Many Paths: Chapter Seven

[flakedice]

Title: Many Paths (7 of 10)
Author(s): Flakedice
Artist(s): charlies_dragon, penumbria_fics and croix_souillees
Fandom(s): The Hobbit
Type: Slash
Rating: Mature
Word Count/Art type: 44,550 words
Characters/Pairings: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Warnings/Spoilers: major character death, graphic violence, gore, torture, psychological torture, ptsd, (tiny bit of) self-harm, suicide (sort of), mental illness (Please highlight to read)
Summary: Bilbo wakes up in Dale. With the memory of a battle won but lives lost, he finds an army of Men and Elves readying to attack Erebor. Bilbo tries to save his dwarves. Again and again.

MANY PATHS

CHAPTER VII

Fili retreated into the tunnel, eyes wide, his expression making it clear he knew the precariousness of his situation.

Bilbo wouldn't let him fall to the orcs even now racing to their position.

"Fili." Bilbo pulled off the ring.

Fili turned, a look of shock on his face. "Bilbo-"

Bilbo grasped his arm and pulled him back. "This way." He led Fili down the tunnel he had scouted, bundling him into the small alcove he had found. It was a tight fit but they managed to tuck themselves inside.

Heavy footsteps and clanging metal grew louder, jeering snarls filling the air. Bilbo froze where he was pressed against Fili's side. Not even daring to breathe.

Noise filled the narrow tunnels, the orcs now nearly upon them. For a moment, Bilbo feared the hunting orcs would venture down their narrow passage. But they continued on, steps not even faltering.

Once they had passed, Bilbo squeezed out of their hiding place. "We have to get out." He whispered harshly. "Another army of orcs is approaching from the north."

Fili caught hold of his shoulder, grip painful in his fear. "Kili."

"He's in the lower levels." If he hadn't gotten an idea to take another route. "I'll find him. Get back to Thorin and tell him to retreat to the mountain." It was worth a try.

Fili's hand only tightened. "I won't leave Kili."

Bilbo reached up, pulling Fili's head down until their foreheads touched. "I'll find him and bring him back safely for you." He stared into Fili's eyes, willing him to believe his words. "I swear it."

Fili simply stared at him for a long moment, eyes searching. But then his shoulders slumped, eyes lowering.

Bilbo pulled back, patting Fili's shoulder in comfort. "Now go, before your Uncle does something stupid. Follow this path and you'll find him safely." He had already taken care of the orcs that would have been a threat.

Fili hesitated but gave a short nod, mouth firming into a grim line. With a last worried look, he hurried down the tunnel.

Bilbo watched long enough to be sure he was on the right path before reaching into his pocket for the ring.

~x~X~x~

Kili was in the lower levels. And somehow he'd managed to find the only patrol of orcs Bilbo had missed.

He was holding his own, but the noise of the fighting would be drawing attention.

They didn't have much time.

Bilbo stabbed an orc in the back, angling Sting up into its kidneys before tearing the blade free. He was already moving as it fell, taking out another orc with a disembowelling slash.

There were only three orcs left. Bilbo darted in to dispatch another, hamstringing it so Kili could take it out with a slash across its throat. As Kili turned, Bilbo took out the last orc behind him with a vicious upward slash.

"Bilbo!" Kili was wide-eyed in astonishment.

Before he could say anything, Bilbo was swept up in a hug.

"What are you doing here?" Kili was patting his shoulders. Checking for injuries, Bilbo realised.

"Coming to get you." Bilbo carefully pulled free. "It's a trap. Azog has reinforcements coming. We need to rejoin the others."

Kili glanced at the scatter of dead orcs, expression hardening. "We need to find Fili-"

"I already did." Bilbo was already moving back to the tunnel where he had come. "I sent him back to tell Thorin." He glanced back at Kili who had come up behind him. "We just need to join them. As quietly as we can."

Kili nodded grimly, sword gripped tightly in his hand.

