Disclaimer: The Hobbit belongs to J.R.R Tolkien. I only own Sylwen and Lucy.

"A girl?" The Master of Laketown scoffed, swallowing the mouthful of food hastily as he looked to Alfrid.

Alfrid nodded, wringing his hands together slightly. "Yes. I heard the townsfolk speaking of Bard leaving with a girl early this morn." He told him, shifting in his spot. "No one has seen her before. She isn't a relative of his. Nor was there any documents on her checking in either."

"That Bargeman." The Master spat, snatching the glass of wine from the table as he took a large swig of it, spilling some over the edge as it dribbled down his chin. "Hes done it this time." He muttered, standing up from the table as the girth of his belly shoved the table as he stood. "I want him brought in!" He told Alfrid, slamming his fist on the table.

Alfrid failed to hide the grin that spread across his face, eager to finally give what that meddlesome bargeman had coming. "I'll have Braga and his men stationed at the gates for his return." Alfrid told him, turning and quickly scuffling out of the room.

Sylwen's finger tips danced along the surface of the water, listening to the chunks of ice clonking together as the boat pressed on through the icy waters. Most of the boat ride had been fairly silent, lost in her thoughts as she watched the water below her.

The water was frigid, barely able to keep her fingers dipped in the water but for a few moments at a time. And yet only two weeks ago she had been almost completely submerged in the lake, floating along for god knows how long.

Her gaze shifted to Bard, who stood at the back of the boat, maneuvering it through the waters. She felt a fluttering in her stomach, quickly darting her gaze back to the water again.

She felt happy at his words that he had spoken to her, giddy almost. No man had ever spoken to her in such a manner before, or rather, not that she could recall.

"..are...mine.."

Sylwen's head shot up as a voice rung through her head, her eyes wide before she felt a jab of pain in her skull, causing her to hiss in pain. The voice was deep, rumbling in the back of her memory, a string tugging at her memories but nothing more.

"Sylwen?" Bard's voice came, causing her to look up. The boat had slowed slightly as Bard came to her side, putting a hand on her back. "Are you alright?" He asked her, worried when she suddenly grasped her head, her expression pained. "Did you remember anything?"

There was a slight hesitance, as Sylwen mulled the voice over in her mind before shaking her head. "Nothing." She said quietly, biting her lip before she opened her mouth again. "Nothing that makes any sense anyway." She told him, feeling her skin burning beneath her clothes where his hand was placed.

Bard lingered for a moment, wishing he could do something more for her. She was suffering despite putting on a smile each day..she couldnt remember anything from her recent life, not where she came from nor what happened to her.

"Alright.." He said finally, standing up as he looked ahead. "We're almost there." He told her, casting one last glance down at her before returning to the stern.

Sylwen noted that once he removed his hand, the burning sensation had stopped. It wasn't as if it hurt her, it was something else..

Shaking her head, she didn't dwell on the thought of it, it wouldn't do her any good at this point anyway. Standing up carefully, she didn't want to end up where she came from after all, she wandered near the bow of the boat, looking ahead as she saw the land nearing them slowly. "What do we do out here?" She asked curiously, spotting a few things on the dock at the edge of the lake, but it didn't explain why he was usually gone longer than this.

Bard stopped the boat at the dock, chuckling a little. "This." He said, tying the boat down before moving a sheet from the side of the boat, picking up his bow and quiver filled with arrows.

Sylwen's eyes travelled the length of the bow, eyes wide with curiosity. "I haven't seen a bow that big before!" She said, ushering over to his side quickly. "What kind is it?" She asked, gingerly running her fingers along the taught wood.

"Great yew bow." Bard told her, smiling lightly as he watched her. "Where do you think I get the rabbits and other meat from?" He chuckled softly, sliding the quiver onto his shoulder, which was closely followed by the bow.

Sylwen's cheeks flushed slightly, puffing out her cheeks slightly. "I just thought.." She mumbled under her breathing, unable to come up with an adequate excuse. To which Bard only laughed at. "Don't laugh!" She exclaimed, becoming increasingly flustered.

"Alright alright." Bard chuckled to himself, amused as he patted her head once before stepping off the boat, holding out his hand. "Lets go. The animals aren't going to hunt themselves." He told her.

