"You want us to what?"
Bard let out a sigh, glancing around once before looking at the Dwarves again. "Do you want to cross the lake without problem or not?" He asked, pressing the matter further. He needed to get them in the water soon or else risk getting caught.
The group was silent for a moment, murmuring between each other before the leader gave a curt nod. "Fine."
Sylwen stood by Bain as Bard gave them directions to the house. She couldn't help but feel sorry for them as they all slid into the freezing waters, swimming under the docks and out of sight.
"Lets keep going." Bard said as he walked up to the two, looking down at them.
Bard looked tired, Sylwen could see it in his eyes. The whole situation was wearing on his entire being. She placed a hand on his arm, catching his attention.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked softly.
Bain went on ahead a few steps, Bard silently thanking him as he looked down at Sylwen. "We're already neck deep in." He said, chuckling lightly as he brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "May as well finish it." He said, pressing his hand into the small of her back. "Lets get home."
Lucy glanced up as the door opened up, Bain and Sylwen walking in, Bard following closely behind.
"Da!" Tilda exclaimed, rushing from her bedside. "Where have you been?" She asked, wrapping her small arms around him in greeting.
"Father. There you are." Sigrid let out a breath of air, hugging him tightly. "I was worried."
Bard smiled softly, hugging both girls before sliding off his bag. "Here, Sigrid." He handed her his bag, glancing out the window.
"Welcome home." Tilda said happily as she hugged Sylwen next, looking up at her. "I missed you."
Sylwen couldn't help but smile as she hugged her back. "I missed you too Tilda." She greeted, glancing over at Lucy as she grinned. "You're here." She said, as she and Tilda wandered over to the table.
Lucy leaned her chin into the palm of her hand. "Well I came by to see how your archery lessons went but," She exaggerated the word a bit. "You weren't home yet."
Sylwen cleared her throat slightly, a small blush crossing her cheeks. "We uh..ran into a little complications." She explained, glancing up at Bard.
"Bain, get them in." Bard spoke up once he was sure the coast was clear outside, Bain rushing down the stairs as he gave three sharp knocks on the wooden walls.
Sigrid leaned over the railing as she glanced down, watching in confusion as Dwarves began to climb out of the toilet. "Da..why are there Dwarves climbing out of our toilet?" She asked, glancing back at him.
Tilda's eyes lit up in curiosity. "Will they bring us luck?" She asked eagerly.
Lucy chuckled softly at the child's imagination. "I believe that's leprechauns you're thinking of Tilda." She corrected her.
Once the Dwarves were in the house, sopping wet and shivering, Sigrid offered them the few blankets that she could find while they set up their wet boots by the fire. Bard went to the back of the house, gathering whatever dry clothes he could find that he could spare. Enough for all of them.
"Lucy, can you?" Bard held out a pile of clothes, nodding his head out toward the Dwarves. Sigrid was in the kitchen making a warm drink for them all at his request.
Lucy glanced over at him, laughing softly. "I assume you don't take very well to them." She asked, taking the pile of clothes from him.
"I don't trust them." Bard shook his head, leaning back against the wall with a sigh.
"Appearances can be deceiving." The girl tilted her head to the side, before walking out. "Alright you guys." She spoke up, catching their attention. "These might not be the best fit, but they'll keep you warm." She told them, stepping around the group as they grabbed what they needed.
Thorin stood near the window, glancing out as he caught glance of something he hadn't laid his eyes on in years. There it stood, on the tallest building in the town.
"A Dwarvish wind lance." The words were barely audible as he stared out the window.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Bilbo spoke up beside Thorin, blowing gently on the warm drink in his hands.
Balin walked over to them, glancing out the window. "He has." He sighed softly, looking at Bilbo. "The last time we saw such a weapon.." He took a deep breath. "A city was on fire. It was the day the dragon came."
Thorin pressed his lips together, thinking back to the day as he glanced across the room, watching the elven woman who spoke quietly to Bard. He knew her, but he couldn't put a finger on why or how. But part of him knew this wasn't the first time he had ever laid eyes on her.
"The day that Smaug destroyed Dale."
Sylwen glanced across the room as she caught the gaze of the dwarf, feeling herself pause momentarily in her sentence as their gazes locked. Something inside her stirred, that feeling of dream swarming her once again.
Dragon. Dale?
Gravel crunched beneath her feet, a heavy breath of air escaping her lungs as the ginger haired elf reached the top of the hill, exhausted from the hike up. She had never quite been one for hiking, though she supposed she shouldn't have expected any less when she left home.
The sight that laid before her made it all worth it though. The city of Dale and the great mountain Erabor stood before her, both standing tall and proud.
"I made it.." The words tumbled off her lips as she fell back into the grass, hands propped behind her as she stared at the swarming city. It was all worth it.
Sylwen had heard end tales of Dale, how greatly it stood beneath the gates of Erabor. She wanted to see it for herself. Experience it. Living the life inside the protection of the walls wasn't quite her idea of a life, like the other elves.
"You look lost." A voice spoke up from behind her, startling her as she turned around to come face to face with an older looking man, a smile playing on his lips.
Sylwen laughed softly. "In a literal sense I suppose, inside this city anyone could get lost." She said, her gaze scanning around, taking everything in before looking back to the man.
The man chuckled at her comment, holding out a hand. "You must be a newcomer. My name is Girion."
"Sylwen?" Bard's voice snapped her out of her daydream, a hand resting on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
Sylwen stared straight ahead, her eyes wide as a wave of nausea hit her. "I-I need air." She whispered, turning as she excused herself outside.