Bilbo didn't delay any longer. With Kili close behind him, he hurried back down the tunnel, leaving the dead orcs behind them.

The tower was surprisingly quiet, he noticed worriedly. The clash of blades and orc cries surely hadn't gone unnoticed. Not when Azog was poised to spring a trap.

With quickened steps, he turned down the next corridor-

Right into Azog's blade.

~x~X~x~

Bilbo shot up from his bed, clutching his chest and gasping for air. He pushed off his blanket and staggered away from the bed, pushing open the rotting shutters closed over the window.

Fresh air rushed into the room along with the noise of the gathered armies of Elves and Men. Bilbo braced his hands against the frame, taking in deep shuddering breaths.

He had gotten to Fili in time. And Kili. Azog had been the problem.

Azog.

Bilbo slowly straightened gaze turning towards Ravenhill.

Azog was always the danger he couldn't avoid.

Azog.

~x~X~x~

An orc captures Bilbo before he can start the climb to Ravenhill.

The night is long and harsh.

Bilbo screams as they cut off his fingers. By the time they reach his toes, he can only manage incoherent gurgles through the blood in his mouth.

When his throat is finally slit, it is a mercy.

~x~x~x~

Bilbo dies. Hundreds of times.

He loses his fear of it after time.

And the never ending day grinds him down into hopeless weariness.

Dwarves may be made from stone. But Bilbo is made from nothing so strong.

~x~X~x~

Dwarves were made to endure.

Hobbits were made for the comforts of home.

But Bilbo endures nonetheless.

~x~X~x~

Thorin hauls him up the wall amid the Company's shouts.

Bilbo doesn't struggle.

Thorin flings him over the edge.

~x~X~x~

Bilbo had climbed Ravenhill so many times, he knew the fastest route. He arrived just as Fili and Kili were heading towards the tower.

"Stop!" Bilbo pulled off the ring, bent over gasping.

Thorin turned in surprise, eyes widening. "Bilbo." It was almost reverent, the way Thorin said his name. It wasn't surprise on his face now but a burning faith that almost made Bilbo want to run.

Thorin never lost that faith. Not even wounded or dying.

Bilbo drank in the sight of him. Thorin standing strong and tall, resolute and unaffected by the dragon sickness. The dwarf Bilbo had followed for the past year.

For the eternity of horrid days he had lived through since.

He'd been losing hope as the days passed, each worse or changing little no matter what he does. But with Thorin standing in front of him, Bilbo’s will strengthened.

These are his dwarves, his king. And he will save them if he can.

"It's a trap." Bilbo straightened, staggering forward. His legs ached and his lungs heaved for air, but Bilbo knew by now he could push further. "Another army comes from the north." He drew in a deep breath. "We need to leave. Now."

Fili had already drawn his sword, stepping closer to Kili as he took up a defensive stance.

Thorin glanced over at the towers but nodded decisively. "We retreat to the mountain. Quickly."

"But we're so close." That was Dwalin, though he already had his axes in hand.

Bilbo pinned him with an unimpressed stare. "If you want to die horribly," he said tartly, "then stay by all means." How many times had he had to convince them all to leave?

There was silence for a moment, Fili, Kili and Thorin staring at Bilbo in shock. Dwalin fixed him with a flat unimpressed stare.

Bilbo repressed the urge to yell at them and darted forward to grasp Thorin's sleeve. He wasn't wearing armour, again. Bilbo's task had just gotten harder. "Hurry! Bolg will be coming to force you towards the tower." Bilbo pulled Thorin along, knowing the others would follow.

Thorin started jogging after him, jolted into motion. He turned towards a narrow crumbling set of stairs leading down past the frozen river, but Bilbo pulled him back towards the main path. "This way!"

It was longer and the more obvious route but the dwarves’ charge with the rams had cleared most of it. The wide path was easy to run along and a better location for a fight. And it had been clear when Bilbo had run its length a few minutes before.

