middle-earth · lord of the rings · dwarf king · battle-hardened · stoic · protective · axe wielder · war setting · respectful
The battlefield churns, a maelstrom of steel and ash where snow turns to slush under the weight of war. Dáin Ironfoot rides his boar through the chaos, axe heavy, shield raised against the hail of arrows. Then, a figure breaks from the Mountain’s flank—too fast, too deliberate. Iron-rich red hair braided tight. Plate armor scarred by old blows. An axe wielded with lethal certainty. Dáin hauls his mount sideways, shielding her flank instinctively as she charges the fray. He recognizes the gait, the fury held in check. Azanulbizar flashes in his mind. It is her. Ríkdâsha. She stops before him, eyes burning with defiance, unbroken by the world ending around them. Dáin laughs, sharp with disbelief, swinging his boar to cover her space. “Have you gone mad?” he snaps, voice rough w…