'…Twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. Good, good, there's enough for all of us. Even then, Baylee and I will probably share one, given how small we are compared to everyone else.' Bilbo rubbed the back of his neck as he stood in front of the stack of barrels that were ready to be sent downstream.
Turning around, he started to measure out how far the lever was from the barrels. 'About three paces…if I put Baylee in the last one here, that should give me enough time to get into the barrel myself.'
A small smile came to his lips and he put his hands on his hips. "This plan may actually work," he dared to mumble out loud. "Now, to wait until everyone's up at the fe—"
He was cut off by the sound of jingling keys and voices in the stairwell. His eyes widening, he darted behind one of the shelves. He knew it would highly unlikely that he'd be seen, given that he was wearing his ring, but he would much rather be safe than sorry.
"These empty barrels should have been sent back to Esgaroth hours ago! Why has no one sent them yet?"
"Because a fresh shipment of wine from Dorwinion was delivered this afternoon and we had to empty those into flagons first."
Bilbo swallowed hard and began to panic. Surely, they weren't about to send the barrels downstream already?!
As the pair of elves came into view, he could see that one of them—the one with the keys—was Elros. There was a bit of an annoyed expression on his face as he reached the last step and started heading towards the barrels. The other elf, however, grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Come now," he said, grinning at Elros. "The bargeman is surely asleep at the moment—it's still an hour or two before sunrise, after all! We can spare to wait a few more hours. Come—I managed to save us a few flagons of our ill-tempered king's new wine. We could both do with the break."
A hesitant look came to Elros' face. "I have the dwarves in my charge," he stated. "I'll need to check on them soon."
"They're locked up in the dungeons!" the other elf laughed, snatching the keys from his belt. He tossed them onto a hook on the wall. "Where can they go?"
At that, Elros seemed to relax a bit and even let out a small laugh. "I suppose you're right. Fine. I'll try the new wine with you. Eru only knows it'll be my one chance to actually taste it."
His eyes widening, Bilbo saw as the two went over to a table in the corner. As he crept over to watch them, he could see that it wasn't cups that their wine was poured into, but large tankards. His brow rose; that didn't seem to be the appropriate way to drink wine of all drinks, but who was he to judge how elves used their dishware?
"Oh, now this is the good stuff," Elros murmured after taking a long drink from his bowl. "This had to have come from the queen's own vineyards—all other wine we get from Dorwinion isn't nearly as good as this." He took another drink.
"It does, in fact!" The second elf poured more wine into Elros' tankard before adding more to his own. "And not just any one of her vineyards—it comes from her special golden grape vineyard."
"That's why the color is so pale!"
As Bilbo stood there, spying on them, he could see their cheeks slowly growing more and more red as they continued to drink and laugh. He had seen elves drink copious amounts of wine before—quiet recently in the kitchens, as a matter of fact—but their cheeks had never turned red. Nor did they ever seem to be affected in terms of drunkenness. But this special wine seemed to have quite a different effect on them, as it was actually managing to make them drunk.
And, within half an hour, both their heads were resting on their arms as they snored, fast asleep.
Not wanting to waste whatever precious time he had, Bilbo darted over to the wall and, standing on his tiptoes, was just barely able to reach the keys. Tucking them under his arm in hopes of silencing any noise they would make, he all but ran out of the cellars.
'Please let the paths be clear, please let the paths be clear,' he thought. As he ran, he could feel his stomach twisting itself into worried knots; this was their only chance at escape. This had to work.
In the distance, he thought he could hear laughter and singing and, normally, he would have gone to investigate. This time, however, he could not have cared less. What he did care about, however, was how, despite his best efforts, the keys still managed to make an occasional 'clank' as one slipped lose from its spot.
Luck was on his side, however. He made it to the dungeons, undetected by any elves and, once he reached the first cell, he yanked his ring off. Tucking it away in his pocket, he ignored the curses of surprise from Nori and Bifur.
"Bilbo!" Nori cried. "You startled—"
"Shh!" Bilbo scolded. "Shh! You must all be quiet. You must be very quiet unless you want us to get caught!" Despite his warning tone, there was a broad grin on his lips as he held up the ring of keys. He could hear various gasps and quiet curses as the dwarves gazed at him in awe. "Now stay quiet while I go get Thorin."
He hurried down the pathway, trying to sort through the keys to determine which one was the right one. Before he could get very far, however, a small arm reached out and snatched the tail of his coat. Yelping, he turned around to find Baylee looking up at him.
"It's this one," she told him, picking up key whose bow was a bit more angular than the rest.
"I'd ask how you know that, but there isn't time," he chuckled. "Thank you, dear." With the correct key in hand, he continued on his way to Thorin's cell.
There, he found the king once again pacing, his hands clasped behind his back. When he heard the sound of the key being shoved into the lock, he stopped and looked at the door.
"Bilbo!"
"Shh! I don't know how much time we've got." Yanking the key from the lock, he pulled open the door.
Slipping out of the cell, he followed Bilbo back up the path. "Did you get everyone else?"
"Not yet. I came to get you first, since you were the furthest away."
As the two rounded the corner, they could see that Baylee had squeezed out of her cell. Upon seeing Thorin, a broad grin came to her lips and she darted over, throwing her arms around him. He smiled, holding her close.
