Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Enjoy!

/To Seek the Pale Enchanted Gold/

When Bilbo, Sam, and Thorin emerged from the tunnel into the passageway proper they were immediately descended upon by a gaggle of worried dwarves, who had left their hiding places as soon as they could see who was coming, the joy and relief on their faces apparent.

The Company greeted Thorin, many clapping him on the back, before they went over to Sam, giving her light hugs, wary of her injuries, many of them tapping their foreheads to hers, their smiles, and hers, brighter than they had been in weeks.

Fili and Kili, meanwhile, attached themselves to Thorin's sides like leeches, giving him a double bear hug, their faces buried in his neck, as they had missed their uncle dearly and had been worried, hugs that he returned with just as much enthusiasm, allowing himself to bury his face in between their heads, breathing in their scents, assuring himself of their health and well being as they did the same with him, all of them pulling back after a few seconds.

Always in sync, Fili and Kili said," We missed you, Uncle." Their eyes were slightly watery, but they smiled nonetheless, relieved.

Thorin returned his nephews' smiles with one of his own," I missed you two too."

They all stopped what they were doing when they heard Bilbo clear his throat, looking at the hobbit," As much as I hate to break up your reunions after nearly a month of separation, we really do not have the time for this and we need to go. Now."

Everyone nodded with chagrinned expressions, beginning to follow the hobbit again as they resumed their escape, Fili, Kili, and Ori giving Sam more substantial hugs before they moved on.

Sam was stopped from going down the flight of stairs by a hand on her arm, turning around to find Dwalin and Nori looking at her with concern," Ya' sure you're alrigh' lass?"

Dwalin was looking at her face searchingly, not entirely convinced she was healed enough for what they were going to do, Nori looking at her with the same expression, though he seemed to be contemplating how to best hurt Authast and Asgaranwar for what they had done if the outright anger in his eyes was anything to go on.

"Oso, Zorro," both of the dwarves looked her in the eyes, the use of their nicknames, the ones she had given them near the beginning of their journey, instantly grabbing their attention, their use reminding them that Sam was alive in front of them, no longer being tortured in the depths of the elven city, bringing their minds back from the dark places they had wandered," I am fine, I'm not great, but I am ok, so, please, let's go and get out of this horrible place." Sam touched her forehead to each of theirs, trying to convey that she was good enough for now, both smiling slightly when she also patted their cheeks in a patronizing way, her own smile slightly strained now that almost everyone had descended down the stairs, slightly dropping the brave face she had put on to put everyone at ease, her own anxiety and desire to leave manifesting in her eyes.

Dwalin and Nori could both see the slight bit of desperation in Sam's eyes at her statement, realizing she really wanted to escape this place, and all of the memories it entailed, so they just nodded their heads, Dwalin giving her one last hug before Nori took her hand and began to lead her in the direction the Company had gone, Dwalin taking up the rear.

/The Pines were Roaring on the Height/

The Company finally made it to the cellar after going down what seemed to be an endless maze of passageways and stairs, all of them wondering how in the world Bilbo managed to remember how to get down there, or how he had found it in the first place.

As they all came down the last of the steps, they could see the drunken elves asleep at the table, all of them freezing for a moment before Bilbo said," I put sleeping drought in their wine, so no need to worry, they will not be waking up anytime soon."

"Sleeping drought? You gave them the sleeping drought you found?"

Bilbo nodded at Balin's question, the dwarf smiling approvingly at the forethought and good sense behind the action," Excellent idea, laddie." Bilbo only smiled mischievously.

The dwarves wandered around the cellar for a moment as Bilbo went to make sure there was still nothing in the barrels, taking in the shelves and shelves of wine, most finding themselves wondering why the elves would need so much, and how long it would take for them to drink it all.

Bofur was wondering if he could get a taste of the very expensive looking cask on the top shelf, but Bombur and Bifur smacked him upside the head for thinking it, as they could see the considering expression on his face as he looked at the cask.

Nori was hovering over the sleeping elves, contemplating relieving them of their valuables, Gloin and Oin looking on, bemused by the sight of drunken elves, Fili, Kii, and Ori just looking at the three elves, none of them having seen an elf of Mirkwood up close before in a non-combat situation, or just non-threatening situation in general, finding themselves to be comparing the elves to men more than the elves of Rivendell, fore they seemed less refined than Lord Elrond and his kin, less...elvish, if that was even possible, but they all couldn't help but laugh quietly as they noticed one of them was sleeping in their own drool, and another snorted in their sleep as they shifted, smacking their lips, the last of the elves starting to snore, making the tittering dwarves chuckle even more, the Broadbeams had slightly stunned expressions on their faces before they joined in.

The elves of Mirkwood were nothing like they had thought they would be, not half as dainty as the elves of Rivendell had been, much more like the men of Ered Luin that the dwarves were familiar with, and just as slobbish and somewhat disgusting as those men in their drunkeness.

"Would you lot get over here and stop botherin' the elves." Dori's vehement whisper brought them all back over to the barrels that Bilbo, Balin, Dwalin, and Thorin had been inspecting, Nori having attained six nice, new elvish daggers and a hair clip.

"Alright everyone in the barrels, now." Everyone immediately followed their king's order, hopping into the barrels, some needing a boost to get into the higher ones, shuffling and turning about so their heads came out the top, but then they realized that there were only enough barrels for the dwarves, not their lass or their hobbit.

"Wai', wha' are you two ridin' in?" Bofur had stuck his head out of his barrel to speak, as did the rest of the dwarves, looking at the duo, who were whispering at each other, quizzically.

"Well, Bilbo will be riding with you, Bofur, and I will simply be swimming."

