Chapter XXXVI: A Silver Lining
Sophie and the dwarves did not set off for Erebor the next day. Nor did they leave the day after. Smaug may have been killed, but not before destroying more than three quarters of Laketown's infrastructure, as well murdering and injuring thousands of the villagers.
Although a few very fortunate villagers were able to return back to their damaged but still standing homes, most of the houses had been burnt down to the ground. The city had literally become uninhabitable. Many of the Laketown people found themselves digging through mounds of rubble and bodies, salvaging the few surviving items that reminded them of what the city had once been - a dusty hairbrush, a shoe with a missing pair. Sophie considered herself to be comparatively lucky in that, despite the ordeal the she went through, she still had her wand and the phial of Animadur with her, as well as her friends.
On top of all the mess, the sudden rainstorm had triggered a wave of the flu and fits of pneumonia amongst the weaker (mostly children) people. The inhabitants of the ex-city needed as much help as they could get, and only a heartless person could persuade themselves to leave in such desperation. And neither Sophie nor the dwarves were even an inch close to being heartless. So, whether it was fate or a chain of unfortunate coincidences (you choose for yourself), the company members found themselves spending their days racing around to tend to the sick and injured.
The dwarves helped the villagers dig through the layers of rubble for any survivors, and Oin worked closely with Tauriel in tending the injured. For Sophie, her abundant knowledge on herbs and apothecary were an invaluable contribution, for there were many who were hurt, and less than few who could help. On most of the days, Sigrid worked alongside the young witch, bringing down soaked cloths and buckets of icy cold water from the lake. The two women had grown close to each other, and there formed an unspoken friendship between them.
In fact, all the company members seemed to have forged a new, tight alliance with Bard and his family. Sophie especially found herself spending many long hours with Bard sitting outside under the roof of the makeshift refugee shelter, discussing ways to deal with their current situation.
Tilda's death was still raw in their hearts, but Bard's family and the company members had all learned to accept the truth of the reality, no matter how painful it felt. It did not alter the fact that Tilda's absence lingered above them at all times regardless, and the young witch knew they would feel like this for a very long time.
Even amidst all this chaos, there was not one moment where Sophie and the dwarves did not think about the rest of the company members who had set off for Erebor many nights previous to the attack on Laketown. They did not know whether they were even alive, and that was the most frightening thought they had to endure. Sophie found herself often waking up in the middle of the night, with a breakout of cold sweat. Most of these nights, she saw a few of the other dwarves, especially Fili, also awake and staring up at the night sky through the window beside her bed. The heir of Durin was doing well in keeping the company together and helping the Laketown villagers to the best of his ability, but Sophie could tell that he too was growing ill with the frustration of the long wait.
However, even in the bleakest periods in our lives, there is always room for a silver lining. The master of Laketown had disappeared without a trace. The last time anybody had seen him was when he hid away into his mansion, in spineless hope of surviving Smaug's destruction on the city. The master's devious councilor was also reported missing. It was widely assumed that the duo had perished under the rubble. Although the master's death was undoubtedly ill-fated, he had not been a man of great humility and modesty when he had been alive, and many Laketown villagers were not at all sorry to hear of his cowardly death. It was not hard to see that the master of Laketown had never been very popular with the citizens of Esgaroth.
On the other hand, the tale of Bard slaying Smaug with the legendary Black arrow had spread amongst the villagers rapidly. And where there is a ripple, a wave will follow. With no apparent leader to guide the city out of its sorrow, the villagers of Laketown found themselves relying on the very bowman who had killed the beast. Thankfully, Bard took on the role of new Master of Laketown with a natural sense of leadership. Sophie was glad - she knew the desolated city was in good hands to be guided through its restoration, if that was even possible.
A significant number of days past with the company members staying in Laketown. Fili approached the young witch as she bandaged a man's broken arm. Sophie smiled at the dwarf prince briefly (a smile that only slightly tugged at the corners of her lips), but she did not stop what she was doing.
"Be gentle will ya'," the man grumbled like a little child clamoring for attention.
Sophie carefully applied the cooling ointment to the fracture before tightening a splint around the joint. The man grunted a "thank you" as Sophie made the final adjustment to his bandages. Fili waited patiently for the man to leave, before walking closer towards the young witch.
"It has been almost ten nights since the dragon was slain," he said, "And still there is no message from Erebor."
Fili almost sounded angry as he said this. Sophie stopped packing away the medicinal herbs and looked up at the dwarf prince closely. The look in his eyes were intense (so similar to his uncle's), only the shadow of the carefree dwarf she had first met at the Green woods remained in his features.
"You were the one who said it was too early to despair," Sophie spoke quietly.
"Sophie...I didn't mean..." Fili began, realizing his mistake.
The young witch turned away and resumed her work - she too had changed.
"I'm just saying that we cannot continue to spend our days in Laketown without even knowing anything about the other company members. Any longer and I feel I will grow mad from frustration," the dwarf prince said.
"I feel helpless too, Fili. Every morning I wake up and want to hate the world for everything it has taken away from us. But the truth is, we cannot do anything yet," Sophie answered sadly.
"We could go and find Erebor ourselves," Fili suggested.
The idea had also been in Sophie's mind for some time, but the situation in Laketown had been too devastating to simply ignore. However, the city had now seemed to have reached some level of equilibrium, with Bard rightfully stepping up as the new master of Laketown. Fili was right - they could no longer continue waiting for news from Thorin and the other company members. The young witch nodded thoughtfully.
