"We need to hide..." Dabur nudged her into a doorway, as several strange creatures seemed to hurry past. They were lightning fast, and she would have nearly missed it if she hadn't been looking.

She peered around the door, past her guard, who stood covering her. He was an enormous man, towering over her and almost as broad as Thorin! But she was worried about him, and the others.

"What are they?" She whispered.

"Orcs." He hissed back. "You need to hide."

"We need to warn the others -" she suddenly clutched at Dabur. "Kili! He cannot run or fight as he is!"

Before Dabur could stop her she had dashed out from behind him running silently along the rickety old walkways. Her guard was not as nimble although quite capable of silently keeping her in sight.

Fortunately for her, she spotted the three dwarves not far ahead, catching up to them as they helped Kili hobble along.

"My Lady?" Fili glanced at her as they carried on hobbling. "What are you doing here? Thorin was clear that you are to leave the town -"

"Orcs!" She spoke hurriedly between breaths. "Need to hide Kili -"

"I can fight, my Lady!" Kili protested with a groan.

"No laddie. She's right." Oin agreed sadly as they all looked around.

"Here." Fili gestured at a door nearby before banging on it.

The door swung open and a young girl stood there flanked by an adolescent boy who looked cross.

"No!" The boy answered sternly before shutting the door, only to have Fili put his boot in the door and stop it from shutting entirely.

"Please?" She spoke up from behind. "The orcs..."

"Orcs? Where?!" The boy frowned.

"We have spotted a handful of scouts. More will follow soon." Dabur added standing behind more forcefully. "I must hide the princess here, so if you do not open the door and let us in, then I will have no choice -"

"It's alright Dabur." She quickly interrupted. "Please? Help me? Help us? Dabur will have to go warn my brother and the other guards. They will easily fight them off. But I think the young master of this house will need to warn the town -"

"They fought us near the river." Fili revealed. "We thought we lost them there. But it seems not."

The girl exchanged a look with the boy, both a little hesitant.

"Da will kill us -" the girl sighed. "But -"

"We can't turn the lady away..." the boy agreed looking at his sister. "Come on in then. Hurry!"

They all quickly piled in, while Oin and Fili moved Kili onto a sofa and laid him down.

Dabur stopped at the door looking around again, unbuckling his heavy coat to reveal an entire arsenal of rather vicious looking weapons tucked away. It had even surprised her.

"This would be my wedding period...you weren't relaxed even for then?" She took in his various daggers and knives with wide eyes.

"My lady, weddings and funerals are precisely the time to get tooled up - more than usual!" Dabur chuckled. "I am guessing you have not worn your travel sword today?"

She shook her head. The truth was, until their journey to Lake Town, she had never carried a sword or dagger.

"I suppose only a few hours ago, you wore pretty much nothing!" He winked at her cheekily handing her a dagger - which in her hands was more like a small sword. "There are children in this house, so you will need to use it. Also, keep an eye out for the windows and roof; the filth can climb very well..."

She looked around the tiny apartment, and at Kili who looked as though he was about to pass out from pain and then she worried once more about her brother and the other three.

"Go warn the others Dabur!" She took the dagger. "We will be fine. Prince Fili is a strong fighter. And we will barricade ourselves in. But I cannot bear to lose anyone today, of all days... So please be careful."

She did not refer to her wedding or to missing her husband. But rather she referred to how horrid Thorin was. If she was to endure their hateful marriage, where he considered her nothing but a burden to be suffered, then She would need as many loved ones around her as possible. Perhaps she may even be able to convince Arvind to stay and for Thorin to offer him a role in court as an advisor or ambassador.

"Are you sure, my Lady?" He asked again looking around.

"Yes." She answered in her most determined voice, and that was all he needed. Nodding, he quickly set off, as she shut the door. "I need to barricade this door -"

But before she could look for anything to block the door, there was loud knocking.

Heart racing and still holding the dagger, she opened the door a little to peep through.

"Oh hello your ladyship! I didn't expect to see you here..." Outside stood the rather smiley dwarf, with the funny hat, whom she remembered was called Bofur! He blushed on seeing her face. "Have they left?"

