The battle was raging all around them. Friends and foes, all fighting, unable to tell who was on their side because of the blood and grime covering everyone. Dusk had not fallen yet, it was still fairly light in the sky, but everyone knew that once darkness fell it would be that much harder to fight their enemies. Everything was going as well as it could have gone in a battle for their lives, when they felt it.
A ripple went through the ground, and they could feel it travel through their bodies, almost crossing the expanse of their very souls, and a hush fell over the battlefield that had not been present since early that morning. Across the gory grounds, a commotion had started, goblins and orcs fleeing a section of the field while the combined forces of elves, men, and dwarves looked on in wonderment. In the center of the newly cleared (of the living, at least) ground, stood a single figure, shoulders squared, head held high, and a look of determination across their face, a challenge in their eyes daring anybody to get within reach of their sword.
Well, more of a letter opener, really.
Bella Baggins stood proudly, the sun starting to fall behind her, as her enemies fled from before her. The wind was brisk, ice filling her lungs with each breath she took, but it was a welcome reprieve from the sweat soaking her as she ducked and weaved through the battlefield earlier. Her green eyes narrowed as the orcs and goblins ran towards the good armies, her dwarves among them, and she growled under her breath as they fought to get away.
"Oh no you don't. Not today, buddy." Amid the chaos, she slipped on her ring and took off like a shot, racing towards her enemies. Her soon-to-be-very-dead enemies, especially if they target her dwarves, her family. She slashed and slid, felling goblins and orcs with extreme prejudice, when suddenly her attention was pulled to the side and she watched as a group of orcs swarmed and were attacking Ori, his slingshot having long been forgotten in favor of a battle axe, his brothers nowhere in sight. Bella cursed (something she never did until she spent entirely too much time in the exclusive company of dwarves) and immediately changed directions, rushing towards Ori, who was quickly becoming overwhelmed as more orcs continued to take the place of their fallen comrades. There was a little rise behind them, and Bella used it to her advantage. As she ran across the field and up the little slope, she twisted Sting in her hand and took her ring off.
She wanted these pitiful creatures to know who exactly was going to be delivering their deaths on a silver platter.
"Hey!" She shouted right before launching herself off the ground, falling towards them, her sword in a plunging motion.
Her aim was true, and she took down one orc before ripping her sword out and swinging at the others around them. Another three fell to her sword as she wove between them before they realized what was happening. Bella backed up towards Ori, crouching down as she did, and making eye contact with the disgusting creatures. They saw the pure death in them and they turned tail and fled. Bella stood and turned towards Ori, her eyes constantly shifting to the battle around them.
"I don't know how long you'll have before they'll start swarming again, so catch your breath while you still can. And find your brothers! All of you stupid dwarves are gonna get the tongue lashing of your lives when this is over, and if any of you die before then I'll drag you back from the Halls to give it to you and then kill you myself. Just see if I don't." She huffed before turning back to the battle, and her attention was once again snagged by four rams jumping up to the top of Ravenhill, and she swore again.
"Bella-" Ori was cut off as Bella slipped her ring back on, disappearing to go find Gandalf.
Bella muttered angrily under her breath as she, once again in the world of the ring, made her way up Ravenhill. She felled every stray orc and goblins she came across as they tried their hand at joining the battle below. None saw her coming, and her mutterings ceased being verbal and instead ran rampant in her mind as she cursed everyone and everything around her.
She was having a very bad day.
This was driven home as she reached the top of the Hill only to find Thorin battling for his life against Azog, and Dwalin farther away surrounded by goblins and orcs. That at least explained the sudden influx of enemies on her way up. That was two of her dwarves accounted for, at least, but there were two more to go, still. She had seen four rams going up, and Gandalf had said Fili and Kili were supposed to be with them.
So where were they?
She strained her eyes against the washed out world of the ring, and in the distance she spotted him.
Fili.
With a cry, Bella launched herself forwards, towards him, dodging everything in her path until she came upon the broken and bleeding body of Fili. How long had it been since he came to be this way? Who made him like this? She heard a rattling noise, and watched Fili's chest rise as he attempted to take in a breath.
