The Half Breed Ranger

Chapter 28: The Burning City

" Smaug is coming," Amanda said with slight fear in her voice. She knew what it was like going up against a dragon. But with no warriors to defend the village, they were doomed to fail.

"What are we going to do?" Bofur asked with fear in his voice. 

"Good question," Amanda said, "But what I do know is that we have to leave, now," Amanda told them while looking at Bard's children. "Grab your things and stay close, trust me."

"Right," Bain said before gathering a couple of rags and stuffing them into a bag. Amanda rushed over to the door and opened it, she looked out and towards the mountain. She could see the dragon flying towards the town. It was getting closer, too close. 

"What are you planning," Legolas asked as he looked out from behind her. 

"Smaug will be here in less than a few minutes. I must get the children to safety that is my first priority. Then I go to the mountain, and hopefully, the other half of the company are well"

"Tauriel, take the children and the dwarves. Head downstream. Legolas, can I trust you with the orcs?" Amanda asked him as he just nodded with a side smirk.

"With pleasure." He growled as he tossed his bow from his right hand to his left before rolling his shoulders. 

"Where are you going?" Fili asked, 

"There is a Bard that needs rescuing." She answered him before pulling out her sword. Kili had not heard this conversation as he was too busy helping the children load the boat with essentials. It wasn't until he noticed that Amanda had started to head the other way from the boat.

"Where is she going, why is she not coming with us?" Kili started to panic and he tried to go with her only to be stopped by Fili. 

"It's better you stay here. You know she's better off by herself." Fili told him as he dragged Kili to the boat where the children and Tauriel had just sat down in. 

Amanda ran over the wooden docks over the lake, Smaug had already begun to burn down the city of wood. She dodged falling fire and panicked townsfolk as she runs towards the jail that Bard was stuck in. Only to find the wall of the cell ripped off and scattered in pieces. It was the sound of an arrow ripping through the air that pulls her attention to the bell tower of a nearby building. Bard stood there with a bow fire arrows at Smaug with didn't even tickle him. Smaug flew past him very close, causing Bard to fall over with the sheer force of the air moving around him. 

"Bard!" Amanda yelled and she jumped from dock to dock before running up the stairs to the bell tower. Just as she made it to the top of the stairs she noticed Bain had appeared and was handing over the black arrow to Bard. "You go back!" Bard told Bain just before Bain yelled out in fear. All of a sudden the tower was smashed into by Smaug, causing the whole thing to crumble.  "Bain! Bard!" Amanda yelled as she jumped to the side to avoid falling wood. Amanda climbed the rubble to reach the top to find Bard just rolling over to his front. 

"Amanda!" Bard asked surprised to see her. 

"Da!" Bain yelled causing Amanda and Bain to turn their heads. All they could see was a hand hanging onto the edge of the bell tower. Amanda rushed over and grabbed ahold of his hand before pulling him up. Bain now lay on the floor frozen solid holding the black arrow to his chest. Bard grabbed the arrow and looked to Smaug who had now landed on the burning city.

"Who are you that would stand against me?" Smaug asked as he stepped closer to the bell tower. Bard reached down to grab his bow only to find it in two pieces, his heart dropped. " Now that is a pity. What will you do now, bowman? You are forsaken. No help will come."

Amanda rushed forward and grabbed the bow from his hand. She pushed one side of the bow into the bell tower along with the other half onto the other side of the tower. She hooked on the string to the bows before grabbing the black arrow and notching it in place on the string. She placed the arrow onto her shoulder before Bard grabbed the string and pulled it back. Amanda took in a deep breath.

" Aim true," Amanda told him as sweat dripped down her forehead from the heat of the fire. Paired with dried blood and charcoal.  

"Tell me, wretch, how now shall you challenge me?" Smaug asked as he continued to walk closer, crushing buildings as he went. It was then Bard saw the missing scale and his face lit up in a smile. "You have nothing left but your death!" 

"You see it. You see your target. Take a breath and aim straight." Amanda softly spoke to him keeping as calm as she could. 

"A little left," Bard instructed Amanda as she moved to her left. Bard pulled the arrow back more to give it more power before releasing it. The feathers sliced a shallow cut into Amanda's neck as it was sent flying through the air to hit its target. Bard turned around and grabbed Bain as Smaug roared in pain, Smaug flew into the bell tower causing it to completely crumble. The three fell straight for the water. Bard held tightly to Bain while Amanda jumped just before hitting the water to dampen the impact. 

Amanda swam back up to the surface of the water to see Smaug rise into the sky before stopping his ascent. The orange glow that once shone deadly from Smaug dulled until it was no more and he fell. Once he hit the water the wave rippled through the town, and all went quiet. Bard and Bain resurfaced not five meters away from Amanda.

"You got him, Smaug is dead," Amanda told him before they all swam over to the dock to climb up onto. Amanda, Bard and Bain lay on the dock looking to the sky huffing and puffing. Finally resting as it was now over. "Come on, you have other children to find," Amanda told Bard as she stood up and moved to help Bain to his feet while Bard stood himself up. 

"Thank you, for what you did back there," Bard said as Amanda just smiled and nodded at him. They then began to make their way out of the burning city.