I'm still sick, so you're getting another chapter, my friends!

Kuramalover86: I know! Oh god, I feel so bad for doing this to Bofur! But I just had to... Ah, I'm a bad person.

Akilah Swiftblade: I KNOW, I'M SO SORRY! *weeps with you*

Hiding in the Shadow: Well, I shouldn't go and give you much hope on Bofur... But at least you didn't have to wait long for the next chapter! :)

DGfleetfox: Interesting choice :)

DwarvenWarrior: Something bad had to happen! I'm sorry, I feel so bad! But usually after bad things, good things follow!

capricornus92unchained: I'm really sorry I had to do this to Bofur! I love him, I feel so bad. But I still hope you can forgive me as we continue the story! :)

Thanks also to AryaNimera, ZabuzasGirl, DJ Sparkles, Veyrona, OnyxCLANG, sarah0406 and ThaliaHuntressGrace for your reviews!

And thanks to the followers and favoriters!

Now, here you go with the newest chapter, read and leave me your thoughts! And I hope you'll forgive me for what happened in the last one!

Tarya felt Kili pull on her arm and she stumbled backwards into his chest as he dragged her further away from the broken and still burning pillar. She felt strangely numb ever since she had seen Bofur disappearing in the firestorm, as if her mind was unable to catch up with what had happened. What was happening still. It was as if her mind didn't want to acknowledge it as reality.

She was ripped out of her state though, as Kili turned her to face him and shook her slightly. The Amarok's gaze flicked upwards then, finding his familiar brown eyes in the middle of the chaos. There was the familiar warmth still within them for her to see, though Kili's gaze was filled with a mixture of fear, worry and determination.

"We have to get out of here!" Fili called beside them and Tarya's gaze flicked to the blond brother who was looking up at the sky with wide eyes. She followed his gaze, feeling a fearful shiver run down her spine as she saw Smaug turning in the sky and bringing his attention back to the town for his final blow. She could already see his torso glowing with fire from this distance and she quickly nodded, unconsciously digging her fingers into Kili's sleeve. The brunet glanced at her, though he didn't say anything.

They didn't hesitate any longer then, and Kili grabbed a firm hold of her hand as he pulled her with him, following his brother as Fili set out to run down the alleys to the edge of the town. Smaug roared and hissed above them, the sounds sounding like cruel laughter as he came closer and they made their way through the destroyed town with difficulty. Tarya found herself stumbling more than once, and she would have fallen several times had it not been for Kili who managed to keep her more or less steady on her feet as he dragged her along behind him.

"Where are we going?" she heard the brunet dwarf yell over the noise of the advancing dragon, his words loud and desperate.

"The shore!" Fili shouted back over his shoulder as he ran, his voice just as hounded as his little brother's as he jumped over a broken part in the bridge they were on. Tarya felt her heart leap into her throat as Kili didn't even slow down, instead gripping her hand tighter so that it almost started to hurt and taking a running jump with her as he followed his brother's example. They landed on the other side with an inelegant stumble, Tarya bumping into the brunet's back with a breathless huff.

Kili pulled her to stand beside him, as he looked up at his big brother, his breathing fast and ragged. "We don't have a boat!"

"We swim," was Fili's curt reply as he shortly returned his brother's gaze determinedly before they took off again and Tarya's eyes widened as she ran along behind Kili. Her experiences with water along this journey had not been very pleasant, and she wasn't exactly keen on throwing herself into a lake that was so cold that sheets of ice had built upon it. But she didn't have much of a choice, as Kili firmly held on to her hand and pulled her along, and it wasn't long until they stopped short as the path ended abruptly. Tarya came to a halt between the brothers as they looked out over the lake that lay before them, lit by starlight and fire.

Bard quickly made his way to the small house and rushed up the stairs, feeling them creak dangerously beneath his feet. Swinging his longbow over his shoulder, he climbed on top of the narrow bannister beside the stairs, reeling slightly as he tried to keep his balance. At the same time, he reached up and tried to get a grip on the edge of the roof with his right hand while the black arrow was held tightly in his left.

Holding on tightly with his right, he took a deep breath and with one powerful move managed to swing himself up on the roof. Bard grunted slightly from the effort, though the small noise was lost in the chaos around him, as his torso hit the tiles and he pushed himself up until he was lying facedown on the roof.

