AN: Wowie, this is one of the longest chapters I've written! Also I think this is the longest I've gone without a review... (Please, it's the only way I know if I'm doing well or not, I'm starting to panic!)
JK. But not. Anyways, I guess I lied last week about uploading another chapter on Monday, I just got swamped with school, yay. Hope y'all like this longer chapter, I'll try to start writing them like this from now on.
For the first time since leaving Rivendell, Revan was actually happy. They'd met Bard at the shore of the lake, left their escort behind, and were on their way into Lake Town. This time, though, they were unbothered by Orcs, and Kili was unhurt. Legolas and Tauriel had left earlier to hunt down the Spiders and Orc Packs back in the Woodland Realm, with Kili and Tauriel seeming to share a tender moment before her departure.
And Revan now had a girlfriend.
The barge swerved around a pillar of rock, causing many of the group to stumble.
"Watch out!" cried Bofur, as Bard guided the barge easily around the standing stones.
Thorin grumbled, getting up from falling on his backside. "What are you trying to do? Drown us?"
Bard quipped, "I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here."
"Thorin," Revan chided, "Be nice to the lake-man. If he wanted, he could call down an army of Lake-Towners that would keep us here until Durin's Day."
Thorin nodded, and as she turned to talk to the bargeman, she smiled. All in all it was a good day; nobody was hurt, and Thorin was starting to listen to her. It was weird, though, that even though he was thrice her age, she had to be the adult of the two.
She strode up to the tiller, around the huddled, cold forms of all the dwarves and found Bilbo conversing with the bargeman. Instead of interrupting, she decided to sit on the railing, waiting her turn. When Bilbo finished his conversation with the Bargeman, he glanced over and returned her soft smile, walking back to the company..
Hanriel was in the prow with the rest of the dwarves, leaning over the railing, eyes wide with excitement. At first, the rest of the company had been wary of this too-strong elf-maid, but had gradually found common ground with their love of forging and weaponry. She and Bilbo had caught on like a house on fire with their shared love of adventure.
"So tell me, what is a half-elf doing in the company of Dwarves, an Elf, and a Halfling?" the Bargeman asked, neatly steering them around another pillar of rock.
"Adventuring. Though I do have something I need to talk to you about," she replied.
"I'm afraid I cannot help you with much until I am paid," he quipped.
"Oh, men and their money," she sighed, reaching to her coin purse on her belt. "Balin," she called to the white-bearded Dwarf, whose head perked up above the mass of Dwarves in the prow. She jerked her head over towards Bard, and Balin got the message, making his way over.
When he made his way over, she handed him her coin purse, and said "Pay the good man please."
"Certainly," Balin replied, counting out coins.
Revan waited patiently as the Bargeman was paid in full. She could see him stiffen as they neared the Lake town guards, and relax as they waved him through. She sighed, knowing the trouble that Alfrit would give them for the fish, but was confident that everything would turn out right.
She lowered her voice as the fisherman dumped the fish into the barrels. "I need your Black Arrow."
She felt Bard stiffen beside her. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, voice sharp.
"Oh, come off it. Girion was your ancestor, and you still have a Black Arrow. You have it, I need it and I would be willing to pay handsomely for it," she pressed as he walked away from the tiller.
"Even if I had a Black Arrow what use would it be…" he trailed off, looking off towards the mountain.
"No. No!" he snapped, whirling on her. Dwarves. I should've known. You mean to enter the Mountain! You are aware," he hissed, "that there is a dragon in that mountain?"
"Which is why we need the arrow. Girion struck the beast, loosened a scale under the left wing. The left side. Where the heart is. With my magic, and Hanriel's smithing, we can make more Black Arrows and kill the beast."
"Can you be sure?" he snapped. "The last time a Dragon was loose here, a city burned."
"Certainly I can't be sure," she snapped back at him, "but it's better than it looming in the Mountain like a sword over your heads!"
He pondered for a moment, and shook his head. "If that dragon is loose, if that dragon burns our city, then on your head be it."
"Believe me master Bargeman," she replied solemnly, "If that dragon is loose from that mountain it will be over my dead body."
"Only, they're not empty. Are they Bard? If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman. Not…" Alfrit paused picking up a fish and waving it at the Dwarves, "...a fisherman or a ferryman."
"That's none of your business," Bard replied.
"Wrong. It's the Master's business, which makes it my business," Alfrit replied, tossing the fish into the lake.
