The world is bathed in fire. Captured in it, tormented, broken down by it. It is the dragon. He is here. The dragon sees all, feels all, ceases all. He will not rest until this town is nothing but ashes floating on the cold lake. The unforgiving chill of the air from just yesterday is now just a memory, as the blistering heat all around you cracks your skin and dries out your eyes. The noise of celebration from the night before has long since given way to screams of terror and pain. For many of those fleeing the destruction, this is the end of the only home they have known, the final act of a tragedy long-since boiling in the rivers of gold within the Lonely Mountain beyond.
Erebor can no longer be seen from the waterways between the narrow, crooked houses of Laketown. Even its greatness is shrouded by the smoke and flames surrounding you. Your hands are sweaty, but you dare not remove your gloves, fearing you will burn your skin too easily. Behind you sits Bofur, Oin, and the three children of Bard the Bowman. Their father is nowhere to be seen, so the elf who saved Kili's and your lives determined to take them with you at the first sight of the dragon. Speaking of Kili, he is close to the elf, and you can quickly guess that if he were not focused on watching out for debris and fire that he would be holding her hand. The elf herself is poised at the prow of the little boat, steering you all toward the nearest exit to open water.
And Fili? He is right next to you, holding tight to your arm. It is still sore, but thanks to the elf's incredibly healing abilities, your wound has closed and is no longer a terrible pain. Your opposite hand rests on the hilt of your sword, for you have seen devastation like this before and know the violence that can arise in people out of desperation. You are not able to recall the feeling of a smile on your lips, the hug of your grandfather Balin, the touch of a summer breeze. The warmth of the fireplace last night as you fell asleep, curled up against Fili for the second time in two days, granted you a feeling of peace; now, these flames conjure up the contrast: fear.
You have thought about death enough to know you do not want to perish here. On a battlefield, or surrounded by your friends and family at an old age, those are the only ways you would be glad to die. Smoke from a particularly ravaged building has begun to sink in the air, down towards the waterway it sits next to, and as you head into the thick of it, you turn, warning everyone on the boat, especially the children, to cover their mouths with their shirts or other cloth. Fili has not let go of your arm. He provides you some small semblance of stability in this overwhelming chaos. You bite your lip as you look at him for just a moment, and even with a handkerchief over half his face, he is still the most attractive person you've known.
The elf- you don't remember her ever telling you her name, perhaps Kili will introduce you two if you ever make it out of here -turns the boat around a corner and you can see open water for just a moment. That is, until a barge, overflowing with gold and treasure, cuts off the path. Your expression turns from tense, poorly-disguised fear to outright disgust and anger as you lock eyes with the Master of Laketown, clutching a chest in his arms as he shouts hoarsely for the rowers to go faster.
"You wicked old pig!" you scream, dropping your scarf from over your mouth, your voice a little raspy from the smoke. The Master stares at you for a moment, clearly offended, and you grab a piece of debris that has landed in the boat, meaning to chuck it right at his miserable face. Fili grabs your wrist before you can throw it, however, and when you frown at him, he shakes his head. You can see in his eyes that as much as he despises the old fool, he wants you to let it go. So you drop the smoldering wood and clench your fist as you watch the barge pass by. Shouts from behind you just a moment later alert you to Bain, Bard's son, swinging off the boat and onto the docks. You reach for the lad but cannot catch him, your eyes wide with fear for his life.
"Go back!" you cry, pushing the arm of the elf, but she glances at you with a stiff gaze and you know she will not turn around. You sink back into the boat, stunned that you may have lost a child to the flames, and tug at your scarf, terribly anxious. The boy's sisters are weeping behind you as Bofur tries to reassure and comfort them, and you close your eyes, your head tilted up toward the ashen sky. A single breath in and out realigns your thoughts and you look back down, coughing into your shoulder. A spark lands on your nose and you quickly brush it off, but not before it leaves a mark of soot and a small burn.
Fili moves his hand on your arm just slightly and you realize you have waited too long. Your hesitation may have cost you (and him) even a short time of happiness together before your death. For this is the end- how could it not be? Every few minutes, you see the winged worm's scales glinting in the fire, his wings fanning the flames high into the night. Even with open water so close, just one more waterway to cross, you feel hopelessness fall upon you. Turning toward Fili, you meet his gaze for what you fear could be the last time.
And you pull him into a kiss.
It is brief, desperate, but pure, and you lean your forehead against his once you pull away. He did not return the kiss, but it was quick enough that you doubt he had time to process it. Your eyes are closed, but you can feel him lay his hand upon your cheek and you lean into his touch.
"I don't want to die without you knowing I love you."
His hand trembles and you bury your head in his shoulder, clinging to him for dear life. The horror around you echoes in the screams and sobs of terrified mothers, burning cousins, dying children. Not seeing the devastation around you does not make it any better. It is a nightmare you know will haunt you for the rest of your days if you survive it. Fili holds you just as tightly as you do, and you try to calm down to no avail. Water sloshes against the boat as it bumps into something, maybe a post from the docks, and the cold of it catches you off guard as a little wave slips over the side, chilling the right side of your leg.
