Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit or any of its characters, only Sylwen and Lucy.

A pair of footsteps were heard along the wooden walkways through Laketown. Bard led Sylwen to his boat that morning, after agreeing to let her tag along on one of his barge trips. It would be a shorter one this time, picking up a few things on the other side of the lake from Mirkwood. Along with a few other knick knacks he might be able to trade on the way there.

It had been two weeks since he had found Sylwen and brought her into his care, and this was the first time she was stepping foot outside since then. She had recovered from her sickness quickly, much to the doctors surprise. Bard had a keen inkling that it had to do with her elf blood, but didn't bring it up. If word were to get out about an elf in town it would spread like wildfire.

He had been leaving more often once she had gotten better, gathering and trading supplies in order to come up with a set of clothes and boots for Sylwen. She didn't seem to have any issue staying back, Lucy often coming to visit and the children enjoyed her company.
Tilda and Bain adored her, and Sigrid was still a little on the fence but was starting to warm up to her a lot more now,

Considering all the drama that had happened the first few days she was present, he was surprised she didn't want to leave once she was able. Though he couldn't deny he was the tiniest bit happy that she decided to stay.

Though granted, without a good handful of her memories, the Elven girl reminded him of a child. And something about it drew him to her.

Hearing the footsteps behind him falter, followed by a frustrated groan, Bard stopped to check on her. Sylwen was on one knee, fiddling with the strings of her mukluks, which had; much to her dismay; come undone again.

Unable to suppress the chuckle that left his mouth, he closed the few steps between them. "Let me see." He told her, kneeling down in front of her.

Sylwen wasn't expecting Bard to come to her aid again, lifting her head slightly in surprise she came face to face with the Bargeman, feeling a fluttering sensation swirl in her gut suddenly. "O-Oh. Thank you." She murmured bashfully, standing up.

Sliding her foot toward him, she felt herself tip a bit from unbalance, her hands instinctively shooting out and grasping his shoulders. Her cheeks rushed with heat at her sudden actions, but she was too flustered to remove them so soon after.

As Bard went to work on her ties, she couldn't help but tighten her grip on his shoulders slightly, feeling the muscle below the coat. She hadn't realized that she zoned out until Bard tapped her knee once.

"Give me the other one."

She complied as she shifted her feet, still holding onto his shoulders as she gave him her other foot, feeling her heart thumping in her chest.

A small smile played on his lips as he tied the strings to her mukluks, finding her behavior mildly amusing.

After his wife passed, Bard had learnt quick tricks to doing everyday things; such as using a certain kind of wood to keep the fire burning longer, cooking tips; though Sigrid did most of the cooking now a days. And tying knots for the kids boots so they didn't come undone.

Giving a sharp tug to the strings, he lingered for a few moments longer, his mind drifting back to his late wife, a sad smile tugging at his lips before he stood up again.

He then looked at the woman before him, her green eyes peering up at him curiously.

"Bard?"

Her quiet voice broke him out of his thoughts, bringing himself back to reality, gazing upon her. He came to realize at that moment, that if it weren't for him, she could have been laying at the bottom of the icy lake.

"As long as I have anything to do about it, I'll make sure you're safe." He told her, never taking his gaze from hers.

Whether it was his fatherly instincts, or something stronger at work, he didn't linger on the thought. All he knew was that he wanted to protect her, and that was exactly what he planned on doing.

The rest of the time before they left port, Sylwen had been lost in thought, sitting on the edge while Bard loaded the boat with small things that he might be able to trade along the way.

Sylwen stared at her reflection in the water, watching the small ripples that flowed over the surface distort the image. She heard footsteps behind her, glancing up as she found Bard standing beside her, looking down at her.

"Ready to go?" He asked her, holding his hand out to her as he smiled softly. She had been silent since earlier, not saying much and seemed to be lost in thought. He didn't question her though, he was sure she had a lot on her mind.

"Yes!" She replied, a little more eager than she had hoped for. She turned her body slightly, taking his hand as she pulled herself to her feet, brushing herself off.
"Lets go." She grinned, sliding her hand out of his as she trotted over to the boat, stepping over the board and onto the boat.

Once on board, she leaned over the edge slightly as she stared at the water. The surface rippled from the rocking of the boat, staring at the dark depths below her, her gaze lingering for a few moments before she turned away, finding it rather unsettling for some reason.

Taking his spot at the bow of the boat, Bard watched Sylwen for a moment, making sure she was secure before pushing away from the dock.

"They're gone?" Lucy spoke up as she walked into the small wooden house. She had snuck away from her father while he was out, coming to stop by for a visit. It was odd not seeing Sylwen lingering around the house, cleaning up or learning cooking skills from Sigrid.

"Father took her for a trip." Sigrid informed her as she walked out of the kitchen, greeting Lucy with a small smile. "She had been asking for awhile so he finally took her." She said, folding the towel in her hands and placing it on the counter.

"Hm." Lucy took a spot at the table, leaning her head on her hand as smirk crossed her face. "Ballsy move. For being smuggled into town without letting the Master know, he's risking alot taking her out in broad daylight." She pointed out.

Sigrid let out a sigh, sitting down across from her. "That's what I was worried about but at the same time it's not fair to Sylwen to be locked away everyday." She shook her head slightly before she sighed. "I just hope they'll be safe."

"This is your father you're talking about." Lucy pointed out, sitting up straight. "When is he not careful."

Bain came up the stairs at the sound of Lucy's voice, a smile crossing his face as he slid into the table beside her. "Hey." He greeted.

Lucy looked over at the boy, feeling a small smile cross his face. "Oh so you are here." She said, shoving him with her shoulder slightly, seeing the small blush taint his pale cheeks.

"Has your father said anything about what happened?" He asked, as Lucy hadn't been by the house as often and when she was she and Sylwen were usually having their women times, getting to know each other.

"Don't call him that." Lucy said, grimacing slightly before sighing. "No. I made sure he wouldn't say anything about what happened that day. So you don't have to worry." She told him with a small laugh.

Tilda came trotting out from her bedroom, wandering over to Lucy.
"Lucy.." She looked up at her, fidgeting slightly before she held up a book. "Can you..help me with my reading?" She asked, giving her the puppy dog eyes. "Sylwen usually does but she's gone and Sigrid is busy cleaning."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh, patting her head once. "I can do that little one." She said, standing up as she looked back at Bain. "Want to join?" She asked with a teasing grin.

"Sure." Bain had replied, trying not to act too eager as he stood up from the table, though he look Sigrid sent in his direction said differently.

Authors Note: Finally got this chapter updated. First chapter I've actually written since the first time chapter 5 was published. Which I'm sure hasn't been since like the end of last year ;A; I'll aim for updating within a month or sooner, its just a matter of sitting down and writing it out :D

R&R