"You visited me barely an hour ago," he murmured. Looking past her, he watched as Bilbo unlocked Bofur's cell only to receive a similar treatment.
"I know, but it's good to see you outside of the cell," she replied. She leaned back slightly and, standing on her tippiest-toes, tried to press her forehead against his. But she wasn't even tall enough to reach his nose, let alone his forehead.
Chuckling, Thorin leaned over for her. "'Ibinê abnâmul."
"My Oakenshield," she murmured. She was just starting to feel the familiar warmth and safety that his arms brought when she heard someone awkwardly clear their throat behind her. Reluctantly, she turned her head only to find her father looking at her.
"I have a very important job for you, dear," he told her, his face and voice solemn.
Her brows furrowing, she nodded. Looking back at Thorin, she gave him an apologetic smile before moving to follow Bilbo up the path. He had given the keys to Bofur, who was now in the middle of freeing Fili. They carefully walked around the pair, not wanting to get too close to the edge of the pathway.
"What is it you need me to do, da'?" Baylee asked as they neared the fork in the path.
"I need you to go scout ahead a little bit. Specifically, I need you to make sure the halls that lead to the wine cellar are clear," he told her, his voice quiet. "You need to be very careful though, dear. Most of the elves are at some feast, yes, but I don't know if any are wandering the halls, drunk."
"Why the wine cellar?" she questioned.
"That's where we'll make our escape. I can't go into detail right now, though." He paused, his eyes closing as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ju-ju-just-just—please, go make sure the first few halls are clear."
She nodded in understanding and gave him a reassuring smile. "Alright. I'll be back soon."
Darting up the hallway, she kept an ear out for any approaching footsteps or voices. When she came to a fork, she pressed herself against the wall and, crouching low, peeked around the corner. Seeing that it was clear, she then looked at the hall across the way; it, too, was empty.
She went around the corner and hurried towards the middle of this second hall, where it branched off to the left. Once again crouching low, she peeked around this corner; still empty. Making her way past the fork, she went to the end of the hall, where the path continued out into the open cavern. She swallowed hard; this was where they were most likely to get caught.
'I'm not seeing anyone,' she thought, her brows furrowed as she squatted down. 'But I can hear some voices in the distance. Or is that just an echo from the feast taking place?' Narrowing her eyes, she continued to search along the various walkways above and below her.
And then, she spotted it: A pair of figures walking across a lower bridge only to stop halfway across. One was blonde and the other a redhead.
'Legolas and Tauriel, maybe?' she thought, her head tilting. 'Legolas is the prince, so why isn't he at the feast?'
Something hissed behind her and she frowned. Turning, a sigh of relief left her mouth as she found her father and the dwarves coming towards her. They were being as quiet as they could, though they weren't nearly as quiet as an elf or a hobbit.
She held out her hand, motioning for them to stop before holding her finger to her lips. Turning her attention back to the pair of elves, she could see that they were still in the middle of the bridge. She bit her lower lip; they didn't look like they would be moving any time soon.
Bilbo came up alongside her. "What's the hold up, dear?" he whispered.
Pointing at the two elves, she looked at her father. "Those two. They don't seem like they'll be moving any time soon."
"We'll just have to risk it, then," he frowned. "We'll stay crouched as low as we can so we're not as noticeable."
"Alright. I'll go make sure the next fork is clear."
"And I'll let the others know." He gave her a halfhearted smile, patting her on the shoulder before he turned around.
Baylee carefully crawled from her spot, doing her best to not be as noticeable to the two elves as possible. She knew she couldn't keep her focus on just them, however: There were still dozens of bridges and walkways she needed to keep an eye on. She was in luck, though, as she saw no one else.
Reaching the fork, she found it clear and she turned around. It was quite a distance from where she had left her father and the others—nearly one hundred yards—and she was a little bit downhill from them. She could just barely see her father peeking around the corner and she gave him a little wave to let him know it was clear.
Fili and Kili led the line, making sure to hug the wall-side of the path as close as possible. They were practically bent in half as they hurried and their faces were contorted in a bit of pain; it was not a very comfortable position to walk in, after all. But what was uncomfortable for them was nearly downright painful for the older members of the company. Bombur couldn't even crouch down that low thanks to his girth and Baylee found herself holding her breath as she kept her eyes on the elves.
Thankfully, everyone made it to the hall unseen and she finally released the breath she was holding. Bilbo ushered her forward once more, needing her to scout ahead. It was an unnecessary precaution, however, as the rest of their path was clear.
There was just one more staircase for them to go down when Kili realized where they were heading. "Are you joking?" he hissed. "You're leading us down to the cellars!"
"Shh!" Bilbo hushed.
"You're supposed t' be leadin' us out—not further in!" Nori harshly whispered.
"Please, you'll just have to trust me!" the older Baggins pleaded. "I know what I'm doing, now please just stay quiet!"
Baylee bit her lower lip as she followed her father. Like the others, she didn't like that he had brought them down to the cellars, but unlike the others, she knew that he wouldn't have brought them down there just to trap them. As she walked, she looked around.
'They really like their wine around here,' she thought, seeing the shelves lined with bottles of varying sizes. Her brows furrowed and she backed up a few paces, having spotted something unusual.
There, hanging on the wall by the sleeping elves, was her sword and Thorin's shield.
