Once the barge left the town, I heard Bofur's voice. ""Wait!"
I looked over to see Bofur on the edge of the docks, wearing a devastated look. "No!"
"Bofur?" I asked.
He then whipped around and smiled upon seeing us. "Did you miss the boat as well?"
Before any of us could answer, Fili's voice filled with worry, caused me to look at him."Kili? Kili!"
I then looked over to see Kili was close to passing out. His face was as pale as a ghost. We then all helped him, asking for help. Everyone in town shut us out. So we tried one last place...Bard's.
However once Bard opened the door and saw us, he grew angry. "No. I'm done with dwarves, go away!"
"No! No!" Bofur cried.
"Please Kili's very sick." Fili begged.
"Please Bard, no one else will help us. They casted us away." I chimed in. "Please, I know you're a good man."
Bard hesitated for a moment before sighing, opening his door for us to enter. I wore a relieved smile as we entered. "Thank you, Bard."
***
Poor Kili was in pain, groaning and yelling on a small wooden bed. We needed to help him, but in order to do that we needed herbs. Bofur then turned towards Óin. "Can you not do something?"
"He's been in pain for far too long." I chimed in.
"I need herbs, something to bring down his fever." Óin explained.
"We have nightshade, feverfew..." Bard replied.
Óin shook his head. "They're no use to me. Do you have any Kingsfoil?"
"No, it's a weed. We feed it to the pigs." Bard said.
"Pigs?" Bofur repeated. Then he seemed to have hatched an idea. "Weed? Right...Don't move."
I rolled my eyes. "Really Bofur? Out of all the things you could've said..."
Bofur then took off, ignoring my comment. We remained by Kili's side as he continued to scream in pain. All of the sudden, the house shook rather violently. Sigrid then turned towards her father with a worried look. "Da?"
"It's coming from the mountain." Bain commented.
"You should leave us. Take your children and get out of here." Fili suggested.
"And go where?" Bard questioned. "There is nowhere to go."
"Are we going to die, da?" Tilda asked with a frightened look.
My chest tightened upon seeing her with such a terrified look. Bard's face softened as he turned towards his youngest daughter. "No, darling."
"The dragon, it's going to kill us."
That's when Bard pulled out a black arrow. I gasped. So it is true, Girion's his ancestor.
"Not if I kill it first." Bard said in a determined tone. "Bain, come with me."
"Don't worry, Bard. We'll watch over Sigrid and Tilda. We'll take good care of them." I assured him.
Bard wore a grateful smile. "Thank you, Aurelia."
With that Bard and Bain left the house. We then awaited for Bofur to return with the Kingsfoil, which took a very long while. Even Bain returned before Bofur did.
"What's taking Bofur so long?" I asked. "There's pigs literally everywhere in this town."
"He should be here soon." Sigrid commented as she walked over towards the door. "I'll check."
She walked outside, but it didn't last long as I heard her screaming a few moments later. I immediately rushed over to find her trying to close the door on a vicious looking orc. I quickly pushed her behind me. "Go and hide under the table with your siblings."
She nodded before rushing back. I quickly pulled out a dagger, killing it in one swift movement. However more and more began to show up. Sigrid pulled Tilda down with her underneath the table, while Fili tackled a orc. Bain and Óin used plates and anything else they could find to use against the orcs. It was then when both Tauriel and Legolas arrived, entering through through the broken roof. Legolas, Tauriel, Peepicheek, and I quickly killed all the orcs. Once they were all dead, Legolas stood at the door.
"You killed them all." Bain said in awe.
"It's good to see you alive and well, Aurelia." Legolas said upon seeing me.
"You too." I replied.
Legolas then turned towards Tauriel. "There are others. Tauriel, come."
I looked over to see Tauriel hesitating when she saw Kili on the floor, groaning in pain.
"We're losing him." Óin informed her as he stood alongside Kili.
"Tauriel." Legolas began. "Come."
Legolas then stormed off to chase the other orcs that managed to escape. I could tell that she was torn in deciding what she should do. I knew that look...I knew it all too well. It's the same look I have given Fili all this time but refuse to believe. It was around this time that Bofur finally arrived with the Kingsfoil. Tauriel's expression softened as she took the Kingsfoil from Bofur.
"Athelas." She whispered.
"What are you doing?" Bofur asked rather confused.
"I'm going to save him." Tauriel explained.
Fili, Bofur, Óin, and I lifted up Kili and carried him towards the table, and laid him in top. Tauriel prepared the Kingsfoil in a bowl that Sigrid held.
"Hold him down." Tauriel ordered as she moved over towards the table.
Once she applied the Kingsfoil in her hands, she began to recite a healing elf incantation. Tauriel then applyed the Kingsfoil to Kili's wound. Kili then screamed out in pain, but Sigrid, me and the others pinned him down. As we continued on with the healing, Kili calmed down. His eyes now remained on Tauriel, and I could see through his eyes that he loved Tauriel very much. Tauriel checked Kili as I wrapped up Kili's wound with a new piece of cloth.
"Tauriel." Kili called out.
"Lie still." Tauriel ordered.
"You cannot be her. She is far away. She...she is far, far away from me. She walks in starlight in another world. It was just a dream." He said before he reached out to touch her hand. "Do you think she could've loved me?"
I looked back at Tauriel who was rather baffled, not knowing what to say to his words. I gave her a smug look. "So you and Kili, huh?"
Tauriel chuckled. "Really funny, Aurelia."
"When's the wedding?" I teased even further. "I'll be invited, right?"
Tauriel's cheeks turned red as she turned away from me. I laughed. Yep, she's got it back. Peepicheek gave me a knowing look. "What?"
"Oh don't play daft. You know that you're the same way with Fili." Peepicheek reminded me.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I replied rather hastily.
Before Peepicheek could say anything else, the house shook. I quickly scurried outside to see the dragon, Smaug flying above us. The bell rung loud and clear throughout the entire town. People were running around, while others tried to flee in boats. I gasped before rushing back inside to warn the others. "It's the dragon...Smaug. He's above the town. He's going to destroy the town."