A/N: For you who patiently waited for this update, but especially for you who helped me to come out of this author's block. You know who you are ;-)

Katniss stepped forward and stood next to Thorin as soon as she noticed the dwarven army surging on the top of a distant hill.

"Is that… your cousin Dain?" she whispered, and Thorin confirmed with an almost imperceptible nod.

They watched as the elven army turned around in unison to face the incoming new threat. Instead of ponies, Dain's army mounted on goats. There was a stark difference between dwarven and elven soldiers that went beyond their height difference. In spite of that, both looked deadly and fearless.

Katniss bit her lip as she spotted the one she knew had to be Dain marching ahead from his soldiers to parley with the elves and men. Thorin didn't move a muscle, and it was impossible to know what was going on in his mind.

"Please tell me that his arrival doesn't change anything," she whispered, looking at the dwarf who had stolen her heart. Thorin kept staring at his cousin, and gave her no indication that he had even heard what she said. Katniss felt her heart fill with dread, worried about what would happen when Dain reached the elven army.

"Good morning! How are we all?" Dain greeted the elven army full of sarcasm. "I have a wee proposition if you wouldn't mind giving me a few moments of your time. Would you consider...just sodding off!"

"Say something!" Katniss urged in a loud whisper directed at Thorin, who still refused to acknowledge her. She locked eyes with Balin, who was standing further away than Thorin was, and the white-haired dwarf shook his head and turned to watch the powder keg that was about to explode on the battlefield. She grunted in frustration before doing the same.

"Gandalf the Grey. Tell this rabble to leave, or I'll water the ground with their blood!" Dain roared at the Grey wizard, who promptly replied:

"There is no need for war between dwarves, men, and elves! A legion of orcs marches on the mountain. Stand your army down!"

"I will not stand down before an elf! Not the least this faithless woodland sprite! 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!"

"Lord Dain, do as the wizard says. Stand down immediately! We were about to reach a peace agreement with these people," Katniss shouted.

Dain frowned, caught by surprise upon hearing a female voice coming from Erebor's ramparts.

"And who are ye exactly?"

"My wife." Thorin finally decided to open his mouth after he got hold of Katniss' hand, making her release a breath she didn't know she was holding. "And she is right. We were on our way to negotiating the terms of a peace treaty."

Dain's frown only intensified.

"I don't believe ye mean what ye saying! The Thorin I knew would never trust this tree shagger to honor his word. Since when did Durin's folk flee from a fight?"

"We are doing nothing but trying to prevent a pointless bloodshed, Lord Dain," Katniss started, even though she could feel a squeeze from Thorin's hand urging her to remain quiet.

She turned to face him and glared daggers at him, squeezing his hand back with her nails. The veiled message was clear: say something, or I will. Thorin frowned at her, but when he looked back at Dain, he had an assertiveness in his voice, without a shred of doubt or annoyance.

"These people are our neighbors and were once our allies. We indeed have had our differences, but old alliances can be rebuilt to give us a more peaceful future." He glanced at Katniss, who was beaming upon hearing him before he returned his attention to his cousin. "Dain, I command you to listen to the voice of reason. Stand your army down. Their aid is much needed inside the mountain, not on the battlefield."

"I don't know why ye are fleeing from this fight, cousin. Maybe your lass has you bewitched. You know those muggers as well as we do. You know they know nothing about honouring alliances."

"Izhid!" Thorin howled, shocking Dain enough to make his goat titter around. "You will stand down your army at once. I'm going there to discuss the terms of our peace treaty and you are welcome to join us."

The uncrowned king turned away and left the ramparts to the inner halls of his forefathers. He was closely followed by Katniss, Bilbo, and half of the company, who were waiting for him to give them further instructions.

"Balin, Fili, and Kili, you shall go with me. Mr Baggings, as it is your share of the treasure you have promised to the men, you should join as well. Katniss…"

"I am going. Don't even dare try to stop me," she said as she adjusted her quiver to her other shoulder which was a bit less sour from their late fight.

Thorin sighed.

"Very well. Dwalin, you are in charge while we're away,"

Dwalin answered with a small bow, and Thorin left the room with all the others on his heels like a clutch of chicks following their mother hen.

When they moved some stones out of the way and left the mountain, they found that Dain had indeed done Thorin's bidding. His army remained on the top of the hills where they had emerged, in a resting stance. Dain had dismounted his goat and was waiting for Thorin with one of his soldiers by his side right in front of Erebor's main gate. As soon as Thorin appeared, Dain got hold of Thorin and took him away from the others.