"Oh, come on, Alfrid. Have a heart, people need to eat!" Bard replied.
"These fish are illegal," Alfrit replied, ordering the Guards to dump the fish in the lake.
After much snappy repartee, Alfrit ordered the Guards to stop dumping fish in the lake.
"Ever the people's champion, hey Bard? Protector of the common folk. You might have their favor now, bargeman, but it won't last.'
"Raise the Gate!" Percy the guardsman hollered.
"The Master has his eye on you. You'll do well to remember, we know where you live," Alfrit hissed, stalking away.
Poling down the "street," Bard replied, "It's a small town, Alfrid. Everyone knows where everyone lives!"
Without much uproar from the common folk, Bard and the Company made their way to the Bargeman's house. Certainly the spies saw the company enter the house, but Alfrit had already seen them on the barge.
Thorin leaned on the edge of a window sill. "A Dwarvish Windlance," he whispered under his breath.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Bilbo remarked, staring up at the large ballista.
Revan had heard the story before, and used the subject of the conversation to remind Bard of their agreement.
"The Arrow, please," she reminded, keeping her voice low. "Time is of the essence."
Bard huffed, heading downstairs to grab the arrow.
Revan strode over to Hanriel. "Are you sure you can do this?" she asked gently.
"Of course!" Hanriel replied excitedly. "This is the first time I'll have worked with Dwarvish metal, but I'll be fine."
"Glad to hear it," Revan replied as Bard ascended the stairs with the Arrow. Immediately, every Dwarf in the room stiffened at the sight.
"How came you by this?" asked Thorin in awe at the arrow.
"My ancestor gave it to me," Bard replied icily and handed the arrow to Revan, who promptly handed it to Hanriel.
"There are powerful enchantments on this," Hanriel stated gravely, passing her hands over the intricate workmanship. "I am not sure if I can deconstruct this and keep these enchantments intact."
"That's what I'm here for, love," Revan replied, setting a gentle hand on Hanriel's shoulder.
Night fell, and most of the company went to bed. Hanriel stayed up to study the Black Arrow, and Revan needed to talk to Thorin. She made her way across the sleeping forms of the company (very charitable of Bard to let them spend the night) over to where Thorin sat. Even unconsciously, Thorin posed; he sat majestically at the windowsill, bathed in the moonlight staring up at the Windlance.
She sat in the darkness opposite him, waiting for him to speak.
"I do not know why you trust this man, especially considering he is a descendant of Girion," he began tersely.
"It's a bad idea to judge one by the actions of their ancestors," Revan replied blandly, tucking a knee under her chin.
"True," he said. She let the silence hang in the air. It was a long minute before he turned to her and spoke again.
"What you said in the Woodland Realm, about my paranoia, about how I've treated you…" he trailed off. "I once told Dwalin that you and the Half-" he broke off and shook his head. "That you and Bilbo would be a burden upon us. I had the chance to apologize to him for that after we were saved by the Eagles, and I sort-of apologized to you at the Bear-Man's cabin, but it feels inadequate." He paused again looking down at his hands, and Revan took the opportunity.
"No. I'm sorry," she said, placing both feet on the floor. "I overreacted. I was angry and out of line. I forgave you for all of that. Not to mention, I'm a seer. I chose to go on this journey knowing full well what you'd be like in advance."
"Then I am glad that you keep giving me chances to be better," he replied. "If you trust the bargeman, I trust you."
"Thank you," she replied. "However, I do not trust the people of Esgaroth, especially the Master and his Deputy. Should they find out who you are, they will detain us unless we promise them a share of the fortunes of Erebor. Now I know that you won't be under the influence of Dragon Sickness," she said, when she saw he was going to object, "but what good is wealth if it is not spent? 'A rich man is not rich if he does naught with his wealth'" she paraphrased. "Trade and commerce with Esgaroth is crucial, and they will need the funds to rebuild Esgaroth and Dale if the Dragon escapes. Not to mention armies need food and pay," she said.
It took him a moment to accept, but eventually he nodded his head. "Right. Keep my identity secret from the Master and Deputy, but when we retake Erebor, share the wealth."
"Absolutely," she replied. "And when the people of Lake Town migrate to Dale, I want you to be the first to formally recognize Bard's claim to the throne, as descendant of Girion. Now in reality it is his decisiveness and forethought, not to mention how his people love him that truly qualify him for the throne, but his ancestry is what will cement the idea in the minds of the people."