"Fili! Oh, Fili, no, no no no no. Don't die on me, please." Bella ripped off her ring and stuffed it back into her pocket. She knew this put her in danger to those behind her, but Fili's half-lidded eyes told her he was still alive, if only just. He needed to see her there, and she would provide. Bella shrugged off her torn and useless coat, and pressed it onto the wound she could see in his chest. She wanted to stop the bleeding as much as possible, and she wasn't sure if what she was doing was being of any help.
Distantly, she heard yells of rage and agony, the sound pulling at her to go find whoever it was and help them, but she couldn't just leave Fili alone like this. Looking around, she saw some bricks on the ground, no doubt from the tower nearby. She rushed to them and grabbed one, hoping it would be a good enough substitute for a weight to press down on the wound, and hauled it back over to the golden prince. She looked down apologetically at Fili, his eyes barely open now.
"I'm so sorry, Fili. Just hang in there; we'll get you home, I promise." She set the brick on top of his chest and her jacket, hoping it would provide some good to staunch the bleeding. There was no more time to help him, as she heard a cry of agony in the distance and her heart stuttered in her chest. "Kili." She would know his voice anywhere, and now he was in as much danger as his brother.
Bella put her ring on and ran.
When she finally found him and the elven Captain, horror washed over her. Tauriel was off to the side, crumpled against a wall, and Bella couldn't be entirely certain she was even still alive. Kili, though, was held by Bolg, spawn of Azog, and was about to be made into a shish kebab.
Not on her count.
Bella launched herself down towards them, readying Sting as she did so, and as she got close enough, she slashed the back of Bolg's legs, the parts that weren't covered by metal. He roared in agony and twisted around to find the culprit, throwing Kili to the side as he did, but saw nothing. Bella watched Kili's chest, looking for a sign of him breathing, and nearly sagged in relief as she watched him gulp down air. While watching him, she wasn't paying attention to Bolg at all, and so didn't see him sweep the air around him with his sword, sending Bella flying in the process and landing next to Kili. She cried out as she landed on her arm, certain something had snapped.
"Bella?" Kili's voice brought her out of her slight daze, and her eyes focused on him. He was looking around frantically as Bolg came ever closer. "Bella, are you there?" She reached out with her good arm, and touched his face lightly.
"I'm here, Kili. I'm here." He reached up with his hand and covered hers, pressing it to his cheek as he did so. Bolg was nearly upon them and was furiously scanning the landscape for any sign of his invisible attacker. Bella knew the moment he saw Kili holding something invisible, and with a roar he closed the distance between them and lifted his sword.
Bella took her hand back and rolled out of the way, just in time as Bolg swung downwards. If she had stayed put he would've chopped her in two, she was sure, but as such, he missed.
He was very angry.
So was she.
Bella ignored the agony of her broken arm and ran around Bolg until she was on the other side, and as far away from Kili as she could get. She took off her ring, calling out to Bolg as she did so.
"You want me?" He turned around, his eyes narrowing on her small form, and came quickly towards her. She ignored Kili's cries to get away, and instead taunted some more. "Come and get me." Her own eyes narrowed, and she put her ring back on, jumping away from his sword as he swiped down and around himself, trying to hit her body. But this was one hobbit who was done with playing games. She was fighting for keeps. He wanted her and Kili?
Well he couldn't have them.
Bella dodged and ran until she was completely behind him, and breathed deeply in, then out. She had one shot to get this right. One chance, or else they were all dead. Her, Kili, Fili, and probably Tauriel, if she wasn't already. She leapt from the frozen ground and onto his back, holding on for dear life as he suddenly thrashed and swung his sword, trying to remove the sudden leech. She readied her sword, before plunging it into his neck, watching with a detached awareness as he stopped and fell to his knees. She jumped off as he fell backwards on the ground. She slipped off her ring before retrieving her sword, and stared into his cold, cruel eyes.
"I want you to know that your death did not come from a great warrior who matched your skill and proved just slightly better. It came from an insignificant creature that is unknown by most people, who barely knows how to hold a sword." Her eyes matched his in coldness, and she leaned in closer, lifting her sword as she did. "I am Bella Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire, and I will be the last thing you ever see." With that, she swung downwards, finishing the job.
Bella breathed harshly, the clashing of swords from the battle below a muted background noise. There was a touch on her arm, and she jumped, swinging her sword around as she did. It didn't get very far as it was blocked, and Kili's face came into view, Tauriel standing behind him. His lips were moving, but it was just part of the background noise, and she narrowed her eyes as she tried to make out what he was saying. His voice, like with the battle below, was muted, and she struggled as she tried to make sense of it all. Suddenly, as though a bubble popped, all sound came rushing back at her, and she groaned as she brought her good hand up to cradle her head, dropping her sword in the process.
