Ranger Of The South ||2||

↠ Defending the North

"Lass! It's good to see you again!" He exclaimed happily.

"I'm happy that you have found some time in your busy schedule to help me out," I laughed.

"Anything for my Queen."

I rolled my eyes and shot an orc who was chasing a woman.

"I'll see you later," I said while chasing another orc who seemed to be in charge.

He climbed onto the roof.

What was he going to do?

I followed him and saw him grabbing his bow and he pointed an arrow at Aragorn who was busy fighting under us.

I leaped towards the orc and pushed him but the arrow had already been fired. Fortunately, Aragorn dodged to avoid a sword and the arrow flew past him into the orc that he was fighting.

He looked confused up at the roof and our eyes met. Before I could yell something, the orc stood back up and turned towards me. He unsheathed his sword and steadied himself.

"Queen Keira," he spotted, "last time I saw you, it was on the battlefield."

I narrowed my eyes and he continued.

"You killed many of my brothers and you will pay for it, after I have finished off the last heir of Isildur." His eyes flying to Aragorn who was fighting for his life.

I leaped towards him but he dodged my attack and hit my sword with a force that almost knocked me off the roof. Almost.

I steadied myself and ducked to avoid his next attack. I took a couple of steps back and noticed I was on the very edge of the roof.

I narrowed my eyes at the orc. Who does he think he is?

I slashed and sliced and was able to gain some space. It was he now who stood on the edge of the roof. I was so focused on not falling off the roof myself that I had not seen the knife that he had carried on his waist. I jumped back and turned my face away partly but he managed to get me from my cheek to my chin.

I cried out from the pain and my first instinct was to go with my hand to my face to scan the damage. But, I didn't do that, instead I said;
"Say hi to Azog for me," and pushed him over the edge.

I watched him fall and sighed form exhaustion. My hand went to my face and I noticed it was actually quite deep. I looked around and saw Daylor and Faelar fighting back to back.

They would be fine.

I then saw Farin and Dwalin fighting off some orcs and noticed that they could handle it just fine.

My eyes fell on Tauriel who was fighting on her own and though she was an Elf, I could see the exhaustion on her face. I slide from the roof and ran towards her, ignoring the pain that came from my face.

An orc came up behind her and my eyes widened.

"Tauriel! Watch out!"

Only a couple of meters left, come on Keira!

The red haired elleth turned around and finished the orc.

I slashed through the orcs, trying to get to her. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Keira! What happened to your face?"

"Long story," I replied while beheading another orc. "I'm alright though."

I finished my part of the orcs and turned to Tauriel to see how she was holding up. She smashed the last orc down and smiled down at me.

"I think I forgot to count," she admitted.

I laughed. "Yeah, me too."

The smile disappeared from her face in less than a second. "Keira! Behind you!" I turned around and everything seemed to go in slow motion. The orc who fired his arrow, Tauriel who jumped in front of me and got hit with the arrow, I who grabbed my bow and an arrow before finishing it off. Tauriel fell to the ground and I kneeled next to her.

"Oh god, why did you do it? Why? Oh in Durin's name," my voice and hands were trembling while I tried to stop the bleeding.

"It's not your fault," Tauriel said in a shocking voice while gasping for air. "It was my decision."

"Why did you do it?" I asked.

She smiled. "Because I couldn't let you die, Thrain, Lúthien, Daylor and Faelar would be devastating. I don't even want to imagine what Carden will be if you had died."

Tears streamed down my face while I sobbed. Tauriel took my hands. "It's alright, I guess something in me knew that my time had come."

She looked at me. "Promise me. You won't forget our laughs. Our jokes. Our smiles. Our conversations. Our plans. Our tears. Our memories. Our experiences. And above all our friendship. Don't go hiding in the dark, Keira. You can miss us, but you have to let us go."

Her breath stocked and I bowed over her. "Please," I begged her, "don't go."

"It's not a goodbye," she told me while coughing, "it's more of a see you later."

I looked into her green eyes and saw the life leaving her body.

I cried while going with my hands to my face, pain was overtaking my body. I went with my hand through my hair and let the tears go. I sobbed and buried my head into the body.

Was it all worth it?

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I'm sorry.