A/N Dragon tales, dragon tales, it's finally time for dragon tales. Come along and take my hand, let's all go to the burning wreckage of a town destroyed by a dragonnnnnn...

Anyway.

I hope you read that as if none of it was in tune. Because it definitely wasn't in my head as I wrote it.

Smaug time!

*Mic drop*

From dusk on, Josephine watched the mountain, waiting for what would come first, the dark shadow of the dragon, or the deep roar from its throat. It would give the town a little warning at least, if they heard him coming. She couldn't remember which it would be.

Once the kids had been sent to bed, they quietly collected what they could in the way of supplies. All of the children's warm clothes they could find, food, bandages, salves. Anything they could manage to stash away in a pack and load into the boat below.

Tauriel was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Legolas. Still following orcs, maybe? But she would've felt better if at least one of them was there.

From the table she could see the snowy tip of the mountain and chewed absentmindedly on a piece of dried fish. Eat. Be ready for a long night and a longer day.

Fili had spread the word amongst the others, no one was unsure about their task or what was coming. Josephine had a feeling she wouldn't be able to hide it anyway. It was like the night before Helm's Deep began, absolute certainty of darkness and danger but no way to stop it.

The dwarves milled around solemnly and Kili, showing more nerves than the others, sat with her and wrapped his arm around her. Whether it was to comfort her or himself who was to say, it was probably a bit of both.

First came a rumble, enough to stir everyone awake. Then another, which set the bells tolling and voices yelled throughout the town. It was time.

The children were already flooding into the kitchen and the dwarves began to stuff them into their own coats as a dark shadow passed over the town. The air outside billowed and shook the windows.

"We're not leaving, not without our father." Bain argued, fighting off a persistent Oin.

Josephine climbed up on the table and wrenched down the black arrow, meeting Bain's eye as he realized what it was.

He was supposed to help kill the dragon, he'd be fine and it would give them the best chance of killing Smaug. That was the plan.

But when she was about to hand him the black arrow and tell him to stay with the dwarves for now, she froze. His dark eyes were wide with fear and they bore into her, hitting someplace deep in her chest that made her stomach churn.

No. Things had to go as planned.

She swallowed the feeling and took him by the arm, pulling him out the front door and handing him the arrow. "Take this and go with them. When you're by the statue and see your father in the bell tower bring this to him."

"You're not coming?"

"I have to get your father." She gave his arm a warm squeeze and tried to muster a convincing smile. "Chin up, we only need the one. Now, what do you need to do?"

"When I see father, in…in the bell tower." He stuttered nervously. "I bring this."

"That's it, Bain." She turned him and gave him a light shove back into the house, following everyone down to the boat.

They piled in and when she didn't follow, Tilda noticed instantly. "What are you doing?"

"Getting your father." She put a foot on the edge of the boat and pushed it off, giving the dwarves momentum to get moving.

Fili called out to her as they slipped into the canal. "Josephine! Be careful!"

The dock shook as Smaug flew low overhead and she flinched, nearly expecting the scream of a Nazgul to follow.

They were on their way, and she was on hers. Back through the house and out the front door, just in time to see the dark mass on its way back. She watched as the sky turned orange, bright as daylight, and the town caught fire.

She moved as fast as she could, trying to block out the screams as people were consumed by the fire and the temperature in the town rose. Rounding a corner she had to pull herself back as a jet of light engulfed the waterway she'd almost been on.

Diverting would put her behind, but for all she could remember that was right on time for the story, at least if everything was going well.

Smoke burned her lungs as she staggered up the steps to the jail and started searching the guard post for keys.

"Who's there? Let me out of here!" Bard yelled from his cell.

"It's me, I'm looking for the keys!"

"Where are my children?!"

"My friends are getting them out, you and I have a dragon to kill."

There! Tucked under the counter on a nail, a ring of keys. She jammed the first one into the lock, then the second, then on the third it came undone and the slide opened with a heavy clang.

Bard burst out and clutched her sleeve, fearfully pulling her after him. "Come on, we have to get to the armory."

Dodging falling debris they ran, sliding over slick paths and catching themselves on each other as they went. With less finesse than her last foray into the armory, Bard kicked in a window and collected a bow and a quiver of arrows. From there he led her to the upper floor and broke through the roof.

Looking out across the town there wasn't an inch that wasn't glowing except for the still tolling bell tower.

"Our best chance is the tower, but we'll never make it on the walkways. Go back, I'll do what I can. Get out of here!"

Even if she wanted to, the heat she was feeling through the soles of her boots didn't bode well for her getting out of the building any other way. "There's no time to argue, I'll follow you."