"Bella? Bella, amralime, can you hear me?" His arms gripped her shoulders and she pressed harder against her head, trying to stop the oncoming headache. His grip shifted and he gently placed both hands on the side of her head, one over her own hand, and gently tried to smooth her brow with his thumbs. "Shh, it's okay, it'll be okay. Can you look at me?" She slowly lifted her head, her eyes meeting his, and nearly staggered at the relief she saw in his gaze. She closed her eyes as he brought her closer and leaned to place a kiss on her forehead.
Another cry of rage sounded in the distance, along with an ominous cracking sound, and Bella suddenly remembered the rest of the battle. Her mind once in again in laser-set focus, she stepped back and bent to retrieve her fallen sword.
"Bella-" Kili started, but another yell and Bella was rushing off towards the sound.
"Thorin needs our help!" She tossed back over her shoulder. "I refuse to let him - or any of you - fall! Not after all we've been through!" She heard footsteps behind her and knew that Tauriel and Kili were following. As she skidded around a corner, she saw Thorin and Azog locked in battle on the ice once again, and it looked as if Azog had the upper hand. With no time to don her ring, Bella plunged forward, her feet skidding on the ice towards them. She nearly lost her balance, but managed to stay upright and slide towards the two, her sword in hand and ready to give Azog the thrashing he deserved.
He already put the princes' lives in danger. She refused to let him finish the job with Thorin's.
Bella staggered into the makeshift camp, her energy all but spent. Sometime after the defeat of Azog, she had been separated from her dwarves, and she fought her way through the last of the armies, her eyes dark with vengeance against her foes. Every time she slew another one, it was as though the very air rippled, and charged with an energy no one could explain. Her mind blocked out all sense of time and place, beyond the now and the enemies, and by the time her senses came back to her it was dark. She saw lights in the distance and had slowly made her way towards them.
As soon as she stepped foot into the camp, though, the air rippled once again, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look around, and soon everyone was staring at her. She ignored everyone as she staggered forward, her one focus on finding her dwarves and making sure they were all safe. She needed to know if Fili still lived, what had happened to Thorin, Kili, and Dwalin after they got separated.
She needed to find her family.
She had made it nearly halfway through the camp before she was found by Nori. She blinked once, and suddenly he was there, inspecting her, asking her questions she couldn't understand through all the fog in her brain. All she could manage was a brief smile, although it came out more as a grimace, before she allowed herself to succumb to the darkness, pitching forward into Nori's arms.
When she awoke, she first noticed the drab color of the tent above her. Her eyes blinked very slowly, and she sluggishly turned her head to her right. Sitting next to her cot, her hand held within his own, was Kili. His face held such a look of relief that she was forced to take in a deep breath.
"You're awake." He breathed, and she nodded, albeit a little late, her mind still struggling to focus. "Thank Mahal." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "Don't ever scare me like that again, amralime." He said with such intensity in his eyes that she could do nothing but nod in response. She noticed some movement behind him, and saw the others piled up around him, sans Thorin and Fili. She turned her head to look on her other side and saw Gandalf sitting there, his pipe in hand, and looking down at her with pride, joy, and relief. She heard rustling and turned back towards Kili just in time to see Oin come forward, ready to check on her.
"You are very lucky, lass, that Nori found you when he did. I don't know how you kept going as you did, with all the injuries you sustained." At her confused look, Oin elaborated. "Aye, you were severely injured. Broken arm, several broken and cracked ribs, several lacerations that were starting to become infected, although some looked more like claw marks than an actual sword strike. You were lucky Gandalf was nearby with one of the leaf-eaters and were able to stop the internal bleeding."
Bella looked around at everyone, and cleared her throat, only to end up coughing until Kili pressed a cup of water to her lips and helped her to drink it. After several gulps, she cleared her throat again, and opened her mouth to speak.
"What of Thorin? And Fili?" She grimaced at how scratchy her voice was, but continued on. She needed to know. "What happened to them?" A look of pain passed over Kili's face and he took a steadying breath to explain, before Gandalf cut him off without a chance to.
