As the bowman steered the barge in and out of ruins and rocks, the dwarves emptied their pockets to pay the Man. They began to argue quietly to themselves and Halien went to the back of the barge.
"May I ask your name, bowman?"
"Bard." He replied.
"Bard the Bowman?" Halien said, thinking a moment. A soft smile played across her lips and she giggled. "I like that."
"And what is your name?"
"I am Halien." She introduced herself. "Bard, I wish to thank you. You are risking much to aid us in our journey, yet you do so despite the risks. I do not think it is just for money, so why?"
Bard sighed, looking at her. "It is for the money. I have to feed my children somehow and the way things are in Laketown, there is not much work to be had and supplies are scarce or very expensive. The taxes are high, too, so we Common folk suffer while those who are higher born feast."
Halien looked at him and saw his frustration. "Have the people of Laketown come to suffer this much in the last fifty years? Last I was here, your town was doing well."
"Aye, we suffer, but we suffer quietly. I sneak in what I can, give what extra I can spare to those who need it more." Bard said. "But I did not mean to ask for pity, forgive me."
"No, it is fine. I am glad I know now, lest I be surprised when we arrive." Halien said, then saw the dwarves stand and gaze through the fog. She turned and saw the peak of the Lonely Mountain and she sighed in relief. "It's so close."
Bard watched her face light up a little while she gazed at the peak and wondered what interest an elf would have in the Lonely Mountain. He watched her shiver and just as he was about to offer her a blanket, he watched her breathe out and a soft glow emanated from her. Her body let off steam that mixed with the fog and she sighed.
"Much better…" she murmured to herself.
"What did you just do there?" Bard asked.
Halien looked at him and smiled. "I used some fire magik to heat the air around the barge. We should be warm for a while." Then she thought back to what he had said earlier. "Bard, I know it is not just for the money that you do this. You do it for your people, to ensure that they can survive, even in the toughest and darkest of times. While I fear even darker days may soon be upon us all, I can see how hard you work to make sure your family is provided for. You care for your town when the Master does not seem to."
Bard was a little surprised at what she said, but he was shocked at what came next.
"My father had appointed me to be the ambassador of our people and I went to Erebor and Dale, even Laketown, and I got to see the illustrious halls of Erebor and the beautiful markets of Dale." Halien began to explain, but Bard watched her face fall. "My father turned from the dwarves of Erebor and the folk of Dale, but I did not want to follow suit. I left my father to come back to help those I could. When I reached the streets of Dale, I found a man, Girion, laying still. I went to him, as I did many others, and tried to heal him. He awoke for a short while and asked if he had killed the dragon."
Bard knew the tale of Girion, King of Dale, who shot a Black Arrow from a Windlance at the dragon, Smaug. He failed, but there were two versions of how it ended.
"I had told Girion that while he tried his best, he did not bring down the dragon- but managed to loosen a scale under the left wing- and it took the Lonely Mountain. He asked me to bring the last of the Black Arrows to his family, hoping that they were safe." Halien had a sad smile on her face. "His last words were to tell his family that he loved them and to pass on his story. I left Dale that day and brought the last Black Arrow to Laketown, where the last of Girion's kin now resided." She looked at Bard. "You remind me of Girion. Something about you, perhaps the lengths you go through to protect your family and your people, reminds me of the brave man who faced a dragon alone and almost succeeded in bringing the beast down."
Bard watched as she walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Whatever you do, Bard, never falter from your path. You are a good man, you fight for what you believe is right and you do well by your people and kin. Keep that path and no matter what comes your way, you will always have the better chance."
Bard watched as she smiled and walked back to the dwarves, placing her hand on one of the dwarf's shoulders. He watched as the dwarf smiled and grabbed her hand, stroking it with his thumb.
