Hello everyone!
I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter and I was upset :(
I do hope that someone will review.
This chapter is not extremely long, but it caused me lot of grief.
I'm not entirely pleased with how it turned out but oh well.
Please review!

~ Rachel

Eraveth knelt on the ground and gasped for air. Hurt, anger, and fear swirled inside her. Gandalf and Bilbo came up on her as she dug her fingers into the cold ground and let out a heart-wrenching scream. Gandalf picked up the exhausted girl and carried her to the healer's tent in Thranduil's camp. The healer fussed over the girl and checked her abdomen for further injury. They gave her a tea with sedative and allowed her to sleep away her pain.

Bilbo shook Eraveth awake and pushed a dress into her hands. "Get dressed quickly!" he whispered urgently. Eraveth did as he said though her mind was clouded due to the tea they had given her. She dressed as soon as Bilbo stepped outside and reached for her weapons that sat at her bedside.

"Bilbo!" she called as she stepped outside and noticed that the elves were rushing about with weapons and supplies. She caught sight of the hobbit and asked, "What in Arda is going on?"

Bilbo rubbed a hand across his eyes and said, "Dain Ironfoot arrived this morning with five hundred warriors armed to the teeth. The elves and men were preparing for battle when Gandalf gave the news that a giant army of orcs was heading this way. Now, everyone is preparing for a battle with the orcs and the dwarves have formed a sort of alliance with the elves and men."

Eraveth felt like the very ground beneath her feet had given way. She glanced around and saw the preparations that were being made. Healing tents were being set up, armor was brought out and fitted, and weapons were assigned to those who needed them. Without thought, Eraveth began to prepare for the battle herself. She found a pair of vambraces and a helmet that would fit her but hope for anything else was slim. Making sure all her weapons were in place, she fell into step beside the Rivendell elves. Glorfindel stood beside her as they watched the advancing army of orcs, wargs, and bats. Suddenly, two pale orcs were seen at the front and one held something that was not an orc. Eraveth sensed Glorfindel tense beside her and she immediately knew who it was.

Eärwen felt the bag over her head being jerked off and she squinted into the light of day. Behind her, cheered a massive army of orcs. Azog stood beside her and pulled out his sword. Black speech began to pour from his mouth and the entire army laughed and jeered at his comments. Across from her, stood a large army of dwarves, elves, and men. Familiar figures stood out to her keen eyes. Most of Thorin's company stood at the front of the dwarvish army.

Eärwen began to scan the opposite armies once again until her eyes rested in the form of her father. He stood beside the Mirkwood elves, his golden hair flowing from underneath his helmet. Hope blossomed in her chest but it was quickly extinguished as Azog began to speak once more. In her days with the orcs, she had begun to pick up on their harsh language. He began to taunt the heirs of Durin. He began to curse her friends and her anger grew with every word.

Suddenly, Azog switched to Westron and yelled across the battlefield, "I will kill you, Thorin Oakenshield, and I will make your woman watch! Then, I will kill her atop your lifeless body after I've tortured her!"

Eärwen moved on instincts and ripped the sword from the orc's hands on her other side. Then with the speed and accuracy that had been drilled into her for centuries, she thrust the sword into the chest of the pale orc. The blade went through the vile creature until it was stopped by the hilt and a small amount of triumph flared in her chest. Silence filled the great battlefield as Azog's eyes grew wide and the life drained from them. Eärwen was just about to yank the sword out when a sharp pain pierced her abdomen.

Glorfindel watched as his daughter attacked the giant Gundabad orc, her shorn hair flying wildly around her. Her speed and ferocity startled him slightly and he felt pride swell up within him. He watched as everything stilled except for Bolg, Azog's son, who was quickly approaching Eärwen from behind. His cry of warning turned into one of anguish as he watched Bolg run his sword through Eärwen's middle and raise her above his head. Time seemed to slow down as he watched Bolg throw his daughter from off his sword and onto the ground between the armies. As soon as Eärwen's now lifeless body hit the ground, the armies of elves, men, and dwarves rushed out to meet the enemy.

-oOo-

Eärwen was surrounded by darkness and had a sense of weightlessness about her. So this is what death is like, she thought as a white light appeared above her. The light grew wider and brighter and she was forced to shield her eyes from the now blinding rays. When she finally looked around, she was surprised to find she was now lying on a cold marble floor in her bipedal form. Around her stood several tall beings that looked fearsome to her.

