38

"An unspeakable horror." Talia was the first to answer Bilbo after a long, pregnant pause. She knew of the havoc this dragon would wreak. It had taken her home, her mother, nearly her own life from her. And as she watched Smaug soar off into the distance, she knew she could not bear to watch that same chaos occur again; not when she could do something about it.

"What are you doing?" Fili asked, watching her unsheathe her sword.

"Going to Lake-Town. He surely ingested some gold during his fall; it will slow his descent. I'll have enough time to get there."

"And what on earth do you plan on doing once you do?" Dwalin asked, ever the voice of reason. "Talia, you cannot kill a dragon with one blade."

"I can try." She retorted, looking amongst her Company. "I do not ask any of you to follow me, for I know what you set out to do is done. The mountain is won; we have reclaimed our homeland. But this fight," She said, pointing her sword to the town, "Is about theirs. I know the pain of dragon fire much too well, and I cannot bear to allow another people to experience it."

"We saw the Wind-Lace, Talia." Balin interjected, stepping forward. "Surely there is an archer capable of slaying such a beast."

"What if he fails? If there is one thing I learned from all of my years in Dol Guldur, it is that Smaug the Terrible cannot live. I am sure of it."

Talia stood, breathing heavily from the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She smiled as Fili and Kili walked to stand alongside her, nodding to their aunt. Dwalin and Balin stayed back with the others, which she respected all the same. Knowing there was no time for more discussion, she broke off into a run after the dragon with her nephews in tow. The city was not yet in flames, but they all knew that the desolation of Smaug would soon begin.

The remaining members of the Company could only watch them go, knowing they had to stay with their other leader. Then, the thought dawned upon them—why had Thorin remained silent? Why hadn't he gone with them, or at least entertained an opposing argument?

As soon as they turned to him, they knew. Thorin's gaze was no longer fixated on the dragon. Instead, from his perch a little ways off from the Company, his eyes were narrowed on the front gate of the mountain. He was so deep in thought that he had missed the departure of his wife and nephews, who were running towards a city that was surely lost. What could be more important than them?

Balin and Dwalin exchanged a look. It was as Beorn had said—dwarves were greedy. Except they both knew that this was no ordinary greed that Thorin had succumbed to, for he was above that. His mind was beginning to conjure a fierce lust for gold, one that would consume him just as it had his grandfather. They had both seen what had become of Thror.

They could only hope that the dragon sickness would not take Thorin too.

...

Talia, Fili, and Kili skidded to a halt on one of the boardwalks, surveying their surroundings. By the time they had reached Lake-Town, Smaug's wrath had long begun. People raced around, screaming and helpless. Some managed to huddle with their children on barges, hauling their families to the shore for safety. Others were not so lucky; bodies fell into the frigid water, burned beyond repair. The buildings roared with the heat, crumbling into ash as the flame continued to spread. The wooden town was almost completely overtaken by dragon fire, and the dwarves knew that their plan wasn't going to protect all the Lakemen. Still, they would be damned if they didn't try, even if it only saved one.

Before the trio could react to anything else, the cries of children caught their attention. Something about their voices was familiar. "Da! Da!"

Then, Bard's children rounded the corner, accompanied by a She-Elf that guided their boat along. Their eyes widened in recognition at the dwarves, but Kili was not enthralled with the children.

"Tauriel?"

She opened her mouth to respond, breathless, but not before another structure came crashing down behind them. The reverberation shook both the boat and the boardwalk, causing all of them to look up at the source. The building adjacent to the bell tower had fallen, but Talia was not interested in the destruction. Instead, her eye fell to the remaining edifice, seeing what the siblings had been screaming at.

Bard stood at the top of the bell tower, armed with his bow and arrow. He fired shot after shot at the dragon, each bouncing right off his scales. He needed a Black Arrow to succeed, and with none in sight, all the spectators below knew he would fail.

"Those arrows cannot pierce it's hide. I fear nothing will." Tauriel observed, her warm brown eyes succumbing to the coldness of defeat.

However, Bain had faith in his father, for he would be the one to help him. Reaching out desperately, he grabbed a hook hanging from the docks and swung off the barge, ignoring the wails of his sisters behind him. He raced towards Talia and the nephews, leaping over the surrounding rubble to get to them.

"Leave him! We cannot go back."

"Tauriel, wait!" Talia cried after her, halting their barge. "Fili, Kili, accompany them on land. See to it that they have safe passage to shore; Bard will not suffer the loss of his daughters, not after all he has done. Help anyone you can along the way."

"What about you?" Fili asked, looking to his aunt worriedly.

"I will help Bain, and do what I set out to do." She responded just as the boy arrived. "We're gonna kill that dragon."

After one more glance in her direction, Tauriel turned away without another word. The She-Elf knew she would see it done, for Talia was a woman of her word. Right now, her duty was to the children, and her heart was to one of the dwarves that would accompany them. She would not leave them, not now.

