Éla strutted towards the mountain side, its incline halting the pace for some men. Atop the settlement Bard gazed out over the valley below and watched each group settle into position. Time was ticking. A few moments of tranquility graced them before they were to be called upon in arms. It nerved Éla to no end as she prayed she'd reach the mountain's Front Gate before anything started.

Eagerly, she pressed onward to the slope. Weight of chainmail and metal dragged her feet across the dirt. It would be a feat to reach the others before lives were lost. Éla justly hoped that Thorin knew what was happening beyond his doorstep.

"Prepare yourselves!"

Bard hollered above the howling wind that stretched the valley. Éla searched the perch above, but there was no sign of the bowman nor that of men. Every abled-body in front of her turned towards the sun, their footing charged like a runaway stampede of freedom. Only this was filled with hatred and bitterness.

A horn blew in the distance, the sound neither friendly nor welcoming. As Éla faced the gloomy cloud heading towards them, her sight glimpsed red and black amidst the speed of riders quickly closing the gap between the few men standing before her.

The ground began to rumble, nearly setting Éla off balance. She dug her soles into the dirt, solidifying her stance in preparation for the attack. The riders were too swift however, charging through ranks of men who offered to barricade the way towards the mountain with ease. The female heard the echoes for fallen comrades seethe behind her and without a second thought, her hand tightened around the sword's shaft and she kicked off the ground in a sprint.

Battle cries of friends and foes resonated throughout the gorge as dwarf, elf, and man charged with force. The female raised her weapon in a horizontal position as she neared her first target, ready for decapitation. Thunderous rushing mollified heedful ears as each faction collided in a brutal clash.

Éla slowed her pace drastically as the man ten yards in front suddenly dropped. She threw herself on the ground, ducking her head as a warg leapt over dead corpses in its wake right towards her. Seeing the fiend in mid-jump, she couldn't stop herself mid-run with such a heavy gait. In Éla's mind, the only way to avoid the attack was to pass underneath. The large, brown beast's hind legs caught on to her back in a hilt and turned her over as it continued its raged path towards the men.

The thudding of her heart rang in her ears as she tried to catch a breath that had been knocked out of her. A stench reeked through the air, flaring her nostrils as she chocked on the acid smell. A scent all too familiar and one she had hoped would never be endured again. Something was close. Éla quickly got to her feet but switched the direction of her blade so it faced posterior to her body. Tension strung the metal edge almost instantaneously. A dead weight slumped forward and she shoved it away as the sword withdrew from the lifeless body. Goblins were among the ranks.

Éla spat on it with disgust, ridding her mouth of the foul smell that plagued her senses. She would take great satisfaction in taking them on. While a tricky bunch, they were not so smart to begin with. The female dwarf inhaled a deep breath and charged the next unlucky victim of her wrath.

Hours passed and Thorin had remained in solitude for most of that time lost in thought. He seemed to be very good at it in recent days. More often than not, his mind wandered to the owner of the dagger held in his hand. He did not know how long he'd spent sitting by the Front Gate overturning the small weapon, dissecting every square inch of detail crafted into its handle.

Éla had said it was best to let the past go, but how could he? It made him who he was, who everyone became. If the past were to be forgotten, no matter how devastating its outcome had been, their paths would have never intertwined.

Thorin closed his eyes a brief moment as he leaned back against the stone wall. Perhaps he should send for Éla to return to the mountain. To him.

He decided to send a raven to search for the female. Thorin prayed it was not too late to make amends, although he suspected Éla would only hear him out if he changed his views on their burglar. Bilbo was still a traitor, but he would be willing to discuss that matter with some degree of compromise.

Thorin headed down the hallway, each footprint music to his ears as his armor clanged throughout the empty halls. That would soon change once Dain arrived and he had proper control over the mountain. Thorin rounded a corner two blocks down when Fili collided into him.

"Uncle!" Fili panted as Thorin steadied his eldest nephew. "We were just coming to find you."

Thorin surveyed the company as they pooled into view, armed and ready for battle. "What is it?"

"War broke out below." Fili explained, worry covering his face like a scared child he used to be so long ago. Yet there was determination and fire in his eyes as he clutched onto his dual swords.

