Chapter 31:

We reached the very end of the widening of the river, and found a dock for a boat there. A man, who looked creepily like Legolas (but wasn't him), stood on the dock and I gasped as I realized that it was Bard.

Balin stepped forward and began to talk quietly with the man, who seemed oddly unsurprised that a bunch of dwarves and a hobbit had popped out from nowhere.

After a few moments of watching in boredom, I stepped away and back onto a small chunk of grass, staring at the river as it rolled by. At this point in the flow, it looked like moving crystal, reflecting everything back up with a slight warp.

I sighed peacefully, listening to it gurgle over the rocks. I couldn't help but think as a river as a metaphor for people - after all, rapids and calm places are all part of the same river. Rapids, looking like a bubbling, rushing mist of white as it fought to move faster over areas of hard navigation, and calm places looking like liquid glass and tranquility. Why couldn't people be the same?

As I stood thinking, Kili limped up behind me and said, "Freya, we're leaving now."

I nodded absently, then turned to climb onto the boat. I felt a wing brush my cheek as Moonshadow took off, Rory in his claws, to circle around and wait for us to leave Laketown.

I wrapped my cloak around me as we set off, paying nobody any heed as I sat precariously on the prow of the boat and watched my reflection flow by. My boots gently swung back and forth as I kicked against the hull of the boat.

I heard Bard say something along the lines of, "You travel with a woman."

My head snapped around, away from the glowing columns of ice. "Yeah? Want to make something of it?" I snarled, my face going from passive to fierce in seconds.

Bard looked far from impressed. "Surely you cannot be this desperate for female companionship, Oakenshield," he murmured, directing the comment at Thorin.

Kili looked murderous, but I simply raised an eyebrow and slid down from my spot at the bow. I carefully walked towards him, walking to advice from a gifset a long time ago: "Shoulders back, neck long, think 'murder,' and walk." I walked until I was right in front of where he was controlling the tiller. "I'm not a burden, Bard, nor am I here for the dwarves' sexual entertainment. I'm here because I want to be, I choose to be, and I can fight better than half of them."

"Can you really?" asked Bard, sounding highly disbelieving.

I tossed my braid back over my shoulder. "Want to see?"

In answer, he drew his sword and tossed the tiller to the nearest dwarf.

I stepped forward, swinging my sword out to meet his downward thrust and throwing his blade back with as much force as I could muster. Then I swung my weapon in under his guard, but did not take advantage of the opening, instead simply slicing off a belt loop and swinging away, my cloak swirling about my ankles.

Bard was more wary now, unwilling to open his torso up to me anymore. I released a fierce grin, my eyes dancing as I purposely left openings under my guard, willing him to take them. Finally, he took the bait, swinging his blade at my ribs. I laughed in exhiliration, spinning faster than the eye could see under his sword, and around the tip, weaving a web of Elvish steel around his more clumsily made weapon. I caught it under the crossguard and sent it flying upwards, where it stabbed into the mast and stayed there, quivering.

The tip of Glitterthorn flicked up to rest against his jugular vein, and he went completely still, his arm still outstretched.

"Burden, am I?" I whispered before removing my sword and sliding it into its sheath. "I'll forgive your rudeness this time, Bard," I told him, louder, as I stepped on the barrels directly under the mast, "But only because I'm in a good mood. And also because I know that life sucks right now as a resident of Laketown, so that excuses it too." I closed my hand around the hilt of his sword as I spoke, and wrenched it out of the mast. Then I climbed carefully back down and handed it to him, hilt-first. "But I won't excuse it again," I added sweetly.

Swallowing, Bard reached out and took his weapon. "A thousand apologies, Lady -"

"Freya," I told him. "My name is Freya Macintosh."

He nodded as he sheathed his blade, still looking fairly abashed, and walked back to take the tiller.

I went back to sit on the prow and watch the water flow by, aware of the dwarves watching me with something bordering on awe. Kili came up and leaned against the boat's railing next to me, leaning close to speak quietly. "I nearly murdered him," the dwarf confessed quietly.

I gave a soft laugh. "He lives where that is all women are really useful for - baby-making machines. It's not his fault. A woman fighter, someone like me," - I shrugged, a tiny smile curling my mouth up at the corner - "Is almost unheard of."

Kili nodded. "That does not excuse his behavior."

"He is going through difficult times," I murmured. "The whole of Laketown is. They're having huge difficulties with money."

Kili frowned, his brow crinkling a bit in that adorable way that made my stomach lurch. "But why -"

"He's insecure, Kili. Everybody judges everybody else on whether or not they can fight. If they're women, like me, you just have to fight extra hard and be that much better."

The dwarf didn't really reply, just grunted and looked at the water with me. "You deserve no doubt, Freya," he replied at last.

I quirked the corner of my mouth up in a small, bitter smile. "If you say so."

A few minutes passed, and then Bard snapped a harsh order to get back into the barrels. We all sild into them, and he got out onto a dock. I heightened my hearing, leaning against the inside of the barrel and heard Bard tell another man to fill our barrels with fish.

I groaned as the nasty smelling dead creatures fell down upon us, filling the spaces above us and hiding us from view.

"I hate you, Bard," I murmured, just as he passed my barrel.

I heard a quiet laugh from him. "You'll thank me later," he replied quietly.

We sailed on, until we got to the gatekeeper's place.

I heard garbled speech through the barrel and the fish, but I gathered the gist - the master's jerk of an assistant was trying to dump the fish in the lake. I froze as I heard a couple of barrels being tipped, with some fish falling with little splashes and immediately sent out a spell, turning the entire Company invisible and soundless.

After a few very tense moments, the guards left, and I heard the gate open. I released the spell with a sigh and sagged against the side of the barrel in echaustion. It is, after all, no mean feat to hold up a spell on fifteen people.

After a little while, Bard kicked over the barrels, knocking out the fish. I pulled myself out and winced as the fish fell off of me. "I'm going to kill you, Bard," I muttered, brushing a stray scale off of my shoulder.

He chuckled. "You did not get seen, yes?"

I made a face. "If you had told me, I could have turned our entire company completely invisible and saved you the trouble."

"A witch as well?" asked Bard, sounding mildly impressed.

I nodded proudly.

"Well, that saves your dwarves from the toilet idea," Bard said, and I knew he wasn't joking. With a sigh, I threw the spell out again, and we raced off to his house.

I know Bard isn't supposed to be a huge douchebag, but this is just sort of...how it came out. Sorry if you don't like. And onwards we go...