A/N: There are a few time skips and changes between Erebor and the battle (sorry bout that). Also, this is longer than what is shown in both the extended and the theatrical versions. Though, I wanted to slow things down so they aren't all suddenly rushing to Ravenhill after joining the battle.

Hope you enjoy!

Italics is thoughts, unless specified otherwise i.e flashbacks or visions. / is time skip


- Scene: Erebor; fifteen minutes prior -

Dwalin sat hunched on a small set of stairs, his thick arms resting on his thighs. He had been sitting there since he had left the Throne room; his mind full of everything that Thorin had said and done. He couldn't quite believe it. After everything they had been through, Thorin, his brother-in-arms had fallen.

He couldn't go back to the company, couldn't face them. He just needed a moment to himself, to process everything. That and if he went back, he would hear the cries of his kin, of Alexa as they fought. He would hear them dying.

He clenched his jaw at the thought. Thorin was gone and soon, so would the rest of them. At that, what was left of his resolve quickly crumbled. Amidst the dark halls of Erebor, Dwalin son of Fundin sat with his head in his hands; his broken sobs the only sound in the deserted corridor.

/

Free of his grandfather's crown and royal armour, Thorin stalked through the corridors and towards the gate. As he did, he pondered over what he would say to the company, well what was left of it. Thorin had just turned the corner when his eyes fell on one of his closest friends. The sight alone of Dwalin's hunched form made him feel as if someone had punched him in the gut. He had done this.

Dwalin sat quietly on the steps, no more tears left to shed. Hearing the approach of footsteps, Dwalin sighed deeply. Rubbing his hands over his eyes and down his face, he wiped away any stray tears. Through glassy eyes, he looked up at the figure before him. A thrum of shock went through him as his eyes met Thorins and not his brothers.

"Thorin," Dwalin muttered, bowing his head slightly.

Without replying Thorin grasped Dwalin arms, helped him to his feet and pulled him in for a hug. "I am so sorry," Thorin breathed, his voice thick with emotion.

At the action, Dwalin's eyes widened in shock; he couldn't believe it. He grunted in reply, hope in his eyes as he grasped Thorin tightly; his friend was back. Pulling away, he smiled at his King, who returned it before thumping him hard on the shoulder.

Thorin winced. "I deserved that,"

- Elsewhere in Erebor -

The broken company sat before the gates of Erebor, their usually bright eyes dull as they continued to listen to the battle rage on outside. They had shed the armour of their forebears hours ago, leaving them in the hauberks that lay underneath all of the heavy battle armour.

The sounds of their Kin had drawn closer over the last couple of minutes, signifying their retreat. They all knew that the battle would soon be lost and worse, they all knew that none of them had done anything to help. It was as Nori placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder that a sound came from the hall behind them.

Fiddling with his gloves, Kili looked up to see a figure walking towards them; the light of the still lit braziers illuminating them in the darkness. It was his uncle, crownless and wearing regular battle armour. Standing to his feet, a fierce emotion overcame him and he marched towards Thorin.

"I will not hide behind a wall of stone while others fight our battles for us!" he yelled, thrusting his hand towards his chest as he said the words.

The two continued to walk towards the other, "It is not in my blood, Thorin," Kili said, his tone softer than before as he came to stand before his uncle.

"No. It is not." Thorin said calmly, agreeing with his nephew. "We are sons of Durin. And Durin's folk do not flee from a fight," he murmured.

The words caused Kili's eyes to well with tears; now knowing that Thorin, his uncle, was back. His chin quivered as he stared at his smiling uncle, who placed a hand on his shoulder before moving it to the back of his neck. Shifting forward, Thorin slowly tilted his head down to meet Kili's; the act being an old Dwarvish custom reserved for loved ones.

Pulling away, Thorin squeezed Kili's shoulder affectionately before continuing; Dwalin following closely behind. "I have no right to ask this of any of you." he began, "But will you follow me one last time?"

Without a word, the remaining company stood to their feet. Their hands gripped their weapon of choice, ready to follow their King to the end.

