A/N: And so here it is. I am not well versed in battle tactics and fighting but I could see what I wanted to portray in my head. I hope I conveyed it well and didn't ruin anything. This is NOT the end, I still have a few more chapters to take us through, but we're close. I listened to Brunuhville while writing, mainly "My Kingdom," "Awakening (Part II): The Last Chapter," and "From Darkness She Rises" (all from his Tale From the Lost Kingdom album) during this chapter, especially Rhae's scenes. Really, you should check the guy out; he's brilliant!
A/N2: Chapters 1 - 7 have been revised/updated a bit.
ro781727: Yes, we are to it. I couldn't put it off any longer. You will see some of that reaction in this chapter.
My Petal Heart: Thank you!
As always, the genius is all Tolkien and PJ. I'm just a dreamer. :)
There was a deep rumbling coming from the east. Everyone turned, eyeing the ridge just beyond the mountain. Dust seemed to be rising on top of it and then heavily armed dwarves appeared out of the haze, led by a red-bearded dwarf riding a massive, armored boar. Rhae felt her shoulders sink even as the company around her began to cheer.
"Dain," she mumbled under her breath. There would be no avoiding battle now. She thought of the constant messages taken by the ravens; Thorin had been preparing for a fight since the beginning. She heard Thranduil yell something and his army swung around to face the approaching dwarves, the Lake-Men behind them. She shot a quick look at Thorin, displeasure clear on her face. A smug, satisfied grin crossed his lips as he watched his cousin. She would smack him if she thought it would make any difference. The two armies halted a very short distance from each other and Dain rode his boar onto an small rocky overlook. He looked up at the gate of Erebor and raised his massive warhammer.
"Hey! Thorin!" he called cheerily. The company responded enthusiastically.
"Good morning! How are we all?" he addressed the elves and men in front of him calmly, as if he was speaking at a feast, his voice easily carrying over the valley. "I have a wee proposition, if you wouldn't mind giving me a few moments of your time. Would you consider - just sodding off?!" While the Lake-Men seemed to step back in fear at the imposing dwarf glaring down at them, the elves pulled out their swords and took a step forward.
Dain glowered. "All of you - right now!"
She heard Bard yell at his men and then Gandalf's voice rose over everything. The wizard stepped beyond the rows of elves, placing himself between the two armies, giving Dain a respectful bow as he did so.
"Come now, Lord Dain!" The red haired dwarf turned to look appraisingly at the wizard.
"Gandalf the Grey. Tell this rabble to leave or I'll water the ground with their blood."
"There is no need for war between dwarves, men, and elves! A legion of orcs is marching on the mountain. Stand your army down!"
Rhae couldn't stifle her gasp at hearing the wizard's words. Everything clicked into place. Azog already had a grudge against the Line of Durin and wanted Thorin dead. The orcs were aligned with the Dark Lord who wanted to regain power and control over Middle-Earth. Erebor was a strategic location to dominate the surrounding lands. So He had sent in his minion to dispatch of Thorin and his kin, believing that would leave this land free for him to take over and control. She stumbled a bit, Bofur and Nori reaching out to steady her. Thorin hadn't seemed to notice her movement but Balin had and he looked at her in concern as he hurried to her side.
"How did I not realize it? How could I not have connected the pieces? I should've known ..." she whispered. The elderly dwarf put a comforting arm around her shoulder.
"Do not place more unnecessary guilt on your shoulders, Rhaella," he told her. "You are not a wizard and even wizards cannot see everything." She just put her head in her hands; that sense of spiraling out of control was making her sick. It felt almost as if she was drowning and not able to find anything to grab hold of to stop her sinking.
"This was the last move in a master plan, long in the making," she cried softly. Balin just stared at her in shock before they turned back around to stare at what was happening before the mountain.
Below them Dain was still conversing with Gandalf. "I will not stand down before any elf! Not least this faithless woodland sprite!" He pointed his warhammer towards Thranduil and there were loud guffaws from Thorin's company. "He wishes nothing but ill upon my people! If he chooses to stand between me and my kin - I'll split his pretty head open! See if he's still smirking then!" Dain jerked his boar around and headed back to the front lines of his army. Gandalf called after him but to no avail. Rhae felt like everything was whirling around her; her heart was pounding erratically and it was getting hard to breathe. She was panicking.
