It is here. Oh god. Forgive me.

Hiding in the Shadow: Well… I'm guessing you won't be happy-happy with me after this one. Sorry :/

Teshka: I'll just say that I'm sorry in advance for anything that happens in this chapter… And yes, Dain's okay with them but only because he looked to Thorin for an answer and got silence in reply, which was as much as a 'it's happening. get used to it' from him xD Thank you!

Akilah Swiftblade: I've hid the fish. Just in case you want to smash me with it again after reading this. (Which you will, I'm 99.9% sure!)

Dalonega Noquisi: I'm glad you liked it! I just thought they needed some time together before… well, all hell breaks loose really.

Thanks to blaahblaahblaah, Eruwaedhiel95, kaia, Anonymous, Chocoegg333 and My mother is a koala for your reviews! I loved reading all of them!

And thanks to those who followed and favorited!

Now, go ahead and read… and please don't kill me when you're done, okay? Okay. :D

The mood among the dwarves was strange the next day; tension lay in the air almost palpable as they prepared for battle. No one spoke much. Dain's men put on their armour, grabbed their shields and swords, and armed themselves with axes and mattocks.

And the Company did the same, arming themselves with the weapons and the armour that had lain unused within the halls of the mountain for over a century. The orcs had reached the valley in the early morning hours and would be upon them in a few hours at the most. Time was running short now; the flames of war were upon them.

Kili stood by his brother, his heart thumping nervously in his chest as his armour rested heavily on his shoulders. A broadsword was attached to his belt while a new bow was slung over his back together with a quiver of arrows. Kili's hands were busy with helping Tarya into her chain mail, and she stood silently before him as his hands worked, the two of them merely exchanging looks that were as intimate as if they were embracing each other. Kili pressed his lips together, shortly stroking his hand over her cheek as she secured two long knives that could almost be considered small swords to her hips. It had taken a while until they had found something among the weapons within the mountain that was light enough for Tarya to wield without any problem, but Kili was grateful that they had. Knowing that she was able to defend herself took some of his fear for her away, even if it was merely a tiny drop in a giant ocean.

"It is time," Thorin's voice suddenly rang through the hall, strong and loud, and upon his command the gate opened once again. Kili took a deep breath as he readied himself, leaning forward and pressing a last fervent kiss to Tarya's lips, ignoring the bewildered looks that they received from countless dwarves and the pitiful ones their own companions shot them. As he pulled away from her, Fili took a step closer to them and Kili exchanged a short look with his brother before the blond dwarf pulled Tarya into a fierce hug.

None of them said a word as they embraced, and they didn't need to. As Fili pulled back from the Amarok, Kili watched with a warm feeling in his heart as the blond dwarf brought her forehead against his in a brotherly manner. Tarya just nodded at Fili, giving him a small smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Kili took her hand then as they turned to go and stand by Thorin. The line of Durin would lead the army out and the King under the Mountain would be the one to give the final order to attack. Kili felt Tarya's hand small and cold in his as he stood with his family as the doors opened slowly before them.

As Thorin started to walk, Kili looked over at his brother, finding Fili's gaze as they followed him out of the mountain. He could see that the blond dwarf was feeling as nervous as him, and as they formed a defensive line before the gates of the mountain, Fili turned his head to look ahead and Kili saw his brother's eyes widening at what he saw.

There, a little distance away still, a black mass was rushing to the mountain and Kili could hear the threatening shrieks and cries of orcs and goblins carried towards them by the cold winter wind. The brunet dwarf swallowed tightly as he looked at his uncle who stood tall and proud at the front of the dwarven host, staring out to the approaching enemy. Sword in one hand and a round shield in the other, Thorin's gaze was unwavering, and it was then that Kili finally saw him as the king he truly was. The king he had always been meant to be. There was no more sign of madness in his eyes, instead his whole composure held an aura of dwarven pride and strength.

As the enemy approached, Thorin raised his sword and Fili followed his example. Kili gave Tarya's hand a last squeeze before he drew his sword and did the same, and he saw out of the corner of his eyes as the Amarok beside him raised her arm as well, her long knife shimmering in the cold light of the sun. Kili could see the elves and men starting their attack in the distance as the army of orcs and goblins was in reach and he gripped the hilt of his sword tighter in his trembling fingers.

