Bard heaved out a white sigh into the cold as he turned his boat towards the town. He had lost all feeling in his fingers and most of his feet. He was also sure he couldn't move his face anymore. Once he had reached the far end of the lake, the winds rolling off the mountain had hit with a determined ferocity. At least the town was relatively sheltered, though he was certain it would snow before dusk had properly hit.
Sighing again, Bard made it through the checkpoint and aimed for home. The boat glided along slowly, the trip so engrained in his mind that he didn't even have to think about it. Each movement and turn came without conscious thought. He was half convinced that he could do it with his eyes closed. Before long, he was at his house.
Flexing his fingers to try and get feeling back into them, Bard stepped off the boat to tie it down. Warm hands suddenly closed over his eyes, making him start, then smile.
"It's difficult enough to tie the knot with numb fingers. I can do without not being able to see" he said, earning himself a laugh from his wife.
"Let me tie it for you" she said, crouching down beside him.
"I don't want you to get your hands cold" Bard said, but didn't really protest when she took over tying it. Her knots were always much neater than his. It made it much easier to untie in the morning. And he always needed things to make his mornings easier.
"My hands will be fine. Come inside and warm up" Aceralind said, taking his hands and pulling him up. "Oh wow, you're hands are cold. What were you doing? Dragging them through the water?"
"The winds were very cold at the other end of the lake."
"It's just as well I've almost finished your new coat then" she said. "I just have to finish stitching the last sleeve on and then you can wear it.
He smiled as they entered the house. The warmth wrapped itself around him and made him fully realise just how cold he was. He really couldn't move his face properly. Everything was starting to hurt just a little bit.
Bard peeled off his coat and tossed it over a chair. Aceralind immediately picked it up with a scolding scoff. "I thought I'd trained you out of doing that. Once again, if you throw your coat in a heap, it won't dry, then it will smell in the morning. You need to hang it properly so it'll be nice and dry and warm" she said, smoothing it out and hanging it by the fire.
"Yes, dear" he said. "I will do better, dear."
"You'd better. If you can't take care of this old coat, you don't get a new one. We need this old one to survive. When we have a son, he can wear it."
"It would be a while before he grew into it."
"I can adjust it so that it fits. My mother taught me how to make something smaller in such a way that you're able to make it bigger again in the future."
"You did that with one of your dresses, didn't you? The one you wore shortly before Sigrid was born."
"Yes I did" Aceralind said proudly. "Now that I'm skinny again, I can still wear it. Are you warming up?"
"Slowly" Bard said, rubbing his fingers and blowing onto them. "Can I have something to drink?"
"Of course. I'll make something." As she moved into the kitchen area, Sigrid began to cry in her crib in the corner. "Can you get her?"
"Already on it" Bard said, carefully picking the small baby up. She began to cry more, wriggling in protest. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know my hands are cold, darling. Don't make me feel bad about it."
In an effort to stop her from crying, he shifted her to his chest, holding her there with a forearm. Slowly, she settled, apparently deciding that his cold hands weren't as offensive as she had first thought.
"That's better, is it? Good. We don't need Ma telling me off for making you cry."
"I would never" Aceralind said, pretending to be offended. "I only speak kind words."
"She's lying" he whispered to Sigrid, grinning when Aceralind made an affronted noise. "She likes to tell me off for everything. You heard her telling me off for putting my coat on a chair wrong."
"You shouldn't have put the coat down wrong."
Bard continued like she hadn't spoken. "One day, when you're grown up and married, I'm sure your husband will learn that you're always right too. You'll take after your mother."
Aceralind had to laugh. "Such flattery, my dear husband" she said, bring over a steaming mug of broth. "I was thinking we could go out on the lake tonight."
"It's too cold."
"We can wrap up warm and stay away from the wind. It will be fine."
"I'm assuming we wouldn't be leaving Sigrid here. It's far too cold for a baby out there" Bard said, sipping at the broth. He could feel it warming him up immediately.
"Not even for a few minutes?" Aceralind asked, then sighed. "No, I know you're right. We can't take Sigrid out when it's this cold. Though… Ma might be willing to watch her."
"I don't think the might is necessary there. She's always willing to watch Sigrid for us."
"Does it make me a terrible mother that I'm considering sending Sigrid off so we can go out on the lake?"
"Why are you so determined to go out on the lake?" Bard asked with a slight laugh. "You hate the cold."
"That's because the cold feels like it's trying to dissolve you piece by piece" Aceralind said. "But I thought it might be nice to go out like we used to. We get to see the stars because the sky is perfectly clear, the lights of the town and the snow just makes it even better."
Bard smiled and surrendered. "If you're willing to brave the cold…"
"I think I am" Aceralind said. "I've been wanting to go out with you for a while now. I get a little bored stuck at home all day."
"Maybe we can trade places. You can go out on the lake every day and I'll stay at home in the warm with Sigrid."
"That could work if only you could produce milk."
"And once again, my gender fails to work in my favour."
Aceralind had to laugh. "Yes, I wish every day that you had been born a woman."
"Really?"
"No, you fish" she said and flicked the tip of his nose. Bard laughed, shifting Sigrid so he could continue drinking his broth. "Did we actually make a decision about going out on the lake?"
