Yanking his coat as tightly around him as he could, Bard set about collecting his arrows.
What the hell was that? Had his body truly just reacted to her as it had not responded to any woman since his late wife? If his libido were truly wakening after so many years of dormancy, then it had chosen a most inappropriate time to do so. The tail end of a winter from which it was still possible not all of them would survive was hardly the time to become attracted to anyone, let alone a she-elf who still mourned the man she had loved and lost. Kíli had been killed just shy of four moons past—even where she Dwarf or Man, Tauriel would hardly be of a mind to give her affections to another after so short a time.
No. It was better to put any thoughts of her as a romantic partner—unwelcome or not—out of his mind.
The desires of the heart do not always pay heed to the logic of the mind. Such was made painfully clear to Bard as the last weeks of winter marched slowly into spring. His unexpected fondness for Tauriel increased each day; he found himself looking forward to seeing her at the dining table during meals. He enjoyed more than he thought possible watching her as she continued working with his people to improve their combat skills. He greatly rejoiced in the smiles of his daughters as the elf-maiden passed on her knowledge of medicine. She'd also taken to teaching some of the people to speak Sindarin, as they would likely be trading with the elves again, and it was a task to pay attention to the lessons instead of simply staring at her lovely face.
His affection for her was both a blessing and a curse. While it was a relief of sorts to discover himself still capable of caring for a woman in that way, the decidedly one-sided nature of his attraction to Tauriel had led to many a sleepless night tossing and turning in his bed. Bard told himself that he needed to let it go, as by her behavior since that day in the training yard, she desired nothing more than to do her job.
But a seed once planted apparently wished only to grow…
Although the ground was still hard and a late frost still threatened, the first sign of green grass in the fields surrounding the city lifted the spirits of the people in Dale. Plans for the rebuilding of Esgaroth were finalized and it was decided that half the populace would return.
"There is wood a-plenty in the forest, and much stone has been retained for foundations," said Percy one day. "We will build Esgaroth to be stronger than ever it was."
Tauriel, who often attended but avoided direct participation in the meetings, spoke up then, asking, "Will you build your homes again upon the lake, or will you settle on the shore this time?"
"I think a little of both," Percy replied. "Our homes and halls might well fare better on the land, but we are most of us fishermen at heart, Captain. There will be fisheries for our catch and docks for our boats on the water. I dream of the new Esgaroth as a splendorous city, where peoples from all over Middle-earth may come to trade their wares."
"It is a noble dream, my Lord Percy," Tauriel said with a smile. "Little doubt rests in my mind that you will see it realized."
"Aye, and with no small thanks to you, my Lady, we shall be well prepared for its safe-keeping. Once Esgaroth is risen from the ashes, I desire we will have a dedicated army to protect us."
"I desire the same for Dale, my friend," Bard put in. "To that end, I propose a joint venture between our cities."
"What is your proposal, sire?"
Bard looked around at the men and women with him; they met in the Great Hall after breakfast for these meetings, giving Tauriel's students the morning off. "As a whole, we are near five hundred. But with the rebirth of Esgaroth on the horizon, our number will be halved on both sides, and our defenses will be weakened."
"What are you saying, Bard?" Tauriel asked.
He looked to her and offered a smile. "I had the idea that we go on an expedition, journeying to other lands such as Rohan and Gondor, to purchase tools and other provisions which would help us build our lives anew. I will also query amongst those we visit to see if there are any who might be amenable to relocating, thereby growing our numbers."
The elf nodded. "It is a good plan, my Lord," she said. "I daresay also that goods may also be purchased from the Woodland Realm—you fared well in trade with my kin in years past, did you not?"
Bard nodded. "Aye. That we did—and we'll do much better with all the Sindarin you have taught us."
"If I may say so, sire," broke in Halia, "Elves do make some fine cloth. I'd not mind a few bolts of it that I might make some gowns for the girls."
Smiling warmly at her, he replied, "I would have you use some of those silks to make gowns for yourself as well, Halia."
And so it was that as the people in Dale prepared for the departure of those rebuilding Esgaroth, a plan was hashed out for the expedition. They would wait two weeks after Percy's group had gone before setting out, giving their fellows time enough to build some strong homes at the new location. Some of those would ride north and join Bard and those going with him as he traveled to the first stop on the tour: Mirkwood. After a few days there, they would take a path through to the other side of the Woodland Realm and travel south. They would stop in Lórien and trade with the elves there if they were agreeable, then their path would take them to Edoras in Rohan and then Minas Tirith in Gondor. In Osgiliath they would cross the great river Anduin once more and head back north through Dagorlad, and then turn east toward the Sea of Rhun, where there were Men in the city of Dorwinion.
