All's Far in Love and War

Chapter 15: An Announcement Made to the King

Flora's POV:

Dwalin and I had found Thorin and the others right were we had left him. Azog could be heard over the wall giving signs and a legion of Orcs began pouring out of the were-worm tunnels.

"I'm going over the wall! Who's coming with me?" Fili questioned, the other dwarves, except Dwalin, cheer and agree, preparing to climb down.

"Stand down!" Thorin hissed.

"What?" one of the dwarves questioned.

"Are we to do nothing?" Fili asked.

"I said STAND DOWN!" Thorin shouted. As Thorin walks away, the other look on in shock and surprise. Meanwhile, as Dain and a company of his dwarves rush toward the oncoming Orcs, the Elves stay right where they are. The dwarves are clearly outnumbered by the Orcs. Dwalin and I looked at each other and he shook his head.

Third Person POV:

"The elves, will they not fight?" Bilbo questioned Gandalf.

"Thranduil! This is madness!" Gandalf urged. Thranduil looks back at the Iron Hills dwarves, who have stopped and built a shield wall with their massive spears pointed outward, lead by the chants of the leader. The orcs are fast approaching the shield wall. Suddenly, right as the Orcs reach the dwarves, the Elves leap up over the shield wall from behind, wielding their swords, and begin raining down blows on the Orcs. As the Elves press forward, the dwarvish shield wall is raised and the dwarves rush forward, cutting down Orcs with their spears. Dain rides furiously through the Orcs, smashing them left and right with his hammer.

As the remaining elves march toward the battle, Gandalf and Bilbo are standing in one place.

"Eh, Gandalf - Is this a good place to stand?" Bilbo asked, with a laugh.

At the top of the hill, Azog commands his Orcs. "Send in the War Beasts!"

The wooden signalling devices change their position to show a new signal. Gandalf, seeing the signal, looks toward the tunnels to see new legions of Orcs, including massive trolls and other monsters, come out. Thranduil shouts to his troops. The Elves stop and pull out their bows.

"They cannot fight on two fronts. Now we make our move." Azog commanded, "Attack the city!"

As a horn sound and the signalling device changes again, another legion of Orcs that had been waiting for the signal turn and march toward Dale, which is between the current battle and the tunnels.

"Azog - he's trying to cut us off" Gandalf said, realizing what is going on. They see massive trolls, each large enough to carry multiple other dwarves and wooden structures such as catapults on their back, march toward the city along with the armies of Orcs.

"All of you, fall back to Dale! Now!" Bard commanded, as he, the Lakepeople, Gandalf, and Bilbo rush toward the city, trying to intercept the Orcs.

"To the city! Bilbo! This way!" Gandalf urged.

The monstrous trolls approaching the city stop at a rise overlooking Dale. They bend over and plant all four legs on the ground, thus making their backs horizontal. On their backs are catapults loaded with large rocks; orcs on the trolls' backs wind up the gears of the catapults. At a signal from their leader orc, who strikes the ground with his mace, the catapults are released, and the rocks fly toward Dale. They smash into the walls and towers, destroying everything they hit. As Bard, at the front of his army, rides across a bridge into Dale, we see the Orc army approaching the wall from another area. A troll with a giant triangle-shaped rock strapped to his head runs up to the wall and smashes into it headfirst, knocking it down and knocking himself out in the some motion. The orcs behind him rush into the city through the hole, entering the houses and killing whatever people they find.