Katniss led the others, including one of Dain's soldiers, to a recently erected tend just in front of the elven army who were starting to set camp. Gandalf was stamping his feet while waiting, and urged them to get inside with haste.

Bard was accompanied by two other men Katniss had never seen before, and King Thranduil also had three elves sitting beside him. Bilbo was quick to claim a seat just next to Gandalf's, and Katniss decided to sit next to their hobbit. Kili sat down next to her, and Fili and Balin also took their seats.

Soon after that, Thorin entered the tent with Dain, who, Katniss noticed, was glaring daggers at her. Someone with more sense would probably have looked away from Dain's murderous glare, but Katniss held her defiant gaze, refusing to coil from the dwarrowman's rage.

Gandalf was the first to speak, telling them more details about the army of orcs led by Bolg, son of Azog. The wizard said that even though the orcs seemed to be having some internal conflicts that could be buying their side some precious time, they were fast approaching Erebor. Bard showed concern with this ill news, as Dale wasn't equipped to stand an attack of the magnitude that Gandalf was describing.

Even though everyone agreed that it was the Lonely Mountain that the orcs wanted, Katniss was quick to volunteer to leave at once to ensure the women and children in Dale could safely enter their mountain before sunset. Thorin nodded in approval, and soon, Katniss left their meeting with both her nephews-in-law in tow. The soldier who had joined Dain in the meeting, one of the men who was accompanying Bard, and an elf from Thranduil's counsel also followed suit.

The meeting progressed, and Thorin stated that while Bard's people were welcome to stay in the mountain for this likely upcoming battle and the fast-approaching winter, they would have to earn their keep by doing small jobs to clean and repair the mountain, to which Bard readily agreed. On his turn, Thorin offered the services of the dwarves of Erebor when it came to aiding the men working on Dale's reconstruction, but at a cost.

Gandalf then begged them to leave that discussion to a later date and proceed with more urgent matters as they failed to reach an agreement on what a fair cost would be. Bard requested that some of the heirlooms of his people snatched by the dragon be placed under Bilbo's share, and Thorin nodded in acknowledgment.

Gandalf urged Thorin to invite all armies inside his stronghold. He reminded the dwarf of the unavoidable battle he was going to face and pointed out the obvious advantage they would have by fighting an attack from inside the mountain.

The dwarf king begrudgingly agreed, but not without stressing that no man or elf would be allowed anywhere near where the treasure was hoarded by Smaug, unless they were invited by Thorin himself. He stressed that anyone caught disobeying this rule would have to face his wrath and be punished according to dwarven laws.

Dain, one of the elves, and the remaining man accompanying Bard stood up, ready to begin the task of coordinating the three armies to move inside the mountain. Thorin grabbed Dain's hand before he could leave.

"Ensure that a few of your most trusted men are left to guard the hoard with one of my own. I want them there at all times. Even during battle," Thorin said looking at Dain, who nodded before he left the makeshift tent.

If anyone present thought ill of Oakenshield's decision, nobody dared voice it. Only after Dain and the others were outside hearing range, Thranduil inquired about the gems of Lasgalen, and if Thorin would honor the deal struck by his wife the previous night.

Hearing these words made Thorin's already sour mood explode in wrath, and he accused the elven king of taking advantage of Katniss' naivete and tricking her into agreeing to a deal that would benefit only himself. Thranduil lashed back, claiming the Erebor's queen knew exactly what she was doing, and it was nothing but a fact that hers and Thorin's priorities weren't aligned. After that, Gandalf was forced to intervene and mediate their argument to prevent further aggravation.

In the end, the skeleton of an agreement was defined. Thorin would deliver the necklace to Thranduil as soon they were inside the mountain. In return, Bard would return the Arkenstone at the very same moment and would trust Thorin to honour his word when it came to delivering Bilbo's 15th share of the treasure. After that, they would join their forces to coordinate Erebor's defence before Bolg's arrival.

Thorin was still not happy with the outcome of the peace treaty, but he knew that Ûrzudel's gift were not supposed to be easy, and peace with the elves had been at the core of what Katniss had asked. Thorin was determined to do whatever it took to show her that he was worthy of her love.