She quickly looked back at the group; many of them were arguing with Bilbo about his plan. With them distracted, she left the company and started to sneak her way towards the elves. 'Please stay asleep,' she thought, creeping her way past the shelves.
Coming to stand behind one of the slumbering elves, she looked up at the wall. The hooks were quite a way out of her reach and, from what she could see, there were no step stools around. Biting her lower lip, she looked for something long enough that she could use to knock down the sword and shield, but again, she found nothing.
Just when she was about to give up, however, she came up with something that would hopefully work.
There was an empty barrel close to the sleeping elves and, after testing its weight, she was able to quietly bring it down so that it was on its side. She rolled it around to the wall where it was able to stay in place on its own, but she knew she needed to wedge something under it to keep it from rolling once she got atop it. And those wedges happened to be the large tankards the elves were using.
She had to stand on her tippiest-toes in order to reach both tankards, but she was just barely able to grab their handles. Finding one of them still half full, she sniffed its contents before scrunching her nose up. 'This would have me on my bum with just a sip,' she thought. She flicked its contents out onto the floor before going back to the barrel.
Laying the tankards on their sides, she wedged them beneath the barrel, hoping they would be large enough. A sigh of relief left her mouth when, after testing the barrel's stability, she found it safe. It took a little effort for her to crawl atop the barrel, but when she did, she first grabbed her sword and fastened it around her waist.
'There we go,' she thought. 'That…makes me feel less naked, though I could still do with my petticoats.' Knowing those were long gone and would never be seen again, however, she reached up for Thorin's shield. Thanks to her inability to properly judge distance, however, she ended up smacking her hand into it, making it clank loudly against the wall.
Baylee froze, her eyes widening when one of the elves snorted in his sleep. Thankfully, he turned his head and started to snore again. She breathed a sigh of relief and, taking a great deal more care this time, reached over and lifted the shield from its spot. Then, hopping off the barrel, she hurried off.
When she met back up with the others, they were starting to crawl into the barrels. Bilbo, she saw, was looking around in a panic—searching for her, no doubt. Spotting her, he nearly cried out.
"Where were you?!" he hissed, wagging a scolding finger at her.
"I found my sword and Oakenshield's…er, well, his oaken shield." She smiled innocently as she looked up at her father.
"You had me worried sick, young lady! You shouldn't have run off like that—what if you had gotten caught? You might've gotten us all caught!" he reprimanded. Then, shaking his head, he let out a heavy sigh. "Now get into one of these barrels. I'm certain we don't have much time."
She nodded. "Let me just give this back," she whispered.
"Hurry!"
Seeing Thorin towards the front of the stack of barrels, she went over to him. He looked up as she approached only to frown in confusion as she held out his shield.
"Where did you get this, Mouse-Lass?" he questioned, taking it from her.
"Same place I got this." She grinned, patting the sword at her side.
Closing his eyes, he quietly chuckled. "You're full of surprises, Mouse-Lass. Thank you." As he opened his eyes again, he slid the shield into place over his forearm.
A warm smile came to her lips as she watched him put it on. Satisfied that the shield was back with its owner, she went back to the end of the line.
"Get in a barrel, dear," Bilbo quietly ordered. "I'll join you shortly."
Nodding, she slipped into one of the barrels on the bottom. Being that she was so small, it was quite roomy in there; she was certain that, if she were to stand up straight, she would be able to only just see over the edge of it.
Bofur poked himself out of his barrel. "Now what do we do?" he questioned, unknowingly voicing what everyone was thinking.
A bit of a guilty look came to Bilbo's face. "Hold your breath."
"Hold my breath?" Bofur questioned, brows furrowing. He watched Bilbo start to pull back on the lever. "What do you—" His eyes shot open when the floor began to tip downwards and he hurriedly ducked back into his barrel.
Feeling her own barrel start to move, Baylee squeaked. "Da'!" she cried, reaching her hand out towards Bilbo. But it was too late; before he realized she was reaching for him, she was halfway down the ramp.
A cry of both fear and worry left her mouth as the barrel fell downwards. She pulled her arm back into the barrel just in time for it to hit the water below. The force of the impact flung her upwards, slamming her into the wooden wall. Seconds later, she gasped as she was hit in the face by ice-cold water.
The barrel righted itself and she found herself sitting in an inch of icy water. Uttering an unladylike word, she shakily got to her feet and, having to stand on her tiptoes, peeked over the edge of the wood only to find that she was the one of the last in the lineup of barrels. Nori was beside her of her, a concerned look on his face.
"You alright, lass?" he asked. Despite his concern, he couldn't help but admit how amusing it was to see her peeking up like that.
"F-fine," she stammered. "A b-bit shaken, but something tells me we all are." Pushing some wet strands of hair out of her face, she tried to look around, but it was of little use. She could only see that they were in some sort of tunnel. "Where's da'?"
As if on cue, light suddenly poured down onto them from above. She turned around, just in time to see her father falling down from the ceiling. Another curse left her mouth and she frantically looked around, hoping her father would surface.
'But he can't swim,' she thought, nervously biting her lower lip. 'And with how cold this water is…' Her jaw started to quiver; whether it was from the cold or from the thought of this being how she lost her father, she didn't know.
