Chapter 21 – A Lake On Fire

"First will be last

Last will be first

And all in between will also be cursed

Open the door and the thing will be there

So be careful and beware!

- Death Cometh Upon All Mankind"

The night was still and calm, only light misty clouds covering the stars, though the moon shone brightly over Esgaroth, casting a silver glow onto the Long-Lake. The waters only moved with the pull of the tide, as if even the lake itself were asleep in the dead of the night, for not a fish broke the surface, nor a wave splashed noisily against the floating settlement that was Lake-Town. A gentle breeze was all that played in the air, whistling quietly through the wooden streets of the town like a mother humming a lullaby, sending her children into a sweet sleep. In the middle of the night that was not broken by neither owl nor wolf nor wildcat nor any other creature of the night, the people of Lake-Town slept in their beds, mothers holding their children against the late autumn chill, some men passed out from their drinking in the taverns, and gentle maidens dreaming of being taken away by their knight in shining armour. Even guardsman on the jetties and docks and streets of the town were relaxed and sleepy as they went about their rounds, noting how there was nothing amiss and that the town was as peaceful as it had ever been.

But any wizened elder would tell those who would listen, that this was just the calm before the storm.

The first warning they had was a wind that brushed away the gentle breeze of the night, and instead came howling furiously at the town, screeching like a banshee as it suddenly whipped at anything light enough to be carried away by its ferocity. It was a wind like a hurricane coming down from the north; even at the shore of the lake, the trees upon the land creaked and cracked in the hot, dry wind that had seemed to come from nowhere. The waters of the lake became restless, suddenly becoming choppy as they hit against the planks of wood of Lake-Town's streets, and wind whipping the surf into an icy spray that lashed at the town's inhabitants that were unfortunate enough to be outside.

And then, one of the guardsman spotted something in the sky, approaching rapidly, it was a shadow that grew larger and larger as it came closer at an impossible speed. Of course, none of the inhabitants of Lake-Town knew what this meant, none of them knew the warnings, and none of them had ever seen the like before. None of them had ever been alive when Smaug had attacked Dale, and he had not been seen by them in almost a hundred years, sixty of those years spent in sleep.

The only warning they had, was the terrible roar. The roar like the eruption of the earth, the howl of darkness and death itself, a roar that frightened the hearts of the elderly growing weak, and haunted the nightmares of children, and turned full grown warriors into screaming cowards as they ran.

And then, the wrath of the dragon was upon them.

Smaug let loose his roar, watching as realisation dawned upon the guardsman, and they ran through the streets screaming. The rest of the town was awoken by the commotion, and by a single look outside, they too were suddenly screaming in terror. Mother's snatched up their children as they carried them through the wooden streets, men grabbed what they could and made for whatever escape they could find. Smaug roared again as he made a simple pass by the town, the wind from beneath his wings was enough to make the wooden buildings creak and threaten to be blown over by the force of it. As he passed by the town, Smaug's eyes swept over every screaming face that made to dash as far away from him as possible. But he couldn't make out what he was looking for clearly with all the activity.

With another roar of rage, Smaug banked as he angled towards the town's entrance, where most of the inhabitants were making their way towards the bridge that connected Lake-Town to the mainland. As Smaug passed over, he saw the humans below cower and shrink away from him; and twisting his body in the air, Smaug smashed his powerful tail down into the water…

And smashed the bridge, breaking it apart so that there was a twenty foot gap between the town's entrance and the remaining part of the bridge… effectively trapping all of the towns folk within.

Flapping his gigantic wings in order to hover over the town, Smaug quickly picked out the garrison and hovered over it, and using his sheer weight and size, deliberately collided with the building, half of the structure crumbling underneath his might. The dragon quickly moved on, knowing that now it would take the armed guard of the town longer to organise themselves… though if Smaug had paid more attention, he would have noticed that in his actions, he destroyed the guards' room, but freed the only prisoner, who slunk away from the sight of the dragon, before quickly running through town towards his home.

But Smaug did not see, instead, his eyes had caught onto a familiar contraption that was hoisted proudly above the entire town, like a trophy sat on top of the town hall.

A Dwarvish Wind-Lance.

Seething with anger, Smaug shot towards the building, his shadow seeming to eclipse the entire town as people screamed below him. But Smaug paid them no heed, as he came to the roof of the town hall, Smaug kept his wings open, allowing the air from the streets to fill his wings, therefore keeping most of his weight still in the air, so only a fraction of his weight touched down upon the building as he set his back legs on the wooden roof. But even that was immense, as the solid oak structure groaned and threatened to crumble even under that! With his hands free, Smaug turned to the Wind-Lance, his lip curling with distate as he remembered the last time he had seen such a weapon, when the useless Lord of Dale, Girion, had tried to slay him. It didn't work then, and it wouldn't work now! There were no more Black Arrows left in the world, and this piece of junk from a bygone age only served as an insult!

"Where is the courage of men to try to slay ME?!" he roared, and citizens cowered at the thunder, at the fury of his voice, as if the tempest itself was captured in his throat. "No human is a worthy match for me! And this irritation," he spat as he placed one clawed hand upon the Wind-Lance. "Can no longer help you! So let me relieve you of the BURDEN OF IT!"