When Katniss decided to leave the safety of their mountain to take part in the meeting held on Erebor's doorsteps, she didn't think she would end up leading a troop of dwarves, elves, and men who were all trotting at a fast pace towards the ruins of Dale.

Both Fili and Kili stayed on each of her sides like threatening bodyguards, ready to destroy anyone who dared think of raising arms against her. Both princes looked overjoyed to finally have a worthwhile task to do, and Katniss couldn't even be annoyed when they threw some indecorous remarks on what had kept her and their uncle busy earlier that day. Instead of engaging, she merely rolled her eyes and fastened her pace, forcing them and the others to follow.

Their arrival was received with curiosity by the refugees, who seemed to have stopped their daily tasks and crowded at the square's center waiting for their arrival. Among a crowd of old town folks, women, and young children, Katniss immediately recognised the young woman who had helped her the previous night. Her younger sister was huddled behind her, both their hands intertwined, and Katniss couldn't help but feel an immense tightening in her chest as she immediately thought of Prim.

It made her throat go dry, and she discreetly looked around to see if someone else would take charge and say something, but nobody seemed inclined to. Katniss swallowed dry and tried to ignore the pang on her chest before she finally spoke.

"We are here to escort you to the mountain. You're invited to stay with us until the end of the winter."

There was a burst of whispering noise, which was broken by the younger sister whose voice was raised above all else.

"But where is Da…?!

"Your father was still talking to the other Lords when I left, Miss Tilda. What Queen Katniss says rings true. We must leave at once," said the man who had been part of the meeting, and got some of the strongest men who were standing at Erebor's doorstep to join them on this mission.

The whispering returned, and Katniss felt her already low levels of patience running lower than usual.

"Stop talking and start packing. Our information says there is an army of orcs marching to these lands as we speak."

That got people moving in an instant. Katniss dismounted her horse and went to talk to Sigrid, who was distributing random tasks to the other refugees.

"Do you have anything we could help you with…?" Katniss asked the young woman.

Sigrid looked startled at first, but she quickly recovered.

"It would be great if you could spare some of your mounts and help us to transport some of our infirm. I am afraid that some of them still need to be carried."

Katniss nodded and asked for the soldiers who had followed her to Dale to go where the men had made an improvised healing ward. Moments later, her horse was carrying a young man who seemed to have more burning injuries than she had at the end of her first Hunger Games. She felt a wave of guilt flowing down her spine, as she knew they didn't possess the same technological advances as the Capitol, and that the man would never look the same again.

As the refugees didn't have many belongings to pack, it didn't take long for their part to leave the ruins of Dale. The return to the mountain was slower than Katniss had anticipated. Apparently, walking back with a crowd of people, especially a crowd composed of elderly, children, and wounded refugees, took much more time and effort than marching to Erebor on her own.

"Look, the armies are entering the mountain!" Kili pointed ahead not long after they finally left Dale.

"That's good news. Means they are getting to somewhere with that meeting." Fili smiled at his brother.

Unfortunately, that cheerful mood didn't last long. Dark clouds came flying from the southeast at an unnatural pace. They brought a gloomy feeling that chilled Katniss' bones. If she didn't know any better, she would believe that was a storm made by the game makers to add a level of complexity to their task.

The only thing she could do was try to increase the pace of the group she was leading to get them inside the mountain before that storm broke loose, but there was a limit to how fast the old and the sick could go.

They were about fifteen minutes away from Erebor at their current pace, when Katniss felt the first raindrop on her cheeks. It was not the greatest omen for the one known as the Girl on Fire. If only it was just an omen.

A loud bang followed by a mild earthquake broke in the far south, silencing everyone and grabbing their attention. Worms, bigger than the largest Capitol train, were breaking through solid rock as they ate the stone with the precision of the Capitol's most sophisticated drilling machines. The sight gobsmacked Katniss, but she wasn't the only one, as she could clearly see the horror stamped on the faces of men, elves, and dwarves around her.

"What are those things?" she asked one of her companions, and the elf who had attended the meeting with her whispered back.

"They are were-worms, your majesty."

Katniss almost choked after being addressed that way.

What the elf said didn't help her much, as she didn't know what were-worms were, but whatever their nature was, she could see that they had retreated as quickly as they had made an appearance. However, that relief was short-lived.

An enormous army of orcs was emerging from the newly-built tunnels.

