A/N: I can't believe that just over 6 years after I created these characters and this world, that I'm finally finishing ATF. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the unwavering support of my readers and friends here on Wattpad so thank you so much <3 There will be one more chapter and an epilogue after this so stay tuned!

I fell back in a state of disbelief, my heart pounding in my chest, each beat bringing a wave of relief. The matriarch shook Rihnunir's body from her tail, snatched up the staff and crushed it in her jaws with a powerful snap, before letting out a roar louder than I had ever heard before. The remaining dragons echoed her and the ground shook beneath the weight of their voices. Those that remained watched in awe as they took to the skies, soaring above the clouds, revelling in their freedom.

"Thank you, stranger," echoed a soothing voice in my head. I flinched at the presence of another voice within my own mind, but where Rihnunir's voice had triggered nausea and a sense of violation, this voice was natural and calming. I looked up at the matriarch in surprise and found her staring, her orange gaze boring into me. I swallowed nervously and got to my feet, taking a few hesitant steps toward her. Uncertain of how to communicate in the same manner, I spoke aloud,

"I believe it is you who deserves to be thanked." She dipped her head and said,

"My brethren and I must return to the mountains immediately, we have been gone far too long and much more than this battle will be lost if we do not return. Understand that we cannot fight this battle for you." She launched into the air and my heart fell. The gusts of wind from beneath her wings blasted my hair and clothes, almost forcing me to the ground once more. As I watched her fly away I found myself pleading,

"Isn't there anything you can do!" I held my breath in anticipation for a response but received none. She was disappearing into a hazy speck when flames erupted from the skies. A handful of lesser dragons aimed precise bursts of fire at Rihnunir's remaining forces, dispatching the last of the trolls and a huge proportion of human soldiers, before they too, vanished. What was left of the elves erupted into cheers and shouts of gratitude, myself included, as the tide of the battle showed the first signs of turning. Of the 9,000 elven soldiers that had marched into battle it seemed like less than a few thousand had survived; their lives paid for by the tens of thousands of enemy men and creatures that now lay dead. I scanned the battlefield, desperate for a glimpse of Charlie, Merek or another familiar face but saw none. The main battle had moved away as I battled Rihnunir, only a handful of waning skirmishes still being fought around me.

Everyone was exhausted. Even the goblins, most of which had been slain by their own explosive blood, seemed to be growing weary from the exertion of such a lengthy battle. I glanced over to Rihnunir's corpse, half expecting him to get up and attack me once more, but he was silent and still. Limping, I made for the thick of the battle where I caught a glimpse of the Queen, no longer on horseback, fighting back to back with Lowin, their glaive's twirling together in a flurry of movement. As I drew closer I noticed dried blood streaking her right arm and a deep gouge in her shoulder where her armour had been punctured. Her movements were gradually slowing, but still she outmanoeuvred her opponents and dispatched them with swift strikes. I leapt into the fray and found myself beside her, managing to yell,

"Rihnunir is dead!" She flashed me a look of astonishment, turning to behead a stray goblin, leaping away from its acid spray as she cried,

"Fall back and regroup!"

Following her lead, our remaining forces ran for the forest and a grove of trees collapsed behind us, Lord Marsh's army momentarily stunned and incapable following. As I ran, I soon found myself lagging behind, the wound in my leg rendering me unable to keep up. I heard someone groaning in pain nearby and turned to see Merek, Telrith and the twins carrying a struggling body between them. My stomach twisted painfully when I recognised Charlie's familiar blond hair, now matted with blood and dirt, peeking out from behind Merek's body.

"What happened?" I all but shrieked, dashing over to them, the pain in my leg forgotten.

"It's okay, he's going to be fine," said Yana, flashing me a reassuring look.

"He just might not be as pretty anymore," added Merek, with a chuckle, his back straining beneath the weight of both Charlie and Refuge which was slung across his back. Yuli shot him an icy glare and snapped,

"Now isn't the time to be joking!"

Their words sent a shiver of dread down my spine and I approached them cautiously, nestling myself between Merek and Telrith to look at him. When I approached, Charlie's eyes flickered open and he flashed me a tired smile, as he croaked,

"I'm glad to see you're still in one piece." His grin quickly began to fade when he saw my horrified expression as I observed the extent his injuries. The skin from his left jaw down to his elbow was severely burned, to the point where some of it had charred. He watched me with fearful eyes, his jaw clenched as he shuddered in pain, while I attempted to tear my gaze away from his disfigured arm.

"What happened?" I asked, looking to Merek for answers.

"It's my fault," responded Yuli, her eyes drowning in guilt as I looked at her in surprise.

"You mustn't blame yourself," said Charlie softly, closing his eyes.

"Of course, I must," she cried, tears welling in her amber eyes as she readjusted her grip on his legs before adding, "I was cornered by a dragon and it would have killed me if Charlie hadn't used his shield to block them. We fought it together but then something went wrong and I fell and he left himself exposed to cover me." She refused to meet my gaze when she was done and pursed her lips, tears rolling down her cheeks. I let out a huge sigh, unware I had been holding my breath, and took some of Charlie's weight in my arms. We laid him down in the grass with the other injured elves and I crouched beside him. Planting a gentle kiss on his forehead, I whispered,

"You're alive." He smiled without opening his eyes, flinching as it tugged at his excruciating burns.

"You did it, you killed him." His voice, barely more than a whisper.

"He is dead, but it was the matriarch not me," I replied, shaking my head as I brushed his hair away from his brow with delicate fingers, before intertwining them with his. With a gentle squeeze of his right hand I left him in the care of a healer and followed Merek and his siblings over to where the surviving elves were amassing around the Queen.