"The king and prince are in another tent. Dwalin and Kili found them and brought them back." That still didn't answer her question and he knew it.
"Did… did they make it?" Gandalf's eyes flicked to hers briefly, and Kili spoke up.
"Uncle is expected to make a full recovery. Fili, though… he's still alive, for now, but it's been touch and go for three days already. Somehow, he managed to stay alive after being run through by Azog." Bella let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"It worked, then." She sighed in relief. At the confusion on the faces of the others, she went on to explain. "I found Fili still alive, on the ground, and tried to stop the bleeding. I shoved my jacket into his wound as much as possible, but I had to leave him so I put a brick on my jacket, hoping the pressure would help stop the flow. I hadn't been able to go back and find him afterwards, because I got separated from you." She closed her eyes briefly. "I'm so glad it worked."
There were gasps of surprise at her explanation, and she thought she heard a few sniffles and whispered thanks at this, confusing her. Why would they be teary? She did what she could, and it was still entirely possible Fili wouldn't make it. Gandalf spoke once again, causing her to turn her head to see him properly.
"I suspect you are confused at their reactions, my dear." He waited for her slow nod before continuing. "It's true, Fili may not live through the night, but I suspect he will. From Kili's account, when Fili was dropped from Azog's grasp and landed, he was already dead." Bella furrowed her brow in confusion.
"But that's not possible. I saw him, he was breathing. He was looking at me while I was trying to stop the blood flow."
"I believe you, my dear. And even after a hundred years, there is something new to be learned from hobbits. It was fate that you came on this quest with these dwarves when you did. It was fate that you all journeyed at this time, and that you encountered all you did. Together, you faced the odds and defied all logic, growing closer together than you would have had you been all born of the same family. 'Blood is thicker than water', and all that." Bella was still confused, but at least she saw from the corner of her eyes that the dwarves were as well, and muttering under their breaths at this not-explanation. Gandalf sighed. "I see you are all still confused. Very well, then. I will tell you exactly what I mean.
"As you journeyed, you faced trials that brought you all closer together. These trials forged a bond that can never be broken, not even entirely by the Dragon Sickness." His eyes focused on her dwarves. "You saw how Thorin broke out of his madness, a feat never thought to be possible until now. It was the strength of your bonds, as well as his own determination, that cured him. These forged ties are ties that bind, and to bring a hobbit into your folds as family, well… it was fate that you brought her along with you. Hobbits have a strong sense of family, you see." He looked fondly down at Bella. "Bella has been without familial bonds for so long that she had started to wither away. Until you all came along and accepted her. Now, she is stronger than ever, and that comes with its own benefits."
"Gandalf, you're still not making any sense. What does finding a family have to do with anything?" He chuckled at her softly.
"It's more than just finding a family, Bella Baggins. It's being accepted, and loved, and loving them all in return. Indeed, I believe that without that love, none of you would have survived this trip. When a hobbit is surrounded by those they love, they can do anything. In the shire, great feats are not required, as family is all around them, but out here where there has been nobody to share with, you found, and made, a family. And for that, you would do anything to keep them alive. Hobbits have a knack for growing things, and keeping them alive, you know. I believe it is this power that has saved young Fili's life."
The tent had grown silent at this revelation, and at the not-so-direct answer Gandalf had given them, but they understood it well enough. Bella had managed to do the impossible. By the grace of Mahal's wife, Yavanna, she saved the line of Durin, as well as several others in need. They saw Bella in a new light, and vowed to always treasure their sister, their friend, their love, their hobbit.
"Bella," Kili breathed reverently, and she felt herself blush at the pure love and adoration in his gaze. "You beautiful, stubborn hobbit."
All the others nodded their heads and murmured in agreement.
After it was all said and done, and they were able to move into the mountain for the winter, there were whispers throughout the combined allies of men, dwarves, and elves. Whispers of a being so pure and loved that she could bring the dead back to life. Others responded to those whispers with ones of their own, accounts of all enemies fleeing before her might. Before long, Bella was made into a legend, and awed stares followed her wherever she went, whispers of her legacy and power filling the halls and homes as much as the legends of heroes of old. There was an adage, a story from generations before that was once again brought to life in the wake of the Battle of the Five Armies.
Demons run when a good man goes to war.
"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb" is the full version of "blood is thicker than water".