"Quick, everyone! Run to the mountain! Do not look back. GO!" Katniss shouted at the civilians she was leading. She also gave a smack on the hind of her horse, spurning it to the mountain at once, while carrying the injured man on its back.

"Soldiers, stay with me to hold up our enemies."

It was obvious to Katniss that this was the legion of orcs Gandalf said was marching to take Erebor. She knew there was no way for them to avoid a physical confrontation now. This realization made her heart clench with fear. It was going to be a slaughter. They would never be able to fight an army of that magnitude with less than two scores of soldiers and survive to tell their tale. But she also knew that was the best way to ensure that those civilians had a real chance to get to safety.

One of the elves who still had kept his horse, as it was carrying supplies rather than people, quickly unloaded the animal of its burden and offered the horse to Katniss. After thanking him with a quick nod, she mounted the steed and readied as best as she could. Katniss had never led a battle like this, but she instinctively knew they were expecting her to say something, or give them orders of some sort.

Without stopping to think, she pulled the horse back to face the soldiers who were following her, most on feet, but a few retained their mounts. She got hold of her sword and lifted it high, despite the ache from her earlier fight with Thorin.

"Men, elves, and dwarves. Today we all fight together, side by side. We fight for freedom! We fight to honour old and new alliances. We fight for the free people of Middle Earth!" Katniss bellowed at them, who in turn, raised their own swords, returning her battle cry.

Before she turned back to face the approaching army, Katniss gave a quick glance at the refugees slowly approaching the mountain. She could see her horse was one of the first to make it back, and the other injured who were lucky enough to be on horseback were also getting there. The younger and fitter citizens, such as Tilda, Sigrid, and Bain were not far behind. That thought warmed her heart.

So she turned around and led the soldiers in her charge towards the nearest crack from where orcs were emerging. Right there, in front of the first approaching troop, was a pale orc that Katniss sensed she had encountered before — the smell of pine trees ablaze; and the din of multiple explosions caused by her own arrows. Azog finding his end on her sharp arrow.

She could almost feel the pale orc's gaze locking on her figure. They held the same rage when they met hers that day. That was Bolg, son of Azog. The orc was here not only to take Erebor but to avenge the death of his father.

That orc was here for her.

Katniss looked at Bolg, straight into his eyes. The rain had now become a thunderstorm, and they were quickly losing daylight. Despite being an experienced fighter, having competed in not one, but two Hunger Games, a battle of this dimension was uncharted waters for the young woman.

Katniss had one explosive arrow left, and she thought that she might as well use it while their enemies were far enough and clustered together. So she swapped her weapon, something she noticed the other warriors on her side were quickly mimicking, especially the elves who had bows, but a few dwarves like Kili and some men, also followed suit.

Trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her hand, Katniss readied her bow, ensuring to load her last explosive arrow. She wanted to aim straight at Bolg's skull. But her hand was too sore. She couldn't keep still, even if her life was relying on it.

She took a deep breath. She tried to force her hand to obey her mind, but it felt like a pointless errand. Katniss knew she had to release that explosive arrow soon, or it would be unsafe to do so for the warriors under her command. She released the explosive arrow. It exploded and blasted a good part of the orcs they were going to fight.

After the smoke cleared, Bolg stood, glaring at her.

When Thorin returned to the Lonely Mountain, he kept his word and asked Balin to retrieve the gems of Lasgalen. Moments later, they did their exchange, and the Arkenstone was placed on his hands. It was then that his goldlust came back stronger than it had been before.

Instead of taking part in any discussion regarding the preparations for the battle quickly approaching their doorstep, Thorin marched straight back to the treasure hoard, even if it meant he would be breaking a promise he had made to his wife. He carried the stone in his hands with the tenderness of someone carrying a newborn. His mind was clouded, and there was little room for anything else. Thorin walked to his throne and placed the Arkenstone on its designated place, and then he stayed there, contemplating the perfect magnificence of his precious jewel - the Arkenstone - the king's jewel. The one thing that made all the other dwarven lords bound to him.

Thorin would never know how long he stayed there, in that catatonic stance, admiring his most precious possession. But he would later remember that it was Gandalf, the only one who dared to roughly shake him out of his trance.

"What do you think you're doing, Thorin, son of Thráin, son of Thrór?"

Thorin blinked thrice as if to remind himself where he was, then he looked to the mountains of gold surrounding them, and to the few dwarves who had been tasked to guard their treasure.