"Let them advance; see how far they get." Rhae could almost hear the smirk on Thranduil's face and she had never wanted to hit him as much as she did then.
"You think I give a dead dog for your threats, you pointy eared princess?" Dain hollared back over his shoulder. "Ya hear that lads? We're on! Let's give these bastards a good hammering!" There was a loud battle cry from the Iron Hills army. Thranduil ordered his army to begin moving forward, leaving the Lake-Men behind. Rhae wanted to scream at the stubborn, pig-headedness of dwarves and elves. There was movement from the dwarven army and hundreds of armed battle rams began rushing down the hill to meet the elves. At an order from their king, the elven archers sent up hundreds of arrows in the direction of the advancing dwarves. They never made it to their target and even Rhae had to gasp at what happened next. The heavy war machines behind the dwarven lines fired what appeared almost like spinning crossbow bolts at the elven arrows, completely tearing through them and leaving the projectiles as nothing more than harmless woodchips, then hurtling into the ranks of elves, wiping out rows and rows of them. Thorin's company cheered mightily at the display from their kin.
"Hey! How do you like that, you old twiddly-widdly?" Dain called mockingly down at the Elvenking who was staring in shock at the carnage around him. The elves tried again but with the same result. The dwarves' battle rams were barreling down on Thranduil's army and the front lines quickly formed a two layer shield-wall ... which the battle rams ran right over top of and crashed into the soldiers behind. The rest of Dain's army rushed into the fray and the two races slammed into each other with a sickening crash of metal.
"No, no, no!" Rhae whispered agonizingly, shaking her head. She stood there, gripping the stone with white knuckles, watching helplessly as dwarves and elves fought - and probably died - needlessly. For once the company was not cheering. There were expressions of shock and concern on their faces - except for Thorin who merely watched the conflict raging beneath him. Fíli caught her words and came to her side.
"Rhae, what's wrong?"
"Don't you get it? Didn't you hear Gandalf's words? There's -" She didn't get to finish the thought. A deep guttural growling echoed through the valley and the ground began to shake slightly. Everyone - men, dwarves, and elves - froze where they stood, all eyes turned to the mountain. This finally caught Thorin's attention and he lifted his head, a flicker of worry crossing his face as the noise steadily grew louder.
"Were-worms." The anxiousness was thick in her voice. She stared, wide-eyed, as the ground suddenly burst outward from the southern spur of the mountain and a monstrous worm appeared from the ground. Three more burst forth, easily crushing massive boulders with their teeth, their mouths nothing but huge drilling machines. They disappeared as quickly as they had appeared and there was a moment of tense silence as everyone waited. Words shouted in Black Speech drew their attention towards Ravenhill and Rhae felt anger and fear coil in her belly. Azog stood there, armed for battle, massive contraptions of wood and cloth behind him. At his call a horn sounded, there was another low rumbling, and legions of orcs began pouring from the tunnels.
"The hordes of hell are upon us!" Dain yelled at his men. "To battle! To battle sons of Durin!" The entire dwarven army changed direction and rushed headlong towards the quickly approaching orcs - while the elves remained where they were. She stared down at Thranduil, horrified that even in the face of the hordes of orcs baring down on them he wouldn't lift a finger.
"I'm going over the wall! Who's coming with me?" Fíli cried, hurrying towards the rope that Bilbo had scurried down earlier. The other members of the company cheered and moved to follow him. Rhae moved to rip her skirts off so she could go with them.
"Stand down!"
"What?" someone, Gloin she thought, said in confusion.
Fíli stared at his uncle uncomprehendingly. "Are we to do nothing?"
"I said STAND DOWN!" Thorin glared at them all, then turned and stomped down the stairs, not giving the chaos in front of the mountain a second thought. They all stared at each other in shock, unwilling to believe that their king had essentially just told them to abandon their kin to the orcs. She lunged back to the wall, gaping as the clearly outnumbered dwarven army quickly built their shield-wall; she couldn't believe that Thranduil was just going to sit there and do nothing. Surly he knew that as soon as the orcs tore through Dain's army they would be upon the elves. Just as the enemy approached the dwarves, elven soldiers leapt over the shields and tore into the orcs. The ElvenKing spurred his mount forward as well, though he glanced up and caught Rhae's eye for a split second. She nodded briefly at him.