Bilbo was also less likely to stumble and fall off the side of a rocky outcrop. Unlike the first time they had taken Thorin's faster but more treacherous staircase.

If Bolg or Azog happened to ambush them, there were various side paths where they could retreat. Of course that left them vulnerable to-

"And watch out for war bats," Bilbo added sharply as they hit the first flight of stairs. Kili had been carried off by one the last time they had come this way and dashed on the rocks below.

Bilbo's free hand reached down for the pouch at his belt, patting the contents reassuringly. No bats were carrying off any his dwarves this time.

He was still holding onto Thorin, Bilbo realized. He let go, setting a hand on Sting.

"How did you find out about this second army?" Dwalin had passed them on the steps and now took the lead, axes gripped tightly. He cast Bilbo a sidelong look and then turned his attention back to the path.

"Gandalf." The first time he had said 'Legolas, Thranduil's son', it hadn't gone well. 'Elves' hadn't gone down much better.

Thorin gave a small flinch at his side.

"Gandalf?" That was Kili, just behind him on the stairs. "Is he here?" The words were hopeful.

This would all be so much easier if he was. "In Dale." Bilbo quickened his steps at the reminder. "Orcs have breached the walls."

Silence met his words. Bilbo glanced back to see the worried look exchanged between Fili and Kili. Their steps hurried, a sense of urgency overtaking them.

Thorin's silence was of a different quality. He glanced in the direction of Dale, mouth tight. There was guilt in his eyes, a shadow of self-recrimination.

"Gandalf will protect the city," Bilbo met Thorin's glance with a firm look.

Thorin's gaze lightened somewhat and he nodded, focusing on their route once more.

Dwalin grunted in agreement. "One less thing to worry about." His eyes narrowed as he reached a flat stretch of the path.

Bilbo jumped off the last step, running once he hit level ground. There was a pain in his side but Bilbo ignored it and the weight of the pouch that hit his side with each step. There were worse things if they tarried.

After a short sprint they reached another set of stairs. Bilbo did his best to keep pace with the others. Hobbits were not as nimble as dwarves on stone but he'd had a lot of practise. Particularly on these stairs.

The real peril lay ahead, though. At the intersection of paths a few flights of stairs before them. If Bolg or Azog had taken notice of their flight, they would intercept them there.

Dwalin had the same thought. "Thorin." He half turned as he descended the next few steps, the word a warning.

"We break through." Thorin met Bilbo's gaze briefly then turned his head to catch Fili and Kili. "Our goal is the mountain."

Fili and Kili nodded grimly.

Another flight of stairs. Bilbo glanced around at the steep slopes of rock either side of the path. It was the most likely point of ambush. If they could just make it past-

"From the tower!" Dwalin thrust out the axe in his hand towards another path to their right. Further away but drawing closer were a line of orcs leaving the tower.

Where Azog had been waiting for their arrival.

"Run!" Thorin urged Bilbo forward with a hand on his shoulder. "Do not stop!"

Bilbo couldn't take the steps two at a time like Dwalin but he could descend them faster. Bilbo raced down the steps and then sprinted across the flat where two more paths joined the one they followed. He passed Dwalin, who stood guard, waiting for them all to pass through the junction, and started down the next flight.

If they could just make it down to the long stretch that wound down the mountain's side-

A clatter of dwarven boots on stone started up behind him. Fili and Kili. Thorin behind them and Dwalin taking up the rear.

The faint sounds of shouting orcs were starting to reach them. They still had to cross the ice but they would soon been on the path leading to their own.

Bilbo hoped they would have gotten far enough ahead of them by then.

Another flat and the last set of stairs leading to the long path down the side of the mountain. Bilbo glanced right, along the path leading out from under the frozen fall of the river.

No orcs. Not this time.

Not yet.

"This way!" Bilbo called out before Thorin could shout out directions. He pointed to the left, the long trail down the mountain. As far away from the ice as they could get.

