The company of Thorin Oakenshield started their way by sailing through the Lake. The sun just showed up, introducing this way the last day of autumn. Ethiriel noticed that Kili, Fili, Bofur and Dori were not in that boat. She asked Bilbo.

-Bofur might have fallen asleep. The rest are resting with Kili - answered.

While the rest were paddling, Thorin Oakenshield could not avoid the great Mountain located right in front of their eyes. It was simply beautiful. None dared talked in those moments of staring at it. They had less than 24 hours to be in that mountain and find the way to get it, by the last light of Durin's day.

When they arrived to lonely  lands, left the boat right on the limit between water and ground. Then, continued their journey by their feet. Ethiriel saw one last time to the now distant Esgaroth before she started following them.

The journey was long, quite and, with time, harder. They were surrounded once again by gray rocks and mist. None had time to speak or sing. Focused on the fact they had to be up there before the sunset, they did no other thing than walk as fast as they could. Until finally, they found in middle of the way, the abandoned city of Dale. Ethiriel, with her advanced and précised elven eyes, looked it with detail. No soul, not even birds. It was a poor lifeless amount of ruins.

-Is it me...? Or this place still stinks of a burnt air? - asked Glóin.

-I think it's your memory playing with your mind... - answered Balin.

-Come on, we have to go. We still have time advantage, but we must not lose our way... Come on! - ordered Thorin.

As he said, they did as well.

They finally arrived at the top, where the map marked the place the unseen door was. 

-What do we do now? - asked Ori.

-We wait. The sunset must show us the keyhole. 

They waited not so long, and the sun was not showing it. They started to panic. Hitting the walls was not the solution, but they did not know what to do. Ethiriel was just staring at them. Her mission was not helping them to get in. 

- NO! NO! NO! - yelled Thorin while touching every part of the unseen door.

The sun had gone. And the dwarfs had to as well. They lost all hope. The words were no need to start walking away. Ethiriel and Bilbo were the only ones still waiting for something. 

-Don't go, wait, please - asked Bilbo twice to the dwarves, but no one.

-Bilbo, let's go - she whispered, but got no answer from him.

And then, the magic happened. The moonlight showed the keyhole. Both of them could clearly see it and at the same time could not believe it.

-THORIN! - yelled Ethiriel.

-THE KEYHOLE! THE KEYHOLE! IT IS THE LIGHT OF THE MOON! THE MOONLIGHT SHOWS THE KEYHOLE! COME BACK!

They saw no one coming back, so they started screaming again and again their names until they showed up with a very slightly smile. Thorin still had the key. 

When they opened it, they'd never thought the problems would be upon them with no fear. What they found in, almost broke all hopes.

They fought against the dragon. Ethiriel was forced by her own soul to do it. It was clearly a joke for the dragon to see an elvish woman helping a bunch of dwarves to reach an almost impossible dream. The first time 

They angered him. They treated him like a fool and Smaug did not like it at all. He needed to punish them for that. There wan no other harmful way to that punish than hurt the innocent people of Esgaroth. 

So he flew through the mountains, through the wind, through the lake... Ethiriel blamed herself. She did not wanted this to happen. She knew it could, but she was praying on her inside for a chance to not let the worse things come. Her prays were not listened. Ethiriel went out of Erebor as quickly as she could, following with the eyes and the bow on her hands. She did not wait to see firsts fire flashes. She started running all the way down of the mountains without looking anywhere if it was not Esgaroth. Her breathing was not fast and anxious because of the running, but the images in her head. She could not think of anything else but Bard and his children being burnt. The images in her head were breaking her soul. So she ran faster and faster.

The flames and scariness started already, but it was not too late. She had to safe every life, the many as she could by herself. 

The buildings were falling and the smoke growing when she was at the half way in the lake with the boat. Smaug saw her. He recognized the elvish smell.

-You... - yelled.

He flew upon the city without taking his eyes from her. 

-You did this. You and those dwarves - he laughted.

Ethiriel wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. She started running to Bard's house. No one was there, because neither the house. She started to panic. Then, she looked around her. The people were screaming, begging for compassion and running up and down trying to hide from the fire. Everything crumbled.

-ETHIRIEL! - she heard from a familiar voice.

She turned, looking at the river in the city. It was Tauriel.

-TAURIEL! MAN CERIG?! (WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!) - she yelled.

-THERE IS NO TIME. COME WITH US!

-I CAN'T! I MUST FIND BARD! WHERE IS HE?!

-HE RAN WITH OUT BROTHER BAIN! - yelled another voice from the boat.

Ethiriel looked twice and realized that with Tauriel were Kili, Fili, Bofur, Dori and both Bain's sisters.

-WHERE?! - she asked.

-I DON'T KNOW! FIND THEM, PLEASE! - begged the younger one.

Ethiriel ran all over the city. She probably found every citizen but not the ones she was looking for. So she started screaming their names. And then, it happened. Ethiriel saw Bard at the top of the bell's tower. Her heart had never been so little until that moment. She had no doubt. She went to his rescue. Climbing the tower, she could see his back so close.

-BARD! 

He turned around and saw her relieved eyes. He could not be happier. Even what was going on, he smiled.

-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! - asked here by his side.

No words were needed when Ethiriel saw Bain in front of him, with a black arrow resting on one of his little shoulders.

-Ethiriel - called her Bard -, go.

-I'm not going anywhere. 

Ethiriel looked at Bain, the poor little scared and teary eyes. 

-Ethiriel - called her Bard again -, go. I must do this.

-No, I'll be here - she said severely -. How many arrows do you have like that one?

-One - he said.

Ethiriel looked at Smaug. How he was flying, how he was still setting on fire some houses. Then, he looked at Bard's eyes.

-I gotta do this. I'll do it - whispered Bard.

-If you feel you can do it, go ahead... But I'm staying.

Moments after those words, everything turned into black. Bard used the arrow, getting what he was trying to reach: Smaug's heart. Then, everything fell down with the dragon. Ethiriel, Bard and Bain fell from the tower. Losing conscience and resting under some burning ruins.