"Go." Talia whispered, sending her nephews running off into the fray. She sighed heavily, hoping they would be alright. But she had no time to dwell on such thoughts, and so she turned to Bain, who huffed and puffed at her side. "You know where it is?"

"Yes."

"Show me."

So Talia let the boy lead her back to Bard's home, allowing him to grab the Black Arrow as she defended him from harm. That part of town was not yet on fire, and Orcs still scavenged the docks for any sign of the Company. Talia grinned as she gutted her enemies; she was sure that now they were looking for a way out, not a way to kill her kin.

Finally, Talia and Bain reached the bell tower, gasping in horror. Since they had last seen it, half of the structure had been knocked down and had joined the ruin below. But Bard still stood tall at the top of the tower, firing his last arrow at Smaug. The pair sighed in relief while he sighed in dismay. He was sure nothing could kill the dragon now.

"Come on." Talia urged Bain up the wreckage of the steps, helping him from behind.

Then, the pair reached the boy's father. "Dad!"

"Bain!" Bard yelled, his eyes wide in fear for his son. "What are you doing? Why didn't you leave? You were supposed to leave!"

"I came to help you."

"No! Nothing can stop it now."

"This might." Bain held up the Black Arrow as Talia appeared beside him, her face set in determination.

Bard accepted the arrow. Though he was furious that he hadn't escaped, he felt a slight pride in his son that brought him hope. "Bain, you go back. You get out of here now." Then, he turned to Talia, narrowing his eyes at her. "You said you would kill the dragon. Now you bring my son into this ruin?!"

"I said I would do everything in my power to try, and that is why I am here." Talia fired back. She understood his anger, but it was unwarranted and would get them nowhere. "Bain helped me get the arrow to you." She turned to the boy in question, grabbing his arm and making him look at her. "Do as your father says and leave. Now."

But before anyone could move, another being's eye caught on the Black Arrow. Smaug changed his course, doubling back and landing on the burning buildings below. Though he was impervious to his flame, the wood was not—it crumbled and moaned under the force the heat and the added weight posed.

"Who are you that would stand against me?"

Talia watched as his eye fell to Bard, narrowing in amusement and slight fear. Still, she would not allow Smaug to kill any other on the dwarves' behalf. This was their mess, and they would be the ones to finish it.

She leapt from the tower and rolled onto the building in front of it, gripping the shingles of the roof as she pulled herself to stand. Smaug laughed at her dramatics, a smile forming on his malicious lips.

"I should've known it would be you, Talia. No other member of that selfish, despicable race has the courage to do so. But the line between courage and stupidity is thin, my dear."

"Those dwarves are just as proud as I. Must I remind you again, worm?"

Smaug ignored the insult, continuing to prowl towards her as he crushed building after building in his wake. "I think not. They cannot be, for you and the dwarves are not one. You are different from them, Talia. You know of what I speak."

Talia rolled her eyes, motioning behind her back to Bard and Bain. Seeing the signal, the former understood what she was doing. She was buying them time by facing off with the devil, all so that they could prepare the Black Arrow to kill him.

"Really? Humor me."

"Only the foolishness of Men would cause one to act so irrationally." Smaug crept closer, revealing his damaged eye. "Just as irrationally as you did that day. The difference between Men and Dwarves, you see, is that foolishness. Yet every time you face me, I see no such difference in you... I am sure your father would agree."

Talia's gaze snapped from her dagger to his good eye. "What?"

"Do you think me blind, girl?!" He growled. He was so close that if Talia was quick enough, she could retrieve her dagger after over a century of waiting. "The stench of your impurity haunts me to this very day! You are worse than any Dwarf—you are a Half-Blood!"

"Yet I still carry more honor in one finger than you will ever earn!" Talia snarled. She was eye to eye with the beast now, her green irises meeting those of fire. "You, Smaug the Terrible, are worthless."

But Smaug's grin only spread. He pulled back, standing up tall and looming over her.

"And you are nothing."

Then, the dragon's gaze turned from Talia to Bard, who found his bow broken and ineffective. He could only laugh at the misfortune of those who attempted to stand up to him, for any effort was folly.

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

Talia looked over her shoulder to see Bard stab each piece of his bow into the wall, stringing the Black Arrow through the taut cord. He would make do with his surroundings, for he had always been a resourceful man.

Smaug paid this no mind, humming in amusement. "Is that your child?"

Talia fully turned to the family in the bell tower, knowing what he was going to do to them. Bain's back was to her, but she could still see him shaking.

"You cannot save him from the fire. He will burn!"

Bard ignored the dragon, aiming the Black Arrow while it balanced on Bain's shoulder. "Stay still, son. Stay still."

"Tell me, wretch. How now shall you challenge me?"