And with that roar, Smaug gripped the Wind-Lance in his huge hands, and pulled upon it, his talons scrapping into the wood and metal, the base screaming as it was uprooted and cracked and finally broke off from the rest of the roof to which it had been melded to. Holding it in one hand, Smaug tested the weight of it, before he furiously threw it down into the town below, like a child throwing a play-ball. The wind-lance smashed through a house, leaving a huge hole in the side of the wall, before it exploded out of the other side and finally came to rest in the main square.

Smaug roared his dominance with utter surety, this town was now his to destroy, all those within, his to torment! And to prove his point further, Smaug launched himself back into the sky, but hovered over the town hall, and with another great and terrible roar, he unleashed the fire within him, chest glowing with a golden light as the building erupted in flames, casting the entire town in the shadow of its blazing glare.

As he launched himself over the town from the burning ruins of the town hall, Smaug saw a wooden statue of a proud and pompous looking man in fine robes. The arrogance of men, Smaug thought to himself with a snort. At least he could claim his brilliance with the utter authority of TRUTH! So as he passed over, with a simple flick of a single talon, he smashed the wooden statue until it was little more than kindling.

Now, he could turn his attention back to more important matters.

Turning his attention to the houses around him, Smaug swung his arm and with his claws tore open the roof of the nearest building, a quick peer inside told him that Kathryn wasn't within, only a few men and a fat woman. They screamed in fright, and irked by their noises, the dragon torched the house, sending it up in flames and the inhabitants along with it.

By this time, most of the town was now up and about, running through the streets in sheer panic, screaming as they tried to find a way out. Smaug ignored them for the most part, instead focusing on looking through any house and building that could hide Kathryn from him. A couple of brave, brash and bold men thought to fight against him, but they had quickly been silenced as they had been swallowed whole into the dragon's gullet, feeding his sixty year hunger that was beginning to make itself known.

Smaug only looked into buildings where he could detect life within, if there was nothing, then he only smashed it down or burned it. Growing increasingly frustrated and angry, Smaug roared before flapping his wings, and soaring in a lazy glide, the wind from beneath him was enough to stir up the flames of the town even more, making them dance as they roared, the black smoke climbing higher and higher into the sky. Soaring around the town, Smaug's eyes travelled over everything, but he still could not find what he sought.

He then noticed how there were many people getting into whatever boats and barges that would take them, some even trampling others and pushing those on the edge into the water, all in an attempt to escape the fires and the dragon that hunted them. Smaug quickly unleashed a roar as he dove for them all, hearing their screams as they all ducked, some even diving into the water willingly, as if that would save them.

One in particular, Smaug snapped his head down towards the water, clamping his jaws around the swimming figure, bringing his head back from the water, as if he had caught a squirming fish. Smaug shook his head violently, the body twisting whilst one half was stuck between his teeth, snapping the spine with a sickening crack, before the body was torn open further as Smaug continued to savage it, until blood rained down onto those below. Smaug tasted the blood upon his tongue, and his hunger became delighted with it! He quickly swallowed the little mouthful, mainly skin and bones, not enough meat, but it would do.

Seeing a boat trying to sneak past him, Smash smashed it with his tail, sending the occupants flying – one of which he snatched out of the air with his jaws before quickly eating the peasant – and destroying the boat to floating rubble. The dragon then fixed his fiery eyes upon the other townspeople, who took one look at his destruction and fled the sight of him, screaming as they willing fled back into the blazing town.

Smaug roared as he gave chase, flying over the town, delighted in the game this was –

Suddenly, Smaug saw a dash of red hair running through the wreckage of the town, skirting around burning buildings and jumping over debris. Smaug didn't waste a moment as he quickly landed onto the town, spreading his weight as he placed each of his four legs on separate buildings, though keeping his wings spread to try and catch the air to keep most of his weight off of his wooden perch. Bringing his head low, Smaug dropped his face directly into the figure's path, his eyes piercing as he wanted to –

A woman with a round, blotchy face and green eyes came skidding to a halt just before the dragon, screaming as she tried to correct her path and run away from him. The only thing even half resembling Kathryn was her red hair, though not nearly as vibrant, only appearing so in the light of the flames. Smaug growled savagely at his hopes being dashed, and to punish the woman for doing so, he roared as he engulfed her in his flames, her screams drowned out by the roar of his fire, her body turning into naught but ash and dust.

Hearing another cry, Smaug snapped his head towards the source of the sound, just in time to see an older man dragging a red haired woman through a side street. Smaug bared his teeth, knowing that it could just be another false hope, but that wild, erratic beat to his black heart wouldn't cease at the possibility.

Pushing himself back into the air, Smaug only had to give one lazy push of his wings in order to send him shooting through the air after the red haired woman. As he came after them, Smaug swooped down and snatched the woman up from the ground, holding her up to look into her face as she squirmed and screamed in his grasp.

Only to see muddy brown eyes, not purple ones.

Clenching his hand, Smaug crushed the human woman in his fist until her body was a messy pulp in his claws, before discarding her away to the streets below. Smaug growled in frustration, looking back over the people that were now hastily running through the streets, seeing nothing that was familiar to him. With a wave of his arm, Smaug smashed open another house, and peering inside, he saw that there was nothing.

With a jet of his flame, he sent the house up into a roaring inferno as he continued his search.

