Azog carries Fili to the edge of the tower and throws him near the edge, he then walked back and lifted me from the ground by my hair and dragged me forward. I try to get free as he kicks me down next to Fili and I look at him.
"It's gonna be okay…" I whispered as Fili nods,
"This one dies first. Then the brother. Then your skin-changer. Then you, Oakenshield. You will die last." Azog spoke in his black speech, I look down and see Thorin, he came, he looked back to his normal self, but I could see fear in his eyes,
"No! RUN!" Fili yelled, Thorin, Dwalin, and Bilbo look on in shock as Azog lifts Fili by the neck, then goes to stab him but I push my hand into the air and make Azog drop Fili by creating a stone pillar that also blocks his blade. I throw my hand over my shoulder and create a slide for Fili to go down towards Thorin and I look over the edge at him. Fili falls to Thorin as I look at an enraged Azog.
I scream in rage and use the earth to push me into Azog as I tackle him to the ground.
"Aurora!" I hear Thorin yell in horror as I push Azog back.
"AURORA!" Thorin yelled,
"Thorin!" Dwalin called, "Thorin...No." Dwalin tried to get Thorin's attention. Kili rushes up the steps, killing orcs in his way to try and reach Aurora, Fili runs back around to follow his brother.
I pull rock and stone up from the ground to surround my body as Azog tries to use his weapon to attack me. Another orc comes along and stops me from reaching Azog.
"Azog! You coward!" I scream as I make the rock change form into a spear as I gripped the head of one orc I fought.
I get blocked from going the same direction as Azog as his orcs come to block my way. I open the ground to seal them in as I move the earth to my will.
I move around and suddenly see Azog fighting Thorin. They fight on the snowy mountainside, Thorin with his sword and Azog with his arm-blade and a mace. I run in from behind Azog as Thorin dodges his mace and Azog turns towards me and tries to hit me. I throw my rock armour forward and block the attack as I then ran across the rocky wall to besides Thorin.
"Aurora…" Thorin looked at me for a second, I wrap my arm around his waist and pull him to the side as Azog tries to strike both of us. I move behind Thorin as Azog looks at us both, "I thought the worst." Thorin spoke,
"You know me. I'm a fighter." I was standing directly behind him with my arm still at his waist. Azog looked at us both and roared as he tried to strike us down, I move to the side as Thorin stepped the other direction. I throw my hand towards Azog as snow from the mountain turned to ice and pushed him back. Azog threw some rock at me as I fell back and down the stairs and Thorin blocked his next strike at me.
Thorin moved down the stairs with me and Azog kicked me further down as I was forced onto a lower platform,
"Aurora!" Thorin called and he suddenly fell next to me. I moved a spear of rock in front of Thorin as Azog tried to strike him and I pushed it away. Thorin quickly kicked his leg and knocked him down.
Azog slides down a slippery slope; before Thorin can chase after him, other orcs arrive, and he is forced to fight them. I pull myself into the earth and appear where Azog fell, and I jump on his back.
I create a blade with rock and try to stab the orc, but he grabs my hand and pulls me over his back, slamming me on the ground. I cry out as he smirks and Azog kicks me onto the frozen lake.
Thorin jumped down before Azog could follow me and they clash blades. Azog manages to kick Thorin back and he lands on the frozen river next to me.
I reach for Thorin as he looks up at me, we were both tired. But we needed to keep fighting. I felt a blade enter my upper leg as Thorin reaches back for me. He shouts in anger, but I make no sense of it as the blade is pulled out and I am lifted by my hair again.
"Go in for the kill!" Azog spoke as he drags me across the icy lake,
"Aurora!" Thorin called for me as I was fading in and out from the pain. Azog yells to his orcs, many of which run out on to the ice to attack Thorin.
"Finish him!" Azog yelled.
Thorin looks around rapidly as many orcs run toward him; suddenly, the orcs begin falling over with arrows stuck in them. Legolas is shooting the orcs attacking Thorin from the top of the tower. Thorin, with his broken sword, takes on the remaining orcs.
Azog drags me further away from Thorin as I melt ice to water and move it into the wound, I slowly begin to heal myself and the pale orc drops me halfway down the river.
