Sally and the Line of Durin

Chapter 7

Sally ran through the mountain, down and down. The halls of Erebor were a maze of corridors and doorways and she often had to turn around and go back the way she had come. She had a throbbing pain in her side and she couldn't seem to stop sobbing, but somehow she drew on reserves she didn't know she had.

Finally, she heard shouting and the sound of stone breaking. She ran into a cavernous room in time to hear Thorin shout, "Here, you witless worm!"

Smaug paused and turned slowly, "You," he drawled, "will take nothing from me, dwarf. I laid low your warriors of old. I instill terror in the hearts of men. I am King under the Mountain."

"This is not your kingdom," Thorin said, standing bravely on a huge structure wrapped in chains. "These are dwarf lands. This is dwarf gold and we will have our revenge!"

"Wait!" called Sally from the gallery floor. She stood between the structure and the beast.

"Ahhh, my little dwarrowdam. Now, where did you make off to? I've missed our little talks."

"Sally!" Thorin clamoured down from the rock structure. He took her by the shoulders to face him and said, "Get out of here! Find somewhere safe."

She shrugged off his hands and turned back to the dragon. "You mustn't harm the people of Laketown; they have done nothing."

Thorin hissed in her ear, "Who cares about them? Get somewhere safe."

Sally twirled on Thorin and started poking him in the chest, "Thorin Oakenshield! How dare you speak like that! Those people helped us! They helped you!"

Smaug was sitting back on his haunches, grinning. He swung his head down to the dwarfs, "Ohhhh I DO like you, little dwarrowdam. It is too bad you have to die." He turned and made his way back down the gallery, "But first those pesky little humans..."

Sally broke free from Thorin and ran after the dragon. "They did nothing wrong. Please!"

"Please? Oh little Broadbeam, you speak well and you are rather enchanting, but there is nothing you can say that will stop me because -" he trotted down the gallery and took flight, "I am fire!" He crashed through the front gate of Erebor and gained altitude. "I am death!"

Sally and Bilbo ran out the gate, as fast as they could to the overlook. From there they saw the beast pass over Laketown, they could hear screams far off in the distance. Smaug's belly glowed a golden red and suddenly a swath of Esgaroth was in flames.

Sally wept, while Bilbo kept whispering, "What have we done."

Slowly they were joined by the other dwarfs. Ori peered into the distance, not at the town on fire, but at the nearby beach. He jumped and laughed, "I see Kili and Oin! They are here!" Sally and Bilbo embraced and sobbed and smiled at the same time. She released Bilbo and went to find Thorin. He was not on the overlook. She saw him walking away, back to Erebor, his shoulders were slumped and he was scowling.

She ran after him, "Thorin! Thorin, Kili and Oin have arrived." She grabbed his arm and smiled up at him, "They are safe!"

Thorin glanced down at her hand on his arm and shook it off. He walked away, saying nothing. Sally stood watching him walk away.

Balin came to her side and she said, "Balin, what is wrong?"

"Aye, I've seen it before Miss Sally...Thror became much like that..."

Fresh tears fell from Sally's eyes. "No. Please, no, Balin!"

He put a comforting arm around her, "I'm afraid so, dearie."