Book Four: The Battle of Four Armies

Chapter Twenty Seven: A Town on Fire

Notes: Welcome to Book Four - The Battle of Four Armies! Any fan of The Hobbit knows this is going to be a tough section to read through, but I hope you all stick with it!

Fire erupted in Laketown and smoke rose up into the sky as Smaug flew above. Screams echoed all the way up the mountain to us at an overlook. We were huddled together, watching as the destruction and death happened out of our reach.

Balin whispered, "Poor, poor souls."

I stood watching, unable to look away as fear, guilt, and sickness wrecked my body. I couldn't stop the stream of tears as it fell from my eyes.

"Is there…is there anything we can do?" I asked weakly. Dead silence came from the others. Some of them looked on like I did while others couldn't even manage to look at the damage we had created. "There has to be something…"

Dwalin said lowly, "The dragon will have its way with the town before we even make it down to the lake. Then once the dragon has had its fill of human blood and suffering, it will come back and finish us off…"

I tore my eyes away from Laketown and searched for Thorin. He stood away from us, looking not to the destruction but back to Erebor. I wiped my face and walked over to the edge of the stone overlook.

"Thorin." He didn't move. "Thorin!"

"Hmm?" He turned and looked at me, his expression blank like he was half asleep.

"We can't just do nothing, they helped us get to the mountain! The least we can do is attempt to help them!" I tried to point back to the town but forgot about my injury. I winced and held my shoulder tightly, waiting for the pain to fade. "They don't deserve to die in the crossfire while we just stand here and wait for Smaug to return for us."

His eyes trailed to my shoulder. He walked up to me and held my arm so he could inspect my injury. "Even if we did get down to the town, none of our weapons would be able to stop him. Our hand to hand combat weapons would be useless and our arrows wouldn't pierce his hide even if we have hundreds of them."

My eyes widened. "Bard was right though, on Smaug's chest there was a missing scale. So we might not be able to kill the beast but they might have a chance! How can we get a message to them? We need to tell them now!"

Thorin narrowed his eyes. "What they said was true?" He looked around and the others looked at us. "A thrush might be able to deliver the message."

Now that there was hope, I frantically searched for one of the birds that helped us find the entrance into Erebor. The others also helped us look for one of the birds. Since it was still night, I was hoping they were still awake.

I spotted feathers on top of a boulder and I gasped excitedly. It was indeed a thrush! I went up to it and squatted down to its level.

"Hello friend! I desperately need you to deliver a message to someone in Laketown. You'll be a hero if you do." It tilted its little head at me. "You need to tell anyone and everyone who can use the information that Smaug has a bare spot in his chest. That area will be susceptible to weapons so he can be killed! Please go and tell them, especially Bard!"

It hopped around and then took to the air. I could take a slight breath of relief as I watched it fly in the direction of the town. I was so glad the little bird was brave enough to head towards danger instead of away from it.

I joined the others back at the overwatch, knowing I had done everything I could do to assist them. It didn't relieve the guilt, but knowing I had done something besides stand and watch made me feel a tiny bit more at ease.

"I hope that someone receives it and can use that message." I shook my head and stared at how tall the flames had gotten.

Thorin approached me and took my arm into his hand again. "We will have to wait and see. Let me take a look at your shoulder."

"It doesn't matter right now, Thorin. If Smaug comes back it won't matter if I'm still bleeding or not when he incinerates us."

"You're in pain, let me help," he said simply. "We've got nothing better to do while we wait to see if the dragon falls."

"...I suppose you're right." I sat down on the stone ledge and struggled to remove my cloak. Thorin helped me remove it from my shoulders and set the ripped and burned thing to the side. The others were very much distracted by watching Smaug and Laketown so I wasn't nervous when my shirt had to be pulled to the side so he could see the full extent of the injury.

All of us were burnt and cut and bruised but considering we went up against a dragon I couldn't complain about a pierced shoulder.

I winced as he touched around the tender area. He took his water canteen and rinsed it off and said, "This is quite a nasty gash, if we have a chance you'll probably need stitches to close this up properly."

"Stitches? I've never had them before."

"Don't worry, it only takes a clean needle, a steady hand, and a few moments. For now though," he took off his cloth belt and tightly wrapped my shoulder and top of my arm so hopefully the pressure would help stop or slow the bleeding, "that should help."

"Thank you Thorin. That does actually make it feel a bit better." I pulled my shirt back up into place.

He pressed his mouth into a straight line. "Lydia?"

"Yes?"

He took my hand into his and gave it a light squeeze. Again, everyone was distracted and didn't notice the gesture. I looked up at him. "If Smaug comes back, we're going to make our final stand against him. But, you do not have to stay. You have completed your contract with us and by no means have to die with us."

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "What do you suppose I do then, instead of staying here and fighting with you?"

"Take to the Iron Hills, you can easily find sanctuary amongst my kin. Go to Beorn, I'm sure he would give you a place to stay. Take what you can back to Bree and start over. You have so many stories you could have ahead of you."

