If you wanted to know about Smaug like the dwarves, you had to go back two days to the time when Smaug broke the secret door and flew away in anger.
Most of the people in Isgar, the town in the lake, hid in their houses because of the cold wind blowing from the east at night. However, there were still some people who liked to walk on the streets and watch the stars twinkle in the sky above the lake. Looking from their town, the lone mountain was mostly blocked by hills, and it looked a little inconspicuous on the other side of the lake. The Torrential River flowed in from a gap in the north. The top of the lone mountain could only be seen in clear weather, and they were not willing to stop their eyes on it, because even in the morning light, the place revealed an evil aura. At this moment, the lone mountain was completely shrouded in darkness.
Suddenly, it reappeared in the darkness before everyone's eyes, and a flash of light was fleeting.
"Look!" Someone said,"It's that light again! Last night, our night watchers saw the light shine from midnight to early morning. Something must have happened up there.”
" Perhaps the King of the Mountain is casting gold," another person said."He has been in the north for quite some time now. It seems that the content of the song is about to come true.”
"What king?" " That could be the dragon's flame," another man with a gloomy face said." It's the only king under the mountain we know."”
"You always jinx me!" The others said," Either there's a flood or the fish are poisonous. Think about something good!”
Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light, and the lower part of the hill and the north side of the lake all turned golden. "King of the Mountain!" They shouted,"His wealth is as dazzling as the sun, his silver is like a fountain, and his rivers are golden!" The river water flowing from the mountain was golden!”They shouted, and everyone opened their windows and hurried out.
Everyone was immediately excited, but the gloomy-faced man quickly ran to the mayor. "The evil dragon is coming, the evil dragon is coming!" "Cut down the bridge!" he shouted. Be on guard! Be alert!"
At that moment, a warning horn suddenly sounded, and it kept echoing among the rocks. The cheers stopped, and the excitement turned into fear in an instant. Therefore, unexpectedly, the evil dragon faced the prepared humans this time.
Before long, they could see a flame flying straight toward them, and even the stupidest of them knew that the prophecy had been wrong. They only had a little time left. Every container in the town was filled with water, every soldier grabbed their weapons, every bow and arrow was ready. Before Smaug's roar gradually approached, the bridge leading to the land had been broken and thrown into the water. Under the strong wind caused by the flapping of its wings, the lake water rippled, reflecting the red flames in the sky.
Amidst the screams and cries of the humans, it descended. Smaug rushed to the bridge, only to find that it had been broken. His enemies were now hiding on an island in deep water. This water was too deep, too dark, and too cold, making it a little timid. If it rushed into the lake, a large amount of steam would be emitted, enough to shroud the nearby area in thick fog for several days. However, the power of the lake water was above it. Before it could escape, its flames would be extinguished.
It roared and flew back to the sky above the town. A rain of arrows flew at him, hitting its scales and jewels, breaking them and falling back to the ground. It opened its mouth wide and spat out flames. The broken arrows turned into fireballs and fell into the lake. The scene that night was better than any man-made fireworks. Under the attacks of the arrows and the piercing sound of the horn, the dragon's anger continued to accumulate. In the end, it finally lost its mind. It had been many years since anyone dared to challenge it. If it weren't for the gloomy man (his name was Bard), no one would have dared to resist this time. He ran back and forth in the fire, encouraging the archers and forcing the mayor to give the order to fight until the last arrow.
The evil dragon spat out flames of high temperature. It hovered in the air for a while, and the flames lit up the entire lake. The trees by the lake turned into red and golden pillars of fire, and the dark shadows danced below. Then, in a fit of anger, it charged toward the town despite the rain of arrows. It did not even bother to point its scales at the enemy. It only wanted to burn all the enemies into charcoal.
On its first flight path, all the roofs and pillars were ablaze. However, before it could turn around and attack again, the flames were extinguished. As soon as there was a spark, hundreds of hands would splash water to save it. The dragon turned around again. With a wave of its tail, the mayor's house was razed to the ground, and the flames that could not be extinguished soared into the sky. It swooped down again and again, and the houses fell into the sea of fire one by one, collapsing in the high temperature. Smaug was still unharmed. To him, the rain of arrows was like annoying mosquitoes.
People began to jump into the water from all directions of the town. Women and children were sent to the port in the middle of the town, and their weapons were casually discarded. The people who had previously praised the dwarves were now wailing in pain and cursing the dwarves 'names. The mayor had already jumped onto his exclusive ship, ready to take advantage of the chaos to row away and save his life. Soon, the entire town would be abandoned by everyone and turned into a ball of fire in the middle of the lake.
