I Bow To No One

Chapter 20: Sacrifice For the Prince

*Artrain's P.O.V*

Orcs and elves were everywhere. It was a chaotic scene of blood and destruction. My vision was blurred and I couldn't focus on more than one thing at a time. My body was weak and It was a struggle to even hold my head up above the water.  I let the water drag me until the company had gotten caught against a gate, blocking our way to freedom. It felt like an eternity of the dwarves yelling profanities and the roar of the current before Fili's voice caught my attention. "Kili! what are you doing?!" he yelled. I looked up to see the brown haired dwarf running toward a lever, which I assumed was the lever to set us free. He did okay until an orc got in his way. Although, that wasn't entirely what I was worried about. A few yards away there was an or with its bow raised, aiming directly at the young dwarf. At that moment I had made up my mind. It took all of my strength to pull myself out of the water. In my wolf form, I bolted toward the prince. Just as the orc released the arrow I pushed Kili out of the way, taking it to my lower abdomen. "ARTRAIN!" I heard the company yell, Throins voice being the loudest. "Artrain?!" Kili gasped, looking up at me. I just looked at him and let my body fall to the ground, letting out a whimper of pain. "A-Artrain are you alright?!" He asked frantically. I looked up to see waves of orcs rushing in our direction. I quickly shifted and looked at the terrified looking prince. "K-Kili g-go now!" I growled, pain coursing through my entire body. "What?! No! No way I can't leave you here!" Kili said, his voice broke, making it sound almost like a whimper. "L-lad you d-don't have time for this.. P-pull that lever and go!" I said. "No, Artrain. I'm not leaving you here." He growled, and in one swift movement he lifted my weak body up, pulled the lever and jumped down into his barrel with me still in his arms. And that's all I could remember before blacking out.

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I awoke in a brightly lit clearing with trees and flowers surrounding me, I felt absolutely no pain and a feeling of bliss had settled over me. I slowly sat up and looked at the scene around me. Where was I? And more importantly, where was the company? "Thorin?" I called out, "Kili? Fili? Bilbo? Anyone?!". No response. "HELLO?!" I yelled, slightly panicked. "Calm my child. your friends are not here." A vaguely familiar voice cooed, causing me to whip around. In front of me, stood a woman with features similar to mine. She wore a cloak of pure white and her eyes resembled loosely to what you would see on a wolf. Her face was battle hardened, yet gentle and she had chocolaty hair that flowed down a bit past her shoulders. This was a woman I had instantly recognized.. even if it was many years ago. "Mother.?" I asked, tilting my head. "Oh my sweet child! Its been so long!" she said with a smile, taking me into her arms. "I.. Am I dead?" I asked, looking up at her. "That, is entirely up to you young one." a deeper, more husky voice said from behind me. I turned to see a man with eyes similar to my mothers, he had very defined features and messy black hair that came down in front of his eyes. This was my father. "What do you mean? How is it up to me?" I asked, looking at him. "You're still young Artrain. You can choose to fight, to stay alive. Or, you can come with us. You can come back to the pack. We would welcome you." My mother said soothingly. I was shocked. How do you respond to something like that? Part of me wanted to let go. I would be with my family again.. I would never have to worry about anything ever again. Then I remembered my promise the Gandalf. Images of the company flashed in my head.. until Finally Thorin came across my mind. I couldn't leave him.. I couldn't leave any of them. I had to fight and protect them if I could. "I-I can't.." I said after a few moments of silence "I made a promise.. I have people I have to protect.. I'm sorry..." I said, looking up at my parents. They wore smiles of unmistakable pride. "You've grown into an incredible young woman Artrain. You will undoubtedly do wonderful things." My father said with a smile. "Will I ever see you two again?" I asked. "When your time comes we will be here. We love you Artrain." My mother cooed. And just like that, they had disappeared. Different voices were breaking the silence now. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest when I heard that deep voice I had grown to love. "Artrain? Artrain love please open your eyes. Please." Thorin said. My heart shattered, his voice sounded so broken.. so afraid. "T-Thorin..?" I whimpered, forcing my eyes to open a bit.

AN: Hello my dears, Its been a while since I've left one of these. I feel like there is a few things I needed to clear up. Yes, I altered the story. Although I loved the romance between Kili and Tauriel I did not feel it was appropriate for this story. I will most likely alter the end of the story as well. And although I'm not going to tell you how, I will tell you that it will be more honorable. I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading!

yours truly,

Fangirl_central0711