Flames

2.8

True to Bard's prediction and Azalea's suspicion, they were captured outside the armory. They were then dragged to the center of town. The guards brought Thorin forward. Azalea stayed in the back. As much as she wanted to help him, her shoulder rendered her as useless as she felt in Gondor.

"We caught them trying to steal from the armory," a guard said.

"Thieves?" the Master of the Town asked.

"Sir, we only seek to reclaim Erebor," Thorin said. "I remember this city. It was great! This was once a trade center, not some forsaken town on a lake!"

The crowd cheered.

"Help us, and I will help you return this city to its former glory!"

They cheered again. As proud as Azalea felt, she also felt as though he had just made a huge mistake.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Dragon fire! That is what you'll bring upon us!" Bard exclaimed, pushing through the crowd. "Do you not remember the flames? The death?! That is all he bring to us."

"Well, yes, but if your ancestor had killed the beast, we wouldn't in this mess!" the Master of the Town said. Azalea had heard the story of how the man, apparently Bard's ancestor, had fired black arrows at Smaug, but had failed to pierce his hide and kill him.

"Whatever you need, my friend."

"You have no right to enter that mountain!" Bard shouted. Thorin stepped up to Bard and growled,

"I have the only right."*

Azalea raised her eyebrows, impressed. 

"Who here will vouch for him?" Bard called. Azalea and Bilbo immediately raised their hands.

"We will."

"Well then. I say we let them go!" the Master of the Town announced. The crowd erupted again.

A few hours later, the dwarves, Bilbo, and Azalea sat on boats with new clothes and weapons. Azalea had replaced her ruined green shirt with a black one. She had stronger arrows and three throwing knives. As they sailed, Thorin began explaining Erebor as he remembered it. Something bothered Azalea, but she decided not to voice it.

"What is it?" Thorin asked.

"My shoulder," she lied.

"Okay, but what's upset you?"

Azalea considered lying again, but decided against it.

"Once we get there, you're not going to...change, are you?" she asked.

"What?"

"Because I really like who you are, and I'm afraid that once we retake Erebor, you're going to become a completely different person," she explained.

"Trust me, I won't."

With that promise in mind, she fell asleep on Thorin's shoulder.

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"Revenge?! I'll show you revenge!"

"I am fire! I am death!"

The dragon flew over Laketown, spewing flames, burning everything. Azalea stood in the middle, helpless. She had scratches across her eyes. She seemed to be crying.

"What did I tell you?!" Bard cried. "Your boyfriend will be the end of us all!"

"I did not know it would end this way! Neither did he! I'm sure of it!" Azalea cried back.

"He knew the risk! And now he sits in his kingdom and watches us burn! Watches you burn! This is your fault!"

"Wh-How is it my fault?!"

"You knew this would happen and you did nothing to stop him!"

Then, the flames enveloped them both.

---------------------------

"Azalea? Azalea, wake up."

"What? What?" Azalea asked, still groggy.

"We're here," Thorin said.

"Okay," she said. She didn't move from Thorin's shoulder.

"What did you dream about?" he wondered.

"Terrible things," she whispered. "I saw Laketown burning. I think I was blind. Bard told me it was my fault."

She blinked back tears. Thorin wrapped his arms around her.

"It was only a dream," he assured her. "Just a dream."

She nodded, took a deep breath, and sat up.

"Let's go take back Erebor."

*Direct Quotes from the movie