A Tale of Time

Chapter 14: Broken Promise

Chapter 14: Broken Promise

Gailien fights her way through the Orcs. She jumps over the stairs, wrapping her legs around one of their necks as her blade makes its way through their skull. She releases him, rolling backwards and landing in a low crouch.

So many things run through her mind. She hasn't found Thorin or Dwalin, but she can hear Kili nearby. Half of her is telling her to run and find her love, the other knows that she needs to stay with Fili.

Her eyes keep dropping to the ground, knowing that at any moment she could be lying on it. She runs down a rampart, instinctively reaching for her bow to shoot the Orcs she sees down below but her hands only grasp air. She does, however, see Thorin fighting off two Orcs on his own.

She whispers his name as her feet move faster along the rampart, her eyes barely leaving him as he fights below her. The only thing to break her from her trance is a heavy weight dropping onto the stone in front of her.

Gailien's feet skid to a halt, lest she run into one of the biggest Orcs she has ever seen. It isn't even pure height or muscle. It almost looks half-troll. Fixing her stumble, she changes into a defensive stance, digging the ball of her foot into the stone behind her.

The large Orc growls, swinging his sword through the air as he lazily walks towards her. she must look like a mouse next to him. But a lethal one. Her blades are kept still until he is no less than a few steps in front of her. The creature is typical for one its size: hard blows, but slow moves and not that smart.

She ducks and rolls underneath its sword as it comes down through the air. It clangs, rebounding off the stone that used to be under her feet, but she is to its side. Her own blades lash out, the top one slicing through the upper leg.

The Orc growls, almost roaring and it stumbles forward and out of her direct reach. Knowing she needs to hit higher, Gailien runs towards the furthest wall of the rampart which goes to the height of her head. With a forceful leap, she bends her leg, catching it on the top of the wall and pushes back off.

She soars through the air, her swords above her head as she flies towards the Orc's back. They dig into the back of his shoulders and Gailien lets her weight do the work but clinging to them, letting her body hang below freely.

The Orc screeches, leaning backwards and trying to reach behind but her blades are in too deep and it cannot reach her. It starts to shake, sending Gailien's body from side to side. It growls loudly as she doesn't let go, twisting its body around with so much force that her hands slip from their tight grip.

She crashes back into the wall she jumped from, her back receiving the brunt of it. Her breath leaves her lungs, sending her to the ground in strangled gasps. The snow is cold against her skin, sending spikes of cold pain up her forearms as her fingers dig into it.

"Argh!"

She pushes herself onto her backside, scuffling her feet along to ground to push herself against the wall. The Orc still lives, her blades protruding from its back, but she can hear its pain. For a split moment, she wishes she had taken Ardoth when it was offered to her.

She glances to the ground, trying to see if it fits her vision. She certainly is alone here.

But it seems that it is not fate. An arrow, not with the red feathers of her own or Kili's sinks deep into the Orc's skull, straight down as though it was shot from above. Her head snaps upwards, just catching sight of a crebrain flying overhead and a familiar figure hanging upside down from it. Once again, Legolas has saved her hide.

The Orc crashes face-first into the ground of the rampart and Gailien slowly manages to pull herself back up to her feet. She puts a hand to her stomach as it burns but pulls it away almost instantly. Her entire hand is covered in blood. She looks down at her chainmail, feeling sick at the sight of the large dark patch showing through the metal.