43

The Pale Orc leapt down from the height of the towers, charging towards Thorin and Talia mercilessly. Then, he lunged forward, launching into combat. He brought his mace down on them immediately, but the pair had already dodged the attack. When they ducked, the rock that his axe landed in crumbled behind them. Thorin and Talia rolled to stand, blocking each strike he made their way. Their swords clanged against his blade and mace one after the other, the metallic noise ringing through their ears.

While Thorin whipped around to slice at Azog's stomach, Talia dropped low and slid past Azog. He cried out in pain as her dagger sliced through his calf, turning towards her with electrified eyes. With a single kick, he sent her flying down the steps, crashing into the stone below. She groaned at the blinding pain in her ribs, but her vision was already a sinister red. Today was the day that son of a bitch died, and she refused to let him get the best of her.

Once she was back on her feet, she saw Thorin already struggling against the beast above. He was trying to take his attention off Talia, trying to get Azog to see only him. Luckily, Thorin had the advantage; his smaller size gave him speed that the Defiler did not have. The King avoided every blow, leading him down and away from Talia.

"Thorin!"

Before he could respond, a new cry alerted Talia. The three of them looked up to see Bolg toss a She-Elf aside as if she were nothing, her red hair whipping through the wind. What concerned them more was the dwarf prince that was fighting back, defending her with his life.

Azog looked at her maliciously, seeing the difficulty in her eyes. "What will you do now, Butcher of Beasts?" He snarled, ignoring Thorin as he struggled to his feet behind him. "You cannot save them both."

But Thorin hadn't needed to understand the Defiler to understand her decision. "Go to him, Talia!"

As soon as Thorin had spoken, Azog whirled around to bring his axe on the dwarf again, launching back into combat. While Talia struggled to reach them, for they grew further and further away with each step, Azog turned back to her. "Who will you choose, Talia Rue? Who is more worthy of life?"

"Thorin, I won't leave you—"

"Go, Talia!" Thorin bellowed, blocking another swing from Azog's blade. She gasped as he was sent spiraling on the ice, his back slick with the melting ground and his blood. Now, Azog's Orcs were upon him. From above, Talia could see ten or so of his mercenaries scrambling across the ice, weapons raised at Thorin. He stood alone.

"Go in for the kill! Finish him!"

"Thorin—"

"GO!"

His eyes caught hers for a split second, and she understood. Like herself, Thorin would die for his nephew if he had no other choice.

So Talia rushed off, skidding up the stairs as fast as she could. Eventually, the metallic ring of their weapons faded away, and she was met with the battle cries of others.

"Kili! Kili!"

"Tauriel!"

She continued to speed up the steps, finally rounding the corner and arriving at the scene. Tauriel had gotten up as quick as lightning and was now assisting Kili with Bolg. The beast of an Orc roared as the She-Elf leapt on his back, raising her sword to bury it in his neck. But Bolg dropped and rolled forward, crushing Tauriel between his sharp armor and the stone. She cried out at the lacerations, clutching her stomach. Bolg gripped his weapon, prepared to go in for the kill. She could not move; her fight was over.

But Kili would not give up. The dwarf jumped off the bridge above and blocked Bolg's attack, wedging his sword between Bolg and Tauriel. His legs wrapped around Bolg's shoulders, forcing him back and away from her. It was then that the She-Elf saw Talia, preparing her blade behind Bolg and Kili.

However, Bolg was too quick for her to act. He reached back and tossed Kili onto the stone steps beside him, slamming his back into the rock. Kili groaned in pain, but he got up, leaping off the steps and blocking Bolg's attack. It was then that Bolg snatched the dwarf, holding him by his chain mail as he lifted his blade up. But as scared as she was, Tauriel knew Kili would live to see another day.

For Bolg had forgotten about his fugitive.

Talia screamed as she buried her blade through Bolg's skull, standing on the steps above. Kili flinched away from the tip of the sword, which dripped black blood onto his cheek. The Defiler's spawn let out a final growl, one so animalistic that it was beyond that of the living, before collapsing to the ground. Kili fell back, leaning against the side of the steps as his clenched hand released him, lifeless and defeated.

The Queen jumped down from the stairs, landing on Bolg's head. His neck snapped with a sickening CRACK as Talia wrenched her blade from the bone, scowling at the blood coating the metal. Kili and Tauriel watched on in shock, remaining silent as Talia gave a final kick to the gruesome bastard.

