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After throwing my belongings to the floor, I grabbed an old cloth and drenched it with cold water. I squeezed out the excess liquid and draped it across Kili's face. I cupped my hand around his face, which was hot from the fever. "You'll be okay. Your stubbornness has not yet been bested," I laughed while holding back sobs, trying to lighten his mood. "Like someone once told me, only a minor delay... a setback."
He gave me a faint smile, which helped me relax. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. I leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Bofur will be back soon enough and then we'll get you all fixed up, I promise."
He nodded his head in understanding. All of a sudden, his grip on my hand grew tighter and tighter. He let out an awful scream that roared through the house. I jumped to my feet, trying to hold his body down to the table, but it was no use. He tore his hand from mine and held his leg. He leaned forward to try to look upon the wound, but every movement inflicted a stabbing pain through his leg. He thrashed himself back down, slamming his back on the table.
"It's getting worse!" He cried. "I can hardly handle it!"
"Oin you have to do something!" Fili shouted.
Oin began to command Bard's daughters in the kitchen. The terrified little girls helped him put together a solution that could temporarily help with the pain. I carefully dug my hands into the hole in Kili's pants to rip the fabric, making to easier for Oin to work around. He hurried over and dabbed the solution over the wound. "Where could Bofur possibly be?" He grumbled. "Girls! Fili! Hold him down!"
We each found a limb to press our weight to keep him from thrashing uncontrollably. Below me, the ground shook. The entire house rattled as dishes crashed from the shelves. We all grabbed a hold of something to steady ourselves.
"It's coming from the mountain," Bain mumbled.
Fili looked to Bard. "You should leave us. Take your children and get out of here."
"And go where? There's nowhere to go," he responded hopelessly.
Tilda slowly approached her father, fear overflowed her expressions. "Da? Are we going to die?"
Bard knelt down to eye level with Tilda. He cupped her head in his hands. "No, darling."
"The dragon.... it's going to kill us," she squeaked.
Bard looked away for a moment, scanning the room, trying to come up with what to tell his daughter. His eyes suddenly widened. He stood up and walked to a wall. He ripped a rod that held pots and pans off its holdings. He brought it down, letting the end rest on the wooden floor. At the top, metal twisted to a point. My eyes followed the length of the tall, sturdy rod. I then realized that it was no rod, it was the black arrow, the only left to kill Smaug. He studied the arrow, letting the strong steel glide through his fingers. He took a better hold of it and started to the door. "Not if I kill it first."
