The Lonely Mountain [1]

Orc Trouble

"Masterfully handled, sire. Your popularity has never been so high. The entire town twittering your name." Alfrid said as they walked.

"Yes, it was rather clever. Either our little friends return triumphant, in which case I stand to make a pretty penny. Or old Smaug dines on dwarf for a day or two. The important thing is they're off our hands." The master replied as he began to walk up to his front door.

"Please, wait! Please! We need your help, my brother is sick!" Fili called as they pushed through the line of guards so they were standing in front of the master.

"Sick?? Is it infectious? Get back! Alfrid, get them back!" The master said covering his mouth with his handkerchief.

"Please, we need medicine." Amara said walking towards the master.

"Do I look like an apothecary? Haven't we given you enough? The Master's a busy man. He hasn't got time to worry about sick dwarves. Be gone. Will you go on? Clear off!" Oin held Amara back as she went to lunge at Alfrid. The master and Alfrid jumped back and then hurried quickly inside.

"What this town needs, Alfrid is a good purge. Starting with a certain troublemaker who saw fit to question my authority." The master said as he disappeared through the door.

"What do we do now?" Bofur asked. They all looked at Amara. She knew where they had to go; she just wasn't looking forward to it.

They all stood outside Bard's house as Amara knocked on the door. Bard opened the door and his face hardened when he saw them there.

"No. I'm done with dwarves, go away!" Bard said as he tried to shut the door, but Amara was quicker and stopped him.

"No! No! No one will help us. Please, Kili's sick." Amara pleaded. She turned to look at Kili who was starting to look worse. "He's very sick." She said.

Bard reluctantly let them into his house and they placed Kili on one of the beds. He was screaming in agony, Amara hated seeing him like this, but she knew she couldn't go back to Mirkwood. Not only would she be thrown in the dungeon, she also had no time. Bofur filled a bowl with hot water before walking back over to where Oin and Fili were holding Kili down as Amara looked at his leg.

"Can you not do something?" Bofur asked.

"I need herbs, something to bring down his fever and stop the poison." Amara said.

"We have nightshade, feverfew..." Bard said looking through bags of different remedies.

"They're no use to me; he was shot with a Morgul shaft. Do you have any Athelas?" Amara asked. "Kingsfoil?" She clarified.

"No, it's a weed. We feed it to the pigs." Bard told her.

"Pigs?" Bofur muttered as he got an idea. "Weed? Right." He turned and pointed at Kili. "Don't move." Bofur said as Amara looked at him as he ran out. Where did he think they were going?

A while later Bofur still hadn't returned when something happened that shook Fili, Amara, and Oin and if he had been well, would have shaken Kili. The whole house and ground shook as tremors reached them from the mountain.

Amara froze before rushing to the window.

"Da?" Sigrid asked looking terrified.

"It's coming from the mountain." Bain said.

Amara took a shaky breath to compose herself before walking over to Bard. "You should leave us. Take your children and get out of here." Amara said looking at where Kili was laid before looking back to Bard.

"And go where? There is nowhere to go." Bard told her.

"Are we going to die, Da?" Tilda asked.

Bard glanced at Amara who shook her head.

"No, darling." Bard said.

"The dragon, it's going to kill us." Tilda said fretfully.

Bard hesitated a moment before he reached up and pulled the last black arrow of Girion out of some netting.

"Not if I kill it first." He said to them.

"A black arrow." Amara said in disbelief. She caught his arm as he went to leave. "How are you going to get to the Wind Lance?" She asked. "The Master's looking for you."

He pulled her outside. "I'll figure out a way to get to the Wind Lance, just please look after Sigrid and Tilda." Amara nodded. They walked back inside and Bard grabbed his coat and told Bain to follow him.

"Bard!" Amara called and he turned to look at her. "If you get a clear shot, do not miss."

"I won't." He looked at her once more before he and Bain walked off.

What Amara and the others didn't know was that Gandalf had travelled to Dol Guldur and had been captured by Azog who was preparing an army; an orc pack, led by Bolg, was silently making their way through Lake Town; and that Bilbo had indeed woken Smaug and was stalling for time as Smaug twisted his way through the halls of Erebor.

Bain returned to the house a little while later as Bofur found the Kingsfoil and was making his way back to Bard's house. The only problem was that the orcs were following him.

"Da? Is that you, Da?" Sigrid asked as she walked outside after hearing a noise.

She was completely oblivious to the orcs that had surrounded the house. As she turned to walk inside an orc dropped from the roof in front of her. She screamed and tried to shut the door, however the orc shoved its sword through to keep it open. Amara and Fili looked up and went to help. Bofur heard Sigrid scream and was also ambushed by an orc and he dropped the Kingsfoil. Orcs began to crash into the house and the dwarves threw pots and pans while the one at the door got in and went for Sigrid. She rolled out of the table as they all began to fight. Amara stood over Kili protecting him from any orcs as he couldn't protect himself.

Suddenly, Tauriel appeared at the door and joined the fray. Legolas was not far behind as he shot the orc that was attacking Bofur before jumping through the roof. He immediately looked around for Amara. He spotted her stood over Kili and fought his way over to her. They locked eyes, but before he could reach her Bolg came through the wall behind her and pulled her out of the house.

"Amara!" Legolas screamed as he tried to get to her but two more orcs cut him off.

As she fell from the house to the floor below, she dropped both her knives onto the bed where Kili was lying. Bolg turned them mid-air so he landed on top of her, winding her. Amara was in pain as she tried to get up but Bolg hit her on the head, disorientating her. She swung at him her fist but it did no damage. He slammed her head into a post and she lost consciousness. He took his chance and bound her hands and feet before tying her onto his warg. As one of the others told Bolg that Thorin was gone he told them all to fall back and regroup at the bridge.

"You killed them all." Bain said to Legolas.

"There are others. Tauriel, come. They have Amara." He didn't wait for a reply before he sprinted out the door after the orcs, his father's warning on his mind.

Tauriel hesitated; she didn't want to leave Kili in so much pain.

"We're losing him!" Oin said looking at Tauriel. She went to go after Legolas but stopped and looked back as Kili cried out in pain.

Legolas carried on running killing any orcs that he came across.

Tauriel went to leave but as she turned she ran into Bofur who had the Kingsfoil.

"Athelas." She said taking the plant from Bofur who looked scared. "Athelas." She said again looking back at Kili.

"What are you doing?" Bofur asked.

"I'm going to save him." She replied.