Alex

~~~

"Why have you joined me?" Grace asks briskly as I walk up beside her. She's standing near the entrance of Dale. Her eyes scan the lines of bodies that lay peacefully in the streets. Many weep by their loved ones while other walk along the streets anxiously looking.

"Did you see them?"

A pause before another woman answers the whispered question.

"I did."

"The children off the barricade who didn't last the night."

Grace bristles before turning around and striding from Dale. I follow after her unable to watch any longer.

"Grace!" I call. A million sorrows echo in her eyes but she isn't crying.

"We have a job to do Alex. We have to find anymore bodies left and make sure all the orcs are dead," Grace states coldly.

"Speak to me Grace. We are friends and we have been partners for decades," I murmur and grab her arm.

"I have nothing to say," she lies.

"Grace I am broken up about all the death especially Legolas's and we weren't even soulmates. You have to have something to express," I deadpan and Grace exhales sharply.

"The only thing I have to express is-" she stops and clenches her hands. "Is my need to complete this job so I can depart onto my next task."

"Next task?"

Grace takes longer strides to stay ahead of me as we head on the path to Ravenhill. A sick feeling twists in my stomach at the thought of returning to that place.

"I am going North to find the Dunedein," Grace supplies as she carefully and quickly looks over orc bodies. Every so often she shoots an arrow into ones neck. Her speed makes my presence obsolete.

"You cannot leave," I argue. "Allie needs you now...I need you." Grace doesn't reply to me and instead keeps walking.

Our path leads us onto a frozen river. A rather large war beast is half sunk into a hole in the ice. Floating on the top is a certain floppy eared hat.

"No," I hiss and surge forward to snatch the hat from the water. My eyes look into the water to find the body of Bofur dangling from a chain attached to one of the war beasts eyes. I grab the chain and pull him up. "Bofur." He's cold and motionless.

"Another lost," Grace concludes sourly.

"How do we tell Bifur and Bombur?" I mutter and wrap my arms around myself. I've never felt this much sorrow in my whole life.

"We will cross that bridge when it comes to it. For now we have to leave him and finish our job."

Frowning I tuck Bofur's hat into his cold hands and close his unfocused eyes before standing again.

The rest of the trip to Ravenhill is uneventful.

~~~

Atop Ravenhill it's deathly cold and eery.

Blood is on the ice everywhere we step and bodies of orcs and goblins litter the ground.

A lump forms in my throat as Grace goes towards the stone stairs that lead up to where it happened. She swiftly climbs then and comes to where Fili was killed.

His blood is still on the ground.

"Do you remember when-" my breath hitches and I swallow thickly. "When they first walked in our lives?"

Grace is silent as she passes the blood spot and continues upwards.

"Do you remember how excited Allie was? How enchanted Emily was with Fili?" Still is answer from Grace as we come to the top of Ravenhill. So far all the orcs seems to be dead.

My eyes survey the bodies of goblin mercenaries and finally stop on Azog's lifeless corpse.

"And when we met Lacy for the first time? Remember how we never thought we'd see her again but then she was there in Greenwood?"

Grace flinches at the mention of Greenwood as she overlooks the goblins bodies to assure their death.

"And when the dwarves found out you're the princess of Greenwood?" I crack a small smile that turns to tears because Legolas is dead. Grace looks away and I hear her sharply breath in.

Grace suddenly turns around and faces me with wide sad eyes.

"Remember the feast of stars and how the dwarves all got thrown behind bars for being rude?

Grace almost smiles before her expression turns dark again.

"Why must you torment me like this?" Grace asks desperately.

"Because you need to remember," I say. "You need to remember all the good and you need to hold to that."

"I remember Alex, I will remember every vivid detail of this for the rest of my eternal life. I'll remember the good, the bad, those who survived," her voice cracks and she looks down at the ground. "And those that did not."

"Grace-"

"I will remember it all no matter how hard I'll try to forget."

"Then why do you show no emotion?! Showing emotion is my weakness Grace," I exclaim brokenly.

"If I show emotion, if I give in to all the sorrow...I could fade Alex! And then what?! When I've died what will be left for you? For Allie?" I pause and stare at her, she looks truly wrecked. "Do not take my lack of showing emotion as me not caring because I care too much."

Again silence ensues so I reach out to her and she embraces me.

"Grace it may not seem it now but I swear it will be okay," I promise and I can tell she's holding back a pessimistic response. "You were brace during the battle. Be brave while dealing with its aftermath."

"Same to you Alex. I know you hurt too," she says and pulls from my arms. "I know this is is horrid for you." Grace looks around at the carnage and sighs. "I thought that we've lived long enough, seen enough to not be scared by this anymore. But I am scared, I'm scared and I am grieved."

"Grief and fear feel similar. The same emptiness and the way ones heart flutters. That same sick feeling in your stomach and the necessity to keep breathing." Grace looks at me and shakes her head. She turns away and looks off Ravenhill at the battle grounds underneath.

The ground even from far away still looks tinted red and black.

There's a small shudder next to Grace and I quickly hurl my dagger to end a last remaining goblin mercenary.

"That is the final enemy, it's o-"

~~~

Grace

~~~

Alex's words are cut off making me turn to see her.

A silver gleam protrudes from her throats and crimson liquid dribbles from her mouth.

A squelching noise comes from her mouth and her knees buckle.

I watch in horror as she falls to her knees revealing a hobbled goblin behind her.

His knife is dripping with her blood.

A single drop falls in the snow ground and splashes up.

Time seems to have stopped.

The stars are in shock.

Wide eyes find the goblins smirking ones and his kicks Alex. She looks at me one last time before her eyes fixate blankly and her body crumples to the ground.

Without realizing my grip on my bow and daggers loosens and they clatter to the ground.

It cannot be.

"Alex?" I hiss.

She doesn't respond and the enemy lurches forward.

He rams into me with such force I topple backwards. He lands on top and raises his knife. Before he can deal a fatal blow I stick my bare hand into his neck and rip out his throat.

The goblin falls to the side dead and I stare meaninglessly into the sky.

My partner has fallen.

~~~

Allie

~~~

A loud gurgling noise emits from Kili so suddenly we all jump in shock. He has sat up in shock himself before falling back into bed soundlessly.

"Kili? You alright?" Thorin asks suddenly.

"Kili?" I say curiously.

There's no reply.

"Kili?" I repeat and slowly get up.

My feet are heavy as I make my way to his bedside.

He lays completely still, his mouth open in shock, and his eyes empty.

"Kili!" I screech and frantically shake him. He doesn't make a sound, he doesn't even breath. "Kili!"

"What happened?!" Emily cries from her bed. "What happened?"

My feet back away quickly until I bump into a table and fall to the ground.

"I don't-I don't-what happened?!" I sob tears suddenly springing out.

Kili just died which means-oh valor please no.

"Alex! No! Why!" I scream and leap to my feet rushing to Kili's side. I grab his hand and desperately try to take his pain or force life back into him.

He lays still, utterly lifeless.

"Please! PLEASE!"

Before I know it my knees hit the ground and the inexplicable sadness crashes down.

What happened?