Lake-town was a truly wonderful sight to behold. The town was built on top of the lake with much of the support structure sitting on very solid rock and sand under the water. On one side, a boardwalk extended all the way to the shore. The lake flowed through the town in the form of wide streams like avenues and roads, with the houses and other buildings being built around them. Bridges helped link some of the buildings and boroughs of the town. The gate was the main way to enter the town and it was a metal gate that was built into a bridge approximately thirty feet away from another hanging bridge.
"Halt!" called out a voice "Good inspection! Papers please!"
An old man with grey hair and a short beard wearing grey, weathered clothing appeared from a nearby building. Evidently, he was the gatekeeper.
"Oh, it's you, Bard." he said "Good day."
"Hello, Percy." Bard said.
"You're back later than usual." Percy said "But better late than never I guess. Anything to declare?"
"No, not really." Bard said as he reached into his pocket and handed Percy a paper "Outside of these barrels and a box, I just want to get home to my family."
"I'm right there with you man." Percy said as he walked over to his office.
He sat down and then stamped something onto the paper and then walked out to Bard.
"There we are now." he said "Everything's in order."
"Hold on a second." said a woman who suddenly snatched the paper out of Percy's hands.
She was a woman with curly blonde hair which was tucked back into a messy half-ponytail bun, with some curled strands of hair hanging on the side of her face. She was wearing a dark fur coat dress lined with grey/white fox fur. She had a surprisingly fair face with blue eyes and smooth skin. But the most striking feature was a deep scar on the left side of her neck that was as long as a man's finger.
The personality of this woman, whose name was Adina, was a different matter.
"What do we have here, Bard?" she demanded in a surprisingly sultry and smooth accented voice "Your paper says 'deliver empty barrels from the Woodland Realm to Esgaroth'. But, uh, these are not empty are they?"
Bard could never figure out whether he liked Adina. In fact, no one in town really liked her or her father. She tended to have a haughty attitude and always seemed uncomfortable being around other people. And yet for some reason she seemed to take time in her day to follow Bard around and even he couldn't deny she was rather easy on the eyes. But Bard was wise enough to stay calm and relaxed so as not to set her off.
"Does it really matter what goes into the barrels on the way home?" he asked "I thought you had other business to attend do."
"Exactly. The Master's business." Adina replied coldly "And since he is my father that makes it my business."
"Fair point." Bard continued "Did you change your hairstyle? Usually you have it down."
Adina blinked in surprise, inexplicably feeling awkward but also flattered he'd noticed her hair. Just then, a bearded man wearing a purple uniform with armour walked in on the conversation, along with four other men and one more woman.
"You're late." Adina said without even turning around.
"Sorry, ma'am." the man said "We were busy stopping a robbery."
"Of course you were, Braga." Adina said "Now dump these barrels over the side."
"All these barrels ma'am?" asked a guard.
"Yes." Adina replied dryly.
"With all due respect ma'am…" Percy started.
"I have a job to do, Percy. As well all do." Adina barked "These fish are illegal."
Braga sighed with boredom. "Come on, boys. Do as she says."
The guards walked onto Bard's ship, grabbed some of the barrels and prepared to dump them into the water.
"You're making a mistake!" Percy piped up.
"Stay out of this, old man!" Adina barked.
"No, he's right." Bard said "You are making a mistake."
"H-How?" Adina asked as she turned back to Bard.
"I'm just saying when people find out that your dad's dumping fish back in the lake they're going to be angry." Bard said firmly looking Adina in the eyes "And hunger and anger don't go well together."
Adina sighed nervously, covering the scar on her neck with her left hand.
"Are you threatening me?" Adina demanded.
"No, ma'am. I'm just being honest." Bard replied.
Adina bit her lip, trying not to look Bard in the eyes. She felt her face growing warm and couldn't explain why. That happened too often whenever her and this confounded bargeman. Damn how he frustrated her. She finally sighed through her nose just as the guards were about to dump the barrels with the dwarves inside.
"Stop!" Adina ordered.
Braga and his guards stopped, glancing towards Adina.
"Leave the barrels." she continued "Open the gate."
"Yes, milady." a dark-skinned guard said "Come on, boys."
The guards quickly straightened the barrels and headed towards the gate. Bard chuckled, still close to Adina's face.
"Thank you, Adina." Bard said smiling "Looks like you got a heart after all."
"Don't bet on it." Adina replied "Now get the hell away from my face."
"Will do." Bard responded.
He clambered onto his boat as a man nearby pulled on a lever which caused the gate to go upwards with a creaking noise.
"Better watch out, Bard." Adina said in a faux threatening manner "My father knows where you live."
"Everyone knows where everyone lives, Adina". Bard said back "Be seeing you."
And not a single person checked what was under the fish in the barrels.