A sad story about a family I no longer have

Chapter 16: fighting

Azog. Azog the Defiler and his Orc army showed up. Fear trembled through Caerywn's body as she saw them marching closer. "The Hordes of Hell are upon us! To battle! To battle, sons of Durin!" Dain shouted to his Dwarves as the Orc army starts marched towards the Dwarf army. 

Dain commanded his army to regroup, and they moved to combat the new threat. The Orcs kept flowing from the hillside like water in a stream---constant and growing in number, without any sign of stopping. While the Elves were now facing away from the mountain, they made no indication of joining the fray. Seeing the Elf army not moving as the Orc army is about to attack Bilbo questioned, "The Elves, will they not fight?" To which Gandalf shouted, "Thranduil! This is madness!"  Caerwyn was beginning to lose hope of an alliance, even a temporary one, but then line after line of Elves charged, leaping over the heads of Dain's army as the Orcs began to charge. Caerywn allowed a smile of relief to touch her face, but it didn't last for long. Already, the first kills were being made, and blood was being spilled. Swords and spears clanged against shields and armour, and she swallowed hard.

"Azog...he is trying to cut us off," Caerwyn heard Gandalf murmur, also looking for the source of the marching. Not a moment later, a creature she could only describe as an oversized troll emerged with some sort of contraption on its back, and with it, a whole other army of Orcs.

"All of you, fall back to Dale, now!" Bard shouted. "To the city!" Gandalf cried. "Bilbo, Caerwyn!" Caerwyn needed no further prodding. She began to run with the wizard and Hobbit, heading to the city behind them. She sheathed her sword, so her arms would be free to move as she ran, conscious of the straits they were now in. They were nearly to Dale when the boulders hit. Caerwyn looked up just in time to see one destroy a tower near the wall but dared not stop. She lost sight of Bard, but again, dared not stop to listen for the galloping of his horse.

It seemed the Orcs were upon them almost immediately, like an ill-willed welcoming party. Caerwyn took out her sword again, and got to fighting, stabbing Orcs as they came at her. She hadn't noticed the absence of Gandalf and Bilbo by her side, but she had assumed they were fighting, just as she was. What Caerwyn needed to focus on were the horrid creatures who were trying to destroy them. If that meant she was separated from her companions, only time would tell whether she had made a mistake.

Caerywn had no concept of time, so she wasn't aware of how long she had been fighting before she came into a courtyard. There, Caerwyn saw Bain, and she was relieved to see one of Bard's children alive. She only hoped his sisters had found safety. Having caught sight of her, Bain looked about himself before running over to her. "Caerwyn, you must get to the Great Hall," he said, out of breath. "All the women and children are to be taken there, to safety." Caerwyn shook her head, wary of her surroundings, expecting unwelcome company at any minute. "Bain, while your heart is in the right place, I must remain out here. I must, so long as I can fight. Just you be careful, alright?" He looked to be at war with himself for a moment, but eventually he nodded his assent. Caerwyn sighed in relief, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Go now, and remember, be sure to be careful!"

Caerwyn let up her hand, and he ran back from the direction he had been heading in, directing some older women in the direction of the Great Hall. She turned back around, that having been enough of a reprieve for her, and soon found another Orc to sink her sword into. Caerwyn caught a glimpse of fire, and realised the Orcs were laying waste to the city. She couldn't let that thought dampen her resolve, though. She would keep fighting until she either stood as a survivor or died before the war's end.

However, as Caerwyn looked around, she could see plenty of cause for despair. For every Orc she killed, another two or three seemed to take its place. If she had not been joined with others of the Laketown survivors, she would have easily been overrun. She managed to gain back safety in numbers, and although it wasn't nearly enough, it was enough to keep her alive, so she spent the same effort for those fighting with her.