Bard watched her leave the house, his eyebrows knitting together before he sighed. He had his suspicions before, but now he was sure there were things she wasn't elaborating on. He didn't want to push her to tell him, but it was beginning to grow more and more concerning as the days grew on.
Leaning against the railing, Sylwen stared down into the water. The color had run from her cheeks, leaving them a pale white.
"Smaug. Smaug." The name rolled off her tongue, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Why did that name sound so familiar. The sound of the door opening caught her attention, glancing back as she saw Lucy emerge from the house.
Offering a smile, Lucy stepped in beside Sylwen. "That house is beginning to smell like too much testosterone." She shook her head a bit, laughing softly as she looked at her friend. "Dear Valar Syl, you look like you've seen a ghost." Lucy observed, pushing some hair out of her face. "What did you remember?"
Sylwen broke their gaze, glancing down at the water. "Nothing." She said immediately, before chewing her lip.
Lucy gave her an unimpressed look. "Look, now I know we haven't known each other for long but when you live with a liar and cheat, you tend to pick up on little things along the way." She took her face in her hands, making Sylwen look at her. "You can tell me."
Sylwen was hesitant at first, before letting out a sigh. "I was there." She said quietly. "Before Dale was destroyed. It was after I left Rivendell.." She paused for a moment before shaking her head. "I just remember meeting Girion. Nothing else came to me after that." She told her, before putting her hands on Lucy's arms. "Please don't tell Bard." She panicked, her green eyes wide with worry.
Lucy's expression softened at the scared girl in front of her, a soft smile making its way onto her face as she pulled her into a hug. Dale was destroyed 60 years ago, which would make Sylwen older than Bard as is. In human years anyway, as an elf she still looked as though she was in her mid twenties. Despite that she knew Sylwen would worry about such trivial facts. "I wouldn't think about it." She said, stroking her hair softly. "But you need to talk to him, he's starting to worry about you."
Sylwen wrapped her arms around her, relaxing in the embrace as she shut her eyes, the memory fragments shaking her up. "Thank you.." She murmured softly, letting out a shaky breath. She couldn't tell her about the dragon though. She couldn't even piece together why the name was so familiar to her as was. Sylwen knew that bringing it up might cause a rift between herself and Bard, and that was the last thing she wanted to do right now.
There was a sudden commotion from inside, the sound of metal clashing against metal sounding along with Bard's raised voice.
The two girls parted ways as the door swung open, Bard stepping out as he put a hand to his lips. "Thorin.."
Sylwen looked over at him, seeing the concentration in his eyes. "Bard?" She spoke up, stepping closer to him.
Bard glanced over at Sylwen, not even realizing the girls had been standing there. But as soon as he looked at her, his gaze slipped past her, looking into the distance at the mountain. "That's it." He whispered.
"What's what?" Lucy asked, looking at the man. "Bard, what's going on?" She asked.
Bard looked at Lucy, his expression hard. "Don't let them leave." He told her, before rushing down the steps.
Sylwen's heart leapt in her chest. "Bard!" She called, before letting out a breath of air. "Whatever it is, just don't let them leave." She told her before taking off after Bard.
"Wait, Sylwen. What the shit!" She yelled, throwing her arms in the air before letting out an exasperated breath. "I swear those two." She muttered, swinging open the door and walking back inside the house.
"Bard wait!" Sylwen called, catching up to him as he ducked into a shop in town. "What's going on?" She asked, as he began to search through old tapestry's.
"Thorin. The name." Bard spoke, trying to catch his breath.
"Ello Bard. What you after?" The shopkeeper spoke up, watching the two.
"There was a tapestry!" Bard said, glancing around the shop in search of it. "An old one. Where's it gone?" He asked, the urgency thick in his voice.
Sylwen let out a breath of air, watching him. "What tapestry are you talking about? Bard, what in the world.."
He stopped suddenly, picking a deep blue one out of the bunch. "This one." He said, spreading it out on the table as he looked at it, running his fingers across it.
"They were Dwarves, I tell you. Appeared out of no where. Full beards, fierce eyes. I've never seen the like."
Both of their attentions were drawn to the folk on the dock, the few that had caught sight of the Dwarves when they arrived in town.
"What are Dwarves doing in these parts?"
"Its the prophecy."
"The prophecy?"
"The prophecy of Durin's folk."
Sylwen glanced back at Bard, who had returned his attention to the names sewn into the tapestry. "Bard, can you please tell me whats going on." She pleaded with him.
"Prophecy." He stood up, looking at Sylwen as he held up a hand to his face, rubbing his cheeks as the pieces began to fall together.
"The old tales will come true." The townsfolk continued.
"Vast holds of treasure!"
"Can it really be true? Has the lord of silver fountains returned?"
"The lord of silver fountains." Bard murmured, the realization striking him.
"The king of carven stone.
The king beneath the mountain.
Shall come into his own.."
King beneath the mountain. King.. Sylwen looked at Bard, feeling a sense of helplessness.
Bard looked at Sylwen, the air heavy as he put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them. "We have to get home." He said, taking her hand as they rushed back through the docks, the setting sun casting a glow upon the waters of the lake.
And the bell shall ring in gladness at the mountain king's return.
But all shall fail in sadness.
And the lake will shine and burn..
Authors Note: I'm actually kind of getting excited. The story is getting to that point where shit starts to go down. Pardon my french XD I might actually just start writing the next chapter right now! The puzzle pieces of Sylwen's past are finally starting to fall together. (I actually don't have much to say this time round ._.) Let me know what you guys think and look forward to the next chapter! :D