Chapter 2:
Laketown was in chaos. Tauriel had found Bard's son Bain who had gone to find his father after the orcs had attacked his home. He had been unsuccessful and Tauriel could not help but worry. Of course it did not have to be Bard who slew Smaug, but she felt in her heart that as Girion's heir he would have a part to play in the defeat of the dragon. Following Bain through the streets, deftly moving in and out of the people scurrying to find shelter as the rhythmic whoosh of the beasts wings drew ever nearer, Tauriel could not help but feel sorry for the people of Laketown. If they were not successful these people would know as much death and destruction as the people of Dale on the fateful day of Smaug's arrival. She could feel the very air seemed to push people along, hurrying them as far away from the beast as it could. Nature seemed to be on their side tonight, the earth did not want to see as much death as had been dealt to Dale here and Tauriel could feel the waters readying to fight the fire that could no doubt come. Anticipation seemed to be clinging to every surface while screams echoed in the watchful night. Death was surely coming to these people, fire and desolation the like of which the world would never forget. And yet, Tauriel did not blame the dwarves of Erebor for awakening this slaughter, their quest had been noble and their hearts pure. She felt sure that if they had not woken the beast, others hoping for a share in the treasures of the dwarves surely would have.
Focusing on following the boy, Tauriel tried to ignore the hurricane force winds announcing the beast's arrival. There were minutes left, if that. There had been no time for escape and no shelter from dragon fire existed. Unless they did something soon, this town and its people were doomed to dragon fire and ruin. The calm of the hunt flowed through her and Tauriel focused herself, she was determined. She would help Bain retrieve the arrow, together they would find Bard and she would do everything in her power to get him his shot. No matter what, tonight was the beast's last night in the land of the living. No more would he torment these poor people, haunting their dreams and terrorising their waking hours.
They reached a walkway and Bain stopped in front of a small boat and began to search frantically in it for something. Tauriel watched as he pulled a long black arrow out from underneath a cover. Relief flooded through her and Tauriel could not help but allow herself to hope, they had a weapon, now all they needed was the bowman to fire it.
"Have you any idea where your father may be?" She asked desperately as the wind echoed through her slim frame. They had less than 2 minutes until the lake would burn.
"I'm not sure, I…" But Bain was cut off as a loud shout arose from behind him and two men ran towards them.
"You boy, what have you got there?" The taller one demanded, his harsh voice straining over the howling wind.
"It's Bards son!" The other called excitedly. Grinning at each other, the men advanced slowly.
"Where is he? What have you done to da?" Bain asked bravely, shouting over the screaming of the scurrying people of Laketown and the whistling wind from the beast's wing strokes that seemed to vibrate through the air and push against Tauriel's heart. They had not the time to talk to these ignorant son of men, did they not realise what the wind was bringing closer every second? Surely they too could hear the wind under his wings and see him glint golden and blood red in the bright moonlight. Knowing time was of the essence, Tauriel lost her temper. Striding over to the tallest man, she grabbed him by the throat and shoved him up against a wooden beam. Pinning him with her right hand, she used her left to pull her dagger from its sheath and swung it round, holding it dangerously close to the other man's throat as he had attempted to come to the aid of his friend. Both men froze and the only sound that could be heard was the shouting of the townspeople and the loud thumping of the beast as it neared his destination.
"Where is Bard?" She snarled, glaring into the eyes of the pinned man. "I will not hesitate to kill you if you lie."
"He's been arrested. He's in the lock up, unconscious." The man squirmed in her grasp and tried uselessly to kick out.
"If you've hurt my da…" Bain said threateningly, his voice low and dangerous for someone so young.
"Do you not hear it?" Tauriel said, shaking her head at the man's stupidity. "Death is coming on the wings of hurricanes with the breath of pure hell fire." Tauriel stared for a second, looking from one man to the other.
A roar erupted that ripped through the air and moved the earth with the force of its anger. For a moment everything went still and froze, as if time itself was taking a breath, getting comfortable before the main event takes place.
Then time was upon them again and the shrieks of the terrified Lake people were pounding through Tauriel's head. There was no time left, only action could save them now.
Putting her dagger back in its sheath, she pushed the man she had pinned into the other and addressed them. "Get the people away from here. Now."
Turning, Tauriel spoke to Bain. "Take me to your father now."
Ignoring the pleas of the men, Bain and Tauriel sprinted through the streets, quickly dodging the scurrying people. Tauriel could feel the heat of the dragon fire now and the screams of the terrified citizens began to gain new volume as anguished screeches of the wounded that ran zigzagging in all directions flaming like a beacon of doom joined them in a terrible harmony of death and destruction.
Fili and Bofur supported Kili as they attempted to follow Tilda through the labyrinth of streets and byways that was Laketown. Death and destruction were everywhere and Kili felt a pang of desperation. How could any of his kin have survived such cruel murder as this. Surely they must all be lying slain in Erebor, or else eaten by Smaug himself. And Tauriel… even one as brave and strong as she could never face down a dragon alone. She too would fall prey to his malice just like the others and all those other dwarves of Erebor all those years ago. Just like Thorin must have. Anger welled up inside him at the loss of his family and Kili pushed himself on, past the pain, through the chaos to the outskirts of the town, where they would get a clear view of the beast and help those trying to escape his wrath.