It was then that Thorin's voice boomed over the field, strong and powerful as the dwarven army behind them raised their swords and axes upon his command.

"Baruk Khazâd!" Thorin called loudly, his jaw tensing as he gripped his sword tightly in his hand, pointing it at their enemy. "Du Bekâr! DU BEKÂR!"

And with that they suddenly charged forward, their battle cries echoing over the fields as the dwarves joined elves and men in war. Kili felt his heart thump heavily in his chest, his mind almost numb as he threw himself into battle, and only when his sword collided with the axe of an orc did he snap out of his state of trance, the clashing sound of iron on iron ripping him out of it.

The young dwarf had never really thought that chaos could erupt as quickly as a lightning bolt, but as he started to fight, slashing his sword right through the orc's chest, he realized that whatever plans he had made to protect his family or Tarya in this battle, they were completely invalid now. Kili could not take a step without encountering another orc or goblin that attempted to separate his head from his shoulders and he fought them all with unrelenting vigour. For a while, he could still see his friends fighting alongside him, could see Tarya slashing her daggers through orc and goblin as she went but soon she was lost out of his sight, and the only one still by his side was Fili who fought enemy after enemy with his two broad swords, his cries resembling the roars of a wild lion.

"TWELVE!" Fili boomed as he withdrew his sword from a dead goblin's stomach, and Kili turned his head to see his brother grinning over at him through the fighting. The brunet dwarf shortly found himself distracted by it, so that he didn't notice the massive warg coming at him until it was right before him and he quickly dived out of the way before he turned around at the same time the beast did, and Kili drove his sword right into its large head as it charged at him again. With a feral cry, he pulled his blade out of the giant warg's body, the sickening sound it made only muffled in his ears as the sound of battle around him swallowed everything else.

He shot a glance over to Fili then, grinning cheekily at him as the blond dwarf pushed another dead orc off his blade. Fili looked over at him with raised eyebrows, his breathing heavy as he returned his brother's challenging grin.

"That still only counts as one!" he called over to him and Kili couldn't help but laugh as he raised his sword again to fight off an oncoming goblin. Side by side he fought with his brother, as time seemed to flow in slow motion and at the same time faster than usual. Orc after orc, goblin after goblin they fought, their number never decreasing.

Kili didn't know how long they had been fighting when his laugh had long ago died in his throat, and he just wished that this battle would be over. He had lost Fili a while ago, and he had gained a few scratches by now. Kili could feel the gash on his cheek was bleeding rather badly from where an orc's dagger had grazed him, though he tried to ignore it. The air around him was filled with cries of battle and death, and he could smell the blood in the air as the battlefield was scattered with not only the bodies of orcs, goblins and wargs, but also of men, dwarves and elves. War didn't spare anyone, that much Kili had realized by now. But still he fought on even as his arms trembled from the continuous fighting.

It was after Kili had slashed another orc that he suddenly heard it, a dark laugh that echoed over the field not too far away from him and he turned his head to see Thorin standing face to face with an orc that Kili had hoped they would never see again. It was clear that they had already been fighting each other for a while. Thorin's shield was missing and his right arm was bleeding heavily, that much the brunet dwarf could see even from this distance. His uncle's face was smeared with sweat, grime and blood as he stood against Azog.

Kili watched with wide eyes as his uncle raised his left arm with his sword, ready to fight the Pale Orc that was standing before him, sneering cruelly at the wounded dwarf. But before Thorin could do anything, Azog had raised his two-headed battle-axe and swung it right into the dwarf-king's chest. Kili cried out desperately as he saw his uncle fall with a pained outcry and land on his back at the Pale Orc's mercy. His sword had fallen from his hold, and with a gaping gash on his torso, the dwarf-king tried to reach for it as Azog came closer with a cruel calmness.

Without even really thinking about it, Kili reached back and pulled the bow from his back, notching an arrow within a second's time. He aimed, his eyes focusing solely on Azog's head for a moment and as he let go of the bowstring, he heard its twang loudly in his ear as his arrow flew straight for its aim.