"Let us wait one more day, and if there is still no message from Thorin, than we shall set off for Erebor," she answered.
Satisfied with her answer, the dwarf prince nodded before heading off to help Bain and Bofur with the fishing lines at the wharf. Not too far away, Sophie could see Kili and Tauriel sitting together at a bench, engaged in an intense conversation that was inaudible for her to hear. The sight of the two figures was the only image that had not been spoiled by Smaug's wrath. The young witch smiled softly to herself as she averted her eyes away from Tauriel and Kili. But the fear was still very much present inside her, and Sophie prayed for the hundredth time for her own loved one under the mountain to be alive and well.
It turned out that hope came to Sophie and the dwarves through a rather unexpected messenger. The messenger came in the form of a large, black-feathered thrush. The company members were sitting at a long dining table in the barn with Bard when the bird flew in through the open doorway. It fluttered down before perching on the head of a vacant chair beside a surprised Bofur.
"Well now, who might you be?" The good-natured dwarf asked, his courteous manner causing Sophie to chuckle for the first time since the disastrous attack.
"I come from the Lonely Mountain, where my nest lies outside the gates of the great halls of Erebor," the (rather oversized) thrush chirped as it ruffled its feathers that were damp from the mist.
Everybody's jaws in the room dropped down in surprise - Nobody had really expected an answer from the little bird (but then again, it was Middle Earth, where magic and witches and strange wizards were all too common). Sophie felt the air catch at her throat as soon as her brain registered what the bird had said. The other dwarves were also staring at the thrush with baited breaths, waiting for the creature to speak again.
"What news do you bring from Erebor, noble bird?" Fili asked in a shaking voice.
"The King under the mountain lives, along with his loyal subjects and the stout burglar," the bird answered.
At the thrush's answer, Sophie felt as though the heavy load that had been pressing down on her chest had been lifted, and her heart sang out in joy. If she could, the young witch would have picked the lovely thrush up within her palms and laid kisses on its forehead and yellow colored underbelly. The dwarves were also happy with the message, and they cheered loudly for their fellow men who were too far away to hear them.
"Are you telling the truth?" Bard asked, and the thrush nodded before opening its beak to speak again.
"The once invisible dwarf door has been opened, the King of carven stone has returned. The dragon guarded his stolen treasure right until the hour of his death - that gold has now been reclaimed."
"This is joyous news," Kili exclaimed with a grin as he watched the bird fly away in the same path it came before.
"We must leave for Erebor as soon as possible," his brother spoke in agreement.
Fili looked up at Bard who was sitting opposite to him.
"There is much gold in the halls of our kingdom. Let Thorin help your city rebuild with the wealth of Erebor - it will be the least we can do for all the problems we have caused," he said.
Sophie looked across the table at the bowman, who seemed to be contemplating Fili's words.
After a long moment, Bard eventually asked, "Will Thorin agree to this arrangement? He has not seen that gold for over sixty years - I doubt he will agree to share any of it."
The company members were all slightly taken aback by those words, and nobody said anything as they slowly processed what the bowman had said. Was that truly his most honest opinion of Thorin and the dwarves?
"Thorin will keep his promise that he made to Laketown about sharing any reclaimed wealth," Sophie insisted, and the dwarves nodded in agreement.
"Your family helped us in our most dire need - Thorin would not have forgotten that," Bofur added.
After listening to everyone carefully, Bard eventually nodded with a wry smile.
"I shall prepare a barge to take us over the lake first thing tomorrow. My son should have no difficulty managing the city's affairs while I am gone," he said.
"Thank you," Sophie said, and the bowman gave a small smile as his reply.
At that moment, the bowman was called away by Tauriel in regards to finding enough furs for the cold villagers to wear. Sophie and the rest of the company members looked at each other with wide grins that only exposed a glimpse of their nervousness. The young witch felt a warm bubble nestling in her chest. She could hardly contain her excitement. Thorin was alive, and she and the dwarves will finally be reunited with the rest of the company members.
True to his word, at the first light of the morning, Bard personally prepared his barge out to carry the company members over the Lake of Esgaroth. There was an excited energy swimming in the air as Sophie and the dwarves eagerly climbed onto the floating vessel. Tauriel and Bard's two children also stood by the wharf to see the group off. Kili stood in front of the she-elf, his hands lovingly over hers.
"Will you not let me show you around Erebor? Is there no way I can convince you to join us?" He asked with irresistible puppy eyes.
The dwarf prince's pleading look served its purpose in making Tauriel laugh affectionately.
"I would have very much liked to visit the Lonely Mountain, but I am grieved to say that I have a duty to remain at Laketown. Go, Kili - you belong with your kin," she said.
Kili cupped the elf's hands in his own and looked up at her fair face, his eyes full of adoration.
"I know how I feel, I'm not afraid. You make me feel alive, Tauriel," he murmured, making the she-elf blush.
"We will meet again, my fair elf maiden," Kili continued softly, ignoring the gagging noises made by Fili.
The younger of the Durin brothers was the last person to board the barge, and he did so quite reluctantly. Once everyone was safely on board, Bard began rowing out towards the deeper, foggy end of the Lake. Sophie could see Bain, Sigrid and Tauriel get smaller and smaller as the barge floated further away from the wharf.