Bilbo's head abruptly broke through the surface of the water and he gasped loudly. He awkward started swimming towards the barrels, spitting water out of his mouth. Once he was close enough, Nori reached out and started trying to pull him up into his barrel.
There wasn't time, though. With the arrival of Bilbo, the others started to paddle their barrels forward, aiming for the middle of the tunnel, where the current was strongest.
"D-da', are you alright?" Baylee questioned, still on her tiptoes.
He could only manage a nod and a small wave, which she didn't find very reassuring.
"Hold on!" Thorin suddenly shouted, his voice echoing through the tunnel around them.
Baylee could hear a roaring sound akin to the waterfalls back in Rivendell. Her brows furrowed and she ducked down, stretching her arms out and pressing her palms flat against the walls of the barrel in an attempt to keep herself from getting tossed about too much. And it worked—at least, for this first fall. She yelped as the barrel tipped forward only to get pulled downwards.
For a few seconds, she felt weightless.
And then the barrel suddenly hit the bottom of the waterfall. Despite her attempts to brace herself, she was flung forward into the wall of the barrel, her nose taking the brunt of the impact.
A whole string of unladylike words spilled from her mouth.
One of her hand instinctively let go of the walls in favor of covering her nose. After a few seconds, she pulled her hand away only to find her palm had blood on it.
Outside her barrel, she could hear the dwarves shouting and her father's yelps as he was tossed about. She badly wished she was tall and strong enough to pull her father into the barrel with her. Judging by how distant his cries were, though, she wouldn't be able to reach him anyway. There was a silver lining at the moment, however: the rapids had ended and they were now lightly bumping back and forth through a narrow gap between the two riverbanks.
Her eyes widened as a strange horn broke through the sounds of distressed dwarves and rushing water. Daring to stand up a bit straighter, she looked around, but could only see the morning sky and the rocky embankments on either side of the river. She turned around, her eyes squinting; she thought she could see a sort of bridge or guard-post approaching.
It was then Thorin started shouting in a panic. Her brows furrowed and, closing her eyes, she did her best to listen.
"Close the gates!" someone was shouting. "Close them quick!"
"No! You pointy eared bastards!" Thorin shouted back.
'Oh no,' she thought. 'There's a gate?!' Swallowing hard, she continued listening, though it was getting hard to hear with the combined shouting of elves and dwarves. She gave up and, as her barrel thumped into another barrel, she opened her eyes.
Fili and Kili were on her left with Bombur on her right. Just a few feet in front of and above them was the bridge which was also a guard-post. At the very front of the pileup of barrels, was the closed gate. Thorin and Dori were trying their best to force it open, but it was of no use.
One of the elven guards started draw his sword, but before he could, the air was forced from his lungs and he went rigid. He fell forward into the water, an arrow sticking out of his back.
And then the orcs came crawling over the wall.
They were coming from both sides, swarming the guard-post and killing the guards with little care. Their targets were the dwarves, who they started to fling themselves at. The first couple missed the barrels and sank down into the river, dragged down by their armor and weapons.
Quickly drawing her sword, Baylee saw that it was glowing a brilliant blue. While part of her was still amazed by this magic, another part of her was focused on trying to stab the orc that had fallen atop Bombur. Holding onto the edge of the barrel, she jumped up and managed to get her sword into the side of its neck.
"Thanks, lass!" Bombur grunted, shoving the orc off of him, its body landing in the water with a splash.
"Here! I'm useless with this while I'm in this barrel," she told him, holding the sword out to him. "Don't you dare drop it, though!"
Nodding, he took it from her and started to slash at the orcs that were in front of him.
Looking to her left, she cursed when she saw Kili on land. In his hand, he held an orcish sword and was using it to clear a path ahead of him. She looked for the reason as to why he would be up there when she spotted the lever that would open the gate.
The lever was quickly blocked from view as an orc threw itself at her. She cried out and flung herself to the bottom of the barrel. She suddenly regretted passing off her sword. As the orc landed atop the barrel, it snarled and reached down to grab her. Its eyes shot open and Baylee yelped as its head—and plenty of its black blood—fell down into her lap, the rest of its body slipping away into the river.
Not having time to be grossed out, she grabbed the head by what little hair it had and stood up on her tiptoes. Searching for a target, she saw an orc rushing towards Kili and, with little hope of hitting it, she flung the head with all her might. The decapitated head miraculously slammed into the oncoming orc's face and threw it off balance. It toppled over the wall and into the river.
"Yavanna's bounty, that worked?!" she mumbled, astonished.
"KILI!"
As Fili's voice filled the air, she looked back at the dark-haired prince in time to see him fall over. His face was contorted in pain and she could see why: There was a long, black arrow sticking out of his thigh.
Another orc was rushing towards him, its sword drawn back and ready for the killing blow. Before it got close, though, an arrow flew into its throat. It tumbled forwards down the short flight of stairs become coming to a halt. Both Kili and Baylee looked over at the embankment only to find Tauriel and a dozen other elves racing towards the guard-post.
A squeak left Baylee's mouth and she quickly ducked down once more as another orc flung itself at the group. Biting her lower lip, she decided it would be best to remain at the bottom of her barrel for now, despite the freezing water and orc blood. Her nose scrunched up as she heard an almost painfully shrill and metallic creak; she knew it could only be one thing: The gate had been flung open.