- Scene: Battle -

Alexa stood a few Dwarves across from Dain, her eyes set on the army before her. They were trapped between the locked mountain and Azog's forces, leaving them with no other choice but to fight.

Dain yelled in Khuzadul. His command caused the remaining Dwarves to align into a crescent-phalanx formation; shouts of their own leaving them. The action, left Alexa at the front, alongside the ginger Dwarf. Inhaling deeply, she gathered what energy she had. It was now or never.

Heavily armoured trolls with pointed helmets and clubs stomped their way to the front lines. Standing before the orc army, they beat their war clubs into the earth in a show of strength. No sooner had they, Azog's war horn sounded; ordering the charge.

"Let's cut some of these bastards down to size, shall we?" Alexa yelled, gaining some shouts in agreement from the Dwarves around her.

But before either side could do so much as throw a spear, a horn suddenly sounded, the vibrations causing the ground to shake. But it wasn't Azog's. No, this one was coming from behind them. Surprised by the sudden sound, Azog's army halted, and Alexa and the Dwarves looked back at the mountain. No later, a loud clang echoed in their ears as metal met stone.

Alexa watched with bated breath as the wall she had helped build exploded. The stone crumbled to pieces before her eyes, filling the hole where the bridge once stood with the remains as a golden bell came crashing through.

A relieved sigh left Alexa as Thorin, and the rest of the company ran over the debris and towards them. With Dain's army parting at the sight of their King, letting him and the others through. A small smile twitched at her lips; Thorin was back.

"To the King!" Dain yelled, causing his army to join Thorin with a newfound strength. "To the King!"

"Du Bekar!" Thorin shouted, charging towards Azog's army with Fili and Kili at his sides.

Releasing a war cry of her own, Alexa ran with the Dwarves; her lightsaber raised like a sword. She could faintly hear arrows being released over the stomping of feet and armour clinking, but she heard the orcs just fine.

The scarred creatures screeched in anger as the Dwarves killed their armoured trolls with arrows. Without fear, the Dwarves and Alexa pierced the enemy's line like an arrow; now evenly matching the orcs blow for blow.

Alexa raised her lightsaber to meet an orc's sword, the green blade cutting right through the metal at the base. Before the orc could react to its lack of blade, she swiftly raised her weapon and slashed from its shoulder to its opposite hip. The two pieces of the orc fell to opposite sides, leaving Alexa standing there; a calm expression on her face.

A relieving feeling welled inside Alexa as she glanced around the battlefield at her friends. Everything was going according to plan. That feeling, however, was quickly dampened. A troll with a dangerous look in its eyes and a catapult manoeuvre on its back had approached Bofur, Nori and Dain. Who were all too busy fighting the orcs around them to notice.

Without a second thought, Alexa deactivated her lightsaber and clipped it back onto her belt. For she knew that she'd need both hands for what she was about to attempt next. Breathing softly, Alexa reached out to the force around her and the beast that was about to kill her friends and Thorin's cousin.

Placing her left foot forward and right foot back, she got into a strong stance and thrust her hands out towards the troll. At the action, the troll was shoved backwards. It stumbled over the bodies of orcs who shrieked and withered as they were crushed into the earth. The pale creature fell back with a loud thump, a roar leaving it as it landed on the catapult. The distinct sound of turning gears sounded before a brief shriek left the troll as the catapult sprang; flipping it onto its front and breaking its neck in the process.

Alexa paused as she took a moment to catch her breath. Panting, she raised a bloodied hand to her face and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Force, she couldn't wait until this was over. Unfortunately for her, orcs are inconsiderate bastards and want to make her life as difficult as possible.

The pair swiped at her with their swords, the blades only just grazing her outer tunic. Gritting her teeth, she raised her hands towards them. Whilst she wasn't touching them, she could feel everything that she was doing. She could feel her hands squeezing their short necks as she heaved them up into the air. She could feel the orcs struggling to breathe, and their hearts accelerate. But she couldn't feel how they quickly abandoned their weapons to grasp at their throats. She couldn't feel how they desperately clawed at the invisible force.

