During all of this, the tremor from the cave collapse reached Lake-town, causing even the most stable buildings to shake and rattle from the impact. People were now looking out of their windows and heading into the street, turning their gaze to their mountain as snow continued to fall. They began talking amongst themselves on what was going on. Some suspected an earthquake or maybe the mountain was collapsing in on itself. But then the sinister glow of Smaug's fire appeared in the distance and then it didn't take long for people to figure out what happened and what was coming. People started panicking one by one and hurried to their houses as soon as possible.

But back at Bard's house, things were noticeably calmer. Everyone inside was concerned after the tremor but it wasn't the kafuffle outside that tipped them off (since they had both house doors closed). It was something else. Just as Beth opened the kitchen window to see what was going on, a faint ringing sound began.

"What on earth is that?" Taduesz asked.

"Oh that? It's the warning bell." Beth replied "It's rung in the bell tower when…"

It then quickly dawned on Beth what was going on and her face turned as white as the snow falling just outside. She ran towards the door to everyone's surprise at lightning speed, hastility opened it and stumbled onto the front porch. She looked around her and saw hundreds of people leaving their homes, loading precious belongings onto boats along with loved ones. People ran up and down the streets, hurrying to grab whatever they could. Some men who appeared to be guards hurried over to the direction of the barracks further downton. The warning bell in the bell tower a few blocks down the street rang louder and louder with each clank and clunk. Beth then looked to the mountain and noticed the fiery, yellowish-red glow from the entrance of Erebor far in the distance.

"The dragon…" she said to herself in terror.

—-

"I warned you! Did I not warn you what would come of dealing with dwarves?!" Gordon yelled from upstairs as he came running down "I knew it! Deep down in my gut! I should have thrown them in jail!" he kept going as he put on his coat coming down the stairs "Now they've done it! They've woken the dragon! They've brought an apocalypse upon our heads!"

Gordon, Adina and their servants were doing their best to evacuate though Gordon was being very excessive. Being the master of the town he was very rich and had an entire closet used for keeping his gold safe. Gold he had gotten over the years as master of the town and trading with the occasional traveler. But instead of grabbing the necessary things like food or clothing, he insisted that the gold be brought on the family boat first. Adina came running down the stairs in a beautiful white bear skin coat and hat with a knapsack wrapped around her left shoulder.

"Do you have your extra clothes?!" Gordon asked with worry.

"Yes, father!" Adina said hastily.

Just then, guardsman Bradley walked wearing a dark brown coat and hat with his wife Lucille in tow with their daughter June in his arms clutching a small, stuffed bear doll.

"Daddy, what's going on?" she asked innocently.

"It's alright, sweetheart!" Bradley replied softly "We're just going on a little trip with daddy and mommy, okay?"

"Hurry! We must move quickly!" Gordon ordered as he swung the basement door open.

Together with the guards, Bradley and his family clambered down the five foot high staircase into the basement. It had a plain, wooden floor but at it's center was a twenty-five foot wide and thirty foot long pool of water leading all the way to a gate nearby at the end of the room. At it's center was a twenty foot long and thirteen foot wide boat with two rows of oars (four in total). This was the family boat or "the great gilded boat" as Adina called it. No sooner had Bradley and his family clambered onto the boat then down came the Master's servants carrying five chests of gold while said master Gordon stood upstairs shouting orders.

"Come on, hurry!" he all but yelled "Faster now, we're trying to evacuate ourselves here!"

The servants clambered upstairs having put down down the chests into the boat and soon upstairs Afina was stuffing books into another bag she'd left on a chair.

"Quickly, Adina!" Gordon ordered his daughter "Take as much as you can!"

"But, my lady!" Susian the housemaid exclaimed suddenly as he went upstairs to get more of the gold "Should we not try and save the town?!"

"Have the guards been issued to defend it?!" Gordon demanded.

"Yes, sir!" Braga responded "We can hold that winged bastard off!"

"But I think-" Susan tried to say.

"Then let them defend it and buy us some time!" Gordon said cutting her off "The town is lost anyway! Save the gold!"