After everything we had been through on the journey, I couldn't hide the fact that I was a little offended by the suggestion. I understood his concern, if our roles were reversed I certainly would have told me to do the same thing. But I believed I had made myself just as much as one of them considering I wasn't a dwarf.

I stood up onto my feet. "So you wish for me to leave."

His expression softened. "Nay, only to live Lydia."

"I don't care that I've completed my contract in your eyes. I could never forgive myself if I left you all now. I…I was the one who awoke Smaug and the reason he's gone after Laketown. I will not abandon you all now. Not ever."

Thorin opened his mouth but Gloin shouted, "Oh my! Look! Look!"

We both turned and Smaug was flying straight up out of Laketown as the sky started to lighten. My heart stopped, thinking he was finally coming back to the mountain. I noticed though that the flaps of his wings seemed far more labored than before and his roaring sounded different. His body spun as he went a few hundred feet over the town and I could have sworn I could see…a large black arrow in his chest!

I gasped and moved forward. "He's been shot!"

The others clamored around me and we watched with captivated gazes. The screeching got less and less loud and then his wigs stopped moving. We watched, holding our breath, as Smaug started to fall out of the sky. Everything went silent as the creature plummeted, motionless, down and down. With a crash into the water, that was the last thing we saw of the dragon.

Everyone burst into cheers and grabbed each other with hugs. I screamed in delight and the tears started again. I hugged any of the dwarves who would accept hugs from me and of course I also leapt into Thorin's arms, forgetting entirely about my aching shoulder. He cheered as well and spun me around through the air.

"They got the message! Bard must have gotten my message! Smaug is dead!" I cheered, my bad arm around his shoulder and my good arm up in the air in triumph.

Oin said excitedly, "Word will spread. Before long every soul in Middle-earth will know! The dragon is dead!"

"Let us return to Erebor," Thorin grinned. "We have much to celebrate!"

Thorin lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around him, and he used my back to close the door behind us. Our lips clashed together ravenously and heat erupted between us.

Bifur had sewn me up when we got back into Erebor while the others went to explore the areas they used to live. Thorin invited me to help me find a room to stay in on his way back to finding his own room, but I saw right through that. The two of us wandering the halls of empty rooms completely alone? I'm so sure he was only looking to make sure I found a room.

Thorin lifted me away from the door and carefully walked backwards. He stumbled a little over the corner of the fur rug and we both laughed as he tried to regain his balance. When we got to the edge of the bed I would have loved it if he threw me down but we both knew that would do more damage than good with my shoulder. Instead, he softly dropped me on my back which unfortunately caused a cloud of dust to puff off the sheets. I covered my face and coughed and laughed.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry Lydia," he said, unable to contain his own laughter as he helped me sit up in the bed.

"It's alright, we just need to shake out those blankets, I would help but-"

"Don't even worry about it."

I stood back up and looked around the room as Thorin took the sheets off the bed and worked on removing the dust out on the balcony. The walls were carved stone with the shapes that reminded me of his tattoos. The bed's wooden frame was huge to accommodate for the equally large bed. The room, besides the dust, looked like it was actively being lived in. I'm sure it was exactly how he left it, weapons scattered on the tables and floor, books opened by the chairs, candles half burned down. I could imagine a young Thorin being here, enjoying some down time when he got the news about Smaug attacking. Though his attention seemed to be entirely on me, I'm sure it was quite a trip to be back in his room again. I knew how I would feel to see my old room again.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed the back of my pointed ear. I smiled and leaned back into him.

"I still can't believe I'm here Lydia, and I can't thank you enough for being such a huge part of it. Now we just need to find the Arkenstone and then there will be no dispute as to who belongs on the throne."

I had nearly forgotten about the Arkenstone that was still in my pocket and my mind rushed, trying to decide whether to give it to him or not.

I turned around and put my good arm around him. "I don't think anyone would dispute it, with or without the stone."

"The heirloom is essential, but we don't need to talk about that right now." He leaned down and kissed me, putting his hands back into my hair. "We could, however, discuss the little declaration you made earlier."

It took me a moment to try and think of what he was referring to, but when I realized I felt all the blood leave the rest of my body and rush to my face, causing pressure to build in my head. He chuckled when he saw the look of horror cross my features.

"What's the matter?" he teased.

"Um…I uh probably shouldn't have said that, at that moment." I pulled away and wrung my wrists. "All I can say is that I didn't intend to say that."

"Oh I see, you didn't mean it."

"Thorin, please don't interpret my words that way! It's not that they aren't true one way or another, they were just extremely ill timed! I don't know if my subconscious just decided to say it because it might have been the last time we spoke to each other. A panic in case I died down among the gold. So…but…can we just forget that even happened and go back to enjoying the newness of all this without bringing love into it?"