This was the evil dragon's goal. It didn't care if these people would hide on the ship. At that time, it could play with these ships one by one or let them starve to death on the ship. Just let them try to escape ashore. It would wait to tease its prey. soon
It would cause all the forests to fall into a fire, and everything would be surrounded by a sea of fire. It was now slowly enjoying the pleasure of toying with and destroying the town, and this was the entertainment it had been away from for a long time, and it was worth enjoying.
However, there was still a group of archers in the town that was engulfed by the flames. Their leader was Bard. His face was gloomy and his voice was low. His friends often accused him of being a jinx and foretelling the appearance of the flood and poisonous fish, but they all understood his courage and character. He was a direct descendant of the King of River Cove Town, Girion. Back then, Girion's wife and children had escaped from the ruins of River Cove Town through the River Rush. Bard held a huge purple wooden bow and kept shooting. In the end, there was only one arrow left. His surroundings were already in a sea of fire, and his companions had begun to abandon him. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow for the last time.
Suddenly, a black shadow flew out of the darkness and landed on his shoulder. He was startled, but it was only an old black bird. It approached him fearlessly and told him valuable information. He was surprised to find that he could understand the other's language, because he had River Cove blood flowing in him.
"Wait! Wait!" The blackbird said to him,"The moon is about to rise. When the dragon head flies back, pay attention to the gap in its left chest!"”When Bard began to think about his information, the black bird seized the opportunity and told him everything that had happened on the mountain. Then, Bard pulled the bowstring to the limit. The dragon circled back and began to dive. As it approached, the moon rose from the east, and the silver light shone clearly on its wings.
"Arrows! Arrows!" The archer said,"Black Arrow! I left you to the end, and you never let me down. That's why I always pick you up. I inherited you from my father, and he inherited you from his ancestor. If you really are the King's Furnace, then please gather all your strength and hit the target in one shot!”
The dragon dived to the lowest point, and when it flipped over and exposed its abdomen, its diamond-studded chest reflected fire-except for one spot. With a swoosh, a black arrow shot out from the bow, heading straight for the dragon's defenseless left chest. It poured Ba
With Smaug's powerful arm strength and diving power, the arrow went from the tip to the feather. Smaug let out an earth-shaking roar, then he rushed up into the sky, turned around, and fell onto the lake.
With a loud bang, its body smashed into Long Lake Town. Its final counterattack was reduced to fragments and flames. The lake water roared as it surged in, and a large amount of steam was emitted. The entire sky was covered in white smoke. With a hissing sound, the lake water stirred and everything fell silent. This was the end of Smaug and Iska, but not Bard.
※※※
The moon rose higher and higher, and the howling cold wind blew mercilessly across the earth. It rolled the white smoke into a huge pillar and blew the broken clouds into Gloomy Jungle. There were many boats floating on the lake, accompanied by the wails of the residents of Iska. They lamented the destruction of the village and the destruction of goods and houses, but if they were willing to calm down and think about it, the result was already commendable. Two-thirds of the residents had escaped alive. Most of their forests, farmlands, and livestock were unharmed, and their ships were not damaged too much. However, the dragon was already dead. However, they did not realize the significance of this at that time.
Grieving people gathered on the west bank of the lake, shivering in the cold wind. They began to complain and blame the mayor. When someone stayed behind to sacrifice themselves to protect the town, the mayor actually wanted to escape.
" He might only be suitable for business, especially his own business," someone complained."But when something important happens, he's useless!”They praised Bard's courage and his final shot. " If only he hadn't been killed," they said in unison."We will make him king. The descendant of Girion, Bard the Dragon Slayer! It's a pity that he died!"
Amidst the chaos, a tall figure walked out from the shadows. He was drenched, his black hair stuck to his shoulders and face, and his eyes were burning.
"Bard is not dead!" He shouted,"When the enemy was defeated, he jumped out of Isgar-I am the descendant of Girion, I am Bard, I am the dragon-slayer!”
"King Bard! Long live King Bard!" They shouted, but the mayor gritted his teeth and said," Girion is the King of the Valley, not the King of Isgar. In Long Lake Town, we have always chosen the mayor from the older and wiser candidates. A simple warrior is not someone we consider. Let King Bard return to his own kingdom. River Cove Town had been liberated by his valor, and nothing could stop him from returning. Anyone who would rather stay in the ruins of the shadows than in the green by the lake could go with him. Smart people will stay here, hoping to rebuild our home and restore its peace and prosperity.”
"We want King Bard to stay here!”People nearby began to shout,"We've had enough of old men and rich men!”The people further away began to cheer,"Archers, come on stage!”The lakeside became very lively.
"I should be the last person to underestimate Archer Bard," the mayor said wearily (because Bard was standing beside him)."He has done a lot for our town tonight. He deserves our gratitude and a high status. He deserves to be praised by many songs. But, townspeople, why?" The mayor suddenly stood up and said in a booming voice,""Why should I become the target of your dissatisfaction? What did I do wrong? Please allow me to ask you, who woke up the dragon? Who is it that has received from us such an expensive gift that we believe that the ancient ballad will come true? Who took advantage of our kindness and hope for a better future? What kind of gold did they send? That was dragon flames and destruction! Who should we ask for compensation, who should we ask to settle our orphans and widows?”
