The Hobbit and Her Memories

CHAPTER 20

THALIA'S POV

My head began to pound as we went through with the plan.

It was me, Bilbo, Balin, and Thorin in a team. We raced around the corner and towards the armory. But Smaug was following us.

Thorin was leading the way, with him holding my hand, and he suddenly stopped. "Follow Balin." he told me and Bilbo. He released my hand and pushed me a little towards Balin and ran. "Thorin, be careful." I said, and followed Balin and Bilbo.

Balin led us to the forge. A dark chill hovered and gave me chills. "This place..." I shivered. Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulders. I turned and saw Thorin dripping in sweat.

"Oh my God...Thorin." I breathed. I teared off a strip of my robe and lightly wiped his face. He took my hands in his and squeezed them. He was shaking.

"The plan...it's not going to work." Bilbo breathed, then he saw tired and exhausted Thorin was. "Thorin." he set his hand on his shoulder. "There's not enough heat to like the furnaces."

Smaug let out a grumbling roar, making Thorin lift his head. He made a mischievous grin. "Have we not?" Both me and Bilbo gave him a worried look. Thorin made his way to the giant gate and began insulting the dragon.

"You've grown slow and fat." Thorin spitted. I groaned and smacked my forehead. "Slug." Thorin finished. Then, he turned around with a "that did it" look and said, "Take cover." Everyone got behind a wide iron bar and clung to it as fire blazed past us and onto the furnaces. I clutched Bilbo's shirt as he protected me against one pillar.

Once the fire died, the furnaces burst alive with flames. Thorin began to give out orders to all the dwarves.

"Bilbo!" Thorin called. Even though he hadn't called me, I still stopped and played back on what he just said. He just called Bilbo by his name. That was the first time he's ever done that.

"Thalia!" I snapped back to the present and was approached by Thorin. "Follow me. I'm going to need your help." He took hold of my hand and lead me around the furnaces. I turned and saw that Smaug had almost made it through the iron gate.

"Balin! Can you still make those light bombs?" Thorin asked. Balin nodded. "Right, it will only take a jiffy."

I looked back at the dragon. "We don't have a jiffy."

I help make the light and flash bombs and began throwing them at Smaug, but all it seem to do was piss him off even more. Luckily, Bilbo had pulled the water lever and had put out Smaug's fire for awhile.

"Keep going, Bilbo and Thalia!" Thorin yelled as he rode on a barrel in the melted liquid gold down a rivery path. "Lead him to the Great Hall of Kings!" I help Bilbo up and sprinted hand in hand down the hall.

When we made it, the wall behind us exploded as the beast burst in. The massive flag that once was hung fell and covered me and Bilbo. We laid low as Smaug spoke with what sounded like fear in his voice. "There must some sort connection between these filthy dwarves and those miserable lake-men. With the large bows and black arrows. I think it's time I pay them a visit." Smaug began to make his way to the front gate.

"No!" I said. "Kili and the others...and Bard and Bain..." Bilbo rushed to his feet. "Stop! Wait!" he shouted at the dragon. "You cannot go to Lake Town." Smaug stopped and rotated his head.

"You care about them?" he smirked. "Good. Then you can watch them die!"

"Halt!" Thorin's voice echoed through the Great Hall. "You witless worm!" Smaug turned his head to face the dwarf prince. "You." he growled. Bilbo and I made our way to the side of the hall behind the pillars to see Thorin standing on top of what looked like a 200 ft rock.

"This is Dwarf land. This is Dwarf gold." Thorin said, I could see, even from a distance, the fire in his eyes. "And we will have our revenge." He yelled a dwarven cry and yanked on a chain to release boulders from the structure. The rest of the dwarves did the same, releasing all the boulders, revealing a giant solid gold statue of a dwarf king.

Even Smaug was amazed by its glory. But it did not end there, for the gold had not harden, and it melted to liquid and drowned the dragon in a gigantic pool of gold. But it wasn't enough. Smaug burst out of the gold pool and struggled to regain his balance as he stumbled towards the exit. "Revenge? Revenge!" he bellowed. "I will show you Revenge!"

He crashed his way out of Erebor and soared into the sky. No! I thought. I sprinted out of the kingdom and toppled over the rocky debris. Bilbo followed. I stopped and leaned myself onto a broken statue, and the inside of my body screamed as I listened to Smaug's last words.

"I am fire."

"I am...death."

I cried on Bilbo's shoulder as Bilbo's breathing increased.

"What have we done?"