It might take him hours to look for his Kathryn this way, but he wouldn't give up. As he once promised her, he would search every town, destroy every city and kill every soul he found until she was with him again. He wouldn't rest, and people would continue to die, until he found her.

Kathryn was still running when she heard that terrible roar echo out across the land.

She froze dead in her tracks, sides heaving as she became short of breath from running, and turned towards the lake, her eyes slowly widening with horror as she saw a gigantic shadow fall from the heavens to swoop onto the helpless Lake-Town. She could only stand in open mouthed terror as she watched the dragon attack the people, uprooting buildings, destroying houses, killing so many…

The vision… the one from so long ago… it all came back with horrifying clarity. The death, the destruction, the mad gleam in Smaug's eye, and her in the centre of it all. Kathryn had no way of knowing if this was all for her, but the fact that Smaug was attacking a place that was very close to where she had been held captive, could not be a coincidence. This was not the vision that she had seen, the concept was similar, but the details were different. Nevertheless, it was still enough to make her gut twist and threaten to make her puke with revulsion.

She had come too late! All of this! Everything she had done, everything she had sacrificed, every hardship she had ever endured over the past sixty years, it had all been to stop THIS! To prevent THIS! And she had failed!

No… she thought to herself slowly. She hadn't failed, not yet; Smaug still lived, so there was still hope that she could make this all go away.

"SMAUG!" Kathryn screamed, but her voice was lost over the distance of the lake, the sound drowned out by the wind that whipped at her face, and undoubtedly the roar of the dragon and the fires of the town on the lake.

Desperately, Kathryn reached inside of herself, towards that secret place where she felt the bond that connected them. When she had awoken in the Inn, her body had been too exhausted in order to connect to him properly, and since then she had still been trying to get her energy back. Even now, she could feel that they were properly connected once again, but it was still strained and very weak.

Banishing her apprehension, Kathryn plunged herself deep into the bond, tugging upon the chain, calling down to it, hoping to get any sort of reaction as she watched the real Smaug as he clawed his way through Lake-Town in what seemed like completely random attacks.

The reaction was almost immediate. She saw Smaug stiffen, even from this distance; he looked about, almost frantically, and when he couldn't see what he sought, he roared into the sky with renewed anguish and fury. He then launched himself back into the fray, setting anther house on fire, and watching as the structure caved in on itself, and finally fell.

Kathryn was awestruck at seeing this magnificent power in the flesh with her own eyes, but it still horrified her!

She had to stop this madness… she had to try and stop this!

So, doing the only thing she could, Kathryn turned and ran back the way she had come, hoping against hope that she could stop this before anyone else had to die.

Bard ran through the streets of his burning home, passing by panicked people who were once his neighbours and friends, now they were just nameless faces in his desperate attempt to get to his home.

The dragon attack had come, just as Bard had warned everyone that it would, and he couldn't help but silently curse the greed of those dwarves! If they had not come then none of this would have happened! But there was something to be hopeful for: the beast' attacks had been mainly focused on the centre of town and the more south western parts, so there was still a chance that his destruction had not reached the east part of town, though it wouldn't be long. Either the dragon himself would come, or the fires that he had started would; the flames were already quickly spreading beyond control, leaping from house to house like locusts, devouring everything they touched, as was the will of dragon-fire.

Eventually Bard reached his home, quickly climbing the stairs towards his front door, but he looked up with horror to see that his house was crumbling! The front door was hanging off of its hinges, huge holes had been smashed through the ceiling, and there was even no light inside.

"Dear Valar!" he whispered. Námo, Lord and Judge of the dead, you have taken my wife from me, do not take my children from me too! He thought helplessly, Nienna Lady of Mercy, please don't let it be true!

He stormed into his home, the front door opening with a "bang", as he looked about the dark –

And felt the cold bite of a knife against his throat.

"Get out!" hissed a beautiful feminine voice that had the same growl to it as a wildcat. Bard turned slowly to see a tall figure in the dim light. An elf, a she-elf with long auburn hair flowing down to her hips, daggers in her hands and bow and quiver upon her back. She stood straight and strong, her stance like that of a warrior – if her weapons were not proof enough of that already. Bard did not answer her, just glared at her with burning eyes as he gazed at the intruder in his home.

"Who are you?!" he hissed.

Before the she-elf could speak, a small voice cried out from deeper within the house.

"Da!"

Bard turned, completely ignoring the she-elf as he saw his youngest beloved daughter, Tilda, come running towards him from the back room. She looked ready to burst into tears of happiness as she sprinted towards him and leapt into his arms. Bard caught her, and held her close to his body, burying his face in her hair as he gave a shaky sob as utter relief flooded through him.

"Da?"

He looked up again, to see Sigrid and Bain also come out of the back room, along with those dwarves that he had left here before he had been arrested. Sigrid beamed at the sight of her father, and Bain too, as the two came running for him, enveloping him in their arms. Bard embraced them all, overjoyed beyond all belief that his family was safe. He then looked at the she-elf, who was watching him with an almost a tender look in her eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked, though his tone was considerably softer than before.

"I am Tauriel of Mirkwood," she said, in a voice that was as beautiful as her fair elven face, though Bard had no fancy for it, his heart still pining for the one love he had lost long ago.

