Bard and his son climbed down from the bell tower after felling the dragon, Smaug. Bain led him to where their boat was, but everyone was frantic when they arrived and they were all searching the water. The water was tinted red and Bain noticed that Thessa was missing.
"Where's Thessa?" he asked the group. Their eyes turned to the bowman and his son, momentarily stopping their search.
"Thessa was pulled into the water!" Fili cried. "We dwarves can't swim very well and the water is too cold for Tauriel." Bard felt his heart stop for a second. The red water... that could be from Thessa! Immediately, he shucked his boots, handing his bow to his son, and dove into the water. This was the second time he would be saving a mermaid from the water, he thought. He couldn't see very well through the red gloom of the water, but he figured she would have drifted further down. He pushed himself further into the cold water, spreading his arms out to the side every so often, until his fingers brushed her hair. He followed the long tresses back to her and wrapped his arms around her small body. He kicked back to the surface as he began to run out of breath, hauling Thessa along with him.
Everyone in the boat gasped when Bard and the mermaid broke the surface. Fili and Óin helped him lift Thessa up into the boat. She had her tail poking out of the bottom of the dress rather than her legs, and there was a gaping wound below her ribs and just above her hip. Óin quickly turned to Tauriel, a pleading look in his eyes.
"Please, lass," he begged. "Can you help her?" While Tauriel hadn't fully warmed up to Thessa, she couldn't refuse her help. She nodded slowly and hovered her hands above the wound. She chanted Elvish words of healing as the wound reduced in size. But as hard as she tried, the wound would not close completely, and blood was still leaking out onto the dress.
"I can't close the wound entirely," Tauriel explained, looking to the old dwarf beside her. "You will have to see to the wound from here." Óin nodded, ripping a handful of fabric from the hem of the dress. He balled it up and held it to the wound to staunch the bleeding.
"We have to get moving," Bard panted from the dock. Bain had helped pull him out of the water and he quickly replaced his boots and coat. "Follow the other boats, they are headed for the shores near Dale." The small group in the boat nodded as they made room for the two to climb aboard. Fili and Bofur took up the oars and began paddling after the remaining townspeople.
Thorin stood beside Balin on the ramparts looking over the fields between Erebor and Dale. They had seen the firestorm rip the town of Esgaroth apart. They knew their friends were probably dead by now, and Thorin's heart felt like it had been shredded to pieces. Both his nephews were there, as was the love of his life, and now they were gone.
He sank to his knees and tears slipped down his cheeks. He pounded his fist against the stone and the company left him with Balin so he could have a moment. They were all teary eyed for their lost comrades, Glóin, Bifur and Bombur especially.
"NO!" Thorin bellowed to the sky. Sobs wracked his body. He couldn't believe they were gone. His One was gone. His nephews were both gone. Óin and Bofur were gone as well. This was all his fault. If he had not listened to Gandalf and began this journey, Thessa might still be alive. Balin rested a hand on his shoulder, offering support without speaking. Thorin shrugged off his hand and stood. He came to the edge of the ramparts, resting his elbows against the stone with his back to his friend.
"Leave me," Thorin growled. He needed to be alone with his grief. Balin nodded silently and went to rejoin the company in the large hall.
Once their little boat had reached the shore with the others, Bard had taken command of the refugees. People were wailing for their lost loved ones and gathering up what little supplies had made it to the shores. He called for them to start organizing themselves and the supplies they salvaged, and to start distributing what food and blankets they could spare. As soon as they were able, they would trek to the ruins of Dale and settle there for the night. Winter would set in soon and there was a chill in the air, so everyone quickly followed his orders, handing out blankets and cloaks.
Bard heard whispers coming from behind him and saw a gathering of people surrounding Tauriel, the dwarves and his children. He pushed his way through the gathering to see that they had been staring at Thessa's tail. They had brought her to lay on the grass, but they had no way to fully cover her tail from prying eyes.
"Get back!" Bard called. "Yes, the stories are true, and this woman is under my protection. If anyone lays a hand on her, they shall answer to me." He looked directly at Alfrid who was among those gathered around them. He gave a cruel smirk and raised his hands as if he meant no harm. He slunk off with the rest of the crowd and Bard knelt down next to the mermaid.
"Thessa, can you hear me?" he whispered to her. She was motionless and deathly pale from blood loss.
Kili and the other dwarves were preparing a small boat and loaded some supplies. They would travel just a little further up the lake to reach Erebor for they did not wish to stand idly and wait for the townspeople. Kili spotted Tauriel by the water's edge and approached her slowly. He didn't know what he intended to say to her, but he had to say something. Behind him Fili called out.