"As you say," Thorin replied. Then his brows knit. "I saw the halls of the Woodland Realm. No matter what happens, there is not enough room for all the people of Esgaroth to take shelter from the Dragon or the armies within."
"For the Dragon, we will just have to do the best we can. For the armies, all the able-bodied will wish to fight, and all the rest can take shelter in Dale, or if you wish, within Erebor…" she suggested, and saw his expression darken.
Her expression must have changed, for when he looked at her, he turned sheepish and said, "How am I to turn away so many, when for years I vilified Thranduil for doing the same to us in our hour of need?"
"Thank you," Revan said softly, and placed a hand on his own. "Thank you for realizing that."
Thorin chuckled. "I wonder what Gandalf's doing right now?"
Revan woke to the sound of a fist on Bard's door.
"On the order of the Master and his Deputy, open up. We have word of… questionable persons frequenting this house," she heard Alfrit's voice through the thick wood.
She and Hanriel (who had been sleeping beside her) were on their feet in an instant, throwing on robes and shaking the Dwarves awake. Upon hearing Alfrit at the door, they all panicked, but Revan had a plan: escape the reverse of the way they arrived in the movie.
She ushered all of the Dwarves down the stairs. She lifted the lid off of the toilet and heard groans.
"Come on, now, we haven't all day," she snapped pulling the first dwarf forward.
"If you speak of this to anyone I'll rip your arms off," Dwalin snarled when it was his turn. She offered a hand to help him down, but he smacked it away. "Leave off," he said, and disappeared into the murky water. Bilbo was next, giving a tired sigh as he tugged at his travelling coat's sleeves.
Thorin, and Hanriel went last, with Hanriel giving Revan a 'good luck' peck on the cheek before leaving. "Wait for me at the overlook before Dale. If needs must, Bilbo will be the first to find the door, and the keyhole will only be visible when the sun sets and the moon shines on it, but not before," Revan explained.
"You're not coming with us?" Hanriel asked, eyes growing fearful.
"I won't be too long, love," Revan replied.
"I'll see you there then, love," Hanriel affirmed, setting her jaw and turning towards the loo.
"Revan?" Hanriel asked as Revan headed up the stairs. Revan turned just in time for Hanriel to pull her in for a real kiss.
It was over much too fast, and then she was done, both of their cheeks red with embarrassment. "Good luck, love," Hanriel replied, and before Revan could even speak, she was gone.
When Revan returned upstairs, she found Bard with eldest daughter and his son facing Alfrit down in their doorway.
"And who might you be?" Lickspittle spat.
"His sister-in-law," she lied smoothly, sprawling on a couch and picking at her fingernails with a dagger. She paused for a moment glaring up at Lickspittle. "Yeah, I was on the barge, so what?" she snipped, knowing what Alfrit was about to say. "And you can check around the house; there's nobody here except my nieces and nephew."
Thankfully, while Bard was having a moment adjusting to the shock of her being there and her claiming him as family, Alfrit was staring at her and didn't notice Bard's spastic expressions. "Any residents will be taxed-" Alfrit began.
"Not a resident," she quipped, pointing the dagger at the hole where his heart should be. "Just dropping by on my way through."
"On your way through to where, may I ask?" Alfrit drawled.
"Now Master Lickspittle, I do believe that is none of your business," she said sweetly, getting up off the couch to stand by her 'brother-in-law's side. "Now as you can see here, we have no 'unsavory characters' around these parts, so you can take a bloody hint and sod off," she said in the sweetest voice possible. "Or I'm going to have to rearrange those pretty little features of yours, okay? Okay." she said and went back to lounging on the couch.
After a moment of indignant shock, Alfrit managed to spit out a few words. "Then may I have milady's name, for… record purposes?" he said, trying and failing to match her sweetness.
She smiled. "Eurus."
He jotted the fake name down in his little notebook- no doubt as someone to spy on. It snapped closed when he was done, and he turned to the both of them, a saccharine smile on his face. "Well, then. Master, Mistress, now that we have all of that taken care of, I'll be off."
"Oh Master Lickspittle!" she sang as he was halfway out the door. He turned back, the smile having slipped off, glaring openly. "Don't forget to lock up your windows tonight. There's an East Wind coming," she said, gesturing to the Mountain outside the window. She cackled as he stormed off and slammed the door.
Have a great week, take care now,
Bye bye!