Fili held his brother as tightly as he could, desperation flowering in his breast. He forced himself to squash the fear down, his brother needed him to be strong. These people needed someone to lead them, to tell them what to do, to keep them safe. Fili had lived his whole life as Thorin's heir, a Prince of Erebor, and he showed then that he truly was a great leader, encouraging the weak and protecting those who needed his strength. In his heart, he refused to consider, even for a second, that his kin were not safe in Erebor at that exact moment, looking for the Arkenstone and completely oblivious to Smaug's trip to Laketown. He hoped they were using the time wisely to get in and out of the mountain safely and considered his only option to be to save his brother and as many other people as possible. When Thorin realised what was happening, he would come to their aid and they would face the dragon together. He never doubted Thorin for a second, unlike his little brother, but instead stood up to the challenge of leading the people.
It took them far too long to reach the cells due to the sheer mass of people scurrying across the waterways trying to find shelter from the dragons flaming breath. His roars were the only thing Tauriel could hear now and they drove her onwards. Finding courage in the boy who seemed to be unaffected by his surroundings, as if he was just fetching his father just as he had a hundred times before, Tauriel reached the lock up. Finding the keys abandoned on a table where the guard had obviously left them before fleeing dragon fire and ruin, Bain quickly located his father who was awake in his cell screaming obscenities at the memory of his gaolers. Unlocking the cell door, Tauriel stepped back as Bard embraced his son. He held him for a few seconds then held him at arm's length, checking to see if Bain was harmed. Finding he wasn't, Bard smiled and took the black arrow from his son, ruffling his hair affectionately.
"We must hurry." Tauriel interrupted bluntly, looking at Bard intently. He was tall and strong and Tauriel did not doubt for a second that he was capable of killing the beast, should he be given the opportunity.
"Who are you?" Bard asked, taking a step forward so he was stood between Bain and Tauriel.
"Da she's an elf, she healed the sick dwarf and killed orcs that attacked us!"
"We don't have time for this now." Tauriel said bluntly. "Smaug is upon us, you must achieve what your ancestor could not and kill the beast."
"How do you know…?" Bard asked, almost shyly, staring at the elf maid with wonder and respect.
"I remember Girion, you look just like him. You have the same courage. Now, you must shoot Smaug or he will burn Laketown and set the lake ablaze with his fury."
Bard nodded grimly and together the three ran across Laketown, dodging dragon fire and falling debris as they ran to the tower where the Dwarfish wind-lance sat proudly atop, waiting for a willing archer, the arrow and a target.
Dodging debris, Kili, Fili, Oin, Bofur and Sigrid ran after Tilda, occasionally stopping to help out someone who had fallen prey to either the debris or the dragon fire. All the way they shouted out, telling people to evacuate the town, to get their loved ones and run from the dragon's anger while they could.
Smaug flew overhead, lazily ripping buildings apart as he pleased and spewing fire infrequently out of his gigantic jaws. His wings fluttered gently in the breeze and he almost seemed to smile as the screams of his victims rose and fell with every foul swoop he made.
But the dwarves did notice something of interest, Smaug seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much. He had begun to get lower and lower with each pass to the point where the tip of his wings caressed the top of the buildings he swooped past.
The dwarves were not the only ones who had noted this. As Bard and Bain began to climb the tower to the wind-lance, Tauriel kept running to the other side of town and began to climb nimbly to the roof of what was the biggest building in Laketown, the master's house. Passing a screaming, balding fat man who was clinging to a small, greasy weasel of a man on the fourth floor, which appeared to be a bedroom, Tauriel continued to climb and reached the roof after an exhausting effort.
Creeping to the opposite edge, Tauriel looked out and surveyed the scene of destruction. Fire was everywhere, burning tens of innocents that she could see. The air was alive with the screams of the dying and Tauriel felt their agony pierce her heart. Her resolve thus strengthened, Tauriel took out her bow and aimed carefully into the night sky. She knew she could not kill the dragon with her weapon, but she could draw his attention enough to make him fly by, giving her the perfect opportunity. Aiming for the dragons mouth, she let loose her arrow and watched with bated breath and it zoomed through the air and his open mouth and sunk into his tongue. Screaming fire blindly around him, Smaug shook his great head and roared. Working his shoulder muscles, Smaug launched himself forward, towards the direction the arrow had come from with a murderous gleam in his eyes.
Running quickly and low to keep out of sight, Tauriel ran back to the opposite edge and waited quietly. Smaug belched out a stream of blazing fire and swerved to the side, looking for the foolish mortal who had dared shoot at death itself. That gave Tauriel her chance. Sprinting to the edge, she leaped gracefully and landed lightly on Smaug's wing. Running quickly in an effort to make sure the great dragon did not notice her presence, Tauriel ran up the larger sinews of the dragon's wings and, fighting against the strong wind currents, managed to race up his back. When she reached the neck, Tauriel had to cling ferociously, all the while trying to pull herself up further. It didn't take all that long for her to reach his head, and Tauriel crept up and positioned herself behind the dragon's right ear. Taking out two of her sharpest daggers, Tauriel positioned herself just right and then lowered her face into the dragon's ear and began to whisper.
