Fool for u

The battle in which I rode a troll and heard Bifur talk - yes, he can talk

The Company was lined up on the wall as the sun showed its head over the horizon the next morning. Below, legions of Mirkwood elves and humans alike were armed, waiting for the tiniest signal to attack Erebor. Thorin hardly batted an eyelash at the threat at his door, which was strange considering... well, they were facing war!
Periwinkle never left Bofur's side once. Bilbo was also with them. He returned to the mountain in the early morning hours when he had the chance to slip past the guards at Dale. He told his two friends about Thranduil's eagerness to end the dwarves, Bard's wishes to avoid war, and Gandalf's claim of an army of orcs making their way towards the mountain. This was worse than they could have ever imagined.
At least the hobbit gave the Arkenstone to the former bargeman, who decided to go along with the plan to use it for striking a deal with Thorin. This would work, it just had to. If what Gandalf said about an army of orcs was true, they would need the humans and elves to stand with them to defeat their mutual enemy. And that was only possible if everyone could come to a bloody agreement.
Upon noticing Thranduil and Bard approaching the gate on their steeds, Thorin raised his bow and fired an arrow at the ground just beside the elven king, "I will put the next one between your eyes!"
Thranduil glowered up at the dwarven king, anything but intimidated by his threat. And they soon found out why. The elven king barely had to give an order for every single one of his guards to draw their bows and aim up at the Company. The dwarves all ducked behind the ramparts, startled. Bofur half-covered Periwinkle with his body just in case one of those arrows would fly. He'd rather risk his own life than to see her get hurt.
Once Thorin realized his threats were empty, he lowered his bow an inch. Thranduil took that as a sign to start his negotiating, "We've come to tell you; payment of your debt has been offered... and accepted."
Slowly the dwarves rose to their feet, sending each other looks of confusion. All were wondering the same thing: what payment was the elf speaking of?
"What payment?" Thorin growled, "I gave you nothing! You have nothing!"
"We have this," Bard said as he reached into his coat to reveal the Arkenstone. It glowed in all its glory as the dragonslayer held it up for everyone to see.
Thorin's eyes grew in astonishment and he completely lowered his bow. Those of the dwarves who recognized the gem as well gawked at the sight of it. Periwinkle, Bofur and Bilbo shared a look of anticipation. This was it, this was the make or break of their plan.
Kili's brow creased as he exclaimed, "They have the Arkenstone? Thieves! How came you by the heirloom of our house? That stone belongs to the king!"
"And the king may have it - in our goodwill." Bard stated as he casually tucked the gem back into his coat, "But first he must honour his word."
Thorin shook his head in disbelief, muttering words to himself before speaking up, "The Arkenstone is within this mountain! It's a trick!"
Periwinkle felt her jaw drop. How the bloody hell was that a trick? Was there any other gem as the Arkenstone? Surely he couldn't be that stupid?! She inched forward with clenched fists, so ready to punch some sense into the dwarven king and tell him that, indeed, that was the Arkenstone and that it was her idea to give it to Bard in the first place.
She would have done just that if Bilbo didn't stop her. He looked at her a second or two, his eyes telling her to let him handle it. Not waiting for her to reply, the hobbit took a cautious step towards the dwarven king and spoke up, "It's no trick. The stone is real. I gave it to them."
The dwarves and Thorin looked at Bilbo in shock, the latter's expression changing to a mixture of sorrow and anger. Periwinkle blinked in bafflement. Why would Bilbo leave out the part of it being her idea? Was he willing to take the fall for both of them?
"I took it as my fourteenth share," Bilbo stated, never tearing his eyes from Thorin.
"You would steal from me?" The dwarf king asked darkly, stalking towards the hobbit.
"Steal from you?" The hobbit echoed, "No. No. I may be a burglar, but I like to think I'm an honest one. I'm willing to let it stand against my claim."
"Against your claim?! Your claim! You have no claim over me you miserable rat!"
Bilbo jumped back when Thorin made a grab for him, escaping his hands by inches, "I was going to give it to you. Many times I wanted to, but..."
"But what, thief?!" Thorin was beyond himself with fury, shaking visibly as he gazed at the hobbit before him.
