Hey everyone this is the third and last companion piece to my story 'Soulmates.' Staring Bilbo.
After Bilbo had finished crying his heart out for Thorin's life Bilbo found himself looking down at the battlefield. It was barren save for those that took the bodies of their comrades to be buried. There was silence except for those who cried for the loss of friends and family. Bilbo turned back towards Thorin's corps to see the rest of the Company kneeling down before their dead king.
'This place was what the dwarves use to call home. Now (for some) it will be a reminder of destruction and the end of Durin's line. But this is the ending that we brought upon ourselves," Bilbo thought as he started to walk down the mountain towards Dale.
As he walked Bilbo looked toward Dale and saw the fire and smoke rising from it. Bilbo thought of seeing Smaug burn Lake Town. Both Lake Town and Dale fell and too many lives where lost during the last few days. Bilbo found himself wondering what would have happened if the warnings that where given where acted upon. What would have happened if the people of Lake Town had listened to Bard and not let the company go to reclaim their mountain? What would have happened if Thranduil had listened to Gandalf's warning of the orc armies approaching? For one Lake Town wouldn't have been destroyed and not as many lives would have been lost in battle. Instead the days where misspent by people thinking of other things of less importance. For the people of Lake Town it was the promise of gold and riches and for Thranduil it was his petty rivalry with the dwarves over one necklace. Because these people took the warnings given to them as a joke, they forfeit their lives and the lives of their people and kin.
By this time Bilbo had found himself climbing to the top of the highest bell tower in Dale to find some peace from all the chaos. To his surprise he wasn't the only one up there. Bard's son Bain was also there. Bain looked up and Bilbo could see the tears rolling down the boy's face.
"What are you doing up here, Bain?" Bilbo asked sitting down next to Bain.
"Just trying to find peace and forget what has happened," Bain said with a hoarse voice. "When I was younger my da told me the story of how Smaug came, destroyed Dale and that he took up residence in the mountain. I just never thought that he would come and destroy our home and I never thought that our family would get separated. But it did happen. I jumped off the boat that my sisters were on and fetched the black arrow to take to my da. When I finally made it to the bell tower Smaug had smashed against it almost sending me to my death. When my da pulled me up I looked into Smaug's eyes and it was like the fear I felt was holding me in place and that I could not move. After da shot the dragon dead and we got to shore and found my sisters, I thought that the worst was over and that everything would be fine. But then Azog had to come with his armies. Da went to fight and left me in charge of protecting my sisters. Then the troll came and I thought ..." That was all Bain could take before he broke down and started to cry some more.
"You know what, Bain. You are not the only one that feels like that. I know I do. But you did something that I could not you where able to protect your sisters when I couldn't even protect my friends," Bilbo said tears coming to his eyes and remembering Fili's and Thorin's death. Bain only nodded and leaned closer to Bilbo. Bilbo wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders.
Eventually Bain cried himself to sleep and Bilbo found himself looking back at the battlefield. His thoughts drifted towards home. What if one day instead of looking down at the lush, green grass he looked down at a field of sand with fire burning the hills and smoke darkening the sky. It had happened before during the Fell Winter when the Brandywine River froze over. There was no doubt in Bilbo's mind that it could happen again and on a much bigger scale.
'I guess the history of the world can be written a million different ways. Such as a different time when either Smaug didn't come or didn't exist and the dwarves still had their mountain. Or the Fell Winter could have been a bigger scale than it was and us Hobbits would have just been a myth. If Smaug hadn't come though, things could have been much worse. Either way I wouldn't have met any of my friends. I guess it is our decisions and what we allow to push us to make those decisions that can change the course of history. Even the smallest thing could either brake the world or rebuild it into a better place. And even thought there where times in history where there seemed to be no hope and the world broken, there was always someone who had a dream of a better future and acted upon it to make it come to pass. Even though they maybe died for their cause without seeing the results they opened a way to a brighter future for the rest of us. It is because of people that stand up and protect their own that the darkness has been held back. And maybe one day the darkness will be destroyed because of one person who wants other people to live in freedom and peace.' This was Bilbo's last thought when Bard came up to collect his son. Bilbo followed Bard to say goodbye to his dwarven friends before heading home.
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