After Dorwinion, Bard said, they would trek northwest and head for home.
"I hope to complete this undertaking and return to Dale by midsummer," he said. "It means we'll not be able to stay too long in any one place and we'll have to travel from dawn 'til dusk in between."
"Most of the way west and south, my Lord," Percy began as he pointed at a map they were using to plan the trip, "there won't be much need to carry water, as the Forest River runs through Mirkwood going west and then the company will follow the Anduin going south. But heading northeast to Dorwinion through the Brown Lands, it may be wise to haul barrels of water on a wagon or two."
"No doubt a wise precaution, Percy. Thank you for that," Bard said.
Soon after the meeting ended, and all the elders left to spend the morning in preparation for what they had jokingly dubbed "the exodus." Bard walked to the door with Percy, who stopped suddenly and turned to him.
"I don't rightly know if you've been thinking on it, my Lord, but I wish you to know something," the older man said.
Bard regarded him with curiosity. "And what is that, Percy?"
"Those of us what are going back, bringing Esgaroth to life again… Well, I might be soon to take on the title of Lord of Esgaroth, but you will still be our King, sire."
For a moment he was too stunned to speak, and then Bard drew a breath, replying, "Percy, that is not necessary—"
Percy shook his head. "Oh, but it is, Bard. If you hadn't shot that black arrow into the dragon, we might all of us be dead now," he said. "And though sadly many lives of our brothers and sisters were lost fightin' for it, it was you who got the dwarves to part with what of the treasure of Smaug was our due. Without it, we'd never be able to start over—we'd certainly never be able to rebuild Esgaroth or Dale."
Nodding affirmatively, Percy stepped back. "As I said, sire, you will still be our King. Dale will be more than a city—it shall be a kingdom, and Esgaroth a part of it."
Feeling overwhelmed by the declaration, Bard could do nothing but draw the older man into an embrace. He had no words for how very moved he was, nor how humbled he felt, that Percy and the others thought of him that way. All he'd ever wanted in life was to be a good son, a good husband, a good father, and a good neighbor. To do what was right and not what was easy. Although he had dreamed of restoring Dale in his youth, never had he thought it would be possible—certainly not in his lifetime. He had never really thought himself a leader, even though it always seemed to fall on him to take charge when things became difficult or dangerous.
And not once had he ever thought of himself as a king, but a king it seemed he would one day be.
After Percy had at last departed, Bard sighed and turned back into the Great Hall. He was surprised to see Tauriel still there; she sat at the table, seemingly studying the map they'd been using.
"The crops to be sown before your departure will be much ripened by your return," she said.
Bard frowned. "Do you mean not to journey with us?" he asked as he moved toward her.
Tauriel looked up. "My Lord, is my purpose for remaining in Dale not fulfilled?"
"Indeed it is," he answered. "You have taught my people a great many skills, and when one day we have our armies to defend us, what they have learned will be passed on."
She stood as he reached her, and it bothered him that she stepped back as though she did not want to be too close. "Then it would seem my contract of employment has reached its end. What reason have I to journey with you?"
On an impulse borne of months of unrequited desire, Bard reached out a hand to cup her cheek, and allowed the depth of his feelings fill his eyes as he told her, "Because you want to.
"Moreover, because I want you to."
He stood at the mountain gate and watched as the column of men, women, and children steadily marched to the south. Tauriel was among them, in large part because she would provide added security should the group fall under attack. Bard personally suspected it was because she was running away.
And he was almost certain he would not be seeing her again.
Perhaps it's for the best, he mused as he raised his hand in acknowledgement of Dalarean and Eltain, a couple who had turned around to wave. He then sighed and turned back to re-enter the city he now called home. Tauriel had grown ever more distant after he had asked her to go with him on the journey. Whether it was because he had frightened her with the revelation of his interest in her as a woman or because she had always planned one day to leave them, he could not say. In either case, if she did not return in a fortnight with those from Esgaroth who had agreed to go along on the southern expedition, his girls would surely miss her presence in their lives.
Frankly, so would he.
