~ Part Twenty ~
Thorin and Ellía were riding in front of the war machine, that carried Fili, Kili, Balin, and Dwalin, on the frozen river when a pack of wargs came stumbling down the hillside and blocked their path. "I've had just about enough of these mutts." Ellía growled out as the pack started to charge towards them.
As the group clashed with the wargs, Ellía and Thorin immediately cut one down each, but others slipped past them and attacked the rams pulling the war machine. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder to check on the others and was met with Fili balancing on the wooden beam that the rams were harnessed to.
"What the hell are they doing?!" she shouted to Thorin as she couldn't help but worry about the golden-haired prince. "Who knows!" Thorin grumbled back as he cut down a warg and its rider. They both heard a loud crash and turned around to see Dwalin, Kili, and Fili riding towards them on rams while the war machine spun around on the ice with Balin shooting down the approaching wargs.
"We can't leave him!!" Ellía yelled and yanked on Radag's mane to head back for their friend, but Dwalin blocked her path. "He knows what he's doin', lassie. Now, come on!" He ordered her. The elf took a shaky breath before urging Radag on and following the others up the rocky path leading to the top of Ravenhill.
It didn't take the group too long before they had made it to the top and killed the small troop of orcs guarding the base. Ellía took a moment to catch her breath and wipe away the sweat and blood on her brow as she slipped off Radag's back. She couldn't ignore the feeling of dread wash over her as they stood in eerie silence and a thick mist. "Where is he?" Kili spoke up, asking the question everyone was thinking.
"It looks empty." Fili said confused as he looked up at the peak where Azog had been giving signals the whole battle. "This was too easy, Thorin." Ellía said worriedly as she began scanning the area for any sign of movement. "It was too easy." Thorin agreed and turned to his nephews. "Go to Gandalf, mellon. He will need your help right now more than I." Ellía spoke to her stallion friend quietly. Radag let out a small huff and nuzzled her shoulder. "I'll be safe as long as your are too." She replied with a kiss to his nose.
The large stallion bowed his head to her before galloping back down the way they had come. "Fili, take your brother. Scout out the towers. Keep low and out of sight. If you see something, report back. Do not engage. Do you understand?" Thorin ordered. Ellía's eyes widened at his order. "Wait, no. We need to stay together-" she began to argue but a few shrieks took the dwarfs attention away from her.
The group looked behind them to see a group of goblins scrambling towards them. "Goblin mercenaries. No more than a hundred." Dwalin called as he raised his battle axe. "We'll take care of them. Go!" Thorin said. Fili and Kili spun on their heels and hurried down a set of crumbling stone steps. 'What do I do, Haruní...' Ellía thought as she glanced between Thorin and his disappearing nephews.
'You must do what you think is right.' She heard her grandmother's voice answer softly. "Ellía!!" Thorin yelled, snapping her form her daze just in time to dodge a goblins blade. She cut it down easily and killed a few more before calling out to Thorin, "I have to go after them! They need help!". Thorin furrowed his brows and spun around, cutting down five goblins at once and called back, "They're not children, Ellía. Actually, they're older than you!"
The elf rolled her eyes and shouted, "You don't get it. I can't fail!! You have Dwalin with you and that makes me feel better about leaving you, but those two kuu'dattos are alone!". Dwalin butted in and asked, "Can't fail? What are you goin' on about?!" as he beheaded a goblin and threw one from off his back. "I can't explain it right now! After we finish this, I will. But, Thorin, I have to go help them." She responded, beginning to sound a bit desperate.
Thorin continued to fight but he cut his eyes over at the elf and gave her an odd look. He had never seen her this tense and anxious before. "Go." He told her with a quick nod before refocusing on the fight at hand. Ellía nodded back at him and finished off the goblin in front of her before hurrying towards the steps.
Before she ran down the staircase, she turned back and looked at the two dwarves fighting off the goblins. "Please let this be the right decision." She pleaded out loud to the Valar as she looked at the King Under the Mountain one last time and felt her necklace begin to grow warm. Ellía took a shaky breath before taking off after the brothers.
As she hurried across the frozen lake and over to the watch towers, she heard the distant sound of snarls and marching feet. "It's a trap..." she thought as her blood turned to ice and she broke out in a sprint, desperate to find the princes and drag them away from there before it was too late.
Once she made it across the misty ice, she snuck into the lower levels and crept up the steps, following the sounds of the orcs. Her heart stopped when she peaked around a wall to see Azog holding Fili up in the air. "No, no, please, no." She whispered and felt her eyes sting with tears. Azog shouted in Orkish but Ellía was too busy focusing on staying silent as she snuck up behind the Pale Orc and his soldiers.
