After the slaying of the beast Bard does his best to ignore the wide berth people have taken to giving him or the bruning of his bones and the heat that rises like steam and smoke in his blood. After the dragon took in its last breath he dove in the lake careful to wash away any hint of the blood. Now he was not the most learned or wise man but Bard knew enough to know that something in him had changed. But he also knew if others were to discover this it would put both himself and his family at risk. Afterall the dragon had said it would affect both himself and all of those in his line.

So Bard did what he did best and began to concetrate on the needs of those around him. But above all the protection and safetly of his family of paramount. As he organized the townspeople and dealt with the sniveling Master one goal loomed in his mind. Once everyhting was ready Bard would be making his way to Erebor to collect on the promises made by Torin Oakenshield. And if the dwarf did not deliver Bard the Bowman would tear down the gate stone by stone, take what was needed for his people to survive and rebeuild, and cut down anyone or anything who stood in his way.

But while he may not notice how he has changed the others around him have. While Bard the Bowman was always someone who would look after himself and was filled with grit ever since the fall of Smaug something has changed about his. While before it was more suble now there is something firece about him. Something burning and hot and powerful. It is not angry but more protective and assured more than anything.

The fire burning within him lets the dwarves still with their little party know that even if he has to rip Erebor apart he will do what needs to be done in order to ensure that his children and people make it through the winter. While before the people of the laketown would have followed him warily now they follow without hesitation. As he walks among the camp with straight back, strong gait, and fierce eyes even those that were loyal to the Master grudgingly admit he is the kind of man they would follow to the death.

Yes, they achieve a kind of peace for those few days as Bard prepares for the arrival of the elves and a wizard and to confront the so called King Under the Mountain who nearly destroyed all he holds dear. But just as everything in his life everything changes when just as Gandalf and Thranduil arrive a pack of wargs and orcs decide to try and attack his people.

During the fray his children are by the elf Tauriel and the dwarves. Safe or so he thinks. As he shoots his arrows and fightw with the sword given to him by a guard Bard hears a scream and sees his eldest, Sigrid, being dragged away by a fearsome orc and something within in roars to life.

Anger, fear, desperation, and rage. A fire begins to hum in his mind and he feels the burn and the rush and suddently as if on instinct he is moving faster than he should be able to. Anything that comes between himself and his daughter is destroyed and treated as the enemy.

Within moments that seem like an eternity he is beside his daughter and with a yell he engages the orc. The orc stand taller than him by a foot and is coated with thick armor. But as their swords clash something begins to enter the eyes of his enemy. Yet Bard ignores this as he fights for his child and home.

What he does not see and what everyone else around him sees in the glowing veins and eyes that spark like fire with the yellow of a dragon. They see the sword in his hand begin to steam and burn and they see him knock away the sword of his enemy and cut off the head of the orc. They see the embers and burns left on the neck as if the sword was as hot as a forge.

They see the man throw down his sword and gather his daughter in his arms. They see all of his exposed skin glowing and they see that of his daughter respond in kind. They see all of this and they see those firece dragon eyes eye the rest of the orcs in the clearing. They see him usher his daughter to safety and they see him pick up his sword and continue to fight.

Thranduil enters the clearing expecting to be welcomed at the sight of a massacre. Instead what he see chills him to the bone. He sees a man fighting and slaying orcs to and fro, left and right. He sees his skin burn and his eyes spark. He sees something he has not seen in almost six thosuand years. He sees something that make his cheek burn and his heart stutter with something that he refuses to acknowledge as fear.

He sees the slayer ofa dragon. He sees a Man heir to the throne of Dale and of Girion. He sees a dragonkin.