Bloodstained (Thorin x OC)

Ravenhill

The three then returned to where Bard and the rest of the men were regrouping.

"Any man who wants to give their last, follow me!" Agarwaen heard Bard call before the crowd began to move forward, the sound of war cries filling the air.

"Right back to battle it is, then." She muttered to herself, turning around to run back the way she'd come. They were met down several streets by more orcs, and charged fearlessly into the ranks, hacking and slashing at everything that growled.

She'd just taken down a number of them, when an unexpected force from behind sent her stumbling forward. She whipped her head around to see an elven soldier, quickly advancing on her with his sword aimed at her. Thinking fast, she turned and blocked the oncoming swing.

"I'm on your side!" She shouted in confusion, sparing quick glances around them to look for any more orcs.

"You were never on our side!" The voice of Saeron yelled back, and Agarwaen's eyes widened. "Perhaps that beating wasn't enough for you!" He swung again in fury, and she blocked in turn. She did not want to kill him, even if he did beat her to a pulp. If she'd learned anything on this quest, it was that revenge, grudges, or hatred was never a good idea. She did not want to have to spill the blood of her ally. Especially since that would only serve to prove she was a murderer.

"Saeron, listen to me! I do not want to hurt you! We are allies in this war!" She had to fight to keep up with all of his swings and jabs, but didn't want to make a move against him until she had no other choice.

"I will not allow the murderer of my brother to live for one more day!"

"I won't anyway! I've promised Thranduil that I will go willingly to my execution after the battle!"

"That's not enough! I will have revenge for my brother's blood!"

"I would never intentionally spill the blood of an ally. I will not fight you." She kept blocking and stepping away, praying that he would come to recognize his madness and stop this. "I will not make the same mistake twice."

"Then you will die!" His attacks became even more violent, and as much as Agarwaen tried to watch her footwork and keep an eye on her surroundings, he eventually was able to pin her against a wall. Just before he could run her through, she kicked him back, and tried to run, but he regained his balance just in time to tackle her to the ground. He was just about to drive his sword into her, just below the breastplate, when someone else rammed into him from the side and knocked him over. A flash of grey swept by and Agarwaen heard a loud 'thunk' before she finally caught her breath and sat up to look at what exactly had happened.

Bilbo was just getting up off Saeron, and Gandalf held his staff angrily.

"Why was he trying to kill you?" Bilbo asked.

"He's the one who beat me in Mirkwood, Bilbo." She replied as she stood.

"Beat you?" Gandalf exclaimed.

"A story for another time." She said as she listened for nearby orcs.

"Why didn't you just kill him to save yourself?" Bilbo asked.

"Because then I would be no better than the orcs. He's blinded by grief. Just as Thorin is blinded by dragon sickness. Killing him would only prove me a murderer, and when Thranduil takes my head, I would rather not give him the satisfaction of reason behind it." She started toward the far end of the street. "Now come on, we have a city to defend!"

They ended up fighting on the northern borders of the city, Agarwaen surprised she'd even survived this long. Orc after orc she sliced down mercilessly, covered in grime, blood, and sweat. The cut on her face had started to bleed again, the blood from that mixing with several other cuts. Luckily, she managed to keep the blood out of her eyes, but it still slowly dripped down the rest of her, and iron became a constant taste in her mouth.