[After two days]
"Come on everyone, were already close to Dale!" Paul said as he walked while pulling a large carriage on his own in front of a caravan of people who just lost their home.
Bard, Legolas, Tauriel and the dwarves were looking at him pull a large carriage with fifty people in it and still seem to not break a sweat.
"Is it me or does the Iron Lord seem to be much stronger than a Troll?" Bofur asked as he looked at the people around him still staring at Paul.
"It may seem so…" Bard looked confused too as he looked behind seeing the dumbfounded faces of the other people.
They had fashioned to boats into sleds that were being pulled by ponies and cattle that were somehow there in the bank of the Lake where they slept at the morning.
The people of Laketown were still sad about their home being burned but when they heard from the guards they had captured the dragon Smaug they were glad and felt that there is still hope.
The casualties were also minimal with a few guards that were hit by Smaug's tail or wings when he trashed about. And the master of the Lake who tried to escape when the town was burning but was smushed when a broken beam fell on him.
On their way up the slopes some ponies got tired as many still did not want to let go of many of their belongings so Paul dismounted from his dragon Mount and let the ponies help other people while he started pulling the ropes on his own.
This shocked many as they had not seen such a superhuman feat easily performed in front of them. Now many are starting to treat Paul as some sort of monstrous being but they do not dare to antagonize since this being is helping them.
"Your highness, is it really okay for you to ignore the summons of your father the King?" Fili asked Legolas who was still looking at Paul's feat confusedly.
"He may be my King, but he does not hold sway over my decisions." Legolas answered as he felt that the world may fall in flames but the man in front might just be there to save it.
"I can see that, but I am pretty sure you are more here because of her right?" Fili said and looked at his brother riding with Tauriel and smiling while holding hands together.
"She is a friend, the only one who treats me as a person and not a prince no one could talk normally with." Legolas answered Fili.
"I see, but their feelings for each other might not be fruitful if my uncle and your Father speaks their thoughts about this. I may not like you but not as much as my uncle hates your father, I've been told many tales of our home and he always speaks that you father abandoned us in our time of need." Fili looked solemn as he said this.
"But I am not my uncle, I knew why your father wanted the gems in the mountains. It was the Iron Lord who spoke of it, memoirs of your mother. I have talked with the Iron Lord about it and I will try my best to have it returned to you once we get to the mountain." Fili's words made Legolas look at the young dwarf prince when he heard the part about his mother.
"The White Gems of Lasgalen, my father never talked to me about my mother. All I've heard is that she died in the hands of Gundabad orcs." The elf prince said.
"And now they are going to march over here, you'll have your blade ready by then, as will I. It seems we have come closer thanks to him, he who appeared and helped us in many ways." Fili looked at Paul in front of the caravan then towards Legolas.
"It does seem so, like he said. He just knows things…" as the elf prince said that, the so called army of orcs just met up with Bolg who told Azog how he chased the Elf prince and a she-elf away.
Paul's mind was on this and looked down on Bolg lying straight up about his failures. Then Azog had him ride to Gundabad as expected and to call upon the armies there to meet up in Raven Hill.
This time, due to Paul's help the people were able to arrive to Dale safely in a day and there he saw how at the gates of Erebor the dwarves looked over seeing the people stream over the ruins of the city.
"Bard! Have the people settle in at the inner parts of the city. The place might look broken and in ruins but I have already placed in various defenses around the inner part once the army of orcs arrive and try to attack the city." Paul said to Bard who nodded and led the people into the city.
"Percy, Bragga! You two, take all the able bodied men old and young then have them drilled with how to hold a sword, spear and shield. Those that have knowledge of the Bow have then fitted with proper bows and a quiver of arrows. Armory's down the street past the old Market, have them all fitted and armored before nightfall then be put in different platoons you hear me?" Paul looked at the former commander of the guards and the old gate keeper.
"Yes my lord!" the tow answered and led the soldiers with them to find where the Armory is.
"Bofur, Fili, Kili and Oin you four follow me, let's go meet Thorin." Paul then called the dwarves to ride in the dragon which they were still fearful in doing so.
"Legolas, you take Tauriel and scout out Raven Hill. If the orcs are to attack they will try to use that tall vantage point to relay orders for their hordes." Paul looked at the Elf prince who nodded and looked over to the place Paul pointed at.
"Let's go!" Paul then urged his dragon to crawl towards Erebor and there he could see Dwalin screaming something inside and soon the rest of the dwarves and Bilbo arrived in front armed and ready looking at the dragon going towards them.
"Hey! It's me!! You're all alright!" Bofur shouted and waved at his friends almost falling over but Oin grabbed him before he fell.
