⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

BELLS ARE RINGING AS THE PEOPLE OF LAKETOWN ARE FRANTICALLY loading their possessions into boats in preparation to leave their homes to escape the threat that is Smaug heading towards them. "We have no time. We must leave!" Maristela told the others as she finished adjusting her outer layer. "We're not leaving. Not without our father," Bain told Maristela as Tilda spotted something sitting on the drawers, she approached it and pulled it free. "My sword," Maristela breathed out as she reached for it, everyone watched in awe as the silver of the blade shone for a moment.

"By Odin's beard... the sword is blessed by the Valar," Oin spoke with eyes wide, Maristela smiled slightly knowing that Legolas had been the one to return her sword to her, much like her dagger. "If we stay here, your sisters will die. Is that what Bard would want?" Maristela asked Bain who frowned at those words. They moved quickly to the boat at the back of the house, Maristela was quick to get the girls into the boat. They set off down the canal, poling the boat through the floating chunks of ice as Maristela's Elven ears picked up on the flap of dragon wings, she turned in time to see Smaug unleash his flames onto the town.

"Look out!" Bain calls out as the Master's boat collides with their own; they manage to push their boats apart, but some of the Master's treasure falls into the water. "Cowardly pig!" Maristela sneered before focusing on the gold within the boat, Fíli watched in awe as the Elleth whispered something in ancient tongue causing the gold to become a dead bronze worth nothing; the Master taking no notice of the dying treasure as he throws Alfrid off of his boat. Hiding their boat under an overhang, Maristela spots Bard leaping across roofs in the distance until he reaches the bell tower.

As Smaug soars by, Bard shoots an arrow at him; however, the arrow merely bounces off Smaug's scales and falls to the ground. Bard, standing directly below the ringing bell, gets nauseated by the ringing sound, so he pulls out his dagger and cut's the bell's rope, silencing it. He shoots another arrow at Smaug, but this, like the first bounces harmlessly off. In the canals below, Bain notices his father's actions and glances at Maristela who looks deep in thought. "HE HIT IT! HE HIT THE DRAGON!" Kíli exclaimed as another arrow harmlessly hit the dragon's indestructible underbelly.

"No..." Fíli shook his head at his brother but Kíli was quick to respond, "He did! He hit is mark, I saw!" Maristela turned her head to the brothers before making eye contact with Bain, "His arrows cannot pierce its hide; nought but a Black Arrow." Bain was quick to understand what Maristela was allowing him to do, his face set in determination, Bain leaps up and grabs a hanging hook they passed under, swinging clear of the boat. "What are you doing?!" Bofur shouted to the young boy. "Come back! Bain, come back!" Fíli called out worried for the young child. "He'll be fine. Have faith in Bain," Maristela reassured them with no signs of doubt in her eyes.

With the Black arrow tipped in Valar blessed silver, Bain rushed towards his father and enters the bell tower. "Dad!" Bain called shocking Bard. "Bain?! What are you doing?! Why didn't you leave?! You were supposed to leave!" Bard exclaimed to his eldest child. "I came to help you," Bain replied to him. "No! Nothing can stop him now!" Bard expressed with sorrow and fear. "Maristela sends her regards... with this," Bain told his father with the Black arrow in hand. Bard took the arrow gratefully before stroking his son's face in care and pride, "Bain ─ you go back. You get out of here now!"

Looking beyond Bard, Bain spots Smaug approaching the tower rapidly, Smaug having determined where the arrows were coming from. "DAD!" Bain screamed out as Smaug smashes through the top part of the bell tower. Bard finds himself lying down on the remaining top of the tower while Bain is hanging by one arm to the remains of the tower; he has the Black Arrow in the other. Bard grabs Bain's arm and hauls him back up and meanwhile, Smaug lands closeby in the town, crushing buildings underneath him, directly in the way of the Master's boat.

Bard pulls the Black Arrow out of the hands of the petrified Bain and stands up, facing Smaug who watches him. "Who are you that would stand against me?" Smaug asked with a growl, Bard reaches for his bow only to find that it was broken in half. "Now that is a pity. What will you do now, Bowman? You are forsaken. No help will come," Smaug taunted Bard, the Man looked around frantically but there is nothing to help him. Smaug begins moving towards him, crushing the buildings beneath him, "Is that your child? You cannot save him from the fire. He will BURN!" Suddenly, a sharp whistle echoed through the air stopping Smaug in his tracks.

Smaug roars in anger as an arrow sticks into his eye, blinking to remove the sharp object, he turned to see Maristela standing on the roof of a luckily still standing home. "Elvish blood mixed with that of a wizard... but I know that blade," Smaug reared his head high, his chest glowing from the fire building. As Smaug focuses on Maristela, Bard fixes the two broken halves of his bow into the wall of the belltower, with the bowstring taut between them. He fixes the Black Arrow to the bowstring, and lays the front end of the Black Arrow on Bain's shoulder, who is standing in between the fixed pieces of the bow and facing Bard.

Maristela dodges the dragon's mighty roar of fire, Fíli watched with worry but trust that she knew what she was doing as he and his kin escaped the town with Tilda and Sigrid; he had promised Maristela that he'd keep the girls safe. "Stay still, son. Stay still," Bard tells his son with a calm tone, Maristela takes notice and knows she needs to angle the dragon to reveal the missing scale on the left wing. "Tell me, wretch ─ How now shall you challenge me?" Smaug asked as Maristela jumped across the roofs to allow Bard the opportunity to strike the dragon. "You having nothing left, but your DEATH!" Smaug roared out.