Looking up at one of these tall beings, Eärwen was struck by a sense of familiarity. The being was fearsome and terrifying, clad in green armor. Awestruck, she breathlessly whispered, "You are Ulmo." The being smiled and extended his hand to help her stand up. "You are the Valar," she gasped as she spun to see them all.

Ulmo chuckled and said, "You are very astute, my child. We are indeed the Valar and you have caught our attention."

"Me?" Eärwen squeaked as her eyes fell on one of the Valar who was dressed in black robes. "Why would you bother with me? This is the Halls of Mandos, isn't it?"

The black-robbed Valar stepped forward and said grim-faced, "You are indeed with my halls, child of the sea."

A female stepped up beside Mandos and said, "Your song is not yet over, daughter of Mornenion. A mistake was made within your song."

"My song?" Eärwen asked but paused. "Wait, who is Mornenion? Is that the name of my father?"

Ulmo held up a hand to stop her questions and shot a disapproving look at the female. "Your song is your destiny," he explained. "You were not meant to die yet, my child, and you were not meant to kill Azog. You must fulfill your destiny or darkness will spread over all of Arda.

The gravity of the situation hit Eärwen with full force and she backed away from the Valar slightly. "Why me?" she cried as she looked at the mighty beings around her. "There is nothing special about me. I'm an orphaned nymph who doesn't even know her heritage. Besides, I'm dead. There is nothing I can do on Arda!"

Another Valar stepped forward quickly. He was bare-chested and wore a red cloak. He placed a large hand on her shoulder and said, "You are special, child. You are different from other nymphs. You possess a great power within you. Your heart is pure and full of goodness, just like that of your adar Glorfindel. Child, you must understand. You can embrace you destiny and do great things or you can turn from it. We will not force it upon you."

Eärwen looked at the Valar and weighed his words. It was clear to her that this was Aulë. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and said, "You speak of me having a choice, yet it seems to escape you that I am dead. I died with a sword thrust through my gut. I'm in Mandos' Hall!"

Ulmo chuckled and said, "Child, we are aware of the fact that you died on Middle Earth. We also know that you know we have the power to send you back."

His words made Eärwen pause. She looked up into his fearsome eyes and asked with a slightly shaky voice, "What do you possibly see in me that would make you believe that I am capable of what you say? Why not simply raise up someone else?"

A female Valie stepped forward from the back of the group. She was heartbreakingly beautiful and had tears running down her face. This was Nienna. She pushed back her grey hood and said, "We have watched you, child. I have felt your pain and suffering, as I feel all of Arda. I know of the strength within you."

Ulmo brought Eärwen's attention back to him as he said, "You are strong, my child. You are kind, humble, and pure of heart. You have sacrificed yourself for those who do not know you. You are an example of pure and perfect love. You have placed others before yourself. There is no darkness or greed within your heart. You have been weighed in the balance and found worthy. We would send you back because you alone can bear the destiny that has been woven for you."

Eärwen dropped her gaze and felt a tug on her hand. She looked up to find Nienna giving her a sad smile and pulling her toward a basin of water that sat atop a pedestal. Nienna led her to the water and stood on the other side. She motioned for Eärwen to look into the water. The water was still and clear until a tear fell from Nienna's cheek and into the basin. An image formed and Eärwen watched as her body was thrown by Bolg into the middle of the battlefield.

As teardrops continued to fall into the water, images began to change. At one point, the image was of Glorfindel and Barathon as the two fought a large number of orcs. Another drop fell and the image changed to several of the company fighting a pack of wargs. Another tear fell and Nienna stepped away. Eärwen watched as the scene focused on Eraveth.

Eraveth struggled to pull her bow back. A large gash colored the sleeve on her upper arm. Just as she was about to release the arrow, a familiar cry reached her ear. Her arrow went slightly high but still managed to pierce the orc's throat. Her eyes snapped in the direction of the scream and her heart sank when she saw who it had come from.

Tosur stood about fifty feet away and had several orcs surrounding him. He fought hard but Eraveth screamed to him in warning when a large orc came up behind him. He heard the warning too late and the orc thrust his sword into Tosur's back. Eraveth screamed as she watched her brother fall to the ground.

Fighting hard, she made her way to her brother's side as quickly as possible. Grasping a knife in one hand, she threw it into the face of the orc behind her brother. After slicing its throat to finish it off, she skidded to the ground and pulled Tosur into her lap. She tried to staunch the blood flow with her hand, but the wound was too great.

Tears streaming down her face, Eraveth whispered, "You're going to be fine."

Tosur raised his hand weakly and wiped away one of her tears. "You always were a bad liar," he gasped as he pulled in a ragged breath. "You need to go help the others. There's nothing you can do for me."