I believe you can see that the mayor's position is not without reason. His speech made the people forget about the new king for a while and turn their anger on Thorin and his companions. They began to curse these people. The people who had previously praised these dwarves loudly now used an even louder voice to accuse them of deliberately waking up the evil dragon!
"Foolish!" " Why do you have to vent your energy and anger on these poor guys?" Bard asked. Without a doubt, they would have died in the fire before Smaug arrived.”At this moment, he suddenly remembered that the treasure in the mountain range was currently unguarded, so he fell silent. He thought about what the mayor had said, about rebuilding River Cove Town and forging countless golden bells. Everything could be done as long as he could find manpower!
Finally, he spoke." My Lord, this is not the time to be angry or complain. We still have work to do. I will still follow your lead, but perhaps after a while, I will consider your suggestion and bring those who are willing to follow me to the north.”
Then, he walked forward and began to arrange the work of taking care of the injured. The mayor glared at his back, still sitting on the ground without moving. His mind kept turning, but he didn't say anything. The only exception was to ask someone to start a fire and bring food to him.
No matter where Bard went, he found that people were talking about the unowned treasures. People said that it was enough to compensate for their losses, so that they could quickly recover, and even give them enough money to buy luxury goods in the south. This ignited their infinite hope. There was not enough shelter from the wind and rain (the mayor had one), and there was not enough food (even the mayor did not have enough to eat). Many people were unwell from excessive grief or cold, and those who had escaped unscathed died because of this. In the days that followed, the people experienced severe famine and plague.
At the same time, Bard took on the responsibility of leading everyone. He arranged the operation of everything, but always in the name of the mayor. He racked his brains to arrange accommodation and food for the people. If no one lent a helping hand, most of them would probably die in the coming winter. Fortunately, reinforcements arrived quickly because Bard promptly sent messengers into the forest along the river to request assistance from the Wood Elf King. Three days after Smaug's death, the messengers encountered a group of troops that had just set out.
The Elven King had already received information from the birds that were friendly with his people, and he also roughly understood what had happened. In the wasteland created by the evil dragon, almost all winged creatures were in an uproar. The sky was filled with circling birds, and their messengers began to circle around, chirping excitedly. Soon, the news reached Gloomy Jungle."Smaug is dead!" The leaves stirred, and the sensitive flowers also stood up. Even before the Elven King rode his horse, the news had already passed through the forest of the Misty Mountains and reached Beon. Even the orcs began to discuss their next strategy in the cave.
" I think this will be the last time we hear news of Thorin Oakenshield," the king said."If he had stayed here and continued to be my guest, he might have been able to keep his life. "Anyway, this is a hurricane that brings change," he added."Everyone will feel the change.”He had not forgotten the legendary wealth of Saul. That was why Bard's messengers encountered him leading archers and spearmen on a large march. The crows happily gathered on their heads because they thought that the war was about to break out. It had been a long time since this area had such a situation.
However, when the king received Bard's request for help, he felt very sympathetic. After all, he was the king of a kind race. Thus, he changed the direction of the army that was originally aiming at the lone mountain and first advanced along the river towards Changhu. He did not have enough ships to carry all his troops, and many of them were forced to walk. However, he had also transported a lot of goods to Long Lake in advance. The elves were very fast. Although they were not as familiar with the rugged terrain between the lake and the forest as they were in the past, their speed was still not slow. Five days after the dragon died, they arrived at the ruins by the lake. Just as expected, the people welcomed them very much. The mayor and the humans were already prepared to exchange for the Elf King's future assistance with considerable conditions.
They quickly planned everything. The old, weak, women, children, and the mayor stayed behind, and many craftsmen and elves stayed behind to work day and night. They cut down trees, collected driftwood from the river, and built many huts by the lake to protect them from the cold winter. Under the mayor's planning, they began to build a bigger and better new town, but the location was different from before. They moved the town a little further north, for they feared the waters where the evil dragon rested. It would never have the chance to return to its cave again. It would only lie at the bottom of the cold lake, its body as stiff as a rock. For the next few decades, whenever the weather was clear, people could still see its huge skeleton. Not many people dared to cross this cursed place, and no one dared to risk sneaking into the vicinity to salvage the precious jewels stuck to its body.
The rest of the adult men who could pick up weapons and most of the Elven King's troops were prepared to head to the northern mountains. Just like that, eleven days after the dragon's death, their troops crossed the rocks on the other side of the lake and entered the wasteland created by the dragon.
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