The Elf, the Hobbit and the Dwarf - Book 1 NEW VERSION

The Battle of the Five Armies

Though the battle seemed harsh from afar it did not seem so from where Míriel was standing. Neither the Elves nor the Dwarves seemed to have an advantage anymore for as they fought they looked so equal. The Elves had their grace and speed while the Dwarves were strong and robust. As Míriel sat on her horse she felt useless for not doing anything, but what could she do? It was impossible to stand in between them and force them to not fight any longer.

Suddenly a strange sound was heard from afar in the southern mountains. The ground vibrated, softly at first but then harsher and harsher. Míriel raised her gaze and looked at the mountain and saw that the sound had gained the attention of them all. The fighting had stopped and now everyone's gaze was fixed upon the mountain, waiting for what was to happen next. This was what Gandalf and Míriel had been waiting, dreading, for. Finally, they would taste the bitter taste of a real battle, one that was between life or death and not gems and coins.

"Were-worms," Gandalf mumbled. Míriel glanced at the Wizard and frowned. Were-worms were monsters that had their home in the Last Desert in the far east.

"Oh come on!" Daín said as he was annoyed by the interruption. He had enjoyed the fight but now even he looked worried as if he realised that Gandalf had been right after all. Míriel hoped that they all felt that way.

Three huge creatures shot out of the mountain; their heads shaped like foul hands. They cried out of their mouths and they had no faces. The beasts created three huge holes in the mountain before retreating again, crushing the stone as they went. Three more of them came out before disappearing, and they could see that they were there for a purpose. Míriel turned her head when she suddenly heard a voice screaming from up of a tower not far from Dale.

It was Azog and he had come to bring forth his army. He looked fouler and more vicious than he had done the last time they had seen him, and now he was ready to finally destroy the Dwarves for good. A loud horn made the very ground shake before thousands of Orcs started marching out of the holes in the mountain. Azog had used the were-worms so that his army could come that way, surrounding them all.

"To battle! Fight to the death!" Daín called and started riding toward the front where the Orcs were going to attack from. His army followed him and started lining up in front of the Elves who just stood there, doing nothing. If Thranduíl did nothing the Orcs were going to tear the Dwarves apart for they were too many, but it was not the first time the Elven King had abandoned the Dwarves, so it did not come as much of a surprise.

"The Elves, will they not fight?" Bilbo asked quietly.

Míriel glanced the King who seemed torn between a decision. Míriel's eyes met his all of the sudden and his icy blue eyes stared into hers. Míriel broke away and started riding toward the battlefield for even if he weren't fighting, she certainly was. That Thranduíl would rather kill the Dwarves for gems than killing Orcs for trying to attack, was unimaginable. Míriel could not think less of him as she did at that very moment.

She saw as the Dwarves lined up, prepared as the Orcs ran toward them. Their shields were only to protect them for as long as they could withstand the Orcs. Just as they all thought that all hope was lost, Thranduíl ordered his army to attack and the Elves jumped over the Dwarves' short heads and started fighting. Míriel smiled slightly because Thranduíl had gotten to his senses and realised that this was important enough for him to fight for. He must have realised that all Gandalf said was true and that this army would not only try to take Erebor but eventually all of Middle-Earth.

Míriel started aiding the archers from her safe spot close to Gandalf and Bilbo as the Elf army marched to battle. Thranduíl gave the archers orders and Daín commanded over the Dwarves' war machines. Unfortunately, Azog's army did not merely consist of Orcs but Trolls and Goblins as well. The Trolls were three times the size of a man and their hands had been replaced by axes or clubs. On their backs rode Orcs which steered the Trolls, but with the joint forces of Elves and Dwarves, even the Trolls could be defeated.