Bofur was still not back. Kili was getting worse by the second, now and then he could no longer suppress a scream. I had tried to bring his fever down with what I had and kept dabbing his forehead with a cold cloth.
"Where is he." Fili looked out the window as if Bofur would come faster that way.
I ran my hand through my hair in despair "He'll find some and come back."
Suddenly something shook the floor and dust trickled from the ceiling. Fear closed around my heart like a cold fist, for I knew exactly what it was.
"Father what was that?" Bain looked out of the window fearfully.
Bard looked absently at the spices , above the cooker so I answered for him "The Bain, was a dragon." I looked anxiously out of the window, flickering light was reflected off Erebor, it was fire, the fire of Smaug. Bilbo had woken Smaug in his quest for the Arkenstone.
"You should get out of here." Fili walked up to Bard and looked at him urgently "Take your children and get out of here!"
Bard shook his head "And go where, we have nowhere to go."
Little Tilda clutched her stuffed bunny tightly "Are we going to die father?"
Bard knelt down to his daughter "No darling."
But he didn't even believe that himself, and neither did Tilda even though she was so young "The dragon, it' going to kill us all."
Determined, Bard rose and plucked something from the tangle of pots and spices "Not if I kill it first!" my eyes widened in disbelief as I saw what he held in his hand. The metal gleamed, the tip was twisted in on itself and he was almost as tall as Bain. It was a black arrow, the only thing that could kill a dragon like Smaug.
"Bain come with me." before I could stop him, Bard ran out the door with his son.
Kili's gasp made me whirl back around to him. I pulled his bandage aside a little, it had gotten worse. Black fluid was oozing out, the black cracks were spreading. I dabbed at his forehead again with the towel "Kili, you have to hold on a little longer." I bit my lower lip "I want you to fight, do you hear me!"
Suddenly I heard Sigrid screech, at the same time something was trampling on the roof. I drew my daggers. Sigrid slammed the door shut, not fast enough, the orc just tore the door off and came running into the house. I hurled one of my daggers at the orc, who almost mauled the girl. "Tilda, Sigrid under the table!" I shouted and slit the throat of the nearest orc. I threw my sword to Fili, rolled under an orc and plunged my dagger into one of the orcs. The roof crashed down on us, five more orcs came into the house ready to kill. I pulled my second dagger out of the dead orc with a jerk and rammed it into the black hearts of two orcs at the same time. I heard Kili's scream and whirled around, one of the orcs had grabbed him by his wounded leg and was dragging him off the bed. Before I could even think of hurling my dagger, an arrow was stuck in the orc's head. I could not believe what I was seeing. Legolas Greenleaf came leaping elegantly down from the roof to help Fili and me finish off the orcs. I didn't have time to wonder what he was doing here, or if we would have to fight him next, which would be anything but fun. I chased one of the orcs onto the balcony.
"Oakenshield is gone!" an orc sat in a canoe and shouted this in black language to an ugly, half-blind orc.
"Fall back and gather on the bridge!" the leader turned and ran away.
I rammed my dagger into the orc's back and catapulted him over the parapet of the balcony. The orc in the canoe was flung up, with a snarl I crossed the daggers so that they severed his head, his body fell into the lake, his head followed by seconds. I went back in but clutched my daggers tightly "What are you doing here?" I glared at the elf who had already put his weapons away again.
Placatingly he raised his hands "I am not here to harm you."
I raised an eyebrow, somehow not believing him.
"I have been tracking the orcs that attacked the Woodland Kingdom." he looked at his toes a little "My father is wrong in what he is doing, we must not hide behind our borders and stand idly by as evil wins."
I hesitantly put my daggers away "Then go your way, they will meet on the main bridge leading out of the lake town."
Legolas put his hand over his heart, "Count me among your allies," he said in Sindarin and ran off again.
Bain, who had just come back, looked around in shock "You killed them all." he muttered, stunned.
I couldn't take care of him right now. I ran to Kili and dropped down on the floor next to Fili. Kili had closed his eyes and was no longer aware of anything, he was only twitching from time to time and breathing in jerks, "Please Kili." Against all my reason, I brushed a strand of hair out of his face.
I heard stomping and drew my dagger, expecting an orc. But it was not an orc, it was Bofur holding the Atelas. "Thank Eru," I muttered.
"Help me put him on the table." together with Bofur and Fili, I heaved Kili into the air and laid him on the kitchen table. I blanked out his cries, and soaked the atelas in some water. I rubbed some of the flowers in my hands and began to speak the most powerful elven healing formula I knew "Menno o nin na hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth." I pressed the herbs onto the wound, Kili squirmed and screamed I repeated it again, each time I could feel some of my energy transferring to Kili. I could also feel the poisoning resisting the healing, like a living organism, I continued until she was dead. I took my hands off Kili's leg and propped myself up a little on the table until the dizziness passed. "Fili I need a cloth." i had to re-bandage the leg. Which I did. Then I sat down on an armchair next to Kili, whose head we had put on a blanket. He had fainted after the healing and was breathing again with glue-like breaths. I propped myself up on my arm and looked at the sleeping dwarf, whose loss would have torn my heart apart.
Blinking he opened his eyes "Leona?" he looked around disoriented "What happened?"
I had to smile slightly "You almost died." though I smiled, a tear ran down my cheek, for only now did I realise how narrowly Kili had escaped death.
I felt Kili's hand wipe the tear away "Why are you crying?"
His face was inches from mine "You know why." I murmured.
And then I did something terribly stupid, something he would hate me for forever, but I did it anyway, I just couldn't help it. I pressed my lips to his for a moment. I felt him tear his eyes open and immediately broke away from him again "I'm sorry I shouldn't have........" he snapped forward and his lips landed on mine. Everything tipped inside me, pure joy and happiness flooded my veins. A fertile loud roar shattered, the silence of the night. We pulled apart and looked at the window, for the roar was coming from the direction in which Erebor lay.
Breathing heavily, Kili looked at me "What was that?"
I was so shocked, so filled with fear, that I could only manage one word, "Smaug!"