On we go! Thanks very much to Xoxo and blasttyrant for your reviews on the last chapter, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'd love to read your thoughts on this one!


Arinna felt her head still spinning slightly as they finally reached the shore. Kili and Bain had rowed the small boat through the narrow paths of the town as fast as they could, though it had been difficult to move quickly while the dragon had circled above their heads. Again and again, they had stopped behind houses or under bridges, ducking down and hoping that the dragon would not spew his fire there. Along with countless other boats, they had navigated their way through the town, though many of them had not made it as far as them.

The druid shuddered at the fresh memory of a group of boats, mere yards from them, going up in flames to the sound of Smaug's hellish laughter filling the air above. She was ripped out of her thoughts as Bain and Kili both got out of the boat and pulled it onto the shore, and she looked up to meet Sigrid's gaze across the small space, her arms wrapped tightly around her little sister, who was snuggled into her side, trembling visibly.

"Come on," Kili urged, holding out his hands to help the two girls out of the boat. They complied slowly and Arinna watched them take a few uncertain steps on the muddy bank until they had reached their brother, before she accepted Kili's outstretched hand. He kept her steady as she climbed out of the boat and she gave him a small nod in thanks, though he still kept a firm hold of her upper arm as they stood together on the shore, feeling her sway slightly. Arinna's gaze shortly wandered over the shore, seeing people, families, making their way onto solid ground, crying and shouting as they fled their homes.

"Arinna…" Kili breathed beside her and it was only then that the druid turned her head, unwillingly following the dwarf's gaze. Until now, she had not allowed herself to look back, had tried not to think the horrible thoughts that were threatening to invade her mind ever since they had parted with Fili and Bofur. But now, her gaze found the horror she had been trying to evade.

Lake Town was burning. The city was enveloped by flames so high that you could barely make out any buildings anymore. Black smoke rose tall into the sky, a night sky that was illuminated by red and orange light, fuelled by the flames below. And high above there was the dragon, circling around and coming back down with such force that the sound of his destruction carried all the way across the lake.

The druid felt a lump build in her throat as her eyes were glued to the scene before her, the fiery glow mirroring in her wide eyes as she stared. She tried to take a breath but found it hard to pass the air through her lungs, as it turned into a quiet sob. She felt Kili's hold on her loosen slightly as Smaug spewed more fire from the sky, and she fell to her knees, unable to tear her eyes away from the burning town. How could anyone survive that?

Kili knelt down beside her only moments later as another sob rattled through her throat without her even noticing. The whole world around her was a blur. She barely noticed the brunet dwarf wrapping his arms firmly around her, pulling her against his chest in a tight hug as they both stared toward the lake. The druid could not describe the desperation she felt. All she could think was that Fili was still in there. Fili and Bofur, whom she both loved, who had risked their lives for the sake of Bard and that town, and who would die in vain as the dragon destroyed it all without a care in the world.

The screams that were coming from the middle of the lake were slowly dying down, drowned out by the all-surpassing sound of Smaug's laughter. Arinna had never heard such a horrible sound in her life. Dark, sneering, chilling to the bone. It sent a cold shiver down her spine. How could anyone still be alive in there?

Her vision was blurry with tears when she turned her head away, unable to take the sight any longer. She buried her head against Kili's shoulder as the dwarf kept a tight hold around her. He felt the druid sob against him, his own heart heavy in his chest as he kept staring at the burning town. He had never seen such chaos, such destruction. And though he knew that there was little hope, his heart did not allow him to look away. And so, it was Kili who saw it first.

The dragon had circled around again and was descending upon the already destroyed town once more, belly aglow with the fire within as he prepared to release his flames once again. He was flying low, his clawed feet catching the few still intact roofs and pulling them off their foundations. Smaug's laughter rang over the lake as he angled upwards again, but then, just as he began his ascent into the sky anew, something struck him right in his glowing belly and his laughter stopped abruptly. Instead, it turned into a harsh, high-pitched snarl, which echoed across the water. Kili watched with wide eyes, uncomprehending, as the dragon flapped its wings, trying to get higher up. But Smaug seemed to be struggling now, and suddenly stopped mid-flight. The dragon drew in an enormous breath as its wings flapped desperately now, and the light in the beast's belly was suddenly extinguished. Kili saw a small flame escape Smaug's open mouth before he fell from the sky.

