Chapter 6

"Leya!" Leanna turned to the clearing where the men were training and saw as Bain ran around them, sword in hand as he stopped before her.

"You're awake!" said Bain, breathing hard as he stood straight to beam at her. Leanna smiled softly at the young boy before. Looking over him, she could tell he had been trying his hardest to train.

"Yes Bain, I'm much better now but what is all this?" Leanna said, tilting her chin up to the elves and men who were clumsily practicing beside them. Bain turned to them and answered.

"Da says The Elven King has something in the mountain that's his but the dwarves won't give it up or the share he promised the people of Lake Town, so Da says they've got to go to war because they broke their word" Bain said. He said nothing more but Leanna saw it, he was trying very hard to conceal the tremor in his hands, he was afraid and he was right to be.

"I'm certain your father and The Elven King will find some way to resolve this without the need for bloodshed" Leanna said smiling at the boy. Bain nodded and excused himself before returning back to join the rest of the men who were able to wield a sword.

Leanna understood the greed of dwarves to an extent, but she didn't see the sense in going to war against two forces with such a small number of thirteen. Surely with this reality before them, they would yield to negotiations. What Leanna didn't understand was The Elven King also wanted war, there was no other option both sides would agree to.

!

!

Night had fallen and Bard had left the Elven King's tent to find his children as well as to see if Leanna had finally awoken. He trudged the cold snowy ground, he kept his face blank but he could not hide the grave despair that sobered the deep brown of his eye.

A legion of orcs, that's what the wizard had spoken of. Not only would they be forced to fight dwarves but now orcs as well? Bard did not know how he could protect the people who now looked to him as lord but his heart grieved at the death of many that was sure to come the next day. First thing he had to do was make sure his children were safe at all costs.

"Lord Bard!" Bard turned sharply to the voice that had called out to him. Leanna marched to him, her heeled boots crunching the snow beneath her indicated she was displeased. Bard sighed, somehow knowing he was about to receive an earful by the look of the icy glare she shot at him.

"War?? At a time like this?!" Leanna whispered harshly to Bard. Had he lost his mind?? The people of Lake Town could not afford war, he more than anyone knew better.

"Believe me, I did not come to this decision voluntarily but we're left with no choice" Bard said under his breath.

"The people of Lake Town barely survived a dragon and now you're forcing swords into their hands knowing well that th-"

"-That they are not what? Warriors? I know that above all else Leanna but we are left with no choice! It's either we turn away into the wild and starve while the cold kills us off one by one or fight to have something to help us survive this terrible winter" Bard spat out, breathing heavily and Leanna felt pity inch into her heart for him. He had just had the title of 'Lord' shoved upon him, a title he clearly wanted nothing to do with. She caught the look in his eyes and frowned.

"There's more…news has just reached us that an army of orcs are marching upon us as we speak, they will be here by tomorrow" Bard said, unable to look at her face. Leanna blanched at the words Bard had spoken and shuddered, they would have to face more of those things again?

"I don't know what will happen but I'm trying to give our people a chance to survive all of this, no matter how small it is. Are the children asleep?" Bard said. His face was weary from lengthy discussions and arguments with a wizard and an ElvenKing.

"The girls are in the shed I woke up in but Bain must still be in clearing with the men, I have not seen him all evening" said Leanna and Bard nodded his head, leaving her to go find his children.

"My Lord…know that I will not see harm come near the children and help in the people in any way I can" Leanna called out. Bard stopped for a moment and nodded in gratitude, had she not been there to face the dragon with him, he didn't want to think of what the outcome could've been…and now she was offering her service to him despite all she had done, he could ask nothing more of her.

Leanna walked through the pathways as the hour grew late, everywhere she turned there was a line of armored elves standing at attention. She turned a corner and froze at the sight before her. By tree that had sprouted next to an abandoned and ruined shed, was a giant elk. She ignored the elven guards who watched her wearily as she moved closer to the magnificent creature currently eating from a hay stash beneath it.

Tallahir looked up from his food the moment he sensed someone approaching. It was a young woman with a funny scent, for he could not place it with the smell attached to the other humans that had passed by him. He watched calmly with interest as the woman drew closer to him, curious about her scent.

