Star-Crossed

Chapter 75

"They're not fighting." Beuren said, looking to the elves. "Gandalf, why are they not fighting?" The wizard looked just as confused. 

"Thranduil!" The elf king looked to Gandalf. "This is madness!" The Orcs had nearly descended upon the dwarves. They would not stand a chance, their numbers too few. Beuren readied her sword, looking nervous as the enemy drew nearer. 

"THRANDUIL!" He looked back to Beuren, her gaze furious. "Fight!" He turned his blue eyes back towards the orcs. "FIGHT!" He raised his hand, and they sprang into action. The elves leapt forward, jumping clean over the dwarven wall, swords drawn. Beuren heaved a sigh of relief.
It didn't take long for the orcs to break the line. The Lakemen grew antsy, they readied their weapons as the orcs rushed forward. Beuren drew her blade, taking stance as best as she could with one arm. Gandalf stood fast beside her, his own blade drawn as he prepared for battle. Looking to her side, she saw Bilbo's eyes grow wider. As she turned, she saw a group of orcs racing for them.

"Your sword." She ordered, looking back at Bilbo who hadn't drawn his sword. "BILBO YOUR SWORD!" Beuren turned just in time to block a mace aimed for her head and the battle began. She quickly became separated from her Hobbit companion, leaping in to help Dain manage the five that had ganged up on him. 

Lowering her shoulder, she ran head long into the side of one, taking it off it's feet. Before it could recover from the daze, she drove her blade through its chest and hustled to her feet. She'd blocked a sword, kicking the creatures leg out from underneath it and allowing Dain to finish it off. 

"You didn't make it far!" Dain shouted over the roaring battle.

"You didn't hold them long enough!" Beuren snarked in return, ducking to avoid an axe. She spun around, narrowly missing an arrow to the head, and chopped into the side of an orc. It wailed, dragging her along with it as it tried to escape her. Blade stuck in the monster's rib cage, Beuren struggled to free it and kill the beast while it swung its axe at her head and arm. The orc tripped, sending them both toppling over a six-foot cliff. She landed roughly on her side, rolling to avoid the orc's axe. An orc made spear stopped it in its tracks. Thranduil wiped his palm on his pant leg, a disgusted look on his face. 

"What are you doing?" She looked up at him in annoyance. "Grab your sword and get to battle."

"I'm trying but it's stuck." She remarked, trying to remove it from the orc's corpse. 

"Well try harder!" He fought off an orc that was coming after her. 

"If I get this thing unstuck so help me Mahal it's going up your-" A mace connected with her side, sending her soaring a good five feet. Beuren let out a hideous wail as she landed on her burns. Thranduil steered his elf before her, beheading the orc who'd attacked her. 

"Can you stand? I'm getting you out of here!" 

"No! I'm fine." Beuren argued. 

"You are not fine, and you shouldn't be here in the first place!" Thranduil stooped in his saddled, taking the back of her armor and lifting her onto his steed. "Why am I always saving your hide?" He urged his elk forward. "You've been a Dunédain for how many years and you still can't fight?" 

"I can fight much better when I'm on the ground!" She shouted, kicking an Orc in the head as it lunged for Thranduil's stirrup. 

"Excuses." She rolled her eyes. A horn sounded from behind the Orcs. 

"What was that?" 

"They're attacking the city." Thranduil said, watching as a hoard of cave trolls attacked the defense wall around Dale. "They're splitting us with two fronts." Beuren turned her gaze back towards the signal commanding the orcs. 

"We've got to get rid of that thing." Beuren pointed. "Put me down, I have to go!" 

"No, I'm taking you somewhere safe, you're injured-BEUREN!" She bailed, tackling an orc as she landed. Beuren hurried forward, collecting what weapons lay unattended as she weaved through the battle. As she approached Dale, a thunderous horn sounded...from the mountain. It rumbled in her chest, her heart skipped a beat, her stomach flopped. 

"Thorin." She grinned, looking back at the gates as they crumbled, the dwarves mere ants from where she stood. Then the realization hit her: he would soon find out about Azog, he would go after him and he'd lost to him once already. "Thorin." She hurried back towards Ravenhill, upon which the signal stood. 

She'd made it half way up the side of Ravenhill when she was forcefully stopped. A heavy weight collided with her chest, sending her to the ground. Gasping for air, she looked up into the gnarled face of Bolg. Crawling backwards as best as she could, she barely missed being crushed by his mace. Beuren took up the sword of a fallen elf that she had snagged on her way across the battlefield. He swung at her again. She leapt backwards off the ledge. 

Azog grinned as he saw Thorin making his way up the frozen river, the Prince's and Dwalin close in behind. The Pale Orc turned his head in curiosity. Where had the elf filth gone? Where one was the other usually followed. 

"Where is he?" Thorin questioned, more to himself than to his nephews or second hand. 

"It looks empty." Kili smirked a little. "I think he's fled!" 

"I don't think so...Fili, take your brother. Scout out the towers. Keep low and out of sight. If you see something; report back, do not engage - do you understand?!" Fili nodded, looking to his brother. 

"We have company." Dwalin said, jogging up the Thorin and the Prince's. "Goblin mercinaries. No more than a hundred." 

"We'll take care of them. Go! Go!" The brothers sprinted silently across the ice towards the stronghold. 

The goblins were easily defeated. Thorin and Dwalin panted as they waited for a sign from the brothers. The padding of feet caught their attention. Bilbo, panting for air from his long-distance run, looked as shocked to see them as they were to see him. 

"Thorin!"

"Bilbo?"

"You have to leave here! Now! Azog has another army attacking from the north. This watchtower will be completely surrounded. There'll be no way out." Dwalin looked to Thorin, who turned back to the tower. 

"We are so close! That orc scum is in there. I say we push on." Dwalin urged. 

"No! That's what he wants. He wants to draw us in." His breath caught in his chest, his heart raced in his ears. "This is a trap." He looked in horror at the tower. "Find Fili and Kili. Call them back." He spun on Dwalin. 

"Thorin are you sure about this?"

"Do it. We live to fight another day." As Dwalin moved forward, drums sounded in the stronghold. Torch light began to shine in the uppermost tunnel. Thorin had a sickening feeling in his stomach.