It was just a moment later that he heard the dragon roar once more high above the town and he quickly got to his feet and moved further up the roof, broken tiles breaking and sliding away beneath his feet as he did so. He almost slipped a few times but managed to keep his balance until he was standing on the highest point of the small roof. As Bard looked up, he saw Smaug's dark form make a long, lazy turn in the sky and he knew that it was only a matter of a few moments until the dragon would bring his final blow down onto Esgaroth. And one of them was going to die in the process.

Bard clenched his teeth together in silent determination as he pulled the longbow from his back, his eyes never leaving the dragon that was now heading for the town again. The Bowman could see Smaug's chest gleam with fire even from this distance and he unconsciously gripped the black arrow tighter in his hand as he watched the dragon approach.

It was then that his subconscious suddenly produced a set of memories and images in his head as he watched the dragon come. Bard remembered how he had met Sigrun, his beloved wife, in this very town and how she had made his life a better one. He saw his three children, growing up, smiling and laughing. They had built a life in this town and though it hadn't always been an easy one, it had never been lonely or sad. Even after his wife's death, their family had stuck together.

But now the town was destroyed and Bard was alone. And the time had come to prove himself as he faced the dragon that had destroyed the home of his ancestors. The flames were near him, licking away at the base of the house and if he was honest, he was scared. More scared than he had ever been before in his life, but there was something more important than his fear. He had to kill Smaug. For his children, for the innocent people of Esgaroth, for the people of Dale who had died in the firestorm so long ago.

With a fierce determination building roots in his heart, Bard then finally notched the black arrow and drew the bowstring to his ear. The dragon was circling back now, flying low, and as he came the moon rose above the eastern shore and silvered his great wings.

"Arrow!" Bard spoke lowly, his dark eyes never leaving the approaching beast in the night sky. "Black arrow! I have saved you to the last. You have never failed me and always I have recovered you. I had you from my father and he from of old." Bard took a deep breath, twisting his elbow to the outside so he could draw the bowstring even further. "If ever you came from the forges of the true king under the Mountain, go now and speed well!"

Smaug swooped once more lower than ever, and as he turned and dived down his belly glittered with the reflection of the fire below him – but not in one place. Bard's eyes narrowed at the dark spot on the dragon's chest and the bow twanged loudly as he released the string. The black arrow sped straight from the string, and Bard watched with his breath held and cautious hope in his heart as it flew straight for the hollow by the dragon's left breast.

And he watched as the arrow buried itself deep within Smaug's chest, barb, shaft and feather vanishing in the dragon's flesh so fierce was its flight.

Everything had seemed to happen in slow motion as Bard had watched his arrow hit its mark, but now, time seemed to suddenly speed up. Smaug shrieked and roared so devastatingly loud that Bard had to cover his ears, for the sound deafened men, felled trees and split stone. Fire flooded from the dragon's jaws into the sky as Smaug shot spouting into the air, turned over mid-flight and came crashing down from on high in ruin.

Bard's eyes widened and he didn't hesitate as he saw the giant beast fall from the skies. He took a running jump from the edge of the roof.

Tarya's head swivelled around as she heard the dragon's deafening shrieks and she watched with wide eyes as Smaug came falling from the skies in a swirl of fire and smoke. She barely had enough time to realize that Bard's arrow had found its mark before everything went too fast.

"MOVE!" Fili yelled as the dragon crashed full on the town, the force of the impact and his last throes destroying what little had been left of it. The ground shook beneath their feet as Tarya felt herself being grabbed by the waist and suddenly hurtled forward, landing with a shriek in the ice-cold water. Two splashes near her only seconds later confirmed that Fili and Kili had followed swiftly.

The lake roared in as the dragon crushed the town beneath him and a large wave sent Tarya forward and under water. She barely had time to hold her breath, struggling to find the surface in the swirls and waves that Smaug's impact with the lake was causing. The Amarok's eyes widened in panic as she felt the waves trying to drag her further down. Her skin felt as if it was getting pierced by thousands of small needles at once as she desperately swung her arms in the icy water. It was then that she felt a hand wrap itself around her outstretched arm, pulling her up in one powerful move, and Tarya took a deep, greedy breath as her head broke through the surface. She saw Kili floating next to her in the water, his face merely a few inches from hers, and he held on to her tightly as he manoeuvred her towards the shore with him. But what truly caught Tarya's gaze was what she could see behind the brunet dwarf.

