A/N

My dear readers, I am remorseful for not updating sooner. Due to personal conflicts, work, and school, I have been unable to find the time to come up with a plotline and I certainly couldn't fathom that plot into words. Life is a tricky mistress!

I apologise again for the wait!

The air inside was dry and reeked of something awful. It was very dark on the inside and the air was cold, but it was considerably warmer than the outside air. As they stepped inside, Camellia noticed a light that appeared in the eyes of the dwarves. They had always had a light, but it had been so dim, especially as the year continued.

"Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins," Thorin began, "to earn his Reward." Bilbo was visibly nervous. Thorin wanted him to face dragon alone.

"Who's coming with me?" No one volunteered. Not even Camellia, who crossed her feet and held her arms behind her offered to help. With a sigh, Bilbo continued down the hall alone. Once he was out of hearing range, Camellia looked up from the ground.

"Is he going to be okay?"

The hall was hot. Hotter than the summer sun that had followed them on horseback, but not quite as hot as Bilbo expected it would be if the dragon decided to toast him. At first, he did not see the dragon. The hall was vast and covered in gold. Gold coins, gold cups, gold everything. An ocean of precious metal, but the ocean was quiet. Bilbo could only hear his heart pounding in his ears. Bilbo began to climb.

The rest of the company sat in the doorway, waiting. It was difficult to tell how much had passed, but Bilbo had finally returned, a golden cup in his hand. All of their eyes lit up. The stolen treasure was in front of them. With enthusiasm, the dwarves took the cup from Bilbo's hands and passed it around, examining it thoroughly.

Suddenly, a deep rumble agitated the mountain rock. The rumble echoed through the long hallway in front of the company, nearly pulling the great stone door shut. Only a stone blocked the door from closing entirely. It was then that they remembered the dragon. Their journey was nowhere near being finished.

Smaug flew around the mountain, scalding the rocks with his fire breath. The cries of the ponies echoed up the mountainside. Their ropes broke and they made a break for their lives, but they were the first causalities. Camellia's heart started racing. She instinctively reached out for Kili's hand and squeezed tightly. Alesdair was tied up with the ponies outside. Kili looked back at her as they were walking further into the mountain. The farther away from the door they were, the less likely they would be likely to be burnt by Smaug's flames, but they knew that the farther they went into the mountain, the more likely Smaug would smell them.

That night was followed by uneasy rest in the dark corridors. No one was able to sleep for long because they knew that if they made even the slightest sound, Smaug would come after them. Camellia stayed up all night, tears running down her face. She could not concentrate on anything other than the loss of her beloved horse. She was the only one awake when Bilbo went back to Smaug, but she didn't notice.

Bilbo was gone almost until noon. The dragon knew he was with the dwarves. The dragon knew what they were trying to do. It wasn't long until after he had chased Bilbo away that he broke out of the mountain and started toward the river.

All of them stayed inside for days, not eating or saying much. The air was stale and damp and Thorin had finally been fed up.

"Let us try the door!" he started. "I must feel the wind on my face soon." They all made their way toward the door only to find that it had been collapsed in.

"I saw we go down," Bilbo suggested.

"Are you crazy? Smaug could catch up!"

"I agree with Bilbo," Camellia said. "Our best chance is to go down this tunnel. If we don't, we're going to starve here with nothing to show for it." This was the first time she had spoken in days. She started heading down herself, not willing to wait for the others. It wasn't long before the others started to follow.

"Did you see her face?" Balin whispered to Thorin.

"The lass has been crying," Dwalin whispered back.

"I've never seen her cry. Even when she was starving and her arm was broken," Bofur joined in.

"Something must really have gotten to her," Balin responded.

"Alesdair was with the ponies," her soft voice surprised them. "Smaug killed my best friend." Tears were breaking her speech. "I will end him." Venom dripped from her words. Fear shuttered its way through the spines of the dwarves.

"Dragon's skin is harder than any steel. You can't injure him," Gloin recanted. She turned to him, face shown dimly in the torchlight. Her typically calm blue eyes were set afire. Her face, harder than stone.

"I am a warrior who just lost her child. Do not tell me what I can't do." Her step quickened as she walked, successfully widening the space between her and the company.

There were no words that passed through the group as they descended down toward the dragon's lair. Camellia had kept herself several paces ahead of the company, almost being completely shrouded in darkness. She stayed in the darkness while the rest ravaged the armoury.

"Bilbo! Come and claim your first piece of payment!" Thorin called out. When Bilbo came forward, he was handed a silver coat of mail. Mithril. It was almost too long for his short stature. Before long, they headed out again, this time, toward Smaug. Camellia was still several paces ahead of the company.

Being so far out, she was the first one to reach the treasure, but the glow from the gold made her flinch. The light of the gold was nothing compared to the light in the eyes of the dwarves. Bilbo was the first to enter the room where the dragon lay. His feet were quiet on the gold. The dwarves were much louder and it wasn't long before the dragon woke. The dwarves ran out as fast as they could, trying their best to get to safety, but Camellia stayed. She pulled her bow off her back and loaded it with one arrow. She took aim and shot, just missing Smaug's eye, before he noticed her.

"Well, what do we have here? Never have a seen such creature before. You do not smell like the dwarves." She did not respond, just shot again. Miss. "It's not nice to attack your host."

"It's not nice to kill someone's family." She shot again. Miss.

"Your little arrows will do no harm to my skin." Camellia had one arrow left. "I could roast you alive."

"But you won't." Hit. She had hit the corner of his left eye. He let out a roar and she ran as fast as she could to get out of there. She ran pass the dwarves and out the southern entrance. She began scaling the side of the mountain before anyone caught up with her. "I would follow suit if you want to live." Just then, Smaug burst out of the mountain and started flying toward the town. His left eye was closed as he flew above them. "Hey, you want to reconsider your earlier statement?" She asked Gloin. He said nothing. They scaled down the mountain in silence.

The screams from the town echoed through the air. Smaug terrorised the towns people, lighting their houses on fire, killing several of the townspeople; he wouldn't be awake if it wasn't for the dwarves and their little friends. From the base of the mountain, they watched as the black arrows came after Smaug.

One

Bard nicked the dragon's skin, missing his mark. The long black arrow tumbled to the ground. Smaug and his breath lit more homes on fire, killed more families.

Two

Still nothing. Bard was even farther from his mark now. Smaug turned around and locked eyes with him. Heart racing, fingers shaking, Bard only had one arrow left.

Three

Hit. The only spot in the dragon's skin that was not covered by a scale. Smaug screamed out in pain and began falling. His large body hit the corner of the town, smashing more homes and causing a huge wave to flood others. The townspeople knew that the dwarves were to blame for their blight.

Smaug's huge body and loud roar let others know that the dragon had been awaken and killed. The king's treasure was now for the taking. It would be soon that war would ensue and they would have to fight once more for their kingdom to be theirs again.

Just one more battle