Chapter Fourteen

Bard was beyond exhausted by the time he and Bain had done the rounds of their ruined, burning town in the search for survivors.

Unfortunately, as Bain had grumbled, the only survivors that they had managed to find were the Master of Lake-Town and Alfrid, who had hidden themselves within the Master's vault beneath his rapidly sinking house.

"I warned you!" The Master shrieked as they dragged him and Alfrid from the ruins of the house, both bedraggled and soaking wet, but otherwise untouched by flames or the general destruction of the town.

"Did I not warn you what would come of dealing with dwarves?! Look what they've done!" The Master waved a large arm around at the smouldering ruins of Lake-Town "They woke the dragon! And brought the apocalypse down upon our head!"

Bard rolled his eyes at the Master's wails.

Of course the Master would ignore the fact that he had been all too willing for the dwarves to return to their mountain and try to reclaim their gold. Of course he would try and deflect the blame of the destruction of their town away from him.

"The dragon is dead!" Bain was snapping at the Master in a desperate attempt to shut the older man up, wincing at Alfrid cries of "We're alive! We're alive but we're dead!" from where he was dragging himself along behind them.

"Da killed him!" Bain shot him a proud smile that Bard could only wearily return, feeling moments away from simply collapsing as all the adrenaline started leaving his body as he led the way to where his boat was moored.

If it hasn't been destroyed with everything else, Bard thought grimly as he took in burnt out shells of the only world he had ever known.

"Be that as it may," He heard the Master sniff in indignation behind him, "he was still the one who helped the dwarves…" Bard blocked out the Master's rant, with Alfrid chiming in here and there and instead allowed himself a moment of utter relief and joy when he saw his boat, safe and exactly where he had left it.

"Da!" Bain cried in delight at his side before he pounded over broken walkways to the dock and up and onto their boat, quickly checking it over for any leaks or other damages.

"Master." Bard gave the Master a small bow as Bain lower the gangplank for the Master and Alfrid.

The Master sniff again and wobbled his way awkwardly up the plank while Alfrid snivelled his way after him.

Bard, though glad as he was that he had found some survivors from the dragon's attack he couldn't help but wish that it hadn't been these two.

His head ached at the thought of all the problems these two were going to cause his people as they tried to survive the winter and rebuild their town.

The gold from the dwarves should at least speed up the process of rebuilding and making sure we are able to buy enough rations for the winter, he thought as he hopped up onto his boat's deck.

He looked back with a heavy heart at the ruins of Lake-Town as he sailed for the shore where the rest of the Lake-Town's population was still hiding.

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"DA!"

Bard's face broke into a wide grin as he saw Tilda and Sigrid barrelling down the shoreline to tackle both him and Bain in a back-breaking hug.

"Come here!" He pulled his youngest daughter into a hug as she clutched at him desperately while Sigrid curled against his side, Bain held close in her arms.

"It's alright." He said softly to all three of his children, who shook and sniff against him,

"It was Bard!" He jumped as Percy, one of Lake-Town's Gate porters, cried as he and a large crowd started to form along the Lake shore, "He killed the dragon! I saw it with my own eyes! He brought the beast down! He shot him dead, with a black arrow."

Bard's face burnt as the crowd around him and his family started to cheer loudly, clapping their hands and grinning at him with thanks and relief.

"You saved us all! Thank you!"

"I," The Master shouted over the cheering crowd, "of course, was the one who told him where to shoot. It was because of my direction and leadership that Bard was able to kill the beast at all!"

The Master's declaration was met with silence and stony glares.

"I told you," He ranted puffing out his chest and scowling disapprovingly at the crowd, "I told you all that no good would come of these dwarves, but did you listen? Did you?" He shook his head as if he were a disappointed teacher whose pupil had still not learned a valuable lesson, "And now, look what has happened? Look at our poor town! In ruins! And let us not forget who helped the dwarves into our town and..."

"Oh, shut it!" Hilda, the herbalist, cried looking at the Master in disgust, "We all know what you're really about. You do not care for us. You care only for our gold and saving your own skin."

The Master looked furious.

"That is entirely untrue. I stayed in Lake-Town while you all fled!"

"Only because you didn't believe Bard's warning about the dragon!" Percy shouted.

"And he didn't want to leave our gold!" Hilda added her furious glare taking on an almost deadly quality now. "And where is that now? Halfway down the Anduin, I don't doubt!"

The Master spluttered when Bain nodded.

"That's about right!" Bain yelled before Bard could hush him, "When we pulled them free of the Master's home, his basement was flooding, all of our gold gone to the bottom of the lake!"

