Chapter 32

The fight to reach the ruined city was intense. Even though she was supposed to be leading the company, Annelise quickly found herself surrounded on all sides by a wall of dwarves protecting her from the orcs around them.

Seeing that no orcs were going to be able to reach her, Annelise put away her twin blades and pulled her bow from its quiver and quickly began picking off orcs as they drew near to the circle of warriors. With this method she was able to take out any orcs that were making an effort to catch the dwarves unawares.

By the time the small group had finally reached the bridge into the city, Annelise had saved almost every single one of the dwarves protecting her from being struck down unexpectedly. Although they were all a little worse for wear, they had managed to make it to the city without losing a single member of their unit.

Annelise quickly looked around once they passed under the arch into the city, trying to assess the situation. As far as she could tell, the fighting was mostly taking place further into the city and she quickly called the dwarves attention to her.

"We will make our way to the middle of the city. If we can find Gandalf, he will tell us where we are most needed."

With nothing more than nods in response from the dwarves around her, Annelise moved forward into the city. As they pushed their way further in, they took out as many orcs as they could and gathered any civilians they passed into the middle of their circle for protection.

When they came across an old man trying to beat back orcs with a stray board of wood, Annelise quickly jumped away from the dwarves and moved to assist him.

She managed to stop a fatal blow from the orcs weapon with her bow and quickly drew one of her twin blades to take it down.

The old man stared at her in surprise, not seeing her approaching him to help.

After checking to make sure that no other orcs were coming near, Annelise turned to check on the elderly man.

"Are you hurt?," she asked, quickly looking over his form for any injuries.

"I am alright, miss, thanks to you," he answered, a kind smile forming on his face despite the bleak circumstances. He looked and saw the company of dwarves that were following behind her, before turning to look at her in confusion.

"Are you here to help us?"

"Yes, we are," she smiled up at the man, not entirely used to being around people that were taller than her. "But we could use your help as well. Could you tell me where Bard or Gandalf might be?"

"I don't know about this Gandalf fellow but I can tell you that Bard was in the old market on the north side of the town when last I heard."

"Can you show us the way?," Annelise asked urgently, figuring that Gandalf would likely be near the leader of the Lakemen.

"Of course, my lady," he answered and Annelise grabbed onto his arm to help maneuver him into the middle of the circle of dwarves with the others they had rescued.

After careful instructions from the man, Annelise and the dwarves began fighting their way in the direction they were told.

She knew they were getting close to the center of the fighting as the further into the city they went the more orcs they encountered.

"Is there anywhere that you know of where civilians will be hiding?," Annelise yelled over her shoulder as she fought to push back a particularly huge orc.

"The great hall is just ahead and to the right," one of the women they were protecting answered her.

With one final swing of her blade, Annelise took down her opponent and turned to one of the dwarves next to her.

"Take three others with you and get these people to safety," she told him. "Once they are in the hall, try to find us. If you cannot, then help wherever you can."

With a stiff nod, the dark haired dwarf motioned to three of his companions. Annelise and the 11 remaining dwarves held back any orcs from following the group.

They continued making their way through the town and Annelise caught a glimpse of Gandalf just ahead of them.

She was just about to call out to him when she looked over to her left and saw a large group of orcs being lead by a troll climbing up the stairs towards them.

She quickly pulled out her bow and struck an arrow in it. With a yell of "Take it down!" to the dwarves beside her, she released the arrow into the eye of the troll.

The large creature began to stumble down the stairs, taking out orcs as it went. One of the dwarves threw a small knife at the beast, hitting it in the throat and it fell dead on the steps, crushing more orcs beneath it.

Seeing that the troll would not be causing them anymore trouble, Annelise turned toward the wizard ahead of them and yelled out to him.

"Gandalf!"

The grey wizard turned in the direction of her voice and made his way through the men around him to her side.

"Annelise! What on earth are you doing here? Where is Thorin?"

"He is riding to Ravenhill to take out Azog," she answered, fighting beside him as more orcs approached.

"Gandalf!," they heard Bilbo cry out.

"Bilbo!," Annelise yelled, looking around frantically for the hobbit before seeing him a short distance ahead of her.

She quickly cut down any orcs that got in her way with Gandalf, motioning for the dwarves with her to continue fighting alongside the Lakemen.

Once she reached his side, she pulled him to her tightly with one arm before releasing him.

"Are you alright?," she inquired, looking him over.

"I'm not hurt," he smiled up at her, before looking away to the hill away to the north. Annelise could see her father and the others riding goats up the rocky terrain. "It's Thorin!"

"And Fili and Kili! And Dwalin," Gandalf said, seeing what the Hobbit was pointing out. Annelise couldn't help a small twinge of fear that went through her at seeing that Balin was not with them. 'Please be alright,' she thought to herself as she watched her family leave her line of sight over the hill.