"We can't keep fighting like this," murmured Lowin beside her, his deep voice echoing the exhaustion of his soldiers.

"I know," replied Queen Suraya, wincing as a healer dabbed ointment on her shoulder wound, "but I have a plan." She leapt up onto a fallen tree and looked out at her people.

"What are we going to do? So many of us have already been slaughtered!" called a nameless voice from the crowd, followed by murmurs of agreement from the rest.

"Listen, all of you!" she shouted over their mounting fear, "With Rihnunir dead and the dragons returned to the mountains, we finally have a chance to end this battle in a single blow. I will defeat Lord Marsh in single combat and end this senseless bloodshed once and for all!" The crowd thundered in agreement, but Lowin's eyes were dark with concern. When the Queen stepped off of the tree and landed beside him he muttered something in her ear but she brushed him off and put on a mask of confidence as she marched for the clearing once more.

Lord Marsh and his army had managed to find a way around the trees, and into a smaller clearing nearby. The Queen led us toward them and took a leather glove from an elf beside her, tossing it across the clearing. Despite the violent battle he had just taken part in, Lord Marsh remained relatively unscathed, a single gash on his cheek the only evidence he had been in battle at all. He picked up the glove with dull amusement and tucked it into his belt.

"I will accept your challenge, elf Queen," he sneered, striding forward to meet her in the middle of the clearing, "In fact I shall thank you for deciding to grant me an easy victory." His taunt seemed to go unheard by the Queen, who regarded him coolly as she approached, twirling her glaive slowly.

With the elves on one side and our enemy on the other we enclosed Lord Marsh and Queen Suraya as they circled each other. Despite his boasting, Lord Marsh was cautious and when he eventually struck first, it was a careful, measured blow. The Queen parried it with ease and returned a jab of her own, the tip of her glaive grazing his arm at the last second, leaving a thin red line in its wake. He grunted in surprise at her speed and doubled his efforts. Their battle now moved impossibly fast, all signs of testing the waters erased. Though he bore no physical injuries it was easy to see that he was as tired as the rest of us, and both of them struggled to maintain the pace of their battle. I bounced on the balls of my feet anxiously as I spectated, terrified for the injured Queen and praying for Lord Marsh's demise. She managed to get a dozen or so lightning fast strikes in, aiming for his face, arms and legs and anywhere else that wasn't completely protected by armour.

For a moment, he appeared to be on the backfoot, unable to deflect all of Queen Suraya's rapid attacks; then she faltered. Her right shoulder seized briefly, the wound in her shoulder no doubt causing her immense pain. She only paused for a moment but Lord Marsh was prepared, turning the battle onto her in an instant. I bit my lip fearfully as the Queen was forced back until she almost stumbled into a group of enemy soldiers, narrowly avoiding them at the last second. She darted backward and panted heavily, readjusting her grip on her glaive holding it defensively. Lord Marsh charged once more, swinging his sword in a massive arc, cleaving the glaive in two, the tip screeching against the length of the Queen's chest piece.

"No!" came Charlie muffled cry from beside me, supported by Yuli and Yana, their fearful expressions mirroring his. Queen Suraya discarded the bladeless piece of her glaive and resumed her defence with what remained. Fear had begun to collectively roll off the elves as she tried and failed to deflect blow after blow. She fell to one knee and I knew the next attack would be her last. I watched Lord Marsh's sword fall in slow motion and saw Charlie's eyes widen in terror.

At the last moment, I drew Rend and darted forward, throwing myself in front of the Queen, arms wide as if I was embracing his sword. I felt his blow connect, shredding my chest piece and tearing me apart from my right collarbone to my left hip, blood pouring from me like a fountain, its metallic taste fresh on my tongue. I could hear the muted shrieks of my friends and allies, vaguely aware of the Queen's hands on my shoulders as she caught me, but I had eyes only for Lord Marsh. He stared at me in shock, his green eyes almost bulging from their sockets. When he opened his mouth to speak nothing but a gurgled hiss came out, his hands gripping his throat where blood was oozing from gash Rend had created. We collapsed together, our bodies bleeding and defeated. My senses dulled to the point where I could barely feel the pain in my chest, my heart beating frantically as it tried to keep me alive. Queen Suraya rolled me onto my back, her golden eyes filled with disbelief as she attempted to hold my wound closed. Merek was somewhere above me, frozen, as he stared at me with a faraway look in his eyes. I could feel someone shaking me, calling out my name over and over again. I looked up at the sky, only to see the blue of Charlie's eyes, his tears falling hot and fast onto my face. I tried to reach up and wipe them away but my arms wouldn't move, my limbs impossibly heavy. I even tried to speak, but my throat was thick with blood and my tongue wouldn't form the sounds I wanted to make. I closed my eyes for a moment and Charlie shook me once more, but this time I heard him.

"Don't you dare die on me, Amelia. Stay with me!" he commanded, helping his mother hold my chest together while she was in a heated argument with a healer. I gasped as the adrenaline began to subside, choking back the blood and pain in my throat as the agony of my wound hit me. I drifted and Charlie shook me more violently than ever. He spotted something beside me and picked it up. His bloody hands hovering over me, he poured something into my wound and I felt it connect with my chest, ribs and stomach, and I screamed in pain. I writhed on the ground as it burned into me, my flesh hissing and spitting like fat in a fire. My vision blurred, darkening once more, as my senses evaporated and everything went black.