Bard grinned to himself as he noticed Smaug's heart. Looking to Talia, he motioned her out of the way. She dropped out of his vision, leaving unseen and unheard by the dragon.

"You have nothing left but your death!"

When his son's gaze tilted to the dragon roaring behind them, he willed his voice to be steady. "Bain. Look at me. You look at me. A little to your left... That's it."

But before Bard could satisfy his aim, a rumble beneath the tower caused him to release the arrow too early. Smaug raced towards them, the shaft moving too fast for him to see. Yet, as Bard steadied himself and his son on the guardrail, he knew it didn't matter. Their chance was ruined, and the town was lost. He had failed.

Then, the impossible happened.

Talia roared as she pulled her dagger up and through scar tissue, causing Smaug to scream at the blinding pain in his eye. Bard's jaw dropped as she dragged him up and into the sky, forcing him to expose the one area that could fatally injure him. She was literally riding a dragon to make up for Bard's mistake. He had never venerated her titles as much as in that moment, for he truly understood why she was so deserving of them.

With the help of the Butcher of Beasts, the bowman's aim rendered true. The Black Arrow embedded itself into Smaug's flesh, where one loose scale had fallen from long ago. Smaug's eye widened in pain as he bellowed louder than ever before, crashing directly into the bell tower that held Bard and Bain. They cried out in fear as the wood shook, splintering and breaking apart underneath them. "Bain! Hold on!"

But they were the least of the dragon's worries. "You..." He began, gasping as Talia held onto her dagger for dear life. Together, they flew through the air, uncontrollably and without direction. "YOU WILL PAY!"

She could only smile sadly, wrenching her dagger free. "I already have."

Smaug slammed into the building behind the bell tower, sending Talia flying off at breakneck speed. She crashed into another house with such force that the roof caved in upon her impact, sending her body tumbling into the depths below. Bard and Bain watched as she fell through the wood and into the fire, helpless from their position. Blood pooled from her head as her eyes fluttered closed, as red as the rubies in the hilt of her dagger.

Still, the dragon continued to scream in pain, flying up and into the sky to escape his demise. He was clawing for air as if he were drowning, begging for respite. Yet he knew that nothing would save him now, even as his wings brushed against the clouds. The light left his eye as his body gave in, taking his final breath. Then, he fell through the air and onto the town below with a BOOM. He had succumbed to what he claimed he was himself—death.

Smaug the Terrible was dead.

Without wasting a moment, Bard rushed from the bell tower, pulling his son along desperately. They bounded over barge after barge to reach her, racing along the docks without any remorse. Nothing tied them to their burning city but this woman, who had risked everything to save it.

Finally, they reached the house, skidding to a halt before the burning building. Then, through a blackened, soot-caked window, they saw her.

"Rue? Rue, come on!" Bard shook her shoulders harshly, allowing Bain to move past him and cradle her head. She did not move, but Bard would've been shocked if she had. The blood surrounding her gave him all the reason to render her unresponsive, even dead. But when Bard held his hand above her mouth, he felt a slight puff of air, fainter than the color in his son's cheeks. Though no logic of the situation could explain it, she was alive.

"Da, we must carry her to shore!"

Bard nodded, helping Bain move her into his arms. "Give me a cloth."

The boy ripped off a part of his sleeve and passed it to his father, who pressed it to the back of her head with one arm and supported her waist with the other. With her cradled into his father's chest in such a way, Bain almost mistook her for Tilda, fast asleep instead of greatly injured.

"Come on." Bard urged them out of the house, clambering onto the nearest barge he could find. Bain took Talia from his father as he rowed them to shore, holding the cloth to her head and keeping her close. There was no telling if they could escape the city, but they would have to try.

If not for their sake, then for hers.

...

"Da! Da!"

Talia shot up at the sound, but it cost her pain of her own. She moaned as she was forced back into bed, meeting the eyes of a woman no older than Sigrid.

"Goodness, dear, you must rest! We didn't know if you would ever wake."

"How long have I been out?"

"Well, Bard brought you here only a day ago. It can't have been longer than that."

"Bard." Talia gasped, swinging over the bed and biting back her cries of pain. "I must go."

"Wait, my Lady! You are not fully healed!"

But Talia ignored the healer's yells, pushing through the tent and meeting the brisk, chilled air. She realized that she was now on shore, which had become a source of refuge away from the dragon. But the place was far from a joyous sight, for it was enveloped in chaos. The people of Lake-Town were in complete disarray, screaming and crying as they searched for their loved ones. Some cradled those that were now just bodies; others wandered aimlessly around the camp, abandoned by the dead and left behind to live. The only semblance of shelter aside from the healer's tent were little bundles of blankets and sticks, accompanied by the empty eyes that peered out from inside them. Talia wished never to relieve such a sight, even in her dreams, for seeing the aftermath of Smaug's attack was twice as jarring the second time.