"You have protected my children?" he asked her, his voice hoarse.

"Yes." She nodded.

Bard then extracted himself from his children's arms and turned to the woman fully. He then stretched out his hand to her. Tauriel looked at him peculiarly, as if she didn't know what to make of this for a second, before slowly reaching forward and taking his wrist in her hand as he gripped her wrist in his. Bard shook her arm, his other hand coming to rest upon hers as he gave her the deepest, genuine smile that he thought he would ever give.

"Thank you," he whispered. Tauriel looked at him, her eyes softening a moment, before a smile broke the cool façade on her face, and she looked at him warmly as she nodded to him.

"Is that really the dragon Smaug out there?" Bard looked over to the young Blond Dwarf who he remembered being called Fili, looking out of the window at the destruction he could see not far off, the roars of the dragon shaking the rafters of the house. He looked to see the other three dwarves: the black haired brother, Kili, seemed to be in much better shape than before when Bard had last seen him, when he had been wounded and in the throes of a deadly fever, though even now he still looked weak. With his pale skin and face drenched in sweat, he didn't look as healthy as his brother; the deaf dwarf Oin stuck close to him like a nanny, and the other dwarf, Bofur, was between them all, looking extremely worried.

"Yes," Bard told them, trying to keep in his new seething contempt for dwarves, knowing that these ones had not caused this but that was little consolation to his anger. "It would seem either your brethren have failed or they have escaped the beast…and now we are paying the price," he said gravely as he too looked out the window at the destruction that was now raining down upon his home.

"What are we going to do Da?" Bain asked his father.

"We'll be alright," Sigrid said, placing her hand on Bain's shoulder and giving her brother a reassuring squeeze. Bard had to marvel for a moment at how much like her mother she was becoming…

"But what are we going to do?" Bofur said.

"The dragon will destroy the entire town," Bard said. "We have to get out of here,"

"Many have tried," Tauriel said softly. "But the dragon has destroyed the bridge, and has scared everyone away from the docks; he won't let anyone leave,"

"We have to try," Bard insisted. "Wait until he's distracted,"

"There's no escaping him," Fili murmured gravely.

"There must be!" Bard looked at them all, refusing to give up. "All the people of Lake-Town go for the wharfs that he hasn't burned yet, if we get to a place that is already ruined we may slip past him,"

"What about the Black Arrow?!" Bain said, eyes wide with realisation. "I hid it by the statue of the Master!"

"The Beast dismantled the Wind-Lance," Bard said softly.

"Was it completely destroyed?" Tauriel asked.

"No. But without it on the tower, we'd need to get the dragon in exactly the right spot…"

Bard trailed off as Tauriel gave him a knowing look, and it took the man a moment to understand. And when he did, he couldn't help but take a sharp inhale at the thought.

"What is happening?" Kili muttered tensely, clearly exhausted but forcing himself to stay awake. Immediately Tauriel looked at him with a soft smile upon her face.

"It is nothing," she assured him.

"No matter what now, we need to at least try to make it out of here," Bard said, going to the door. "We have to try,"

Everyone else looked to each other, but realising that what he said was true, they all walked to Bard, motioning for him to follow. Fili and Bofur held Kili across their shoulders, and Sigrid kept Tilda close to her side like a mother hen, Bane sticking close to his father. Bard nodded back to them, before finally opening the door and leading the way back outside.

They all came out into the streets, and Bard only glanced once behind him to make sure that everyone was following. When they looked to him, he ran.

Leading them through the streets, Bard ran ahead, his children following him close behind, the dwarves in the middle with Tauriel taking up the rear as she watched for danger. Bard never thought he would ever find himself in the position of leading his children into danger, but he had no choice, the dragon would be least likely to spot them amongst the flames and wouldn't think that anyone was still in those areas. Bard could hear the beast roaring and the sound of splintering wood as it moved on to another section of the town, Bard could practically feel its eyes upon his back, feel its hot and stinking breath down his neck.

As they came close to the flames, Bard quickly swept his eyes over the edges of the town, looking for any stray boat… there! There was one big enough for the children and one of the dwarves at least, that would be more than enough for now! He just had to get his children to safety; that was all he needed!

Bard led them towards their destination, as they entered the burning rubble of their home town, they had to slow down in an attempt to avoid places where the walk ways were weak. They all became quiet, knowing that the dragon wasn't far off. As they came to a juncture where the path split into what was a crossroads, Bard halted their progress, looking around the corner to see the dragon at the edge of the burning part of town that was only fifty feet away from them. It was snarling savagely as it tore at the houses, his eyes frantically searching like a fox looking for the rabbit amongst the many holes.

Suddenly, the beast stiffened, eyes going wide, and although it wasn't human, Bard could have sworn a unsettled but desperate look entered the dragon's face. But as it froze still, it had given Bard a suddenly clear view of the creatures chest... where he could see a single, tiny, bare patch upon the left breast where a scale was missing, causing Bard to take a gasp of breath as he realised the tales of his father and grandfather and his ancestors were true...