"I'm waiting for you to make a decision, my dear. You were the one who wanted to go" Bard said. "I know you need to get out of the house more. When was the last time you left?"
She had to think about that for far too long. "It's been… two days. Two days too long. Please take me out on the lake before I never leave this place again."
"Your wish is my command, my dear" Bard said. "I will go and get your mother. You wrap up nice and warm, don't forget gloves."
"I won't" Aceralind said, taking Sigrid from him. He drained the rest of the broth from the mug, shrugged on his coat and ventured back out into the cold. While she waited, Aceralind couldn't help but let her mind wander back to the first time he had taken her out on the boat.
It was an uncharacteristically warm night when he had first taken her out. Aceralind leaned over the side, trailing her fingers over the surface of the water as they sailed past. The water was just as cold as ever. She looked up as they approached the rocks.
"Don't crash and drown us both" she said with a cheeky grin.
"It would be very impressive indeed if I managed to drown us here."
"You'd have to make a deliberate attempt."
"I don't plan on making any of those" Bard said, moving smoothly between the large rocks. "Did your parents ever tell you the story about these rocks?"
"Maybe. I think Da told me something about them being from Dale? Or maybe it was Erebor."
"That's pretty close" Bard said. "The story was that when Smaug landed on the mountain, he was so heavy and did it with such force that the rocks broke off and were flung into the lake. This is where they landed."
"That's a good story."
"It is. Not true of course. The rocks have been here for far longer than that" he said, bringing the boat to a slow stop and dropping the anchor at the centre of the lake.
"Do you always dash the hopes of children at the end of stories?"
"No, only adults" Bard said with a grin. "I thought you were one of those but if you've decided that you're a child again, I'm happy to oblige."
Aceralind hummed in consideration. "No, I think I'll stay an adult for now. If I were a child, I'd have to go home to bed. I'd much rather stay here with you.
Bard chuckled, sitting down beside her and draping a blanket over her shoulders. "I'm very flattered."
She tucked his arm around her and leant against him. The waning sliver moon offered very little light, but the sky was so lit with stars that it hardly mattered. The smooth water reflected the sky almost perfectly.
Aceralind smiled. "It's like we're floating between skies right now. The only thing that could make this better was if it were snowing. Then it would be like stars all around us too."
"It would. Maybe we'll come out again when it's snowing if you don't mind the cold."
"I'd brave the cold for it" she said. "I'll catch the snowflakes and pretend I'm catching stars."
Head craned back to smile up at the sky, she reached out her hands to catch the imagined snowflakes. Bard's gaze didn't waver from her face, watching her delight and happiness with a soft smile. She realised she was being looked at after a moment and turned to look at him. She couldn't help but smile and laugh a little in embarrassment.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked, touching her nose and lips.
He didn't answer. He just leaned in and kissed her softly. Aceralind smiled. "Ah, that's what. You should do it more often."
"I don't do it often enough already?"
"I don't think you could ever do it enough" she said playfully. "But I'll take what I can get."
Bard laughed. "I'm very touched that you're lowering your standards for me."
"Darling, you are my standard" she said, giving him a sweet smile and leaning up to kiss the tip of his nose.
"I have a gift for you."
"What kind of gift? Practical or just something pretty?" Aceralind asked, curiously watching as he went into one of his pockets. "Not that I care that much. I like all presents."
"I'm hoping you'll like this one more than most" he said, handing her a small, paper wrapped object.
"Ooh, building up the anticipation" she said with a grin carefully and delicately unfolding the paper. It could always be used for something else in the future. Soon, she uncovered what had been hidden in it.
A twine necklace rested on her palm, securely tied about a small leather pouch. Her heart started to speed up a little with the thought of what it could be. But she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Anything could be in the pouch.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Open it and see" he said, so she did.
Aceralind eased open the pouch and tipped four small items into her hand. She felt a grin begin to stretch from ear to ear as she recognised each piece: a nail as a promise to always provide a home, several links of chainmail as a promise of protection, a red fabric flower as a promise to always show love and affection, and lastly a coin as a promise to provide for all her other needs. It was exactly what she had wanted it to be. A Laketown proposal.
"What do you say, Aceralind?" Bard asked softly, looping his arms around her loosely. "Will you marry me?"
She nodded immediately, her cheeks starting to hurt a little from how much she was grinning. "Yes, yes, of course" she said, putting the items safely back in the pouch before flinging her arms around him.
Bard laughed, hugging her back tightly. "Wonderful."
"We're getting married" Aceralind said with a delighted laugh. "I don't even need snow now."
"Are you ready to go darling?"
Bard's words broke into her thoughts, pulling her back to the present. She smiled, her gloved hand holding the pouch. She had worn it around her neck every day since he gave it to her.
"Darling?" Bard said again.
"Yes, I'm ready" she said, going over to him. "Has it started snowing?"
"A little bit. You can catch some stars while we're out on the lake" he said, then kissed her forehead.
"I'll catch as many as I can."
"I'll help" he said as she took his arm.
"Last time you helped, I fell into the lake" Aceralind said with a laugh, making sure her scarf was properly tucked into her shirt.
"You only fell in a little bit. I caught you before you went all the way in."
"Hard to argue with that" Aceralind said. "But give me a moment and I'll think of a way to do it."
Then together and laughing, they ventured out into the cold and snow again to catch their stars.