A Tale of Time

Chapter 15: Broken Heart

Chapter 15: Broken Heart

She doesn't care anymore if she dies, she just wants to avenge Tauriel. To avenge Kili. Bolg attacks again and Gailien holds herself in defence, walking backwards as the slashes keep coming her way. She just needs him near the edge, and a little imbalance could send him right over. She lets him keep coming towards her and she flickers her eyes over her shoulder constantly, watching and waiting for the ledge to come into view.

Finally, the edge comes into sight, but her head is over her shoulder for a moment too long. Bolg strikes along the air, his sword knocking both of hers from her grip. Gailien shrieks in shock, her step stumbling as now she stands defenceless.

It seems that he doesn't want an easy death for her. He reaches forward, his long arms grasping her neck once more even though she takes a couple of steps back. This time, he turns her around again, holding her as he did for Tauriel. She grips the forearm around his neck, pushing her feet off of his thighs, kicking and screaming.

On the stone balcony above, Fili hears her strangled cries. He had heard her cry before and however painful it sounded – she was still alive then. But now he can hear the cry of frustration, altered by something else.

Determined, he places on hand on the wall and one on the stone. Taking a deep breath, he pushes himself upwards, holding his entire weight on his left foot. Low grunts pass his lips, but he stays standing. Using Gailien's bow as a makeshift crutch (though being sure to use it sparingly to not break it), Fili slowly hobbles towards the edge of the ledge that he originally fell onto.

The process is slow, becoming agonising as Gailien's gruntled cries continue even more but even though each step causes pain to flare up his leg, he knows what Gailien had tried to tell him earlier. And he intends to stop it.

With laboured breaths, he finally reaches the edge which overlooks the ground below and he falls back onto the ground, his broken leg outstretched to the side. It is Bolg and Gailien alone, the half-Elf being held to Bolg's chest and once again is slowly suffocating. The Orc enjoys the slow process, dragging out the pain he knows that he is causing. Gailien claws at him again, her sight only just beginning to become blurry.

Fili pulls one of the red-feathered bows from her quiver. He has to take a breath to stop the shaking that the pain has caused him. He knows that he is running out of time, her life trickling slowly like a sand timer. His chest shudders with each breath as he makes sure the arrow is nocked tight and true. Slowly, he pulls back the drawstring.

On the other side, Kili hobbles back to the fortress, Thorin's arm over his shoulder who has been stabbed through the foot. But they had done it, and now Azog lies at the bottom of the frozen river dead from Kili's blade. He smiled broadly as he had done it. This quest was the chance to prove himself – and he has done just that.

"We did it," Kili breathes out. "Azog is dead."

"Thanks to you," Thorin smiles softly through his own pain, limping heavily. But he has never been prouder of his nephew. Kili opens his mouth to respond but someone else's voice runs over his. Thorin's smile drops. "Gailien," he whispers. Kili's eyes widen as they stretch their necks, hobbling along the rocks as fast as they can towards the strangled cries. It is almost as if his foot wound is forgotten, just a heavy limp without the pain.

They finally trek up the small incline and see why Gailien's strangled cries are the only thing they can hear. "Gailien?!" Kili calls out her name, pausing in shock as Bolg holds her tight in his grip, facing them. Thorin growls, his sword already clutched in his hand and prepares himself to run forward. But a glint of red in the near distance makes him stop for a moment, spying Fili with the bow at the ready.