The dwarves started to protest at that, even as Sam gave Bilbo a boost to Bofur's barrel, the dwarf pulling the hobbit inside and helping him go right side up, clamping an arm around the hobbit's decidedly smaller-than-it-was middle so he wouldn't fall out or get too jostled in the upcoming ride, Bilbo giving him a grateful smile, positioning his feet on top of Bofur's boots, hoping that would keep his face above the top of the barrel, even as Bofur was, along with everyone else, trying to convince Sam to get in a barrel and one of them would swim.

Sam rolled her eyes and huffed," Guys, we really do not have the time to argue about this. The fact of the matter is that I am the best swimmer of the Company, Bilbo barely knows how to float to begin with, and, while the rest of you are better off than that, none of you are even half as good as me, so I am the most logical choice to choose for the person stuck swimming."

"But, Sam, you're hurt and tired, you shouldn't being doing something like that. Besides, what makes you think that you're a better swimmer than any of us?" Kili and Fili looked slightly affronted at the assumption, Thorin flicking them both on the forehead for their pride in this situation.

Sam cocked an eyebrow and a hip, crossing her arms, looking entirely unamused as she stood in front of them all, the way some of her behaviors reminded them all of Dis again apparent," I know I am the best swimmer of the Company, Kili, because I swam for nearly three hours a day most of my childhood, used to compete with other people my age in races, played games in the water constantly, was taught how to save people who are in distress in the water or drowning," here she eyed them all, all of the dwarves getting the point that she meant she would be saving any of their butts should anything happen, something easier done when not confined to a barrel, and they were all beginning to see her point, realizing the amount of time she had spent in the water made her much more able to deal with it than any of them, making her much less likely to drown or come to other harm, even if they didn't really want to acknowledge she was right, as it would mean putting her in more danger than she had been in already on their account," and, I used to be able to swim 100 yards in less than two minutes, I think all of that makes me the most qualified to do the swimming, don't you?"

The dwarves all nodded reluctantly, pulling more securely into their barrels as Sam glared at them, her arms akimbo as she waited for them all to settle.

When Sam was satisfied that they were all safe and sound inside their barrels she gave a nod, giving one more cursory glance over her friends, she huffed in satisfaction, then went over to the lever and said," Bon voyage, boys, I will see you in a few minutes."

Sam waited for them all to nod at her before she pulled the lever, the dwarves unable to help but yelp and yell a bit as they slid down the trap door into the water, making loud splashing noises, Sam hearing them yell about how cold the water was.

Sam could only shake her head and sigh in resignation. Cold water, wonderful, she was gonna freeze her ass off. Oh, joy.

Sam took one last quick look around the cellar to make sure none of them had forgotten anything or left any obvious signs of their departure, seeing nothing, and the elves still deep asleep, Sam walked to the end of the trap door on the actual floor, then sat down on the floor facing the wall and scooted herself over onto the trapdoor, which promptly began to tip down, and Sam did a pencil dive into the water.

/The Winds were Moaning in the Night/

Sam broke the surface of the water, gasping, eyes wide, her teeth already chattering from the cold, her muscles shivering, her hair now plastered to her face and head, looking like a drowned rat.

"Oh, my God! That's fricking cold!" Sam floundered for a moment, taking hold of the rock wall, bracing her foot against the portion of it below the surface of the water, taking a moment to push her hair out of her face and get her bearings, looking around the giant cavern, momentarily amazed by the natural beauty of it, before spotting the dwarves and swimming over to them.

The dwarves were all looking at Sam expectantly, looking for proof that she was, indeed, the best swimmer of the Company, which she did prove when, after spotting them, Sam gave a powerful push off the wall of the cavern and, very quickly, much quicker than any of them would have managed, even when not covered in sopping wet clothes, Bilbo looking very impressed by her ability to swim, and how naturally Sam did it, surfaced right next to Ori's barrel after having dolphin kicked her way over to them underwater, coming up bright eyed and smiling, even as she shivered a bit.

"Hi, guys." Sam pushed her hair out of her face again as they all just looked at her, sitting in their barrels, a little wet, cold, and miserable, in contrast to Sam, who looked perfectly content in the water, despite how cold it was, a bit surprised by just how at home she looked, floating like she was, and wondering what it the world she was doing that kept her head above water while she looked like she was sitting below the water's surface (this is called egg beatering in waterpolo).

"Huh, whaddya know, she is a fish."

Sam smiled at Fili, he and Kili looking at her, both bemused and impressed by her apparent skill, his comment not offending her in the least," Yep, that's me, Sam the fish." She smiled brightly at them all.

That had the Company chuckling, relaxing slightly now that they were sure that Sam wouldn't drown in the water, Bilbo shaking his head and rolling his eyes at their lass and her characteristic flippantness, the movement of his head making Bofur do the same, as he had been resting his chin on the hobbit's head as they were floating there in the water.

The sight of Bilbo and Bofur made Sam giggle, causing the rest of the Company to start chuckling as well when they noticed Bilbo and Bofur shaking their heads in tandem, Thorin rolling his eyes dramatically with a small smirk, Bilbo looking slightly annoyed by Bofur's antics, even as said dwarf smiled a wide and ornery grin, perfectly content to annoy the hobbit standing on his boots before they both got soaked and really had a reason to be annoyed.

Oin just ignored them all, still concerned by the thought of leaving Sam in the ice cold water, taking in her slight shivering as his sharp eyes raked over her partially submerged form," Are you sure you're alright Sam? That water is snow melt, and is almost as cold as the snow it once was."

Sam sighed, looking at the healer, sighing, answering with slight exasperation," I'm fine, Oin, really I am." Oin raised an eyebrow at her, unconvinced, the others, while now sure of her ability to swim, were now concerned about how she would deal with the cold water, especially given how thin she was, even knowing that the cold might just help her many bruises. Sam sighed again," I am fine Oin, I'm just really cold, but that will change when we get movin' cause then my muscles will warm up a bit from the effort."

