Chapter Three: In the Shadow of the Mountain
Bluebell couldn't remember falling asleep, but she must have, because suddenly she was being shaken awake. The first thing she noticed was that the only light in the room came from a lantern, terribly bright in her eyes. It was still the middle of the night. The second thing she noticed was that it was Bard who had woke her, his eyes flashing. The last thing she noticed was that the dwarves were nowhere to be seen. Her heart raced as her brain tried hard to absorb this information.
"Where did the dwarves go? They must have told you!" Bard yelled at her, pulling her up almost roughly by her arms. She stumbled briefly but soon found her footing, Bard's harsh words sending ice through her blood and waking her up quickly.
"I don't know, I swear. They were here when I fell asleep." Bard let go her, staring down at his own hands, his lips curling. Bluebell could tell that he felt guilty for treating her roughly.
"Sorry, of course you wouldn't know," Bard said, his tone still frantic, but softer than it had been the moment before. He ran a hand through his hair roughly in agitation while attempting to wear a hole into the wooden floor with his pacing.
Bluebell herself was too frantic to bring herself to be angry at his reaction at the moment. The dwarves were gone, and they hadn't even told her. They could be in trouble… or they could be the trouble. They had been complaining about the weapons Bard had given them earlier, but surely they wouldn't be so foolish as to try to steal better ones. She looked around the room and quickly saw evidence to support her theory. Their clothes and boots were gone, but the weapons Bard had given them were still there, thrown haphazardly into a pile with no thought given to their care. Bluebell felt her face pale.
"I think I know where they've gone," Bluebell said, looking at Bard. He stopped pacing to look towards her, but before she could explain, a large commotion drew their attention to the window. Dozens of torches were shining in the distance, moving towards what seemed to be the town square. There was no doubt in Bluebell's mind that the dwarves had to be involved. "Oh, dear morning glories," Bluebell muttered, getting about as close to a curse as she ever got.
"I should have left your dwarves on their own next to that blasted river!" Bard exclaimed, his voice sharp and harsh, as he quickly rushed to go join the mob quickly forming in front of the Master's house. Bluebell followed after him, not at all interested in listening to his barked command to "stay here." Bard had gotten one thing right, these were her dwarves and she wasn't about to abandon them to the consequences of whatever misadventure they had gotten themselves into. She paled to think of Kili, still so ill, being pushed through the streets by a mob.
Bard was thankfully too set on finding the dwarves to notice her trailing behind him. She felt almost guilty, as his not looking behind could be proof of trust in her. But not accounting for how quiet hobbits could be could also explain his obliviousness, so Bluebell didn't feel too guilty for outsmarting him.
Surprisingly, by the time they made it to the square to find out what happened, the mob of people was almost deathly silent. Only one voice rose above the crowd, that of Thorin Oakenshield. So much for secrecy. Thorin seemed to have told half of Laketown of their purpose, including the Master of Laketown, someone Bard had made clear was untrustworthy. A great cheer rose up from the crowd as Thorin promised the people restored fame and wealth. Only one man was visibly upset, Bard. His shoulders tensed up as Thorin spoke his flowery promises. Bluebell watched in a kind of amazement as Bard blazed his way through the crowd with ease, the people parting around him, silently watching and listening to hear him speak. "Death!" he shouted. "Dragon-fire and death, that is what you will bring upon us. Have we forgotten so easily how Dale fell? Those who died, consumed by dragon-fire and smoke!" His words echoed through the night, somber and weighty, demanding to be listened to, spoken with a leader's charisma. "This man has no honor if he promises gold without telling us the price. They mean to enter the mountain, to wake the dragon, to bring destruction upon us once more!" He paused, his words lingering in the air before continuing. "You have no right." His words echoed in the silence of the crowd, deep and sure.
"I have every right," Thorin rumbled, his tone dark. Bluebell had been slithering through the crowd as Bard spoke, her size proving to be an advantage through narrow gaps, and could finally see her leader. She gasped in shock at the sheer animosity Thorin was aiming at Bard. She had been on the receiving end of some of his glares before, but never had he looked as intimidating as he did in that moment. Bluebell watched as she saw his expression shift, becoming determined rather than threatening. He turned to the crowd. "Do not listen to this naysayer! We shall succeed, and when we do, all will share in the wealth of the dragon! You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!" As he spoke, the crowd began to cheer, forgetting about Bard's warning at the prospect of unimageable wealth. Bluebell couldn't help but feel torn as she saw Bard's head lower in emotion alike to grief as his neighbors chose to side with a stranger who made flowery promises. Then Bard noticed her in the crowd and locked eyes with her, looking at her with a betrayed look on his face. She felt like she had failed him, even though they hadn't even entered the mountain yet, even though she had felt so strongly just weeks ago that facing the dragon for the dwarves was the right decision. In the shadow of the mountain, though, she couldn't help but feel that things were more complicated than she had thought. What would they do if they failed? How many people would die if they messed up? Did Thorin really have the right to put so many people at risk? She didn't know. Bluebell watched with sad eyes as Bard shook his head, turned at walked away.
A/N: Sorry for my absence these past couple of months, but I've been having a really hard time motivating myself to write something that's not for school. I'm taking a creative writing class this semester, so hopefully you'll be able to see some improvement in the writing. Thank you to anyone who's still reading this. I really don't intend on abandoning this fic.