This is the story of Bard the Bowman, who lives in the valley of Dale next to the Lonely Mountain.  Bard is called the Bowman, because he shot the one arrow which killed the evil dragon Smaug, thereby, ridding his people of the threat.  This is a continuation of Bard’s story from The Hobbit.  All of the stories in my project will be derived from existing stories and characters in The Hobbit.  Bard will be followed through his life during the War of the Ring.  This is the story of a good man, but my stories will be about the good and evil characters.  I chose to include this story because I think it is very important to learn more about a character that could have had an influential role during the war in Middle-earth.  Bard was influential not only in killing the dragon Smaug, but he also played an important roll the War of the Five Armies.  I am writing this story, as it would be told in tales in the future.  Seeing as how I created larger portions of this story based on existing information, I tried to keep it as accurate as possible.  If any mistakes are found feel free to tell me, and I will gratefully fix them.

Bard The Bowman

Bard was a descendent of Girion, the Lord of Dale.  He was raised in Lake Town, which as the name implies, is built on a lake, because Dale had long been destroyed by the evil dragon Smaug.  Lake Town was built of wood so as to float on top of Long Lake, all of the peoples of Dale moved to Lake Town when Smaug burnt the Valley of Dale.  Bard was the rightful ruler of Dale, but because they were living in Lake Town he was under command of their Master.  The people of Dale lived under the rule of the Master for nigh on 200 years, when suddenly a troop of dwarves and a hobbit came knocking on the door, claiming to be the rightful heirs to Lonely Mountain.  Everyone rejoiced at this, because they hoped that once the dragon was killed that the riches would again flow from the mountain.  Yet, Bard was not so foolish.  He knew that the troop would have to kill the dragon and that if they did not, the dragon would come for revenge on Lake Town for helping them.  The troop did not kill the dragon and he did come to Lake Town to exact revenge, and he succeeded in burning down the town.  All was not lost though, because while the town was burning and the Master was fleeing, Bard took the last arrow and fitted it into his bow and took one last shot.  The shot was true, and the dragon fell from the sky and smote upon the water.  Thus Bard became Bard the Bowman.

Many years passed, and the Valley of Dale again became beautiful and fruitful.  The people prospered under Bard’s rule, and they had many happy dealings with the Dwarves of Lonely Mountain.  It has already been told of the dealings of the dwarves in the war, and even though the two peoples live so close together, there fates lie apart.  The men of Middle-Earth were called to war at the gates of Mordor.  Some fought for good and others for evil.  Bard’s people were to fight the good fight along with the men of Gondor and Rohan. 

Bard had been in one war in his life and he knew what the costs would be, yet he chose to do what needed to be done to protect the future well being of his people.  He gathered together all of his warriors and any others willing to fight, and started the long trek south to Mordor.  It was an arduous journey, full of weariness and fear.  Many long nights Bard would wander through the tents looking at his warriors sleeping, and wondering if they would ever see the Valley of Dale again.  Yet, this fear made him stronger in his resolve because, he knew that those who died did so protecting the valley and the people therein that they loved.  So, locked in this resolve, Bard led his people right to the gates of Mordor, where they fought with other men and elves for the protection of Middle-earth. 

As Bard marched his company into battle, the sight was like no other.  All around him he could see the glint of swards, and hear the crashing of metal mixed with the cries of terror.  Scenes from the Battle of Five Armies flashed before his eyes, yet there was one thing about this battle that struck true terror into his heart, men were fighting men.  How truly evil a creature Sauron was that he could cause men to fight each other.  Every blow that Bard stuck upon another man ripped his soul, for he only wished for peace in the world.  Yet they were fighting for the enemy so he did what needed to be done. 

When the battle ended all that was left were bodies lying in a field, some dead, and some alive.  Bard gathered together what was left of his warriors and prepared to go home.  The battle had been a victory, but at a great cost.  Bard lost half of his men to the fields, and he took the other half home.  It was a long journey that ended in tears of loss and joy.  But for all that was lost, one thing remained, Dale and its people could live in peace.