"Look! LOOK!" Kili cried out loudly, though others had also become aware of the scene in the meantime. Arinna only raised her head slowly, watching through tear-filled eyes.

The impact of the dragon hitting the town below with full force, as it came crashing from the sky, made huge waves erupt from the middle of the lake. Laketown's foundations groaned and cracked under Smaug's weight before they gave way and began to sink. The druid, along with everyone else on the shore, watched the fires being extinguished as the town descended into the depths of the lake, Smaug's dead body slowly being submerged until there was nothing to be seen on the surface anymore except the broken outlines of a burnt town and the pillars of smoke and steam that rose high into the now dark night sky.

"He's dead!" Someone called across the shore, though Arinna did not recognise the voice. Others soon joined it. "Smaug is dead!"

The druid did not react to their cries, in fact, she didn't move at all as her gaze was glued to the ruins of the town. There was nothing there now. No one.

"Arinna…"

She did not react to Kili's voice, barely noticing how he was still holding her tightly, afraid that she was just going to keel over if he let go. Kili couldn't help his own tears escaping as he looked at her, knowing that she was thinking the exact thoughts that were in his own mind. It was over now. Smaug was dead. But so was the town. And so were the people who had not made it out in time. He shortly glanced up as the three children gathered around them, holding onto each other, unsure of what to do or say as they stared helplessly. Bard had not made it out, Kili thought. Fili and Bofur had not made it out.

He looked back at the druid in his arms. Arinna was still staring into the middle of the lake, though her tear-veiled eyes were distant. Kili had never seen such a look on her face. She was pale, her gaze almost vacant. Her body felt limp against his own, as though all energy had left her. She seemed so small, so broken, that Kili felt as though she would fall apart if he let go of her. And he felt much the same way himself.

"Arinna," he uttered again, quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, though he wasn't sure what he even meant to say. He felt his voice quiver as he struggled to get the word past the lump in his throat. The druid began to shake her head then as she let out one word, which was enough to make the dwarf's tears fall.

"No…" she breathed, shaking her head again and again, before she turned her head and looked at Kili with desperate eyes. "No… No! No! No! NO! NO!"

Kili felt a sob escape him as she began to scream at the top of her lungs and he quickly threw his arms around her. She continued to sob the word against his shoulder as he hugged her tightly, letting his own head sink onto hers as he cried for his lost brother and friend.


Arinna didn't know how long they stayed in that position, when she finally registered another voice than Kili's. It was Bain, who was speaking somewhere close by, his loud voice carrying over toward them.

"Look! Over there, in the water!"

The druid felt Kili's head move slightly. She felt him hesitate, then tense, before he slowly pulled back from her. Arinna was too exhausted to say anything or react at all, as he gently let go of her and manoeuvred her into a sitting position. She sat on the cold damp ground, her gaze set on the ground as she watched Kili's boots while he got up and moved a few steps toward Bain, who was standing by the lake's edge. For a little while there was only silence, and then –

"FILI!"

Arinna's gaze shot up, staring at Kili's back as he waded into the water, before she found what he was walking toward. The druid felt her breath falter and her heart stop for a few seconds as she saw Bofur making his way to the shallow edge of the lake, struggling to keep upright as he had one of Fili's arms draped across his shoulders, dragging the blond prince along.

The druid's hand flew to her mouth as a huge sob escaped her, relief flooding her whole body as she drew her knees to her chest and wept. It was too much. Too many emotions were invading her heart and mind. They were not dead. She had not lost them, had not lost Fili. Arinna watched as they made it to the shore, watched as Kili threw himself at his brother, who winced at the suffocating hug Kili gave him, though he returned it eagerly. Next was Bofur, who looked exhausted and dirty as he returned Kili's embrace, leaving Fili to walk the last bit to the shore by himself. All the while, Arinna could not stop crying.

She stared at him as he slowly made his way toward her, noticing that his left arm hung awkwardly at his side as he tried not to move it. She could not get up, could not find the strength to move at all, even as he reached her. Another sob left her as he carefully knelt down in front of her, his pale blue eyes looking at her and standing out in stark contrast to his grimy face and the wet hair that clung to his head. Arinna closed her eyes for a second, more tears falling down her cheeks as she reached out her right hand until it connected with his wet coat and her fingers quickly gripped the fabric as tightly as they could.