Then, she looked up at Kili, her eyes wild with worry. She tossed her blade aside, rushing over to her nephew and embracing him tightly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes." Kili whispered softly, holding his aunt tight to him. Over her shoulder, he met Tauriel's eyes with a smile. "Don't worry about me."

Eventually, she released him, walking over to Tauriel alongside her nephew. The She-Elf now had her back pressed to the stone, panting heavily. Her stomach was coated with blood, both her cuts and ribs aching throughout her body.

"Tauriel." Kili breathed, kneeling at her side and gripping her hand. He hated seeing her like this, knowing Bolg had landed a few nasty blows when he was incapable of defending her.

"I'm fine, Kili. I'm fine." She assured him, smiling at his concern. As she placed a hand on his cheek, he brought their foreheads together, sighing in relief.

"Amrâlimê."

Before Talia could tend to her, another screech from the base of the fortress alerted them all. Turning towards it's source, they all saw Thorin finish off the last of Azog's Orcs, tossing the pitiful creature over the side of the frozen waterfall. Now, he stood alone against his long-awaited enemy. They eyed each other from opposing sides of the ice, heaving from both of their labors.

"Uncle—"

"No, Kili." Talia put a hand on his chest, stopping him from lunging forward. "Help Tauriel find Legolas and the rest of the guard. If Bolg was already here, Azog's second army will arrive soon to take Ravenhill. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"Talia." Tauriel reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her close. "Thank you."

She grinned back, but Tauriel's deeds had not gone unnoticed by her. Tauriel had defended her nephew's life just as she had, and naturally, Talia understood why. Dwalin would owe her ten gold pieces once the battle was over.

Talia nodded in response, looking between the pair. "Stay together," She began, taking up her sword once more, "And for the love of Mahal, keep each other safe. I cannot come rushing in whenever you need assistance."

"Shut up and go save Uncle." Kili said, shoving her away as Tauriel laughed. Her voice had an Elvish charm to it, but she chuckled like a dwarf. Talia smiled at the sound, winking as she ran off to the ice.

Thorin and Azog stood, staring each other down. The King's cerulean blue eyes showed his wear as blood dripped down his forehead, stemming from a cut that went from his hairline to his brow. The Defiler's icy blue orbs reflected nothing but bloodthirst, his cheek stained red from Talia's dagger beside his deformed ear.

They walked forward slowly, wielding their own blades. No words were said, for they both knew what was to come. This was their final stand, the defining moment; only one of them would walk away alive.

But soon, a third would join the party. Talia slid across the ice on her heavy boots, arriving just beside Thorin. Her emerald green eyes bore into Azog's, knowing he had never forgotten her face.

Then, a horn sounded behind Azog, causing him to smirk and steal a sly gaze behind him. His second army had arrived, forming their ranks on the plains behind Ravenhill. The accursed creature looked back to the royals, shaking his head mockingly.

"So, you choose to die together. So be it. My boot is large enough to squash two bugs in one step."

Talia roared as she swung her blade, causing Azog to jump back. Thorin was next to mount his attack, but Azog swung a large boulder round a massive chain, nearly decapitating him from its sheer size alone. The Defiler pulled it back just as Talia slid low, avoiding the rock as it came down inches from her face. She slipped past the pair, standing behind Azog's back as soon as she got her bearings. Still, Thorin attacked him relentlessly, refusing to allow him to land a single strike on his wife. Between the two of them, Azog was struggling to keep up.

Still, the Defiler persisted. His massive boulder was the only thing keeping him alive, for the pair could not land a hit on him while it swung through the air. He kept them at a distance, but it was not without a cost; the ice around them had begun to splinter and crack under their weight. When the boulder embedded itself in the ground beside Thorin, the ice moaned and broke. Now, the three of them were battling on a precarious and unbalanced part of the ice, surrounded by water on all sides of their makeshift glacier.

Then, Azog's boulder crashed into the crook of Thorin's knees, taking his feet out from under him. He had no chance but to roll away as Azog brought the boulder down again and again, sending the pair spiraling around the ice in a circle.

Meanwhile, Talia had managed to hop off the broken ice and avoid Azog's boulder. Still, the battling pair were too preoccupied to notice her absence. She readied her blade, using her momentum and the slickness of the ice to send her forward at breakneck speed towards the Defiler.