Bilbo blinked, wiggled his nose, and almost shouted his next words at their leader, "You are changed, Thorin! The dwarf I met in Bag End would never have gone back on his word! Would never have doubted the loyalty of his kin!"
"Do not speak to me... of loyalty!" Thorin seethed and turned to the dwarves, "Throw him from the rampart!"
No dwarf made a move to obey that order, but Periwinkle was holding her breath. Her own anger was surfacing and all that was holding her back from lashing out at Thorin was Bofur's hand around hers.
When the dwarf king saw that no one was obeying his order, he hissed, "Do you hear me?!" He grabbed Fili by the collar and shook him violently until the young prince could wriggle himself free. Thorin seethed, "I will do it myself!"
Out of nowhere, he surged towards the hobbit with eyes ablaze. In a flash, Periwinkle reached out and pulled Bilbo from his reach and placed herself before him, shielding him from the mad king. Thorin tried shoving her aside, but she twisted her body to the side while keeping Bilbo secured behind her. The other dwarves yelled at their king to stop, to think about his actions, but their please fell on deaf ears.
Thorin's anger finally reached its limit as his eyes clouded, blinding him from seeing and thinking straight. With a guttural roar he drew back his hand and struck Periwinkle across the face, the force of his hit sending her stumbling to the side and... over the rampart.
Bofur shouted her name and shot forward to catch her, however, Dwalin was closer and grabbed her by the ankle in a nick of time. At the bottom, Bard, Thranduil and Gandalf watched in horror as the girl they knew to be a force of nature, dangling upside-down from the rampart by her ankle, while at the top it took four dwarves to hold Bofur back from attacking Thorin in raw anger.
Balin used that time to nudge Bilbo towards the rampart, muttering for him to go while Thorin was distracted. The hobbit grabbed the rope he used the previous night and lowered himself to safety, hoping that Periwinkle would be alright with the dwarves looking after her.
Dwalin finally managed to haul her up. The second Periwinkle's feet was safe on the ground, Bofur was at her side and nearly folded himself around her to shield her from the dwarf king.
When Thorin inched forward to deal with her further, he was surprised to find almost every dwarf blocking his path with looks of pure disapproval on their faces.
"Don't ya dare come anywhere near the lass again, understand?" Dwalin threatened the dwarf he once called a friend.
Bofur paid no attention to what happened around him and his lass. He cupped her cheeks to examine the damage. He felt his anger boiling at the bleeding cut on her cheek where Thorin's ring had struck her, as well as her split lip. Mahal help him, he would personally attack the king for doing this to her.
Periwinkle, who was too shocked about what just happened, finally found her voice and chocked out, "Did... did that just happen?"
Bofur was shaking. There was no warmth in his eyes as he replied, "I swear on my beard I will kill him..."
"Get in line." She muttered and touched the stinging cut on her cheek, frowning at the blood that stuck to her fingertips.
While Bofur was checking up on his lass, the Ironfoot dwarves have arrived with Thorin's cousin Dain leading them into battle against the elves. However, while Dain was showering Thranduil and his elven guards with threats and insults, no one paid attention to the rumbling beneath the earth.
The ground shook when, out of nowhere, worms the size of dragons broke through the hills around the armies. Dwarves, men, elves, wizard and hobbit all watched in horror as legions of orcs emerged from the holed the worms created. Gandalf had been right. The orcs have arrived and the tables have turned.
Dain did not hesitate to order his dwarves to attack. Thranduil was wary of giving the order to his elves, but upon noticing that the orcs outnumbered all armies by thousands, he gave in. The elven guard gracefully joined the battle as Bard led his men back to Dale to protect the people of Laketown.
The Company waited in anticipation for Thorin to order them to attack, but no word came from their king. When the wait became too long, Fili spoke up, "I'm going over the wall! Who's coming with me?"
Like one man, the dwarves readied their weapons to show they would follow the young prince into battle. It was, in fact, their fight. They should finish it.
But before anyone could climb down the rampart, Thorin stopped them, "Stand down!"
Fili paused, shock clearly written on his face, "Are we to do nothing?"
"I said STAND DOWN!" Thorin shouted again. He turned abruptly and climbed down the wall, striding down the hall until he vanished from view.