"I thought you were dead," she whimpered after another few seconds, opening her eyes to see Fili's face illuminated with a small, tired but gentle smile. She sniffed loudly, her hand gripping his coat even tighter, making sure that he was actually there, as he brought up his own right hand to cover hers.

"I promised I'd come back to you, didn't I?" he muttered, kind eyes searching her face. His voice was raspy, strained with exhaustion, but his eyes were as gentle as ever. "I'll always come back to you, my love."

It was then that Arinna finally found the strength to move, though it was entirely out of instinct, as she pulled herself to her knees and threw her arms around Fili's neck, unable to help the tears of relief spilling from her eyes onto his already wet clothes as she pressed her face into his shoulder. She heard his quiet hiss at the impact, though he did not give her time to think about it as he wrapped his good arm around her tightly and held her against his chest. He let his head sink onto her shoulder, breathing in and out deeply several times to calm himself down, inhaling her familiar scent.

It was several long moments before Arinna slowly pulled back, bringing both her hands up to Fili's face. She gently wiped her thumbs across his cheeks, streaking across the dirt and grime, giving the dwarf a tearful smile, before she pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss. Fili leaned into her touch, a sigh escaping him as he returned her embrace. Their eyes found each other once more as the druid pulled back and Fili used his right hand to wipe away the last of her tears before he gently leaned his forehead against hers.

"I love you," Arinna murmured, letting out a deep breath at his touch. Fili just hummed in return, the low sound emanating from deep within his chest as he lightly rubbed his nose against hers.

"So, I assume it's fair to say that you two are an item, then?"

The two broke apart at Bofur's voice, looking up to find the dwarf – who had amazingly managed to keep hold of his hat during all the chaos – gazing down at them with a tired but slightly cheeky smile.

Fili exchanged a short look with the druid in his arms, before he looked back to Bofur with a slight smile. "Aye," he said. "That would be fair."

"Had an inkling," Bofur nodded sagely. "The farewell kiss at the dock was an indicator."

"Shrewdly observed," Arinna uttered with a dry smile, causing Bofur's lips to stretch into a small grin. She looked back at Fili for a moment, before her gaze drifted over his shoulder, once again finding the remains of the destroyed town in the middle of the lake.

She let out a shallow breath. "And the lake will shine and burn," she muttered, remembering the words of the prophecy that the townsfolk had told them about, that they had placed all their hopes on.

A heavy silence hung over the group at her words, before it was finally Bofur who spoke up again, though all cheek had now left his voice. His tone was sombre as he looked around the group. "Aye… but the beast is dead now. It was Bard –", he turned toward the three children huddled together in a group, giving them a small smile, "- it was your father who slayed the dragon. His arrow hit its mark."

"But where is he?" Tilda asked quietly, the small girl's voice weighing heavy on them.

Bofur's gaze turned to the ground for a moment, before he exchanged a sad look with Fili. The blond dwarf drew in a deep breath, before he slowly got to his feet, using his good arm to pull Arinna up alongside him. He gripped her hand tightly as he directed his gaze toward Bard's children.

"I don't know," he said solemnly. He could barely find the words to tell them. "We found him in the prison cells, and managed to retrieve his bow and the black arrow after we freed him. But… he went alone to kill the beast. Last we saw him was in the town square."

None of the children said anything for a long moment, though their faces betrayed their feelings at the news. Their father had still been in the town somewhere when Smaug had come tumbling from the sky and had taken the whole of Laketown down into the deep with him. Slow tears began to trickle down Tilda's face and her big sister quickly wrapped her arms around her in a protective hug.

"I'm sorry," Fili muttered, not knowing what else to say. He had only known Bard for a short time but had come to respect him more than any Man he had met until now. Bard was a good man, brave and loyal, with a kind heart. It was not fair that he should have died killing the dragon. He should not have paid with his life for a mistake that their company had made. If it hadn't been for them, if it had not been for 'the lord of silver fountains', the dragon would never have attacked the town, and all these people that Fili saw stranded on the shore now would still have their homes – and their lives. Bard's children would still have their father.