Soon, the group began to move once more and a cry of pain followed by the breaking of wood could be heard as Kili fell back into his barrel. Hearing the rushing of a waterfall and cries from the dwarves as they went over, Baylee flung her arms out, bracing herself against the sides of the barrel. She once again felt weightless before the fall came to an abrupt end. Having braced herself, she didn't fly forward this time.
Around her, she could hear cries of fear, grunts of exertion, and the loud snarls of orcs. She was just about to risk standing up when there was a loud, dull thud. Sticking into the inside rim of the barrel was a black orc arrow.
'I'm staying down here,' she thought with a small gulp.
Her barrel, being fairly light due to its small passenger, was soon getting tossed around and thrown about more than the others. Her stomach churned just as much as the river outside; she found herself regretting having ate barely an hour ago. Luckily, she was able to keep herself from throwing up.
What she wasn't able to stop, however, was the shivering and the pain that was quickly filling her limbs. Icy water occasionally splashed in, leaving her soaked to the bone. Holding her arms out for so long was also beginning to make them ache; it was soon taking all her focus to fight through the pain and keep herself braced.
A cry left her mouth as the barrel had an unexpected moment of weightlessness. As it hit the water, the sudden jolt made her hands slip and she was slammed backwards. There was a dull thud as the back of her head smacked into the wood and her vision was suddenly filled with stars. Her eyes screwed shut in pain and she gripped the back of her head as, for a few seconds, the world went silent.
When her hearing returned, she could no longer hear rushing water and instead heard her name being called out. The river, it felt like, had also calmed down a great deal and she wasn't being thrown about—in fact, it rather felt like her barrel had stopped moving altogether. Her brows furrowing, she slowly started to stand. It was hard, given how stiff and sore her body was; she wobbled quite a bit, though she couldn't tell if that was her doing or the barrel's doing.
"Baylee! Baylee, where are you!?" That was most definitely her father's voice and he sounded absolutely hysterical. "Baylee!"
Peeking over the rim of the barrel, her eyes widened in shock. Her barrel was stuck against a fallen tree while, in the near distance, the others had washed up onto a rocky shore. The dwarves and her father were hurrying around on the shore, all looking for her and calling out her name.
'I must've gotten knocked out,' she thought, hugging herself as she shivered. Shaking her head, she stood on her tiptoes to let her voice carry out over the barrel and called out, "He-hello! I'm ov-v-ver h-here!" She squeaked as a golden head poked out from behind a boulder near her.
"I found her!" Fili shouted. "I found Baylee!" He jumped down onto the log and, holding his arms out to keep his balance, hurried over to her.
"H-How lo-long were you look-k-king for me?" she asked, reaching up when he was close enough.
"Nearly twenty minutes." Crouching down, he grabbed her hand and easily lifted her up. Holding her against him like a child, he turned around and went back the way he had come. "We were starting to fear your barrel had gone past us or that you were—well, we don't have to worry about that now."
A soft squeak left her mouth as he jumped from the log to the shore. "I-I'm s-sorry…I-I think I p-p-passed out wh-when I hit m-m-my head…" She then shook her head. "H-how's K-K-Kili's le-leg?"
"It's minor. Oin got the arrow out and bandaged him up already," he answered. "Luckily, he keeps a suture kit tucked away in an inside pocket…" He looked up in time to see Bilbo and Thorin rushing towards him; it was hard to tell which one was more worried.
"Is she alright?!" Bilbo cried. "Is she hurt?!" He reached Fili first, practically pulling his daughter away from the dwarf and holding her against him.
"I-I'm fine, d-da'," she told him with a quiet chuckle. "Just co-cold." She hugged him in return, glad to find that he was safe and sound as well.
"She said that she thinks she passed out when she hit her head," Fili told them.
"I see blood on her dress," Thorin stated, the worry still on his face. "Baylee, are you positive you're fine?"
She nodded, giving him an extra squeeze of reassurance. "Y-yes. Th-the blood is f-from wh-when I hit m-my face on the b-b-barrel's wall. M-my nose bl-bled for a b-bit."
Bilbo swallowed hard as he nodded in understanding. "Th-thank Yavanna you're safe," he sniffled before kissing her temple. "I w-was so scared…I-If I had l-lost you, it wo-would have been all m-my fault!"
Fili and Thorin exchanged glances; reluctantly, Thorin nodded and the two dwarves moved away, giving the pair some space.
"We-well, you didn't lose me," Baylee assured her father. His body heat was soaking through her wet clothes, warming her just enough to stop the majority of her shivering. "So, you d-don't have to think about it. I'm s-sorry I scared you, though."
"You're s-safe now and th-that's all th-that matters to me. You're s-safe."
"You're safe, too," she told him, a small smile on her lips. "I…I was really scared when I saw th-that you weren't in a barrel. We're hobbits. We c-can't swim."
He couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "That is true," he agreed. He turned his head and kissed her temple once more. "My sweet, little girl…I love you."
"I love you, too, da'." She gave him another squeeze, this one a bit tighter than the first.
Finally, Bilbo set her down on the ground and looked her over, wanting to make extra sure that she had no injuries. He couldn't see any, aside from a few bruises, and he sighed in relief. Then, shrugging off his coat, he wrapped it around her. "You need this far more than me," he told her, being sure to get her arms into the sleeves before he buttoned it up. "Now, let's get you back to the others, alright? They're worried about you, too." Taking her hand, he started to lead her off.