"We can, but then you won't be able to know what my response would have been," he said, sitting down on the cleaned bed.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I assumed you would have said something like…" I cleared my throat and switched to doing a terrible impersonation of Thorin that was only deepening my voice and getting a serious look on my face. "Mahal Lydia, it's awfully weird for you to drop that on me, out of nowhere. We literally had sex one time so I'm not looking for that kind of relationship, you fucking kook."

He smirked at me amused. "I do not sound like that in the least, and I would never call you a 'fucking kook'."

"You sound exactly like that and you would have probably said something along those lines," I clarified.

"No I wouldn't have."

I moved forward and put my hands on his shoulders. "What would you have said then? Prove me wrong."

"Are you sure? There's no going back if we acknowledge that you proclaimed your love for me," he warned.

"I already said it, just tell me!"

He smiled up at me and then pulled my face down to his, slowing me down with a pleasant and deep kiss. "I would have kissed you like that and would have told you I felt the same exact way. I love you too."

My knees went weak and my heart softened. "You…I hope you know you don't need to say that if you don't mean it. I would rather you don't lie-"

"Lie? Lydia, you just found out we have mutual feelings for each other and your first thought is that I'm lying?"

"My first thought? No, no. My first thought was 'oh, if this is real Lydia you better not screw it up'. But then I panicked…so…you do actually-?"

"Yes, you Silly Hobbit! After everything we've been through on this insane journey, of course! Nothing I've experienced before has ever compared to how I feel about you." He wrapped his arms around my waist. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Easy for you to say, I said it first." I leaned down and kissed his forehead. We pulled each other in for the perfect hug, where we fit into each other like puzzle pieces.

I felt so comfortable in his arms, it felt warm and safe, but I knew I would feel even more at ease if I didn't have the Arkenstone in my pocket. I decided I wasn't sure about giving it to him yet because of what Smaug said, and it was entirely possible that he just said that to get in my head about it in case I did end up with it in my possession. But…that look in Thorin's eyes down in the treasury made me pause. I needed to learn more before I decided to give it to him, especially if it could ruin him like Smaug said. I can't finally have Thorin and lose him so quickly.

"Do me a favor, Love?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Close your eyes for a moment. I would like to take off a few layers but I'm still a bit…new to that."

"You don't need help? You know, because you're injured?"

"I will let you know," I chuckled. "Go on, close your eyes."

He leaned back on the bed and covered his face with his arms, giving me the privacy I asked for. I waited a moment to make sure he wasn't peaking before making my move to hide the stone. I felt a little guilty about it, but knew I just needed more time to decide what to do with it. There was no harm in that, right?

I took the Arkenstone out of my pocket and it glinted at me brightly. I tucked it behind the frame of the bed then untied the strings of my pants and my vest. My pants dropped and I shook off my vest until both were on the floor. My undershirt got to stay on because of course I couldn't take it off without wanting to rip my arm off at my busted shoulder.

The cold air made me shiver and I was keen to crawl into bed with Thorin so we could warm each other up. I knew once we were under those blankets and had our hands on each other it wouldn't take any time at all to heat up.

I laid down next to him and put my head on his chest. He wound his arm around me and pulled me close.

"Thorin, I love you."

"I love you too, Lydia."

I smiled to myself. That has to be the best sound in the entire world, I wanted to hear it on loop for the rest of my existence. It made me forget about the struggles that still lay ahead of us with the Arkenstone, fixing Erebor, discussing where our relationship could possibly go, and the million other things that loomed over us. All of it was a problem for the future. During that moment, all I needed to know was that we loved each other.

"You're not injured in any way are you?" I asked softly.

"Nothing outside of a couple burns."

"Good." I sat up and threw my leg over him so I was straddling his waist and hips. His hands went right to my thighs and were already traveling further up. "It's time to continue the celebration, don't you think King Under the Mountain?"

He made a sound similar to a pleased growl in his chest as he sat up, keeping me securely on his lap. "I can't think of a single thing I would love to do more."

I slowly eased against him, wary of my shoulder, and locked my lips with him so deeply that my head spun. My hands lingered under the edge of his shirt then went further up, across his muscles and to his chest. He did the same, running his warm hands up the soft skin of my back. Goosebumps rose on my skin and I gasped against his mouth, so eager to have more.

We enjoyed every inch of each other, indulging in the bliss of each other's bodies and company. It was very easy to forget about my shoulder and any other body pains when we were connected like that. I still couldn't believe how different it felt to be with Thorin instead of the people of my past. It just felt hot and intense, like lightning was rattling around my body. I hoped that I made him feel at least half as good as he made me, but of course as a man it was very clear when he was enjoying himself. He certainly seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit.

I had no concept of time while we pleasured each other. It could have been minutes, hours, or days. I wouldn't have known the difference. What I did know though was that once the both of us had our endings, we were very quick to crawl under the blankets and pass out in each other's arms. It was such a perfect evening and I looked forward to having many more of them.