The metal sliced through Azog's side, causing his eyes to widen as he gasped in shock. Her lack of balance had thrown her aim off, but the cut was deep enough to weaken him. Turning to face her momentarily, Azog let out a roar that would instill fear in even the bravest of hearts. But Thorin had seen his chance, and he whipped his blade across his stomach, ripping through armor and skin alike.

Now, Azog was maddened beyond belief. He growled at Talia before throwing the chain over his head, sending the boulder into the ice just before Thorin's feet. The King and Queen watched him carefully, awaiting his next move. Talia could not reach them now; the ice they stood on had drifted too far away. When Azog tried to retrieve the stone, it would not budge from the ice, even as he tugged on his chain.

But something else had distracted the Defiler from his prize.

The Eagles swarmed around Ravenhill and above the three warriors, causing them all to look up in shock. They were accompanied by none other than Radagast and Beorn themselves, who urged them onward to the second army. The wizard continued to ride their leader as Beorn leapt off his own Eagle, morphing into his bear form in midair. Talia grinned as he landed atop a dozen soldiers, killing them instantaneously and letting out a terrifc roar. The Orcs hadn't even stood a chance; the Eagles swooped low and cawed angrily, ripping apart the army without mercy. Their vicious battle cries were enough to cause Azog his own grief. His second army had perished. If he did not kill Thorin and Talia now, he had failed.

And ironically, these thoughts had cost him the battle.

Thorin did not waste a single moment. Tossing his blade aside, Thorin picked up the boulder and tossed it to Azog. He caught it reflexively, but it was only afterwards that Azog knew what he had done. Thorin hopped off the ice, watching his piercing blue eyes widen in fear. He dropped the boulder as the ice tipped up towards him, sending him into the freezing water as his body sunk from the weight. Azog was trapped within a frigid, unforgiving cage just below his feet. Finally, Thorin had won.

Talia rushed over, sliding over unstable chunks of ice as she tried to reach Thorin. He caught her in his arms, stopping her from falling back into the water with Azog. Quickly, they scanned each other for injuries, still panting. They exchanged a look of shock, their lips inches apart as they breathed heavily.

Once their gazes drifted apart, Talia scanned the ice for the Defiler. "Where is he?"

But when Thorin bent down to retrieve is blade, he saw the ghost of his enemy drift right below him. "Here."

Azog's body floated under the ice below, supported by the running water around him. He moved further and further from the pair, his muscles slowing to a stop as he ceased his struggle. The look in his eyes, still pulsating with anger, told them he was alive. Yet he did not move, allowing the water to carry him past the royals and towards the edge of the falls.

Thorin was the first to take a step forward, following his enemy from above. Talia soon followed, watching the water swallow her captor. His sky blue eyes fell shut as his body relaxed, giving into the sensation of death. Finally, they had killed Azog the Defiler.

Or so they thought.

Azog's eyes shot open as he growled, ramming his blade into the ice and through Thorin's foot. Talia gasped behind him as he roared in pain, running as fast as she could to get to him.

The Pale Orc burst through the ice before Thorin, slamming his blade against Thorin's with a newfound strength and resilience. He knocked the King to the ground, causing him to moan in pain as Talia rushed after him. But before he could land the final blow, Talia barreled headfirst into the Pale Orc, sending them both rolling towards the edge of the ice. Thorin's breath hitched in his throat as he saw Talia's arm dangle off the side of the frozen waterfall, forcing himself up and after her.

But Azog was faster. He had gotten to his feet and grabbed Talia by the neck, holding her high above the edge of the waterfall. She gasped for breath, struggling against his chokehold. Her nails dug into his skin as her legs kicked aimlessly, feeling nothing but the empty air between her and the long fall below.

"What a shame your feelings for the dwarf are. Truly." Azog mused, watching as the color left her face. "Had you spared yourself of such trivial emotion, you would have lived so much longer."

Just as his grip loosened around her neck, Thorin's blade came crashing down, slicing at the arm that held her. Azog howled as Talia was sent tumbling away from the ice, along with his missing hand. She coughed as she held her ribs, gasping for air on the ice a little ways off. Looking up, she saw Thorin making his final stand, blocking Azog's last attacks in vain.

She forced herself to stand, wiping the blood from her lips as she picked up her sword. Thorin was knocked to the ground by the beast, who raised his sword up high above Thorin's chest. Then, he brought it down, but not before Thorin had blocked it with his own.