"Come on. We need to find Thorin," Balin told them with a sigh. With a last, helpless look at the battle, she followed the company back into the mountain.
While Bofur and Fíli looked for the king, Rhae hurried back to their chambers, quickly donning her usual leggings, tunic, and jerkin. She rushed back to the company, yanking her bracers on and buckling her sword at her hip.
"He's in the throne room," she heard Bofur saying as she dashed around the corner.
"We can't let Dain fight this battle alone!" Kíli cried urgently.
"I'll go to him," Dwalin told them.
"I will come with you, Dwalin. Perhaps between the two of us..." she trailed off. There was little chance they'd be able to convince Thorin. He seemed irrevocably lost to them but she had to try. No words were spoken between them as they went looking for the dwarf king. He was slouched on his throne, staring hard at them as they approached. Rhae just wanted to sob every time she looked into his eyes. It hurt beyond measure to see the blue she so loved darkened with greed and madness.
Dwalin was the first to break the silence. "Since when do we forsake our own people? Thorin, they are dying out there."
"There are halls beneath halls in this mountain - places we can fortify." It was as if he hadn't heard his friend at all. "Shore up, make safe...yes - that is it." He stepped down to Dwalin. "We must move the gold further underground." The disappointment was clear on the burly dwarf's face and Rhae had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pain.
Thorin began walking away but Dwalin wasn't giving up. "Did you not hear me? Dain is surrounded! They're being slaughtered, Thorin!" The king's next words chilled her to the bone and she had to fight hard to keep the tears from spilling over.
"Many die in war. Life is cheap. But a treasure such as this cannot be counted in lives lost. It is worth all the blood we can spend!"
Dwalin shook his head sadly, grief lacing his voice. "You sit here in these vast halls, with a crown upon your head, and yet you are lesser now than you have ever been." Rhae's heart ached for the dwarf warrior, having to watch his friend, the companion he had grown up with and followed his whole life, lose himself in the dragon sickness.
"Do not speak to me as if I were some lowly dwarf lord..." Thorin's voice cracked and he raised a gauntleted hand to his head. He seemed almost visibly shaken. "As - as if I were still...Thorin...Oakenshield." Those words were what finally broke Rhae.
"Thorin, look at you!" She was barely able to get the words out over the sob in her throat. His head was in his hands, his struggle obvious. "Bilbo was right. Can you not see what you've become?" She stepped close to him, her hands grasping at his arms. "You are still in there, Thorin, I know you are. Please! Come back - come back to me!"
The voice in his head recognized the power she had over him, sensed the conflict within his heart, knew that she could pull him back and the sickness would not be denied. It whispered its poison to the king.
"I am your king!" he bellowed, rearing up suddenly, drawing his sword. As he did so he shoved her from him. Caught off guard she flung out her arms to regain her balance but the edge of the throne caught her in the back of the leg, sending her tumbling backwards down the steps. She landed with a dull thud at the bottom and Dwalin leapt after her to keep her body from tumbling over the edge.
"Rhae!" Her eyes were closed and there was a scratch on her cheek but he could see she was still breathing. He came to his feet and turned to Thorin.
"You were always my king, you used to know that once. But I would rather have no king if this is what a crown and a treasure does to you! Thorin, my friend, my king, would never cower behind walls and let others fight his battles. My king would never strike his wife and mother of his child."
For a second his words seemed to break through the fog in Thorin's mind. The king stared down at Rhae's still body with fear in his eyes. Dwalin held his breath. But then the sickness whispered to him again and the moment of clarity was gone.
"Go. Get out before I kill you."
Dwalin hesitated a second before retracing his steps, gently lifting Rhae into his arms as he left. There was only silence behind him. He hurried back to the company, knowing the woman in his arms needed help.
.
"Oin!" he called as soon as he could hear their voices.
"Dwalin?!" Kíli cried as the burly dwarf appeared with Rhae limp in his arms.
"Mahal what happened?" Balin gasped. His brother couldn't answer. He couldn't seem to form the words so he remained silent as he laid her gently on the floor. "What -? Did - did Thorin...?"
Fíli's head shot up. "What did my uncle do?" His voice was low with anger.