"Uh... Yes!" She looked around and grabbing his hand, pulled him in. "They have all left, and we have just spotted orcs... So you'd better get in!"

"Oh my! Princess!" He smiled in half a daze, as if she had kissed him - having already forgotten his disappointment for having missed out on joining Thorin on the final leg of his quest!

"Kili..." She remembered suppressing a half chuckle at the dwarf. "Help me - we need to get this door shut firmly. And Kili is very unwell."

They both heard the young dwarf groaning and rushed over. He was pouring with sweat, his eyes screwed tight in pain, and his face now pale.

"So that was a poisoned arrow." She sighed. How could they find the antidote without knowing what the poison was. "We need an antidote -"

"Kingsfoil!" Bofur cried out. "I think I saw some around here..."

"Aye. They feed it to the pigs around here - it's just a weed!" The girl agreed as she looked at the dwarf terrified of what the orcs might do if they got in, if that arrow wound on Kili was anything to go by.

"Right... I am going... Open the door for me when I get back, my lady, please..." Bofur hurried along his hat bobbing as he rushed out.

"Hurry back..." Shobha opened the door and shut it right away before looking at the girl who pottered about the house nervously. "Lock the windows please..."

"Aye..." She nodded rushing about pulling in the shutters and bolting them. And then she seemed to suddenly remember something. "Tilda? Where are you? Tilda? Come out now!"

Suddenly a very young girl, no bigger than seven or eight emerged from where she was playing apparently under the table with her doll.

"Alright Sigrid! Keep your bloomers on!" She shouted back as she emerged, before realising that they had visitors unbeknownst to her! "Eh! It's the Princess who married the dwarf King!"

She blinked surprised at her guests.

"Hello little lady," Shobha smiled at her. "What's your name?"

"Uh... I'm Tilda..." The little girl smiled back shyly. "You don't have your crown today..."

"Crowns are kind of boring when you wear them all the time... Don't you think?" Shobha winked at her, only to receive a wide grin back.

Suddenly there was a bang on the door as one of the creatures tried to burst in! Shobha threw her weight against the door, and the young boy raced over to brace the door too.

The creature seemed to push harder again and it grasped the door with a clawed hand.

"Come on lady, push harder!" The boy shouted hitting the orcs hand with a rolling pin making the creature yelp in surprise.

She looked at the dagger in her hand and it connected in her head at last. She had never needed to use it. Taking the dagger in her hand as she pushed harder against the door, she jabbed it at its hand.

With another loud yelp, the creature pulled its hand out and they slammed the door shut.

"Here..." The boy placed two large blocks into the door, locking it in place.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Bain, that's my sister Sigrid." The boy explained a little flustered. "And you have already met Tilda - I'm sorry, my Lady, we should have introduced ourselves -"

"No, Master Bain. You are all very kind to allow us in in our time of need. We owe you our gratitude..." she corrected quickly, before looking around the room. "But those things are coming back now... And Dabur said they could climb..."

And just as she began saying that, they could hear scrambling above them on the roof.

"The windows!" Fili pointed out quietly, and soon they were all rushing about checking all the shutters again.

"Get under the table - hurry now!" Shobha called out to the children. "Please .."

"No! I am going to fight like a man!" Bain whispered back. "I must protect my sisters!"

But there was little more they could do to prepare, as a creature burst through a window without warning.

Bain held a heavy pan in both his hands which he swung, as the creature lunged at him and Shobha rushed over from the door grabbing a stool in hand.

The orc jabbed it's knife out, which got lodged in the old wood of the stool in a manner that took it by surprise.

In turn Bain swung hard several times hitting it in the face and finally Fili finished it off with a heavy boot. The horrid crunch of its skull made the children screw their eyes shut tight.

Another window burst open as yet another orc entered, this time near the dwarves. Fili was quick to kick the creature straight out of the window before it could enter. But two more had entered through the first window.

One had cornered Shobha, she used a chair to push at it. But it simply sliced the piece of furniture in two and grabbed her by her neck pushing her onto a wall, as it pulled out its sword.

She closed her eyes, realising she would probably be dead soon. But instead of the pain she expected, The creature fell to the floor with a thud.