"The elves and men aren't fighting each other." Kili added, his own hint of fear stirring something unsettling within the dwarf king. While they were eager for some action, the scale of this battle was beyond their knowledge and understanding.

Balin stepped forward. "There are orcs and goblins. They've come for us. Roäc rallied news of Dain joining a temporary truce with the elves and men to fight this enemy of all."

Thorin remained silent. The overload of information numbed his mind but one piece still concerned him more.

"Éla?"

Balin shook his head. There was no need to voice the inevitable. Her fate was unknown to not only them, but the ravens as well.

Thorin turned his back to his company. With twisted luck, he knew Éla would be fighting somewhere. The thought boiled the blood in his veins. What's worse; he made a promise to protect her. Nothing could be done from inside a mountain city. Thorin withdrew his sword.

"Grab a hammer or any weapon you can find." He commanded, marching towards the Front Gate. "We're leaving."

Fili and Kili exchanged wide grins before following their uncle in a run. Balin and the others followed suit, the young heirs first to grab the sturdiest crafting materials they could find in the discarded pile of mining equipment. The dwarves quickly began pounding the cemented stone with all their might, cracking a large hole in their perfected barrier.

As the pieces were pried away, enough for one to peek a head back out into the open world, Thorin's heart sank as he saw the valley crowded in a dark sea of bodies moving like the tides of the river. To think Éla was out there, no, he couldn't right now. His determination and hatred fueled the fire within, his eyes burning with a menacing glare.

Thorin directed his company one final time. "Stay focused, and stay together."

They nodded in consent and Thorin began the charge as Gloin pulled an old trumpet from the post and blew with his last breath of free air. The dwarf king trampled down rock and gravel, then over dead corpses and into panicked goblins. Their attempt at repositioning was futile with a new host of dwarves coming down on their open flanks. Thorin allowed his rage to overcome and drive him to seek out the one being he hoped to find before it was too late.

Éla lost count as to how many she had killed.

The goblins proved no match for her, cutting them down with ease. All the while, there seemed to be no end to them. The sun had shifted position. Was it late afternoon?

Just then, something collided into her side.

"Arg!"

The female stumbled closer to an orc ready to charge, when Éla was suddenly grabbed from behind in a piercing hold. A warg's razor-sharp teeth kneaded its way through the layers of clothing and chainmail, breaking her skin. One moment she recalled facing the orc, the next her vision blurred towards the sky in a whirlwind of greys until her back came into contact with a hard surface.

She gasped for air, kicking her feet off the ground to get away, but the orc was faster. A tall, ugly creature grabbed her by the scruff of the neck as she had fallen on all fours like a beast, doubling over in pain. In a swift motion, the ground disappeared from under her as she was lifted high in the air.

A snarl echoed around them – looking out from the corner of her eye, a white warg paced in a slow circle as other orcs kept their enemies at bay. The beast eyed its master and prey hungrily, its tongue wiping away traces of red from its teeth as if to savour the taste.

A sharp pain shot across her back and abdomen, branching to her muscles. Reflexes brought her legs closer to her core in an attempt to alleviate the shooting discomfort. The creature merely laughed at her efforts.

"No one can save you."

Éla couldn't breathe as the pale orc's hand slowly dug into her windpipe. Coupled with pain, the world around her began to fade out of focus. She squirmed in her assailant's grasp, desperately trying to free herself. His muzzled face and straggled mop turned to haze as she frantically tried to remain conscious. Éla watched the fuzzy image as the pale orc readied his club for a brutal swing.

Thorin, I…

The hold on her loosened and she slumped to the ground. Éla forced herself up, but collapsed as a hefty weight fell on top of her, pushing every breath out of her lungs. White fur hid her view from the battle waging on. Éla closed her eyes in defeat. There was no strength left to fight as something warm seeped through her clothing and the pain subsiding a little.

…I'm sorry.

Sad to say, I sprained my wrist. I'm alright and can still type! I just have to be cautious for a few days.
I didn't want to give Thorin and Éla the satisfaction of seeing the other before either one fell. It would have been too cliché like movies. For those wondering what's to follow; I'm following the book, but very, very, very, loosely. I have an interesting twist you might not have considered. So don't render judgement and accuse me just yet!

(You can save that for the next update, literally.)