"She was pleading with him. It seemed for a moment that she was getting through to him and then..." He frowned at the memory, looking down at where the lass was laying, Oin already hovering over her. "He shoved her from him and it sent her to the ground at the foot of the throne." He couldn't tell Thorin's nephews everything that had been said; seeing what he had done to Rhae was crushing enough for them.
There was a low moan and Rhae's eyes opened to see Oin's concerned face hovering above hers, Dwalin, Balin, and Fíli's just behind his.
"Have I missed something?" she asked, puzzled. She made to sit up but Oin kept her from moving.
"Stay still a moment, lass. I need to see if you're concussed or not. You had a bit of a fall?"
"A bit of a fall?" The scene in the throne room suddenly flashed through her mind and her eyes swung immediately to Dwalin. She could see the truth on his face. It hadn't been a dream.
"Does anything hurt?" Oin asked, peering in her eyes.
Nothing but the shattered pieces of my heart.
"Back of my head feels a bit sore and something stings on my cheek."
The healer nodded and sat back. "I believe you're fine, lass. Luckily your skull is as thick as a dwarf's. It'll be sore for a bit. I'll clean up that scratch on your cheek but it doesn't need stitches."
"Well that's a first," she replied drily. Balin could only sake his head with a smile. Even after everything she'd endured today (and he could see the pain in her eyes) she could joke about herself.
"How long was I out?"
"Just a few minutes," Dwalin told her.
She came slowly to her feet, looking over the company as she did so. An air of dejection hung over them all, uncertainty on every face. It wasn't hard to know why. The principles that were ingrained in them, loyalty to one's kin and loyalty to one's king, were in horrible conflict now. They could hear the battle outside the walls but had been told they could not help. It pained her even further to think of the hurt they were going through.
"I need a few moments alone," she finally said and no one stopped her as she walked away.
Fíli and Dwalin found her in the armory. She was standing, hands clasped behind her back just as Thorin did when we was deep in thought, before a silver chain mail shirt and pauldrons. It took a moment of thought but Dwalin eventually realized that it was the Queen's armor, carefully crafted for the wife of the monarch. He had no idea if Thorin's grandmother had ever worn it.
"Rhae?" Fíli asked cautiously.
"This armor is beautiful," she mussed, almost to herself.
"Aye that it is," Dwalin replied. "It was made for Thorin's grandmother, the last Queen Under the Mountain." The slight raising of her chin and straightening of her shoulders was the only indication that she'd even heard him. The two dwarves were at a loss as to what to do.
"Those are your kin out there dying, dying in defense of our home." She finally turned to them, the defeat in her eyes replaced with her usual fire. "I cannot stand here behind these walls while there is a battle at my doorstep. If the King Under the Mountain will not act, then the Queen will." She snatched up a sword that was displayed next to the armor. "I will defend the birthright of mine and Thorin's child. I will go to the aid of your kin. Join me if you will." The two gaped at her for a moment, then Dwalin nodded, pride flaring in his chest for this lass. She was truly a queen for Erebor.
"I am with you, my Queen," he told her. She smiled grimly at him. Fíli was torn between wanting to protect her and the battle call that was in her voice. However the determination he saw in her face swayed him and he placed his hand over his heart as Dwalin had, showing his pledge to her side.
"Help me get suited up. Nothing heavy. I want to be able to move quickly and I don't want my movements restricted in anyway."
The golden floor gleamed in the low light of the hall.
Thorin walked across it, his back hunched over as a battle of voices warred in his head. No matter what he tried they would not be silenced. Dwalin, Balin, and the Bargeman's voices all mixed with his own.
"You sit here with a crown upon your head ... you are lesser now than you have ever been."
"... a sickness lies on that treasure ..."
"... the blind ambition of a mountain king."
"AM I NOT THE KING?"
"I will not part with a single coin."
"... he could not see beyond his own desire ..."
"... as if I were some lowly dwarf lord ... Oakenshield ..."
"... a sickness that drove your grandfather mad!"
"I am not my grandfather..."
He gripped the sides of his head as three more voices joined in the turmoil, Gandalf, Bilbo, and ... Rhae ...
"I will not let that darkness have you."
"You are the heir to the line of Durin."
"You are still in there, Thorin!"
"... Dain is surrounded ... surrounded ..."
"... take back ... take back Erebor."
