An Unexpected Romance

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

We were trapped. The gate had closed and we had no way of opening it. I stared up at the Elven guards, all of whom had drawn their weapon. It seemed that we were in for a fight. Suddenly, an arrow pierced the armor of a single elf. He toppled over into the water, an orc taking his place upon the ledge.

"Look out!" Bofur yelled. "Orcs!"

I pulled my sword from inside my barrel and brandished it, though I wasn't sure what good it would do me. Their numbers were far greater than ours and my movement was unbelievably constricted. 

More orcs came, slaughtering the Woodland Elves from behind. As the elves fell, the orcs rose. More came, one after another.

Orcs began jumping into the water in an attempt to slay us.

I took out two with one strike and began climbing out of my barrel. Carefully, I hopped from edge to edge, using the heads of the company as support.

"Ah!" I grunted as I drove my sword up through an Orc's head. Fili was holding onto my leg, maintaining my balance.

Many of us had taken up the weapons of fallen beasts and were hacking at the ones that kept coming. It seemed that was all we could do. I glanced up, desperate for a way out when I saw it. The lever that opened the gate. 

It seemed that Kili and I had the same idea.

He had jumped onto the land and was fighting off Orc with just his hands until Dwalin screamed his name and tossed him a weapon.

I looked around frantically for a way to get to him.

"Nori!" I yelled. The ginger dwarf's head snapped in my direction. "Give me a boost!"

He nodded and I jumped. Nori's timing was perfect. His hands connected with my feet just as I passed over him, giving me the extra momentum I needed to make it. I tucked my body and hit the stone steps, rolling onto my feet and plunging my sword into an orc's chest.

"Ariel, what are you doing?!" I heard Kili yell over the sounds of clashing metal.

"Get to the damn lever!" I screamed, taking down another orc. "I've got your back!"

And I did. As Kili battled with one monster, I grabbed a knife from a dead one's belt and chucked it at the orc coming up behind him. The body fell and Kili decapitated the one he was fighting with.

With one last stroke of his sword, Kili took out the final orc standing in his way. He was mere feet from the lever when-

"KILI!" His brother screamed.

I looked up and saw the black shaft of an arrow protruding from his thigh. He collapsed to the ground, crying out in pain.

"No!" I yelled, sprinting towards Kili where he lay.

An orc had tried to approach, but fell quickly, an Elven arrow piercing his neck.

When I whirled around, there was Tauriel. Red hair flowing gracefully behind her, she knocked another arrow and let it fly. I shook myself from the trance I was in and lunged toward the lever. With all my strength, I pulled it down. The dwarfs yelled as the gate opened and the  current threw them over the waterfall.

"Ariel!" Kili yelled.

I spun around and drove my sword upwards, into the belly of an orc.

"Go!" I screamed at Kili, who had a wild sort of look in his eye.

"After them!" I heard an orc screech. 

"Kili!" Fili screamed.

I watch as, with great difficulty, Kili hauled himself over the edge of the platform and back into the river.