Oin only nodded slightly, but still gave Thorin a look that said,' Do something.'

Thorin nodded slightly back at Oin, taking the hint, then said," All the same, Sam, we do not want you getting hurt more than you already are, especially since we do not know exactly how far we are going to need to go down this river, nor how long it will take, so, to preserve your strength and keep safe, I want you to hold onto someone's barrel unless it is absolutely necessary for you to let go, alright?"

Sam nodded and grinned cheekily at Thorin," Why do you think I'm right next to Ori? I'm gonna hang onto his barrel for the wilder parts of this ride."

Oin and Thorin nodded at that, glad she hadn't been planning on trying to swim the whole way, and that she hadn't fought them on the order, stubborn and obstinate woman that she was.

Ori looked down at his friend floating next to his barrel, curious," Not that I mind, but why my barrel specifically?"

Sam shrugged up at Ori, some of the others wondering the same thing as they floated, waiting for Thorin to give the order to let go and float on," Because, you're light enough that you might tip over if there are any bad rapids, so, with my weight to counterbalance your's as we get thrown about, you probably won't tip and I will be able to stay on your barrel pretty easily."

Ori nodded, a grateful smile on his face, as he was not a strong swimmer, his brothers glad Sam had thought about that, as it had not occurred to either of them that their younger, lighter brother might tip into the water.

Kili cocked his head to the side as Fili raised an eyebrow," By that logic, won't Fili and I also need to be kept from tipping over?"

Grumbles of agreement were heard as Sam answered," Yeah, but I figure you two can keep each other from tipping over, especially since everyone else," she looked around at the rest of the Company, her expression telling them she knew something they didn't, who were now looking at her expectantly, all of them having grown used to her picking up on things none of them, even Balin, had somehow missed," will be having trouble keeping water out of their own barrels, since their weight makes them all sit lower in, and closer to, the water."

The dwarves, sans the youngest three, were now looking at their barrels more closely, realizing they were, indeed, all sitting low enough in the water that it would easily splash in, regardless of whether the water was rough or not.

"Damn, she's righ'." Dwalin sighed a resigned sigh," I guess we'll all be gettin' a col' bath then, won't we?"

A chorus of groans was heard, no one wanting to get wetter or colder than they already were.

Bilbo was now concerned, as his head was very close to the top of the barrel and the water line, the hobbit not liking the idea of getting water in his face constantly, especially since he could barely swim and was more than a little afraid of the water.

Bofur noticed Bilbo's distress and promptly pulled him up a little higher on his boots and clamped his arm a little tighter around his middle, the hobbit looking up at him gratefully, and rather scared, Bofur smiling again to try and comfort his friend.

"Alright, now that we have everything cleared up and everyone is ready to go," everyone looked at Thorin as he looked at their lass expectantly, Sam getting a grip on Ori's barrel as Ori got a grip on Sam's upper arms to make sure she didn't get knocked off, the two friends giving each other apprehensive smiles as Thorin gave them both an approving nod and continued," let us go."

With that Thorin let go of the wall of the cavern, and was swept away, the rest of the Company soon following.

/The Fire Was Red, It Flaming Spread/

The entire Company was drenched after they went down the waterfall, all coming out of the white water sputtering and spitting out water, cursing as they tried to whip their wet hair out of their faces, Bofur somehow managing to keep his hat on, Nori's beard almost completely undone, making the usually very kempt dwarf look almost unrecognizable.

Sam just looked at Ori as they bobbed up out of the water, the dwarf now as wet as she was, looking decidedly uncomfortable with the entire situation," This is gonna be a wild ride, especially if there are anymore waterfalls."

Ori could only nod, wide eyed," No kidding. Oh, I am not looking forward to this." The young dwarf looked like he was going to be sick, slightly green from the movement of the water or nerves Sam didn't know.

"It will be fine, Ori, you'll see. We'll be at the mountain in no time." Sam smiled comfortingly as she looked around at the rest of the Company, finding them all to be fine, if now a little grumpy.

The duo and everyone else turned as they heard an elvish horn, seeing Legolas on a high platform a ways away from then, making his way down stairs, no doubt coming for them.

Bilbo had hoped it would take longer for them all to notice their prisoners were gone, but, apparently, they had noticed almost immediately.

The Company saw elven soldiers on the wall their were fast approaching, one of them shutting the gate that went across the river as a result of the horn.

They all floated into the area under the wall, the elves not quite doing anything yet besides watching them and waiting for others to show up to help them apprehend them, Gloin keeping Sam from getting squished between the barrels by keeping them at arms length around her, even as they all began to look for a way through the gate banging on it and rattling the bars, the elves about ready to pounce on them from above, but then the orcs attacked, killing one elf after another, shooting arrows as they came over the ridge near the river and the wall itself, some brandishing swords and axes when they got close enough for combat.

The elven soldiers were soon dead as a result of the orc onslaught, none having been prepared for a small army of orcs attacking an elven city, more elves pouring onto the scene as more orcs did the same, but the orcs weren't targeting the elves, they were after the dwarves.

The dark creatures began to jump into the water, hacking and slashing at the Company, trying to kill them while they were cornered, but the Company of Thorin Oakenshield would not be killed so easily.

Dwalin, Nori, Dori, Thorin, Bifur, and Fili quickly had several of the ocrs disarmed and dead, tossing weapons to their fellows, Bilbo taking out Sting, as they continued to fight off the orcs.

Kili, however, was eyeing the lever that would open the gate, the one thing standing between them all and freedom, possibly even safety, so, instead of fighting the orcs, he got out of his barrel and began hopping on the edges of the rims of the other barrels, eventually jumping on the stone stairs of the elven wall, catching his balance after a moment, almost immediately being attacked by orcs, Dwalin throwing the prince a sword, which Kili promptly used to kill two orcs.

