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The sky lit up as Smaug rose in the air one final time, a plume of flame escaping, as if attempting to purge the wound in his chest. Bard's arrow that had been fired moments ago, had struck true, and the dragon fell with a roar into the icy water below, never to rise again.
On the lakeshore, far enough away that the flames and heat couldn't reach the group, Tilda laughed in delight, as she threw her arms around Alenia's neck, squeezing the half-elf tightly in a hug. The sky began to lighten with the new day, the fresh start it presented, even though the clouds stayed in place.
More of the townspeople arrived at the shore, by boat and swimming alike. Alenia headed off with the girls to find their father and brother, who she refused to believe had died in the aftermath of the dragon. But as time wore on, and the last of the people came ashore, the girls grew desperate.
"DA!" Tilda's little voice yelled out.
"Da!" Sigrid yelled, echoing her sister's cry.
"Bard!" Alenia called after, just to be sure that he heard, wherever he was.
The dwarves yelled over to Alenia, as they were pushing the boat back into the water to head towards the mountain.
"Go," Sigrid said, nodding in the males' direction. "We'll be fine."
Alenia glanced to the boat where the dwarves were waiting, and back at the girls, before she gathered them both into a hug.
She kissed Tilda's forehead and murmured, "You were both very brave today." She turned to kiss Sigrid's head and told them both, "Stay safe, okay? We'll meet again."
"Aye," Sigrid said, grinning and taking a hold of Tilda's hand, as Alenia turned and started to jog slowly towards the boat.
Kili pointed behind her, and the half-elf swivelled on her heel to see her uncle standing there.
"Give me five minutes," she told the dwarves.
"Any longer than that and you'll be walking to Erebor," Fili warned.
"Yeah, yeah. Something tells me I would still beat you bastards there," the half-elf called over her shoulder as she walked toward her uncle. "Legolas."
"Alenia," he mimicked.
Her uncle just looked at her, and Alenia looked right back at him. She then realized what the elf had done and risked for her; running away from his kingdom when his king, and father, had told him not to. Literally fighting a horde of monsters for her, before he finally healed her. She hadn't had someone who had done that for her in a long time (excluding the Company, because they were different).
Alenia threw her arms around Legolas' neck. "Thank you."
Her uncle wrapped his own arms around her waist, placed his chin on the top of her head, and squeezed tightly. "You're welcome."
They released each other, and Alenia caught sight of a red-haired she-elf standing behind him, smiling softly.
"Why hello there," Alenia said, smirking. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced."
"No, we have not," she agreed. "Tauriel."
"Alenia." The females shook hands. "Now that Uncle Leggy and I are reunited, that gives me the right to come after you if you hurt him. We are family after all."
"I would expect nothing else from the daughter of Lanatha Greenleaf." Tauriel grinned, before she nudged the elf beside her. "Uncle Leggy, huh?"
"Valar help me," Legolas muttered.
"Alright. I expect loads of cousins soon," Alenia said, pointing between the two and squinting at them.
The elves choked, and she laughed. "I'll get out of your hair now."
"May the stars light your path, Alenia," Legolas called.
"And may it never lead you astray," Alenia recited back, smiling, and backing away towards the boat, where the dwarves were pushing it into the water.
She joined Kili in the shoving, as Fili and Bofur got into the boat where Oin waited.
She looked back once to see her uncle and Tauriel kissing.
"Yes!" she screamed back at them, cupping her hands around her mouth.
The elves broke apart on the shore to look at her, then looked at each other, before they both laughed.
"Well, my uncle's got game." Alenia stated, still grinning widely.
"I think I've got more game, though," Kili whispered, as Fili and Bofur started paddling them through the water towards Erebor's side of the lake.
"Oh, yeah?" Alenia murmured, kissing his cheek. "And how do you figure that?"
"Because I snagged you," the dwarf wrapped an arm around the half-elf's shoulders.
"You both are nauseating, you know that?" Fili's voice sounded from the front. "I might actually vomit."
Alenia laughed softly, as their boat floated on the waves, closer and closer to the end of their journey.
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a/n:
wow kind of a short chapter. my bad.
there won't be a chapter next tuesday because i'm going to be in universal studios and can't write at all this weekend. i'll try to make up for it with a longer chapter next friday though :))