A vast steam leaped up into the sky, white in the sudden dark under the moon. There was a hiss, a gushing whirl and then silence as Smaug was lost in the depths of the Long Lake, along with what had been left of Esgaroth.

Tarya's eyes were wide as she took in the sight before her, her arms wrapped around Kili's neck and his hot breath brushing against her cold skin each time he took a stroke forward in the water. She wanted to let go of him, swim on her own, but it was no use. She had never been a good swimmer, not even when she was a wolf, and as much as she wanted to she couldn't seem to bring her limbs to move in the icy lake. It took her a moment to realize that her previous experiences with water along the journey had left her scared of it.

Tarya shortly glanced at where Fili was swimming next to them, his lips already turning a pale blue and his face set in a grim expression as he moved forcefully in the ice-cold water. The Amarok could hear her teeth clatter amongst the small gushes of the waves around them and she could see small clouds of her own heavy breath escape her mouth in the cold night air. She felt Kili's grip around her waist tighten slightly, the movements of his arm slow beneath the water surface as he brought his face next to hers.

"We're almost there," he breathed heavily into her ear, as if he knew how uneasy she was, and Tarya shivered slightly upon hearing his voice, raw and strained with the effort he was putting up to get them both to the shore as fast as possible. "Just hold on."

The Amarok could only nod jerkily, as the waxing moon rose higher and higher above them and the wind grew loud and cold. It twisted the white fog into bending pillars and hurrying clouds and drove it off to the West to scatter in tattered shreds over the marshes before Mirkwood. It was then that Tarya felt Kili's movements change slightly as his feet finally found solid ground to stand on beneath the water surface. But instead of loosening his hold on her and letting her down, Kili now brought his second arm around her as well, lifting her slightly so she almost automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. Tarya didn't say anything and just gave him his head, wrapping her arms a bit firmer around his neck as he moved further to the shore, following Fili who was already a few steps ahead of them.

They only made it a few metres after they had waded out of the water before they collapsed onto the ground exhausted. Kili went down on his knees, seating Tarya onto the floor before he let himself fall down next to her, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. The Amarok let herself tip backwards until she was lying on her back between the two brothers. She could hear her own ragged breathing along with Fili's and Kili's as she looked up, staring blankly at the starlit sky above them for a few moments. None of them could think of a good thing to say.

Tarya could hear voices being carried over to them by the wind but it took her a few moments to realize that it were the people of Laketown who were gathered nearby, lamenting their lost town and goods and ruined houses, as she lay shivering on the cold hard floor.

It was only when she felt Kili blindly reach for her hand and intertwine his fingers with hers that she heard familiar voices coming closer and she tiredly turned her head in their direction.

"Fili! Kili!" she heard Oin's voice reach out to them as he arrived next to them, his breath slightly heavy as if he had run. "Lass!" He called, crouching next to her and waving his hand before her eyes. "Can you hear me?"

Tarya blinked up at him, shortly catching sight of Bain, Sigrid and Tilda who were standing behind the old dwarf, before she nodded, her whole body feeling too heavy to move and her mind overflowing with pictures that she would rather forget.

Kili squeezed Tarya's hand slightly before he forced himself to sit up, his body numb and shivering from the cold water.

"Oin," he rasped in greeting, flinching as the old healer patted one heavy hand on his shoulder.

"We thought you all dead," Oin said, giving Fili a short half-hug as the blond brother sat up on the shore as well. Fili just patted the healer's shoulder in reply, his gaze set on the sunken city in the middle of the lake.

"Not all..." Fili mumbled, sad blue eyes staring blankly at the place where Esgaroth had been before he hesitantly brought it back to Oin who shot him a knowing, remorseful look. It didn't take a genius to know that one dwarf was missing, and Oin put one heavy hand on Fili's shoulder squeezing slightly as he lowered his gaze in silent grief.

They sat there in silence for a few moments before a quiet voice timidly spoke up.

"Where's… where's Da?"