Fili shot him a look but followed his directions. They turned and took the first step of the next staircase together. The first of several long flights that led down to the long incline that trailed out below.

Bilbo's legs were like lead, his calves burning. But he ran down the stairs, determined to keep up with Fili and Kili. It was easier running downhill than up. Though he couldn't help but wish Thorin and the others had kept the war rams they had ridden to the summit.

They were partway down the last staircase when the sound of the pursuing orcs sounded out on the path behind them. Bilbo bolted down the last few steps and, reaching level ground at last, put on a burst of speed to overtake the boys.

"Bilbo!" Kili made a grab for him as he ran past but Bilbo twisted out of reach.

There was a turn in the path ahead. And if their last race down the mountain was similar, a way to slow down the orcs.

Bilbo shot around the curve and immediately left the path, climbing the slope. It stood towering upward, a crumbling tower of thick stone.

Bilbo set his shoulder to it.

"Bilbo!" Kili skidded around the turn below. He looked around anxiously, coming to a halt as he located Bilbo. "Bilbo, what are you doing?!"

The obvious. Bilbo bit back a short reply. "Pushing."

Fili appeared on the path. He took one look at what Bilbo was doing and scrambled up the slope, setting his shoulder against the tower beside Bilbo. They pushed.

It wobbled. Slightly.

It had fallen over much more easily the last time he had tried. But that had been after Dwalin had flung an orc into the side of it.

Dwalin and Thorin appeared on the path.

Dwalin charged up the slope, pushing Fili and Bilbo out of the way. "Keep going!"

Thorin pushed Kili down along the path before following in Dwalin's wake. "Go!" He pushed Fili's shoulder, Bilbo already scrambling back down to the path. "We'll catch up!"

"Make it fast!" Bilbo shouted over his shoulder, sliding down the last part of the slope before the path.

Dwalin shot him an incredulous look, and then set his shoulder to the pillar.

Thorin took up a position beside him. "Push!"

The pillar groaned. And started to tilt.

Bilbo ran, aware of Fili reaching the path behind him. Kili was already ahead of them, reaching another flight of stairs, despite his reluctance to leave them behind.

Bilbo forced his heavy legs to run faster. Fili's heavy tread was closing on him and he wasn't about to get left behind by both of them.

They tended to die when that happened.

There was a massive creak. Then a groan. The ground shook as the giant slab of stone fell, breaking apart on the path. Blocking it.

Bilbo glanced back to see Dwalin and Thorin running down to the slope towards the path and then he was staring down the next set of stairs. Moving fast to catch up with Kili who was already halfway down.

"Kili!" Fili overtook him, pounding down the stairs.

There was another long stretch ahead where he would be able to catch up. Kili had slowed down somewhat, Bilbo was relieved to see.

By the time he was on the flat path again, Dwalin and Thorin were clattering down the stairs behind them.

"Good thinking, Bilbo!" Thorin called out.

"Should stop them for a while," Dwalin added as he drew close.

Until they reached the next meeting of paths, Bilbo added silently.

Judging from the grim look on Thorin's face he was thinking along similar lines.

Guttural shouts sounded out behind them. The orcs had found their blockage of the path. But it wouldn't stop them from long.

Thorin's hand briefly settled on the flat of Bilbo's shoulder guiding him on.

Bilbo's legs were tiring but he put on another burst of speed. The distance between them and the boys had decreased.

The path stretched out before them, a long descending slope. But there was another set of stairs joining path ahead. Too far for the orcs behind them to reach in time. But Bolg's army hadn't shown itself yet.

Bilbo could only hope they were late.

They finally drew abreast with Fili and Kili.

"The way behind is blocked." Thorin said as he passed them, taking up the lead. "It should hold them for a while."

"There's the-" Bilbo drew in a breath "-stairs ahead."

"Aye," Dwalin agreed grimly. "It's the perfect choke point."

Nothing else was said but they all started to run a bit faster.