Unprepared, the arrow hit the Pale Orc's neck and drove right through it with an inevitable finality. Stumblingly Kili's feet carried him past the bodies that lay on the floor, his mind only focused on reaching his uncle and to defend him against whatever may come. He could hear the Defiler's deafening roar, dark words in black speech falling from his mouth as blood gurgled in his throat and cut of the orc's voice as he stumbled and fell to the side. His large body hit the ground of the battlefield with a dull thud at the same time that Kili reached his uncle.

"Thorin!" the young dwarf called in desperation, falling to his knees beside him as he looked into his uncle's wide blue eyes. "Uncle!"

Thorin took a shallow breath, the air rattling through his lungs so loudly that Kili could hear it. The young dwarf let go of his bow then, momentarily forgetting that battle was still going on around them as he pressed his hands to the gaping wound on his uncle's chest. Thorin groaned in pain as his nephew's hands got drenched in blood within a few second's time, and Kili could feel his throat tighten as hot tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

"You'll be fine, uncle," he choked out as he looked back into Thorin's eyes. The dwarf-king returned his gaze, bright blue eyes shortly clenching shut as the dwarf-king's large hand lifted with much effort and wrapped around his nephew's forearm. Kili swallowed tightly as Thorin squeezed his arm, his head falling back onto the hard battleground at the same time that the grip of his hand loosened. "Y-you'll be just fine!"

"KILI!"

The brunet dwarf jerked his head around in the direction his name had come from, seeing his brother run towards him with eyes wide with horror. It was only then that Kili heard the noise behind him and he quickly turned around, though it was too late and he didn't have enough time to deflect the blow that was coming at him.

Tarya had lost all sense of time. She had been fighting for a seeming eternity, her arms heavy and trembling with the effort she put up to keep the enemies at bay. Tarya didn't know how many orcs she had slain, how many goblins she had impaled or how many wargs she had killed. She just knew that they had been too many to count, and still their number only seemed to be growing instead of decreasing.

The Amarok fought on, driving one of her daggers into an orc's chest as she mercilessly cut off his head with the other one. Her breathing was heavy as the beast fell to the ground and she stepped over its lifeless body, her skin hot and her eyes gleaming with a dangerous fire. All around her the air was filled with death and blood, and Tarya did not know over how many dead bodies she'd had to step to keep on fighting. She didn't want to know.

She had lost her friends some time ago during the battle, unable to keep track of them as the fighting had forced them apart and in different directions. She had seen glimpses of her companions every now and then. Tarya had caught sight of Gloin who had smashed his war-hammer right into a warg's head, and she had seen Dwalin's mighty form through the chaos, swinging his axes at every foe that dared come his way.

But Tarya had not seen any of her friends in a while now and she was fighting on her own along with dwarves and men she didn't know and elves that she had never seen before. They worked together as a mighty force, and yet it seemed like their efforts were in vain.

The Amarok barely managed to dodge the sudden attack of a warg, diving out of the way and landing painfully on her side on the rocky ground. She groaned slightly as she pushed herself off the floor at the same time that the warg was coming at her again. She scrambled backwards as the beast charged, raising her dagger to hold it off, though this proved to be of little use. Tarya cried out in pain as the warg jumped onto her, and she heard something crack as its large claws dug into her torso as it opened its mouth, revealing fangs as sharp as spears. With a desperate cry, Tarya rammed her knives into the beast's snout repeatedly, trying to breathe through the pressure that its paws put on her chest. The Amarok groaned as the warg finally collapsed and she quickly used her legs to push it off of her before it buried her beneath its massive form.

Panting, she forced herself to scramble to her feet, pain coursing through her as she stood. She put a hand to her side, groaning in pain as she realized that the warg must have broken some of her ribs when it had jumped her. Clenching her teeth together, she forced herself into an upright position, and her knuckles turned white as her grip on her knives tightened forcefully. Tarya went on then, fighting her way further into the chaos.