"He's taking his best warriors," Gandalf continued with a smile on his face.

"To do what?," Bilbo questioned.

"To cut the head off the snake."

Annelise was fighting alongside Gandalf and Bilbo when she heard the sound of a horse approaching them.

"Gandalf!," a voice yelled out and Annelise turned toward it, knowing instantly who it was that was coming near them.

She smiled upon seeing her friend and noticed Tauriel on the horse behind him.

"Legolas," Gandalf said quietly under his breath, moving towards the blond elf as he dismounted. "Legolas Greenleaf!"

Annelise quickly approached her friend and threw her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and released her quickly, turning his attention back to the wizard.

"There is a second army. Bolg leads a force of Gundabad orcs. They are almost upon us."

"Gundabad," Gandalf asked shocked, looking between Legolas and Annelise standing next to him.

"No," Annelise gasped under her breath, looking at the wizard in fear. Her eyes widened further as she realised that this had been a trap.

"This was their plan all along. Azog engages our forces. Then Bolg sweeps in from the North."

"Wha- the north?!," Bilbo asked, turning and looking around them in fear. "Where is the north exactly?"

"Ravenhill," Gandalf spoke solemnly, looking into Annelise's eyes sadly. He turned away from Legolas to look towards the hill.

"Ravenhill?," Bilbo asked shocked. "Thorin is up there."

"Addâd," Annelise whimpered quietly, knowing her father and cousins were heading straight into the trap. Legolas reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder firmly.

"And Fili and Kili! They're all up there!," Bilbo continued, following after Gandalf.

Annelise saw the look of worry that passed through Tauriel's expression at hearing that Kili was up there as well.

Suddenly a horn rang out through the air and Annelise turned to Legolas, recognizing it as an elvish horn.

"My father is ordering for a retreat," he spoke in response to her questioning eyes, his tone showing his disbelief at his father's decision.

Annelise and Bilbo quickly ran after Gandalf, as he moved to find Thranduil to relay the news Legolas had brought.

"My Lord," Gandalf spoke as he turned a corner, finally seeing the Elvenking before him. "Dispatch this force to Ravenhill. The dwarves are about to be overrun. Thorin must be warned."

"By all means, warn him," Thranduil responded, his voice lacking any emotion. "I have spent enough Elvish blood in defense of this accursed land. No more."

With these words Thranduil walked away, pointedly avoiding Annelise's questioning eyes as he moved passed her.

"Thranduil, please!," she yelled after him. She saw him hesitate in his step for a moment at her call but watched sadly as he shook his head slightly before moving on, his soldiers moving away after him.

"I'll go."

Annelise turned in surprise when she heard the brave Hobbit's words from behind her.

"Don't be ridiculous. You'll never make it," Gandalf scoffed over his shoulder.

"Why not?"

"Because they will see you coming and kill you."

"No, they won't," Bilbo said with confidence, facing the wizard that was now standing before him. "They won't see me."

"It's out of the question. I won't allow it."

"I'm not asking you to allow it, Gandalf."

"I'll come with you," Annelise said, stepping up and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Absolutely not!," Gandalf yelled as Bilbo opened his mouth to protest as well.

"Gandalf-," Annelise began before being interrupted once more.

"Bilbo at least is small and has a less likely chance of being seen," Gandalf spoke to her gently, knowing if he were to yell she would react in anger and not listen to him.

"But I can help," she continued protesting, although with a little less determination than before.

"Your father would never forgive himself if anything were to happen to you," Gandalf responded and watched as the fight went out of the young girl completely.

"You're right," she answered in defeat, knowing her father had asked her to remain in the city with the dwarves he had left under her command.

"Be careful, Bilbo," she said finally, turning to the Hobbit and pulling him in for a quick hug.

Bilbo looked up at Annelise and Gandalf when he pulled away for a moment, before turning and making his way to Ravenhill.

'Help is coming, Addâd,' she thought to herself, watching as the small halfling disappeared from her sight.

Soon after Bilbo had left, Annelise found herself fighting off orcs alongside Legolas and Tauriel.

Her thoughts were distracted from the battle as she worried for her father, and she knew that her lack of focus could cost her.

She had received a fairly large cut across her upper right arm when she had moved to block an unexpected swing from an orc sword. Legolas had heard her small cry of pain and quickly dispatched the orc before looking over her in worry.

"Are you alright?"

"It's just a cut," she reassured him. "I'll be fine."

The cut was proving to be a nuisance more than anything else, as whenever she moved her right arm pain would shoot through her. She knew she would be fine for now, but if the fighting continued on for much longer she would eventually be too tired to use it.

Annelise cut down the orc she was fighting and looked around to see that no more were advancing on her and the two elves for now.

She took a moment to rest her arms and Legolas moved over to her to get a closer look at her wound. After moving her ripped sleeve out of the way, he poked at it gently.