Twisting her wrists inwards, she forcefully threw the two orcs together; making them headbutt roughly. Before parting her hands violently in the opposite direction and releasing her hold on them. The two orcs sailed in different directions, but they had the same fate. Both collided harshly with the earth. Both broke several limbs and smacked their heads on impact; breaking their spines and snapping their necks. And both bodies slumped to the side, black blood oozing from their wounds as they lay dead amongst the fallen.

Never shifting her eyes off the three orcs ahead, Alexa kept her expression neutral as she tilted her head subtly; urging her next opponent to come forth. But none did. In fact, they all ran away from her in an act of rare fear. Once they had left, Alexa let her guard down and grimaced. She rubbed the top of her shoulder gently; hoping to ease the pain that had once more flared.

If she wasn't so mentally drained, she might have been smug about how quickly the three orcs had scurried away from her. The fear that coursed through them was as rare as it was uncommon amongst orcs. There was no doubt that the woman was a terrifying warrior. Besides, they would much rather fight someone who wasn't capable of yeeting them across the battlefield with magic. They'll leave her to the trolls or maybe-.

As Alexa was recovering from her recent show of strength, the rest of the company fought around her. Nori raised his weapon over his head, just catching the orc's hooked sword with his. Pants left him as he struggled to hold back the orc blade from entering his skull. Nori shouted for assistance, calling out to Bofur. Said Dwarf yanked an axe from a dead orcs corpse and threw it in Nori's direction. The axe whirled through the air and embedded itself into the orc's skull.

Just as the orc fell to its knees, Ori called out to Nori for help. A much larger orc with a spear stood before the young scribe, its weapon raised; ready to impale him. Nori gripped the axe handle and swiftly ripped it from the orc's skull before throwing it into the head of the one over his brother. Hearing a squelch of metal meeting flesh, Ori looked up and saw the orc fall to its knees before him; dead.

Just as Alexa ignited her lightsaber, Ori threw the weapon back to Bofur. The hatted Dwarf's eyes widened as he stared at the axe, he held just millimetres from his head. Alexa held back a smile at the sight, knowing exactly what her friend was thinking.

Standing amidst the battle, Alexa's eyes fluttered closed. She breathed in slowly through her nose and out through her mouth; allowing the force to surround her. Opening her eyes, Alexa's eyes flashed as she walked towards the oncoming orcs; making sure to keep the line of Durin in her sight.

Ignoring her exhaustion and aching shoulder, Alexa cut the hand off the first orc and force pushed the next into several of its comrades. Raising her hand, she curled her fingers into her palm, forming a fist. At her action, the orcs were squashed together; their bodies breaking and mangling together as one. The orc she had previously dismembered let out a screech in pain behind her, so she removed its head.

Continuing at the slow pace, she brought her lightsaber down on a charging orc; cleaving it from head to toe. Sensing incoming objects both from the force and her companion's yells for cover, Alexa turned sharply and raised her lightsaber. Seemingly without effort, she spun her weapon around her; the crackling blade easily disintegrating the tips of the arrows.

Feeling eyes on her, a small smirk made its way onto her lips. Moving forwards, Alexa allowed the tip of her lightsaber to dig into the ground; the green blade sizzling as she approached her next victim.

/

ALEXA'S POV

As Alexa wrenched her weapon out of another orc, a snarling noise came from her front, back and sides. Glancing around, she quickly realised that she had been surrounded; the three orcs from before having brought reinforcements. They slowly closed in on her, saliva dripping from their sharp, crooked teeth. They thought they had her.

At the thought, another came in. A memory, in fact, of a similar situation. Alexa clicked her tongue as a grin twitched at her lips. The orcs must have sensed that she was no longer worried because they were no longer smug and were now taking smaller steps than before.

A wicked gleam shone in Alexa's eyes and without further ado, she threw her lightsaber towards the orcs like one would a boomerang. The green beam spun around Alexa, chopping the heads off every orc surrounding her before returning to her hand.

"Mahal lass, can I borrow tha' for a while?" Bofur piped up, currently wielding a war hammer.