Opening her eyes, she saw the orc on the floor with a thin arrow lodged deep in its scarred head, black blood pouring out of its wound.

There were several thuds outside and banging on the door.

"Help! It's me! Princess!"

It was Bofur!

She hurried over, unbolting the door and letting in the dwarf.

Amidst the fight that had broken out on the walkway outside the house, stood two tall figures. They were much taller than the tallest men she had ever seen. The new fighters were exceptionally fast, dispatching many orcs with ease. At first she wondered whether they were women, since they both had long hair.

"Hurry inside Master dwarf!" She almost virtually pulled Bofur in by his clothes as he stood there clutching onto a handful of Kingsfoil looking terrified.

"Oooh, my lady!" Bofur smiled at her again, dreamy eyed.

"Help! In here!" She then shouted out at the two tall fighters, with their long hair, as they moved to her with precision and grace. So she quickly ushered Bofur along, who stood there smiling at her. "Come on Bofur!"

"Ah! Aye my Princess!" Bofur shook himself out of his dreamy state and hurried over to Kili, throwing a few dishes and anything else he could pick up at another invading orc on the way with very sharp aim. "Here we go - Kingsfoil!"

"Come on then..." Oin held out his hand holding a mortar and pestle in hand.

But suddenly the two tall fighters walked in to the apartment. The one with long red hair spun around and severed the head off another attacking creature, as she moved over to where the dwarves lay. She was certainly female, her face bright, and soft in stark contrast to the sharpness of her weapons and her fighting.

The second fighter seemed to finish off several more orcs outside the house before following in. This fighter had a harder face with strange pale eyes. But most surprisingly, it was masculine, even if strangely elegant and beardless. She had seen more beardless men since leaving Rhun-Agar to travel here than she had ever seen in her life!

Then she spotted their ears, strange and pointed, finally realising these were elves! She had only ever read of elves in books, and seen a few sketchings! She had read about Greenwood, and the woodland King, but her brother had informed her of the feud between the dwarves or Erebor and the Woodland elves, and so she had not expected to see any here tonight. But she was grateful nonetheless.

What she HAD read of was their strangely effective healing powers! And her thoughts now we're straight on Kili!

"Please, can you help us?" She hurried over to the visitors who looked at her with surprise. They seemed to halt assessing her for any threat before moving on and considering her to be clearly of little concern.

The red haired elf made her way to the dwarves while the pale haired elf stopped to assess her carefully.

"We did not know of any Easterlings arriving in these areas?" He narrowed his eyes at her and tilted his head scathingly. "Speak your business!"

"I am the Daughter of the King of Rhun-Agar, and the Consort of Prince Thorin of Ered Luin -"

"Our escaped Prisoner!" He spat out.

"Prisoner?!"

"Yes! He and his lying fellow dwarves were held in our dungeons for three weeks," the elf spoke harshly.

"On what charges?" She frowned at him. "And who might YOU be anyway?"

At first he seemed taken aback to be spoken to in this manner, only to realise that she stood there a few minutes later still waiting in expectation for an answer.

"Well? You are apparently elves - carrying the wisdom of the eldar? So speak then...?"

"First YOU owe US a debt for saving your lives. Secondly, the dwarves were taking the road and trespassed," he spoke with a cold disinterest that was intended to sound dismissive. She looked like a young woman, only barely of age. "And I am Prince Legolas, son of the Elvenking."

"So lost travellers are locked up in your kingdom are they?" She scoffed to his renewed irritation. "It seems that Rhun and the East have much fairer treatment of people than the allegedly 'wise' elves!"

"They were carrying elvish weapons."

"Perhaps gifts?"

"With no evidence of them being gifts?"

"Oh so their greatest crime was possible larceny at best?" She shook her head genuinely disappointed. "They had no fair hearing before the king? And all you wanted was truly to stop them from going to reclaim their own home! Shame on you."

The tall fair haired elf stood there surprised at her behaviour. He had rarely encountered women before and his knowledge of mankind was that they were uncaring, fickle, and entirely selfish. But this woman was strange. Annoying, but he hated to admit she was right.

So he didnt address her any longer. Instead he spoke to Tauriel in sindarin.