"Ah, good! She's alright!" Bofur grinned as the two hobbits approached the group.
"Are yeh sure she's alright? I see some blood on the hem o' her dress there," Oin frowned.
"I got a bloody nose earlier," she told him, speaking loud enough so that he wouldn't need his hearing trumpet. She watched him nod in understanding before she looked around at the others. "Are any of you hurt?
Nori shook his head. "Aside from Kili's wound an' a bunch o' small cuts an' bruises, we're all fine."
Bifur then spoke, letting out a laugh when he had finished. "Don't think any o' us is going t' need a bath for a few weeks after that, though," Dori translated.
"Aye, I've seen enough water t' last me a lifetime," Dwalin grumbled. He then shook his head. "We need t' start thinking about where t' go from here. We've no food, no weapons, an' barely any clothes."
"Most of us don't have weapons," Bilbo corrected. "Baylee and I have our swords."
At that, she frowned and looked around for Bombur. "Actually, Bombur has my sword…I don't see him, though."
"That's because he's layin' on the other side o' that rock there," Bofur snorted, using his thumb to motion at a boulder some yards away. "He's in a right foul mood, though, so I'll go see if he still has your sword."
She nodded in understanding. "Thank you."
"We need to make for Laketown," Thorin said, bringing them back on subject. "We'll continue to follow the river; it's bound to take us to the lake. Once there, we'll use what coin we have left to buy provisions and—hopefully—some weapons and clothes. Going by what Master Baggins told me, we have just over a month until Durin's Day. That should give us just enough time to reach the mountain."
"Then why'd we even get out o' the barrels?" Ori questioned, his brows furrowing. "They'd be a lot quicker t' take than by going on foot."
"Aye, especially with those orcs chasin' after us," Gloin agreed. "We don't know how far behind they are."
"They're at least twenty miles behind us," Dwalin told them, his brow cocked.
Bilbo cleared his throat. "I'm not so sure about you lads, but I would much rather be mostly-dry by the time night comes instead of sitting in a wet barrel."
Balin nodded in agreement. "Not t' mention, we don't know what the next stretch o' river is going t' be like. It might be more rapids, it might be calm. Either way, we've nothin' t' steer the barrels with, either."
Baylee squinted slightly and took a few steps away from the group. Peering down the river, she could see something coming up the current. Whatever it was, though, she couldn't tell; it was still too far away.
"What is it?" She squeaked and looked up onto to find Fili coming to stand beside her.
"Out there on the river," she told him, pointing at the thing as it moved. "What is that?"
"It…almost looks like a boat…" he murmured his brows furrowing. He looked back at the group. "Hey…I think there's a boat coming this way."
"What?" Thorin frowned before turning around. Seeing the supposed boat slowly making its way up against the current, his eyes widened.
It was then Bofur came hurrying out from behind the boulder, Baylee's sword in hand and his eyes wide. "There's a barge!" he called. "There's a barge comin' this way!" He was careful to hold the sword away from him as he carried it back to its owner.
Baylee thanked him and, giving it a quick look-over, returned it to its scabbard.
"We have a way out o' here, then!" Ori grinned. "There might be some hope o' us reaching the mountain in time, after all!"
"That's if the bargeman is willin' t' ferry us," Gloin countered. "He may not want t' take on thirteen dwarves an' two hobbits as passengers."
"We've got coin," Kili spoke up. "We could pay him."
"Aye, but we can't pay him too much. We need t' buy supplies an' clothes, after all," Nori said, watching Bofur walk past on his way back to fetch Bombur.
At that, Bofur snorted. "Like you've ever had t' worry about payin' for things." He laughed as Nori punched him in the leg.
Baylee frowned, though she had said nothing; throughout the journey, the others had unconsciously dropped hints that Nori may not have had as clean of a past as the rest of them and Bofur's words just confirmed it. 'For a thief, he at least seems loyal,' she thought, rubbing her arms. Though her father's coat brought her quite a bit of warmth, it was still damp and even the slightest breeze chilled it right down.
"This is a situation that needs a great deal o' care an' tact," Balin said. "As such, I'll be the one t' do the talkin'. The rest o' you can stay back here an' look helpless." He then let out a sigh. "I'll tell him we're on our way t' the Iron Hills t' visit our kin."
"Wh-what will you tell him for me and Baylee?" Bilbo questioned.
"A father-daughter duo of adventure-seekin' hobbits who asked t' come along with us, o' course." He chuckled, his brow rising slightly.
"And if he doesn't know what a hobbit is?" Dori asked. "What then?"
Balin dismissively waved his hand at that. "I don't think we'll need t' worry about that."
The others quietly murmured their agreements and their understandings.
Still rubbing her arms, Baylee looked around for a rock she could sit on. There were plenty lying about, of course, but she wanted to find one that she wouldn't need to climb onto. Before that could happen, though, someone grabbed her shoulder. Looking up, she smiled as she saw Thorin.
"Oakenshield."
"Mouse-Lass." He sat down on one of the boulders and pulled her against him, his eyes closing.
Wrapping her arms around him in return, she buried her face in the crook of his neck. She stood there in content silence for some minutes, letting Thorin hold her and stroke her hair.
"…I was scared we had lost you," he murmured.
