It Was Her

Chapter 8

"We have no time. We must leave!" Fili ordered.

The deafening roars of Smaug loomed overhead. The dragon had come. Tili, who had been sitting on a chair while her leg rested tested her strength trying to get up. 

"Come on, sister." Kili said coming over trying to help Tili.

"Come on, come on! Let's go." Bofur urged.

"I'm fine - I can walk." Tili grumbled shrugging her twin of stubbornly.

At first Bain refused to leave, not wanting to abandon his father. But Fili had managed to persuade them to leave. The dwarves and Bard's children piled into the boat and setting off down the channel dodging falling wreckage and fire. Bard's children desperately looked around the flames hoping to spot their father. Bain looked around, his eye catching sight of a familiar figure at the top of the bell tower.

"Da!" Bain shouted leaning forward.

Sigrid and Tilda both gasped seeing their father.

"DA!" Tilda screamed.

They all watched as Bard fired another arrow that bounced harmlessly off the dragon's scales. 

"He hit it! He hit the dragon!He hit his mark, I saw!" Kili cheered, hope in his voice.

"Those arrows are useless." Tili denied, her voice going soft. "He might as well be using twigs."

No one paid mind to Bain's determined face as they passed under a hanging hook. It wasn't until Bain reached up and grabbed the hook and swung off the boat did they realise his intentions. The dwarves grabbed at him but Bain was already out of their reach.

"What are you doing?!"

"Come back! Bain, come back!"

The dwarves clamoured as Bain swung onto the dock and ran off into the burning town.

"Bain!" Tilda cried as her brother ran out of sight.

The dwarves pushed on knowing they could not go back for him, they had to get Bard's daughters to safety.

The survivors of Laketown dragged themselves onto the shore, salvaging what they could as they desperately searched for their loved ones. Wails of grief and pain swallowed the once peaceful beach. Sigrid and Tilda pushed through the survivors looking for their father and brother praying they were alive. 

Meanwhile the dwarves found an abandoned boat in reasonable condition. Tili stood on the shores as her brothers, Oin and Bofur pushed the boat into the water preparing to leave; but something inside told Tili not to leave just yet.

Legolas and Tauriel rode towards the beach where the survivors of Laketown had gathered. His mind was racing, many would have died in the attack. Did the dwarves survive, more specifically Tili? As soon as they arrived Legolas swung off the horse leaving Tauriel behind and began searching with keen eyes for a certain gold haired dwarf. Legolas sifted through the survivors, but found no sign of Tili or the other dwarves. He was beginning to lose hope that she had survived. That was until he reached the shore where a certain curly haired dwarf watching the others prepare a boat.

Legolas stopped behind her, trying to find the words to say. What could he say to her? She is leaving, what could he possibly say to make her stay. Did he want her to stay? He barely knew her, but he felt like he'd known her his whole life. He took a deep breath and calmed his nerves.

"Tili."

Tili gasped and turned around hearing that familiar voice.

"Legolas."

Tili closed most of the distance between them, shocked that he was here.

"I thought you'd gone?" 

Legolas looked down, almost embarrassed for his reason of returning.

"I had to be sure you survived." Legolas whispered.

Silence encompassed the two, neither sure what else to say, nor were they brave enough to say it.

"Tili, come on, we're leaving." Fili called from behind her.

"They are your people, you should go." Legolas said not meeting her eye.

Tili nodded at the ground, biting the inside of her cheek. 

"Thank you." Tili said looking up finally.

Legolas looked at her with a confused frown.

"I did not know what love was, until I met you." Tili said, the smallest of smiles on her plump lips.

A similar smile graced Legolas' face as he watched her turn and leave. Tili took a few steps towards her awaiting brothers, but stopped. Instead she spun back around and strode over to Legolas and took his hand in hers and closed his fingers around a small object. She looked him in his bright blue eyes with earnest.

"Keep it, as a promise."

With one last smile, Tili turned and jogged as best she could over to her brothers and climbed into the boat. Legolas looked down at his closed palm, slowly uncurling his fingers to reveal the sleek emerald stone, the stone her mother gave her to remind her of her promise. To come back to her. Now she promised to come back to him.

Hi guys, I am so sorry this took so long I was literally hitting a brick wall. This chapter is short I know but flows better if the chapter finishes here. It is also really bad I know I promise future chapters will be better. Until I find that spark of inspo again, I will be editing my other story The Last One which by doing so will hopefully end my writer's block. Thank you for your patience and for reading. Feel free to comment on what you think so far and what you would like to see more of as I have some filler chapters coming up where I was thinking of doing some twinny moments and sibling moments so if you have any ideas leave them bellow or message me. Bye!!