Fili looked up at Tilda who stood clinging to her sister's hand, looking at them out of her big brown eyes. The blond dwarf shortly glanced at the lake, then to his little brother who returned his gaze rather grimly, and finally to Tarya who still lay on the floor between them, one hand now pressed over her eyes as her face scrunched up in agony. Fili could only imagine what she was feeling at the moment, and he put one hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently before he turned back to the three children.

"We… we got separated before he went to kill the dragon," he spoke quietly, looking at each of the kids with compassion in his eyes. "I don't know what happened after that."

Tilda's face fell as did those of her siblings and Fili couldn't think of what else to say. Sigrid pulled Tilda tightly against her, hugging her close as she looked over the lake where everything she had ever known and been had disappeared beneath the dark surface. Suddenly, her eyes widened and Fili followed her gaze in confusion as she let go of her sister and took a step towards the nearby water. It took the blond dwarf a moment to focus his gaze on what Sigrid was seeing, though when he did, his eyes widened as well and he staggered to his feet, coming to a halt next to the blond girl.

Out there, in the lazy waves of the lake, something was slowly coming closer to the shore and after a few moments, Fili recognized Bard's figure in the distance, though he was not swimming entirely on his own. Supporting the Lakeman's weight and paddling alongside him was a large grey form and only after blinking twice did Fili realize that it was in fact Arkin.

"DA!" Sigrid yelled excitedly, her voice echoing over the lake and the shore and Kili looked up just as Oin got to his feet, staring out into the distance with raised eyebrows as the two figures came closer. Kili shortly looked down at Tarya who still lay beside him unmoving and he carefully put his hand over the one she had covered her eyes with, gently pulling it away from her face. His heart almost broke when he saw her eyes filled with unshed tears, pain and grief so clear for him to see it was almost palpable.

"It's Bard," he spoke lowly to her, putting one hand on her arm as she looked at him blankly for a moment. "And Arkin. They're alive."

He pulled her into a sitting position then just as the water splashed slightly before them as Arkin almost dragged the Bowman out of the water. Bard had a rather nasty gash on his forehead, which was probably cause for his seemingly dizzy state, though he seemed fine otherwise. Arkin's fur was slightly singed in a few places, which Kili only realized when the wolf was standing right before him, though the grey Amarok's gaze was set on Tarya. It took Kili another moment to notice that Arkin was carrying something in his mouth, something grey and furry. And only when he saw Tarya slowly reach out and the wolf gently let the thing fall into her open hands did Kili realize what it was.

Kili watched out of the corner of his eyes as Bard pulled his three children into a fierce hug, all at once, and he would have smiled at them if his heart had been less heavy with his own grief.

Tarya held Bofur's hat carefully in her hands for a long moment, just staring down at it, her fingers gently brushing over the worn fur. It was dripping wet and cold from the icy water but it was still Bofur's hat, the last thing left of the cheery dwarf. Kili supressed his own tears that threatened to come out as he took a shaky breath, shortly glancing at the others that had by now gathered around them quietly. Oin and Fili had sat down next to them again, forming a small close circle with Kili and Tarya. The brunet dwarf found his brother's gaze, seeing nothing but grief and sadness within Fili's pale blue eyes and he swallowed tightly around the lump in his throat before he reached out and put one arm around Tarya's shoulders.

It was as if his touch had broken a spell and Kili quickly pulled Tarya against his chest as her fingers clamped around the wet furry hat in her lap and a pained sob escaped her lips. The young dwarf gently brushed his fingers through her wet hair and over her back, while his already wet clothes got stained with the tears that started streaming down her face as she buried it in the crook of his neck. Kili had to close his own eyes as a few tears escaped him. He glanced over the Amarok's head, finding that none of the others had been left untouched. There was pity and sadness in Bard's gaze and those of his children while Arkin was sitting quietly beside them, his gaze set compassionately on his weeping daughter. Oin and Fili had their gazes lowered to the ground, letting Tarya express the grief they couldn't.

"Dayamu khuzan ai-menu…" Fili said lowly after a long while, putting one hand carefully on the hat in Tarya's lap. The Amarok looked up at him out of tear-veiled eyes and Fili gave her a sad smile as he saw the question in her golden orbs. "Blessings of the ancestors upon you."

"Well, can't say I don't appreciate that, Fili," a voice suddenly spoke hoarsely from beside them, though loud enough for all of them to jerk their heads abruptly in the direction it was coming from. "But nevertheless, I'd quite like me hat back."