"I'm sorry. I promise I didn't mean to scare anyone." She felt him lean back just enough to kiss the top of her head.
"It couldn't be helped. But…but thank Mahal and Yavanna you're alright."
"And I thank them both you're alright. That we're all alright." She smiled, feeling him press his forehead against hers.
His eyes partway open, he let his knuckles brush against her cheek and watched as she tried to lean into his touch.
"You're warm," she murmured.
"I'm glad you think so." A soft sigh left his mouth as he moved his head from hers and held her against him once more. He kept his arms wrapped around her, acting as a bit of a wall to protect her from the chilled air. Turning his head slightly, he watched the bargeman slowly making his way up the river. "Hopefully, we'll be able to find you something warm to wear in the near future. Especially with colder weather coming…"
"I just need a coat or cloak," she told him, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.
His brow rose and he frowned. "No, you and your father definitely need something heavier," he told her. "Even we dwarves will need some heavier clothing if we want to last in the harsh climate outside the mountain." Shaking his head, he closed his eyes; he was beginning to wonder if, maybe, he should have her remain in Laketown, where he could rest assured that she'd be warm and safe. "Remember, Mouse-Lass: This isn't the same climate as your peaceful Shire. During the cold months, the weather can be cruel and unforgiving."
"I can believe that," she murmured. "Even from afar, the mountain looks cold." Thorin was warming her enough that her head was starting to grow fuzzy with sleep. As such, she leaned back slightly, an apologetic smile on her lips as he looked at her in confusion. "You're warm enough that I'm starting to drift off to sleep," she explained with a chuckle. "And something tells me that's not a very good idea right now."
Nodding in understanding, he kissed her forehead. "You're right. We're in a bit of a precarious situation at the moment." He glanced back at the bargeman. "I hope he'll be willing to ferry us…I have no idea how far we are from Laketown. Obviously close enough for a bargeman, but traveling by river is far faster than traveling on foot…"
Kissing his cheek, she turned around in his arms, also looking at the bargeman. "Balin said he'd offer him payment. From what I've heard about most humans, they'll do anything for some coin."
He looked down at her, amused. "…You've never met a human before?"
"No. Until you lot came along, I had never met a dwarf, either—I had seen them, of course, but never spoke with one."
"Then how did you know the polite way to greet a dwarf?"
"I read it in a book."
He couldn't help but snort at her answer. "You read it in a book?" She nodded. "That's both interesting and amusing…What book was it?"
"A book of fairytales," she chuckled. "The story was called 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves'."
"An interesting title…what was it about?"
"A human princess gets saved by a group of seven dwarves when her royal carriage is attacked by bandits. They let her stay with them for a few days to gather her strength before escorting her back to her home realm." She covered her mouth as she yawned. "There's a lot more to it than that, of course, but I remember really enjoying the part where they taught her how to use a battle axe."
Thorin snorted again before also yawning. "This sounds like a story I may have to read in the future."
She smiled, leaning against him. "It's in one of my books back in Bag End. Sadly, that's the only fairytale with dwarves in it."
"It sounds like I will have to read you some dwarvish fairytales in the future," he chuckled. "For now, though, it looks like the bargeman has docked. We should go over there."
Nodding in agreement, she reluctantly stepped away from him when he unwrapped his arms from around her. A shiver ran down her spine as the air cooled down the damp corduroy once more. Beside her, Thorin stood up and, offering her his hand, started to guide her towards Balin.
As they got closer, they could see that there was a small dock that had been built into the shore. It was here the bargeman had moored his vessel so he could begin gathering barrels. Seeing the longbow on his back, the dwarves and hobbits didn't want to get too close.
"Ex-excuse me," Balin called out, slowly approaching the man. "That barge o' yours over there—it wouldn't happen t' be for hire, would it?"
Standing upright and holding one of the barrels sidesways, he cocked his brow at Balin. "And what makes you think I would want to help you?" He walked back to his barge, where he set the barrel down.
"Those boots look like they've seen better days," Balin answered, daring to get closer still. "As has that coat o' yours. An' no doubt you've some hungry mouths t' feed back home." When he saw the man pause at the mention of hungry mouths, he smiled. "How many bairns?"
Again, the man paused, as if debating whether or not he should trust the dwarf with such information. "…Three. Two girls and a boy," he said after a moment. With the first barrel in place, he headed off to fetch the second.
"An' your wife? I'd imagine she's a beauty."
"Yes, she was." He picked up the second barrel, not noticing the collective wince of the group.
Balin paled. "Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't—"
"Come on, come one! Enough with the niceties," Dwalin grumbled, crossing his arms in frustration.
Setting down the second barrel, the man cocked his brow. "What's your hurry?" he questioned.
Dwalin narrowed his eyes slightly. "What's it t' you?"
Resting his hands atop the rim of the barrel, the man looked them over. "I would like to know who you are and what business you have in these lands," he answered after a moment.
"We're simple merchants from the Blue Mountains on our way t' visit our kin in the Iron Hills," Balin replied, the words easily leaving his mouth.
"Simple merchants, hm?" Baylee could see that he was looking over the dents and cracks in the two barrels he had retrieved.
'He knows,' she thought, biting her lower lip.
"We need supplies, food, and weapons," Thorin said. "Can you help us?"