Sam saw what Kili was going to do and decided to cover him, so she dived down below the barrels, coming up on the opposite side of the waterway, Fili stabbing an orc that got too close to her as she pulled herself up onto the bank, unsure how she was going to deal with the orcs, just knowing she needed to help Kili and keep the orcs away, as best she could, so he could reach his goal, pull the lever, and open the gate.

"Sam, catch!"

Sam turned around in time to catch two elven daggers that Nori tossed at her, recognizing them, in the back of her mind, as those the elves in the cellar had in their belts earlier, not stopping to think about it further as she began to attack the orcs in earnest, twirling, ducking, dodging, and rolling, killing orcs left and right as she made her way towards the lever that would open the gate and get them all away from the orcs and the elves both.

Fili threw an axe at one of the two orcs attacking his brother on the platform at the top of the stairs as the younger dwarf beheaded the other orc with his commandeered sword, making his way, steadily, toward the lever, fighting more orcs as he went, noting that Sam was keeping even more orcs from coming towards him from the other side of the bank, making him push harder to get them all out of there quicker.

The rest of the Company was continuing to fight the onslaught of orcs that were falling into the water or that were pouncing on them, all of them having weapons now, Bilbo had even managed to stab a few orcs, popping out of the barrel like a whack-a-mole to stab them through the gut when they were dumb enough to lean over his and Bofur's barrel.

Sam, meanwhile, had just killed an orc with an upward thrust into the torso, piercing it's heart with one dagger, when she saw an orc with a lot of metal on its head kill an elf by crushing the poor guy's skull.

This was the commanding orc, as he was the one who had shouted orders at the other orcs when they had all still been on top of the ridge, the creature catching sight of Kili as he was almost at the lever, the beast smiling cruelly, taking out his bow and arrow, aiming it right at the prince, but he had not been paying attention to his surroundings, making the worst mistake any fighter could make, getting cocky and not being aware of their surroundings.

Sam cut the head off the arrow as she attacked from the side, pivoting on her left foot to shove the blade of her dagger into the temple of the commanding orc, cutting the bowstring with her other dagger as she came back around so what was left of the arrow shaft wouldn't hurt Kili, who had just gotten to the lever and was in the process of pulling it.

Sam ripped her dagger out of the skull of the dead orc, nodding to Tauriel as she shot the orc that had been about to attack Sam through the skull, the flame haired she-elf staring at the former prisoner for a moment, not sure what to make of her sudden transformation from an almost non-responsive and suffering prisoner to a fierce warrior as Sam shoved both of her daggers into her boots, and jumped back in the water just as Kili jumped back into his barrel, Tauriel shooting the orc that had been about to pounce on the young dwarf, Fili killing it with an axe as it fell in the water near where he was keeping both his and his brother's barrels from floating away.

Tauriel took note of how the young, blonde dwarf seemed unwilling to go anywhere without Sam or Kili, their loyalty and care for each other prompting her to shoot any orcs that got to close to them as the two dwarves began to float way, keeping their human friend close, the she-elf not even bothering to try to stop them, far too preoccupied with the orcs, and her curiosity about the odd group, whom, she had noticed, now had what looked like a hobbit with them, to care, the protection of her home and her fellows more pressing at the moment, even as the orcs began to leave, following the dwarves, the second in command of their group taking charge.

The younger prince grabbed Sam and secured her to his barrel, his arms around her as he curled his shoulders and head over Sam's head, trying to protect her from the arrows that were still raining down on them as they floated through the gate, Fili keeping their barrels from floating apart and from squishing Sam as the Company flowed further down the river, still pursued by orcs.

Legolas, who had been watching Tauriel's back as she protected the dwarves and human, just as confused by their odd behavior as she was, their loyalty and apparent care for their human, and hobbit, companion going against everything he had ever been taught was true of dwarves and their treatment of other races, although the prince was heartened to discover the woman was seemingly fine, despite the way she had been acting, the prince and Tauriel watching the dwarves and their companions as they drifted away for a moment, neither having any clue why the orcs were pursuing the group so doggedly, but the two elves were not about to let the foul creatures achieve their goal, whatever it was, because, no matter how much they disliked the dwarves and wanted to stop them from awakening Smaug, and to learn more about them now that they realized they had been wrong about many things in regard to them so far, they hated orcs, and the orcs would die before they ever got the chance to hurt anyone, regardless of who they were, because, despite the fact that Thranduil would disapprove, Legolas nor Tauriel could not, in good conscience, allow the orcs to move unfettered through the forest, regardless of the fact that they would soon be beyond their borders and, according to the king, no longer their concern.

/The Trees like Torches Blazed with Light/

The Company flowed down the river, getting repeatedly dunked in the rapids, thrown around by the current, their barrels becoming pincushions of orcish arrows, Sam somehow managing to avoid getting hit, even as she nearly lost her grip of Kili's barrel a few times, her plan to stay with Ori completely shot.

They orcs continued to pursue them, even as elves continued to shoot the creatures, the dwarves using their newly acquired weapons to attack the creatures as best they could, whacking them when they got close enough to the banks or when they stood on one of the many logs lying across the river,Thorin throwing an axe at an orc about to attack Balin, pinning it to a log and taking it's long mace.

Thorin passed the mace back to Dwalin, who called," Nori!" passing the weapon to the thief, who then proceeded to toss it to Fili, the young dwarf promptly knocking an orc on the bank off it's feet before crushing it's skull.

Sam lost her grip of Kili's barrel as Kili lost his grip on her, the others not noticing as they were otherwise occupied, all the tossing around too much, too fast, the prince calling for her as she disappeared beneath the rapids, her head invisible beneath the whitewater," Sam! Sam!"