He looked at her reluctantly but could see a glow forming behind her.

"Go!" She yelled.

Reaching a hand down he helped her up onto the shingles. "Watch your footing."

Balancing on eves and sliding down the sides they made their way over the rooftops. A snarl caught her attention and she looked over her shoulder for a briefest moment. They'd been seen.

"Jump!" She rushed forward and pushed against his back. "Jump!"

Seeing what she just had, Bard grabbed her by the shirt and threw her onto the next roof, several feet away, then followed just in time to avoid Smaug's roof was steeper than the others and they slid, Bard stabbing an arrow into the soft wood just in time to slow himself. He caught her by the wrist as she tumbled over the edge and snatched his bow before it could fall into the water.

Her weight swung entirely onto her arm and she screamed, thankful at least that the pain meant she just held onto him tighter, but for a moment she was frozen.

Bard heaved, trying to get her closer to a handhold. "Grab onto something!"

Securing the bow across her chest she managed to swing her free arm up and grab the edge of the roof. Slowly, inch by inch they got themselves back up.

"Are you okay?"

No. Yes. Had to be.

"I'm fine, we have to move!"

Fire erupted through the shingles barely a foot away from them and a wave of heat stole the air around her.

With his fist closed around the back of her shirt he dragged her to the next rooftop and they were off and moving again.

The bell grew louder and louder until all she could hear was it tolling against the roar of fire. One last jump brought them to the clock tower stairs and they rushed to the top. Every clang shook in her chest and she took out her knife and sliced the pull.

Bard was already pulling an arrow and looking for his target. Each arrow he sent was as useless as the next, but thankfully, they wouldn't need them.

Bain appeared, huffing and puffing as he ran up from below.

"Bain! You're not supposed to be here!" Bard yelled, pushing past her. "Why didn't you leave?!"

"I had to bring you this!" He said, handing Bard the black arrow.

Time was running short, out of the corner of her eye she could see Smaug banking to come back around. They'd gotten his attention.

Bain saw it too, and the fear came over him once again. Without a second to think she pulled the arrow up out of the trap door. "Go back down, now!" No more children with wide eyes taking in darkness. "Get out and find your sisters!" No more boys being asked to fight.

"But-"
"Go!" Bard added as claws opened in front of them and crashed into the tower.

Bain wasn't fast enough and slipped off the edge, landing on the, thankfully, slightly wider floor below them.

"Bain!" Bard yelled at his still body beneath them.

He wasn't moving and Josephine thought she might vomit. It would be her fault, she changed things and he would've died for it.

And then he gasped. Once. Twice. The wind had been knocked out of him but he sat up.

"Bain!" Bard yelled again. "Get out of here!"

The boy made for what was left of the stairs and once he was out of sight, Bard took up the arrow.

On their feet again, Josephine found herself face to face with a pair of bright red eyes and a voice that she could feel in the timbers beneath her.

"Who are you that would stand against me?"

Fear curdled in her chest and Bard found his bow broken in two.

"Now that is a pity." Smaug rumbled. "What will you do now, bowman? You are forsaken, no help will come. You will burn."

"Now's our chance." She said, voice trembling.

Already ahead of her, Bard secured the remnants of his bow into the timbers that were left. "I need your shoulder."

She couldn't look away, as if the second she did Smaug would eat her whole. Josephine slid the arrow up onto her shoulder, sitting it securely on top of the folds of her cloak.

"Steady now." Bard said behind her. "A little to your left."

Josephine shifted as sharp teeth framed Smaug's deep maw, a golden glow growing from his throat.

"Don't look, Josephine." Bard grunted as she began to shake. "Steady!"

She snapped her eyes shut and froze. Wind rushed in her ears and feathers brushed against her cheek. The weight of the arrow was gone and she dared to open her eyes again.

It stuck out like a branch from a dark hole in Smaug's chest, drawing closer and closer as he swerved. Bard grabbed her and pulled her back as the dragon swiped the tower.

Bard threw her against one of the posts as it shook and began to fall. "Hold on!"

Wood groaned around them as her stomach turned into butterflies. They hit the water fast, slamming into the icy cold with enough force to push the air from her lungs.

Sinking through the cold blackness was peaceful, but only for a second until her body screamed for air. She burst out of the water and quickly found herself dragged towards a piece of floating debris. Bard had her by the cloak, barely holding onto the debris himself.

At the mercy of the current and their own, exhausted pairs of feet, they floated through the wreckage as the sky turned gray with dawn.