Bain looks back at Smaug but Bard calls him back, "Bain! Look at me. You look at me." Bain nods slightly, his fear was evident but Bard had faith that should he miss, Maristela would divert the attention to her. "A little to your left," Bard instructed his son, Bain shifts a little to his left, moving the tip of the arrow to the right, toward the spot where Bard spotted the missing scale. Smaug rears up with the intent to strike Maristela but Bard releases the Black Arrow and it flies off at high speed from Bain's shoulder. It hurtles through the air and sinks all the way to the very end of it, almost 6 feet into Smaug's chest through the spot without a scale.

As Smaug leaps forward in pain and fear, Bard grabs Bain just as Smaug careens into the tower. Bard and Bain fall with the tower into the water as Smaug rolls and slides through the town, destroying everything in the town. Maristela barely dodges the large beast, throwing herself into the water to escape the Firedrake's dying body. Smaug struggles to fly up into the sky; With massive effort, he manages to flap a few hundred feet up, screaming and wheezing in pain as the silver tip of the arrow melted into his blood causing him to gasp for breath. His eyes lose their light and he falls back down upon the city, dead, with the arrow sticking out of his heart; landing on the town's Master's boat, killing him.

⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

The sound of Smaug hitting the ground echoes throughout the land, all the way to the Dwarves on the Mountain; They all jump in surprise. "What was that? What happened?" Nori asked in shock. "It fell. I saw it!" Bilbo exclaimed to the other Dwarves, they all peer out at the town in the early morning light. "It's dead. Smaug is dead!" Bilbo cheered loudly. Thorin, still staring at the Lonely Mountain and not at the town, has a strange expression of happiness cross his face. "By my beard! I think he's right! Look there! The Ravens of Erebor are returning to the mountain!" Gloin exclaimed with pure joy within his eyes, several birds can be seen cawing as they approached the Mountain.

"Aye ─ Word will spread. Before long every soul in Middle Earth will know ─ The dragon is dead!" Dori exclaimed to the others with a smile. As the Dwarves laugh in glee, Thorin hurries down from the lookout point and approaches the gates of Erebor. Bilbo grins as he looks out to the town, he hoped that Maristela would come to the mountain along with Oin, Bofur, Fíli, and Kíli to see the beauty that is Erebor. But he was worried ─ worried for Thorin who seemed to be in a trance by the riches of the mountain and Bilbo hoped that Maristela could shed some light on it and help the King under the Mountain.

⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

It is early morning and on the banks of the lake, survivors stand around weeping from the loss of their home. Wreckage sweeps up against the shore, wooden things are on fire, but evidence of the destruction of Smaug. Maristela turns her head from the bodies of the dead that washes onto the shore, she makes her way through the crowd with soot across her face and her cloak drenched by water, her hair stuck to the sides of her face. She finally spots the Dwarves she had been looking for, she made her way over to them and watched as Bofur nudged Fíli and motioned towards her; Fíli turns to her and immediately, his eyes light up.

"Mari!" Fíli called out. Maristela made her way towards them and Fíli instantly pulled her down into a kiss, his heart soaring at she melted against him. While Fíli would never doubt the skills that Maristela had, fighting a dragon was an unpredictable event, so he rightfully so was beyond worried for the Elleth. However, niether of the two had taken notice of the blue eyes watching from a distance. Tauriel stood beside Legolas with a frown, she turned her head to her best friend and noticed the look of sorrow within his eyes despite the blank expression on his face. "Legolas?" Tauriel spoke softly, Legolas sighed and turned his head, walking away without a word; Kíli watched intently.

"Don't you worry me like that again," Fíli gently scolded Maristela once he pulled away, she grinned with a roll of her eyes. "You think a dragon has any chance of winning against me?" Maristela asked with a grin, Bofur and Oin laughing as Kíli spoke with Tauriel. "You do have a good point," Fíli replied to her as he brushed her hair out of her face. "We must be heading to Erebor," Oin announced, Maristela turned to Sigrid and Tilda but they were standing with Tauriel. "I will ensure they get to their father," Tauriel told Maristela who bowed her head in thanks; Maristela and the Dwarves climbed into the boat.

Maristela looks on at the destruction of Laketown with a heavy heart, she leans into Fíli as Kíli and Bofur row the boat towards the opposing shore. "Do you think the others are okay?" Kíli asked, he had been worried about his kin having fought the dragon first. "I'm sure everyone's fine, Kíli," Bofur spoke up with a proud smile upon his face. "It'll take more than a dragon to slow any of them down," Oin added with a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm surprised Dwalin didn't wrestle the dragon himself," Maristela commented making the others laugh. "He probably tried knowing him," Fíli added with Kíli nodding, "I bet Balin stopped him." They all laughed without realising how much everything was about to change.

⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

「 ✦ 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 ✦ 」

And so the final Hobbit movie is here.
I'm terrified to write this one because I know what's coming and it's gonna break my heart. I will say that obviously, there will be small changes for the sake of my original character but ultimately, for you Fíli lovers, I am so sorry.

Anyway, what are your thoughts?

Thoughts on Maristela helping Bard against the dragon?

Thoughts on Legolas witnessing Maristela and Fíli's kiss?

Thoughts on Dwalin wrestling the dragon?
Lol

Extra thoughts on this chapter?
Theories? Predictions? Suggestions?

See you in the next chapter!