You let go of Fili for just a moment, taking off the glove of your dominant hand to scoop some of the water up in your hand. It soothes the burn on your nose, as well as the dryness of your skin. Your lips are cracked and dry, but there's nothing you can do about that now. You already kissed him, one last grasp for happiness in this time of doom.
"Da!" one of the girls behind you cries, and instinctively, you turn around. You follow her gaze to see a lone bowman atop the last remaining tower in all the town. Your eyes widen- it is Bard, her father. He faces the dragon as it crawls toward him across the ruins of Esgaroth, bellowing the truth of his malevolent power for all to hear. He is unstoppable, and yet there the bowman stands with his son. Kili gives a shout- the boy is acting as the bow, he can see a black arrow poised atop his shoulders. You reach for the side of the boat, mesmerized, and Fili catches your arm before you accidentally topple off.
One shot is all it takes.
There is pain in the dragon's roar now; he howls and thrashes up into the air, but it is over. You can clearly see the arrow jutting from his chest. His massive body curves as he gives one last howl- and finally, he plummets.
"Brace yourselves!" you cry as the great beast, entirely defeated, falls swiftly toward the ruins below. You guess he will land on the other side of the smoldering town, but the wave the impact will cause may be enough to flip this little boat. A strangled cry reaches your ears through the sudden lapse in screams and you recognize the voice as the Master's. The sound of the dragon's body falling into his final berth resounds across the Long Lake and you tense yourself, holding to the seat of the boat. As expected, the waves from the crash rapidly approach the little boat, and you lower your head, bracing for impact.
The boat is pushed toward the shore by the wave, tilting dangerously far to the left, but thanks to your warning, everyone aboard is prepared to lean to the right as a counterbalance, and the vessel does not flip. A sigh of relief escapes you as the water begins to calm. The heat from the still-burning town mixes with the cold night air in a peculiar fashion and a shiver runs up your spine. Checking to see that everyone is alright, you notice the daughters of heroic Bard are shivering and do not hesitate to remove your coat and lay it over them. They do not thank you, but you can see their thoughts are occupied with worry for their father and brother, and so you understand.
The crunch of the boat against the pebble shore soon signals your arrival to safety as the sun starts to rise. It is the dawn of the first day free of Smaug's desolation, and you breathe in the crisp air with a growing sense of peace. There is still much to be done, but the greatest threat to all who live in and near the Lonely Mountain is finally dead. It is good to stand on solid shore once more, and your legs begin to shake as you look across the water to the majesty that is the Mountain. Are your companions alright? You are lucky to be standing here, you know, but what about your grandfather, your granduncle, Bilbo Baggins, Thorin, and everyone else who carried on the journey?
Arms wrap around you and you lean into their embrace, easily understanding the giver of the hug is Fili, though you aren't entirely sure how you could tell. He kisses the top of your head and you feel strength returning to your body. Your legs stop their shivering and you stand firm once more. He steps away after a minute to help struggling survivors get out of the cold water and onto the rocks beach, and as you join him, you feel a new sort of worry blooming in your heart. There is much that needs to be said between you two- does he feel the same? Hours pass and as the dawn becomes a clear morning, you congregate with Bofur and Oin, commandeer a sturdy boat, and make ready to set off for the Lonely Mountain.
Fili draws you aside before you can climb into the boat, and the soft smile on his face does little to ease your mind. He is going to kindly let you down, you guess, and your heart starts to sink- at least, until he kisses you. You return the embrace and cannot help but smile into it after a long moment, breaking the connection, and he holds you in a close, warm hug for a few seconds more until Oin shouts for you two to come along and get on the boat or they're leaving without you. You and Fili laugh quietly as he brushes a lock of your hair behind your ear quite lovingly, and you know your apprehension was all for nothing.
"I love you," he mutters, kissing your forehead, and you smile, taking his hand.
Your Current Impression Of Him (YCIOH): You feel more at peace now than you have for some time, though it is soon to fade as you travel into the shadow of the Mountain and is replaced by concern for your family and friends' wellbeing. Fili does not let go of your hand unless a bit of climbing necessitates it, and his presence, ever-comforting, calms you enough to recognize how truly happy you are now that you know he loves you in return.
His Current Impression Of You (HCIOY): The terror of today has given way to a mixture of delight and distress in his heart; the joy is, naturally, due to Smaug's death and your declaration of love, and the worry is the same as yours- is his uncle and the rest of the Company alright? Are they even alive? He isn't sure he's ready to take on the kingship of Erebor if the unthinkable has occurred, not to mention the crushing grief he is sure to feel if the five of you find your companions dead within the Mountain.
Up next: Confessions ~ Kili