"I'm not leaving you!" Eraveth cried as she brushed hair from Tosur's face.

Tosur pushed her hand away and weakly said, "Go, Era. I'm always going to be with you. I'll just be in here." Tosur placed a bloody hand over her heart. Slowly, his hand went slack and the life faded from his eyes. Eraveth screamed and hugged her brother to her chest. She rocked back and forth as tears flowed freely down her face and she screamed loudly.

Laying him down, she kissed his dirtied brow. She closed his eyes and whispered as she placed a kiss on each lid, "Farewell, Tosur. May you find peace, brother." Turning away as she retrieved her weapons, Eraveth ran into the battle once more. Her grief and anger fuelled her with ferociousness and she cut down every orc in her way.

Kili, Fili, and Thorin caught her eye and she moved to their sides. The dwarves had never seen Eraveth fight like this. Thorin was momentarily distracted and the orc he was fighting landed a blow on his arm. He stumbled to the ground, clutching his arm. Just as the orc raised his arm to strike a killing blow, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground in a heap with a knife protruding from the base of his skull. Fili's cry of pain as an arrow pierced his shoulder drew his attention and he watched as another knife sailed through the air and landed in the offending orc's eye socket.

"Kili!" Thorin yelled as he tried to stand, "get your brother out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Kili yelled as he pulled his brother to his feet.

Eraveth stepped forward and pushed the boys. "GO!" she yelled. "I'll stay with him. Now, go!" She pushed the boys again and made sure that they made their way back to the healing tents. She turned to see Thorin standing in front of the pale orc who had killed Eärwen.

Weak from blood loss, Thorin tried to raise his sword once again but was barely able to block a blow from Bolg. He was pushed back and stumbled over a body. Bolg sneered as he approached the fallen dwarf. He raised his sword to strike Thorin but was pushed back by a flash of fiery red hair.

Eraveth jumped back away from the orc and stood in front of Thorin. "You'll have to go through me in order to get to him!" she hissed through gritted teeth. She was just about to charge when a loud roar split the battlefield. Looking up, she saw a giant bear rushing toward them. Beorn lunged at Bolg and tore the orc apart with his giant claws.

Beorn turned back to Eraveth and lowered his head. He shifted to the side and she hesitantly climbed on his back. A screech was heard overhead and she looked up to find an army of eagles swooping down into battle. She had to grab Beorn's fur quickly as he scooped up Thorin and galloped off the battlefield.

The image faded and Eärwen looked up at the Valar. They stood watching her and Ulmo stepped forward and said, "The battle was long and many were lost. Because of you, none of the original company were lost. Your body was retrieved from the field and is now being carried back to Mirkwood with the rest of their dead. We have told you that we will not make you return, so now we ask you, will you return to Middle Earth or will you leave them to their fate?"

Eärwen glanced around and straightened her shoulders. With a heavy sigh, she looked up and said, "I will go. I may not know my destiny, but I have unfinished business to take care of. Whatever it may be, I will try to fulfill my destiny."

The Valar nodded and each turned away except for Ulmo. He reached forward and placed a hand on each of her shoulders. "You will not be the same, my child," he said gently. "You never will be, but you have a power within you that comes from your mother's family. I will not tell you who they are for that is for you to find out. You have already begun to see these powers. You have caused the water to heal you during your torture, but that is only the beginning. Water is your weapon. You can harness it in a way only a few have ever done. You have great strength in you, Eärwen. Glorfindel should be proud to call you his daughter. You will learn that blood is not the only family. I am proud of you, child. And perhaps, we shall see each other again." He stepped away then and rejoined the Valar. Now, all fourteen of the mighty beings stood before her.

One, who she immediately recognized as Manwë, stepped forward and held out his hand to her. He was breathtakingly beautiful. Eärwen placed her small hand into his larger one and stepped forward. Manwë smiled kindly and said, "When you return, your road will not always be easy and your path not always straight, but if you stay true to yourself, you will succeed. Your power will be awakened within you and you will be likened unto a force of nature. Many will try to tame you and harness your power. You must promise to do something once you awaken."

"What would you have me do?" she asked nervously.

Manwë smiled and said, "Tell Glorfindel that the Valar are still watching and we are extremely pleased with his daughter."

Eärwen watched silently as each of the Valar smiled and began to surround her. They each murmured a blessing in her ear and laid one hand on her. Looking back up, Manwë whispered, "Alámenë, hennig." He then place his three middle fingers against her brow and the world went dark to her once more.