"Kili, come on! We're leaving!" Fili grunted as they tugged the small boat into the water. Kili redirected his attention back to Tauriel, who had a sad smile in her eyes.
"They are your people," she said softly. "You must go." She turned to walk past him, but he caught her hand in his as she walked by.
"Come with me," he offered pleadingly. "I know how I feel, I'm not afraid. You make me feel alive." Tauriel took in a sharp breath, turning her head away and reigning in a stray tear that threatened to fall.
"I can't," she whispered sadly. Kili pulled her back to look at him.
"Amrâlimê," he spoke softly, looking up into the elleth's eyes. She looked at him hesitantly for a moment, not sure if this was good or bad.
"I don't know what that means," she whispered in reply.
"I think you do," Kili said, a small grin forming on his face. They stood there for a moment, looking into each other's eyes, searching for whatever it was that was between them. Tauriel's eyes widen slightly and she straightened her back and squared her shoulders, looking over Kili's head.
"My Lord Legolas," she stated, knowing he now stood behind her.
"Take your leave of the dwarf," he commanded, narrowing his eyes at Kili. "You are needed elsewhere." He understood the misinterpretation he had for Princess Thessalia and her people, but no such revelation regarding dwarves had come.
Tauriel gave Kili a pained expression, and that was all the answer he needed. He gave her a silent, sad nod and turned to help the other dwarves with the boat. But before he climbed aboard, he rushed back to Tauriel pressing his rune stone into her hands.
"Keep this, as a promise," he said with a soft smile, and quickly turned back to the boat and hopped aboard. Tauriel stared at the stone in her hand for a moment, and eventually turning to find Legolas amongst the crowd of people.
Óin had given Bard specific instructions regarding how to care for Thessa and her wound. He even threw in a small death threat if he tried and funny business or if she was harmed in any way. Bard assured the old healer that Thessa would be perfectly safe with him and his daughters, and waved them off. Once again, they felt horrible for leaving Thessa behind, but the woman had a penchant for injuring herself at the worst possible times.
Sigrid and Tilda were cleaning Thessa's wound when they heard her groan. Their heads shot up in surprise and they stopped what they were doing. Thessa lifted her head enough to see her wound. Upon seeing that it was healing but not completely, she let her head drop back against the ground. It was still extremely painful, but she was strong, she could handle it, she told herself. As soon as she was able, she needed to find a way to get home. Maybe there was a river she could take. Surely some river fed into the lake, and she could travel faster by water than by land. But she could barely swim as it were and had to wait until she was healed.
"Thank you, girls," she ground out as she tried to sit up.
"Please, my lady, stay still," Sigrid pleaded with her.
"Forgive me, but remind me of your names?" Thessa asked sheepishly. The girls looked a little hurt that she did not remember their names, but provided them anyway. Thessa nodded in remembrance. Her dream had seemed to last so long, for years even, and many of the small details of their journey had been lost to her. She remembered the important things, but that was all. A shadow fell over them and Thessa looked up to see Bard.
"You're awake," he sighed in relief, kneeling down beside her. Thessa nodded, forcing a smile through the pain.
"I am, but what happened after I fell into the water? Did you kill the dragon?" she asked. She didn't like the idea of harming animals, but Smaug was a danger to everyone and needed to be stopped.
"Aye," Bard nodded to her, "but the town is not a pile of ashes. The survivors are gathering supplies now and we will set out for Dale in a few moments. I have arranged for a rudimentary cart to be made and it will carry you to Dale. Sigrid and Tilda will care for your wound and you may stay with our family when we reach the ruins. Thessa nodded her head at this plan, and then remembered that she still had her tail instead of legs. Panicked, she grabbed Bard's sleeve as he stood.
"Did they see my tail?" she whispered frantically. Bard sighed and nodded.
"It was unavoidable," he explained. "I warned them not to touch you or come near you." That did not make Thessa feel any better, but nodded her head slowly in thanks, her eyes drifting over to the lake. At least she was away from the things in the water. She almost felt pity for them, but then thought better of it. They chose that life for themselves. Thessa focused on returning her tail for her legs and had to concentrate hard on the task. The pain muddled her mind, but she was able to force the change and sighed when she saw the little toes poking out of the dress.
Sigrid and Tilda helped her stand, albeit heavily supported, and placed her on the shamble cart that had been brought over. A kindly older man pulled the cart for them and the girls walked beside her as the caravan moved out.
When the dwarves' boat reached the shore once more, they hauled it up out of the water and quickly set off for the front gates of the mountain. The gate was in pieces when they approached, great chunks of stone lying everywhere and dust hung in the air. They picked their way over the debris, entering the large hall.
