Prologue

The fire roared and cracked. Shouts and screams were heard while men and women grabbed buckets of water and quickly made their way up the creaking wooden steps. Only one humble house was on fire thus far but it would spread quickly if not put out right away.

"More water!" one man shouted with a growl just before the flames bellowed up in a loud roar. It was strange to see a fire of such magnitude in the town, though it was quite small when compared to fires that destroyed Dale. That burst of flames caused the houses close by to be singed but, fortunately for those families the fire on their houses were put out with ease.

His breath quickened as he ran towards the hustle and fire cracking sounds. It couldn't be his house, it just couldn't. He repeated this to himself but soon his fear was confirmed as he turned the corner. He looked up to see his childhood home was up in flames. He ran up the narrow steps as he tried to get closer. He had to know what had happened and where his family was.

"What happened?" Bard questioned the crowd of people as he looked to the fire engulfed house. He didn't wait for an answer before he quickly grabbed a couple of the remaining buckets and joined in the effort to save his home.

"We don't know." an elderly man answered, as he brought two buckets of water. Bard quickly moved out of the way, filled his bucket up with water and followed the old man up the stairs. His gaze turned to the white haired man.

"Where is my mother?" young Bard questioned. "Where is Nora?" Concern filled his eyes. His mother and sister had gotten out hadn't they? They were safe, weren't they? They couldn't still be in that hot blaze. They wouldn't survive if they were. "Where is my family?"

"I'm afraid no one knows for sure." the elderly man looked down while Bard poured the water onto the blaze. "However, we heard screams not too long ago. I fear at least one of them is still inside." Bard looked down, his mouth opened slightly as shock began to filled him. However, this shock was short lived, if his family was still inside, he had to extinguish the fire and quickly so he could get help to them. He quickly made his way down the stairs and filled his buckets with water again.

'Don't worry, mother and Nora.' he thought to himself as he made trip after trip up the stairs with water. 'I'm going to put the fire out. You'll be alright.'

A year had passed since Bard's father had died. His mother was a seamstress and often worked with his sister to bring a little money in while Bard trained and worked as a bargeman. Life certainly hadn't been easy for the family of three but they were always fed. They always managed to find a little happiness and joy while in each others company. Bard had just filled the buckets with water, for the seventh or eighth time and was on his way back up the stairs when he heard a familiar sound.

"Bard!" a woman's voice called out. Bard quickly turned and, to his relief, saw an auburn haired girl run towards him. Her brown eyes looked between her brother and their home. The flames were beginning to die down but the heat from the blaze made their faces glisten with sweat.

"Nora!" the brown haired man exclaimed. She was fine, the sister their father had told him to look out for, was safe. He quickly poured the water onto the flamed house and made his way back down the stairs. Once she reached him, his arms pulled her into a protective embrace.

"What happened?" she asked after a short second. She took in a deep breath as she tried to steady herself from her sprinting. Her eyes pierced into him as she looked to him for an answer. A look of worry and shock was present on her face. Bard gently pushed her to arms length.

"I've asked and no one knows the answer. Nora, was mother with you in the market?" Bard questioned her as he eyed the carrots and potatoes in the tan straw woven basket she carried. His hands rested firmly on her shoulders. His eyes pleaded with her to tell him she was.

"No, she sent out me out to get some vegetables for dinner no more than a half hour ago." the fifteen year old girl replied. Bard looked back to the house. The screams that their neighbors had heard earlier. It was their mother's cry, it had to be.

"Bard?" Nora questioned as she began to put the situation together. "Please don't tell me our mother is in there." The nineteen year old man, looked at her for a moment before he gazed back to the house. A haze now filled the air from the smoke. The flames had begun to die down but buckets of water were still needed to put out the remaining flames on their house.

"What are we going to do?" she looked to him for answers. Emptiness from the loss of their home and possibly their mother began to overwhelm the young woman. She was in a daze.

Worry, fear and confusion filled Bard. He was her older brother; he had to take care of her. He looked back down at his sister before he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him once again.

"We're going to help put out the fire." he told her. "If our mother is in there, we will grieve and we will bury her." By now Nora's eyes swelled with tears. "Don't worry. We'll look after each other." he comforted her with a whisper. "We'll be fine."

~Author's Note~

Hi everyone! Thanks for checking out my new story. I've had this idea in my head for a while now and thought it seemed decent enough so I thought I'd give it a try and see if anyone liked it. This story includes two of my favorite characters from the book and movies, Bard and Beorn.

On a quick note, I am an amateur writer. I will make mistakes but will fixed things as I notice them. I don't mind constructive criticism and am always looking for ways to improve my writing. Please note, I will update this story about every other week sometimes sooner if I have the time. This story will take place before, during and after The Hobbit.

Anyway, thanks again for checking out my new story. The next chapter will have a bunch of action in it so I hope you will join me for that. It should be lots of fun! Feel free to leave a review if you have a moment and are so inclined. Again, constructive criticism is always welcomed. Thanks again!-Lin

Disclaimer: I do not own Bard, Beorn or any other characters from the Hobbit that will appear in this story nor am I making any money off of it. Writing this is purely for fun and entertainment.