Kili looked around frantically, looking for some trace of her as he continued to be thrown around in the rapids, seeing nothing, his heart going cold with fear for his friend.

Sam had been drawn down by the current of the river as soon as she had lost her grip of the barrel, the only thing keeping her from being pulled under to begin with, she was being dragged along the bottom of the river, being flipped and turned in such a way that she didn't know which way was up.

Kili, while he was confident in Sam's ability to swim, was terrified that she wouldn't be able to surface, her injuries and exhaustion preventing her from getting free from the undercurrent of the river, the idea of her drowning or passing out under the water with none of them able to get to her, or even see her, making him begin to panic, calling for her more frantically, all the while avoiding getting shot by orcs, occasionally hitting one with his sword, as he realized that she might already be lost to them, it entirely possible that her head had been smashed against the rocks of the riverbed, or stuck under a submerged log, the number of things that could have gone wrong and prevented her from surfacing mounting as the seconds ticked by since she had been lost to the river.

Fili heard his brother calling for Sam, realizing that he couldn't see her anywhere, that she wasn't attached to Kili's barrel, Fili looked at his brother, seeing the mounting panic in his eyes," Fili! She got pulled under and she hasn't come up yet! I can't find her!"

Fili's eyes were as wide as his brother's now as he began to look around frantically for Sam himself, his own cries for their lass joining Kili's, the other members of the Company finally hearing them, horror dawning on their faces as they realized that Sam was nowhere to be seen.

But they could do nothing, the helplessness they felt in this situation, so much like they had felt earlier that day (was it really just this morning?) when Sam and Thorin had still been stuck in the depths of Mirkwood, far from all of those who cared for them, apparent on all of their faces and in their eyes as they looked around, at a loss, they were stuck in their barrels and they were being attacked by orcs and, even if they could get out of their barrels and try to find her, they would probably drown in minutes, or meet their fate while at the mercy of the undertow, Sam's assessment of none of them being strong swimmers being entirely true.

All the dwarves could do was keep fighting, and pray for her, that she was alright and would surface soon, that, after all they had been though, after just having escaped imprisonment, they would not lose Sam to a watery grave.

Their prayers were soon answered as Sam suddenly popped up out of the water, relief showing on the faces of the dwarves, despite the sight of their lass sputtering and gasping for breath, completely disoriented as she tried to stay above the water, the orcs taking notice, and aim, planning on killing the human while she was in distress.

The orcs, however, were not counting on a bunch of enraged dwarves suddenly bombarding them with weapons, many of then getting axes to the bead or torso before they could shoot Sam.

Bifur clobbered one orc in the head with a mace before he managed to grab hold of one of Sam's flailing arms, pulling her to his barrel and hooking his arms under hers to pull her slightly above the water, the older dwarf cradling her head to his shoulder, giving her the chance to catch her breath without fear of being pulled under again as they continued to be buffeted and thrown around, Sam wrapping her arms around his shoulders, intent on not being pulled into the water again, Bifur pulling her more tightly to him when she mumbled, coughing a bit as she rested her forehead on his shoulder," Thanks for the save, Bif'."

The Company rallied when they saw Bifur holding Sam, glad she was safe and that Bifur did not seem inclined to let her go anytime soon, all of them simultaneously endeavoring to keep the orcs far away from the two, Kili managing to get his sword stuck in the skull of an orc that had been about to pounce on Bifur and Sam as they went under a log, Fili piercing another one on the log through the heart with a spear.

Thorin, Dwalin, and Gloin cut the same log in half, hacking at it with axes as they went under it, sending all of the orcs that had been standing on it, trying to stab the Company with spears and swords, into the water.

Dwalin threw his axe to Bombur just as an orc was about to stab him with a spear, killing the orc, but managing to catapult the rotund dwarf onto the shore, where he proceeded to flatten a large portion of the orcs following them as he rolled on the bank, coming to stand on a rock where he, wielding two axes now, cut down some more orcs before jumping back into his barrel, tossing the axes to Nori and Dwalin, so he didn't get left behind.

It was at this point that Legolas started standing one the heads of the dwarves, hopping and dancing around on their skulls as needed to afford him the best shot of the orcs on the shore, though he carefully avoided Bifur and Sam, Bifur because of the axe in his head and Sam because he was sure if he stood on her head he might just hurt her neck, or send them both into the raging river.

Legolas also noted how the damaged dwarf and the human were watching him, as best they could given the situation, both slightly amused and annoyed at his actions, the dwarf more annoyed than amused as the human seemed to be the opposite, she even seemed to be grateful that he was shooting at the orcs rather than at the dwarves, nodding at him in thanks, her eyes so much more full of life than he had ever seen them, even as she cringed at the sight of him standing on poor Dori's head, all of his weight on the dwarf as he stood on one foot.

Legolas then jumped back onto the shore, killing orcs as he went, always keeping the dwarves in his sights, which was part of the reason that an orc was able to sneak up behind him, though it was promptly taken care of when Thorin threw an axe at it, saving the elven prince's life.

Legolas stood on a rock ledge, staring after the dwarves, not quite believing Thorin Oakenshield had just saved him, the surviving orcs still following them, when Tauriel did the same a moment later, shooting an arrow out of the air and then quickly subduing the responsible orc, about to cut off his head when he said," Wait, Tauriel, we will take this one alive, and see what he knows."

The prince narrowed his eyes at the orc as the Captain nodded, both wanting to know why the orcs were following the dwarves, not quite wanting to abandon the orcs to wander, but knowing that the king would want to question the orc, see what the creature knew about Oakenshield's quest.

/The Dwarves of Yore Made Mighty Spells/

"Are we still followed?"

