Chapter 13

The dwarves were sent off early the next morning with weapons and new clothing and armor to match. I watched as they all loaded things on to the boat and as Kili went to get on, his uncle stopped him. Several of the members of the company paused to look at their leader in surprise.

"Not you. We must travel at speed, you will slow us down," Thorin rumbled firmly.

Kili gave his uncle a look and then smiled slightly, thinking that he was just joking. "What are you talking about? I'm coming with you."

"No," Thorin shook his head as he set something in the boat.

Kili looked at Thorin, frowning at the sudden realization that his uncle was not joking. I ruffled my feathers as they spoke again and Kili's look of devastation etched itself into my head. Oin was not pleased either by Thorin's decision and he got up to join the young prince. Even Fili gave Thorin a hard time about his choice.

"I will carry him if I must!" Fili said desperately.

"One day you will be King and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf. Not even my own kin," Thorin rumbled softly.

Fili looked over at his brother for a moment, and I watched as he went to step out of the barge to go join Kili. Thorin grabbed his arm instantly, surprised at his nephew's action.

"Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the company," he rumbled.

"I belong with my brother," Fili replied evenly and shook him off to go over to Kili.

I dove down from my perch then and turned human as I landed. Ignoring the startled murmur that went through the crowd, I looked at Thorin when he turned to us. I walked over to join Fili, Kili, and Oin and then glanced back to Thorin.

"I will keep them safe," I said firmly.

Their best bet was with me for now and until I knew that they'd be ok I wasn't going into the mountain. Thorin came forward when I had spoken and he reached out and laid his hands on my cheeks firmly. I lifted my gaze to meet his when his thumbs moved over my skin.

"You join us the moment you can. All of you," he rumbled slowly.

"Don't worry, we will," I replied. "Don't let the dragon kill you."

He smiled and nodded before looking at his nephews before going back to the boat. They left just moments later, and so I turned back to Kili as he sat down, angry that he was left out. His look had me sighing quietly, and I walked over to him. I glanced toward the water one last time before I focused on Kili.

"Something is wrong," I said firmly looking at him. "A wound shouldn't be like this. Let's get you somewhere and look at it."

Bard let us in, despite being angry at what had happened last night. Fili helped his brother on to the couch and laid him down as Bofur crossed his arms, angry that he hadn't woken up in time. I smiled at the younger girl who approached me.

"Were you here last night right? The lady that turned into the bird?" she asked shyly.

"I was," I smiled. "I'm Arina."

"That's so cool," she grinned looking at her older sister. "I'm Tilda."

I glanced over at Bard to see him smiling just slightly at the look on his young daughter's face before setting down all he had to try and help. Kili made a pained nose and threw his head back so I walked over to him. The blood was turning black around it, and touching his leg caused him to suck in his breath. I could have snarled for missing it.

"You were shot with a poisoned arrow..." I murmured. "We need to do something."

We spent the day trying to keep him well enough while at the same time trying to figure out what to do. He spiked a horrible fever and Bard went through all his cupboards to grab any kind of medicine that he could find as the day progressed.

"Do you have any kingsfoil?" Oin asked suddenly and Bard gave him a puzzled expression.

"Kingsfoil, no. It's a weed; we feed it to the pigs," he replied.

"Kingsfoil..." Bofur said suddenly. "Weed...pigs...right."

He leaned over Oin and pointed at Kili. "Don't move."

I snorted at him as he rushed out, and I looked down at Kili from where I sat close to his head. He was sweating from the fever and the pain he was in made me look away for a moment. I reached out and used a cloth to wipe his face and was surprised when he suddenly grabbed my hand tightly. Giving him a gentle look, I held his hand with both of mine. I shifted slightly when the house shook and everyone froze. Fili and I looked at each other for a moment.

"It's coming from the mountain," Bain, Bard's son said quietly.

Fili moved from my side and approached Bard. "You should leave us. Take your children and get out of here."

"And go where?" Bard asked. "There is no where to go..."

I looked at Fili again when he turned to face us and I shook my head quietly. We really could do nothing at this point and he came back to my side. For a moment, even though they were far older I saw them as the two young dwarves I remembered. Kili squeezed my hand again, so I looked back at him and Fili sat down near his brother and put a hand on his foot.

"Are we going to die, Da?" his youngest daughter asked. "The dragon...it's going to kill us."

"No, darlin," Bard said quietly as he yanked something from the ceiling of his house. "Not if I kill it first."

It was a black arrow, and probably one of the only ones left. I felt my eyebrow arch in surprise as he and Bain left to go do something. I had to get to the mountain, before this got out of hand. Even though I wasn't sure if I was going to be of any help, my powers certainly could be if I could turn into a dragon.

"You should go, Arina," Fili said seriously.

