The Lonely Mountain [1]

Barrel Riders

Amara woke the next morning and gently climbed out of bed so as not to disturb Legolas. He was sleeping peacefully next to her and she wished she could sleep so soundly. Her mind was still replaying the vision she had seen the previous day. As she pulled on her clothes and weapons, she wondered how she could control the outcome of which future would come to pass. She wished now more than ever that she was back in Rivendell so she could consult her father.

She walked over to the window and gently undid the clasp before walking out onto the balcony that overlooked the forest. Erebor was visible in the distance. She sighed tonight was Mereth Nuin Giliath; The Feast of Starlight. If they were to reach the mountain by Durin's day they were running out of time.

As the night bore on, everyone around Amara started to get very drunk. She had drunk two glasses of wine and decided against having any more. Halfway through the evening she had lost Legolas and had been unable to locate him since. So, there she sat, surrounded by everyone else who had drunk slightly too much. She sighed, deciding to go back to Legolas's chambers and get some sleep.

She walked out of the main hall and began the long walk back to his chambers. That was until she saw the elven guard, led by Tauriel, running past calling that the dwarves had escaped. They had escaped through the wine cellars in barrels heading for Lake Town. She smiled to herself before racing after the guards. She ran outside in time to see Legolas run out of another door with another guard.

"Holo in ennyn! (Shut the gate!)" He yelled and the guard behind him blew his horn. He spotted Amara and she met his gaze before she took off running towards the dwarves.

"Amara!" He yelled and began chasing her. She didn't look back as she ran towards the gate. He caught up with her quickly and caught her arm as an arrow cut through the air.

They turned in time to see one of the guards on the gate fall into the river with an arrow in his back. An orc jumped up to where the guard had been standing and roared. Without a moment's hesitation, Legolas released her arm and drew his bow. More orcs jumped over the gate, with a lot more following. They began to jump at the dwarves and engage the elves. Legolas started shooting but Amara decided to use her long knives. Amara fought her way towards the gate and the dwarves. She had lost sight of Legolas but doubted he had lost sight of her.

She watched as Kili jumped out of the barrel he was in and jumped onto the steps that led to the gate realise. However, an orc ran up behind him and he didn't have a weapon. Dwalin quickly killed the orc he was fighting and threw Kili the weapon.

"Kili!" He called as he threw him the sword.

Kili stabbed the orc and shoved it into the river. He then carried on running up the steps. Another orc jumped in front of him and another saw its chance to kill him from behind. Fili seeing his brother in trouble grabbed a knife from a fallen orc and threw it, killing the orc immediately. Kili carried on running and none of them saw Bolg, Azog's son, drawing his bow and aiming at Kili.

"Kili!" Amara and Fili both screamed as an arrow embedded into his leg.

Kili stumbled but stayed on his feet. His breathing was laboured as he tried to pull the gate realise down. The pain grew too much and he collapsed onto the floor clutching his leg.

"Kili." Amara heard Thorin mummer as she shot an orc who was about to kill him. The company looked at her and all looked relived to see her. Kili just stared at her as she shot another orc before pulling out her knives and fighting the orcs that had surrounded her. Bolg looked at her in anger.

"Get her! Get the she-elf!" Bolg called in his language to his troops.

They didn't get far however, as Legolas reappeared and engaged them. As Legolas and Amara fought back to back, Kili managed to pull himself up and stumble to the gate release. He pulled it down before collapsing on the floor again in pain. The dwarves, in their barrels, were swept away by the current and down another waterfall.

"After them!" Bolg yelled to his men.

"Kili!" Fili yelled as his brother managed to jump from the stairs into his barrel.

As he landed in the barrel the arrow snapped and he cried out in pain. Amara turned around and was caught off guard by an orc. Before she knew it the orc had her pinned to the ground. It raised its blade to strike but suddenly rolled off; an arrow in its head. Amara looked up to find Legolas offering her his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet as they carried on fighting.

As the dwarves were swept down the river, the orcs began to follow. Amara and Legolas jumped the gate wall and started to follow the orcs; shooting any that they could. The dwarves began to disarm the orcs and throw the weapons to each other. They came to a log resting across the river with a number of orcs stood on it.

"Cut the log!" Thorin yelled and as each dwarf passed under it, they struck it with the weapons they had picked up. Until eventually the log collapsed and sent all the orcs into the river.

Amara, Legolas and some members of the woodland guard were still following the dwarves downstream. They fought all the orcs that came at them and caught up with the dwarves pretty quickly. The dwarves didn't look very happy when Legolas jumped and landed on Dwalin and Dori's heads. He began to shoot any orcs that approached and, much to the displeasure of the dwarves, jumped, turned and landed on their heads again.

He then leapt onto Bombur's head before landing next to Amara on one of the banks. This time it was both of them who jumped on the dwarf's heads to get to the other side. Amara heard lots of insults and protests as she did so. Legolas and Amara finished killing the orcs and Amara went to follow the dwarves downstream, but Legolas caught her arm.

"Legolas, I have to help them." She said trying to free herself from his grasp.

"I know." He reached back and pulled all the remaining arrows out of his quiver. "You're going to need these."

She took the arrows from him. "Thank you."

"Be careful, come back to me."

"Always." She rested her forehead against his before pressing her lips against his.

They broke away as they heard the approach of the rest of woodland guard.

"Go!" He said as they started to appear. She turned and sprinted downstream after the rest of the company.

As he watched her go, he never noticed an orc load his bow and fire at him. However, the arrow was deflected by another as Tauriel appeared and started to fight with the orc. She got him in a death grip, her knife at his throat, as Legolas stopped her.

"Tauriel! Dartho! Ú-no hono. Ho hebo cuin. (Wait! This one we keep alive)." He said looking at the other orcs who began pursing Amara and the dwarves.