"But the townspeople!" Susan insisted.

"I can't fit them all on this boat, can I?" Gordon barked as he turned to Bradley who was coming up the stairs "You! Get your family another boat! There's not enough room!"

"B-But sir, my daughter's scared!" Bradley said in shock "At least let-"

"Listen, you have your orders and you will obey them!" Braga bellowed to Bradley as the servants carried more gold "Now do as you're told and help us load this stuff!"

"You heard him!" said one guard snarled as he headed downstairs and got into the boat "Load it all up!"

Bradley sighed with annoyance. He couldn't believe that not only was a dragon coming to destroy the town but his own bosses didn't even seem to care. And he felt even worse having to accept the reality of staying behind to defend the town. It was looking like a lost cause. So he did as instructed and rushed to his wife and daughter, the latter of whom was holding onto her mother.

"Come on, I have to help load!" he said as he took hold of his wife.

"They won't take us?!" Lucille in horror as she was taken off the boat "What are they thinking?!"

"Hurry! Quickly!" shouted another guard.

Before heading up the stairs, Bradley whipped his head around to look at his daughter who was clutching her mother's arm as well as still clutching her doll.

"You stay close to mommy, okay?" Bradley asked, "I'll find us a boat."

"Okay." June replied, nodding.

Bradley then gave his daughter a quick kiss on the forehead after which he briefly ruffled her hair then kissed his wife, before returning to help load the gold.

/

In Bard's house, Shane and Taduesz were doing their best to keep order while Ophelia, Bertha and Frieda hastily helped Beth and Terrence pack their things.

"Remember, only pack what you need!" Shane ordered "Where are the weapons dad had?!"

"They're under his bed just like I said!" Beth replied from the bedroom.

"Bring them along!" Shane barked.

There was a thudding noise and Taduesz and Shane looked to see Bertha helping Kamilla up off the floor as Ophelia walked into the room wearing a gray otter coat and with a knapsack round her right shoulder.

"Kamilla, your leg still isn't well enough to walk!" she said.

"But I can walk!" Kamilla insisted.

"I don't doubt you can!" Ophelia replied "But for health reasons you can't walk on that leg until at least tomorrow!"

"She's right!" Taduesz said as he made sure he had his weapons "Bertha, help her down to the boat!"

"Alright, then!" Bertha responded.

As she led Kamilla down towards the basement, Terrence then walked up Taduesz wearing a dark blue coat and an aqua scarf which a neighbor had hand-knitted herself for his last birthday.

"We can't leave without dad!" he demanded.

"Listen, kid, if you stay here your brother and sister will die." Taduesz replied "Is that what your father would want?"

"Terrence." Ophelia said as she approached the two "Why don't you help me pack some food?"

Terrence sighed and followed after Ophelia while everyone else resumed their duties. Noting his concern over his father, Ophelia then placed her left arm on Terrence's right shoulder when they got to the kitchen and started packing rations and food, much to his surprise.

"Don't worry." Ophelia said softly "I'm sure he's alright."

/

Not long after all the guards had left their bows and arrows and various weapons, Bard had started slamming into the prison door and the window bars. He did it at least three times and was starting to feel sore. He slammed against the prison door a fourth and final time but the only thing he succeeded in was hurting his right arm. He exclaimed in pain as he stepped back into the center of the room with all the commotion outside making him even more anxious.

"Damn it!" he snarled in irritation.

Bard then glanced towards the prison cot and took notice of the sheets. They were quite long and wide (about half the size of the bed). He then looked towards the prison bars. If they had enough between them to fit his arm through then they could undoubtedly fit a rope of some kind. A rope made out of the bed sheets.

Suddenly, some people outside started frantically shouting and he looked out the prison window just as Smaug passed over-head, his shadow covering over half the block. He passed by so fast he blew the snow off the rooftops even with all the extra snow falling from the sky. Bard wasted no time in hurrying over to the bed and yanking the sheets off. If he was going to act, he had to due to it now. His family depended on it.