Alexa looked past the decapitated corpses to her friend, "Don't think you could handle it, Bofur," she began. A cheeky grin overcame her features, "Need a firm grip you see,"

Despite everything happening around them, Bofur chuckled. "I'll have ye know lass tha' I have excellent grip," he started, pausing to bash an orc in the gut. "From years of practice," he stated, an implying tone in his voice.

Bofur then winked at her, causing Alexa to release a chuckle of her own. Cheeky shit, she thought. "About time you lot showed," she jests, earning an 'Aye lass,' from the hatted Dwarf.

Before she could continue their banter, the ground beneath her boots shook. Glancing up, Alexa's eyes widened, and a lump grew in her throat. It seemed the orcs had targeted her yet again, only this time in greater numbers. Much greater.

Gripping her lightsaber tightly, Alexa approached the platoon of ironclad orcs; who were sprinting towards her. The armour covered their crooked bodies and mutilated faces; leaving only their sharp teeth uncovered. The sight would frighten any normal person, but Alexa wasn't normal, and neither was Dwalin.

She didn't quite know what the Dwarf was going to say. But she certainly didn't expect the words that left his mouth. "Yer alive," Dwalin's deep voice sounded beside her.

Alexa frowned, slightly offended at his words. "I'm sorry, were you expecting me to be dead?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the orcs.

When no reply came, she glanced at the Dwarf and almost laughed at the sight. Poor Dwalin was visibly panicking, his blue eyes wide and mouth agape as he seemingly scrambled for an answer. Deciding to end his misery, Alexa bumped his arm affectionately and chuckled.

"It's good to see you too Dwalin," she said her tone softer than before. She averted her gaze to the oncoming orcs who were now less than thirty feet away.

Dwalin grunted in reply, back to his usual stoic self. "Most kills win," he muttered, as he stood fearlessly beside her; a war hammer in his hands. It wasn't Grasper or Keeper, but it'll do the job.

Alexa smirked. "Starting now? Cause I'm at least a hundred ahead already," Alexa remarked, a snicker leaving her at the frown no doubt on Dwalin's face.

Dwalin's hands flexed as he adjusted his grip on the war hammer. That woman would be the death of him. Releasing a battle cry, he charged to meet the orcs; leaving Alexa behind him. The woman huffed a laugh at the Dwarf's enthusiasm before swiftly running to join his side.

/

Stab, duck, jab, dodge, flip, spin, slice. Alexa wielded her lightsaber with practised ease despite her muscles screaming at her for a break. Twisting her hips, she swung her weapon and disposed of another orc, "Eighteen!" before moving on to the next. "Nineteen!"

At one point, Dwalin had complained that she had quote on quote 'been stealing his kills'. In response, she had raised an eyebrow and let a grin grace her lips whilst she killed yet another orc beside him. "Twenty-eight!"

Alexa didn't know how long had past, only that almost all of the original sixty-odd orcs were dead and everything ached. Drawing in a sharp breath, Alexa bent forward; her hands resting on her knees as she took a brief break.

A chuckle bubbled up through her chest as she reflected on fighting alongside Dwalin. She hadn't fought that well with another since the order. It was if they were the same person, flowing, thrusting and twisting as one.

The aforementioned Dwarf was currently beating the orcs with his war hammer. "Thirty-three. Thirty-four. Thirty-five!" The muscles in his arms rippled and tensed as he swiftly disposed of every orc with unmatched skill.

Alexa had just killed another orc and looked up to see Dwalin fighting off three orcs. The sight of the burly Dwarf smashing skulls so skillfully proved a bit of a distraction for the woman, until it wasn't.

Out the corner of her eye, she sees the dagger heading towards her and shifts. But it was too late. A sharp pain erupted in the Jedi's side, causing her to let out a cry. Glancing down, her green-grey eyes connected with the black ones of an orc, then to its bloodied dagger before they settled on her mid-thigh.

The blade had snagged on the end of her thigh; leaving a curved gash. Had she not moved, the orc would have hit its intended target; her femoral artery. Nausea crept up her throat, and her head swirled as she watched her brown pants darken.