It was then that she could hear the caws of birds in the air, and she looked up, seeing the familiar giant eagles flying over the battlefield, joining them in their fight. Tarya looked around, and in the distance she thought she could see a massive black form, and after a few moments she realized that Beorn had joined the battle in his bear form. A spark of hope built in her stomach then, as she fought on. The war was not yet won, but they were not alone in their fight and their efforts were not in vain.

It was after another long while of continuous fighting that Tarya finally saw one of her companions again and her eyes lit up with relief as she caught sight of Bombur's familiar large figure in the tumult, slaying orcs and goblins with sword and hammer. Tarya rammed her own knives into a goblin's head as she hurriedly picked her way over to the large redhead.

"Bombur!" she called once she was within earshot, and she watched as the large dwarf used his belly to push away a rather big oncoming goblin, throwing it off balance before he rammed his war-hammer into the creature's chest, and Tarya could hear its bones crack before it fell dead to the floor even from this distance. Only then did Bombur look over at her a happy smile coming to play on his chubby face as he caught sight of her, fighting alongside him.

"Lass!" he greeted her, swinging his sword at another enemy, though the smile didn't fall from his lips. Tarya deflected a blow from an orc, trying to ignore the overwhelming pain in her torso as she drove both knives into its chest, letting it fall to the floor before she turned back to Bombur.

"It's good to see someone that – doesn't – have – such – a – nasty- mug!" the dwarf called, with every word bringing his hammer down onto a large orc as he spoke, killing it with the last one.

"Back at you!" The Amarok replied loudly with a small grin as they fought, though her joy was cut short as she suddenly saw another orc coming up behind the redhead. "BOMBUR, WATCH OUT!"

But the large dwarf was a bit too slow as he was still fighting another enemy, and Tarya was still a little too far away to do anything as Bombur finally turned around. Tarya cried out in desperation and horror as she watched the orc raise his sword, and before Bombur could defend himself, the blade had already found its way into his body.

"NO!" Tarya cried as her eyes were trained on the end of the blade that was sticking out of Bombur's back before the orc pulled it out. The large dwarf stumbled two steps backwards before he fell to his knees.

"BOMBUR!" Tarya called as the dwarf's body hit the floor with a cruel finality, and she felt her heart tear apart as she saw his body go limp. A feral growl rose in her throat as she looked up at the orc that was grinning down at the dead dwarf cruelly before its gaze found the Amarok that was standing a few metres away. A sneer came to play on the beast's face then, and Tarya raised her knives threateningly, though her hands were trembling. She would not let this horrid beast get away with what it had just done, she swore to herself. With a wild cry, she charged forward at the same time as the orc did, and she felt its sword graze her arm as she rammed one of her knives directly between its eyes. Mercilessly, she ripped it out then, watching with a dark gleam in her eyes as the beast fell to the ground before her, all life vanished from its body.

She turned to her dead friend then, tears shimmering in her eyes as she took a step towards him, and it was then that a strange sound suddenly filled her ears. A whirring that became louder within a second and before Tarya could take another step, an arrow had ripped through her thin armour and embedded itself deep within her stomach.

A breathless wheeze left her mouth as she looked down at it, her eyes wide and her brows knitted together in something that could almost be called confusion, though it soon gave way to a horrible realization as she lost balance and fell to her knees. Tarya felt the hard and cold ground beneath her, small stones digging into her knees as she tried to take a breath. Immediately, a merciless bolt of pain shot through her and she coughed helplessly, her body trembling as she fell forward.

Tarya felt the arrow sink deeper into her flesh, mercilessly digging its way through her as her broken ribs shifted painfully within her torso. She tried to breathe through the horrible pain that was overtaking her whole body and mind. But her body refused to work properly, and air only found its way in and out of her lungs in a painful death rattle. Everything hurt as the Amarok was lying on the stony ground, unable to move as her eyes wandered over the on-going war around her. She could see people still fighting, could hear the clash of iron on iron, iron on flesh. Tarya could hear the screams and roars of dwarves that were fighting alongside men and elves, and the howls and screeches of wargs and orcs. She could smell the metallic scent of blood, could taste her own in her mouth and feel it trickling out of her body, leaving her weaker with every passing second.