Leanna came within range of his snout and slowly raised her hand to touch him. She knew it wasn't him, that it wasn't Alvara, the one who had blessed her at birth. Her finger tips touched his cool nose tip and the elk bent his head slightly, a gesture meant to welcome her touch. The guards who watched the unbelievable scene looked on stunned at the sight of The King's elk welcoming another besides The King himself.

Tallahir allowed her touch, he sniffed at her hair and caught on to her strange but sweet scent. This mortal was a special one unlike the others, he could tell. She leaned on his face and Tallahir was confused when the scent of salt and moisture filled his nostrils. He nuzzled against her face. Disturbed by her distress, wondering what the cause was. Leanna had remained silent as tears continued to flow down her cheek.

"Please, please just let me stay like this for a moment…" Leanna choked out to the Elk knowing it had sensed her sadness. She would do this with Alvara when she needed someone to talk to and The Lord of forest would assuage her burdens from her heart. He had become a father to her in place of her parents after they died. Sobs escaped her lips as her body shook with longing, she missed him dearly, the one who treasured her to the last.

Tallahir waited until the scent of sadness dissipated from her body and when she stepped back, the great elk drew closer to her face and licked off the tear streaks that stained her cheeks in a bid to comfort her. He didn't know what bothered her but he was relieved she had regained composure.

"Thank you my lord" Leanna giggled out after he stopped licking her face. She felt much better now, glad that the elk had offered some comfort. Tallahir snorted gently, pleased that she had addressed him by his regal stature. He let her nuzzle him again with her cheek before she kissed him and drew back.

"It was nice to meet you my lord, but I must leave now…I hope we meet again soon" Leanna said, kissing his nose before she walked away, nodding to the silent guards on the way. Tonight she would at least get some sleep and prepare for the battle tomorrow. She went to find Bard and the children, meaning to retire for the night, unaware of the icy gaze that followed her till she disappeared from sight.

!

!

Boots stamped on the buildup of snow that had fallen on the earth, the ground was shaking as both men and elves moved in formations towards Erebor. In the early hours of the morning, Leanna stood at the walls of the city overlooking the warriors and fishermen as they marched to war.

She sighted Bard on his white horse moving at equal pace with The Elven King, as well the elk she had met yesterday, and it was no surprise he belonged to the Elven King for she doubted no one else had the charisma to ride such a majestic creature. Wispy strands of pale hair escaped from her braid, dancing in the frosty morning breeze and Leanna prayed he and the rest would survive this battle.

She moved to leave when her eyes met ice blue eyes and she stilled. The Elven King for some reason turned to her direction as if he had known she was there. Leanna returned his gaze with her own, waiting to find out what would happen next.

"Leanna!" she turned swiftly to Bain, who was out of breath and approaching in urgency. "Mr Percy's looking for you, they've found a place for the women, children and injured" said Bain who was already rushing away with the expectancy that she'd follow. Leanna nodded and looked back at the Elven King whose gaze had returned to his front. Frowning at the strangeness of the situation, she quickly jumped down from the wall and followed Bain who led her deeper into the city.

Hours had passed and they could barely hear anything, Leanna had alternated order between the men that had chosen to stay behind and the women who catered to the injured and children. Percy who had watching beyond the walls to know the situation at the gates of Erebor, returned to the grand hall where the people were staying.

"Milady, orcs! Thousands of them are flooding in from the east unto the battlefield" said Percy with a grim face that meant this would far more gruesome than was initially anticipated. Leanna swallowed thickly, understanding the message he could not utter out loud, the war spill into the ruins of this city.

Leanna nodded sharply and turned to the frightened whimpers of the people in the hall and heaved a sigh, thinking of a decision that could end up with better results than the one that awaited them if they stood and did nothing.

"Gather the men outside the hall, quickly!" she said to Percy who nodded and ran out. Leanna called to Sigrid and Tilda who rushed to her side.

"You two stay here with your brother, once we close the doors, do not come out at all do you understand me?" Leanna said looking directly at the children.

"But I want to fight!" Bain exclaimed and Leanna gave him a frosty look in return.

"And pull the same stunt you did with the dragon? No Bain, you're to stay here" said Leanna staring hard at the boy. She had yet to forgive him for his actions in Lake Town.

"I want to fight, Da's out there alone, I want to help him" said Bain who has determined for Leanna to understand. Leanna's gaze softened and she held his shoulder in comfort.