Gloin, in the barrel at the back of their bunch, looked around at Thorin's question, seeing no sign of their pursuers," Not that I can see!"

Bofur and Bilbo were both spitting out water as they continued floating along, Bofur taking a look around himself," We must 'ave outrun the orcs." Bofur then looked down at the soaked hobbit who was still standing on his boots, poor Bilbo shivering something fierce, despite the large amount of body heat the dwarf was giving off.

"Not for long, we've lost the current. Get to shore!"

Everyone followed their leader's order, leaning over in their barrels to paddle toward the sandy beach and rocks coming up on their right, some of them grabbing onto another's barrel to keep them all together.

Bifur let go of Sam so she could get out of the water before they all started bumping into the rocks, the soaked and freezing woman paddling to shore, then walking up the bank to sit on a rock, rubbing her arms and shivering the entire way, watching her friends as they tipped their barrels over on the beach, as she was too tired and cold at the moment to be of much help to them, some able to get out with little issue while other's needed aide in escaping their barrels, Bombur being pulled out by Dori and Bofur as Dwalin helped Ori out of his barrel.

Nori stood on Sam's rock, surveying the area before he jumped off to go check on his brothers, but not before giving Sam a cursory once over, the woman giving him a small smile, despite her shivering, the middle Ri brother taking it as a sign that she was alright, as she did not seem injured or freaked out by her underwater disappearance, but he was still going to keep an eye on her, as she had been through far too much lately to be completely fine, no matter what she said or how she acted.

Kili and Fili helped Oin, Gloin, and Balin out of their barrels, Bifur and Thorin managing to get out of their own barrels without aide.

Balin and Gloin went to rest, Thorin and Bifur looking around as Dwalin made his way over to his brother, though all of them smiled as Oin went to check on Sam, who just tried to bat his hands away, Fili and Kili standing close by, making sure themselves that Sam was ok, but Oin was having none of it, catching Sam's forearms to look at her wrists, poking her shoulder, seeing if she had a fever, or anything else that might be wrong, but he found she just looked pale and cold, something that would need to be remedied soon, as she could get hypothermia if not gotten warm clothes and food by the end of the day.

"Oin, stop fussing, please, I'm ok for now." Sam was looking at him a little pleadingly, the poor lass just wanting to sit in peace for a few moments before anything else crazy happened.

Oin sighed, having learned to read her over the course of their journey, understanding she just needed a little time to collect herself," Alright, lass, but I'm not done with you yet." The old healer waggled a finger at her playfully, drawing a smile and small giggle from Sam before he went to join his brother, who only smiled at Oin, then at Sam, the healer noticing that no one seemed to be in dire need of his help, as little as he could provide without any of their supplies, which, along with their weapons, were still in Mirkwood.

Bofur and Dori finally got Bombur out of his barrel, helping the round dwarf up and then all three Broadbeams went to sit on some of the rocks as Dori meandered over to his brothers to check on them, though both seemed to be fine, Ori taking off his boots with a wet squelching noise and Nori just looking annoyed as he attempted to get some of the knots out of his beard, the trio of Broadbeams catching their breath as they watched their friends, all glad to be alive and well, Bombur commending Bifur for keeping a hold of Sam for the remainder of their river ride, Bofur plopping down next to Bilbo.

"Ya' alrigh' there Bilbo? Tha' was qui' the wil' tumble we took dow' tha' river."

The hobbit sat for a moment, taking stock of himself before he answered," I'm fine, water logged and cold, but fine nonetheless, though I have been better."

Bofur only smiled at his friend, clapping the hobbit on the back," Goo' ta' hear, my frien'. Hopefully we'll be gettin' movin' soon an' we can all warm up."

Bilbo nodded at Bofur, watching as Sam walked over into the middle of their group, looking around at their Company, assessing if everyone was alright, just as Oin had," Well, we certainly look like a bunch of drowned rats, now don't we?"

Sam was smiling slightly, trying to brighten everybody's moods, succeeding as they all looked at each other and started chuckling when they realized what messes they looked like, all of their hair out of their braids, the only ones looking remotely like their normal selves were those with the least complicated hair, which were the Durins and the sons of Fundin, everyone else looking like bedraggled bums.

Thorin, however, was not chuckling, he was looking around, not at all convinced they had lost the orc pack," We need to keep moving, two more minutes and then we leave."

The Company immediately stopped smiling, the seriousness and worry on Thorin's face sobering them all, all of them nodding at their leader, but Balin could only shake his head as he asked, looking at Thorin expectantly," And where will we go?"

Bilbo now looked confused at the old dwarf," To the mountain, where else?"

Balin turned to glance at Bilbo as Thorin continued to look around, trying to find an answer to Balin's question, as he didn't have an answer himself," There is a lake between us and the mountain, Bilbo, and we've no way to cross it."

Bilbo still didn't understand Balin's worry," So we go 'round."

Balin shook his head again as Dwalin walked over to him after having a low, short conversation with Thorin," It's not that simple laddie."

The younger son of Fundin cut in," The orcs will run us down as sure as daylight, with naught but a few elvish daggers," Dwalin nodded at Nori and Sam, both of whom had managed to keep hold of two daggers each," to protect ourselves."

The Company then proceeded to ready to leave again, Dwalin sitting on a rock for a few moments, shaking his head with a small smile as he watched Ori dump all the water out of his boots, but he stopped when the young dwarf stilled and slowly began turning his head, the warrior jumping up as he turned around, brandishing a branch as his only weapon, when Ori's eyes went wide and he took on a scared expression.

Dwalin found himself looking at a man with a bow, aiming an arrow at the youngest Ri brother, both Dwalin and Ori going still, neither wanting to make a move as they were not sure what the man would do, or if he was even a threat.

