Chapter 14

Run for Your Lives

"It's Oakenshield," Smaug said. "That filthy dwarvish usurper. He sent you in here for the Arkenstone, didn't he?

"No! No, no, no. I don't know what you're talking about." Bilbo lied. He moved to the Arkenstone, but the dragon came back.

"Don't bother denying it. I guessed his foul purpose some time ago. But it matters not. Oakenshield's quest will fail. A darkness is coming. It will spread to every corner of the land. You and your female are being used, thief in the shadows. You were only ever a means to an end. The coward Oakenshield has weighed the value of your lives and found it worth nothing."

"No. No, you're lying. He would never do it," said a female voice. Bilbo was worried when Violet spoke. "He is our friend and would never let us die alone!

"And there you are, Lady Burglar," Smaug said, but he could not find her.

"I am more than just the lady Burglar," Violet said. "I am also the Indigo Flower of the Valley and the Lady under the Hills and Over them and also Lady of the Voices and Princess of Thieves.

"Oh, is that so, Miss Lady of the Voices," Smaug asked her. "What did that dwarf scum of a friend of y7ours promise you: a share of the treasure? As if it was his to give. I will not part with a single coin. Not one piece of it!"

"My teeth are swords, my claws are spears. My wings are a hurricane!"His forktongue came out as he spoke. He sent Bilbo flying and then noticed something on the dragon's breast, a patch of skin was missing.

"So it is true. The Black Arrow found its mark.

"What did you say?

"I-I was just saying, your reputation precedes you, oh Smaug, the tyrannical. Truly, you have no equal on this earth.

"So it is true. The Black Arrow found its mark," Bilbo whispered.

"What did you say?" Smaug asked, hearing Bilbo. The hobbit quickly got up.

"I-I was just saying, your reputation proceeds you, oh Smaug, the tyrannical,' Bilbo said. "Truly, you have no equal on this earth."

The Hobbit almost made his way to the arkenstone, but Smaug, he caught Bilbo at it and a clever idea hit his mind.

"I am almost tempted to let you take it, if only to see Oakenshield suffer. Watch it destroy him, watch it corrupt his heart and drive him mad."

Bilbo froze in horror. He would not let Thorin suffer this fate.

"But I think not, I think our little game ends here. So tell me, thief. How do you choose to die?" Smaug said as he was about to bite into Bilbo before the hobbit took his ring and vanished. When he was at the hallway, Bilbo fled when he heard Smaug's roars.

Bilbo ran up to where Violet was and yanked the Ring off as if nothing happened down there.

"Bilbo?" Violet said scarecely.

"Run, Lady of the Voices," Bilbo said. "Go Violet." She hesitated and Bilbo yellled, "GO!"

Violet was taken aback. Bilbo never yelled at her but Violet obediently did as she was told and ran for her life and Bilbo running in the other direction.

At Laketown, only Bain returned and Bard was gone. Bain had assured her that their father was alright, but he wasn't too sure himself. She heard something from outside and walked out to call for her father but nothing.

"Da? Is that you, Da?" Sigrid called, but nothing was heard. She went to close the door then the house shook from inside and an Orc shrieked and Sigrid quickly cloded the door, but they got in through the door.

They tried warding them off with all of their plates and other silverware. There was no hope. Fili quickly hid Bain underneath the table with his sisters. It was all mayhem until a blonde elf came smashing through the door and killing all in his path. Tauriel was lucky that the Orc didn't catch her and and Kili with all his strength killed the Orc before falling on the ground screechign in pain. When the path was clear, Bain and his sisters came out of hiding.

"You killed them all," Bain said, relieved.

"There are others. Tauriel, come," Legolas says.

Tauriel stopped. She could not watch Kili suffer from this terrible fate.

"We're losing him!" Óin cried to Fíli.

Legolas looked at her and urged his childhood friend to follow him. Tauriel refused to leave. She heard Bofur coming out of the hallway. She stopped him and took the weed from Bofur's hand.

" Athelas," she said.

"What are you doing?" Bofur asked her.

Tauriel looked to Bofur and smiled. "I'm going to save him."

Violet unseathed Orcbane as soon as she left Bilbo, and she remembered holding it last time when Bilbo showed that he got her sword back, finding it on the forest floor. She heard someone coming down the hallway. She was about to slash whoever it was but the sword met hers.

"Thorin," Violet said coolly.

"Violet," Thorin also said coolly. Vi was surprised he didn't add "Miss" to her name. They slowly put their swords away.

"That's a first time without the 'Miss'," Violet said. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you and Bilbo. What are you doing here?" Thori asked rhetorically.

"Being chased by a maniac dragon who thinks he is the king under the Mountain. Oh, and saving Bilbo."

"So, then let's save our friend, shall we?" Thorin asked.

"Yes we shall," Violet said as they both ran to a ledge but she looked everywhere. Bilbo was nowhere to be seen. Until Thorin spotted him near the staircase.

"You're alive." Thorin sighed, Violet noting he had concern in his voice.

"Not for much longer." Bilbo cried.

"Did you find the Arkenstone?"

"The dragon's coming!"

"The Arkenstone? Did you find it?" Thorin asked again.

"No, we have to get out," Bilbo said weakly.

Thorin's murderous glare ended when he saw Violet's face.

"Violet?" Thorin asked. "You're as white as a ghost.

"Dragon," Violet answered.

Thorin looked behind him an dsaw the dragon coming at the three of them. Bilbo and Violet went behind Thorin, who was ready to defend them from the dragon until the rest of their friends came in with their weapons drawn. Smaug's chest started glowing, ready to spit fire.

"You will burn!" the dragon shouted.

As his chest glowed and readied to spit fire, the dwarves and the Hobbits rolled down the stairs and a pile of gold, breaking their fall. Violet had an inch of being dizzy and couldn't get up.

"Violet, come on," Dwalin said before picking her up bridal style and ran. She was practically nothing but a weightless feather. As soon as they were through the door, he placed her back on her feet. "Never freeze up like that again! Do you understand me!"

Violet quickly nodded with tear almost coming out of her eyes until Thorin came in with fire on his coat from Lake-town until he took off the coat and let it burn on the floor before someone put it out. He told the others to follow them with a raged dragon cryig Oakenshield as they ran through the halls and finally came to a hat, nwhich Thorin's company were quiet as a mouse to not signal the dragon to come. When they realized that the Dragon was no where in sight, Thorin and his company began whispering to each other. Dori shook Thorin's sleeve and whispered. "We've given him the slip."

"No, he's too cunning for that." Dwalin disagreed, for it wasn't the first time Violet seen him argue with a Ri brother.

"Then he knows where we are," Violet said with scarece in her voice. Thorin looked at her and placed his broad hand over her petite shoulder

"He won't know where we are, Violet, he will not if we are quiet as mice," he comforted her at least with a smile as if he were calming one of his own nephews.

"So where to now?" Bilbo whispered.

"The western guard room. There may be a way out," Thorin said, with everyone looking at him.

"It's too high. There's no chance that way," Balin said.

"It's our only chance. We'll have to try," Thorin whispered.

The King signaled everyone to follow him onto the bridge. As they walked on the bridge, a coin dropped in front of Bilbo. Violet's eyes widen as she looked back at Bilbo who made sure none of the coins came out of his coat but the worm was on top of them, oblivious to the hobbits and the dwarves that were literally under his nose. When Thorin realized the dragon was not paying attention to them, he signaled everyone to follow him.