Sylwen stood there for a moment, before giving in as she took his hand, feeling the warmth that flowed through her from the contact, just about falling were it not for Bard there to catch her. It seemed she was growing increasingly clumsy in his presence..

Sylwen stepped through the brush quietly, letting her hand graze across the leaves as she walked, feeling a sense of familiarity from the scenery but something that wasnt quite. Shaking her head slightly, she sighed. Everything about her contradicted everything.

She recalled growing up in Rivendell, seeing the green scenery and the waters..the familiar air of her family around her...
"I left.."

Bard stopped as he heard Sylwen behind him, glancing back. "Hm?" He asked, turning slightly to face her. "You left?"

Sylwen stopped a few steps from him, brushing her finger against a tree before looking at Bard again. "I left Rivendell." She said, though the confusion was clear in her eyes. "I lived in Rivendell with my father while I was young, but I left. I don't remember why or where I went." She put a hand to her head, shutting her eyes tightly.

Bard could tell the memory was bothering her, only digging up more questions. Why did she escape the safety and peacefull Rivendell, and where did she go after that?

"Hey.." He said softly, walking over to her as he tapped her chin lightly, making her look up at him. "Don't push it." He told her, seeing her green gaze glittering with the emotion behind it. "Your memories will come to you in time. Be patient." He told her.

Sylwen felt that same fluttering in her chest again, feeling his warm touch against her chin as tingles rushed down her spine. "You're probably right.." She said, offering a weak smile which he returned.

"Chin up." He chuckled softly, tapping her chin once more before turning around. "If you see any edible berries while we're walking don't be afraid to stop and grab them." He said, his eyes scanning the area around them. "We should be nearing the where the deer usually graze." He told her, pulling an arrow from his quiver. "So move slowly." He told her, beginning to creep forth through the grass.

Sylwen lingered for a few moments, watching him as she held her hands to her chest, feeling the heartbeat beneath her skin. The male before her..he stirred things inside her that she couldn't quite understand. But the fluttering of her heartbeat, it was something that felt familiar to her..

The arrow whizzed through the air, embedding itself into the brown rabbit, the squeak from the dying animal echoing through the greens.

Sylwen turned her head slightly, adverting her gaze from the scene before her. She knew full well it was needed to survive, but she couldn't bring herself to watch the scene as it happened.

Bard stepped over the broken tree, picking up the rabbit by its scruff as he pulled the arrow from it, returning it to his quiver. "Its quiet today.." He said, as it was unnatural for it to be so quiet around these parts of the woods. He'd usually get a deer and a few rabbits while he was out but this rabbit was the first they had seen.

"Is that not normal?" Sylwen asked, swallowing once as she returned her attention to Bard once again, carrying a small bag of berries she had collected along the way, crafted by a few leaves she had picked. It was a trick she had learnt when she was a child.

Bard shook his head, tying the rabbit to his side before looking back at the elven woman, his gaze lingering for a few moments. He wasn't even sure if she noticed it or not, but being out in the woods, she seemed so in her own element. Like she belonged here. The setting sun shone through breaks in the trees, casting a golden hue on her. She looked...beautiful.

And for the first time in 9 years, Bard opened his eyes to it. Allowing himself to see another in the same light as he had once before, opening himself to the woman before him.

Authors Note: Somethings been bugging me for a couple chapters now, and though no ones pointed it out yet, I thought I'd address it. First off, this is the first successful chapter story I've attempted to write in 8 years. I have one on here, but if I recall correctly it's only a few chapters long and I discontinued it due to my writers block and I don't remember the original idea I had for it. Before this, I've just been writing short stories and a good handful of them are from my old Quizilla from back in grade 9.(Which was about..7 years ago. Ish)
Secondly, due to it being the first in a long time, there probably is going to be a bit of mistakes and plot holes, but I'm trying my best to avoid those. And it may seem a little rushed but that's mainly due to my eagerness to get to the movie storyline. I've watched DoS several times throughout the time I've begun to rewrite this story, mainly in hopes to keep myself motivated to write this, and on top of that each time I watch it, I can always picture what I want to do as I watch certain scenes.
Much apologies if it begins to get a bit rushed, but once we get into the movie plot it'll start to make more sense...hopefully.
R&R