Hopefully ya'll like the first chapter. I hope it gave you a small look in how they first met. So yeah... BTW I am making up his father and mothers name, because I have NOOOO clue what their real names are, so please bear with me.

I don't own the Hobbit characters.

But I do own Karina, her mother, friends, and other relatives.

Please enjoy!

Chapter Two

"Bard!" His mother snapped, her eyes widened and her mouth was in the small shape of an 'o'. Bard looked down nervously at his feet as his mother stood in front of him with a look of utter shame on her face. The moment he walked into the house, his parents automatically asked how he got the giant hand print on his face. How was he supposed to lie about that? If he were to lie, he knew he couldn't hide it from his parents. It was a weird thing, how a mother and father can tell when their child is lying right in front of them.

"And why did you do that, son?" his father said, folding his strong arms across his chest. It was even worse with his father, Bailwin, staring at him with those hard brown eyes. Often people would tell Bard that he would be scary looking like his father, but he didn't want to put the fear into his child's heart like his father does with his. How was he going to explain WHY he did it?

"I uh..." he slowly drawled out, unsure of how to find the right words. "I was dared by one of my friends..." Bard said, cringing slightly from his father and mothers hard stares.

"Was it Adalwin?" Bailwin said, his dark heavy eyebrows drawn together. Bard immediately shot his head up.

"No!" he exclaimed, then mumbled a soft 'sorry' when his father cocked his head to the side, daring him to talk to him like that again.

"It, It was..." he tried so hard to think of someone he often hung out with... which was no one else besides Adalwin, but who else would follow the two around? Then an idea came to his mind... someone that everyone who could NOT stand... someone who wouldn't leave Bard and Adalwin alone.

"Alfrid! It was Alfrid!" Bard said, his words coming out faster than he expected. Both his mother and Bailwin looked at him, eyebrows arched up in surprise.

"Alfrid is your friend?" his mother asked, his father grumbling shortly after her.

"Well... he follows me and Adalwin all the time."

"And you listened to him?"

Dammit... thought Bard. Of course his father would always cut off his brilliant plan. Struggling to think up an excuse, his mother cut him off by putting up her hand.

"Did you apologize? That's the main thing." She asked, and Bard could feel his stomach drop down to his stomach.

"I tried, she wouldn't listen to me." Bard said, and that was the truth. Everytime he tried to speak, which was about... twice; she would cut him off with words as sharp as a knife.

"I don't think you tried hard enough." His mother said. Bard's eyes widened and he took a step back. Was his mother absolutely crazy?!

"Are you saying I should try again?"

"I think you should. What you did to her should not be apologized for once, but plenty more times. Who knows, maybe she'll start liking you." His mother said, an amusing smirk on her lips. She was enjoying this, seeing her son squirm right under her eyes like a little child again. A deep blush rushed over Bard's young cheeks, and he gave a small mumble of jumbled words.

"Now what I want you to do, is march over there and apologize again. If you fail to do that, then I'm locking you in your room for 2 days." His mother threatened, and he could see she meant it. For as long as Bard could remember, his mother was the most proper person in Laketown (compared to Karina's mother) and if no one didn't do at least one generous thing, she'll make sure that they did it. So when his mother told him he needed to apologize, then he needed to do it... and FAST.

"But Mother, you don't understand!" he found himself hesitating, cowering away like a lost pup. As his mothers eyes rested on his, he could feel his father's angry eyes boring at the side of his head.

"I tried, I really did. But she would not give me a minute to explain. She hates me, she absolutely hates me! And if I talk to her, she'll kill me!" Bard pleaded, and he was utterly embarrassed at how ridiculous he sounds.

"I don't know about her killing you as much as her mother." mumbled Baiwin, and he received a rather hard hit to the chest from his wife. Bard could feel the fear building up inside him.

"Do you like her, son?" His mother asked. How did his mom know that?

"No, of course not." he said, trying to hide the most obvious look on his face.

"Did you just recently start liking her?" she asked, her words serious. Bard gave a sigh, and rolled his eyes in the most childish way.

"Because if you did, then you damn well make her like you back. You don't find other young women like her. She may hate you and wish to rip your guts out, but you will try and try and try a thousand times if it takes, to make her like you." his mother said, and not only did Bard stare at her with an open mouth; but his father did the same thing.

"Now if you don't want to talk to her, write her a letter." she said, and immediately... Bard got an idea.

A small leather pouch was slung across her shoulders, full of vegetables and two large trout. Money was scarce in the small town, ever since the Dragon attacked Dale many decades ago, Laketown could even barely make enough money for the families that lived in it. Often Audhild told Karina that she needed a job, but with the past that her mother has been through; Karina wanted to stay with her and make sure she was okay. Besides... she didn't want to work anywhere close to that scoundrel, Bard. Finally reaching her door, she was about to turn the doorknob when an arrow whizzed through the air and smacked right next to her head. Giving a large scream, she fell backwards and right on her behind. The bow was long, pitch black, and it went halfway through her poor old door. Looking up the direction it came from, she saw a black silhouette leap down a roof; and that was the last time she saw it. When her eyes cascaded back to the arrow, she saw that there was a letter attached to it, and she couldn't help but wonder who it was from. Finally picking herself up, she ripped the ribbon that attached the letter to the black body of the arrow, and unfolded it to see who it was from.

Dear Karina,

I'm probably the last person you want a letter from, and you're probably madder than bloody hell at me for doing this to you. But I'm afraid that if I come to your door again, you'd probably decapitate me right on the spot. So I thought I would give you a letter instead.

I'm sorry that I humiliated you in front of everyone, I thought I was being funny and thought you wouldn't do anything. But boy was I wrong! So to make up for it, if you're up for the challenge, I thought you would like to come with me on a small hunt through the forest. And don't act like you don't know how to shoot a longbow, because I've seen you carry it before.

See you tomorrow morning.

-Bard

Karina couldn't believe it. Not only does he grab her breasts, but he knows she shoots a longbow. She was starting to think that he was as creepy as Alfrid... well... almost. But she couldn't help but smile lightly at the messily written words that appeared to have been rushed. How badly she wanted to resist, to only shoot Bard instead of a deer or bird; but the thought of escaping the house for awhile seemed... alright. With a final pull of the arrow, she managed to yank it out and opened her door.

"What the hell was that?" Her mother called from the kitchen, obviously getting things ready for the meal. But instead of replying to her question, Karina asked.

"Hey Mama, where is your longbow?"