"Girion's heir has a black arrow. He intends to kill you. Show him death. Squeeze the life out of him. Rip him. Feast on his flesh."
Smaug roared a fierce reply and rolled upside down in mid-air in an attempt to shake Tauriel off but she clung to his ear. Launching himself into the sky with a powerful stretch of his wings, Smaug circled Laketown lazily. Tauriel felt the dragon's body tremble as a strangled roar erupted from his throat. He had seen Bard's outline, clearly visible behind the wind-lance.
Smaug seemed to be pulled through the air as if by magic, he was surging forwards, aiming like an arrow straight for Bard. Stretching his arms in front of him, Smaug opened his claws and roared enough to shake the lake and cause waves to surge on to the far away banks.
Clinging to the dragon's ear, Tauriel waited for her chance, whispering constantly in the dragon's ear.
"Kill him. Show him what fear and death is. Do not give him a death as quick as your immortal flame. Rip him apart."
It seemed to be working as Smaug surged forward, gaining momentum as he neared the tower.
Tauriel gripped her daggers and Smaug hard, she had to get this right or they would all die. 'Wait.' She told herself patiently. 'Wait for it.'
Fili stopped yelling and looked at the sky. The dragon was flying forward like an arrow shot from a bow, straight for the watch tower. Straight for the dwarf wind-lance and Bard. The survivors of Laketown stared, dumfounded, barely daring to hope. Could he do it? Could he succeed where his ancestor failed? Fili felt a wild surge of hope which seemed to dwindle the closer Smaug got to the tower. Surely Bard would never get his shot, at that angle he could not guarantee it. Perhaps it was over. But Fili felt this pressing feeling in the back of his head, a nagging that would not stop. Where was Tauriel? She had promised to help Bard get his shot, so where was the elf?
Kili held his breath as he watched the dragon speed towards Bard. Surely something would happen, it couldn't end like this, could it? As the dragon flew towards the tower, Kili saw movement behind his right ear. As the town blazed, Kili could just make out a small auburn flame behind the great dragon's ear and suddenly Smaug was rearing up. He had pulled up so late in his flight that he was only a few feet from Bard. He had it, Bard had his shot. Kili whooped with joy as the last black arrow flew from the wind lance. It was over, the dragon would be slain.
Tauriel waited as long as she could, until Smaug was so close to the tower he could almost rip the wind-lance out from in front of Bard. Locking her knees against the curve of his ear, Tauriel stabbed into the soft flesh of the great dragon's inner ear and pulled up as hard as she could, practically ripping his ear into shreds. The shock of his sudden pain, when he had been so intent on his task, was so immense to the dragon that he reared up, driving himself high up into the air and, just for a brief moment, exposing his great belly. Bard seized his chance immediately. Locating the spot under the dragon where Girion's arrow had loosened a scale, Bard aimed and let loose the black arrow. Glinting in the moonlight, the arrow shot from the dwarfish wind-lance with lightning speed and found its mark. Piercing the soft underbelly the black arrow tore through layers of tough skin and muscle and struck the dragons heart, striking a mortal blow.
Tauriel fell from behind the dragon's ear and plummeted downwards. But, as she did so, with the last ounce of his strength, Smaug closed his back claw around her like a vice, plucking her out of the sky and pulling her along with him. The wind underneath the great dragon's wind pushed them up idly but soon his weight worked against them and they began to dive down, spiralling towards the lake. With his heart gaping open and weeping fountains of blood, the dragon Smaug died before he hit the surface of the lake. But he took with him to his watery grave the mysterious being who had outdone him, tricking him into attacking the son of Girion who had used the black arrow against him. His last thought in the world of the living was that he would take one more life.
Kili watched as the arrow found its mark, shooting through the dragon's body and disappearing into the bulk. Around him crowds of Laketown survivors cheered and screamed at the dragon's demise at the hands of their hero. They chanted his name, Bard the Bargeman, Bard the Bowman. In the light of the town's fire, Kili's keen eyes picked up the same auburn fire that he had seen behind Smaug's ear. This time, it was falling down from the dragon's head and Kili could not mistake it. Tauriel. She had indeed helped Bard to find his mark. It had been she who had led the dragon to his fate and now she was falling. Kili watched open mouthed with horror as Smaug stopped her fall with his back claw. The bulk of the dragon's shape was hard to miss and his progress easy to follow as his body flew up then fell back down suddenly and met with the lakes surface with a loud smack. The dragon disappeared under the inky black surface and took Tauriel with him.
The lake burned that night, but none of the dwarves of Erebor present on the shore of Laketown cared. They ran to the aid of their fallen ally, all acknowledging in their hearts it would be too late.