Talia limped over as fast as she could, her body beaten, bruised, and beyond broken. Thorin let out a muffled grunt as he pushed his own blade against Azog's, preventing him from impaling his chest. But the Pale Orc was too strong, and his strength pushed the blade until it brushed against Thorin's chest. His time had come, for he could hold on no longer.

Luckily, he didn't have to. Just as Thorin pulled his sword away from his own defense, Talia's blade buried itself in Azog's side, sending him hurtling to Thorin's right. Her attack had affected his own; instead of impaling Thorin directly in the chest, only part of the blade fell into Thorin's side. It caused him to cry out in pain all the same, but it didn't matter. Azog lay to Thorin's left, breathing heavily with Talia's blade still in his side.

But Thorin was not done. With the adrenaline pulsing through his veins, the King rolled on top of the Defiler and rammed his sword through Azog's chest. The blade went through armor, flesh, and bone, finally pushing through the ice below. Talia stood and watched as the light left his eyes, her mouth agape from pain, exhaustion, and relief.

Azog was dead.

Talia snapped back to reality as soon as Thorin slid off his corpse, swaying as he stood. She caught him immediately, leading his fumbling feet towards the refuge of a nearby outlook. As gently as she could, she set him down on the rocks, tears welling in her eyes at his shaky breath.

"Talia—" He reached out, his hand brushing against her cheek as he looked up to her.

"No, no, hold on. Stay with me." She gripped his hand and held it against her face, allowing the tears to fall. The look in his eyes was becoming weaker and weaker, his breath fainter and fainter. "Damnit, Thorin, why didn't you leave me?"

"Talia, look at me."

"No, no, please no." She whimpered, her beautiful green eyes overflowing with tears. The pain in her chest overwhelmed her as she pressed a hand to his wound, begging the gods to keep him alive. "Come on, Thorin."

"Look at me."

So she did, meeting the eyes she had known all her life. Ironically, he had never looked more calm.

"I ask you again to forgive me. For the dragon, Dol Guldur, the Company. I would have you follow me to the ends of the earth... selfishly."

"Thorin, it wasn't your fault. None of it." She shook her head, cupping his cheek gently. His full beard tickled her fingertips as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear, running her hand over her braid. "I would go to the ends of the earth for you in a heartbeat."

"Amrâlimê—"

"All my life I have known our love. And ever since the moment I realized how I felt, I knew I was yours. You can't get rid of me, Thorin."

"I know," He coughed, but a smile still shone through. Talia let out a soft gasp at the sight, her cheeks wet with tears. "I've loved you for as long as I can remember."

She let out a sob as she held him close, her emerald eyes stained red. But before any more could be said, their hobbit rushed to Thorin's side, causing him to shift at the sight of his friend.

"Bilbo."

"No, don't look." Bilbo chided, helping Talia apply pressure to his wound. She wiped her nose on her sleeve, allowing the hobbit to help. "Don't move. Lie still."

"I'm glad you're here." Thorin continued, ignoring Bilbo's shushes. "I wish to part from you in friendship."

"No, you are not going anywhere, Thorin. You're going to live."

"I would take back my words and my deeds at the gate. You did what only a true friend would do." Thorin choked in pain, causing Talia to hold him tighter. "Forgive me. I was too blind to see." His eyes met Bilbo's brown ones, filled with remorse and sorrow. "I am so sorry that I have led you into such peril."

But much to Talia's surprise, Bilbo shook his head and refused to accept the apology. "No, I'm glad to have shared in your perils, Thorin. Each and every one of them. It is far more than any Baggins deserves."

Thorin grinned at him, grateful for his words. They had granted him the peace he had needed.

"Farewell, Master Burglar. Go back to your books, and your armchair. Plant your trees, watch them grow. If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place."

Thorin inhaled deeply, causing both the warrior and the hobbit to start suddenly.

"No, no, no! No! Thorin, don't you dare—"

But before Talia could even react, Thorin lost consciousness. The motion in his chest slowed to a stop, and his eyes fluttered shut. For a moment, the Queen and hobbit paused in shock, unable to process what had just happened. Had he left them?

Then, his chest heaved again. Talia and Bilbo sighed as his breath fanned over their hands, leaning on each other as they laughed in relief. The tears still flowed, but now they were those of happiness, not sorrow. Although he was comatose and incredibly weak, a miracle had graced their loved one on this fateful day.

Thorin Oakenshield had lived.