"I thought I had given explicit orders for no man or elf to be allowed inside my hoard!" Thorin shouted at the dwarrowmen in the room, who recoiled at their king's reaction.

"I'm no man nor elf. And your presence is needed somewhere else!"

"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that, wizard?" Thorin spat the last word full of spite.

Gandalf raised his staff, which glowed brighter than the sun.

"I'm the servant of the secret fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor, and I command you to be released from this ill spell! Come to the light, son of Thráin, son of Thrór!"

Thorin felt the light hit him from within, and suddenly all his senses were clear and sharper. Noticing the change straight away, Gandalf wasted no time.

"Bolg's army has arrived. Your wife and your nephews are marching to a suicidal combat as we speak. They need their king. They need you!"

Thorin gasped, but he quickly recovered, a fierce determination stamped on the glint of his eyes.

"Tell me what I need to do to save them."

Before he knew it, Thorin was leaving the treasure hoard with all dwarves inside it to join even more warriors to lead a counter-offensive outside the mountain.

The brief advantage they'd gained by having their enemy's army to be forced to regroup was quickly lost, and Katniss was soon cursing herself for using all her special arrows before that crucial moment. She gave one last glance over her shoulder and saw that most of the refugees were still making their way to the mountain. There was no turning back now. They were there to fight to their last breath.

Instead of making her panic, that realisation seemed to soothe her soul. If she was to die, and if she was to lead these soldiers to their deaths, she wouldn't do that cowering, waiting for the orcs to get them. Instead, she would march valiantly to the battlefield, and ensure they took as many filthy orcs's lives as they could before they fell.

So she exchanged her weapon again and held her sword up high. And with a last battle cry, she galloped fast, straight at their nearest enemy. All the other fighters followed suit, some on mounts, but most on foot.

Katniss was the first to clash swords with their enemy, and she did so by slitting the throat of the first orc she saw. She then blocked another attack coming from her left side, and saw that someone else on foot had killed another orc who tried to attack her from the right. She realized it had been Kili a few moments later when she repaid the favour by killing an orc who was trying to flank the dwarven prince. After a brief nod of gratitude, the battle moved on.

Another orc coming from her back. The sound of metal clashing. Fili piercing flesh from a gap in a warg's armour. Howls of pain. Katniss cutting through another orc's neck. The coppery smell of blood. The sound of death.

She couldn't tell how long they stayed there, lost in the battle melee, killing enemy after enemy. What Katniss knew was that she wouldn't be able to carry on with that pace for long. Her body was already achy. The adrenaline from the battle was keeping her afloat, but she was weary from her early confrontation with Thorin. Kili and Fili were doing their best to protect her, but one mistake was all that was needed for anyone to meet their end.

A warg attacked her horse. He fought it fiercely, kicking the beast, but she ended up having to dismount him before he succumbed to his injuries. Katniss saw the face of the man who had been sitting at the meeting next to Bard not long ago, flying above them. She looked around, trying to find the responsible for that ill deed.

Her eyes met Bolg's, who gave her a wicked grin in return. The headless body of the man was resting at the orc's feet. Katniss tried to ignore that gruesome sight and swerved right to dodge another attack.

The sound of loud horns came from inside the mountain, and both sides briefly stopped fighting to see what was behind that noise. Thorin appeared first, followed closely by Dain and Dwalin, all ridding goats and leading an army of dwarves. Just next to them was Thranduil on his elk, leading the elves, and Bard on a horse leading the men.

Kili laughed as he ended another orc who was standing next to them.

"We are safe, Irak'amad! Irak'adad is coming for us!"

But Katniss turned and looked where she had spotted Bolg not long ago, and she realised the pale orc was closing in on their location. Katniss witnessed as the leader of the orcs took the life of yet another dwarf unfortunate enough to cross his path.

Bolg seemed to sense her gaze and raised his sword towards her, then made a slashing motion to his neck, grinning widely with his rotten teeth at her. Her blood went cold, and she failed to see an attack that another orc was orchestrating towards her. Luckily, Kili had her back and was able to block the attack and protect her.

Unfortunately, in doing so, the young prince was unable to parry a blow directed at him. A knife pierced Kili's skin on the gap of his elbow's armour, making him almost drop his sword. Katniss shouted his name, drawing Fili's attention to his brother. He immediately finished the small orc who had dared harm his brother.