"If you really want to help your father, then stay here and protect your sisters, can you do that for him?" Leanna said in a coaxing tone and Bain conceded, nodding his head in acceptance.

"Good, now-" Tilda flung herself at Leanna who was caught off guard by the sudden action.

"Please don't leave us again Leya, stay here with us please!" Tilda held Leanna's waist tightly and Leanna breathed in deeply, reigning in her emotions at the girl's words. She removed her hands and squatted down to her, touching her cheek gently as she spoke to the little girl whose lips were quivering, her tears threatening to fall.

"I will be gone but for a moment, I'll come back as soon as everything's over" Leanna said smiling widely at the youngest of the three.

"P-promise?" Tilda barely muttered out the question. Her Da had gone to fight and now Leanna was leaving too. Leanna held the girl in her arms and whispered her assurance fiercely.

"I promise and I'll bring your Da back with me" Leanna said to her ears and looked up to the older children extending the same promise to them as well.

Leanna stood from the ground, kissing Tilda's hair as she released her. She stepped back and smiled at the three siblings.

"I'll make sure you're safe, so look after each other while I'm away" Leanna said to the children before she walked out. Descending the steps of the hall she signaled to the men who barricaded the door from within. The others who were outside watched the woman who many said helped Bard slay the dragon and wondered what her plan was.

Leanna who gave no heed to the gathered murmuring behind her, raised her hands in the air and formed a thick of wall of ice in front of the hall. Large gasps erupted in the air and Leanna who finished with the wall, turned behind to face the men Percy had gathered. Percy, who stood at the side, felt his face lose color at the sight he and the rest of the men had just witnessed. She turned to Percy who moved quickly to hand her a bow and quiver full of arrows, his hands trembling being unable to calm the fear that shot through him.

"Are there any archers here amongst you?" Leanna's voice rang clear in the air and some men raised their hands hesitantly and stepped forward. Leanna noted how few they were in number and nodded, only seven in number, eight when she was added to the count… she would not show the despair she felt, not to men who clearly needed a bit of hope to cling to.

"The rest of you spread through the city, Percy prepare an ambush at the city's center" Leanna said as she began to walk towards the eastern walls of the city.

"Aye milady, alright men c'mon" Percy said, taking the men through the city.

"Archers, quickly to me" Leanna ordered. Her queenly charisma flowing through naturally as she led the fearful men with their bows and quivers strung across their shoulders.

!

!

The battle far from over had increased in intensity and Bard seeing how easily the men were overwhelmed in the midst of the carnage, called for a retreat back to Dale. The orcs were swarming over the plains and they turned their attention to the ruined city with the intention of sacking it completely. Bard along with some of the men had returned, trying to get a better advantage in the fight.

Leanna notched her arrow against her bow, drawing it tautly against the string. The archers seeing her action, followed suit and did the same. Her hands were shaking, her heart in her throat at the sight of much larger monsters coming their way, most likely to break through the walls. Leanna glanced sideways, they were too few in number but they had to make it count somehow.

"Steady…steady, aim for their heads, if you can't kill them then at least blind them" Leanna said to the archers who were just as frightened as she was, their trembling far more obvious. The trolls drew closer, with an army of orcs at their backs.

"Fire!" Leanna commanded, letting her arrow loose and quickly picking another from her quicker. The archers on hearing her order, let their arrows fly, some hitting their mark and others missing completely.

"Fire at will! Once they get to the wall retreat into the city" Leanna said as she kept firing, managing to bring one down and focusing on another.

While they kept shooting, the ground shook and in a distance they could hear screams within the city. They had gotten in and Leanna without haste gave the order to retreat sighting The ElvenKing returning on his elk. The archers left while Leanna remained, her arrows became shards of ice as she shot a volley into the incoming forces preventing him from making it back into the city.

Thranduil had managed to return back into the city, his elk ramming the remaining orcs in his way and in one fluid movement, he beheaded them at once, their dead bodies rolling on the ground. Upon entering the city, arrows whizzed past him while some aimed for his elk and in midst of its confusion the elk buckled, throwing his rider off. Thranduil who fell, turned immediately to see a woman between his elk and a group of orcs surrounding them. He rose to his feet, drawing his twin swords and moved swiftly while Leanna shot ice shards at the orcs that tried to get close to the elk she was protecting.

