Chapter 16

The Quest Continues

Enda and the party remained in Lake-town for one night. Durin's Day was quickly coming upon them. Enda helped Fíli and Kíli clean up after their party as they decided to sneak away from Lake-town. Kíli looked anxious. He walked to Enda and gripped her hands within hers.

"I wish you would stay here. I don't know what we are going to face-" Kíli was interrupted when Enda shot him a look.

"I will not stay here. Not when we have come so far, and that we are so close to the destination. I will not be left behind. I belong with the Dwarves; I belong at this Company's side." Her eyes sparked with determination.

Kíli sighed softly and tucked some stray hair behind her ear. "I know I can't stop you. I wish I could, I would keep you safe from whatever lies ahead. Who knows what will befall us."

"I would rather be at your side and face any foe than to hide away."

Kíli nods grimly. Their conversation was cut short as Bilbo came to fetch them. They looked to their Hobbit companion and they knew that it was their time to sneak away from the village. It was the darkest hours of night. None of Bard's family members were awake.

Kíli, Enda, Fíli, and Bilbo silently went outside, into the frigid night air. Bilbo led them to a boat. The Dwarves were quickly loading up the boat with their weapons, food, and water. Enda winced as she heard a terrible crash of noise. Óin had dropped a sword and they held their breath for a long, fearful moment.

Such a clatter did not go unnoticed. Guards were quick to come to them and they were entirely surrounded. Weapons were pointed at all of them.

"Let us speak to the Master of the town," Thorin said. He looked worried. They had three days until Durin's Day. They had to get to the Mountain, or all would have been for naught.

Before long, they were brought before a large house. A large, round Man stood at the porch and looked at them disapprovingly.

"What have we here? Dwarves, robbing my town! I cannot tolerate thieves, nor shall I. Who comes so boldly into my town to pillage it?"

"We are not lowly pirates, town master," Thorin said. "I am Thorin, son of Thrain. Rightful King of Erebor. These are my kin. We are going to reclaim Erebor."

"HA! That is a bold claim." Enda bit her lip. "Tell me Thorin, if that is who you, how can you be above the law? You were caught in the act of stealing our boats and food and water. This town is suffering enough without thieves."

"We are not thieves," Thorin said sternly. "Everything we take from you to aid in our quest will be repaid. We seek to reclaim Erebor."

"Tell me. How can we trust you?" the man asked mockingly. "I do not see a king here. I do not see a hero. I see a beggar and his ring, exposed and grasping at straws."

"I will pay back all that you are due. If you let us continue on our quest and supply us with food, we will repay you."

The town master looked intrigued. He looked to a man behind him and smirked.

"How can we know that is your quest? How can we know that we will be paid back?"

"I swear upon Durin that our quest to reclaim our home is legitimate. I swear upon Durin that we will pay you back three times the worth of all that you supply us."

"Hmm-" The master was cut off by a shouted protest.

"NO!" Bard's voice cut through the night air. "He is Thorin. He will try to overtake the cursed Mountain. His promise to bring us a small amount of prosperity, it is not without a grand risk. The dragon will awaken once more. The wrath of an angered dragon will not be sated after he kills the foolish Dwarves. He will turn his eye upon us. Smaug will come upon us and destroy us all! We cannot allow their journey to continue."

People murmured anxiously. Enda looked to her companions and they were worried.

"Bard, always such a naysayer." The small man behind the master stepped into the light. "Bard the troublemaker, the rebel. He would not see us live to prosper. His negative outlook is foolish. However, Master, we ought not to be made fools of by the Dwarves. We were once a mighty people. Before Smaug, we were wealthy and affluent; we were prosperous within the city of Dale. The Dwarf would be cheating us, if he only paid us back three times over. It was our people who stood alongside the Dwarves long ago. We deserve to be paid back grandly. We deserve the right to our home, the city of Dale. Our ancestors died to help them; we deserve to be rightfully compensated. Master, Bard is a coward; we know the dragon is dead. He wants to keep us cowardly with him. The dragon has not been seen for over sixty years. That means that the dragon is dead, for no creature could survive without food for six decades. The Dwarves feel strongly about reclaiming their home, and we outnumber them. Should they claim the Lonely Mountain and not pay us back, we shall be able to strike them and prosper off the wealth of the Mountain. The Dwarf has surely considered that. We will prosper either way."

