The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings one shots and Imagines Book II

Mark of the dragon - Part 1

                                                                      A child born of mortal men

                                                                      will aid he of carven stone.

                                                                  And the mark of the red dragon

                                                                         will come into its own.

                                                                  No use of steel will win the day

                                                                 nor reclaim their ancient home.

                                                              But blood and love will seal its fate

                                                                        and hail the king's return.

A young woman lay amongst the chaos, of the desolation. The city around her, still burned, but she could no longer feel the heat nor all the cuts that littered her body. She could no longer hear the screams of the other women and the children as they did their best to escape the fire. She could no longer hear the shouts of men as they called out in hopes of finding their wives and little ones.

The greed of Thrór, the dwarven King of the Lonely Mountain had called out to the last great fire-drake. Smaug the Terrible bringing nothing with him but fire and death; and in his path to the Lonely Mountain, to the gold, had been Dale, the city of men. A city of men that was now naught but rubble and ashes.

Slowly she reached up her hand and placed it on her belly. Only that morning she had found out that she was with child, a child that she had for so long prayed for. A child that neither she, nor her husband thought they would be blessed with. And now, now she was to die, without being able to tell her beloved husband, Halldor, that he was to be a father; her babe not even given a chance at life. The tears rolling down the side of her face and leaving clean lines in her otherwise soot covered skin.

She would give anything to save the life of the little person that was growing inside her. Her eyes closing as a soft prayer left her lips; as she beseeched whatever deity had finally taken pity on her, and given her what her heart had so desired, that they might look upon her again, and allow her to live long enough to give birth to her child. That the child might survive all of this; and though their world would never be the same, they would at least get a chance to see it. That they would be able to grow big and strong. That they would get a chance to love and have children of their own. That one day, those of her blood, of her child's blood, would take revenge on the dragon that had killed so many.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open, as a noise, louder than any other filled the air. A gasp leaving her lips, as she saw a large black arrow hit the side of the dragon and remove a scale from its side. The great beast flying over where she lay, roaring at the man that had fired the shot. The prone women, suddenly finding herself covered by a red rain. The liquid making its way passed her lips, and into all the cuts that marred her skin; it filling her mouth with the taste of metal, as she hissed at the heat that stung the slashes and grazes in her flesh. The pain so excruciating that she could do nothing more than finally let the darkness take her.

                                                           >>----------------------------------<<

"Lisbet..........!" A frantic voice rang out.

"Lisbet...........!" It came again. A tall, broad man dressed in the captain's uniform of the city guard, appearing through the smoke and fire. He had to find her; he had to find his wife. He cared nothing for the fact that everyone else was fleeing what was left of the once great city; he knew that she was there, that he just had to keep looking.

He had seen Girion, the Master of Dale, hit the dragon. He had seen for himself; the scale being dislodged and blood streaming from the wound. And he had watched the great beast finally disappear into the home of the dwarves. Halldor knowing then that this was his chance; his legs taking him with every ounce of speed he could muster, to find his beloved Lisbet. The captain stopping as he finally saw something; a woman's body laid in the midst of the scorched earth, covered in blood. Halldor dropping to his knees as he came to her side, before he pulled the seemingly lifeless woman into his arms. The soldier cursing the dragon; cursing the beast that had taken her from him. Tears finally making their way down his cheeks, as he lowered his head, and placed a kiss to the bloody lips of his wife. Lips that instantly came to life and drew in a deep breath; Halldor staring down at Lisbet for a moment in disbelief, not sure how she could have survived any of this. But then he came to his sense, the captain quickly standing and carrying his beloved out of the city.

                                                       >>-------------------------------<<

Generations had lived and died since the dragon had brought its desolation to Dale; the dwarven prophecy of the child with the mark of the dragon, forgotten about by most of the descendants of those that had once called the city, home. Yet there was still a few; a few that looked for a mark on every child that was born in Lake-town; a few that knew what it meant. And one, an older woman, was currently making her way to a small home that had been built on the very edge of the lake. She had been watching over the young woman, that she had received word had gone into labor, ever since her husband had passed the previous winter, sensing that this time she would be able to lay her eyes on the child of the prophecy. Her hand pushing on the door as she reached the house, the distraught mother to be calling out for her, as she made her way inside the home.

                                                        >>--------------------------------<<

"Well, Elina.......is it.......?" The young woman asked with an uneasy breath, as the older woman placed the child in a blanket. The labor had been a difficult one, it obvious that the mother would not see out the night. Yet the child in Elina's arms was strong and beautiful. The nurse unable to stop herself from smiling, despite her grief, as she saw the birthmark on the child's upper arm. The image of a red dragon peering back at her.

"Yes, Astri, your child has the mark." Elina replied, as she brought the little girl over to see her mother. Astri unable to stop herself from crying, as she placed a soft kiss to her daughter's head.

"Look after her for me, Elina. Look after her as if she were your own. Make sure that she grows strong and brave for when the time comes........"

"I swear on my life, Astri. But you must name her before you leave her......." Elina replied. Astri nodding then letting her head fall back on the pillow behind her.

"Her name.......her name is (Y/n)........." Astri responded. The young woman taking one last breath before closing her eyes for the last time.