Chapter 20: A Quick Ending

When Bella came to, she was surrounded by bodies of various species, and there was the sound of shouting coming from behind her. Somewhat dizzy after being hit on the head, she stumbled to her feet to look for the source of the familiar voice. A good ways away, she saw a sight in the sunrise that made her scream in terror. Thorin was on his back with Bolg standing over him, a blade held to her King's chest. "No!" she screamed as she started to run towards them, but she knew she would never make it.

While running, she could do nothing but watch as Bolg's blade went through Thorin's chest. He didn't even yell out in pain, he just gasped before going limp. "NO! Please no," she screeched. Bolg withdrew his sword, and as Thorin lay there unmoving, Bella felt like it was she who got stabbed. Air was impossible to get into her lungs, and tears began to pool over her cheeks. Gone. Her Thorin was gone. Dead. The last words he had said to her had been filled with hatred and malice. She could never explain to him why she did what she did.

A sudden flash of red hot anger flared in her, surprising her. She saw Bolg take off at a run away from the Mountain, since though the King was dead, the goblins and wargs had lost the battle. At that moment, Bella swore to herself that she would kill that goblin. With a final sorrowful glance at her lover, she shed one more tear before she turned to pursue Bolg.

The goblin was several times faster than her, so Bella knew that she would have to track the beast, since keeping up with him would be impossible. With her ring on, she ran through the battlefield, not looking at any of the bodies, scared that there would be people that she had known. Away from the Mountain is where she ran, following the heavy footsteps of Bolg, cursing his name. Perhaps one day she would return, since she carried the future king or queen in her whom, but she also doubted that the child would live through this recklessness. Yet, avenging Thorin was not debatable.

For many days she trekked through Smaug-desolated forests, across rocky hills and small mountains, and through large deer-infested grasslands. Food was scarce, as was water, but she managed to survive as she followed Bolg. The large goblin rarely slept and traveled swiftly. Bella wondered where he was going, but she figured that she did not care. Other goblins had joined Bolg along the way, but there were still only ten of them in total.

When she slept she got the feeling that she was being followed, but overall she ignored it. There was no one left who would care to follow her.

It was on the forty-third day away that she finally caught up to them. All of them were sleeping, including Bolg, inside a large cave. Only one was awake, a watchman, who sat outside the cave sharpening his blade. With her ring on, she slipped up behind him silently and slit the watchman's throat. He fell forward, but Bella quietly lowered the corpse to the ground before tiptoeing into the cave.

One by one, she slit the goblin's throats carefully, until there was only Bolg left. As she turned to him, she was shocked to see that he was awake, sitting up, and looking for her. "Sneaky little whelp. You've killed all my comrades in their sleep, but will you be able to hold your own while your foe is awake?"

Bolg stood up, a strange looking sword in one hand, and an ax in the other. He approached her general area slowly, and she backed up in response until they were outside the cave and standing under the cloud covered sky. The goblin simply stood and waited with a sick grin on his face, eager for her to make the first move. "Make yourself visible, so we can fight properly," he said.

Bella almost laughed, but darted to the side and made a gash along his side with Sting. She narrowly dodged as he swung the ax at her. "You vile creature! Show yourself!"

"You killed Thorin, King under the Mountain. You will die today," she snarled viciously, anger pumping the blood through her veins double time. The anguish she felt had been suppressed by her need for revenge, and it caused something inside her to snap.

Once more, she lunged forward and made a huge gash along Bolg's thigh, which squirted blood out in a tremendous amount. A loud yell escaped him as he swung his sword at her, and she could not get out of its path quick enough. It came down in an arc and slashed her across the back in the middle of her retreat. She bit her lip to keep from screaming, but Bolg knew that he got her good. Blood poured from her back and splashed the ground. Bella knew that she needed to end this fast.

Taking her sword and saying a quick prayer that it worked, she threw it straight and true so that it lodged in the monster's throat. Bolg gurgled as blood pooled from his mouth, and Bella removed the ring so that he could see the small frail creature that killed him. The goblin fell over dead, never to move again. Stumbling forward, Bella pulled Sting from its neck before walking over to a tree where she collapsed on the grass.

Bolg lay dead, and she lay dying.

The wound on her back was long and deep, sending waves of sharp pain that went radiating through her entire body. "It is done Thorin. Forgive me."

The sound of voices rang in her ears for a second before she knew no more.