"Tauriel! We must go."

"Wait - I must help him ..." Tauriel protested looking worriedly at the dwarf who lay wounded. "It is a black arrow!"

"They are not our responsibility! Tauriel!" Legoland called again from the door. "The orcs are getting away!"

"They are hunting Thorin..." Shobha frowned looking at the dead creature lying on the floor.

"Aye, my lady. It was one of them that shot Kili. We thought we lost them." Fili explained looking at her surprised. "Thorin nearly died when we were attacked after the goblin tunnels fighting them..."

She felt confused. On one hand feeling sorry for Thorin, who appeared to be fighting an insurmountable battle, and yet on the other hand, it explained why he needed her father's army so badly. It was not just the dragon, he would have another fight on his hands.

In all this, she was just a commodity, and all he had to do was bed her a few times before she too would become like her father's very first wife!

She had seen the Lonely Mountain from afar in all its magnificence, but it was just like Thorin, a handsome, cold, stone-prison.

Then she saw the tall female elf looking down at Kili and rushed over.

"What are you going to do?" Kili asked. "I could take off my pants if it helped..."

"Perhaps later..." The elf gave him a tight lipped smile. It was a strange look on the once seriously efficient killer she had been only moments before. It lit up her face! "But for now, I am going to save you..."

They all watched as she began to chant something repeatedly, pressing her hands over his wound now lined with the ground up herb.

"Hold him down!" Fili cried as the other dwarves held onto his arms. Even Sigrid and Tilda grabbed a limb each, Shobha hurrying to help the smallest.

Suddenly Kilis writhing stilled and the elf appeared to glow. It was like some sort of celestial power had been summoned which had put the young dwarf at ease. He opened his eyes and watched her with a gentle smile which she seemed to reciprocate.

It was now plain to see what had ailed Kili perhaps as much as his wound had been an invisible pain, one which she had cured simply with a smile. It made a stark contrast to the cold marriage she had entered into and made her heart feel emptier still.

Shobha turned to look for the other elf but he was gone.

"Well, they say the magic of elves is a privilege to witness, laddie..." Oin whispered to Bofur as they walked away, leaving Kili with the elf maiden. He seemed to be saying something to her, his face lit up and free from pain.

"Well, I had better help you clear up in here..." Shobha whispered to Sigrid. "Prince Fili, please could you give us a hand..?"

Fili seemed to hesitate leaving her alone with him.

"It's futile...how can they ever be together?" Fili whispered to Shobha. "She imprisoned us..."

"I doubt she had any choice in the matter..." She sighed to the older of the two brothers. "Help me grab it's legs..."

They dragged out the body of the orc out onto the wooden walkway, but before they could decide what to do with the body, it had rolled out of its awkward position and over the small gap beneath the rail, falling into the water of the lake below with a splash.

"But she is an elf?" Fili frowned looking over the side and watching the body disappear into the icy water. "Even you argued that they had imprisoned us wrongly!"

"Yes but did you see the two of them when they saw each other..?" She smiled at Fili. "I know very little about this world, my Prince. But even I can see that love like that is rare, and it would be a crime to stand in their way..."

Her words seemed to stop Fili in his tracks. The dwarf stood there watching her thoughtfully as she moved about the house helping Sigrid, Tilda and Bain tidy things up. He had never considered her as anything beyond Thorins wife. Only now had it dawned on him that their marriage was arranged and that perhaps she was not entirely happy. It made him wonder whether Thorin actually cared for her at all beyond his need for an army and an heir.

"Perhaps we should all have a cup of tea?" Sigrid suggested as she pottered about in the kitchen. "I thought Da would have been home sooner..."

"I don't want to outstay my welcome," Shobha began worried about her brother. "I should probably see where -"

"Not at all, your Highness! We dont ever get royalty visitin us every day," Sigrid offered. "Besides they will need our help..."

The young girl gestured towards Kili, Oin and Bofur.

"I think you might be right." Shobha whispered with a soft chuckle.

They had spent most of the day there, helping to clear up, and leaving Kili to rest. Dabur hadn't returned for a while, which had troubled her, and so she had decided it was better to stay put than to go looking for them, in case more orcs returned.