"You are changed, Thorin."
"I am not my grandfather."
"... is this treasure truly worth more than your honor?"
"I am not my grandfather!"
"Come back, come back to me!"
The voices stopped suddenly and he stood there panting, trying to clear his mind. He felt like he was being torn into pieces. He looked down at the golden floor to see the shadow of Smaug slither by under his feet. He jerked, taking several steps away, before a scream ripped from his lips as the floor beneath him began sinking, taking him with it. He tried to stop his descent but there was nothing to grab onto, the walls of the quickly developing sinkhole were smooth as glass. With a final scream he sank into the gold and it closed over his head.
Thorin gasped as he stumbled backwards. He stared at the smooth golden floor for a moment, then ripped the crown from his head and tossed it aside. It landed with a heavy clink and skittered away. He stood there, breathing hard for several moments, images of his horrible vision flitting through his mind, mixed with vague memories from recent events within the mountain. A sudden picture of Rhae stumbling backwards from his shove and falling before the throne blazed before him, her eyes wide in shock and hurt.
"Oh Mahal what have I done?" he cried out. He yanked the heavy robes off his body and stalked out of the hall, pieces of golden armor falling away as he loosened them and let them fall as he went. He had to find the company, he had to find Rhae.
The company heard someone approaching and their muted conversation faded when they caught sight of the female between Dwalin and Fíli. Balin felt tears of pride prick at his eyes. The silver chain mail hung almost to her knees, covering her leather jerkin. The pauldrons and bracers shone in the dim light, the edges etched with runes and decoration. Her bow and quiver were on her back and the Queen's engraved sword now sat at her hip. Rhae looked magnificent, every inch a warrior queen. The dwarves all bowed their heads to her.
"Please do not do that," she pleaded. She looked them over. "I carry the heir to the line of Durin and I will not stand by watching as another defends his heritage. That filth out there threatens us all, our very way of life. I will join Dain in front of the gate. As your Queen I could command you to follow me but I'm not. You are all my dearest friends and I leave that decision to each of you."
There was a pause and then Balin raised his sword, echoing his brother's words. "I am with you, my Queen." The others followed suit, amazed to see their Ranger transformed into a true queen before their eyes. She pressed her lips together grimly and nodded at them.
"Dwalin, I'm going to need your advice here. I've been in countless skirmishes against orcs but never a battle of this magnitude." As they stepped to the side a noise behind them caused everyone to turn slowly. Out of the glow a figure emerged, striding towards them. Rhae felt something tighten in her chest.
"Thorin," she breathed. He stood before them, crown and heavy robes and armor gone, blue eyes clear once more. She wanted to rush to him but something held her back; for the first time in their acquaintance she was unsure of him.
Kíli came to his feet, taking several angry steps towards his uncle. "I will not hide behind a wall of stone while others fight our battles for us!" he yelled. The two slowly approached each other and Kíli continued though his voice was much sadder this time. "It is not in my blood, Thorin."
"No, it is not. We are sons of Durin. And Durin's folk do not flee from a fight." Thorin placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder, a smile on his face. He was proud of the honor and loyalty Kíli was exhibiting. There were a few tears in the brunette prince's eyes as Thorin laid his forehead against his. Rhae had to swallow back her own tears as she watched the scene before her.
Thorin finally turned to the rest of them. "I have no right to ask this of any of you, but will you follow me one last time?" There was a heavy silence after he spoke and then the company each raised their weapons, showing their support of their king. He nodded slightly before turning to his wife. Rhae was a bit to the side where she had been watching, clad in the silver armor of the Queen Under the Mountain, sword at her hip, bow over her back. She took his breath away.
"I am sorry," he whispered, brushing a finger across the scratch on her cheek. He could still see doubt in her eyes and it cut through him like a hot blade.
"What happened, Thorin?"
"I finally came to my senses and saw what I had let myself become." He took a cautious step closer. "Your voice calling to me was the last thing I heard in my madness; it helped to pull me back." She searched his eyes frantically, looking for any sign of that darkness that had consumed him for so long. It was not there. Only clear blue stared back at her. With a half-strangled sob she threw herself into his arms. Thorin clasped her to him in relief.
"Come. We have to hurry," he told them.