The Company watched in shock as their leader abandoned them. After everything they've been through, after all the mistakes, after the bargaining between the three armies failed, he would not even fight his own battle.
They turned around the watch the battle unfold before them. Dain and the Ironfoot made short work of the orcs with their battle-rams and war machines - the orcs noticed as well and were sure to dispose of those machines when they had the chance. That left the dwarves of the Iron Hills with a massive disadvantage as they were beginning to be slaughtered and defeated. The elves suffered the same fate. Although more graceful and nimble when it came to fighting, they could do nothing while being outnumbered by both orcs and trolls. In the distance, Azog's army invaded Dale, no doubt cutting down every man or obstacle in their wake.
The Company turned away with remorse, dropping to the ground when their knees turned wobbly. Periwinkle had completely forgotten about the cut on her cheek. Bilbo was out there, Bard's children too. And not to mention all those helpless people who didn't have any armor or weapons to protect them from this war.
Dwalin huffed and rose to his feet, "That's it. I'm goin' ta talk to 'im, see if there still some sense left in tha' head of his."
They watched him stomp off to find Thorin rather hopelessly. If Bilbo, Periwinkle, Bard and Gandalf have all failed to reason with the dwarf king, they doubted Dwalin could do any better.
Oin shook his head with a miserable sigh before scooting over to Periwinkle, "Let me see that cut, lass."
"I'm fine, Oin, thank you." She told him, "There are more urgent matters than a simple cut on the cheek."
"I know, lass." He gently patted her shoulder, "But at least it'll keep my mind occupied to tend to the wounded, keep me from thinking 'bout what's happening behind us."
How could she say no to that? Periwinkle gave in and sat up straight, allowing him to clean the cut on her cheek and lip just for the sake of pleasing him. Bofur still held her close, trying his very best not to be angry. He knew very well she valued his smile and warm eyes. It comforted her and that's what they all needed that moment.
At some point, the Company climbed from the wall to sit at the bottom, a feeble attempt to distance themselves from the cries coming from the battleground. Dwalin had returned shortly after they settled, his face saying exactly what he could - he failed. Thorin was still... not Thorin. And from the redness in his eyes and the way he hung his head to hide it, Periwinkle knew he had been crying on his way back. The grumpy, beefy, warrior dwarf Dwalin had been crying.
She rose from her spot between Bofur and Oin and moved to sit next to him, placing a gentle hand on his. No words were needed. Dwalin sent her a brief look of gratitude for the comfort.
They didn't know how long they waited. It could be a few minutes, maybe an hour, but at last they heard the sound of footsteps echoing behind them. One by one the Company turned to see Thorin making his way towards them, no longer clothed in royal armor but rather a simple leather tunic. He carried his sword in one hand and walked with confidence, seeming strangely... fine.
Kili seized the moment and jumped to his feet, "I will not hide behind a wall of stone, while others fight our battles for us!" He approached his uncle until they were standing toe-to-toe, "It is not in my blood, Thorin."
The dwarves held their breaths, anxious to see what could become of their young prince after his outburst. But what Thorin said took them all by surprise, "No, it is not. We are sons of Durin. And Durin's folk do not flee from a fight." The dwarf king briefly pressed his forehead to his nephew's before advancing towards the others, "I have no right to ask this of any of you; but will you follow me one last time?"
Periwinkle rose to her feet and crossed her arms, "Depends. Which Thorin is asking?"
"The same one whose clothes you hung in a tree because he did not listen to you." Thorin replied, a slight smile pulling at his lips at the memory, "And the one who could not apologize enough for what he has done." This time his eyes settled on the cut on her cheek and his heart clenched, "I am truly sorry for everything. I do not expect you to forgive me for what I've done. I wouldn't have."
Periwinkle looked over at Bofur, noticing the crease between his brows as he tried not to show sympathy towards their leader - but it was clear he was incapable of holding a grudge. He was Bofur, a lover and not a fighter. He said so himself.
Periwinkle sighed and turned back to Thorin, "I forgive you, just, for the sake of the Valar, don't ever go near that gold ever again. I speak for everyone when I say we despised the new Thorin. Just... don't do that again."