Eventually Dabur had returned to collect her. After the day she had, a nice bath and an early nap would be just what she needed. So she had invited the dwarves to join their camp, and gifted a rather heavy gold bangle to Sigrid. It would certainly help replenish their broken kitchenware and replace any clothing and furniture that was damaged too!

"We must be packed and ready to move camp soon, my lady," Dabur reminded her as they walked towards their camp. "The Orcs tried to attack us, but none were harmed. Our tent will need some repairs though.

"We can't go until we know Fili and Kili are safe," she replied worried. "And to be honest I am not certain about the dragon - I fear for the people of Esgaroth."

"My lady, the people of this town are not your responsibility - you have now signed a contract and you are to obey your husband now.."

"My husband...is not here..." She paused. "He can't punish me for what he doesn't know about, now can he?"

After arriving in her tent, she had spent some time tidying up, had as relaxing a wash as she could, considering she had no proper tub and packed most of her things up, leaving only her mattress and some furs so she could have a short nap.

But just as she had settled under her blankets, a loud rumbling set her heart racing again. It was more than a noise. The vibration seemed to rock the very ground rattling everything about their camp site.

It reminded her of the sandworms!

Shaking, she slipped out of her bed and got to her feet, as Abdi rushed in.

"What is that?" She asked as another rumble shook the ground.

"That is the dragon, my lady!" Abdi replied looking worried. "Hurry and get dressed. We are packing up and moving out. If that thing leaves Erebor, it will no doubt come here -"

"Where is Arvind?"

"He has gone out to meet the men arriving here to fight. General Moradi who was meant to lead them has sadly succomed to disease as he was travelling. And so they will need some instruction," Abdi frowned looking around. "We must pack this quickly. Hurry, my lady."

"But Arvind will get hurt -"

"He knows what he is doing, my lady," Karan hurried in getting her to her feet as Abdi scurried around rolling up her mattress and putting away her blankets. "He has asked that we keep you safe - he will return as soon as he has given instruction to the men. Shah Aaman has accompanied him -"

"Of course, because Shah is not a middle-aged man who has arthritis and gout." She scoffed helping them now.

"Well, he must do what he needs to without fear that you are harmed. He will be worried if the tent is not packed away when he looks through his far-scope," Karan advised her sternly. "So the only way you can help him is by looking after yourself and doing as you are told! For once, listen, my lady!"

She nodded, and hurriedly began to help.

It hadn't taken them long. They had become experts at packing up camp in next to no time, and prior to her wedding night, she had little furniture in her tent, since two of her guards set their bedrolls just within her tent usually.

The caravan was loaded up and ready. But she couldn't leave.

"We must find the master and warn him!" She begged Karan. He was the most experienced and senior of her guards. "I have seen their warning bells! They must be rung!"

Karan sighed and looked at the other three. Adbi and Dabur would agree to anything the Princess said. They held a fondness in their hearts for their mistress in a way that made them blind to sense, in his opinion.

"We will go with her, Brother -" Abdi began, when Amit spoke up.

"We have enough time, Karan, and her ladyship is correct. It is the right thing to do. These people have helped the dwarves, and hosted us. We owe them this much." Amit explained. He was always the voice of reason, measured and moral in his thinking. Karan found it hard to ignore him for that very reason. "But it maybe best that I accompany the princess."

And so it was decided, Amit and Karan accompanied her to see the Master.

They had hurried along the dark and rickety walkways passing from their camp on one side of the waters edge to the town square. During this time a further rumble had juddered through the ground. This time they could hear the disruption in the water as the usual gentle lapping of the lake had morphed into loud splashing waves that beat against the submerged structures that seemed to keep the whole town afloat.

There were a few worried cries from some of the houses as others scurried past her attempting to seek shelter in their homes.

When they arrived in the town square there was a small gathering of worried people, as a man stood by the gates of the Masters Lodge, knocking furiously.

"What is happening?" She asked a few people in the crowd.

"We are trying to hold of the Master, milady..." An old man replied worried.

"This is the fault of them dwarves!" Another man cried out further behind, as they all parted to allow her through.

