Beside Halien, Ori was emptying his boots into the river and Halien's ears perked up at the faint sound of strange footsteps behind them. She turned to see a Man aiming a bow at them.
Immediately, Halien summoned fire in her hands as Dwalin grabbed a large branch and stood in front of Ori. Before he could advance on the stranger, the bowman shot an arrow through the branch, then shot the stone that Kili had just grabbed.
"Do it again, and you're dead." The bowman warned as he aimed the arrow toward Halien.
"Who are you?" Halien asked.
"I could ask the same of you." The bowman answered. "How is it that you hold fire in your hands?"
"If you should like, I can show you more if you see fit to continue to aim an arrow at unarmed travelers."
"Your fire does not make you seem as though you are unarmed." The bowman pointed out.
"Just because I can use magik does not mean that it is a weapon. This fire is as much a part of me as that bow is to you. I see how you hold it: you have had years of experience in handling a bow and the way you hold it tells me it is your preferred weapon of choice." Halien said.
The bowman looked at her, curious how an elf of such grace could use such magik.
"I will extinguish my flame if you but lower your bow."
The bowman lowered it and watched as Halien released the magik that held the fire in her palms.
Balin walked over to the Man slowly. "Excuse me, but you're from Laketown if I'm not mistaken? That barge over there, it would be up for hire by any chance?"
The bowman looked at the company. He turned and walked away from them back to his barge and started loading the barrels on board. "What makes you think that I would help you?"
"Those boots have seen better days, as has that coat," Balin observed. "I assume that you have some hungry mouths to feed."
When he asked the bowman how many children he had, the Man answered, "A boy and two girls."
"And your wife, I imagine, is a beauty?" Balin continued, trying to build a good basis with the Man.
"Aye, she was." The Man replied.
Halien felt her heart sink when she heard the sadness in his voice. "I am truly sorry for your loss, sir. I do hope that she is at peace."
The bowman looked at her. "As do I."
Balin's smile fell as he realized what he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"Ugh, come on, come on, enough with the niceties," Dwalin said.
The bowman looked up at him and asked, "What's your hurry?"
"What's it to you?" Dwalin retorted.
"I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands." The bowman said, looking from Dwalin to Balin.
"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains. We are going to see our kin in the Iron Hills." Balin said, which was partly true.
"Simple merchants, you say?" the Man replied.
Stepping forward, Thorin said, "We need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?"
The bowman turned to look at him. "I know where these barrels came from."
"What of it?" Thorin asked.
"I do not know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think that it ended well."
Halien felt faint and sat down on a nearby rock.
"Are you alright?" the Man said, coming over to her.
"I am fine. You needn't worry." Halien replied, her hand on her womb.
He looked her over, and when he looked at her, Halien nodded as she heard him silently asking her if he could touch her belly. Halien felt content, as she did when Thorin touched her belly, and was safe, but she could sense Thorin's unease. "She needs to rest. Whatever happened between you and the elves has worn her out and that's not good for her or the baby." The bowman said, looking to the others. He stood and helped Halien up, ignoring Thorin's glare.
"How do you know she is with child?" Thorin asked.
"I have three children of my own. I can tell when a woman is with child, whether she is human or of Elf kind."
Halien struggled to stand, but when she did, she looked at the bowman. "I do not wish to earn you pity, but our energy is spent. We need to find shelter, food, and a safe place to rest and regain our strength. We have been through hell and high water just to get here and I am weary. I cannot keep on like this without harming my child. Our companion has been injured and there is nothing I can do to heal him until we find safety and shelter. Please, will you not help us?"
The bowman looked at her. She was beautiful, her hair- which glistened like starlight- slicked back from the water. Her simple silver headdress glinted in the light and her emerald green eyes held the key to her heart and mind as the Man saw her worry, her fear for her child, and her love for her friends, and he felt sympathetic. This elf maiden was regal in the way she stood and the bowman could see that she was strong and good-natured.
"No one enters Laketown without leave of the Master. His wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil." The bowman said.
The bowman threw some rope to Balin and turned to put his quiver and bow aside as Thorin tried to get Balin to convince the Man to let them aboard.
"Father would raze the lands before he let us get away," Halien said to herself, low enough to where the bowman almost didn't hear her.
'Did she say Father?' the bowman thought, trying to understand if she meant Thranduil. 'Could she really be his daughter? The one who was exiled so many years ago? No, she couldn't be… could she?' Choosing to ignore her comment, he turned back to his own business.
"I'll wager there are ways to enter Laketown, unseen?" Balin tried.
"Aye," the Man said. "But for that, you'd need a smuggler."
"For which we will pay double." Balin offered.
The bowman nodded after thinking a moment. "The hobbit and you dwarves will all fit into the barrels. I worry for the elf, though. She should not be hiding in a barrel whilst carrying a child."
Halien smiled at his concern. "I will be fine." She insisted. "I have a card up my sleeve that I can use to help get us in. There will be no trouble."
Thorin nodded and looked to the bowman. "Thank you."