In an unspoken agreement, Katniss bent down to examine the wound, while the eldest Durin gave them cover.

She didn't like what she saw. Even though he still had feelings in his fingers, Kili was losing too much blood for such a small-looking injury. She tried to stop it with the only bandage she had, but it was soaking red within seconds.

Kili's cheeks were turning grey. He needed medical help. And he needed it soon. He needed it now.

She got the already-soaked bandage and pressed it harder against the wound, coating her hands with his blood. Then Katniss got ahold of his good hand, and placed it on the wound, pushing down on it.

"Keep the pressure. Stay awake. Don't move your arm. And don't do anything stupid," she whispered to Kili before standing up and throwing herself back into the fray.

"He needs a healer," she told Fili, as they ended another orc together, shoulder to shoulder. Fili grimly nodded.

Katniss looked ahead, and saw that Bolg was getting closer; then she looked behind and saw that Thorin and his army were also barely a few minutes away from them.

"When Thorin arrives, get a goat and take Kili to the mountain," she said, her breathing coming out in pants, right after she lobbed an orc's head with his own sword.

"No, Aunty, you do that," Fili said, bashing an orc with his shoulder and impaling him on a spike. "You are exhausted, and I am more skilled with a sword than you are. You take Kili. I will stay and fight with Uncle."

"Fine."

Katniss didn't argue because she knew he was right. Truly, she was certain that she would have died ten times already if it wasn't for Thorin's nephews babysitting her on the battlefield.

She turned around after a massive bellow echoed.

Bolg was a mere four meters away from them. Her survival instinct quicked in, and she tried to find a way to escape his wrath, but they couldn't walk away with Kili in the state he was in.

They were stuck where they were.

There was no escape route.

"Leaving our strategic advantage to what? To send a rescue part because of thirty-something soldiers? Have you completely lost your mind?" Thranduil said with a frown.

"My wife and heirs are among that party!" Thorin spat at Thranduil's face before he turned to Bard. "They are sacrificing themselves as we speak, to save your children. You owe me that much, nay, you owe her that much."

Bard nodded solemnly.

"My men will march with you; I have dear friends there as well, and we shall not abandon them to their luck."

Everybody in the room looked expectantly at Thranduil, but the only thing the elf king did was twist his thin lips.

"I told ya, Thorin, did I not? Ye can never trust those fairy pointed traitors to know the meaning of honouring alliances!" Dain raged at the regal elf.

On his turn, Thranduil calmly looked at his own kinsman who was standing just next to him.

"Get half of our forces ready to depart. I shall lead them myself."

Thranduil's advisor gave a small bow to his king before he left to follow his wishes.

Dain's jaw dropped in shock, Thorin released a breath of relief, and Gandalf's beam was so warm that it lighted a sparkle in his eyes.

Thorin would never know how he managed to make all the other leaders agree with his plan. His idea was to form a powerful jointed front to attack their enemy and then quickly retreat back to the mountain while they still held some advantage.

However, deep down, he knew that Thranduil's point was more than valid. Protecting Erebor from the inside gave them a strong advantage, and would certainly diminish the number of casualties on their side. Thorin knew that if it had been anyone else on that battlefield, he wouldn't have moved a finger to save them – he would have considered their sacrifice to be war casualties that tend to happen in situations such as this.

But he couldn't allow that to happen to his nephews… not to his Katniss. Not while he had the strength and power to do something about it.

In the end, Thorin ended up leaving fewer dwarves in the mountain than it had shortly before their guests arrived. He knew he was gambling with his treasure, leaving it so unprotected with so many elves and men around, but what was it worth all the gold of Erebor if his true treasure was forever lost to a battlefield on the plains on the north of Rhovanion?

With his mind resolved and without a shred of hesitation in his heart, Thorin mounted the goat offered by Dain, and as the sound of Erebor's horns broke on that fateful night, he left the safety of the stronghold of his forefathers to retrieve what was truly his treasure of all treasures.

Katniss successfully dodged Bolg's first, second, and third advances. She had been watching him from afar, so she wasn't caught by surprise when he landed his first blow. Fili knew that Katniss wasn't at the level of her newest opponent, so he quickly moved her to the side to deal with Bolg in her stead.

But Katniss wasn't having any of that; she knew that Fili was a very competent swordsman, but Bolg was there for her. Having Fili protecting her would just mark him as the next clear target of the son of Azog.