"I'm not leaving until your brother is okay," I said firmly. "If they did wake Smaug, what am I going to do?"

"Good point," Fili sighed quietly and looked back to his brother.

Kili leaned his head back with a hiss of pain, and I got up quietly after a bit when Bard didn't return with Bain. I had to extract my hand from Kili as I did so. His oldest daughter waited outside when something made a noise, and called for him. I froze when I heard footsteps on the roof and I looked at Oin when he paused as well. I knew that wasn't good, and when the older daughter screamed and rushed inside, Orcs began busting through the roof and coming through the windows.

We had no weapons, so I rushed forward and got the girls away from danger. The younger one threw a plate at one of them before dashing to hide and I kicked him out the door as Fili tackled one of them. Bain protected his sisters, and I snarled at not being able to transform. The space was just too small for me. Grabbing on to the neck of one Orc, I threw him toward the door again and a blade pierced right through his chest. Kili swung a frying pan viciously at one, hitting him right across the face and breaking his neck. Tauriel appeared in the door and I tried to hide my surprise when Legolas came in right behind her. Snatching the sword from the dead Orc, I threw it to Fili and gave another to Oin for protection. Jumping back, I grabbed another sword and kept the kids safe, cutting off the head of an Orc who came forward. Several minutes later, the pack lay dead in the house and Fili panted for a moment.

"You killed them all," Bain said breathlessly.

"Tauriel there are others, we must go," Legolas said softly and disappeared.

Tauriel stood there for a moment, obviously torn between what she was asked to do, and what she felt was right. She dropped her shoulders and walked out of the house when suddenly her hands flew to her weapons before she reached out to take something. Fili dropped down next to Kili who cried out in agony, and I looked down to him when suddenly Tauriel came rushing back inside. Bofur followed her closely and I relaxed seeing that he was safe as well. He looked at me with hope in his eyes then.

"She's going to save him," Bofur said in relief.

I turned to him in surprise at his words and looked down at Kili who was gasping in pain, his eyes clouded an odd white. Closing my eyes for a moment, I gathered myself, and then helped Bain turn the table back over as Tauriel washed the weed in water.

"Get him on the table," she ordered.

Fili wasted no time in following her orders, and we hoisted Kili up on to the table. He arched and screeched out in pain, gasping for breath and Fili pressed down on his shoulders when he scrambled up to be by his head.

"Hold him down," she said firmly as he struggled at the pain.

I pressed down on his arm next to Fili who held his shoulders as Tauriel placed the Kings foil against his wound making him scream and struggle violently against our hold. Everyone pitched in to hold him down as she began to speak in her tongue. The magic she brought forth drew the poison from his system in ways that had the dwarves looking at her in shock. I watched his eyes slowly clear, and he was staring at the elf in pure shock and wonder. When she finished, he collapsed back, and went limp. He no longer thrashed in pain, and his breathing had slowed down. Oin moved away from them so Fili joined them. I followed their example and looked back over at them.

"That was both a privilege and a blessing to witness," Oin confirmed and Fili's shoulders dropped.

"He's okay," I said gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank Mahal," Fili whispered as he sat down on a stool.

"I need to get to the mountain," I said softly. "When he is better, join us."

"What are you going to do?" Fili asked looking at me.

"I'm not exactly sure," I said. "Not letting your Uncle and the others get killed would be a good start."

"Be careful," he replied quietly laying a hand on my shoulder. "We'll join you as soon as we can."

"You be careful," I answered softly and hugged him tightly. "Bring them and yourself safely to the mountain."

"I will," he rumbled hugging me back.

I nodded my head and looked over at Tauriel for a moment as she stood watching over Kili. Going over to them, I reached out and grabbed Kili's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He opened his eyes and looked at me and gave me a slight smile.

"Thank you," I said looking at Tauriel.

"You're welcome," she replied softly.

"We'll see each other again I'm sure," I said as I walked to the door. "This is far from over. Keep them safe if you are sticking around."

Tauriel looked at me and nodded her head, when I walked out the door and hurried forward. As I went to transform into something to fly off, I noticed several docks down that Legolas was fighting several Orcs. He couldn't let them leave when they had fled. I tensed a little seeing Bolg there as well, hoping the elf would be killed by the others. Grinding my teeth, I took the form of a hawk and flew to his aid. Landing, I turned human and yanked the sword from the hand of an Orc and killed him in a quick movement. Swinging around, I caught another that Legolas wasn't ready for and cut his head off. Legolas stumbled a little bit, and noticed I was with him.

"You," he breathed.

"I'm helping," I said as I swung around to kill another.

