Adventures Of The Warriors And The Dead

Chapter 33 You

Grace

~~~

A sudden gust of wind blows in my face as a red mass ascends from the sky.

"My lady Grace," Smaug greets as his feet touch the ground next to me.

I barely register his presence.

"I've come to retrieve you and lady Alex," he announces. I still don't reply, I have nothing left to say.

My partner, my fault.

"I shall take you back now," he says and hoists me up. My eyes falls shut as he cradles me in one arm. Soon a cold body bumps against me but I can't bare to open my eyes and see Alex dead.

Wind blows by and soon we land.

Unfamiliar arms take me from the warmth of Smaug and carry me off.

"Grace!"

Opening my eyes I see Allie crying in the private room.

The elf healer sets me down on a bed and Allie rushes to my side.

"Grace, oh Grace! What happened? Kili suddenly just died and now they say Alex is dead and Emily cannot wake up and Sam hasn't spoken a word and I don't know what happened? What happened?!" Allie rambles in broken sobs. "Why?! Why has this happened?!"

I only pet her hair in response and she cries.

The gaping emptiness in me is growing.

~~~

Natalie

~~~

With tears in my eyes I watch as Smaug lays Alex with the rest of the distinguished dead.

Kili is next to her.

Jacob next to him.

Fili beside him.

Bofur across from Fili.

Legolas next to him.

"Six, six dead," I state. "Six."

"My lady I am very sorry for your loss," Smaug murmurs.

"My closest friend is dead."

"Lady Natalie let us walk from this place," Smaug suggests.

"Agreed, I cannot look at this any longer," I say and exit.

My feet carry me out of the city and stop short in the battlefield.

This should have been avoided.

"I suppose this proves Thranduil's point: just because something burns bright does not mean it will burn forever," I mutter and wipe tears off my cheeks. "I could never in my wildest nightmares have seen this coming."

"My sweet Natalie...sometimes really terrible things happen to amazing people," Smaug whispers intently.

"I do not know how I'll get past this. How can I? How can any of us? How are we supposed to wake up every morning missing people that are so crucial to us? How will Emily live without that piece of her soul that died with Fili? How can Bilbo and Sam carry on after this? How will Grace cope with losing Legolas and Alex? How are we supposed to-" I stop short as the tears choke my words. After taking a shuddering breath I look Smaug directly in the eyes. "I used to believe that all pain could build character or make on stronger but now-now I'm not so sure."

Smaug gingerly takes my face in his hands and wipes away the incoming tears.

"Sometimes sweet Natalia, sometimes suffering is just suffering. It doesn't build character, it doesn't make you stronger, it just hurts."