Had she not been so focused on her injury, she may have noticed how Dwalin roared her name. How he had become fiercer and more brutal in his strikes against the orcs surrounding him. Maybe she would have noticed the almost desperate look in his eyes as he fought to get to her. But she didn't.

Grinding her teeth, Alexa screwed her eyes shut as pain flared through her thigh. The orc had since died. Honestly, she had no idea how it had survived that long. After all, it was disembowelled; with half of its guts on the ground. But apparently, it had just enough strength left to get revenge, which was just great.

The woman glared at the dead orc as she deactivated her lightsaber and clipped it onto her belt. It was as she was silently cursing the orc that her knees gave in. Blood pounded over her ears, and Alexa gritted her teeth as she applied pressure to the wound. Blinding hot pain surged through the woman, making her whimper in agony. She knew that she couldn't afford to heal herself as it would take too much out of her. She just had to cope.

THIRD POV

One moment Alexa was on her knees, sitting on the backs of her calves. The next, she was being propped up and facing Dwalin. He was on bended knee before her, one hand clasping her good shoulder whilst the other held his war hammer.

Due to the blood pounding over her ears, Alexa didn't hear what Dwalin had said. But the Dwarf looked panicked, his eyes on Nori as the muscles in his neck tensed; obviously shouting something. Following Dwalin's command, Nori yelled to the others for assistance. At his call, Bofur, Ori, Dori, Gloin, Oin, Bombur and Bifur joined Nori and created a protective circle around Dwalin and Alexa.

Dwalin's war hammer lay beside him, forgotten as he focused on the woman before him. His blue orbs soon fell on the bloodied hand that gripped her leg. He had found what he was looking for. The Dwarf said nothing, only sighed deeply and placed his hand over hers. Alexa winced, her eyes watering as she allowed him to remove her hand to inspect the damage.

Dwalin's dark eyes traced the wound left by the orc's knife. A slash about five inches long ran around the side of her mid-thigh, varying in deepness. The beginning of the cut was minor, more of a scratch than anything. But it was the rest that worried him.

"It's just a flesh wound," she said weakly, a grimace on her lips.

Dwalin peered up from her injury to look at her. Alexa met his eyes. Part of her was waiting for him to call her weak, to say that the wound on her thigh wasn't bad enough to warrant such a reaction. Or perhaps she was waiting for him to compare it to her shoulder, and how she had complained less about a worse injury. The other part knew that Dwalin would never say such things.

"Everyone gets injured," he murmured as if sensing her inner struggle.

Alexa was shocked at his words, though she didn't show it. She stared into his eyes, almost looking for pity in them. When she found nothing, a sigh left her lips, and she nodded. Seeing her confirmation, Dwalin shifted his attention back to her thigh and told her to apply pressure to the wound.

A harsh grunt left her throat as she followed his instruction. Blood oozed from the gash. The thick liquid ran between her fingers and dripped onto the ground below; staining it.

Removing his hand from her shoulder, Dwalin gripped the bottom of his tunic and ripped off a thick strip. Whilst he was doing this, the others maintained the boundary between them and the battle; killing any orc that got close. Except for Bofur, who was preoccupied with puppeteering a troll with Flail Maces for hands and Morning Stars for feet.

Dwalin's heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the gash that the orcs knife had left. Releasing a shaky breath, he got to work. Pained sighs and winces left Alexa's lips as Dwalin bandaged the wound. His hands weren't used to being gentle, but he tried for her.

By the time Dwalin had secured the bandage and tied the knot, the haze over Alexa's mind had lifted, and the pain was but a dull throb. Yet the worry in the Dwarf's eyes hadn't lessened.

"Thank you," Alexa whispered, effectively drawing his eyes from her leg to meet her greeny-grey ones.

Dwalin grunted in reply. His left hand moved to press against the top of her spine whilst the other grabbed her own. Slowly, Dwalin stood; lifting Alexa with him, whose eyes never left his.

"Can ya walk lass?" he asked, not letting go of her hand.

