THE LAST HEIR OF ISILDUR

CHAPTER 20

꧁ The End of Smaug ꧂

An immense tongue of fire left the jaws of Smaug, destroying the northernmost houses of Laketown and lighting the lake in the night.

"Hold on!"

Drogon told Arya. With a last beat of wings, the animal darted under his enemy, bent its neck and hurled at him with all the strength it had, pushing it up, far from the city. Then, it went far enough to veer and return to the attack.

"Aim for the neck! Let's make it bleed."

The woman ordered it, resolutely. The dragon didn't have it repeated twice, it opened its jaws and left a deep bite in Smaug's neck. The latter let out a roar of pain and, in turn, tried to sink its teeth near the root of its opponent's wings, but its muzzle was pulled away by Arya's sword, determined to defend her son.
After a few moments Smaug managed to free himself from Drogon's grip and headed back to Laketown, eager to cause as much death and destruction as possible. A second tongue of fire struck the city, then the beast regained altitude and veered, flying towards its opponent with its jaws wide open and its belly that began to shine again.

"Down!"

Arya yelled, sensing their enemy's intentions. Drogon ducked quickly, avoiding the fireball directed at them and passing under the adversary.
Smaug turned again, ready to return to the attack, when a series of arrows began to hit its hard scales. They were useless against it, that was obvious, simple arrows they could have never pierce its armor, but they were incredibly annoying. The beast looked around and saw a man standing on a tower, with an outstretched arch.

Bard shoots one arrow after the other at the monster, which was now advancing threateningly in his direction, moving on the roofs of the houses, with the intent to eliminate him. The archer was terrified, but he kept shooting nevertheless. Out of the corner of his eye, the man saw something flying quickly towards them: it was the other dragon, the one he had previously seen battle against Smaug.
Drogon threw a fireball towards its enemy, which was then forced to divert attention from Bard and take flight to avoid it.

"Bard! Aim for the bite on the neck!"

Arya shouted at the bargeman as she passed the tower. He looked at her in amazement: she was on the back of a dragon! Then the legends were true...she really was the Mother of Dragons! He had to recover quickly from the shock and nock another arrow, the last one left, the Black Arrow.

Drogon, meanwhile, had reached his enemy. The two animals collided again in the dark night sky, scratching, slicing, biting and burning each other, while Arya tried not to fall.
Smaug gave a roar of pain when its opponent sank its teeth in the same place where it had been wounded him the first time, and clawed it on the muzzle, near the eye, thus moving it away from its neck.
Drogon growled, letting go and moving away from its adversary, which took the opportunity to glide once more in the direction of Laketown.

"Drogon, are you all right?"

Arya asked it, fearfully.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

It answered firmly, but in those words the woman perceived its weariness and fatigue, results of the fight. At that moment another terrible roar of pain tore through the air, attracting their attention. Smaug exhaled his last breath, then fell on the last rubble of Esgaroth. The Black Arrow had hit the mark, Bard had done it, he had killed the beast.

As dawn broke the day, the survivors of Laketown finally reached the other side of the water. Desperate cries and moans filled the air as they built beds for the wounded and tried to save some supplies.

Among the last boats that had touched the shore there was also that of the dwarves who, together with Tauriel and Bard's sons, immediately began to get busy to help, while they looked carefully around, in search of the bargeman. And of Arya. They had seen Smaug fall into the lake, but Drogon had disappeared into the dark night sky and the woman with it.
Fili looked worriedly at the mountains behind them, hoping to see his beloved emerge on the saddle of a black dragon from one of the highest peaks.