"Go, find somewhere safe, hurry!" Leanna turned to the elk that thumped its hooves in protest but Leanna was in no mood for an attitude and shot a shard at its feet to scare it off. "Your master will safe with me, I promise, now go!" Leanna said looking at the elk that stared at her through its dark doe eyes. Bellowing in concern, Tallahir galloped away and Leanna breathed in a sigh, hoping the elk would be safe.

Thranduil swung and slashed, his heart set on unleashing his wrath on the orcs that dared to get too close. Ugly groans erupted from his side and he glanced at the woman beside him. She held a sword that was of ice but no less sharp than an iron sword, and was holding herself well enough. It was unusual to see a mortal woman this skilled in the way of battle.

Elven warriors rushed to defend their king, easily finishing off the rest of the orcs that remained in the area. Leanna breathed hard trying to reserve her energy, she could not afford to dispense her magic carelessly, she turned to the Elven King and noted his silence. Leanna followed his gaze to the ground and sympathy bloomed in her heart, for on the floor were the bodies of his kin.

"Recall your company" said Thranduil to the commander of his army. Leanna watched in dismay at the words spoken and flinched at the sound of a horn blaring through the air. He planned to leave in the middle of a war?

Thranduil turned to look at the woman still standing there, his cold gaze pinning her in the spot. He nodded his head in gratitude and moved to go deeper into the city but stopped when he saw Gandalf approach him.

My lord! Dispatch a force to Ravenhill, the dwarves are about to be overrun, Thorin must be warned" said Gandalf.

"By all means warn him, I have spent enough elvish blood in defense of this accursed land, no more!" Thranduil said as he brushed past him, his intent to find Tallahir and return with his men back to their kingdom.

"Thranduil! " Gandalf called after him, but did not follow or try reason with him. The Elf King was just as difficult to reason with as were the dwarves.

Leanna followed not far from behind, she didn't particularly have any attachment to the dwarves, if anything it was a rather unpleasant experience dealing with the stubbornness of dwarves but she did not wish to see them die, not like this. She stilled when she met a sight of Tauriel who was currently standing in the way of Thranduil and his men, aiming an arrow to him.

" Echvio a Úchaela! You will not turn away…not this time" Tauriel said firmly to her king.

"Get out of my way" Thranduil responded, his face twisted in snare as he looked at the foolish elleth before him.

"The dwarves will be slaughtered!"

"Yes, they will die, today, tomorrow, one year hence, a hundred years from now…" Thranduil drawled as he approached the defiant elleth blocking his path. "…what does it matter, they are mortal" he finished cruelly, looking his nose down on the hurting elleth who was still the cause of the rift between him and his son. He felt some semblance of pleasure at having the chance to cause her pain, even if it came from speaking the simple truth.

Leanna looked at the elleth who stood alone facing such an imposing presence, remembering the interactions she had seen between the young dwarf and herself. There was no doubting the existence of feelings between the two, but to be told by another in the presence of others that such a thing did not matter even in the slightest was too cruel.

Tauriel in reaction to Thranduil's words, drew up her arrow and aimed it at The King's face and all was grew still in the moment. Leanna felt irritation growing, they were still in the middle of battle and it was quite clear that this King would not spare even one of his warriors to help.

"You think your life is worth more than theirs? When there's no love in it…when there's no love in you" Tauriel said, her anger blazing in her eyes. Thranduil who was momentarily taken aback by the action, quickly came to his senses and in one quick motion slashed through her bow and growled at her, his sword at her throat.

"What do you know of love? Nothing!"said Thranduil, his lips trembling in fury. "You think what you feel for that dwarf is real? Are you ready to die for it?" Thranduil who had indulged this stupid elleth's whims enough, lost his patience, if she would not move then he would cut her down where she stood.

"If you harm her, you will have to kill me" Legolas who turned his father's sword away from Tauriel, looked at his father before turning back to Tauriel. "I will go with you" he said to her, and both turned to leave but stopped as a voice rang from behind.

"Wait!" Leanna said, coming forward to stand before the two warriors.

"I'm coming with you" Leanna said, all the while ignoring the glare she was currently receiving from The King. Tauriel smiled at the woman she had known in a short time, grateful for her offer, she nodded before turning to lead the way.

Leanna followed behind as best as she could, glancing behind to find The King watching them leave, his face was cold and aloof but the look in his eyes told her otherwise.