Tarya could see death all around her, could hear it in the cries that echoed over the field, could see it when she looked over and saw Bombur's large form lying lifeless on the ground a few metres away from her. But most importantly, she could feel it slowly and mercilessly overtaking her own body. Its dark fingers were reaching out for her, enveloping her in a cold and numbing blanket.

Her sight was starting to get blurry and Tarya blinked slowly as her breathing became even shallower than it had already been before. The Amarok forced herself to look around, even though she couldn't move. She just wanted to see someone. She needed to see a familiar face in all this chaos and death before she died. She needed to see that even though Bombur had died, and she was dying, that their fight had not been for nothing.

An image of a smiling brunet dwarf appeared in her head as her eyes slowly started to flutter, and Tarya suddenly felt a broken and breathless sob rattle through her body, making her cringe in pain. She remembered their conversation from the night before, almost able to hear his soft voice in her head as her eyes blurred with tears that would be left unshed. She would not get to be his wife, Tarya thought as darkness overran her mind, pulling her away from the battlefield. She would not get to have a life with him, she thought as the deafening noise around her slowly started to become dull, only muffled voices and cries reaching her ears anymore as she drifted away. And once the sound of battle had gotten quieter in her ears, Tarya could suddenly hear the wind that was sweeping coldly over the field. A soft whisper in the air that was calling her name, calling her away.

She would not get to say goodbye to him, was the last thought that crossed her mind before she finally let her eyes fall closed and suddenly everything was gone, even the pain, and there was nothing more left but darkness.

"NO! KILI!" Fili cried out as he saw the attacking orc's sword tear right through his little brother's armour, leaving a large wound reaching from his left shoulder down over his whole torso. Fili was still running as he pulled a knife from his sleeve, hurling it at the orc with a wrathful cry. The blade hit the creature right in the head, and it fell to the floor as Fili approached his brother as fast as he could.

But it was too late, for now a little distance away, Bolg was making his way through the fighting, an arrow notched in his bow as his dark eyes were set firmly on the brunet dwarf-prince that was clutching helplessly at the wound on his torso. Fili could only watch helplessly as the orc's arrow ripped through the air, and another horrified cry left the blond dwarf's throat as the arrow drove mercilessly into Kili's right shoulder.

Kili cried out in pain and his eyes widened in surprise before his gaze wandered down to where the end of the orcish arrow was sticking out of his body. He looked up only to see the face of another pale orc that was awfully familiar to him, for it was the one that had already shot him once when the company had escaped from Mirkwood. Kili felt the pain of the arrow in his shoulder increase with the pain that dominated his whole upper body as he remembered the wound on his thigh that had almost cost him his life. Bolg roared dangerously at him from the distance, and Kili couldn't hold his balance any longer as he fell, his legs giving in beneath him.

The Pale Orc's spawn drew another arrow from his quiver, and Kili tried to force himself to his feet in vain. He tried to reach for his sword that was lying somewhere next to him, even though he knew that he had no chance to deflect any attack in this state. He was bleeding out on the battlefield, knowing that this would be his death. All that counted now was that Thorin lived, and that Erebor had its King. And so Kili dragged himself over on his knees to his motionless uncle, shielding Thorin with his own body as Bolg came closer.

It was as the orc released his next arrow and Kili already saw it coming at him that a broad figure suddenly pushed itself in front of him, and the young dwarf could only watch in horror as Bolg's arrow drove into Fili's body instead of his own. The blond dwarf cried out in pain as the arrow dug into his stomach, and another one followed swiftly, embedding itself in his chest. Fili fell to the ground, panting as Bolg made his way over to them through the battle.

"Why… did you… do that?!" Kili wheezed with difficulty from where he was lying next to him, half over his uncle's legs. He couldn't get his body to move, his limbs refusing to obey him as he shot a glance at the approaching orc. Fili let out a huff of breathy laughter beside him, unable to do anything else as she shot his brother a soft look.