Bilbo was starting to lag, though. This could be the final time, he tried to encourage himself. They could all survive this time.

It was enough to keep him moving.

But when they drew close to the stairs joining the path, their luck started to run out.

There was a loud cry from above.

Bilbo looked up to see a band of orcs spilling down the long staircase.

A hissing, shrieking noise revealed worse. Goblins were already starting to scramble down the slope behind them.

Bolg's army.

It wouldn't take long for them to catch up.

Dwalin stopped running planting his feet wide, eyes narrowed as the surveyed the approaching orcs and goblins. "I'll take care of this. Go on ahead."

The stairs were a natural bottleneck. Defensible even by one dwarf.

Kili hesitated, nearly quivering in place as he glanced up at the descending orcs and goblins. Fili tightened his grip on his sword, looking towards Thorin for orders.

"Go!" Dwalin swung his axes in a vicious looping display, teeth bared in an eager grin. "I'll catch up with you on the battlefield."

Thorin hesitated.

"Go!" Dwalin barked. "Get the lads to safety!"

Thorin shoved Kili forward and gestured for Fili to follow his brother. His hand fell on Bilbo's shoulder as he turned. "On the battlefield!"

Dwalin gave him a savage grin. "Just make sure you leave some orcs for me." With a great shout, he ran forward, twin axes glinting.

Thorin's hand tightened on Bilbo's shoulder. "This way!" He started down the steps away from the junction, leaving Dwalin to defend their escape.

With one last backward look-

axes bloody and tattoos split to bone

-Bilbo ran down the steps with heavy feet.

They hurried down the steps, Thorin grasping Bilbo's arm when he stumbled, pulling him back to balance. Fili and Kili took the lead, grim and silent. The seriousness of their situation clear to all.

They reached level ground. The long descending slope of the path was now before them.

They ran. Dwalin's shouts and the clash of metal sounding out behind them. Growing fainter and then fading altogether.

There was silence. Bilbo's laboured breathing was harsh on the air. Marked contrast with Thorin, Fili and Kili's loud but measured breaths.

Bilbo refused to slow down, though. Their lead was the only advantage they had. Time was of the essence.

The path slowly twisted down around the mountain, the noise of the battle before the gate of Erebor beginning to sound on the edge of audibility. It turned and started downward again, curving back down under the path they’d run.

And what was suddenly revealed stopped them dead.

There were orcs on the path ahead.

Thorin let out a cry, charging ahead. Fili and Kili were only a few steps behind him.

So close. Bilbo's eyes fell shut for a single despairing moment. But then they opened and Bilbo was charging forward with Sting in his hand.

A high pitched shrieking filled the air before Bilbo could reach the fighting.

War bats.

Sheathing Sting, Bilbo ran towards an upthrust spur of rock and scrambled up on top of it. He loosened the pouch at his side and reached for the objects within.

Smooth metal rounds met his fingers. Bilbo clenched one in his hand and drew back his arm.

The missile shot through the air and caught the first bat in the eye.

Blood and worse sprayed into the air, the bat's wings going limp as it fell, dead weight, from the sky.

Bilbo was already taking aim. Releasing another iron shot.

It tore right through a bat's open mouth and out through the back of its head. Then shot through the wing of the bat behind it, sending it in a shrieking spiral down the side of the mountain.

A bat foolish enough to stoop towards the battling dwarves received an iron shot directly to the face. It fell on a battling orc, pushing him off the side of the mountain.

Shrieking the bats retreated, leaving only a foolish few to attempt the fighting dwarves below.

Bilbo set to making it their last.

He had just killed another bat when movement below caught Bilbo's eye. Thorin.

An orc thrust out his sword, aiming for Thorin's exposed side.

Fili lunged forward, blocking the orc with one sword and dispatching another. He tore through the pressing orcs with vicious thrusts and slashes. For a moment it looked like he would push them back through sheer force of will alone.

But there were too many.

Desperate, Bilbo jumped down from his perch. He gutted the first orc he came across with a quick slash and hamstrung another.