When the conflict between their leader and guide was resolved, the dwarves one by one picked up their weapons in answer that they would follow Thorin one last time. Even Periwinkle drew her sword and gave it a confident spin.
They were ready for war - finally.
And not a moment to soon, it seemed. Bombur had climbed up the wall with an enormous horn. With powerful lungs he blew through it, bringing the battle to a standstill momentarily while dwarves, orcs and elves wondered about the sudden signal.
At that moment, the barricade smashed outwards when a giant bell crashed through it. The debris created a bridge across the gap that separated the mountain from the battleground and from the dust the Company of Thorin Oakenshield emerged, their leader at the very front.
"Du Bekâr!" Thorin roared and wielded his weapon high.
Dain and the dwarves of the Ironfoot rallied with their king and fell in with the Company. They smashed through the orcs to clear a path before spreading out, each dwarf taking on an enemy on their own.
Periwinkle stuck with Bofur, Bifur and Bombur as they took on a particular large troll that just so happened to stand in their way. She would've thought she was done with the fell beasts, but there she was, ducking underneath its arms and slicing at the back of its legs.
Out of nowhere, an axe came flying through the air and struck the troll in the head, killing in instantly. Bofur blinked in surprise before pulling the axe from the creature's skull, chucked it at the nearest orc and hitting it between the eyes, thus saving Bombur. In return, Bombur repeated the move; throwing the axe at the next target and saving Ori the trouble of killing the orc pursuing him. Ori pulled the weapon from the orc's head and aimed at the one Bofur was currently fighting off. However, the latter killed the orc at the same time Ori threw the axe...
Periwinkle reached out just in time to catch the weapon, stopping it inches from Bofur's forehead. His eyes were wide as he looked from the axe to her, "Aye, thank you."
"Wouldn't want to ruin that handsome face now, do we?" She grinned before her eye caught something behind them, "Duck!"
Bofur with his brother and cousin fell to their stomachs just before another troll could sweep them away with its enormous hand. Filled with determination, Bofur called back to his relatives, "A hand here, lads!"
They seemed to know what that meant, for Bombur dropped on all fours while Bifur held a shield above his hand. Bofur ran a few paces to gain some speed before jumping onto Bombur's back and onto Bifur shield, the latter thrusting upwards to send the funny hatted dwarf soaring through the sky right onto the troll's back. Periwinkle watched in amazement as he climbed to the saddle on the creature and shoving the orc rider off.
Bofur breathed exasperatedly as he finally settled on the troll. Now what? His eye caught the reins and he reached for them, giving them a few experimental tugs to see how riding a troll worked. The steering was a bit sensitive, but he quickly managed to get a hold of it and steered the troll straight into a small group of orcs, crushing them underneath the troll's feet.
Periwinkle breathed out a laugh at her silly dwarf's cheers of victory. Bofur must have realized she was still watching him from the ground below, for he steered the troll towards her and made it halt, "Care to join me for a ride, m'lady?"
"I'd love to, kind sir." She snorted and grabbed onto the orc's harness, allowing Bofur to pull her up the rest of the way.
She clung to him for dear life as he rode them through the battle, crushing every orc in their way and making their troll-steed fight its own kind. The trail of dead orcs and trolls they left in their wake was impressive and if this was a competition to see who could kill the most enemies, they would've won by far.
Periwinkle spotted a dwarven war machine being pulled across a frozen river just a few paces to their right. Balin was the one driving it, while Dwalin, Fili and Kili were disposing of the enemies that came too close to their ride. Currently, their biggest problem was the wargs coming from the front and the troll that chased them from the back.
"There!" She told Bofur and pointed at their companions, "We got to help them."
"Aye, on it." Bofur tugged on the reins and the troll swerved to the right, "Hold on, lass!"
That was all warning she received. Periwinkle tightened her hold on Bofur as he steered their troll off a high boulder, letting it fall right on top of the one chasing after the others. The troll broke through the ice and sank to the bottom almost instantly.
"Bofur, you beauty!" Fili yelled back at them, thrusting his sword into the air in cheers.