But then, the dragon seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been placed in, and it suddenly roared with renewed anguish and fury, the sound so loud that Bard and the others had to cover their ears to protect their hearing. If it was possible, the dragon launched back into its attack on the Town with greater ferocity, though in the process, it moved further away from Bard's group. Being as quiet as possible, Bard led them across the juncture in the path, noting how they were all struggling to breathe with the fumes of the smoke all around them, even Tauriel was having difficulty. Bard had to hurry them along or they'd suffocate before they reached their destination!

Yet as they passed one burning building, a rafter from the roof collapsed as it succumbed to the flames that were steadily devouring it, falling to the ground with a shower of sparks in the air. Tilda, who was closest to it at the time, screamed out in fright as she tried to dodge out of the way, tripping over her own feet, she would have fallen into the Lake had Fili not snatched at her arm just in time, eliciting a cry of surprise from the girl.

They quickly pulled her back to safety… and noticed how quiet everything had become… until they heard the giant wing beats as the dragon got himself airborne to investigate.

Bard did not waste a second, before he pushed his son into the water, and then Fili and Bofur after him. They all surfaced, and would have inquired as to what had happened, but were silenced by a look from Bard, who quickly passed Tilda into the water to Bain, a strong swimmer for a boy his age. Tauriel quickly caught on to his idea, and helped to lower Sigrid and then Oin and Kili before jumping in herself. Bard looked about, before jumping in also, submerging for a moment in the freezing waters. He surfaced with a cough… damn lake! He thought bitterly, he hated water! But he had no time to comment, as he quickly pushed his group underneath the walk ways, hiding them all beneath it as they floated on the top, pressing their heads against the bottom of the wooden planks that hid them, Tilda now clinging to Bard so that she would stay afloat. They waited with baited breath as they heard the rush of the wind from underneath the dragon's wings as it came to circle not far above them. It seemed to take forever for the dragon to pass over, scrutinising every single inch of the pier, before they finally heard him growl in annoyance, and with another mighty beat of his wings, he was away.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Bard couldn't dawdle, even with the fires burning so close to them, the cold of the water would kill them if they lingered. So, holding onto the wooden structure of Lake-Town, Bard pulled himself along, holding Tilda with his other arm, as he made his way towards the boat. The others soon followed.

When they finally reached the boat, Bard couldn't help but desperately lift Tilda up and onto it, noting how cold she had become, her lips turning an unhealthy blue, her skin pale. Bard swam back to the walkways, and pulled himself up and onto the wooden frame, heaving with the effort of lifting his water-heavy body. He quickly then turned to the others and helped to pull them out, until they were all back onto the wooden structure.

"Alright now," Bard whispered, panting heavily from the exertion. "Bain, Sigrid and Oin, get into the boat,"

"No!" Sigrid and Bain said together.

"You'll do as I say!" he snapped at them, keeping his voice low as his eyes searched the skies fearfully.

"We're not leaving you, not again!" Bain insisted.

"You're getting into that boat with us!" Sigrid hissed.

"No, you are both getting in because I need you safe," Bard told them, his eyes softening as he held his hands to each of their cheeks. "You children need to stay together, and Oin can watch out for you,"

"Aye, I will laddie," Oin said solemnly, before climbing into the boat with Tilda.

"Bain, be the man I know you to be, and look after your sisters for me," Bard said sternly to his son.

Bain looked torn, his heart wrenched between the love of his father, and his duty to his family. He struggled to stop his lip from trembling however, when he nodded, not speaking as he dared not trust his voice, before getting into the boat as well. Bard had never been more proud of his son then in that moment, and wished that there was the time to tell him so. Sigrid however, was not as easily satisfied.

"No!" she whispered, angry tears gathering in her stormy eyes. "No! You're not leaving us! I won't lose you Da!"

"You'll not lose me Sigrid," he told her tenderly. The girl, almost a woman now, he realised as she stood there strong and proud, so much like him in many respects but with an uncanny likeliness of her mother, it almost broke his heart to see her so distressed. She shook her head, before burying her face in his chest, unable to control her sobs. "I promise you Sigrid," he spoke to her softly. "You'll not lose me. As soon as I can, I'll meet you at the shore of the lake, by the old stone, where we used to play…" he said, remembering the days when she was tiny.

"I will hold you to that promise." She whispered, before giving him one final squeeze and getting onto the boat with her brother and sister. Tauriel then pushed on the boat, and they were off, sailing into the mist that had gathered with the Dragon's smoke. Bard stayed there, watching them until they had vanished from his sight. Lady Varda, keep them safe, he prayed silently.

Bard then wordlessly led the others back towards the town, hoping that they may find some other way off of the burning town, but as they came out of the burning sections and back into the midst of the town, they found so many people running around in a mindless panic. However, this made them easy pickings for the dragon that hovered over them, taunting them as he snatched at random people, killing dozens as he hunted them all through the streets. Bard could only gape in open mouthed horror as he watched his home burn around him, and the people he knew, the people he was supposed to protect, were dying in their droves, and there was nothing he could do! "The people's champion" they called him and he was useless!

Until his eyes caught on something that lay discarded in the main square… something that made his heart stop.

But then, someone came barrelling into him, almost knocking Bard to the ground. He caught a steady grip on the man, hands clenching around iron armour as he brought the man face to face with him. He was stunned to see it was Braga, the captain of the guard; the man looked about with wide eyes in a mad panic, his breaths heaving, sobs choking him as his seemed not able to focus on anything.