Grumbles and furious yells erupted from the crowd, as well as frighten and worried cries.

"What will we do?"

"We will not survive the winter!"

"Most of our supplies are gone, down to the bottom of the lake or burned!"

"No one will come trading with us til the spring and now they might not even come at all!"

The crowd start to converge upon the Master who let out a frighten little shriek as he was grabbed by rough hands that started yanking him towards a tree where someone had thrown a rope over a strong branch.

"Unhand me, you-you peasants! Don't you know who I am? I am the Master! Your Lord! You cannot treat me with such disrespect! I will have you all arrested! Braga! BRAGA!" He roared by the captain of his guard was hanging back, looking sheepish and uncomfortable, trying to remain below the notice of the townsfolk and maybe survive their wrath.

"To the tree with you!" A townsfolk roared with a cheer that others were quick to join.

"Hope that branch is strong enough." Another yelled and the crowd laughed while the Master whimpered pathetically.

"Enough!" Bard roared pushing his way through the angry crowd, "Enough of this! Let him go! Let him go now!"

He was surprised by how quickly he was listened to, for in a moment the Master was released with as stumble, still whimpering pitifully.

"Look around you!" Bard continued as he seemed to have the attention of the whole town, "Have you not had your fill of death?"

They had been lucky to have only lost a handful of the whole population of Lake-Town, but still those few who had died, their deaths should not be so easily forgotten and disregarded.

And if they started turning on themselves as they already were, they would most definitely not survive the winter.

"Aye!" He jumped when Alfrid appeared as his elbow, nodding his head sagely. Bard quickly shoved him aside.

"Winter is upon us; we must look to our own, to the sick and the helpless." He took a deep breath, trying to steady his breathing for the nerves of what he was doing, commanding a town of people was starting to catch up to him, "Those of you who can stand, help those who cannot. And those of you who have the strength… follow me. We must salvage what we can before the lake's waters take everything for itself."

"What then?" Hilda asked her voice strong but her eyes were filled with worry and fear as the crowd around him started to disperse to get to work on salvaging what could be salvaged from the town. "What do we do then?"

"We find shelter." Bard replied, his gaze turning to the mountain, wondering if the dwarves had survived their meeting with the beast. He also wondered after the army that Mistress Bilbo had said had accompanied her and her company to the mountain. Had they survived or had the dragon killed them too?

He was pulled from his thoughts, by a soft gasp from Sigrid and a tugging on his arm from Tilda.

"Hmmm," he turned to his girls, "what is it?"

He looked in surprise as two elves, fully armed as they strode silently from the forest towards them, early morning sunlight dancing off their hair.

"Ah…" He simply stared at the two as they walked purposefully towards him. One was male, with long pale blonde hair while the other elf was female and quite a bit shorter than her male elf companion, her vibrant red hair blowing gently in the cool morning breeze.

"We saw the tell-tale signs that the dragon flew the air once more last night." The male elf started after a slight incline of his head as means of greeting. "But," his startling blue eyes looked Bard up and down, "he flies no longer?"

"That's right!" Tilda smiled, her young face filled with awe as she stared at the elves, "Da killed him." Her sweet smile turned back to him and he ran a fond hand over her hair.

The elves looked at each other, before nodding.

"Where will you go?" the male elf asked as he looked sombrely towards the burning ruins of Lake-Town.

Bard hesitated as he glanced back towards the mountain.

"The mountain!" He fought back a groan as Alfrid once more appeared at his elbow. With the Master's apparent fall from grace was the loathsome little man now seemed to be trying to attach himself onto Bard?

"You are a genius, sir. We can take refuge inside the mountain. It might smell a bit of dragon… nothing the women can't clean up. It will be safe and warm and dry, full of stores, bedding, clothing…" Alfrid looked nonchalantly around him, "the odd bit of gold."

Bard felt himself immediately scowl at the mention of the gold.

"What gold there is in that mountain is cursed!" He snapped firmly, giving Alfrid a warning look when the other man opened his mouth to protest, "We only take what was promised to us… only what we need to rebuild our lives."

Alfrid glowered at him for a moment before scuttling away, presumably to report back to the Master of Lake-town.

If he even is still the Master, Bard thought before shaking his head.

"News of the death of Smaug," Bard jumped when the pale elf man spoke again, his tone quiet and serious, "will spread through the lands."

Bard pinched his nose, nodding.

"Aye."

"Others will now look to the mountain… for its wealth, or its position." The red haired elf maiden face twisted with concern as she looked to the mountain also.

"Do you know something we do not?" Bard asked the elves. The red haired elf maid shook her head while her companion looked troubled, his eyes drifting North.

