[Legolas] In every grain of sand, is the story of the earth.

Chapter 17

It came as no surprise that sleep continuously eluded me, my mind obviously preoccupied with thoughts of the impending battle. While I was no stranger to combat, my nerves leading up to the battle never seemed to ease. My brother once told me it was foolish to become accustomed to battle, it was a sure way to get yourself killed. I treasured his wisdom and it was times like these that I needed him the most.

After tossing and turning restlessly for hours, I pulled myself up in to a sitting position, allowing my body to slump against the hard stone wall heavily. My limbs were still slightly sore from the continuous training, my mind clouded with memories of the past. Leaning my head back against the rough stone, I closed my tired eyes and allowed my mind to wander.

At some point I must have succumbed to sleep as the next thing I knew, the sounds of the men preparing for battle woke me. My muscles groaned in protest as I eased myself in to a standing position, the angle I had slept not doing me any favours. With a sigh, I dressed quickly and attached my bow and quiver to my person. Unfortunately I did not have my armour with me, something that heightened my anxiety somewhat regardless of the fact that there was nothing I could do.

Pushing my unease aside, I reattached my sword and daggers to my attire before making my way towards the old market. There in the square, men and elves stood beside each other readying for battle. It was quite the sight to behold however it would never last. Friendships between elves and men never did. With a sigh, I proceeded to make my way through the bodies of men and elves towards the grey wizard himself. From the look on Gandalf's face, it was obvious he was troubled and I could not blame him.

It wasn't too long after that we began making our way towards the lonely mountain. Bard and I rode on horses while Thranduil was carried by his impressive elk. Bard had the arkenstone safely in his possession, it was our bargaining chip to try and prevent any confrontation. While I hoped that Thorin would listen to reason, something told me it would not be that easy. Regardless of the outcome, I did not know if I would be able to fight my friends. My time with the dwarves was brief but we had been through so much together, I definitely did not have it in me to kill any of them.

Unfortunately I could not say the same about my companions, Thranduil was just itching to battle the troublesome Thorin and Bard would do anything to make she the people of Laketown could have a home once again. I wished Gandalf was here for council however it seemed that he has hung back from the frontlines for the moment. While I was not certain that was a good decision, it was unwise to question the wizards choices...he always seemed to know what he was doing in the end and that was good enough for me.

All too soon we came to a halt in front of the mountain and I wasn't reassured when I noticed the dwarves had barricaded themselves in the mountain. They had the perfect defensible position and they would definitely be able to wade out our attack. Unfortunately it seemed Thorin had made his decision and to my dismay, it seemed that I would have to fight my old comrades.

"Your hesitation is radiating. It seems you do not have what it takes to partake in this fight." King Thranduil's words were cold and clipped, his distaste for me slipping in to his tone. I longed to ignore him, to be rid of this arrogant king once and for all but unfortunately that was not at option. Turning my attention to the elven royalty, I looked at him with my passive gaze.

"Is it unreasonable to be hesitant to engage old comrades in battle? Then if so, maybe I am unreasonable but I do not think that is a bad thing. The ability to slay those you care for without a second thought is much more troubling." My words were soft, gentle and were almost carried away on the wind before reaching another's ears. I managed to catch Thranduil's eyes widening ever so slightly before he turned his attention elsewhere, obviously deeming our conversation over.

Without warning Bard patted my shoulder, offering reassurance in the gesture before pushing his horse a few meters closer to the mountain to come to a halt next to Thranduil. I remained passive as Thranduil called out to Thorin impatiently, wasting no time in offering the deal. The look of pure rage on the dwarf kings face when Bard produced the arkenstone from his attire was disturbing. I had never known a person to possess so much fury. My thoughts instantly turned to Bilbo as Thorin turned his wrath to him as he found out how the treasure came to be in our possession. I could not help but lean forwards slightly, my hand itching towards my bow.

Worry overcame me as Thorin's anger flared noticeably enough for me to notice down below. Thorin was changed and I could not anticipate his next move. That thought frightened me for I was unaware if the dwarf would slay the hobbit for the betrayal. Deciding I would not risk finding out, I retrieved my bow and an arrow from the quiver attached to my back. In no time at all I had the shot lined up ready to fire. I had no intentions to killing Thorin but an arrow grazing his arm would direct his attention away from the hobbit if even for a moment.

Gandalf's booming voice commanded my attention as he advanced through the army, commanding Thorin to return his "burglar" if he no longer wanted him. Thankfully the hobbit was safely with us on the ground in a matter of seconds and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as I relaxed my aim.

"You would kill me Aeron?" Thorin's words were furious as he looked at me with a newfound hatred. I was taken aback by the venom in his words though I managed to keep my composure.

"No...but I would stop you." I was thankful my words came out stronger than I anticipated, showing weakness now would not be wise. The dwarf allowed his gaze to remain on me a little longer before turning his attention back to the men before me. With a deep breath, I steadied my nerves as best I could before turning my attention back to the mountain just in time to see a smirk appear on Thorin's face.

Hearing the sound of distant hooves, I turned my attention to the right only to be met with a dwarf army approaching from the side. It seemed Gandalf was familiar with the newcomer as they wasted no time exchanging words as soon as the dwarves lined up beside us. The hot tempered dwarf wasted no time rallying his army in preparation to attack only to be silenced by the earth protesting close by.

In a matter of seconds, earth was propelled in to the air as were-worms forced their way from the ground and following them, an army of orcs.