"You cannot ask this of me, Thorin." There was fire in her eyes. "You cannot ask me to hide myself away. I stayed in Lake-Town but I will not be left behind again."
"It is for your protection and that of our child."
"I will not hide in the mountain, it is not my way. I will not begin my time as Queen Under the Mountain as a coward. I know how to kill orcs better than many standing here now. I will remain by your side."
He could see the determination on her face and his mind raced to find a compromise. He would not be able to concentrate knowing she was out on the battlefield. His eyes fell on the bow slung over her back and a plan presented itself. Now if he could get her to agree.
"I do not want you on the battlefield but there is something you can do that will help us." Rhae paused, wanting to argue, but nodded at him to continue. "No one in this company is as skilled with a bow as you. I want you to provide us cover from up there." He pointed to a small platform almost even with the gate. "Your eyes are better trained to seek out targets and you are quick enough to remain hidden so the enemy doesn't spot you."
Her lips were pressed together and he prayed to Mahal that she would agree. He needed to know his wife and child were safe. After an agonizing moment she nodded and Thorin visibly relaxed. As much as she wanted to be by his side, she could see some sense in his words. The heir to the line of Durin had to be protected if possible. She just wished she didn't have to stay in the mountain to do it.
The company made their preparations, grabbing weapons and all forgoing the heavy armor they had been wearing earlier for lighter chain mail. They brought several quivers of arrows to her which she took a bit reluctantly. When everything was set they all looked at each other in silence. Everyone knew what awaited them outside the barricade and that it was probable that none of them would survive. No words were spoken as the dwarves took their place. Thorin approached his wife, holding something in his hands. It was a very finely worked silver circlet, the thin strands resembling ravens' wings. He placed it carefully on her and it sat across her forehead lightly.
"I want all dwarves to see that you are my chosen Queen, my wife, my One. No one else will know the significance of this circlet but any dwarf will recognize it." She was speechless, a few tears falling freely as she once again saw that love and adoration in his eyes. Not caring who saw, Thorin kissed Rhae passionately, then pressed his forehead to hers and placed a hand gently on her chain mail covered stomach.
"Be careful, Rhae. You are more precious to me than all the gold in this mountain. I am sorry it took until now for me to see it."
"I love you, Thorin Oakenshield. I never stopped."
She saw moisture form in his eyes and she wrapped her arms around him again. He held her close, burying his face in her hair, taking in a last breath of that comforting scent of lavender. "I love you, Rhaella." He kissed her again and then motioned for her to take her place above them. Pausing only a moment to take a last look at him she quickly scampered up to her spot next to Bombur.
The sight on the battlefield was nauseating. The elven and dwarven armies were clearly outnumbered and Dain had pulled his men back towards the gate. She could see orcs pouring into Dale as well. They would not survive this.
The horn of Erebor echoed across the valley and all, dwarf, elf, and orc paused. As the sound of the horn faded there was a moment of pregnant silence. Suddenly there was a deafening crash as the stone blocking the Front Gate came bursting out, a golden statue strung up as a bell breaking through. Rhae felt a flood of pride come over her as she watched Thorin and the company come rushing forth, the dwarven battle cry on their lips. She watched amazed as the soldiers in Dain's army executed precise turns, opening a pathway for the company to pass through. Her heart swelled even further when she heard Dain's cry.
"To the King! To the King!"
She turned and patted Bombur on the arm.
"Mahal be with you," she said with a grim smile.
"And with you, my Queen."
Once Bombur had left she took a deep breath and grabbed her bow, focusing on Thorin's position in the fray below her as she nocked an arrow. Spotting him she quickly released, not even watching as the arrow found its mark in the head of an orc; she had moved to her next target. Everything began to fade away as she focused on the company and her arrows. Rhaella was pushed back to be replaced once again with Stryker the Ranger. She darted between the numerous stones to remain hidden, always shooting from a different spot to avoid detection.
Even with the extra supply the dwarves had given her, the arrows began to run out and she had lost sight of Thorin. She stepped back from the edge, considering her options quickly. She had done as her husband asked; she had stayed and given them cover but now the company was spread out among the other dwarves. Coming to a decision she slung her bow back over her shoulder and sprinted down the stairs. Once she had run through the Front Gate she pulled the Queen's sword and rushed towards the fight, a dwarven battle cry on her lips.
