XII. Burning Emotions

Lucien was dragged through the shadows of the town, heavy footsteps following behind. He was slightly worried they would be caught and put back into a cell but tried not to let it show to Kili and Hobbit who were right beside him.

Thorin was the one to pull him along, the wizard having to bend down slightly as he moved, although the prince didn't seem to care much about it. Sure, Lucien's back was beginning to hurt but he couldn't exactly voice his troubles with the fear of being caught.

It was quite exciting to those few, the ones with young minds while it was hell thinking of the consequences for others. They found the place they needed to be and did their best to silently sneak inside. The walls were lined with weapons, not the best but they would do for the moment, it was better than nothing after all.

Lucien felt his arm release from the grip and he went over to the first sword he saw. Half the size of an average dwarf, metal hilt and a little flimsy. Lucien just reminded himself that this was a poor town, they wouldn't have the best materials, and then he felt bad. They were taking their weaponry when anything could happen amongst the Lake-town people.

A nudge to his side knocked the wizard from his depressing thoughts. Bombur was smiling up at him with a questioning gaze, it was sweet and Lucien quickly matched the grin with his own, taking the sword and swinging it around and making sure no one was in his way.

The others grabbed their swords and hammers and knives, looking a little disappointed but Lucien chose to ignore that. He watched as Kili held a pile of swords in his arms, appearing to be struggling with the hold and his leg. Thorin never learns, does he?

Just as the wizard stepped forward to help, the first piece of metal fell from the dwarf's arms which followed by the rest, creating a loud clanking against the concrete floor. Lucien cringed painfully, they would be caught for sure now.

"Run!" Dori exclaimed in a panic. They fled for the escape but two guards stood outside ready to jump them if attacked. The wizard, seeing one of the men grab ahold of Kili, grabbed the front of his shirt and threw him to the ground in an effort to let him go which he instantly did in shock. Another guard wrapped his arms around Lucien's back, receiving an uproar of anger from the others as he struggled to get free. If he had his staff this would all be much easier.

The group was captured in a matter of minutes, weapons take from their grasps. Two men were at Lucien's side, having him kneel painfully into the concrete below, head hanging low. He felt defeated and useless, he hadn't felt that in a while now.

An obese looking man compared to the townspeople stepped forward, surrounded by men in armour, "What is the meaning of this?" He bellowed, sounding quite annoyed to be woken from his slumber.

"We caught 'em stealing weapons, Sire." A guard informed his mater. Lucien hated all of them immediately though he knew he was being biased.

The Master of Lake-town raised his eyebrows, eyeing the captured company, "Ah! Enemies of the state, huh?" The wizard growled at that, he was not an enemy.

"A desperate bunch of mercenaries, if ever there was, Sire."

" Hold your tongue!" Dwalin yelled in anger, "You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal. This is Thorin. Son of Thrain, son of Thror!" It was a moment of pride for the dwarves, even for the hobbit and wizard, seeing the faces of the townspeople and of their 'master'.

Thorin stepped forward, "We are the dwarves of Erebor. We have come to reclaim our homeland." The people murmur and whisper, "I remember this town in the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at the harbour, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake. This was the centre of all trade in the north! I would see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!" the crowd cheers, hearing the promise and what happiness it could bring to their poor lives.

Then Bard cut in, "Death! That is what you'll bring upon us. Dragonfire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all."

"You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this; if we succeed all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!"

They cheer once again while Bard wasn't having any of it, "All of you! Listen to me, you must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm? And for what purpose?" The man turned to the dwarf prince, "The blind ambition of a Mountain King, so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"

"Now. Now. We must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget, that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast. Hm!" The fat man laughed, he laughed.

The wizard was getting fed up now as he tried to struggle again, wanting to get free. He was fine back in Mirkwood when he was locked away but this was different. He felt suffocated in their hold like a caged animal, something he had felt in the past many times. It brought back memories he had tried so hard to rid himself of and it was bringing him down and his anger and fear higher. What was he to do?

The guards grunted in protest. This was unfair. Why did he have to be held while the others were free of restraints?

Someone kneeled down in front of him but his emotions had his mind somewhere else, somewhere bad and he noticed nothing. He barely even noticed the guards let go and be on their way with the others. His breathing and heartbeat was the only thing he could focus on right now.

"Lucien," A soft voice broke through his self-torment, pushing on the pounding animosity of his mind and the dark tendrils swallowing his joy. The voice repeated five times, if more, and it coaxed the wizard from his burning hatred and crushing fear. "Lucien," It said again, hands coming to rest on his arms and dragging up to hold onto his shoulders like a lifeline, grounding him to this person as well as the earth.

He was back.

He found those brown eyes, filled with concern, with defeat. They were shining in the firelight as were the visible emotion within.

Lucien leaned forward, resting his head on Bard's shoulder and let out a deep breath of relief. He was glad it didn't get any worse as it had before when he was alone.

Bard hesitated for a moment before bringing the wizard into his warm arms, hoping to comfort the obviously distraught boy, man. It was needed, Bard just couldn't figure out why and what brought this on. He didn't understand a lot of things but knew Lucien was in a bad place as he once was, he just hoped he was helping even a little.

It did help.