I stay on my back as he grabs a chain which is attached to a rock and pulls it nearby. Azog watches Thorin as I lay on the ground next to him,
"You will die as he watches." Azog snarls as he grabs my clothes and lifts me up. He makes me kneel and as my wound hadn't finished healing, I groan in pain. Azog's bladed arm was next to my throat.
Meanwhile, Thorin manages to stab an orc in the knee; another orc rushes up and smashes into him, causing him to slide across the ice all the way to the edge of the waterfall, directly over Legolas and Bolg. Bolg knocks Legolas over, but as he raises his mace, Thorin manages to knock an orc over the edge of the waterfall; it lands on the bridge behind Bolg, breaking through the stones and causing him to fall under a pile of rubble. Another orc approaches Thorin, who is lying on his back, partially hanging over the edge of the waterfall, defenceless. As it raises its sword, Legolas manages to throw Orcrist into the orc's chest, killing it. As it falls over the edge, Thorin manages to reach out and grab the sword, saving it from going over.
I look at Thorin as he stands and looks at the blade in his hand. He looks over to me and Azog, I take a breath as Thorin put his hand in his pocket and lifted out my bracelet. I hear the ring of metal as Azog's blade moved from my neck.
"Aurora!" Thorin yelled as Azog went to strike me, but I slammed my hands down and the ice broke allowing the water to swallow me up.
Azog yells in frustration as I was under the water, an air bubble around my mouth. The water was cold, but I was able to manipulate the heat around me.
Thorin and Azog approach each other slowly; suddenly, a horn blows, and Azog smiles as a hill in the distance behind him becomes covered with approaching orc help. Azog charges forward and swings a large rock attached to a chain at Thorin, who ducks under it. As Azog is unbalanced by the swing, Thorin manages to get behind him and slash him. Azog angrily swings the rock at him again, and as Thorin dodges, the rock smashes into the ice, cracking it.
I push myself back through the hole I created, and I seal it up, I had used the water to heal my wound and I ran forward at Azog. I slid on the ground under Azog's legs and pulled him to slip as I pushed myself up in front of Thorin, steam evaporated from my body as we looked at each other.
Azog rose from the ground and Thorin pushed me aside as the boulder broke more ice, I could feel the cracks and could quickly work out a pattern to put it to our advantage.
"Thorin," I dodged a swing from Azog and pointed to the cracks and Thorin nodded. He suddenly threw my bracelet at me and I caught it as he dodged an attack. As Thorin stumbles over an edge of the ice, Azog manages to knock his legs out from under him with the chain. I slash a blade of water on Azog's back as he spins with his rock that just misses Thorin as he rolls away. I get knocked down to the side as Thorin leaps behind Azog, who is off balance, and slashes him again. Azog angrily swings the rock and chain at Thorin, missing; this time, the rock becomes stuck in the ice, and Azog is forced to slash at Thorin with his bladed arm.
Suddenly, Azog looks into the sky behind Thorin in shock; we see the Eagles, with Radagast riding their leader, swoop by. They sail through the ranks of the oncoming orc reinforcements from Gundabad, decimating them. Beorn, riding atop one of the Eagles, throws himself off it and transforms into a bear as he falls to the ground, landing in full massive bear form right in the middle of the orcs. He smashes through them.
Thorin suddenly throws his sword down. Reaching forward, he lifts the rock at the end of the chain and tosses it to Azog, who instinctively catches it. Azog looks at him in shock. Thorin jumps backward, off the ice floe that they were both standing on; without his weight to balance it, and with Azog at the other end holding the rock, the ice floe tips over and plunges Azog into the water below. He scrabbles at the edge, but the chain pulls him down. Thorin pants in exhaustion.
Thorin moves back to me as I was lifting myself from the ground and he takes me in his arms,
"Amralime!" Thorin exclaimed as I wrapped my arms around him,
"Thorin…" I spoke gently as he leaned back and held my face,
"I'm so sorry. For what I put you through." Thorin leaned his forehead against me as I smiled with tears in my eyes,
"It's okay. You're back now, I love you." I grin as Thorin leaned in and kissed me.