"Halt!" Paul shouted as he pulled the reins of the dragon making it stop just in front of the bridge. There he patted the dragon to calm itself and jumped down from his position.
"Thorin! Where's Thorin!" Paul said to the dwarves in front.
"Iron Lord, this is your ride?" Balin asked as he looked at the dragon in awe, sure it was smaller than Smaug but still large nonetheless.
"Yes it is his Balin, did you know this dragon here helped us capture Smaug in the Lake? You should have seem the shocked eyes of that stinky winged lizard." Bofur started talking fast as he arrived in front of his friends.
"Grrr…." The dragon growled hearing this making the other dwarves pale and flinch, especially Bombur who has fainted while standing.
"I did not mean you, I said 'winged' didn't I?" Bofur turned and said to Paul's dragon. "Anyways, don't be afraid the guys a gentle giant. It seems the Iron Lord himself tamed him and took away the said evil in the blood of the dragons…"
Bofur's voice attracted the other dwarves making them veer towards him and listen to what Paul had done and talked about while they were walking up the road.
Paul on the other hand walked towards the inside of Erebor and there he could see Thorin brooding over in the Throne. Paul could feel something is affecting his mind, others might not see it but he can feel it.
A dark aura surrounds the dwarf and it came from two sources, on from the gold down the treasure Hoard and one from Bilbo. Paul knew what the source from Bilbo was but he does not worry much.
"Iron Lord, how gracious of you letting us see you magnificence once more but…" Thorin turned looking gloomy as he talked but before he could continue Paul did not stop walking ahead and suddenly grabbed Thorin's head on the sides with both arms and yelled.
"WAKE UP!!!!!!!" Paul roared so hard that the halls echoed of his voice, Bilbo as well as the others were surprised at the sudden actions of Paul but Thorin was stunned as his eyes blanked and looked like it rebooted.
"*Gasp*!!" Thorin suddenly took a deep breath as he fell down panting while sweat covered his body all over. He flinched as he grabbed the crown he put on his head and threw it away.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Dwalin shouted but mostly it was because he got deaf as he was close when Paul roared.
"Nothing much, just clearing the mind of your prince." Paul said.
"WHAT?!" Dwalin asked.
"DID YOU HEAR WHAT HE SAID?" Bilbo asked as well.
"WHAT? DID YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT HE SAID?" Dwalin screamed back looking confused at Bilbo.
"MY PRINCE ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Balin walked to Thorin and asked.
"Ughh…stop screaming." Thorin groaned as he felt his mind clear remembering what he had his friends do since the dragon left.
"WHAT?" Balin asked as he looked at Thorin.
"DID THORIN SAY SOMETHING?" Dwalin asked.
"WHY ARE YOU ALL WHISPERING TO EACH OTHER?" Bofur asked as he too looked confusedly at Thorin.
"DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?" Gloin looked at the others around him.
"Why are all of you not understanding each other?" Oin said as he held his trumpet in his ears. "I can hear you all just fine."
This took about a few minutes for the dwarves to get back their hearing. They looked at each other as they shook their ehads trying to readjust, then they looked at Paul kneeling besides a sweating Thorin.
"You really let the dragon sickness affect you huh? Get you bearings back your highness, war is coming." Paul's words made the dwarves silent.
After an hour of explanation the company was silent as they listened to Paul's plan.
"Thorin, you were lucky I am here for now but you must learn to curb aside the sickness of your family. Learn to accept that even you need help from your friends, but first write a letter to Dain, your cousin. Have his Iron Foot march as fast as they could here as Azog is now a week away from arriving." Paul said making Thorin who ahd just regained his bearings speak up.
"But will they answer?" Balin asked as the Arkenstone was not yet found, Bilbo was about to speak up but Paul's voice was heard in his mind. 'Do not take it out Master Baggins, Thorin is not yet out from the sickness.'
This made Bilbo pause as he stood at the corner looking at Paul, he nodded a bit and thought of Balin's question.
"Tell them the thruth." Bilbo said.
"Tell them we do not have the Arkenstone? That will lessen the chance they will answer!" Dwalin said as the other dwarves nodded in agreement.
"No, I mean the truth like the Iron Lord said. That the enemy has schemed for the fall of Erebor and wanted it for himself, he might have been also the one that goaded the dragon to attack the lonely mountain. Tell them the Arkenstone is the least important thing right now as he fate of middle-earth is at stake, you just got back your home. That I think is enough reason to fight back if the army marching here is really on their way." Bilbo's words made the dwarves look at each other nodding at his speech.
"I know Dain, he'll be glad there is a fight and that is enough for him." Throin said.