"Hey, what about me?" Periwinkle shouted right back but never caught what the young prince replied with. Their troll was currently sinking as well, and Bofur couldn't pick her up fast enough to jump them both to safety.
The two scurried up the riverbank to escape the cracking ice, thus stumbling back into the battle. They fought back to back until they reached the spot where they left Bombur and Bifur. They were still there, taking on every orc that crosse their path. Bofur and Periwinkle were quick to help them and took down an orc together, almost immediately turning to find more coming their way.
Periwinkle has never been in a major fight before and seldom got the chance to use her sword for what it was made for. The few orcs she had to kill on this quest didn't come close to this. She had to duck and dodge attacks for all she was worth. Sure, she knew how to handle a sword and that was clear for every dwarf that caught her waging her own little war upon the unfortunate orcs that stand in her way.
Bofur quirked a brow when he caught her leaning back to avoid being decapitating by an orcish blade. Instead of just straightening to her feet, she kicked her legs up and cartwheeled backwards, kicking the orc in the face and sending it stumbling back. In a blink of an eye, she pounced forward and thrust her sword through its chest. The silly dwarf was floored by the looks of her as she hovered over her kill; hair dishevelled and dangling in her face, eyes wild and on alert, and sweat glistening on every patch of exposed skin. Could he ever not want her?
Periwinkle was so caught up in her current battle against the orc that she never saw the one creeping up behind her. Bifur, luckily, did. He ran towards her at an incredible speed and leapt through the air, headbutting the orc before it could bring its mace down on Periwinkle.
However, his axe caught in the orc's head and he couldn't pull himself free. Bifur tugged against the axe but nothing worked, so instead, he put all his weight into pushing against the orc's head to drive it away.
Realizing what was happening, Bofur, Periwinkle and Bombur rushed forward to grab Bifur, trying to pull him away from the orc but the axe was buried to deep, and they only managed to pull the orc with them.
When Bofur realized that this wasn't working, he shouted, "Push!"
Bombur and Periwinkle pushed forward, the four of them driving the orc off a ledge with their strength combined. But even with the orc dangling below them, the axe still wouldn't break free from its head. Bombur rushed forward and jumped down the ledge, landing right on the orcs head. His weight was surprisingly enough and Bifur and the orc broke apart. The black and grey-bearded dwarf fell backwards right on top of Bofur, who in turn fell on top of Periwinkle.
When Bofur propped himself up, his eyes widened at the sight of his cousin, "By Durin, you've lost yer axe!"
Periwinkle shot upright at the words, her jaw dropping when she saw the empty gash in Bifur's head, "By Bofur's beard..."
Bifur patted his head to feel the spot where the axe was embedded, now empty. His eyes grew twice their size as he let out a breathy 'Ha!' in astonishment.
"No, he's not!" Their heads jerked up to see Bombur running towards them, an axe head in his hand. He held it out towards Bifur with a pant, "There you go, cousin."
Bifur took the axe head, gave it a scowling look before chucking it over his shoulder, "Ye know where ye can stick that!" He pushed himself off the ground and Bofur and, without another word, ran off into battle.
Periwinkle was floored. All she could do was sit there and blink.
Bofur hauled her up to her feet and frowned at her odd expression, "Ye alright, lass?"
"He talked..." She muttered in shock, "Bifur talked... He can talk... He just talked... words... a full sentence."
"Yes, and we can talk as well." He grinned at her looks of total bafflement, "But less talkin' and more fightin', aye? I'm sure there'll be no shuttin' him up after this. Come on."
Bofur held their hand as he pulled her with him to battle. Periwinkle recalled him saying he wasn't a fighter, but damn, he knew how to swing that mattock of his. She fought with him, Bombur and Bifur, together they made quite the team in cutting down orcs from left to right. When she would dodge an attack, Bofur would bash the orc with his mattock. When Bombur blocked a blade from cutting through him, Bifur was there to kill the orc from behind. When Periwinkle was outnumbered by orcs, the other three were there in a flash to save her.
They kept each other safe throughout the entire battle until the large shadows of the eagles passed over them. Orcs, dwarves, as well as trolls, looked up to see the massive birds descending down upon them. One of them dropped a figure, who shifted to a bear in mid-air. Periwinkle let out a victorious cry when she recognized Beorn tearing through the orc legions in his massive bear form.