"You'll be fine," he said, releasing her arm. "We should bind it though."

Annelise looked around for a moment to see if there was anything around them that they could use for a bandage. Not seeing anything nearby, she simply shrugged her shoulders before cutting a small strip of fabric off the bottom of her under tunic and offering it to Legolas to tie around her arm.

As the elf prince worked on her arm, she looked around at their surroundings and gasped at the sight that met her eyes. Tauriel was standing in front of King Thranduil, blocking him and the rest of the elves from retreating.

Alerted by the sound she had made, Legolas turned to see what had caused her alarm and his eyes opened wider in shock and fear for the female elf facing off against his father.

"You will go no further. You will not turn away. Not this time."

"Get out of my way," Thranduil ordered angrily.

"The dwarves will be slaughtered."

"Yes, they will die. Today. Tomorrow. One year hence. A hundred years from now. What does it matter? They are mortal," he responded, his cruel words making Annelise flinch slightly.

Tauriel drew her bow back quickly in anger, her arrow aimed directly at the Elvenking.

Legolas and Annelise quickly began moving towards the elves, but stayed back a bit to assess if they truly needed to interfere.

"You think your life is worth more than theirs when there is no love in it? There is no love in you."

Annelise held her breath as she watched the Elvenking closely for his reaction to the woman's words. She jumped back a bit when Thranduil drew his sword and cut through Tauriel's bow so quickly that her eyes were unable to follow the movement.

"What do you know of love?," Thranduil asked angrily, with his sword aimed directly at Tauriel's heart. "Nothing! What you feel for that dwarf is not real. You think it is love? Are you ready to die for it?"

With these final words from his father, Legolas quickly drew Orcrist and moved to his father's side, blocking the Elvenking's sword from moving to harm Tauriel.

"If you harm her you will have to kill me," he said, staring his father down angrily.

Annelise watched as a sad lost expression came to Thranduil's face at his son's defiance and shook her head sadly. A rough hand was placed on her shoulder and she looked up to see Gandalf standing next to her, watching the scene before them sadly.

"I will go with you," she heard Legolas say as he moved to Tauriel's side and she watched the two begin to make their way to Ravenhill.

"Those gems were not all your wife left you, my friend," Gandalf began to speak once the two elves had left. "She left you a son. Tell me which would she have you value more?"

Thranduil looked up to the wizard in despair at his words, and his eyes shifted to Annelise.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly to her, knowing she would have heard his cruel words from earlier.

Annelise simply nodded her head, before running off to try and catch up with Legolas and Tauriel. She was going to help her father and friends if it was the last thing she did.

She had just managed to catch up with Legolas and Tauriel, and they came to a stop as a massive swarm of large bats came flying down from around Ravenhill. The second army was upon them.

"No," Annelise and Tauriel whispered simultaneously under their breath.

She turned at the sound of a bat approaching them from behind and watched as Legolas grabbed onto its legs and was lifted into the air.

"Kili," she heard Tauriel say quietly and looked up towards the tower and saw her cousin fighting alone against many orcs.

They quickly took off running, trying to make it in time to help him.

'Where is Fili?,' Annelise thought to herself, a sick feeling growing in her stomach. The brothers never went into battle without the other.

Once they made it to the tower, they were quickly overwhelmed by orcs and separated. Unable to see where the red-haired elf had gone to, Annelise continued to fight her way through the orcs surrounding her, hoping to come across a familiar face.

She moved through the tower as quickly as she could but her progress was slow with all the orcs she encountered. As her injured arm began to grow even more tired, she started to lose hope of finding her way out of the maze of tunnels within the towers.

Just then as she finished off another orc, she heard Tauriel's voice echo through the tower from her left.

"Kili!"

"Tauriel!," she heard her cousin yell back and she began making her way toward the voices.

She turned down another hallway and saw an opening at the end of it that led out into the light once more.

She began running toward the opening as fast as she could, hoping to find Tauriel or Kili but quickly stopped as she came closer to the light.

"NO!," she shrieked as she saw the figure lying on the ground there and recognised it as her older cousin.

"Fili!," she yelled, praying against all hope that he was simply knocked out.

As she fell to her knees at his side, any strength she had remaining left her body. The light tan cloth of her leggings quickly became soaked by the pool of blood that had formed around her cousin.

She smoothed his hair out of his face and rested her forehead against his own and wept.

"Fili, please get up. Please," she sobbed quietly under her breath. "You can't leave me now."

The sobs continued to rack through her body as she held on tightly to the dwarf who was more like a brother than a cousin to her.

Her cries were interrupted when she heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching and she knew that more orcs were coming.

Her sadness quickly morphed into fury as she placed a firm kiss on Fili's forehead, before standing and pulling out the sword at her side that her cousins had gifted her as a child.

She turned to face the evil creatures that were running towards her and met them head on, determined to avenge Fili by taking down every single orc she could find.