The Navigator

The Fight

Vistial lands softly on a house roof, watching. Smaug had stopped firing on the town and was slowly approaching a tall watchtower. She follows his gaze and spots Bard and Bain.

"What is he doing?" Vistial didn't understand. They couldn't beat Smaug hand-to-hand. And the black arrow that rested on Bain's shoulder, Vistial could tell that it wasn't a real black arrow just by the reflection of the fire on it. Real black arrows had a shiny, almost mirror-like reflection to dragon fire. That black arrow's reflection was dull.

"Tell me, wretch, how now shall you challenge me?" Smaug was growling as he approached the tower. "You have nothing left, but your death!" Smaug then launches himself at the tower. Vistial sees Bard release the arrow, but it simply ricochets off Smaug's hide. Vistial puts herself into motion. She was currently smaller than Smaug, but she had the element of surprise. Just as Smaug goes to smash the tower, Vistial launches herself into his side, throwing the bigger dragon off-balance. The tower sways violently as Smaug's tail smacks it as he falls.

"Bain! Hold on!" Vistial hears Bard's shout. She looks behind her to see Bain dangling over the side of the watchtower, hand slipping. Vistial darts forward and catches the boy as he falls out of his father's grasp.

"You're alright. I've got you." Vistial says. She gently carries Bain in her talons and lifts her paw to the top of the watchtower. Bard pulls his son into a hug.

"You need to get somewhere safe." Vistial says, opening her talons wide. Bard looks at Bain, who nods, and the two quickly climb into her paws. She puts them down in a boat. "Go to the main lake and follow the other boats to the mainland." She instructs.

"Thank you!" Bard calls as he and Bain immediately start to row. Vistial nods, then turns back to Smaug, who was finally climbing to his feet.

"Well, well, well. Isn't it Miss Southern herself." Smaug smirks. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the Elemental Dragon of the South."

"You have no purpose to be burning Lake-town." Vistial growls.

"Oh, I very much do. They sent a band of dwarves to reclaim my Mountain!" He growls. "Join me in destroying these little insects and I will see that you obtain a handsome reward."

"The only reward I will enjoy obtaining is seeing you off to where you belong, lizard." Vistial hisses.

"Then you have chosen your side." Smaug launches himself at Vistial, who immediately jumps into the sky. Just as she had hoped, Smaug follows her, flying over Lake-town to the middle of the lake. Vistial was smaller, but that made her more mobile. She leads him higher into the sky before diving back down quickly, Smaug on her tail. Just before hitting the iced lake below, Vistial flings out of her wings and darts forward, talons skimming the ice. Smaug is unable to catch himself in time and crashes through the ice into the lake. Vistial flies back and circles the hole as Smaug flops around in it. The dragon is finally able to pull himself out of the lake, but was drenched in water. Vistial quickly fires an icy blast at him, turning the cold water to ice. She lands in front of the now-immobile Smaug.

"Get me out of here." Smaug growls.

"If you want to get out so bad, then just blast your way out." Vistial mocks. She knows that fire dragons, if cooled, cannot produce flames. Smaug growls at her, but could do nothing more.

"Please." Smaug begs. "Just let me go."

"You will never harm humans again, you will leave the Mountain to the dwarves, and you will return to your territory in the North." Vistial states. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes." Smaug growls softly. Vistial switches her breath to fire and melts the ice. Smaug shakes off the ice fragments and looks at Vistial.

"Off you go." She growls. Smaug nods, head bent in respect, and flies off. Vistial doesn't take her eyes off him until he had disappeared from sight.