

"Riley is lucky to have you." Thorin said "Farewell Master Burglar.. Go back to your books and your armchair. Plant your trees, watch them grow. If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place."

Thorin turned to Maggie now and gently stroke her hair, and she held his hand.

"Do not cry, givashel." Thorin whispered. "I would have been proud to call you my wife, our son's mother and my queen. I am sorry I did not treasure our time together more. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Will you tell him of me?"

Maggie nodded, tears streaming down her face as Thorin gently placed a hand on her stomach. "I can hear him..our son."

The world turned into a blur, and so did all the sounds. The taste. The smell. Everything was just gone. At first, Maggie paused trying to hold back the strange feelings rumbling inside her but she couldn't. A lone tear traced down her cheek, and just like that, the floodgates opened. So many tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face. Her chin trembled as if she was a small child. She breathed heavier than ever before, while also gasping for air that simply wasn't there. Maggie felt her throat burning as she formed a cry so raw that didn't just come from her body, but her core of soul. Listening to Maggie wailing was enough for Bilbo to cry himself, even though he'd tried to keep it inside. Thorin's death was a reality he could no longer ignore.

"Maggie…" .

Riley reached out to his sister, but she pushed away his hand without looking at her. Instead, she turned back to Thorin, desperately trying to shake him back to life as if some miracle would allow him to return to them. Even when it didn't, Maggie still wouldn't leave Thorin's body and wouldn't allow anyone near it. It broke Riley's heart to see his sister so distraught and he felt like he had somehow failed her. As her older brother, it was his job to look after her and to protect her. Riley was supposed to stop any harm from coming to Maggie and yet, he hadn't succeeded.

"Don't fucking touch me! Let me go!"

"Maggie, it is too late!" Dwalin spoke "He is gone."

He couldn't be. It was a lie. Maggie refused to believe it. After everything they had been through, after all the battles and all the struggles. It made no sense and it couldn't be true. She wouldn't allow it to be. Why would the Valar have sent them there to change the fate if they still couldn't save him. What was the point of going through everything if Thorin still died? Why were Kili and Fili allowed to live and not her love. Why was she not allowed a happy ending? Maggie didn't have any answers and she didn't want it to be true. Yet, when Thorin still wouldn't move despite her attempts, she still knew he was gone.

"No, no, no." she whispered.

Dwalin used all his strength to physically pull Maggie from Thorin's lifeless body. When she turned to face the bald dwarf, she began to punch him relentlessly and he didn't stop her. Instead, he just stood there and let her take out all her sorrow, grief and anger on him. Until she couldn't anymore. When there was no energy left in her body and no physical strength in her punches, Maggie fell and Dwalin caught her, embracing her in his arms. She continued sobbing and Dwalin swore he could hear her heart breaking. That's when he realised he was also crying.

Bilbo couldn't stand watching it anymore and turned his face away.

The battle may have been won but Thorin Oakenshield was dead.

To be continued….

I know. I'm sorry. was really torn about what direction this would take and while Fili and Kili survive, I knew Thorin couldn't and therefore he still had to die. What did you think about the changes I made as far as Fili and Kili go? There's a few more chapters to go and a few things before the end. I would love to hear your thoughts on the twists in the battle.