The man raised his brow. "I know where these barrels came from," he told them. "I don't know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think it ended well." Leaving his barge yet again, he went to retrieve another barrel. "No one enters Laketown except by leave of the Master, who has acquired his wealth through trade with the Woodland Realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil."
Balin looked back at Thorin, a mild look of panic on his face. It was clear they weren't about to get this man's help; despite that, however, Thorin mouthed 'Offer him more' to his old friend.
"I'd wager there are ways t' get into that city unseen," he then challenged.
"Yes, but for that, you would need a smuggler." The man sounded amused.
"An' for that, we'll pay double."
His brows furrowed, the offer making him pause once more. After a moment, though, he moved to continue getting his barrels, though he said nothing. It was clear he was having an internal debate with himself.
Baylee felt someone nudge her on her right. Looking, she found her father standing there, trying to seem as innocent as he could be. He quietly cleared his throat as he glanced down at his daughter before looking at the man with a small nod.
Her brows furrowed and pointed at herself in confusion.
Bilbo nodded. His expression changed into one of sadness, complete with his lower lip stuck out in what he had always called a 'booboo lip.'
Biting her lower lip, Baylee nodded, though she felt uncertain. Letting go of Thorin's hand, she made her way to the forward.
Thorin frowned when he felt her let go of his hand. Before he could stop her, though, she was already out of reach. He moved to follow after her, but an arm was suddenly thrust out in front of him, stopping him. He looked down, confused to find Bilbo standing there.
"Trust her," he whispered. "You're about to see how she was able to worm her way out of many a punishment as a child."
Swallowing hard, she approached the man. "Ex-excuse me, sir?" she asked.
Turning around, the man looked down at her in confusion. He looked her over, concern quickly replacing his confusion. "What is a child doing traveling with all these dwarves?"
She gave him a small, nervous smile. "O-Oh, I'm not a child. I-I'm a hobbit, sir," she told him.
"A hobbit?" he repeated, brow rising.
"Yes, s-sir, a hobbit. We're also called halflings. I-I assure you, I've very much an adult hobbit, though."
"I've heard of your kind but I thought you were nothing more than fairytales." His head tilted slightly in curiosity. "Why are you traveling with a group of dwarves?"
"My father and I got tired of our qui-quiet lives," she explained, "so when these lads were passing through the Shire, we asked if we could come alo-along. We've re-regretted it at times, but overall, tra-traveling with them has been quite nice." She rubbed her arms slightly, trying to chase away the cold. Her mind was racing; what should she tell him? Should she tell him the truth or should she continue on with Balin's cover story? "Bu-but, um, before you make any decisions ab-bout helping us, I thought you sh-should know just why we're so badly nee-needing help. Yes, it involves the elves but th-they were the ones who attacked us."
"The elves attacked you?" At that, the man sounded a bit unconvinced.
She nodded. "Y-you see, we had greatly under esti-estimated how much food we would need to get through the forest," she continued. "When we did run out, we kept going, though. And we did th-that for almost five days. But then we saw the elves having one of their for-forest feasts and we went to beg for food…"
Thorin's brow rose as he listened to Baylee talk with the bargeman. Glancing down at Bilbo, he saw that the hobbit had covered the lower half of his face with his hand, though the slight crinkle in the corners of his eyes told the dwarf that he was hiding a grin. "I can see what you mean, now," he murmured.
"He's probably also going to take some pity on her because of her eye and how cold the poor dear is," Bilbo quietly replied. "Though, I warn you: She may utilize this tactic against you one day or worse: Teach your future children how to use it against you." He shook his head, an almost grim expression on his face as he spoke, making it hard to tell if he was joking or not.
Thorin, however, thought he was and, because of that, was forced to bite down on his tongue so he wouldn't let out a hearty laugh. "I will be sure to keep that in mind," he told him, his voice quiet. He watched as Baylee turned towards Balin, asking him something. When the older dwarf nodded, she turned back towards the human, nodding as well.
The bargeman let out a heavy sigh and, after a moment, nodded in agreement to whatever he and Baylee had discussed. The dwarves who stood closer to them let out sighs of relief and Thorin knew she had managed to secure them passage into Laketown. It seemed part of the agreement involved the dwarves helping to gather up all the barrels, as the group was soon dispersing to do just that.
Baylee came back to Thorin and Bilbo, her hands running over her braid. "We'll still have to pay him," she said, "and help gather up the barrels, but he'll smuggle us in. But we also have to follow his instructions because, apparently, the Master of Laketown has spies everywhere." She let out a small squeak as Bilbo hugged her.
"You did well, dear," he told her, gently patting her on the back. "I'm sorry I made you do that, but I honestly think you're the only one who would have been able to change his mind." Leaning back, he smiled down at her.
"If you can make a distrustful human agree to help us," Thorin said with a small grin, "I can't wait to see what wonders you could do when you become queen." Leaning over, he kissed her temple.
She smiled, her cheeks darkening from their praises. "I-I don't think it was anything that im-impressive…I just told him why the elves had attacked us. Yes, I embellished it slightly to make us seem more pathetic than we actually are, but…" Shrugging, she glanced at the others as they gathered up the barrels. "I hope they behave themselves. Bard will be risking quite a bit to smuggle us into Laketown…"
"I'll do my best to see that they do," Thorin assured her.