"We do everything together, remember?" Fili breathed, grimacing in pain as he took a breath of air. Kili felt tears sting in his eyes as he shook his head, trying in vain to move, to do something as Bolg had almost reached them. The orc sneered cruelly, taking his time to bring down the final blow on the line of Durin. It was just when Bolg drew and raised his spiked battle mace and Kili felt his eyes widen with the inevitable that a sudden roar sounded from somewhere next to them and the next thing Kili saw was the large orc ripped off his feet by a mass of grey fur. Only then did the young dwarf notice that the sky had darkened once again, but not with bats this time, but with the wings of tremendous eagles that were joining the battle. Kili heard a vicious growl and then a loud cracking sound somewhere next to him, and it was a few moments later that the large head of a wolf appeared in his vision as Arkin leaned over him, leaving the dead body of Bolg behind after he had broken his neck.

Kili felt it hard to breathe as he stared up at the grey Amarok, unable to do anything as the wolf's dark golden eyes rested heavily on him. The brunet dwarf shortly clenched his eyes shut as Arkin's eyes raked over his gravely wounded body, and he swallowed tightly past the lump in his throat as he looked back at the wolf that was gazing at him pitifully with eyes that were so familiar that the sight of them stung painfully in the dwarf's heart.

"Tarya…" Kili breathed, looking at the Amarok intently. "Y-you… have to… p-please…"

Kili groaned as pain flashed through his body and he couldn't find the words he wanted to say. Arkin needed to find her, he needed to find Tarya in this chaos of death and blood and keep her safe. He needed to tell her that he was sorry, and that he loved her, because Kili would no longer be able to do it.

The young dwarf looked pleadingly into the wolf's eyes, hoping that he would understand what he wanted from him even though he couldn't say it. And after a moment, Arkin inclined his head slightly, letting out a low grumbling sound that sounded almost comforting to Kili. And then the grey Amarok turned away and chased off, and was lost out of Kili's sight as it made its way further into the battle.

It was a long while that the two dwarf brothers lay by each other's side after that, near their uncle's motionless form. The air was filled with their breaths that were getting shallower with every passing minute. Kili felt cold, and tired, not even really noticing the pain in his body anymore. He knew that he was dying, slowly but surely, and he knew that his big brother was dying along with him right next to him.

"F-Fili?" he breathed weakly, turning his head on the cold rocky floor so he could look at his brother. Fili's eyes were closed, and for a horrible moment Kili thought that he had gone, had died, without saying anything, but upon his words the blond dwarf's eyes slowly fluttered open again. Kili gulped as he met his big brother's tired gaze, the bright blue of Fili's eyes now dull and glassy.

"Hmm?"

His voice was nothing more than a broken and raw murmur in the noise around them, but Kili heard it nonetheless and he took a deep, rattling breath before he spoke again.

"I… I asked… her to marry me…"

"Tarya?" Fili asked, the name falling from his lips in quiet question.

"No, Bofur," Kili ground out, hearing a breathy chuckle rise from beside him before it was drowned out by a rattling coughing. Kili waited until Fili had calmed again and was lying quietly beside him once more. "Of course… Tarya."

"That's great, Kee…" Fili murmured tiredly, blindly reaching for his brother's hand on the hard ground, squeezing it as he found it. "I've always wanted… a little sister…"

Kili couldn't say anything in reply, as a coughing fit shook him, and it was only when he had regained at least some of his breath that the brunet dwarf could taste the blood in his mouth. He slightly tilted his head, spitting it out onto the rocky floor beneath him. Fili squeezed his hand again, and Kili returned the gesture, swallowing tightly as he clenched his eyes shut. Breathing was getting harder now, and his mind was refusing to focus any longer.

"H-hey, Kee?" Fili's voice pulled him back from his trance, albeit he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes anymore. He simply waited for his brother to speak, which Fili did after taking another shallow breath. Kili could hear the faint smile in his brother's voice. "D-do you… think your children would… have been… dwarflings… or pups?"

And then Kili couldn't help the silent tears anymore that spilled from underneath his closed lids, streaming down his dirt and blood stained cheeks. A teary, almost inaudible chuckle left him as he answered.

"Shut up," he choked out with a small smile, and heard Fili's breathy and broken laugh ring in his ears before everything gave way to darkness. And there was no more battle, and no more pain to Kili's great relief. But there was also no more Thorin, no more Fili, and no more Tarya. There wasn't even Kili himself anymore, as the blackness swallowed everything.