Tilda, Daughter of Bard

Tilda, Daughter of Bard was the youngest child and second daughter of Bard Bowman and Ingrid Una, sibling to Bain and Sigrid, and youngest member of the royal House of Dale. Born in T.A 2931 in Esgaroth, she grew there by her father alone, for her mother had died in childbirth. Despite their meager means as fishermen, Bard sought to provide his family with the most safety and comfort possible, and doted especially on Tilda; indeed, her siblings also affectionate towards her and aided in caring for her. Tilda herself grew curious and explorative, though her father's warnings about the wretched Dragon in the nearby Lonely Mountain festered into a fear of the mysterious in the young girl.

Alas, her fears came true. Mere days after the Dwarf-caravan Thorin & Company left Laketown in the Hope's of reclaiming the Mountain and its gold (much to the dismay of Tilda's grim father), the wounded Kili and Oin his healer sought refuge with Bard's home, which was soon assailed by Guldur Orcs on the hunt for Thorin and his kinsmen; yet the petrified family was rescued by the swift intervention of Legolas II Greenleaf and his companion Tauriel of Mirkwood, the latter of whom healed the Dwarf and suggested the evacuation of Bard's family before the inevitable storm of the Dragon's wrath could brew. It was also under the protection of the Elf-maiden that the children then rowed off from Laketown, just as the horrid shape of Smaug could be guessed in the night. And so, Bard's children escaped the horrific destruction of the port-town, even as Bard himself brought down the horrid Worm guilty for it. In the solemn aftermath, Tilda and her siblings found their way to their father and other gathered folk, and from then on they accompanied him very closely, still recovering from the terror of the Dragon-fires.

To the ruins of Dale they came, and there briefly settled alongside the other refugees and the Wood-Elves come to their aid as their father attempted negation with the stubborn Thorin II Oakenshield, and there they briefly rested and returned to relative merriment. The ensuing Battle of Five Armies shattered this brief interlude of piece, and while both the walls and front lines of Dale stood fast for much of the conflict, they slowly ground inwards against the tide of Fighting-Orcs, and street by street, Men evacuated, including Tilda and her siblings. In their frantic flight, they were nearly caught by the vanguard by a great Ogre; their father's determination, however, once more saved them.

And so, Tilda and her siblings survived the events of Erebor's reclamation; indeed, they left these experiences greater and richer than previously, for not only had they bonded through their pain and learned countless skills, but their father now began to gather many local Hildor to his banner, and soon he possessed a kingly following; and his children eagerly participated; Tilda herself accompanied her father often and became a mascot of sorts to his followers. As her father was crowned King of Dale and surrounding lands, the growing Tilda enjoyed the trappings of monarchical childhood, but maintained her rustic humility; and as she matured, she came to be quite interested in the Dwarves of the Mountain, with whom her experiences were life-impacting, and thus began associating with local Dwarves and learning their ways. As she approached and began adulthood, her father selected her as ambassador between mountain and city, and this job she did brilliantly as long as she lived.