"Braga!" Bard shouted at him in an attempt to gain the man's attention. All he got was unintelligible blathering.

"It's everywhere! It's everywhere!" the man blubbered like a child, the sight of such a monstrosity had stripped him of his adult nature, and rendered him little more than a boy cowering away from the monsters of his nightmares.

"Braga! Get a hold of yourself man!" Bard shouted, slapping the man in the face, hard. The pain seemed to do something, for Braga seemed to focus a little better on Bard's face as he looked at him. Bard kept talking, knowing that keeping the man's mind focused was key… and also unable to stop the ideas from forming in his head. "Now, I need your men to keep that beast occupied, draw its eye away from the main square and from the rest of the town for as long as you can!"

"Err… err…" Braga looked scared out of his mind, and was about to refuse, when he saw the look in Bard's eyes, the look that said he was not in the mood for negotiating, and the soldier in him submitted to such dominance straight away. "Y-yes… Yes!"

"Go now, Go!" Bard said urgently, releasing the man and watching him run off back into the madness in an attempt to round up whatever guards were left. Bard turned from him, looking back out towards the main square, trying to find the best possible route. He wasn't even aware that the she-elf was beside him until she spoke.

"You plan on trying to reach the Wind-Lance?" Tauriel asked, her voice crisp and clear and calm, even with so much destruction and mayhem all around her.

"That's the idea," Bard murmured.

"You will need a second," she said, drawing her blades from their holsters and twirling them in her hands with a smirk. "Should your guardsmen fail… I've been told that many stare at me, perhaps I'll draw his eye,"

Bard regarded this woman standing before him, although every gentlemanly instinct in him screamed at him to not put a woman in danger, but the skill of the elves was legendary and she was a capable warrior in her own right. And now faced with death all around him and the destruction of all he held dear, he would gladly take whatever help was offered. He nodded to her, before turning back to go into the heart of town, into the heart of the fires.

"Tauriel? You can't be serious!" Kili gaped, wide eyed in horror. Tauriel said nothing as she regarded the dwarf, knowing that he should be resting after the terrible illness from the poison he had endured, she could see he was exhausted and wouldn't be able to keep up; she didn't say a word to him, only turned towards his brother, a sad look in her eyes.

"Keep him safe," she murmured. Fili looked at her a moment, staring from his grief stricken brother, to the warrior before him, he didn't want to, but he nodded, knowing that he had no choice in what the she-elf did.

"Tauriel?!" Kili said, meaning to stop her, but she merely brushed him off, before following Bard back into the burning tongues of flame that had devoured the town. "Tauriel!"

Smaug was growing increasingly frustrated as his continued search came up with nothing! He had searched through most of the town, but could not find Kathryn anywhere. He had at one point felt her call to him, faintly, and he couldn't get a firm read on her position; and like a flickering flame on a candle, as soon as he tried to grasp it, the connection was lost. He had thought she had been close, and so had renewed his efforts with more urgency. But still nothing! Soaring through the air, Smaug felt the hot wind from the fires of Lake Town beneath his wing membranes, and lifting himself higher and higher into the night sky, he looked down over all of the lake below him, his eyes looking everywhere for the sign of a familiar figure. But nothing, the town was only filled with dirty, miserable Lake-Men!

But he wouldn't stop here. No, the Lake-Men needed to pay for their sins against him, once and for all, then he would go from town to town, city to city, burning fields and forests, nothing would be saved from his wrath! His fury was so strong, so palpable it was like a black cancerous leech inside of him, gorging on him, pulsing and twisting with negative emotions, driving him to the point of all consuming rage and murderous intent!

By the end of this night, he vowed, Lake-Town would be no more!

Folding in his wings and tilting his body weight forward, Smaug dived from the sky, shooting towards the waters of the lake at incredible speeds. Oh how Smaug had missed this, flying through the air, faster than anything else to have flown through the skies, to feel the wind beneath him, to see the ground rushing up to meet him! His second pair of eyelids masked over his eyes in order to protect them from the rush of wind that hit his face as he dived. As he came to not thirty feet from the surface of the water, the dragon snapped open his gigantic wings, blanketing the burning town in his shadow; he immediately felt the air take into his wing membranes, filling them up bringing him to a stop as it kept him in the air, suspended for several moments. Then, with a thunderclap of his wings, he was shooting forwards as he turned in the air, stretching a claw in order rake his talon through the spray of the water as if it were the belly of some beast as the blood and entrails were left bare. Smaug then came over the town itself, using head and claws to smash apart watch towers and roofs of buildings that he came across.

Suddenly, Smaug felt the tiniest of pinpricks against his side, and he pulled himself to a stop in the air, and turned to see a row of soldiers and guardsman standing in formation along one of the main bridges, attempting to hurt him with their tiny arrows that at best only broke against his tough hide. Not even one made a scratch, all they served to do was irk the dragon as his lips peeled back to reveal his teeth to them as he growled viciously. The guardsman once again tried to shoot him down, but Smaug merely spun in the air, lashing at them with his long tail. The soldiers screamed and quickly retreated towards the streets behind one of the closest buildings, narrowly avoiding the deadly tail is came crashing down, smashing the bridge to pieces.