She got up right behind the orc closest to her and slit its throat and covering its mouth with her free hand to muffle the shriek. The elf let the body slump to the floor before repeating this process on two more orcs. Just as she approached her next target, she heard Fili yell 'RUN!' and she snapped her head up to just as Azog pierced him with his bladed arm. She opened her mouth to call out her friend's name but she could not find her voice nor could she move her feet. She was frozen in place as she heard Fili cry out.
"Fili!!" She heard Thorin yell from the other side of the lake. The king's voice seemed to be all Ellía needed to regain control of her body and she leaped forward and slashed Azog's back. The terrifying orc snarled out and let Fili drop to the ground as he turned to face her. The orc growled something and the last two orcs she had yet to kill came forward and clashed their blades with hers.
Ellía did her best to not turn her back on Azog as she battled with the other two orcs, who were seemed to be much more trained than the basic orc soldiers she had been fighting all day. "Kili! No!!" she barely heard Thorin call out, but it reminded her of what she was supposed to be doing... saving the sons of Durin.
Finally, she was able to behead one of the orcs, and as she did, she saw Azog slip back into the dark entrance she had come out of. Once she was sure he had gone, Ellía slashed at the orc she was fighting and kicked him in gut, making him stumble backwards and catch his breath. She took the chance to call out to Fili who was laying quite still.
"Hey! Fili? Answer, please!!" She shouted but had to refocus on the orc as it lunged towards her once more. Ellía felt a new surge of energy as their swords clashed. She swept the orcs feet out from under him with a quick swipe of her leg and buried her blades into its chest. The orc let out a shriek and tried to raise its arm to stab her but she kicked the sword from its hand and twisted her blades to finish the kill.
Once the orc died, she didn't even bother pulling her blades free before running to Fili's side. The Dwarf prince was barley breathing as his glazed eyes stared up at the sky. "Fili? Hey, look at me. I'm gonna get you out of this, okay?" Ellía said quietly and brushed one of his braids away from his face. Fili slowly met her gaze and a small smile appeared on his face.
"I'm glad I got to meet you, Lady Ellía." he said weakly as his eyes began to flutter shut. "No, no! You have to keep your eyes open, okay? I'm sure Oin or Gandalf will be up here in no time. We just gotta keep you awake till then. Please, Fili." she begged, taking one of his hands in hers. The dwarf prince only opened his eyes and stared up at her with an emotion Ellía couldn't put her finger on.
"Kili!!!!!" A new voice called out. "It can't be..." Ellía whispered as she swore the voice belonged to Tauriel. "Go, help my brother. Keep him safe, please." Fili struggled to say. Ellía looked back down at him and noticed how much blood had pooled around him. 'He isn't going to make it...' she thought as a tear streaked down her cheek. "No one would ever believe them if I told them an elf shed tears for me." Fili croaked and winced when he chuckled a bit.
Ellía only gave him a half-hearted glare. "I can't leave you here." she told him tearfully. "You must, nin galad." A gentle voice said behind her. She whirled around to see Galadriel gliding towards them. Ellía only stared up at her, silently begging for another option. "If this son is lost, you must save the others, Ellía." Her grandmother said as she knelt down on the other side of Fili.
The weak dwarf could not even form the words to ask who she was, only stare up at her with confusion. "Can you heal him, please? I know you can do it easily." Ellía whimpered out as more tears streaked down her face. Galadriel only looked up at her granddaughter and gave her a sad smile. "This is not my purpose, meld hína." The Lady of Light whispered. And with that response, all hope for saving the golden-haired prince disappeared and the young elf let out a quiet sob.
"No! Tauriel!!" Kili shouted in the distance. "You must go. Your purpose is not yet complete." Galadriel urged as she took Fili's hand from Ellía's and held it in her own. "Protect him, El." Fili breathed before his eyes fluttered shut. Ellía looked down at the pool of blood and knew that he had already lost too much and no amount of medical attention or healing incantations she could do would save him now.
Ellía reached a hand out and softly cupped one of his cheeks as she whispered, "Forgive me, Fee." After a few seconds had passed, she stood up and wiped the prince's blood off on her tunic before turning around a retrieving her swords from the orc's body. "If I do not see you again, Haruní, please know how much I love you and tell Ada I'm sorry." She said before hurrying into the stone hallways before Galadriel could say anything else.
~ Elvish Translations ~
Haruní - Grandmother
kuu'dattos - Bastards
nin galad - my light
meld hína - dear child
Ada - Father