"Hello? Anyone there?" Fili called out, hoping against hope that Smaug had not barbecued their friends. They walked deeper into the mountain, calling as they went.
"Stop!" a small voice called. They saw the little hobbit, Bilbo, scrambling down a causeway and some stairs to meet them. "Stop! Stop, stop!" he whispered fervently as he came to stand in front of the little group. "We need to leave, we all need to leave." They looked at the hobbit with confusion.
"But we only just got here," Bofur countered.
"I've tried talking to him and he wouldn't listen," Bilbo explained.
"Well who do you mean, laddie?" Óin asked.
"Thorin! Thorin, he- he doesn't sleep, he barely eats, he's not been himself, not at all. It's- it's this place, I think a sickness lies upon it," he panted out. Fili and Kili exchanged looks.
"Sickness? What kind of sickness?" they asked, moving past Bilbo and walking further into the mountain and up to where Bilbo had just come from. The others celled out for the brothers to wait, but they races over a causeway and eventually down a few flights of stairs that lead to a great treasure hoard below. They stopped suddenly, looking out over a vast sea of gold. Mountains of gold that covered the floor. There was no telling how deep the piles were, but one could easily lose himself in it. They spotted a figure that stepped out from behind a pillar and walked across the surface of the treasure.
"Gold..." it whispered. "Gold beyond measure. Beyond sorrow and grief." Thorin looked up to see the Bilbo, Óin, Bofur, Fili and Kili standing there, looking down at him. "Behold, the great treasure hold of Thror." He gestured around and behind him. He reached down by his feet and grabbed a large ruby. He hurtled it up to where Fili was, the sandy-haired dwarf catching it with ease. "Welcome, my sister's sons, to the kingdom of Erebor."
They reached Dale a little after midday. Bard doled out orders for where to place supplies and directed the families to the few houses and buildings that were suitable enough to serve as shelter. Legolas and Tauriel had left before the caravan had. Where they had gone, no one knew, but Thessa assumed they had gone back to the Woodland Realm.
"Sire!" a voice called from a landing that lead to the roof of an old building. "Sire, up here!" They recognized the voice as Alfrid, who seemed to have pledged his allegiance to Bard, now that the master was gone. Thessa, however, kept a close watch over the wretch. Bard left to see what Alfrid wanted and Thessa asked his children to help her find some water to heal her wounds with. The girls helped Thessa over to a small pond that was nearby, although it was slightly frozen. Tilda found a large rock and Bain helped them heave it into the water, breaking the ice.
"Thank you," Thessa smiled at the children. She dipped her fingers into the cool water, allowing it to sweep down her arm and torso to heal her wound. The children watched as the skin began to knit itself back together and heal without so much as a scar.
"Wow..." Bain whispered, having never seen something like that before. Thessa smiled at them and slowly got to her feet. With renewed strength and the pain in her abdomen gone, it was time to return home.
"Do you know if there is a river that flows south from here?" she asked them with a hopeful look.
"The Celduin runs south from the lake, although I'm not sure how far it goes or where it leads," Bain informed her. Thessa smiled brightly at that. She knew the Celduin flowed into the Rhûn sea, so it must connect all the way!
"Fantastic!" she laughed, hugging Bain. The children were confused by her sudden shift in mood.
"Why is that fantastic?" Sigrid asked hesitantly. Thessa smiled at the girl, taking her hands in hers.
"That means I have a way to return home!" she exclaimed brightly.
"Wait, you're leaving?" Tilda asked, confused. "What about the dwarves?" Thessa's smile drooped a bit. Yes, what about the dwarves, she thought. Surely they would understand!
"I will write them a note and have your father deliver it to them when they next meet," she concluded. She ushered the children back to their father and told Bard of her plans. He sent the children off to bed so that he could speak with Thessa alone.
"You cannot leave now," he pleaded with her. "Please, winter is coming and the water is ice-cold. You'll never make it more than a mile," he explained. "Wait until spring, when it's warmer."
"Spring?!" Thessa asked in disbelief. "I have a duty to my people and I have been away long enough!" Bard knew he could not dissuade her alone, so he came up with an idea.
"At least say goodbye to your company, they deserve that much," Bard tried. Thessa looked down at her feet, realizing he was right. After all, Erebor wasn't far from Dale.
"Alright," she sighed. "I'll visit them in the morning." Bard nodded with a smile and showed her to the house his children had bedded down in. Thessa thanked him and joined the now sleeping children by the surprisingly intact hearth where a fire flickered in the dark. She laid down on a spare blanket and wrapped her arms around her legs to keep warm. Her mind raced with thoughts of home and thoughts of her friends in Erebor. She eventually fell into a fitful sleep and tossed and turned until the light of dawn woke her once more.