Their screams were enough to cover the sounds of his passage. Bilbo burst into a sprint, slicing at any nearby orcs as he passed.

Fili had been pushed back to Thorin's side. The orcs determined to kill the last of Durin's line, the dwarves that had almost escaped their trap.

There were too many even for Fili to hold back. Not when he was defending Thorin's flank at the cost of his own.

An orc darted forward, dark blade slipping past Fili's guard to seek his exposed side.

And Kili suddenly lunged forward, taking the blow that was meant for his brother.

Fili froze in horror. Allowing an orc to thrust its sword through the back of his neck and out through his throat.

"No!" Thorin screamed, throwing the orc on his blade aside. He disembowelled an orc and cut off the arm of another, slashing through the press of orcs, consumed with madness of another sort.

He didn't care about any injuries he might receive. Thorin was focused on reaching Fili and Kili at any cost. But the orcs were pushing him back with sheer weight of numbers.

Bilbo slashed and stabbed any orcs within reach, just as desperate. Now that Kili and Fili had fallen, Thorin was surrounded by orcs.

He killed one of the last orcs nearby and pulled an iron shot from his pouch. An orc about to stab Thorin in the back fell, face a bloody ruin. Another let out a scream as a missile tore through its hand, ripping the sword from its grip.

Bilbo threw as fast as he could, killing and maiming any orc that sought to take advantage of Thorin's reckless fighting. He threw until his arm ached.

Until Thorin himself made a mistake that Bilbo could not save him from.

He fell from sight with a roar of pain, the remaining orcs surging forward even as Thorin lashed out at them.

Several iron shots were flying through the air, Bilbo barely aware of having thrown them. He was running forward, legs heavy and body strangely numb.

Thorin had fallen. The orcs around him.

Kili and Fili-

Bilbo stumbled over the strewn bodies of orcs. Towards where Kili and Fili had fallen.

Kili lay still, the amount of blood beneath him the work of an arterial puncture.

Fili had been dead before he had fallen.

Bilbo staggered on, nearly tripping over an orc's corpse, gaze fixed on the fallen form amidst a pile of orcs.

He kicked one aside, tearing another away with furious strength.

Thorin stared up at him, a sword speared through his ribs and blood painting his lips.

Bilbo fell to his knees, Sting falling from his grip. His hands hovered uselessly over Thorin's chest. But Oin and the elven healers had taught him well. He could tell it was a fatal wound.

Thorin reached towards him, pain-glazed eyes bright. "Kili? Fili?" Thorin grasped his arm urgently, disregarding the blood on his lips.

Bilbo closed his eyes for a moment drawing a breath. He shook his head.

Something died in Thorin's eyes, his blue gaze flickering. "I led them both to their deaths." His hand fell away from Bilbo's arm.

Bilbo caught his hand in his. "No, Thorin." They had died because Bilbo had been unable to save them. "They died fighting for a home." His breath caught. "For one they loved."

Thorin's gaze caught his, a sudden intentness sharpening his gaze. "Bilbo?"

Bilbo held his hand tighter. "You have won your people a home, Thorin. No longer will they wander, no longer will they be without a place to belong." He took a shaking breath. "That is what Fili and Kili fought for."

Thorin let out a breath, as if a great weight was suddenly lifted from him. His mouth relaxed, the lines of his face less harsh.

It was a familiar look.

"I have wronged you, Bilbo Baggins." Thorin's hand moved, fingers curving to clasp around Bilbo's hand. "I seek your forgiveness for my actions-"

Bilbo couldn't hear it again. His heart would shatter. "Your actions were not your own Thorin." He swallowed, blinking hard. "I forgave you long ago."

Thorin mouth curved at the corners. His hand was growing cold in Bilbo's grasp. He was leaving and there was nothing Bilbo could do.

Thorin could sense it too.

