An Unexpected Journey

Chapter Sixty-Six: Battle of the Five Armies

Out of the holes that the giant worms had created an army marched out, it made Thalia wonder just how unlucky they were right now; they certainly didn't need this when they had a war already about to break out. 

Bilbo clutched at his sword at the sight of the army that was approaching them, he had thought that it was bad enough with the elves and dwarves about to start their own little war. 

"The hordes of hell are upon us," Dáin cried rallying his army to confront the orcs that were charging at them, his army moved swiftly to prevent the orcs from getting any closer to the battle. 

Cornelia moved to grab her own sword, they were sitting ducks out here and it wouldn't take the orcs long to break through the dwarves if no one stood with them now. 

The elves around them didn't move to defend themselves and Thalia wondered for a moment if Thranduil would stand aside and watch the dwarves be slaughtered so that he could gain what he desired. 

"The elves. Will they not fight?" Bilbo asked watching the scene before them, the dwarves prepared for what came next while no one else seemed to move to defend the mountain from the attack. 

Thalia didn't breathe a word, she doubted that Thranduil cared if all the dwarves were slaughtered right now as long as he got what he wanted; he cared nothing for those around him only his own. 

Gandalf started towards the elven-lord, they needed to work together if they were going to defeat this evil and he doubted it would help if everyone in this fell in the first round of attacks. 

Bilbo hung back with Thalia, they watched the wizard disappear through the crowd of elves that were around them; he doubted that he would be able to keep up with Gandalf. 

The dwarven army dropped down to stop the orcs approaching and waited for the first strike, orders where shouted in the dwarven language and Thalia held her breath wondering how many would die.

Sudden movement around her made Thalia stumble back and grab onto Bilbo's shoulder to steady him, the elves around them were suddenly moving and leaping over the dwarven army to aid them in their fight against the orcs. 

Bilbo was glad that Thalia had grabbed onto him when she had, he would have been trampled to death; he looked up at her gratefully when she started to pull him back from what was now the front line. 

"We need to move," Thalia muttered, she didn't know much about battle strategy but standing around was going to get them killed; her hand moved to grab Stormbringer; she was sure that the sword would come in handy soon. 

Bilbo nodded his head and followed after Thalia, she wasn't moving far from the action but giving them enough space so that they wouldn't be completely slaughtered when the orcs broke through the line. 

Sparing a look back to the mountain, Thalia swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat at the sight that Thorin had disappeared; there was no sign of any of the company and she hoped that they would all be okay. 

Bard watched the scene unfolding before him, he had no idea what to do and the small group of men that was with him weren't going to do much damage here. 

They should have listened to the wizard when he had tried to warn them what was coming; Gandalf had tried to make them see sense, that Thorin wasn't the enemy and they had ignored him. 

His eyes swept the line as a horn bellowed above them all, he had a feeling that this battle would only end in the death of everyone around him. 

Bard could only hope that he wasn't about to watch the last of the people of Laketown be slaughtered after everything that had happened.