Just Like Fire[Thorin Oakenshield]

~+Chapter One+~The Desolation of Smaug

It all began on a hot summers day. Children were heard and seen through out the city laughing and flying kites in the air. The people were already in the town's square setting up tables to display their jewelry, clothing and other items to sell. The city couldn't be more peaceful. But their was one person that had a different agenda for her days.

The home of Lord Girion was a wondrous place, each room was filled with something different but their was only one place Evelina spend most of her time in. Her fathers house had an enormous library; filled with thousands of books. Evelina hadn't read all of them, and she wasn't going to stop until she read the last one on the shelf. She was curled up in a chair near the hearth, her nose in a book when she heard a soft knock on the door. She looked up to see it was her father. "Yes, father?"

"You have a visitor." Girion said, with a smile as he stepped out of the way to let the person through and soon left up the stairs. Evelina smiled when she saw who it was. The dwarf walked across the room and sat in the chair beside her.

"What bring's Thorin all the way over to Dale?" Evelina asked, in her high-spirited voice.

"Oh, just a certain girl, that can't seem to put her book down." Thorin teased. She lowered the book from her face and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you making fun of me, Thorin?" She smirked as the book was once again in front of her face. A chuckle escaped his lips and he reached over and gently took the book from her hands; marking her place and closed the book and looked at her.

"How about you come for a walk outside with me, and take a break from your stuffy books."

"Book's aren't stuffy, Thorin. You can gain a lot of knowledge from them." She stated. The dwarf could hear in her voice that she was slightly offended by his teasing.

"You, can gain more knowledge by coming outside and discovering things in the world, more then what your books can tell you." The prince declared, raising an eyebrow as he waited for her response. They starred into each others eyes for the longest time.

"We will see." She challenged and Thorin chuckled under his breath knowing he had won. The dwarf got up from the comfortable armchair and held out his hand to the young woman and helped her out of the chair and followed behind her up the stone stairs. They walked beside each other. Their were two men guarding the main doors. Once they saw who it was, they opened up wide. Evelina stood on the very top of the platform, a smile forming on her delicate face. The city was at peace with each-other. Everyone got a long. Dwarves, Elves, man. Her father's people lived as one and that was all Evelina wanted.

"Enjoying the view?" Thorin finally spoke up, as he let the young princess take in the busy town square.

"Very much. Everyone's just so, so..."

"Happy?" Thorin finished for the half-breed.

She turned and looked at the dwarf, she could be lost in his eyes for hours. " Yes." She agreed.

"I bet you couldn't find that in your books." Thorin challenged as he made his way down the steps before she could say anything. Evelina followed down behind him, hearing the chuckle that he let escape. The woman caught up to the dwarf side and the two of them wandered through the market area.

"You underestimate the power a book can give a person. If you learn to read more; you'd know what that feeling was." She retorted, with a smirk.

"And why would I need to read, when I can rely on my stuffy bookworm to enlighten me." Evelina snorted at the nickname the prince had suddenly given her and didn't find it offensive but had started to grow a liking for it. She loved her books, and she hoped to fill her head with more of her fathers library; knowledge was her greatest joy. The two of them continued down the cobble stone road, laughing and talking about what their fathers expected of them, when the time came for them to take the throne. The worst part for them both was that both of them were eventually going to have to find someone to marry, so that they could conceive an heir, so their lines were secure. And they couldn't choose each other, Evelina was the only heir her father had to take over when he passed. She couldn't abandon her people, for the sake of her happiness. Thorin had never liked the idea of having to marry someone, but if he had to choose it would be the one that was walking beside him. It was something in the way she smiled. She calmed him, not with the smile of her lips..but the smile of her eyes. He admired her for the kind heart she had, how she wanted the best for her people, over her own desires. She gave without any thought of reward.

" You're highness." A gruff voice called from within the crowd. Thorin and Evelina stopped what they were talking about and looked up to see it was two dwarven guards from the mountain. "The King has requested you're presents immediately." the one guard declared. Thorin grumbled under his breath, but nodded and turned to the young princess.