I take a moment but as I see Azog's body in the water I sense his next move and I gasp, Azog jumps out of the ice to strike at Thorin, but I push him aside and feel the blade in my back.
"No!" Thorin yells out as Azog laughs and then strikes at Thorin who traps his blade with his own. Thorin was pinned against a rock as I lay there, bleeding out. Thorin kept looking between myself and Azog as my breathing was getting weaker.
Thorin looked at Azog with rage and hatred as Aurora lay there unmoving, he didn't want to live without her. Thorin couldn't… he was ready to sacrifice himself to land the killing blow.
What happened next surprised the orc and the Dwarf King. Ice spears moved into Azog's legs and arms where he had no armour and the orc cried out in rage as he released his pressure on Thorin. Thorin took the opportunity to plunge Orcrist into the pale orcs chest and pushed him back onto the ground next to Aurora. Thorin yelled out in anger and exhaustion and forces Orcrist all the way through Azog and through the ice below. Azog dies, with Thorin kneeling on top of him. Thorin struggles to get up.
Thorin looks at the woman besides him, she had reached out to help him… Thorin quickly moved to her side and lifted Aurora into his arms.
Aurora's body fell limp as he moved her hair from her face,
"Aurora…" Thorin spoke, he placed a hand against her cheek as her eyes stared at the sky above, footsteps were heard as Thorin looked up and saw Bilbo. "Bilbo…" Thorin didn't know what to do,
"No… Aurora." Bilbo ran to her other side as she suddenly breathed, Aurora looked down at Thorin. Her face beamed with a smile,
"You're… o-okay." Aurora spoke,
"Don't move! Don't move! Lie still!" Bilbo spoke as she glanced at the hobbit,
"B-Bilbo!" Aurora smiled as Bilbo saw the blade had gone through her body completely. The hobbit and dwarf exchanged looks of sorrow.
"T-Thorin…" Aurora looked at the dwarf,
"Yes, amralime?" Thorin gently laid her body down against a rock,
"Apologise, to Bilbo…" Aurora looked at him, Thorin frowned as he held her hand,
"I would take back my words and my deeds at the gate. You did what only a true friend would do. Forgive me...I was too blind to see. I'm so sorry that I have led you into such peril." Thorin looks at Bilbo as Aurora smiled and looked at Bilbo, the two could see blood around her mouth,
"No, no, I'm glad to have shared in all your perils, Thorin and Aurora - each and every one of them. And it's far more than any Baggins deserves." Bilbo spoke as the two exchanged a smile.
"There… that wasn't so hard…" Aurora chuckled and then winced in pain as she grips both of their hands, "I hope that… I'll be able to see my home now… To see the Shoreline. It's beautiful, a beach that stretches for…" Aurora coughed as Thorin put his hand on her stomach gently, "I'm sorry…" Aurora had tears appear in her eyes,
"There's nothing for you to be sorry for." Bilbo spoke as Thorin nodded,
"You've helped me and my kin. You deserve to rest now." Thorin spoke, Aurora lifted her hand to his face,
"Don't cry for me… smile." Aurora whispered, Thorin smiled at her, "it's a beautiful… smile." Aurora's hand fell and her head tilted to the side.
The air left her lungs as Thorin moved closer to her,
"Aurora… please." Thorin begged, he cupped her face, Bilbo cries in sorrow.
The other dwarves came along and found Thorin sat next to Aurora's body as she was staring at the sun. It was as if she was admiring the sunrise.
Austen and Aulton appeared soon after and the brother fell besides his sister and Aulton stood at her feet. The other dwarves knelt, showing their respect as a light moved from Aurora. Aulton grabbed the light sphere from the air and looked at it. He sealed the sphere in a glass jar and looked over Aurora's body.
"We need to return her home." Aulton spoke as Thorin looked at him,
"She needs to be buried." Thorin spoke,
"She needs to return home." Austen looked at the dwarf, "she's my sister. And we will take her home. She deserves that at least." Austen stood up as he looked at Aurora's body.
Aulton stared at her, he watched the wound on her stomach and saw it was closing slowly. Aulton didn't want to give false hope, but if he didn't get Aurora back to the mountains of the Shoreline… she could be lost.