With a roar, Smaug merely folded in his wings and plummeted from the sky, using the sheer might of his bulk alone, he allowed his full weight to fall onto the building that the guardsman had run to. As his deadly claws landed upon the tiled roof, wood splintered beneath him, and the structure only resisted for a second, before it fell to his colossal weight, the wood splintering and groaning as the entire building caved down, falling onto the streets. Smaug heard the cries of the injured and the dying, and all it did was feed the black leech that had attacked itself to his heart, sucking all empathy from him, as all he did was smirk with a sadistic satisfaction, before leaping into the air encase the supports of the entire town would break beneath him.

Using the powerful drive of his wings, Smaug floated above the town, looking at the place where the soldiers had died; the town's only means of defence, the ones who were supposed to protect the citizens from danger, they had fallen like the insignificant insects that they were. He remembered with a wicked grin how the men of Dale had also tried to resist their fate by fighting against the dragon, and all it had brought was deadly retribution upon them. They had not brought him down then, not even with their Black Arrows; he was the mightiest and most magnificent creature to ever walk the earth, to fly its skies and swim its waters, and nothing would stop him!

Building the fire within his chest so that the golden light leaked from between his scales, Smaug beat his gigantic wingspan as he hovered over the wooden structure of men. With a roar, the dragon unleashed his fire, blanketing the entire area in his writhing flames, the wind from beneath his wings stirring the air, bringing the flames higher and higher, the black smoke billowing into the night sky, creating demonic shadows that played across Smaug's body, as he basked in the destruction he caused. The flames were quickly spreading, there were not many buildings now that were not either destroyed from Smaug's searches or on fire from his fury.

There was a soft clank sound as Smaug felt something hit his cheek, just below his left eye, and looking around he saw an elf upon the walkways below, just outside of his flames. It was a she-elf, with long auburn hair that fell down to her hips, a heart shaped face with glittering eyes, armed with her bow, another arrow already notched and aimed for Smaug, with various daggers that he could see strapped to her back and belt.

"Hû ú-gaun!" 'Cowardly dog!' She shouted up to him in the Sindarin tongue, and Smaug couldn't help but grit his teeth as his outrage swelled at her words. Noticing that she had gotten his attention, the she-elf ran down the walkways, leaping over burning debris with the natural grace and flexibility of elves. Smaug happily gave chase, and with one beat of his wings he was already catching up to her, lashing out with his claws to try and rip her body in two.

But the she-elf leapt to the side, avoiding his spear like claws by mere inches. As she leapt through the air, she turned and pulled back her bowstring, releasing an arrow that she sent hurtling towards the dragon's face. But Smaug merely closed his eyes, only feeling the faint pat of the arrow against his brow as it bounced off of him harmlessly. If her pathetic attempts were not irritating him then he would have found them amusing. He merely bared his teeth at her as he landed, spreading his weight evenly as he placed his front legs on the roofs of houses whilst his back legs were on the support beams of the town; a growl formed inside of him with such intensity that it made the waters of the lake ripple from the force.

"Elf? AN ELF! So not just Dwarves and Man are in on this scheme! Has Thranduil forgotten the taste of fire that he seeks to be REMINDED OF IT?!" the dragon bellowed, lunging forward to snap his jaws over the little elf. But once again she dodged, although barely, kicking his nose in an attempt to launch herself further from him.

Smaug attempted to swat her legs out from under her with a sweep of his tail, but the she elf merely ducked and then leaped up onto his tail, using it as a walkway, she sprinted up alongside the spinal spikes of his tail, leaping over him. Smaug spun to see her land gracefully upon the planks of the walkway behind him, and in one fluid movement, she took out her long daggers, spinning as she sliced at the ankle of his back leg. He saw the moment of shock upon her face when she saw that her blades didn't even make a dent on his scales. The she-elf's eyes snapped to his as she looked at him, for the first time perhaps afraid. Smaug grinned wickedly, before he kicked out with the same foot, sending the elf flying across the street where she hit the wall of a building, hard. Sliding down to the ground, she moaned in pain, but she was still very much alive. Oh, Smaug realised that he had missed fighting with elves, for they were much more durable the Dwarves or Men.

"That rotten elf king shall lose more than his face to dragon-fire once I am through with his precious Mirkwood; him and all his kin!" he snarled down at the she-elf as he turned to face her, opening his jaws impossibly wide as fire streamed from his jaws. The she-elf yelped, jumping to her feet and flipping her body through the air in an attempt to avoid the flames that came chasing after her, her feet dancing upon the ground as she ran for the broken bridge, using the broken railing to give her some push, she jumped –

Faster than the eye could follow, Smaug snatched the she-elf right from the air, and finally held her in his grasp, his eyes narrowing to regard her with disgust, his grip tight on her body, pinning her arms against her sides. She kicked and struggled with surprising strength, even if she didn't move his fingers a centimetre.

"Time to die, elf," He hissed at her.

"Amin feuya ten' lle!" she spat at him in her elvish tongue: 'You disgust me'.

"Tauriel!" a voice suddenly cried out, and Smaug turned to see a young dwarf come running from a side alley, his hair dark, his skin unusually pale as if from sickness, and he indeed looked weak as his body sagged as if he couldn't keep himself standing for long. The dwarf looked horrified as he saw the she-elf in Smaug's grip, and that look… Oh Smaug couldn't help but grin wickedly as he made the connection: the desperation in the dwarf's eyes for the female he held captive was all the answer he needed.