The eagles swooped down and knocked the orcs down with the force of their wings, snatching some up in their talons and dropping them from great heights. The seemed to be winning this battle against all the odds. The orcs that were still alive fled back whence they came, not even bothering helping their injured companions on the way.
The Company and Ironfoot let out cries of victory at their fleeing enemy, raising their weapons high into the air. Periwinkle was lifted on Bombur's shoulder as she, too, joined the cheers. Now they could say Erebor was hard-won.
But all joy within her vanished when she suddenly realized something, "Where's Bilbo? And what became of Fili, Kili, Dwalin and Balin?"
She had a point. The four of them spread out to gather the rest of the Company before asking around if anyone saw their missing companions. It was Dain who confessed to seeing them last. They were heading up Ravenhill to bring an end to Azog, he hasn't seen them since.
The Company rushed towards the hill, all hoping beyond hope that their friends were unharmed and alive. Periwinkle was at the very front as they reached the top. Her eyes searched the ruins of a fort frantically for her hobbit friend but found nothing except dead orcs and goblins scattered around the ground.
"Bilbo!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Fili! Kili!"
The dwarves joined in, calling out to their companions in anxious anticipation until someone appeared before them. Dwalin nearly ran right into Oin, his eyes big and frightened as he took the healer by the arms, "Thank Mahal yer here! They're injured, come quick..."
The warrior dwarf led them down the riverbank and down the frozen river towards a small group gathered at the edge of the waterfall. Periwinkle instantly recognized the tall figures of Legolas and Tauriel and... she breathed in relief when spotting Bilbo with them. He seemed unharmed, thank the Valar.
However, they seemed to be gathered around three bodies.
Valar no...
"No, no, no, no!" Periwinkle chocked when they reached the group. Thorin, Fili and Kili... they were... they couldn't be... no, they couldn't be... "What happened?" She blurted out, looking at the elves and Bilbo for an explanation. But she received no answer. They all feared the worse; that the line of Durin has come to an end.
Oin dropped to his knees to examine them, working quickly in taking their pulses and pressing his fingers to their necks to search for a heartbeat. His eyes settled on the Company, wide and startled, "They're still alive. But I don't know for how long."
"Then let's get them to the mountain." Balin decided and stepped forward to help lift Thorin up with his brother.
While the Company was carrying their royals downhill, Periwinkle stayed behind with the elves and Bilbo. The events of the battle finally caught up to her when she saw her friends' death-like figures lying on the ground. It made her wonder just how many times the others had come close to death during the war. She already knew she wouldn't be able to live with it if anyone didn't make it out.
At that thought, another fear took hold of her. She turned to Legolas and said with all earnest, "You have to convince your father to help them. Please, you have to. I know elves can heal others, I saw Tauriel do it, just... I can't lose them. Not anyone of them. They're my family and I only just got them. I can't lose them. Please."
"And what if he won't?" Legolas replied with a question of his own. The last time he saw his father, he was pointing his sword at Tauriel. They left him quite displeased and he doubted he would listen.
"He will if we give him his share of the treasure." Periwinkle blurted out, "Please, I'm willing to do anything to save them."
Legolas frowned as he looked down at her. Why she would want to save the dwarves he would never know. In truth, the elven prince still wondered why exactly he saved the dwarf king moments ago when an orc nearly killed him at the top of the waterfall. Perhaps he thought he owed the dwarves a debt. Or perhaps he was trying to earn Tauriel's favour in helping her save the young dwarf prince. Or perhaps... he did not know. This feeling was unfamiliar to him. He never experienced a lot of emotions before and had no idea why he felt what he felt when he gave in to the girl's pleas.
Perhaps he valued what she thought of him. Yes, that might be it. She wasn't Tauriel, even when she had almost the same colour hair and pale skin complexion. He didn't fancy her like that. Was it because she had the nerve to stand up to him? The guts to insult him in the presence of his guards? Whatever it was, Legolas agreed to speak with his father nonetheless. And he took absolute joy in the way her face lit up. Yes, perhaps he was starting to value others' lives above his own. That was what it was