"Live long and live well, Bilbo Baggins." Thorin smiled up at him, the last of his warmth in his gaze. "Go back to your books. Your armchair."

Bilbo's fingers tightened on blood stained fur. "I can't go back." His voice broke and cracked, the words desperate and fierce.

If anything the affection in Thorin's gaze grew. "Bilbo."

His name was said with such love that Bilbo nearly burst into tears.

"I'm going to stay here." He gazed at Thorin, vision blurring. "Here with you." Tears spilt from his eyes and down Bilbo's cheeks.

Only to be stopped by large fingers, rough and speckled with blood. Thorin.

His hand fell back and Bilbo clutched at it, holding Thorin's hand in place. It was cold, too cold, against the chill of his cheek.

Thorin smiled at him with a warmth that burned, his eyes wide with amazed joy. "I would welcome you into the mountain at my side. That you would teach me the comforts of home and good cheer." His fingers twitched against Bilbo's cheek, a faint flexing caress. "Would that I had the time to learn it."

The words hit Bilbo like a shock of cold water. He pressed harder on the cloth pressed to Thorin's side.

"You will have time." His fingers splayed, cold with Thorin's cooling blood. "You will."

Large winged shadows passed over them.

Bilbo looked up to see the Eagles flying overhead. "Thorin-"

When he looked down, Thorin's eyes were empty.

~x~X~x~

Bilbo tore back Thorin's tunic.

The wound revealed was raw and awash with blood but Bilbo didn't hesitate. He pressed the pad of cloth against the wound and covered it with his makeshift bandages. "Don't move. Do you hear me, Thorin?"

Thorin's breath hissed out, fond smile fading slightly.

"You're going to be fine. Oin will be here soon and you'll survive to see your people home."

The eagles cried. And Thorin watched their flight with sightless eyes.

~x~X~x~

Bilbo sat on the ice, uncaring of the cold that had numbed his feet, wet his clothes. The blood that had stained the snow and froze cloth to skin.

The wind plucked at Thorin's hair, drifting it over Bilbo's fingers as he mindlessly smoothed it back again and again.

Thorin had stopped speaking long ago.

Bilbo spoke of the Shire until his voice was cracked and raw.

He didn't believe half of the words.

~x~X~x~

There was only so many times Bilbo could watch Thorin Oakenshield die.

Death was preferable.

~x~X~x~

Fili nearly stabbed Bilbo when he appeared.

"Bilbo!" Fili hissed, eyes wide. "What are you-"

"It's a trap." Bilbo grabbed Fili's arm. Took a grip on Kili and pulled them back along the tunnel. Desperation gave him strength. "Gundabad orcs from the North. Azog is waiting for you."

The boys started moving with him after exchanging a startled glance. Fili pressed close, his voice a harsh low whisper. "Bilbo! How do you-"

Bilbo's ears twitched, picking up vibrations. He pushed Fili into a side tunnel, pulling Kili in after them. They struggled against his hold but froze when they started to hear the sounds of approaching orcs.

Kili pulled his sword from its sheath, even as Fili drew his twin swords.

Bilbo shook his head and pressed a hand to their chests to keep them still against the wall. They could not draw attention now.

Fili was tense against his palm but he stayed where he was, shaking his head at Kili. Kili stilled.

Bilbo waited, barely breathing as the sound of the approaching orcs grew louder. Feet tramping the ground and weapons scraping the walls in their haste.

The orcs ran through the main tunnel. It must have been only seconds but it felt like forever for the orc pack to pass them. Aware that Fili and Kili were practically quivering under his restraining hands, Bilbo did his best to convey confidence.

He had no intention of letting Fili and Kili die within Ravenhill's tower.

Bilbo waited until the orcs had passed before letting Fili and Kili free. He tilted his head toward the small tunnel they had been following before the orcs had arrived.

Fili nodded grimly, both swords held low and gripped tightly in his hands. Kili, his dark eyes flicking to the now-empty corridor and back, gave Bilbo a strained smile.