The rest of the Company noticed their new visitor moments later, Kili picking up a stone, readying to throw it, if the human turned out to be a threat, though he never got the chance as the human shot an arrow into Dwalin's branch and shot the stone right out of Kili's hand, all of the dwarves going still as Sam stood off to the left of the bowman, the other human not having noticed her presence.

"Do it again, and you're dead."

The man stood on top of the rock, ready to shoot, surveying their group, still not noticing Sam as she looked at him, a considering look on her face, as Balin noticed the barge just behind him, an idea popping into his head," Excuse me, but, uh, you're from Laketown, if I am not mistaken," the old dwarf slowly picked his way slightly closer to the man, hands raised to show he meant no harm, the bowman lowering his arrow slightly," now, that barge over there, it wouldn't happen to be for hire, would it?"

Balin was looking up at the man, who seemed to be thinking, the old dwarf attempting to look a little charming, hoping they could do business with this man to get them across the lake and get weapons.

The man lowered his arrow a little more, but he still didn't look very happy," What makes you think I would help you?"

"Because we can pay you, and, surely, helping a group of weary travelers would not be too much kindness to ask of a man of Laketown?"

The man startled at Sam's voice, quickly turning in her direction, his bow raised, not having expected a woman to be in the company of a bunch of dwarves, but, as he looked at her, taking in how thin and pale she was, how she was shivering, he ignored her words and turned, his eyes hardening as he once again pointed his arrow at the dwarves, specifically Balin, who took a step back, his eyes wider than they had been moments ago, the bowman more than ready to shoot," What have you done to this woman?"

His eyes darted around to the faces of the dwarves, and hobbit, all of them startled by the question and the animosity in his voice, though they probably shouldn't be, as normal as Sam being with them had become for them, a human woman traveling with a group of dwarves, or males in general, was a suspicious oddity to anyone else.

The human growled when no answer was forthcoming," Well? What have you lot done to cause her to be in such a state?"

Sam blinked, recovering from her slight shock at his reaction to her presence, and appearance, and she promptly hopped over the rocks and stood in front of Balin protectively, her arms crossed, though she carefully schooled her expression to be non-threatening or challenging, wanting to earn his sympathy for the Company, not his ire, the bowman now dropping his arms completely as he stared at her in confusion, not understanding why the woman, who he assumed had been somehow wronged by the dwarves, was now putting herself between the dwarf and a possible threat, the protectiveness in her stance throwing him for a loop.

"My 'state,' as you put it, is not a result of any action taken by these dwarves, but it is a result of actions taken by elves and orcs, orcs that are still following us and could do us all harm if we do not go quickly, so Master...," Sam paused, realizing she didn't know the man's name, though she could guess at it, the man now having narrowed his eyes at her as he realized she was with the dwarves, if the way the older dwarf was peeking out around her elbow, attempting to move her behind him to protect her as she was trying to protect him, the bowman assessing whether or not she was telling the truth, trying to decide whether he should trust the odd woman's, as she could be nothing else if she traveled willingly with dwarves, words and aide them in their escape from orcs (why would elves do her harm?), as he would not abandon them to that fate, as unarmed as they obviously were, his dislike of dwarves not enough for him to want them to come to harm, besides, he had a feeling that the woman was telling the truth, her eyes said as much, and that, should he refuse the dwarves aide, and offer it to her, she would turn him down, and he could not leave a lady to orcs, no matter what, although he did want more information before he truly committed to sticking his neck out for the odd group, the bowman coming back to himself, having already made a decision to help them, when the woman asked him," forgive me for not asking sooner, but, what is your name? I am Sam, by the way."

The woman gave him a slight bow as he inclined his head toward her," I am Bard of Laketown."

"Alright then, Master Bard of Laketown," she smiled slightly at Bard, the bowman relaxing a bit," we are being pursued by orcs, we have lost all of our supplies and weapons, we are tired, cold, and in dire need of a warm place to rest. I would hope that, given we are more than willing to compensate you for your time and service, you would be so kind as to provide us transportation to Laketown, as well as supplies, food, and weapons."

"I am afraid, Miss Sam, that won't be possible, as no one enters Laketown without the consent of the Master," Bard now walked over to the barrels the Company had rode in, running his hand over the damage done by the orcish arrows," and the Master would not allow anyone into Laketown who has earned the ire of King Thranduil, as you seem to have done, because his trade with the elven king is what keeps his coffers full, something he holds most dear."

Bard looked around at the dwarves and the hobbit, noticing how they were shifting about and looking nervously between themselves, mumbling, but the woman's eyes hardened, an angry spark entering the previously placid green depths.

"We earned his ire through no fault of our own."

The righteous anger in her voice immediately quieted the dwarves and hobbit, all of them looking at her with a mixture of their own anger, guilt, and worry, the mix of emotions on their faces making Bard all the more curious, even as Sam's voice and the grim line her smile had become put him more on edge, the bargeman eyeing her carefully, unsure what to make of her reaction," How do you mean miss?"

Sam closed her eyes, visibly calming, the tenseness of her shoulders leaving and the friendly expression coming back onto her face as she reopened her eyes, the sentiment not quite back in the jade green orbs, the angry fire still there, though it dulled more when the old dwarf still standing behind her laid a hand on her elbow, apparently concerned, the reaction not something that Bard would have expected from any of the dwarves, Sam patting Balin's hand to communicate she was alright before she answered Bard's question," We have been imprisoned in Thranduil's dungeons for the past three weeks for doing naught but be a party mostly consisting of dwarves, our misfortune to be lost in Mirkwood only damning us more in his eyes."

