Caught in Thorns >EDITING<

Caught in Thorns: Chapter 14

~Chapter 14~

"What do you mean you won't help?" I can hardly believe my ears at Thranduil's words.

"I'm not going to risk the lives of my people for the men of Laketown." Thranduil replies, keeping his voice calm.

"Where is the honor in that?" I fight to keep my voice level. "Where is the honor in standing by while the dragon kills people?"

Thranduil slowly descends from his thrown to stand in front of me. His eyes flash as he looks down at me. I'm about average Elf height and, even then, Thranduil towers over me.

"I will not risk the lives of my kin to dragon fire." Thranduil says. "Especially not yours. Elrond would never forgive me if I risked your life to save those men."

I narrow my eyes at him.

"You must understand that I am doing what is best for my people." He adds when I don't reply.

"I understand," I nod slowly.

"Please don't do something stupid." Thranduil says, moving away from my and beginning to ascend his throne.

I laugh at his request. "Since when have I ever done anything stupid?"

Thranduil pauses on the steps and looks at me. "I remember when you and Legolas were young. I remember the trouble you two got in; as well as the trouble you caused." He shakes his head in amusement before continuing up the steps.

I smile slightly at the memories of when I was young.

I bow my head to Thranduil before exiting his throne room and making my way to the entrance of the Halls.

"My lady," one of the guards acknowledges me in Elvish as I pass.

I nod to him quickly before breaking into a run once I'm out of the front door and into the trees.

---

I follow the river down to where I met Bard with the Dwarves and pause. It's eerily quiet. I can no longer hear the roars of the dragon as he decimates Laketown.

I must get to a higher vantage point.

With that thought in mind, I quickly scale the closest tree and look out at the lake. The small town is ablaze and I can make out a large, dark figure sitting in the middle of it.

"Smaug," I whisper.

The Smaug lets out a thundering roar and runs for a tower that looks to be in the center of town. My heart pounds as I watch Smaug charge the tower.

Then his voice cuts out and he lets out a higher pitched screeching noise. He then climbs into the air, as if he's trying to escape something on the ground. Before I can process what is happening Smaug stops moving and falls back to the earth into the lake.

"Is he dead?" I ask myself. "Did someone manage to kill him?"

I wait, my heart pounding against my rib cage, for Smaug to resurface. But as the minutes pass, I realize that he will not.

Smaug is dead.

I leap down from the tree, swinging from branch to branch almost effortlessly.

The dragon is dead. Someone killed the dragon, which means there are still some that survived the fire in Laketown.

When I get to the edge of the lake, I stop and catch my breath.

Light is just beginning to break over the hills in the East, which helps me to see across the lake better.

I scan the shore, looking for any survivors that left Laketown. On the far end of the lake, towards the Lonely Mountain, I can just make out the shapes of boats going to shore.

That's where I must go.

I start running again, moving as fast as my legs would carry me towards the far shore.