Bolg snarled as he rushed forward, and for a moment, my body failed me and I froze. Legolas immediately rushed forward and kicked the Orc back and they began to fight. I killed the last two stray Orcs that were hanging around before the one eyed Orc fled. When Legolas didn't follow right after, I hurried back to see what happened. He was leaning against a pillar, and blood trickled down his nose. He wiped it, and looked at the blood on his finger. When he met my gaze, his eyes flared with rage as I walked over.

"Well, I never thought I'd see that," I commented.

"He's dead," he muttered, seeing Bolg run off.

"If you didn't manage to kill him now what makes you think you can following a whole pack of them?" I demanded as he turned from me.

"I need to see where they are going," Legolas said simply. "Tauriel was right. This is turning out to be much bigger than we had all thought."

"I could have told you that," I said flatly, and for a moment his lips turned up in a smile.

"Thank you," he said suddenly. "For coming to my aid."

"Tauriel saved Kili," I said slowly. "It was the least I could do since it left you without help."

He nodded his head, before running off to go after Bolg. I sighed quietly, and ran up to check on the others once more before I headed out to go to the mountain. The aid I had given to Legolas, and the worry I held for the dwarves left behind cost me. I lost much time, and as I went to leave again, the mountain shook and something exploded into the sky. My eyes adjusted so that I could see it, and I froze when I saw the outline of the dragon. He lifted into the sky and headed toward the city in silence. Running back, I threw open the door and slammed it shut making everyone jump, including Tauriel.

"We need to leave," I whispered.

"Why?" Fili demanded, seeing the look on my face. "Arina what is it?"

"The dragon," Tauriel finished for me when I couldn't find my voice.

I nodded my head at her and they all paled for a moment. The elf immediately took charge then with Fili and they had the children pack up anything they needed so that we could leave. I turned my head to look out the window when I heard the roar of a dragon nearing the town. Everyone else outside heard it, and the panic slowly set in to the people.

"I couldn't help even if I wanted to," I whispered. "I'd need too much time to transform..."

"Then leave it, come on," Tauriel said firmly as she ushered everyone to the boat that Bard owned below.

She got the children in and Fili jumped into the boat after Oin. I made sure Kili got in with some help and I looked up as Smaug's huge body appeared, flying over the city. He was so close I could see the scales on his belly. Screams erupted from the whole town and I couldn't help but flinch at the noise.

"Come on, Arina!" Fili ushered.

He grabbed my hands and yanked me in before I could make up my mind on what I wanted to do. He shoved me to sit before I could run off and do something stupid. Giving in, I listened to him and he kept a firm hand on my shoulder.

"You said yourself it would take to long," he said firmly. "You don't know if you have the power to hold a form like that."

"Thanks for the boost of confidence," I muttered to him as we pushed off.

Fili glanced at me, and for a second he reminded me so much of his uncle that I felt my expression soften slightly. I looked at Kili as he laid between the seats and Tauriel took the front. We pushed through the water and as Smaug dove he let loose a tongue of flame that caught everything it touched on fire. People started screaming and I flinched at the noise. He didn't stop there, and circled around to let another breath of fire. It caught the houses above us and I ducked when Fili pushed me down and I shuddered at the fear that slowly took over.

"Hold on," Tauriel said after we made it safely under a house.

The next round of flames went directly where our boat would have been. I leaned back slightly and felt Fili lay a hand on my shoulder. We waited, for Tauriel to see if it was safe, and motioned for Bofur and Fili to keep going. As we made our way out, Smaug dove again and breathed another round of flames. While we were watching that, a large boat crashed against ours and nearly tilted the smaller boat. The girls screamed and held on to Tauriel as Bain tried to catch his balance. I gasped, and Fili's boot slipped into the water so I reached out to grab him and yank him back toward me. Tauriel pushed us from the boat that carried the master of the own and all his gold and I glared at him. Fili looked at me when we kept going, and I met his gaze for a moment.

My fear was now gone and replaced by anger. Anger that I couldn't take form and help these poor people during their time of need. I was useless in this, I could do nothing. Smaug roared as he flew over the city, and we all ducked again as the flames came above us. We got through several more waterways before Bain looked up suddenly and gasped.

"Da," he gasped making Tilda and Sigrid look up.

I watched Bard take on Smaug with nothing but a bow and arrows. Each arrow flew for its mark but missed. One more he fired, and Kili gasped when it hit. His daughters were crying for him, but obviously he was to far from us to hear anything. I watched Smaug roar loudly and circle around, but he still had not realized the bowman was trying to kill him.

"He hit the dragon!" he gasped. "He hit his mark I saw it!"

"The arrows are not strong enough to pierce its hide," Tauriel said sadly. "I fear nothing will..."