They hurried down the tunnel, Bilbo leading the way by memory alone. He had been through Ravenhill's warren of corridors and tunnels countless times. But even the knowledge gained from repeated assaults on Ravenhill couldn't account for the placement of orc patrols.

That was always different.

Fili and Kili followed him silently as Bilbo darted down narrow corridors, paused in small rooms and led them on short crawls through broken walls. Bilbo could feel their eyes on his back, the questions that were no doubt growing, but remained unvoiced. Their trust warmed him even as it started to build his anxiety.

He couldn't afford to fail them.

They were close to the exit at the base of the tower when they ran into a group of orcs. A watch waiting to catch them, unavoidable.

Bilbo immediately ran forward, thrusting Sting into an orc's back, below ribs and up into his kidney.

Fili joined the fight with silent ferocity, taking out an orc with the sweep of one sword and lopping off the hand of another.

Kili was right behind him, landing a killing blow on the wounded orc and engaging another.

Surprise was on their side and the skirmish was over quickly. Half a dozen dead orcs lay on the ground, a scatter of blood and flesh.

"This way." Bilbo waved the brothers on. Stealth was lost now and the entrance to the tower loomed ahead-

Ice met them. A battlefield that had already been stained with fallen bodies.

Bilbo let out a curse. "Thorin should have been on the ridge."

Fili scanned the fallen bodies on the ice. "They're not here."

But it was Kili who spotted them. "Over there!"

Bilbo followed his pointing finger and his heart sank.

There was movement on an outcrop of rock to the north. Orcs clambering over the rocks and war bats were in the air. The army from the north had come.

And Thorin and Dwalin were surrounded.

Worse yet, Azog and Bolg were among those they fought.

Fili started running, Kili not far behind him. Bilbo shifted from foot to foot, debating possible actions, and then followed as fast as he could.

Snow and ice crunched beneath their feet as they ran, their eyes fixed on the battle before them.

The fight had gotten more desperate. Dwalin was a fierce whirlwind of steel and brute strength, trying to take down as many orcs as he could before they could get to Thorin. Thorin fought like a madman, taking risks that sacrificed safety for an opportunity to cut his enemy down.

He was going to get himself killed at this rate.

But it wasn't Thorin who fell.

An orc got lucky, a vicious strike that cut across the back of Dwalin’s leg. It buckled.

"No!" Kili ran faster.

Dwalin sank to his knee with a defiant roar. He cut down the orc that had felled him, taking its legs down from under it.

Thorin whirled, slashing at the orcs that were surging forward to take advantage of Dwalin's injury.

The orcs were pressing harder now. Dwalin was at a disadvantage, fighting from one knee. He was still bringing orcs down, but it was a drawn out bait and slash strategy he had adopted. With his limited reach, he was forced to wait for the orcs to come for him.

And he could no longer cover Thorin's back. Thorin had to do most of the defending, twisting and lunging to cut down the orcs that were trying to get to Dwalin from behind.

They couldn't hold out long, Bilbo knew. It was just a matter of whether Fili and Kili would reach them in time.

But it was not to be.

It was as unexpected as it was sudden. Thorin suddenly faltered, an orc's thin blade stuck in his side.

"Thorin!" Kili ran forward, sword in hand.

Fili was close behind him, running with a silent determination that made Bilbo's heart clench.

More orcs appeared on the outcrop above the ice. More than they could fight off.

Kili and Fili didn't even falter.

Bilbo didn't either. This time, they would die together.

~x~x~X~

The battle always changed.

Azog would be in the tower sometimes. At others he would be waiting on the path as they retreated.

Bolg's army would arrive at different times and places.

Bilbo managed to kill them from time to time. But that success was always followed by failure.

Sometimes Bilbo managed to save his dwarves, only to have them die in more horrible ways than he had seen before. The horror of it matching the level of his success.

It was almost as if he was being punished.

~x~X~x~

On to Chapter Eight

~x~X~x~