"Evelina, I'm sorry I must go. We'll have to continue this another time." Thorin said. He had a look of 'I'm so sorry on his face.' The woman nodded smiling at him one last time. The dwarf prince followed with his guards leaving back for Erebor.

Once Evelina could no longer see Thorin through the massive crowd of towns people. The princess sauntered over to one of the tables and looked at the many exquisite pieces of jewelry that was made by her people. Hours had gone by since Thorin and her had parted ways. Evelina was walking along another table when she felt a breeze blow passed her. Normally that would have no effect on her; but it was how the breeze felt. It was hot and dry. The half-breed looked up in the sky. She saw a red kite; in the shape of a dragon, was flying above the city when it suddenly caught fire and a massive roar echoed in the air. Screams were heard soon after that. The fire-drake from the North had come. The dragon terrorized the city, destroying everything in it's path. Fire began raining down from the sky over Dale, building's crumbling to the ground, taking out any structures in its way. More screams were heard. people began running for their lives. Evelina was shoved along. Ducking when it was necessary. She was running in the direction of her home, when another was coming from another direction and ran right into her, knocking her to the ground. She struggled to get back up when the frightened young man that had run into caught on fire. The princess panicked, looking around frantically for something to help put out the fire. She nearly fell over when she found a banner that bared the crest of her house. Evelina grabbed it and threw it on the man that was still covered in flames and patted him until the flames were out.

The shadow of the dragon was seen flying over Dale again breathing fire at the guards that had shown up to defend the city. Evelina made hast to her home, looking for her father, but when she finally got their after dodging the constant pieces of broken stone falling in the air. Her home was destroyed, all her books were most likely demolished. But Where was her father? The half-breed ran back to the town square, dust floated in the air, making it a little hard to see. Evelina screamed for her father, asking anyone if they had seen him, but most of her responses were the constant screams from woman and children as they tried to get out of the city to safety before they got burned alive. As she got deeper into the city, Evelina had the urge to look up into the sky and she not only saw her father but the dragon as well. Girion was aiming a black arrow, using a Dwarvish Wind-Lance, trying to pierce the dragon's hid. The arrow hit the dragon, Girion went to ready another black arrow, but he was not quick enough when Smaug swooped in, knocking her father over the edge.

"No!" Evelina screamed. The woman made hast in the direction where her father fell. The woman ran through an alleyway and was going to keep going when something out of the corner of her eye stopped her. Her eyes widen to see her father, laying on the ground crushed by chunks of stone. "Father!" She cried, dropping to his side. He had lost so much, his breathing was ragged. Evelina grunted as she removed the pieces of stone that had crushed her father.

"Evelina....you....n-need..to get out...of here." Girion stuttered

"No. I'm not leaving you." She cried as she saw her father having difficulties staying focus. Evelina jumped when she heard piercing screams from another street in front of her, when fire was breathed right at them, disintegrated.

"Eve--lina, go...now! Before...you...get killed." Her father begged as he let out a harsh cough, choking on his own blood. He let out his last breath. His eyes starring right at her.

"Father? Father no!" Tears streamed down her face as she kissed her father's forehead. Another ball of fire came through the air, demolishing another building. Evelina ran as fast as she could, out of the city. Once she was away from the burning city, she looked behind her to see what was left of her burning home. The dragon was now unleashing his wrath on Erebor. Evelina felt her eyes, stinging as the tears continued to come. Most of her people did not make it out and the few that did, were not sticking around waiting for the beast to come back and finish them off. The young princess, took one last look at the mountain. It was on fire she was sure no one had escaped the beast in the mountain - including Thorin. It took every ounce in Evelina to turn away from the mountain. But instead of going in the direction of what was left of her people, she went in her own direction. She had lost everything. Her home, her father, her best-friend who was most likely dead, she had to leave and go her own way. And the young heir of Dale was never seen again.