"Wise words, Alfrid," the master said. "Yes, Thorin, we shall see to it that you and your company are equipped for this quest of yours. However, you must swear to pay us back, enough to rebuild Dale, enough to bring back our people to prosperity. If you do not pay us back 300 times over once you claim the Mountain, we shall destroy you. If you do not take this deal, I shall have all of you arrested. The choice is yours, Thorin son of Thrain. This is my only offer. You will honor it or you will die." The man glared down at them and all the Dwarves looked to Thorin to find out what would become of them.

"I accept your offer," Thorin said at last.

The glint of greed within the master's eyes was very evident to Enda. She also saw Bard's concerned and angered expression.

"You have doomed us all!" the man said angrily. "YOU WILL BRING ABOUT THE WRATH OF THE DRAGON!"

The master signaled to the guards and they had Bard arrested.

Enda looked back to the master, who continued to talk to Thorin. They were setting up the arrangements of the remainder of the quest. The rest of the Dwarves remained outside and talked among themselves in hushed tones.

Fíli looked concerned.

"What bothers you?" Enda asked.

"Bard may be right. We don't know if the dragon lives. We don't know what actions we will set into motion," Fíli said. His blue eyes looked distant.

"The funny man may be right though, brother," Kíli said. "What beast can live dormant for sixty years? We know that nothing has come from the Mountain for that long, Smaug may very well be dead."

"We don't know enough about dragons. They are different from other creatures that roam the earth," Fíli looked at them, and neither of the younger Dwarves could shake that feeling that Fíli may be right.

"We have come this far, even if the dragon lives, we can and will kill it. We have the element of surprise," Kíli said, trying to sound hopeful.

"We will go against it because that is what Uncle orders. We are loyal to him and we will do as he asks. Even if it means facing down the cursed wyrm, and dying in attempt to reclaim the kingdom of our ancestors." Fíli looked grim.

They remained silent for a long while.

Thorin came back with the master, and people were beginning to load five boats. Thorin didn't look as grim as normal. His eyes sparkled with determination as he walked to his nephews and Enda.

"We are going to make it. You three will finally see our home." Thorin clutched Fíli by the shoulder. "Don't look troubled. The bargeman doesn't know of what he speaks. If the dragon hasn't been spotted in 60 years we have good reason to believe that he is dead."

Fíli nodded but he looked unsure.

"We are ready to sail. Bless Durin's name we will make it to the kingdom of Erebor," Thorin said. Enda smiled softly having seen Thorin's improved mood.

The Dwarves and the Hobbit climbed into the boats, Fíli, Kíli, Enda, and Bilbo were in the boat at the back of the party. Thorin, Dwalin, and Balin were in the first. The rest of the Dwarves were split up among the three remaining boats.

Bilbo smiled. "I, for one, am glad to be on the move again."

"So are we," Fíli said. His voice betrayed his worry though.

Enda and Kíli were also concerned. Their visions were still in their mind. If Smaug was alive he could easily destroy them and the innocent people of Lake-town.

"You don't seem very pleased," Bilbo said. He looked up at Enda with concern shining in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"We don't know what we will be going up against. We don't know anything for certain," Enda said. She looked at Kíli, who gave a faint smile.

"Do you think we're walking into danger?" Bilbo asked. He seemed less frightened than he would have been at the beginning of their quest, but there was still fear in his eyes.

"This entire quest has been dangerous, but we knew how to handle ourselves against our foes and challenges. If the dragon is alive… We have no idea on how to defeat him. He is a greater challenge than all the ones we faced."

"And I'll be the one heading in first," Bilbo said. "It was part of the contract. I'm the burglar so that means I have to check things out first."

"Bilbo, we will be the first ones behind you. You have it on my honor that I will do everything in my power to prevent your dying," Fíli said. He clasped the Hobbit's shoulder. "I will be at your side if and when the need arises."

Bilbo smiled. "Let's just hope that the dragon isn't alive. I don't see how he can be after 60 years."

They rode along in their boats in a companionable silence until they got to the shores of the ruined city of Dale.

Please let me know what you think. I will finish this story, I won't disappear again. It should be completed in a month's time and I am planning on writing more stories after that.

~ Maethorni