Fili watched as the three children huddled together, not knowing what to say and instead turning back to his own people. His gaze drifted over Kili and Bofur, both of whom looked exhausted as they returned his gaze. He still had Arinna's hand wrapped tightly within his own, unwilling to let go of her quite yet, as dawn was slowly beginning to break on the horizon. The blond prince looked up to see the pale light of the sun illuminate the lake and he slowly shook his head, his eyes falling on the peak of the Lonely Mountain that loomed in the distance.

"We must go," he finally said, earning the other's attention at his unexpected words. Kili sent him a surprised look, clearly taken aback by the suggestion.

"Go where?" he asked.

"To the mountain," Fili answered with a small sigh, though he sounded determined. "The company might still be alive up there. We must go and join them in the mountain."

"Now?" Kili reiterated, throwing a short glance toward Bard's children who were sat on the shore now, a little distance away. His gaze then wandered over the rest of the townsfolk that were stranded on the lake shore. "We can't just… leave, can we?"

Fili shook his head. "There is nothing here for us to do," he replied, feeling Arinna's hand slip from his at his words. He turned to look from Kili toward her. "We cannot help them."

"Kili is right, we can't just leave," Arinna answered quietly, a small frown creasing her forehead as she looked at the blond dwarf sternly. She tilted her head slightly to point at Sigrid, Tilda and Bain. "What of them? You would just have us abandon them here? After what has happened?"

"They can take care of themselves," Fili uttered, causing the druid to shake her head.

"They are just children," she almost hissed, clearly growing angry with him. "Who may have just lost their father and their home. You of all people should know how that feels, Fili."

The blond dwarf hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say, though he still felt that it would be their best option to leave for the mountain now. Kili nodded at Arinna's words, however, it was Bofur who spoke up next, his voice hesitant but serious as he addressed the group.

"I'm with Fili," he said, earning himself a surprised look from Kili and Arinna. He gave a small shrug. "I know it is a hard thing to do, but we cannot help these people, or the children. We cannot take them with us and we cannot stay here, we have nothing to give them. They are with their own people here, and they will find their way. But now that Smaug is dead, word will soon spread. And all eyes will turn to the mountain. I agree with Fili; we must go and find the others. And then we will figure everything out from there."

Fili gave the hatted dwarf a firm nod, turning his gaze to his little brother. Kili looked uneasy, his gaze drifting between his brother and the three children that he had come to know. He was silent for a few moments, before he finally shook his head unwillingly.

"I suppose…" he muttered, not quite in agreement but caving under the pressure of Fili's and Bofur's words. He couldn't deny that a big part of him wanted to go to the mountain, to find his uncle and his friends, but the other part of him did not want to leave these three children behind by themselves.

Fili just accepted his little brother's words with another small nod. His eyes turned to the druid among them and he let out a small sigh at the expression on her face, anger clear to see in her dark green eyes. She shook her head at them, her jaw clenching.

"I cannot believe you."

"It is decided," Fili said, causing the druid to glare at him. He was too tired for this argument. "We are leaving now."

"What about your arm? We should get it tended to before –" Kili uttered quietly, though Fili interrupted him with a shake of his head, perhaps a little too harshly.

"I'll be fine. We're leaving."

Arinna stared at the blond dwarf for a moment, not knowing what to say. She had not expected him to behave this way, after everything that had happened tonight. Though it seemed as though she had no other choice but to go along with their decision, knowing that she did not want to be parted from these three dwarves by deciding to stay behind. She let out a low breath, before she gave an unwilling nod.

"Fine," she growled, avoiding Fili's touch as he reached out his hand toward her in an apologetic gesture. Instead, she turned and walked past him, making her way over to Sigrid, Tilda and Bain. Fili watched with a heavy heart as she addressed them quietly, her voice too low for him to hear what she was saying. The children looked up at her as she spoke, their faces sad and tired as they nodded slowly. The blond prince kept watching as the three of them stood to give the druid a hug.

Arinna's gaze was troubled as she turned away from the children after another few moments, making her way back to the three dwarves waiting for her. Once again, Fili reached out toward her, and once again the druid evaded his touch, sending him a frosty look as she moved past him. The three of them exchanged a short look as Arinna stalked ahead, moving through the people gathered around the shore.

Fili let out a deep sigh as he gave the others a small nod, motioning for them to follow. It would take them a while to reach the mountain on foot, at least a day or two with how tired they were and Kili's still injured leg, as well as Fili's injured arm. The blond dwarf could only hope that Arinna would speak to him again before they reached Erebor.