"What is that? Is it true that it is the dragon?" A younger woman asked her as she held onto a young child.

"Let us past!" Karan, who was tall and large, had no problem in taming the crowds that threatened to get too close to her. They all seemed to magically move away allowing them to pass until they got to the front.

"I told you all! The dwarves would only wake the dragon and bring wrath upon us!" The man at the doors to the Lodge turned to look at her, with clear anger etched on his face. She now recognised him to be Bard, the children's father, and one of the few citizens of the town who had been generally unhappy about their marriage! "This will be our ruin! We should never have hosted you or helped them!"

Bard seemed to rush down in a panic to face her.

"What did Thorin tell you he would do?" He asked angrily. "What was his plan? You could have stopped all this -"

She had seen this before amongst some of the highest noblemen in her father's court when faced with the sandworms. As he moved closer to her repeating his words again, she simply reached out and slapped him clear across the face!

The crowd gasped and Bard seemed to stand there dazed for a while.

"You are letting your nervousness and panic turn into hysteria!" She spoke out loudly. "Stop this nonsense right this instant!"

Suddenly everyone fell silent, and Bard opened his mouth to speak, but seemed lost for words at the same time.

"That dragon would have woken up at some point in the future anyway! If not yourselves it would have been your children! So let's do something about it now!" She spoke up, heart beating and nervous now about the repercussions of her thoughtless actions. "We need to evacuate the town, and prepare for attack!"

"That is why we need the Master! He must agree to sound the alarm!" Bard finally answered. "And you have interrupted that too!"

"Interrupted? How long were you there knocking?" She asked, surprised at his accusatory tone.

"For a few minutes -"

"Longer than that Master Bard!" A man nearby shouted. "We've been 'ere a while now!"

"Karan, please could you do me a favour please?" She looked over at her guard, but he didn't even need to be told. The giant man calmly walked up the steps and with a kick, which looked almost effortless he had forced open the heavy bolted doors to the lodge! "Thank you.."

She stood back and gestured for Bard, who walked past her and entered the Masters Lodge, only to return in a few minutes.

"He's gone ain't he! The weasel!" The young woman at the front of the crowd cried out angrily.

Bard looked at her, genuine worry in his eyes, although he was clearly trying to hide it.

"You seem to know a lot so, I suggest you make a plan, Master Bard," she spoke to him quietly from where she stood near the door to the lodge. "We need to sound the alarm and evacuate the town - woman, children, elderly -"

"We will fight!" An older man stepped forward from the crowd. "This will be for our children and our grandchildren! Let's bring down the beast once and for all!"

His words seemed to prompt a cheer from a group of menfolk in the crowd who were clearly up for the fight.

"Then let us do this correctly. We need to destroy the stone bridge. Smaug will look to land there if he seeks revenge upon us," Bard stood at the top of the steps. "We must ready our archers, and douse our rooftops in water, mud and sand. It will hold off the flames for long enough!"

They all seemed to rally around the idea, nodding, cheering even.

"But we must send the women and children away in our boats. We need someone to lead them to safety?" Bard searched the crowd but seemed to find no one interested.

"Your lass, she's a good-un!" The older man who had led the rally for a fight suggested, and Bard nodded.

"Then it is done - let us make haste!" Bard began to give out instructions, sending various citizens in different directions to set about preparing and then turned to her briefly. "Where will you go, Princess? The Mountain will not be any safer.."

"Our army will arrive soon...we will manage..."

Bard nodded, realising that her place in all this was the most vulnerable of all, since she had no home in Erebor or Esgaroth.

A horn sounded loud somewhere far above them abruptly! It took them all by surprise for a moment, before they realised it was the alarm.

"We can help Sigrid with the evacuation..." she looked from Bard to Karan and Amit.

"That will be most appreciated, your grace." Bard bowed his head gratefully.

"Very well, my lady," Karan agreed with a sigh of clearly having had a silent agreement from Amit. "But we must hurry. And when time is up you must agree to come with us.."

She nodded as they set off towards Bards home.

"It is all in hand Karan," Amit replied quietly. "For if our lady does not agree, then we will simply carry her away..."

"Right then let's hurry." She hurried on ahead.

...