Benders: Dragonfire

Birthright

Thank you to TeresSue, and Sauron_is_angry for commenting and voting on the previous chapter!

Tears gathered in Tauriel's eyes, aware of Realn standing in front of her. Prince Realn, a warrior until the end, willing to die first if it meant she and Kili could share one last embrace. His lips touched hers and then she knew nothing else, not even the sound of the river as it sighed with her.

"Long ago," said a voice. "I waged war on your people. Now I finish what I began."

Tauriel and Kili broke apart as a silver flash sent Bolg's head spinning from his shoulders and dropping into the currents of the water, where the foam whirled it around and around and swallowed it.

Thranduil dropped his sword and caught Realn as the elf collapsed. Realn murmured. "It is over. We lost."

Thranduil said nothing, only held him closer as another voice spoke for him. "Are you so sure of that?"

A green-blue head rose from the black water and Ciran stepped onto the bank, a gesture leeching the water from his clothes.

"Ciran," Realn said wearily.

His uncle winked. "Cinwe felt I was no longer needed in Mirkwood and sent me yonder. It is time to end this."

"I do not see how you alone can," Kili said.

"Ah," said Ciran. "I am not alone." And he strode to the edge of Ravenhill to look down.

With a curve of his fingers into an elegant point, he melted the remaining ice on the river, setting the waterfall free. In great waves, it crashed to fill the great riverbank below, filled only by a small trickle. Springs erupted across the battlefield as the ground split and Thranduil glimpsed Ellhamier on the walls of Dale, his fists clenched with the effort.

The rapids rose. And continued to rise, catching orcs by the ankles and dragging them into the gurgling water. As tiny streams flowing from the springs grew, the elves and dwarves scrambled from the confused orc ranks and ran for higher ground, retreating toward Erebor.

The tiny streams reached the main river and carried it higher, the tidal wave overflowing from the banks. It split into walls, crashing across the ground as it yawned open, swallowing whole the bloody remains of war; taking orc, elf, and dwarven corpses alike into the bottomless chasm.

Ciran's breath came in forced coughs, but Thranduil could do nothing as he held Realn, and Tauriel stood rooted, Kili's support.

Orcs fled for higher hills, scrambling up the bottom stairs of Ravenhill, but the water came after them, seeping out of the stone and flooding down the stairs, leaving them empty while clawing hands disappeared into the earth. It seemed the earth would split down to the very core and turn in to two, so far open did the ground go, until no ground was left, only the black pit with Ravenhill shuddered at one end of the abyss and Dale at the other.

The earth closed with a hollow bang. Ciran sank to his knees, his arms falling to his side as the water sank back to its hidden springs and the banks once more contained the river.

Kili looked at Thranduil with indignation. "By Durin's beard, why did you keep those two in Mirkwood all this time?"

Thranduil had no strength to reply as he slowly reached Ciran's side and gave his brother a hand to his feet. The battlefield lay swept of all corpses but Smaug's white skeleton still lay against the mountainside. Slowly, the four made their way down Ravenhill and joined the crowd clustering around the dragon.