I clenched my jaw and looked at my knees as I felt a surge of failure bloom in me. I leaned quietly against Fili then as he pushed the boat forward. Bain looked at his father for a moment and then suddenly surged to his feet and grabbed on to a large hook that was dangling over us. He lifted off and Bofur went to grab him.

"Hey! Where you goin!?" he exclaimed.

"Bain! Bain come back!" Fili yelled.

He reached out to grab Bofur so that he wouldn't fall out of the boat. Bain ran from us and jumped on to a boat that held something. It was the black arrow from earlier, and I felt a surge of hope rise. If Bard could get that, he'd kill that dragon. His son seemed to understand that as well.

"Bain!" Tilda cried.

"Leave him!" Tauriel murmured. "We cannot go back..."

Kili looked over at her and then his eyes landed on me. I shook my head quietly when I saw the question in them and his gaze suddenly hardened. It made me tense slightly, but I knew it was because he wanted to do something.

"She cannot, Kili," Fili said over the roar of the screams. "It would take to long, and we don't know if she can hold it. I've already told her that."

"I wish I could do something," I whispered helplessly.

Fili squeezed my shoulder almost painfully and I glanced at him. He shook his head as we paddled toward the safety of shore. We got through most of the burning town safely, when Smaug suddenly landed on the burning town. He swung his head, and I looked to see him facing Bard who was still on top of the bell tower. He wasn't far from us and we all stilled in fear as he walked.

"Who are you that would stand against me?" Smaug growled, baring his teeth toward Bard and his son.

He spoke a few more words to the bargemen before I noticed his body tense as he got ready to charge. The roar that left his jaws as he charged had us all covering our ears. The next few minutes everything happened so fast that I had to force myself not to blink. Bard shot the black arrow and Smaug shrieked in pain and his momentum had him tumbling and snaking his way through the city before he shot into the air roaring in agony.

"Oh my," I breathed.

"He did it!" Fili exclaimed.

I tensed as the dragon died in the sky and he began to fall. His huge body crashed on to the town and his wings spread, one of them falling toward us. The girls started screaming and Oin threw himself toward Kili who already was ducking. I felt the breath whoosh from my lungs as Fili threw himself over me.

"Hang on!" Bofur cried, and we all ducked.

Fili covered me and the girls screamed as the wing crushed several of the burning buildings and sent wood and other things over us. I closed my eyes and couldn't help but reach out to hang onto Fili as he protected me. Oin had thrown himself over Kili and Bofur ducked safely, while Tauriel covered the girls as best she could. When everything finally stopped moving, we all straightened up to see what had happened. Fili immediately looked to his brother and relaxed, seeing that he was unharmed.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"I'm fine," I breathed. "Are you?"

"Not a scratch," he grinned and looked at the dead dragon. "I cannot believe he did it."

"I can..." I murmured.

Fili nodded his head and we slowly made our way to the shore. We were all exhausted by the time we got there, and it was dawn when our feet found solid ground. Oin helped Kili out once we were there, and they helped the two girls out. Tauriel stayed with them as we all climbed out and I jumped out next to Bofur when he sighed gratefully.

"I can't believe we made it out of there," he said sitting on a large rock as the survivors of Lake-town scrambled onto the rocky shore.

"I know," I agreed glancing toward the mountain for a second.

"Do you think they are alive?" Kili asked, coming over next to me.

"I know they are," I said firmly. "Smaug wouldn't have left the mountain if he had killed them..."

"We need to get moving," Fili said then, taking charge. "Let's find a better boat, that one doesn't seem to be doing so well."

The three dwarves nodded and we hurried off to find something we could use. Tauriel came with us then, and Fili pointed out a solid boat so they started to try and get it into the water. I pushed with them, and we waited as Kili approached the elf.

"Kili come on, we're leaving," Fili said turning to see what Kili was doing.

I glanced at Fili and nudged him slightly in the arm, earning an irritated look. I couldn't help but smile at that and then turned and pushed the boat a little harder. Fili helped and then turned quietly to watch them for a second, his expression hard to read. I knew Kili felt something for her. She had saved his life, I knew that alone would put us in her debt. When I lifted my head, I saw Legolas standing not far behind her the moment she sensed him.

His eyes met mine for a brief second, and he nodded glad to see that we had made it out. I turned and moved toward the boat when Fili tugged my arm. He helped me in, and we pushed off as Kili finally joined us after having given something to Tauriel. I glanced back to briefly see the tears in her eyes. I wrapped the thick coat around me a little tighter as they paddled across the lake as fast as they could without exhausting themselves further. We had been up well through the night, and I was sure they were tired.

"You okay?" I asked Kili as he helped paddle.

"Yes," he said slowly and gave me a smile to reassure me.

This is the longest one yet I think. Sorry, I couldn't break it into separate parts! I had to do this all at once. Enjoy!