I only own my character. Anything you recognize is not mine. Just saying.
Bard leaves me at the back of the barge as he approaches the dwarves.
"The money, quick, give it to me." He hurries.
Before anyone else can talk I interrupt.
"Give him the money or we get dumped into the river by guards." I say. All eyes go to me. The dwarves all but throw the money at the man.
Bard has us all jump into the barrels. Fish is coming. Yuck.
"Fish." I say as the dwarves start to protest and ask questions. My answer sends up making more questions, answered swiftly by fish falling on us.
A little while later the barge slows.
We all hear Bard talking with Percy and then Alfrid. Thankfully we are saved by Bard's quick thinking. We feel the barge begin to move and I know we are safe for now.
We dock and Bard begins to dump the barrels. I pop out of mine quickly before he throws me over. He is kind enough to help me out. What a gentleman.
"Thank you." I smile at him and he returns it.
I watch as Bard goes to the dock keeper and hands him coin. I know what he is saying without being near him. 'Didn't see us' and all that.
"Follow me." Bard says to us and we do as he says.
We are stopped not far from where we originally docked. His son appears telling of how the house is being watched. Bard and Thorin put together a plan quickly. I sigh with disgust as I know what is coming.
We get into the water and swim to where he told us his house is. We are to come up from the toilet. Gross!
We wait under his home for the signal. When we hear the knocking on the wood, Dwalin is the first to go up, to make sure it is safe.
"If you speak of this to anyone, I'll rip your arms off." He threatens as he climbs out. I am lifted out and pulled the rest of the way by Dwalin. I make my way upstairs first.
"Hello." I greet his eldest as she eyes us all.
"Da… why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?" Sigrid asks. I chuckle at her.
"Will they bring us luck?" Tilda, the youngest, asks happily. I smile at her and take a seat at the table.
Bard gave me a blanket first and let me change into some of Sigrid's old clothes. I thanked him and changed immediately. Dry clothes are the best clothes. I emerge to find the dwarves all half naked and wrapped in blankets.
"Thank you, Bard." I say and stand in a corner to watch everything unfold.
I hear as Thorin goes toe to toe with Bard about the happenings of the dragon.
"Ha ha ha! That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more." Dwalin teases.
"He speaks truth." I say. All eyes go to me. I shrug, not offering an explanation. Thorin steals the attention by going up to Bard. Weapons time. I go to the girls to talk with them.
"Hello, ladies. Anything I can help you with?" I ask as I notice them beginning to make a meal.
"Oh no. You are a guest. Relax, please." Sigrid says politely.
"You have done much for my friends and I. Let me try to repay in some way. Please." I say with another smile. They both nod and let me help in the preparation. I am end up getting to teach them a few things in the kitchen and I am thoroughly proud of that.
While we work I hum. The girls ask me to sing it so I do so, quietly.
"When your legs don't work like they used to before.
And I can't sweep you off of your feet.
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?
And, darling, I will be loving you 'til we're 70.
And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23.
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways.
Maybe just the touch of a hand.
Well, me—I fall in love with you every single day.
And I just wanna tell you I am.
So, honey, now
Take me into your loving arms.
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars.
Place your head on my beating heart.
I'm thinking out loud,
Maybe we found love right where we are.
When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades,
And the crowds don't remember my name,
When my hands don't play the strings the same way (mmm...),
I know you will still love me the same.
'Cause, honey, your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen.
And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory.
I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways.
Maybe it's all part of a plan.
Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes.
Hoping that you'll understand.
That, baby, now
Take me into your loving arms.
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars.
Place your head on my beating heart.
Thinking out loud,
Maybe we found love right where we are. (oh, oh)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, lo-ud
So, baby, now
Take me into your loving arms.
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars.
Oh, darling, place your head on my beating heart.
I'm thinking out loud.
But maybe we found love right where we are.
Oh, baby, we found love right where we are.
And we found love right where we are" By the end the girls are just watching me with stars in their eyes.
"That is so romantic!" Sigrid gushes while Tilda looks like she is going to explode.
I don't notice that the dwarves heard me until they clap. I blush and turn to face the cooking we are doing.
"You have such a pretty voice. Like a princess." Tilda says with a sweet smile.
"Well thank you sweet pea." I say and we finish the food soon after. The guys take some of the finger foods and eat while talking and walking about the place. They have already had the spat about weapons. So now I am just waiting for night to come. Shit will get real then. But for now we wait. Bard is probably running through town at this point, trying to figure out why the name Thorin sounds familiar.
"Sing another song lass!" Balin says happily and quite suddenly. The dwarves and even the girls cheer for this. Well shit. I stand and clear my throat. I try to think of something.
"Okay. Here goes." I say and begin to sing. I love this song from Shrek 2.
"Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I I toss and turn and dream of what I need.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong,
And he's gotta be fast,
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light.
He's gotta be sure,
And it's gotta be soon,
And he's gotta be larger than life.
Somewhere after midnight,
In my wildest fantasy.
Somewhere just beyond my reach,
There's someone reaching back for me.
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat.
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong,
And he's gotta be fast,
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light.
He's gotta be sure,
And it's gotta be soon,
And he's gotta be larger than life.
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above.
Out where the lightning splits the sea.
I would swear that there's someone, somewhere,
Watching me.
Through the wind and the chill and the rain,
And the storm and the flood.
I can feel his approach
Like fire in my blood.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong,
And he's gotta be fast,
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light.
He's gotta be sure,
And it's gotta be soon,
And he's gotta be larger than life." I finish and everyone claps and cheers. I smile and give a funny curtsy.
"She sure has a voice on her." I hear Balin says to Thorin who has eyes just for me. I blush under his intense stare.
He stands and comes up to me.
"We need to have our talk about your behavior in the cells now." He says quietly. I gulp and nod. I excuse us and Thorin pulls me to a room in the back of the home. Nobody disturbs us.