Ranger of the South ➵ THE HOBBIT

➵ 24 | B A T T L E O F T H E F I V E A R M I E S

I looked down from Carden to see troops of heavily armored dwarves. They were lead by a huge dwarf riding a battle pig.

Dain Ironfoot.

Carden landed beside Bilbo who looked up at Gandalf.

"Who is that? He doesn't seem very happy."

"It is Dain," I replied, "lord of the Iron Hills, Thorin's cousin."

"Are they alike?" Bilbo asked.

"I always found Thorin the more reasonable of the two," Gandalf replied.

Dain stopped his army at a short distance from us. He rode his pig onto a rocky overlook.

"Good morning!" Dain began, "How are we all? I have a wee proposition, if ya wouldn't mind giving me a few moments of yer time. Would ya consider..... just sodding off!"

The townspeople, clutching their weapons, stepped back in fear, while the elves pulled out their swords and stepped forward.

"All of you - right now!" Dain continued.

"Stand fest!" Bard ordered.

Gandalf strode forward.

"Come now, Lord Dain!"

"Gandalf the Grey. Tell this rabble to leave, or I'll water the ground with their blood!"

"There is no need for a war between dwarves, men and elves! A legion of orcs march on to the mountain. Stand your army down!" Gandalf argued.

My eyes widened. Was this true?

"I will not stand down before any elf! Not least this faithless woodland sprite!" He gestured at Thranduil. "He wished nothing but ill upon my people! If he chooses to stand between me and my kin - I'll split his pretty head open! See if he's still smirking then!"

Thranduil smiled furiously and the Erebor dwarves cheered.

"He's clearly mad, like his cousin!" Thranduil said. I turned towards him and gave him an angry glare.

"Only I get to insult Thorin."

He paled slightly and wasn't it for the circumstances, I would have laughed.

Dain looked at me curiously and glanced then at Thranduil.

"You hear that lads?" Dain began, turning towards his army, "Come on! Let's give these point ears a good hammering!"

A dwarf yelled out a command, and the Iron Hill dwarves raised their weapons and cheered. The Elves performed a complicated maneuver to put their shield- and spear bearers at the front of the army, while the archers stood behind them. As both armies prepared to fight, a rumbling was heard at the base of a spur of the mountain. The armies grew silent as we all turned to look.

"Were-worms!" Gandalf whispered to himself but loud enough so I could understand him.

At the spur of the mountain where the rumbling was coming from, massive worms, hundreds of feet long and dozens of feet thick, broke through the rocks. Their mouths were essentially giant drilling machines, strong enough to crush the toughest rock in their jaws.

All of us looked at them in shock.

"In Durin's name," I whispered.

"Oh, come on!" Dain yelled out.

The worms suddenly retreated into the tunnels they'd made through the mountains approaching the Lonely Mountain. As the most cleared, we saw Azog and a few other orcs standing atop the hill. Behind them were several massive contraptions made of wood, rope and cloth, meant as signaling device.