Thorin looked over her body,
"Let me say goodbye." Thorin looked at Aulton. He nodded and walked away with Austen.
Thorin knelt beside Aurora's body and took her hand,
"You will always be my love." Thorin spoke and leaned forward, he kissed her forehead and then leaned his own against it, though, what confused Thorin wasn't the fact that Aulton and Austen were insisting on taking Aurora to her homeland to be buried… it was the fact that her body was still warm.
Aulton and Austen had wrapped Aurora's body in bindings to keep her safe as they travelled, Gandalf had given them some eagles to fly to the Shoreline mountains.
Austen stood with Thorin as Aulton secured Aurora's body onto the back of an eagle,
"When we reclaim the homeland, we will send word. She would have wanted you to see it." Austen spoke,
"I shall be sure to visit." Thorin spoke as he looked at Austen,
"I know we've never seen eye-to-eye dwarf. But for some reason my sister loved you. And if you were to have married then that would have made you family." Austen looked at Thorin, the dwarf sighed and looked up and over the human's face,
"We never spoke of marriage." Thorin admitted, "I would have asked her though." Thorin added,
"I know… and she probably would have said yes before you even finished asking the question." Austen smirked, "she thought about it. Back at Laketown. I teased her about it. She didn't say she wouldn't marry you." Austen smirked as he looked at Thorin who looked down, "I'll send word when we are home." Austen spoke, Thorin nodded.
The folk from the Shoreline left the company on the eagles for home.
Thorin watched the bird fly away, he didn't know how long it would be until he saw Austen and Aulton again. But Thorin wanted to create a symbol for Aurora…
A small eagle appeared in the sky and landed on the walls of Erebor, Thorin frowned as only ravens would fly to Erebor. Thorin let out a small gasp as he remembered, Aurora took the form of an eagle many times.
The eagle came down and landed on the rock near him, it was as if Aurora sent this bird herself. As the brown feathers danced in the wind slightly, the bird sounded and then flew by Thorin and into the sky once again.
For months Thorin worked with his people to rebuild his land, the dwarves created their own funeral for Aurora. A statue of a woman with an eagle on her shoulder was created in memory of Aurora. But the statue would never do Aurora enough justice.
It had been almost 6 months… Erebor was slowly rebuilding, the city of Dale was also beginning to prosper once more and rebuild itself as the people of Laketown were working with the dwarves.
The current day, Thorin stood at the entrance of Erebor looking out over the city of Dale as a bird landed on the walls. The eagle squawked loudly at him, and he frowned, this eagle was black, it was unlike the others he'd seen. Since the battle ravens and eagles came to Erebor, it was almost like Aurora had an influence that continued in the land.
Thorin saw something attached to the eagle's leg as it stood there, Balin walked over and noticed Thorin's eyes on the bird. A roll of parchment stretched and opened out into a letter; the eagle stayed on the wall as Balin moved besides him.
"King Under the Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield,
We have made it to our home, but our homeland is not the same. A dark evil has taken hold and we are having to live outside the mountains on the other side, the passage cursed.
Aulton has tried many times to get through, but he keeps getting turned back. A lot of my people survived though, while we've been gone, they have built a new land for themselves on the other side of the mountain, inland.
I wish that you come, if you can, bring your company. I believe that with your help, we may be able to get through the mountains and back to our homeland. I know you've not been home long, and I apologise for asking for this.
A map will arrive shortly to escort you to our town, and we do have control of several of those large eagle mounts, so to save you a journey they will carry you most of the way. The forest gets too dense before our town so they will drop you just outside.
We've also been in touch with Gandalf and Bilbo. We are north from the Shire, so not that far from, but they have planned to meet you at the Eagles' Landing before coming to us.
Please, we need your help.
King Austen." Balin read the letter as Thorin rolled it up, he looked at his friend, Balin was waiting for Thorin's order as he saw another eagle land, this one was brown. Balin removed the parchment, and a map was indeed revealed to them.
"Ready the company." Thorin spoke, the two eagles squawked loudly and took off to the sky.