So Sayeth the King

Chapter 4

The road to Erebor hard and relentless, and Thora road equally so, stopping only when she or Delmaria truly needed to. If her judgement was correct, she was perhaps three maybe four days behind her father and the company. She decided it was best to avoid Mirkwood for fear of being recognised and apprehended, but this put her further behind the company, and it was desperate time she would need to make up for. 

Thora pulled Delmaria to a halt on the far banks of the lake. The remnants  of Laketown were but charred wood and splinters floating on the water. On the far side of the lake the sounds of battle raged over the slopes of Erebor and in the ruins of Dale. Thora spurred Delmaria into a gallop across the banks of the lake towards the battle, hoping that she would not be to late for her family's sake.

In the midst of battle Gandalf looked around, the dwarves were fighting on the slopes of Erebor, and the Elves and Men fought together in Dale.

"We may yet survive this." The wizard uttered with hope.

"GANDALF!" The shout of the Hobbit alerted him and drew him to the Hobbit's side at the wall that overlooked Ravenhill. Through the mist four figures astride mountain rams could be seen riding up the mountain range.

"It's Thorin!" Bilbo gasped.

"And Fili, Kili...and Dwalin. He's taking his best warriors!" Gandalf realised.

"To do what?"

"To cut the head off the snake." The wizard sneered.

"Gandalf!" A voice called from behind the Wizard and Hobbit.

Gandalf turned and marvelled at the sight of the of the Elf prince riding towards him. "Legolas... Legolas Greenleaf!"

"There is a second army! Bolg leads a force of Gundabad orcs. They are almost upon us!" Legolas stated with haste after he swung off his horse.

"Gundabad...This was their plan all along. Azog engages our forces, then Bolg seeps in from the north."  The Wizard paced lightly, the pieces of this puzzle falling into their horrible place.

"Wha...the north...where is the north, exactly?!" Bilbo stuttered in fear.

"Ravenhill."

"Ravenhill...Thorin is up there! And Fili and Kili - they're all up there!" Bilbo cried as they looked over the terrain.

For the second time today, a voice called out for the Wizard.

"Gandalf!"

The Wizard turned to the familiar voice but it was not a face he had expected to see. There astride a horse, bearing a sword in hand already coated in the black blood of Orcs, was Thora.

"Caladwel! What on earth are you doing here?!" Gandalf demanded.

"Where is my father?!" Thora begged, ignoring the wizard's question.

"Ravenhill, he and your family are falling into a trap there is another army the means to sweep in from the north." Gandalf explained.

Thora's expression was one of fear but quickly replaced with determination. Ignoring the calls of Gandalf, she turned Delmaria and galloped through Dale to the causeway that lead to Ravenhill. She prayed that she would make it in time to save her family.

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Thorin drove his sword through one of the last of the goblins, Dwalin by his side. He turned upon the goblin the meant to attack him from behind, only to find an arrow through the back of it's mangled head. The one standing behind the now fallen dead goblin, was perhaps the last person Thorin had expected to see - his daughter, Thora.