Bard stared at the woman, unsure what to make of this information, as he had met the elves before and found them quite agreeable, if a little snooty, but, then again, he was not a dwarf, and he knew the elves of Mirkwood loathed no other race but orcs more than dwarves, and he found himself growing uneasy at the idea of the elves imprisoning them all, especially Sam, for almost no reason at all, Bard looking at them all with more sympathy that he had previously, realizing that none of them looked particularly well, as soaked, cold, and exhausted as they obviously were.

"The elves of Mirkwood, let us suffice it to say, do not treat their prisoners kindly, and were are all worse for wear for their treatment." Bard understood what she was trying to say, even if she did not outright say they were tortured in some fashion, the reactions of the dwarves behind her enough of an indication, that apparently the source of their guilt and worry for the young woman, who Bard now realized was stronger than she had initially seemed, the fact that she was standing bravely before him after such an experience gaining his respect, and the dwarves his sympathy.

Sam sighed, looking older than she should," The elves of Mirkwood are why we now stand before you, looking like drowned rats, without any means of protecting ourselves and completely devoid of supplies. I realize, Master Bard, that earning the ire of the Master of Laketown is likely in neither your, nor our, best interests, but we are left with little choice in the matter, either we somehow get to Laketown and acquire what we need, or we are doomed to death by orcs."

Sam looked at Bard then, searching his eyes for, and finding, sympathy and compassion. Sam had always believed that honesty was the best policy, especially when looking for help from others, as trust given was often trust gained, and she hoped she had just managed to gain them a little from Bard, enough to convince him to help them, as he was their only chance at survival and the success of they quest at the moment, Sam unable to see any other way out of their situation.

Bard looked to be considering something as Sam continued," Now, don't take this the wrong way Master Bard, but I am sure there are ways of getting into Laketown without the Master's knowledge and, as I have already said, we are more than willing to pay for your aide in getting what we need. So, what say you Master Bard? Are we to be prey for the orcs or secret guests of Laketown?"

Sam looked at Bard pointedly as the dwarves looked between the two humans, again impressed by Sam's pluck and ability to earn the sympathy of others in their favor, though they did not like that Sam had told him, at least part of, the truth, as they would have preferred he be kept in the dark, but, it looked like her honesty, and the sympathy it cultivated, would be enough to gain the bargeman's aide, something they all desperately needed at the moment.

Bard looked to have made a decision when he, at last, spoke," I will help you, but on two conditions," the dwarves looked displeased, but not unwilling, given they would be stranded and doomed otherwise, Sam only nodding, not having expected a free lunch, so to speak, as Bard had a family to worry about and his family would always come first, something none of them would fault him for, and any information Bard asked for, or money he needed (that they could pay), would be given, hopefully, with minimal fuss," one, I want to know where you are from and what you are doing here," Sam should have expected that question, but did not know what to tell him, the woman hoping that Balin would have something up his sleeve," and two, I need sixty gold pieces to smuggle you into Laketown and provide the supplies you will need."

Now the dwarves looked very displeased, beginning to mumble discontentedly among themselves before a glare from Sam shut them all up, the fact that they were all cowed by the woman greatly amusing Bard, though he did not show it.

Sam spoke again, nodding at him," Alright, Master Bard, you will have your gold, but might I ask you a question?"

Bard cocked his head to the side, the dwarves wondering what their lass was doing now, all of them annoyed at the steep price, but they could do nothing about it, as they needed Bard's help, not the other way around, and attempting to haggle with him might only cause them to lose his offer of aide," Yes, you may."

"Do you need the sixty gold pieces to bribe guards and what not to let us in, in whatever way you devise, and to purchase the supplies that we need, or are they the price for your aide only and we will need to provide additional gold for bribing and buying the supplies?"

Balin found himself wondering why he didn't ask that question, the other dwarves now eager to know the answer, especially considering they did not have all that much gold with them, the sixty gold pieces likely going to be the last of their money as it was, which meant, if they needed more gold, that they were screwed.

Bard stared at Sam for a moment, realizing he had not elaborated enough already to have provided an answer to that question, and found it prudent in light of the situation," It is for everything, Miss Sam, I will need naught but your cooperation with my means of smuggling you in once I have the gold to use to your ends."

The dwarves were all nodding and beginning to look around in their pockets for gold, Sam subtly waving Bilbo off when he gestured at her, Fili and Kili, who had already given what gold they had to Balin, as little as it was, beginning to round up the barrels for Bard as he put one onto his barge, as that had apparently been what he was there for to begin with.

Bard stopped as he was about to lift another barrel, brought to him by Dwalin, whom had given the few coins he had managed to keep a hold of when the elves had searched them to Balin, the white haired dwarf having everyone give him their gold so he could count it out to give to Bard, Sam tossing a bag of gold to him, the old dwarf recognizing it as the same one that had been tossed to her on the first day of their journey when she had bet that Bilbo would come along," So are you going to tell me where you are from and what you are doing here or not?"

Bard looked at them all expectantly, Balin stepping forward," We are merchants of the Blue Mountains going to meet out kin in the Iron Hills."

Bard nodded, but had another question," But what are you doing with a human woman and a halfling in your party?"

Balin did not have an answer to that question, but Sam did," We are here because someone needed to keep this lot out of trouble," Sam smiled at her dwarves as they rolled their eyes at her, Bard further bemused by the lot, smiling slightly at her snark, but still curious, Sam, seeing his curiosity elaborated," the Shire is a quiet place and Bilbo wanted some adventure," she nodded at the hobbit who waved at Bard, the bargeman waving back," and I needed to get away from home, to leave the nest, so to speak."

Bard nodded at her explanation, a perfectly plausible, and mostly true, one as it was, and, soon, the dwarves, Bilbo, Sam and Bard were on their way to Laketown, Balin counting out the gold on the deck as they floated into the mist.

/The Lord of Silver Fountains/

Now we have met Bard, so what will happen next? (ooh, the suspense) ;)