"Kili don't –!" exclaimed another voice, as a second dwarf came barrelling out after the first, this one looked similar if not for his blond hair and healthier look. The dwarf came to stand close beside the first – Kili, Smaug supposed his name was – and then a third dwarf with a hat also came running after them. They all however stopped dead in their tracks as they looked up at the dragon before them with petrified faces.

"Put her down!" The dwarf the others called Kili yelled at Smaug, his eyes alight with anxiety, and he made to charge at Smaug.

"Kili – NO!" the blond dwarf yelled in panic as he threw his arms around Kili and struggled to keep the weaker one under control.

Smaug grinned again, holding his wings out to catch the air, taking most of his weight from his perch that was groaning and threatening to break beneath him. He held the battered and exhausted she-elf – which he assumed to be "Tauriel" – in his grip, seeming to examine her for a moment, before he turned to glare mercilessly down at Kili and the other dwarves.

"Ah! It seems that dwarves have infested more than just my Mountain!" the dragon said, before taking a long sniff as he scented the air; though the smoke of the fires clouded most of the scents, he was close enough to smell the dwarves, and noted how the younger two smelled rather similar to Oakenshield. How interesting. "And heirs of Durin no less! You care for this little Elf? Dwarf?!" Smaug hissed at the dark haired dwarf, raising the she-elf higher and closer to him. "Perhaps... she cares for you as well, might she not?"

And then, ever so subtly, Smaug began to squeeze his fingers. Tauriel struggled in his grasp, spitting and hissing curses at him as she tried to break free. When all she managed to do was irk the dragon all the more, he ruthlessly squeezed his fingers tighter still, eliciting a cry from Tauriel as a sickening "crack" filled the air as he broke one of her ribs. Kili once again struggled in his brother's grip, fighting to get free, to run to the aid of Tauriel, but the other dwarves held him back. Smaug eased the pressure of his grip slightly, allowing the she-elf to breathe as she panted from the relief of the pain.

"But your Oakenshield holds something of mine captive, doesn't he? And haven't you heard?" he growled savagely, his demonic gaze burning as bright as the fires around him. He raised Tauriel even higher and tensed his body, watching the faces of the dwarves, the horror dawning on their faces as they knew they could do nothing to help the she-elf. The dragon took in a deep breath, before he roared in a furious passion. "TURNABOUT. IS. FAIR. PLAY!"

The dragon raised his hand, watching the dwarf scream as he came charging weakly, trying to prevent that awful moment when Smaug would drive his fist down onto the wooden walkways of lake town, when the fire that surrounded him would burn at Tauriel's flesh, and when she would be crushed in his grip. With a wicked grin, he –

"SMAUG!" came a cry that shattered the night clean in two, leaving behind only the silence as even the roars of the flames of a burning lake died away, so that all that was left was that one voice, a voice above all others.

The dragon froze in place, shock and utter disbelief filling him. It couldn't be! Could it be? After sixty years… of longing for her for so long… after spending hours in tortured agony to believe her harmed and out of his reach… could it be that she had now found him? That she had come to him…

Dropping the elf from his grasp, suddenly uncaring anymore as he forgot about everything else all around him, not noticing the she elf roll away and scramble back towards her companions. The dragon didn't pay attention to any of it, instead, he slowly turned, as if the slightest sudden move would shatter this dream and he would awaken back in his lair, alone. Unable to breathe, he forced himself to swallow, something biting at his stomach in a way he had never felt before, and it took him a moment to realise that it was fear that he felt. Fear, that what if this was another trick, what if it wasn't whom he so wished it to be; he knew that his sanity wouldn't survive if it wasn't her. He would become nothing more than a grieving, furious monster of rage, lost with no way of returning to what he had once been. And all at the thought of losing her. But he forced himself on, and he turned until he was looking back towards the bridge, to a lone figure who stood defiantly at the edge of the broken planks, with eyes only for him, eyes that he would know anywhere!

And he beheld his angel with purple eyes…

Author's Note: Okay, so 100+ reviews for the last chapter alone?! Oh... my... you guys do not know how much this means to me! Seriously, this is beyond anything I could have ever hoped, thank you! And to all guests and members that have denied PM messages, I thank each and every one of you! A quick note from last chapter, I'm sorry if I disappointed people with the last chapter, I will try and be better for these last couple of chapters I promise, and I hope this one was an improvement!

Right, for this chapter, I would like to say a HUGE HUGE thank you, and full credit to Dagdamor1 for the line on Thranduil and the business when Smaug had captured Tauriel; Credit and thanks also go to ZangetsuOldMan for the line "his angel with purple eyes". You guys are awesome! :)

And now please review! Tell me what you thought of: Smaug's attack on Lake Town? My take on Bard and Tauriel? Bard's attempt to get his family to safety? Bard and Tauriel's plan? Kathryn attempting to get to Smaug? Smaug and Tauriel's fight? Smaug seeing Kathryn?! :D Hope you guys enjoyed, and remember: 1,000 REVIEWS MEANS I WILL MAKE A TRILOGY!

Love you guys and see you next time! :) xXx