Her blood was up and an exhilarating satisfaction flowed through her veins with each orc she brought down. Never before had she fought with such ferocity. All she could think about was Thorin and the child she carried under her heart. Every swing of her blade was for them, for the company. Her sword slashed mercilessly through skin and bone, a smug, savage grin on her face at the gurgling sound of dying orcs. Many of the enemy underestimated her because of her small stature but they soon realized their mistake as the quick moving female dodged around them, finding weaknesses in their armor and taking down each one she faced. One did manage to swing a dagger at her, cutting a line from her chin and onto her neck. She roared in anger and slashed her sword across the orc from hip to groin then kicked the writhing form to the ground before attacking the next one in her vision. There were several instances where she ended up fighting alongside one of the dwarves from the Iron Hills and if they hadn't been in the thick of battle she might have laughed at the surprised expressions on their faces when they realized it was a female they were fighting alongside and that she wore the battle circlet of the Queen of Erebor.
The sounds and smells of a battlefield were ones that she would never be able to wash from her mind. She had been in numerous orc raids but nothing of this magnitude or significance. The sounds of weapons clashing, skin ripping and bones breaking, screams of pain, they were all around her. The battle cries, the roars of the orcs and trolls, the rumbling of the walls of Dale as sections came crashing down, it was all jumbling together. On top of it all was the sickening, metallic smell of blood, the stench of gore and excrement. After it was all over she might be sick if she thought about it but for now she was too focused on killing every orc she came across and protecting the child under leather and chain mail. She knew that when it came time to train her son in the art of war she would be sure to drill into him that battle is neither fun nor pleasant; it is agony, a maelstrom of screeching sounds and disgusting smells.
There was a slight lull in the fighting around her and she wiped a dirty hand across her forehead, smearing Mahal knows what across her skin. The cut on her chin and neck stung but she paid it no mind. Taking several deep breaths she hefted her sword again only to come face to face with a large, red bearded dwarf.
"Lord Dain," she said, inclining her head to him. He stared at her, his mouth actually hanging open a bit as he spotted the circlet on her head. Of all the things he had expected to find when he answered his cousin's call, discovering Thorin had taken a bride was not one of them. And what a sight she was! Eyes blazing with fire, a bleeding cut on her face and neck, mud and black orc blood spattered all over her.
"My lady," he finally replied, bowing slightly to her in return.
"No need for pleasantries right now." She interrupted herself to turn and whip her sword across the belly of an orc that had tried to catch them unawares, spilling his entrails on the ground. The satisfied smirk on her face when she turned back to him made the Lord of the Iron Hills chuckle out loud. Apparently his cousin had found quite a spitfire to take as his bride. "Where is Thorin?"
"He's gone after Azog."
"What? Alone?"
"No, lass. He took his nephews and one other dwarf with him." She turned quickly to glance up at Ravenhill where she'd last spotted Azog. Besides the wooden signaling flags, it was empty. It felt like she'd swallowed stones as she realized what Thorin was planning on doing. She took a step in that direction but a firm hand on her arm stopped her. Dain was looking at her severely.
"You cannot go up there. He has to focus on the enemy with no distractions."
"But -"
"No buts!" He saw the terror in her eyes and tried to soften his tone slightly. "You cannot help him now."
She clinched her sword so tightly her knuckles turned white but nodded at Dain. Any further conversation was halted as another wave of orcs rushed at them. As his cousin had realized months ago, Dain saw that the female beside him was a force to be reckoned with in a fight. The savage way she attacked anything that came near her would make any dwarf proud. He tried to stay near her but they were eventually separated as the battle ebbed and flowed around them.
Rhae found herself alone, the bodies of several dead orcs at her feet. The battle lines had moved a bit closer to Dale and she took off in that direction. She hadn't taken many steps when she suddenly felt a searing pain in her chest. Looking down she expected to see an orc blade or arrow buried in her and saw - nothing. There was no one around her except several dwarves from Dain's army hurrying in the same direction as she was. She glanced back down at her chest, running her hand over the chain mail, searching for an injury. There was nothing. Suddenly the pain flared through her again and she gasped. It was if she was being stabbed through the ribs. A horrifying thought made her feel instantly cold and she spun around, looking up at Ravenhill.
"Thorin!" she cried in agony.
Revised/Edited April 2016