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A ginormous shadow soared over the sky, as Legolas stood in the doorframe of Bard's house. Smaug had come.
"We have no time. We must leave." The elf said, striding back into the kitchen.
"Get her up." Bofur said, turning to Kili and Fili.
"Come on, lass." Fili muttered, an arm grasping the half-elf's and hauling her up.
"I'm fine. I can walk." Alenia said, her feet now firmly set on the floor, and her arm around Kili's shoulder for support. "Seriously. Accelerated healing, remember?"
"I don't give a shit about your accelerated healing. You literally almost died from a poison that you neglected to tell us about, so forgive me if I'm going to be cautious." Kili said, as they made their way towards the steps that would lead down to a boat under Bard's house.
"Yes, Mother." Alenia sighed.
"As fast as you can." Legolas urged, as the group hurried down the stairs, with the brothers and Alenia stumbling along behind.
"We're not leaving." Bain protested, turning to the elf before they boarded the boat. "Not without our father."
"If you stay here, your sisters will die. Is that what your father would want?" Legolas asked.
"Just get in the damn boat, Bain." Alenia said. "Bard can take care of himself."
A loud roar erupted from the dragon in the air above them.
"Come on, we've got to go!" Bofur yelled.
Bain slowly stepped into the boat, still wanting to stay behind. Legolas followed after the boy, and Fili, Kili and Bofur began poling the little boat through the water to come out from under the house.
Smaug veered over them, and let loose a plum of fire on a wooden house not a hundred feet away from them. Tilda shrieked, and Alenia pulled the little girl into her chest, shielding her eyes as a man who was caught on fire fell screaming into the water below and didn't resurface.
Sigrid covered her mouth in horror, and shrank closer to the half-elf. Even Bain's eyes grew huge, though he mad no move to seek comfort from everyone. Alenia's pointed-ears twitched, and she winced at the far off screams of pain, sounds so far away that no one else, save Legolas, could hear.
Smaug breathed more flames onto another section of the town, drawing out more screams, causing Legolas to pause the boat under a house. As the dragon swooped off, heading for the opposite corner of Laketown, the elf motioned for the dwarves to continue paddling.
The dragon roared from a ways off, as Bain yelled, "Look out!"
A huge boat, heaped with gold and jewels, and carrying the Master, Alfrid and some guards, rammed into the tiny boat the group was in. As the dwarves managed to push their boats apart, some of the Master's treasure fell overboard.
"My gold!" The Master yelled, in a way that would make someone think he was losing a limb. Alenia gave him a look of disgust as their smaller boat swiftly passed the bigger and heavier one.
The group's boat turned under another house and paused, as Smaug flew over again. The pause in motion caused Bain to look skyward, and the boy's eyes found his father, who was perched on the clocktower and firing arrows at the flying furnace.
"Da!" Bain yelled, causing the others to look up, including Tilda, who lifted her face from Alenia's shoulder to also shout, "Da!"
High above them, Bard let loose another arrow at the beast, where it bounced off the dragon's scales.
"He hit it! He hit the dragon!" Kili shouted, letting go of the pole with one hand, to point upwards.
"No." Alenia murmured, shaking her head sadly, as she watched the bowman fire another projectile.
"He did. He hit his mark. I saw!" Kili protested, gesturing wildly.
"His arrows cannot pierce it's hide. I fear nothing will." Legolas said, before motioning them onward.
The boat moved forward, out from under the house, and Bain's head began turning wildly, as if looking for something.
"Bain?" Alenia asked, turning to look at the boy in concern. "What's-"
Before she finished the sentence, Bain stood up, and jumped. The boy grabbed onto a cargo hook dangling over the boat, and swung towards the dock.
"Bain!" Alenia cried, lunging to grab him over the side of the boat.
"What are you doing, lad?!" Bofur yelled.
The boy hit the dock, and rushed to a boat tied on the other side of the wooden planks.
"Come back! Bain, come back!" Fili shouted after the boy, who pulled the black arrow out of the boat.
"Leave him! We cannot go back." Legolas warned, even as little Tilda called after her brother, fresh tears running down her face.
"Hush." Alenia murmured, wiping the tears away, and holding the little girl tighter. "He'll be alright."
The half-elf made eye contact with Kili, as Sigrid laid her head on Alenia's shoulder.
Kili smiled weakly, and Alenia's eyes turned sadder, even as she gave a tiny one back.