She tried to slash him across his midsection from the left of the pale orc, but Bolg blocked it effortlessly. Fili followed it up immediately with an attack of his own, going for Bolg's head this time, but it was still easily parried by the pale orc. Realising that he was a greater threat than either previously assumed, they nodded at each other, a silent agreement to take on the heinous fiend together.

Swords clashing. Attack. Swords clashing. Attack again. Dodge. Block. Stand up straight. Attack again.

They were so focused on their fight, that they were caught by surprise when Thorin, Dwalin, and Dain arrived on their goats, pushing Katniss and Fili away from the combat, and taking their place against the offspring of Thorin's worst enemy.

Katniss looked at Fili and he nodded at her again. The time for her to take Kili back to the mountain had come. While Fili rejoined the battle against Bolg, by his uncle's side, Katniss looked around for a mount that could take the injured prince back to Erebor.

However, everything after that happened too fast and simultaneously in slow motion.

Bolg let it slip a howl of agony before the orc was forced to kneel down on the ground. A second scream of pain joined the ocs's own misery, instantly followed by a cry of…

"KILI!"

Katniss thought she could hear the voices of Fili, Thorin, and Dwalin shouting the youngest prince's name in unison. She turned around to see what was going on, but her sight was being blocked by one of the goats.

An orc took advantage of her distraction, and she felt a tear on her left upper arm, on her Mockingjay outfit designed by Cinna. She turned around and buried her sword in the orc's neck.

There was another howl of pain, and this time, Katniss was certain it had been Thorin's. That was enough for her to completely forget her mission of fetching a goat. So trying to be wary of any attacks around her, she made her way back to where Thorin and the others were still fighting Bolg.

She arrived in the centre of the combat, just in time to witness the moment when Thorin raised himself on his knees and buried Orcrist straight into Bolg's neck, unknowingly mimicking his earlier actions, leaving no doubt about the monster's demise.

Once he completed his mission, he allowed himself to lie down next to his enemy, feeling the battle fatigue befall him. Katniss immediately kneeled next to him, trying to figure out what was wrong. Why Thorin wasn't standing up?

Thorin noticed her presence and immediately raised his hand to stroke her face. She felt tears coming down her eyes before she knew they were coming.

"Amrâlimê, khîê, bunnelê mizinê, yasthûnaê, zabdûnaê, maralmizul."

Both Dwalin and Dain looked away with flushed cheeks, making Katniss feel self-conscious. She had no idea what Thorin was saying, but she knew that something wasn't right.

"He's still alive," Fili said, after looking for vital signs on his brother.

"Then he needs a healer. They both do," Dwalin said while he blocked attacks from enemies who seemed to be trying to get to them.

"Let me take him." They heard a female voice appear out of nowhere, and Katniss was unsurprised to see that it belonged to Tauriel. "My horse will be faster than your goats. Please…"

Fili nodded, and he carefully lifted his brother onto Tauriel's lap. As soon he was secured, she galloped to the mountain with all the haste she could muster, not waiting for anyone. Then Fili did the same to Thorin's body, lifting him and placing it on the spare goat that Thorin had ridden.

Only when he was placed on the animal, that Katniss realised what the issue was. Thorin's left foot was in a weird angle that it shouldn't be allowed to be. It was clearly broken. Perhaps, more than that, if the puddle of blood that stayed on the ground when he was lifted said anything about the seriousness of his injury. She bit her lip, trying not to show how concerned she was.

"Here, Aunty Kat. You know what you need to do." Fili tapped the back of the goat, while he tried to give her an encouraging smile, which definitely did not reach his eyes.

Katniss mounted the goat, silently praying that it wasn't too different from riding a horse.

"Come on, Laddie, you go with them," Dwalin said dismounting his own goat and giving the leash to Fili. "Someone needs to look their back and ensure they are not attacked before they arrive at the mountain."

Fili nodded and took Dwalin's steed without any protest. Katniss silently thanked Dwalin and Dain with a nod. And without any other word, the three royals rode back to Erebor.

A/N: finally getting to the end of this story. If you have any final requests, that is your chance to ask.

"Izhid! - Respect me!
Irak'amad - Aunt
Irak'adad - Uncle
Amrâlimê, khîê, bunnelê mizinê, yasthûnaê, zabdûnaê, maralmizul. - My love, my one, my treasure of all treasures, my young jewel, my wife, my queen, I love you."