Then, her focus returned to the cries of help that had awoken her. She walked through the masses with a limp in her step, ignoring the pain shooting through her arm and head as she went. She needed to find this girl, for she felt some connection to her.

Once she pushed through the crowd, she saw her. Sigrid and Tilda embraced their father and brother, crying happy tears as they were reunited once more. Bard held all three of his children, letting out a shaky sigh of relief. He had never been more grateful for anything in his life than them.

Before Bard could say anything more, his gaze fell on Talia. Her face was covered in gashes and bruises, long from healed. One of her eyes was slightly swollen, and her arm hung at an odd angle. She dragged her foot behind her as she paused before the family, relieved to see anyone that she recognized.

Tilda was the first to greet her. The girl enveloped her into a strong hug, which Talia gladly returned. "You saved us."

"Thank you." Sigrid said, kneeling beside her sister.

"Don't thank me." Talia whispered, shaking her head at the chaos around her. "Please."

"Rue." Bard began, taking her hand gently. "Have you found the others?"

It was only then that Talia remembered her nephews. "No. Where is Tauriel? Wasn't she with you?" She asked, looking to Sigrid. If she knew anything about the She-Elf, she would've stayed with Kili and Fili after helping Bard's daughters.

"She's by the shore." Sigrid pointed. Immediately, Talia saw her flaming red hair.

"Thank you." Talia said, looking back to her father. "Bard, these people need leadership. They look up to you. If anyone can unite them after this mess, it is you."

Bard nodded in understanding, but that was not his current concern. "Will you be alright?" He said, scanning over her wounds. Though they were very distantly related, the bowman and his kin were truly beginning to feel like family to Talia.

"I'm fine." She smiled, tilting her head at his concern. "Don't worry about me."

"Says the woman who rode a dragon." Bain retorted, passing her a bundle as she snorted. "Provisions, for your journey home."

Talia nodded her thanks to the boy, gripping his shoulder tightly before meeting Bard's eyes. "If there is anything I can do to help, do not hesitate to ask. I know the wrath of dragon fire better than most."

She knew it was an unnecessary formality, but Bard still appreciated the gesture. "Go to your kin, Rue. Go home."

She nodded, taking her leave of Bard and the children. Wandering in the direction Sigrid had pointed her to, she finally saw her nephews beside the red-haired She-Elf. They were preparing to board a small barge, discussing some logistics before leaving the ruined shore behind.

"We didn't find her anywhere. I'm sorry."

"Then let us search! She must still be alive; she must!"

"Fili—"

"No, brother! I am not leaving her!"

"This better not be about me." Talia grinned, causing the three of them to turn around.

"Auntie!" The brothers cried, rushing into her arms and burying their heads in her neck. She held them close, closing her eyes in relief as she muffled her sobs in their hair. These boys were practically her sons, plain as day. Even Tauriel, who had not known them long, could see that.

Once Talia released them from her embrace, Tauriel began to leave, feeling out of place. But before she could turn away, Kili grabbed her hand. She let him pull her in, unable to deny the shivers his touch sent down her spine. "Tauriel."

In the meantime, Talia and Fili had taken to loading the barge. As he helped his aunt board, Fili looked up to see his brother still on shore. "Kili, come on. We're leaving."

His words earned a smack from Talia as she gestured to the pair. Even in her weakened state, she would defend her nephew's right to a goodbye with the woman he loved. "Hush, Fili!"

But Tauriel ignored Talia's subtle encouragement. "They are your people. You must go." She turned, forcing her emotions down her throat as she started to walk away.

"Come with me." Kili offered, stopping her in her tracks. "I know how I feel, and I'm not afraid. You make me feel alive."

Tauriel looked down at him, war waging in her beautiful brown eyes. She wanted so desperately to go, to abandon the life of servitude that held her captive. But she knew her duty to her people, just as he did. They came first; it didn't matter what she wanted.

"No, I can't—"

"Tauriel. Amrâlimê."

Talia's heart ached as she and Fili watched the scene before them. He had called her something so precious that they understood how serious their relationship was. Yes, it was unlikely, but their love was a force to be reckoned with—even a fool could see that.

"I don't know what that means."

"I think you do." Kili grinned at her expression. He held out his Rune Stone, the stone that he had showed her when they first met, and folded it into her palm. "Keep it. As a promise."

He held her hand against his chest for a moment, dropping it with difficulty as he trudged back to the boat. Tauriel opened her palm, gasping at what he had given her. Tears stemmed in her eyes at his sentiment, and she realized how much she would miss him.

Upon Kili's arrival, the trio took their leave of the Lakemen. "You did the right thing." Talia said, rubbing his back comfortingly in the boat.

Kili could only stare after her. "I hope so." He whispered, watching her smile grow farther and farther away as they journeyed on.