Without further prompting, Alexa tentatively stepped forward; Dwalin beside her in case she fell. She squeezed Dwalin's hand and grimaced as pain shot up her leg. Despite this, she continued for a couple more steps before stopping. "Hurts a bit. But I'll manage," she said, peering down at the makeshift bandage around her leg.

Dwalin said nothing but looked out towards Nori who was currently battling an orc. "Stay with Nori, he'll protect ya in my stead," he grunted as he released her hand and bent down to pick up his weapon.

Alexa snapped her gaze to him, "Wha-at? Where are yo-ou going?" She stammered, though she already knew.

"To Ravenhill," he answered gruffly.

Without hesitation, Alexa replied. "I'm coming too,"

"No," Dwalin stated firmly.

"I can help!" she shouted, almost desperately.

Dwalin sighed. "Yer injured lass," he said, gesturing at the bandage around her thigh. "An' even if ya weren't I still wouldn't want ya there,"

Before any more could be said, another voice called out. "Come on, brother. Let's get going!" It was Balin.

The goats pulling the war machine came to a halt before them as Balin pulled on the stirrups. Fili and Kili stood inside the chariot, uncharacteristically serious looks on their faces. There was no doubt that the brothers had matured considerably over the course of the quest. Though that didn't mean they had lost their prankster streak. Ha! That'll be the day!

Alexa glanced at Dwalin, who went to join them. "Please Dwalin, don't go," she rasped, her voice small and lacking the sarcastic tone it usually carried.

The Dwarf paused, his hand on the back of the chariot; ready to hop in. Alexa's heart pounded against her rib cage as Dwalin turned to face her and walked the few paces to her. Now standing before her, Alexa peered into his dark blue eyes. She never saw till now that they had specks of white in them; like miniature stars amongst the night sky.

Dwalin's calloused hand brushed the stray auburn strands behind her ear before cupping the back of her neck. Alexa's breath caught in her throat as he pulled her closer; making their foreheads touch.

It felt like a mere second had gone by before Dwalin was pulling away. "Stay 'ere lass. I'll come fer ya after teh battle," he grunted, a fond look in his eyes as he looked at her.

Dwalin stood there long enough to signal Nori over. Then he was leaving. Alexa stood there stunned, before stumbling forward; her leg throbbing with every step. "Dwalin, wait!"

The burly Dwarf sighed, but continued towards the war machine; knowing that he had held the others up long enough. He was close to joining them when Alexa reached him. Her hand tugged on his arm, stopping him from getting in the chariot. Dwalin turned to face her, ready to send her back to Nori.

"Las-" his words were cut short as Alexa's lips made contact with his cheek.

Dwalin's eyes widened, and his lips parted. Too shocked to do anything, the burly Dwarf just stared at her; his mouth agape. "I-I," she began, a light dusting of red tinged her cheeks; though it was barely seen through the orc blood covering her face.

Alexa exhaled softly and stepped away from the burly Dwarf. "Just be careful, Dwalin," she whispered. A sense of déjà vu hit her as the same words she had said last to Obi-Wan left her lips.

Nori came to a stop beside Alexa and placed a hand on her right shoulder; effectively breaking her from her thoughts. He looked from her to Dwalin, "I won't leave her side," he promised, breaking the silence that had fallen between the pair.

Dwalin's eyes snapped to Nori's, and he nodded. Sparing one last look at Alexa, he went back to the chariot and climbed aboard; taking his place behind the crossbow. Balin sent a small smile towards Alexa and Nori before whipping the reins. The goats reeled onto their hind legs then broke into a sprint; leaving Alexa and Nori behind.

Nori turned his head to look at the woman beside him. Seeing her worried look, he squeezed her shoulder in support. "They'll be alright Al,"

Alexa faltered, "No Nori," she breathed, meeting his eyes; which had widened considerably at the word. "They won't,"


A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I was wanting to update sooner, but got hit with a bit of writers block. If some of the fight scenes seemed familiar it is because they were inspired by the season two finale of The Mandalorian.

Till next time.