"Nothing for certain." The elf man replied, "It's what I fear may come."

"Have you heard anything from the dwarves?" The red hair elf asked unexpectedly her hands clenched into fists at her side.

"Tauriel." Her companion sighed heavily but she did not look away from Bard, who shifted uncomfortably under the immortal being's gaze.

"No, I haven't." He admitted and was surprised by just how much that worried him. "Their Halfling has sent no word to us."

"Halfling?" Both elves looked at him questioningly. Bard rather thought they looked confused, but that couldn't be right. Elves were all knowing, were they not? And he was fairly certain that there had been some kind of conflict that had occurred between the company of Thorin and the elves of the Woodland Realm, given the rather beaten up state of the barrels when he had first met the company.

"Hobbit, Da." Tilda butted in, looking up at him with a pout, "Bilbo is a hobbit. She does not like being called a 'halfling', 'member?"

"Right, yes," He stroked Tilda's hair and smiled apologetically at the elves, "The dwarfs' hobbit has been sending me word regarding the dwarves plans for reclaiming the mountain. It was she who told me about the dragon's weak spot, but… I haven't heard anything from her since before the Dragon attacked." He did his best to ignore the small worried ache in his chest, but it was difficult as he had been rather fond of the hobbit lass, despite the trouble her dwarves caused him and his town.

The elves looked at each other once more before the pale haired elf simply nodded.

Bard and his children watched as the elves ducked away once more into the tree line.

He turned back to the shoreline, at his wounded and homeless people moving amongst washed up rumble of their ruined town with heart heavy that was filled with resolve.

"Take only what you need." He called once more shocked when he saw every head upon the shoreline turn to stare at him, listening to what he had to say as if what he said mattered.

"We have a long march ahead of us." He turned quickly away from the loyal looks being directed his way and instead looked back towards the lone peak in the distance.

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Tauriel too was looking at the Lonely Mountain, wondering with a frighten heart on whether or not the young dwarf who fascinated her so, still lived.

"Tauriel." She looked over her shoulder to where Legolas was striding towards her, his face twisted in an expression of concern as he held up an armbrace, an ugly mark splashed across it.

"The orcs who were pursuing the dwarves came this way." He said with disgust as he dropped the armbrace to the ground.

"But they have not attacked the mountain." Tauriel replied her eyes searching the rocky landscape for the foul creatures.

"No." Legolas agreed. "So where have they gone?"

She looked back at him and waited as she saw him looked back at the armbrace, at the ugly painted mark upon it.

"I have not seen this mark in a long time. The mark of Gundabad."

Tauriel stared at Legolas in disbelief.

"Gundabad? The orc-stronghold to the North?" She spoke with a pounding heart. She had heard the stories of the battles waged against the Gundabad orcs and of the great losses the elves had suffered from said horrific battles.

Legolas nodded.

"I ride north." He said as he started walking towards where their horses had been tied. "Will you come with me? I must put these fears to rest…"

"Your father gave direct orders for us to return once we had ascertained the dragon was indeed dead." She started but Legolas shook his head.

"He would not allow for us to leave again, not once he knew my thoughts. If you fear his wrath, I will not hold it against you if you wish to return."

He was baiting her and he knew it, she could see it by the mischievous glint to his eyes.

"As if I would allow for you to go anywhere so dangerous without me." She retorted as she stalked towards her horse, bristling further when she heard Legolas lightly laugh behind her.

"I can always return," She shot back at him, "and tell your father what you are up to."

His laughter stopped abruptly and his expression became one of being put out. But only for a moment as she grinned back at him.

He let out another laugh before swinging himself up onto his white stallion. She followed quickly as she leapt upon her chestnut stallion.

"We shall ride and see what can be found to the North." Legolas cried as they urged their horses into a gallop, leaving the shores of Longlake far behind.

13/08/2018 Author's Note: So this chapter was entirely focused upon Bard and the people of Lake-Town with a special guest appearances from Legolas and Tauriel. They'll be disappearing again, but they shall return in a later chapter.

Are people disappointed that the Master and Alfrid survived Smaug's attack? I was sorry when watching the third movie that Alfrid didn't die along with the Master, and that we were forced to spend so much needless screen time with him. This will not be the case in this fic. They will make a reappearance and then I will off them one way or another. Haven't quite decided how yet and am more than open for suggestions.

Sorry for not updating yesterday. No excuse, I just didn't feel like it, but I did some writing while at work today (I know, that was very bad of me, but it was a slow day with not much working coming in) and I felt motivated to post this chapter.