A/N: To all my fellow Aussies, happy Anzac day and may all those who fought in our aarmed forced be remembered forever. Lest We Forget.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Lake-town, Guards and Bard's Family

Amara's POV

As Bard docked the ship on the side of the walk, I cancelled out the invisibility spell and knocked on the barrels that held the dwarves and Bilbo.

"Guys, we're in the clear." I said in a hushed tone. One-by-one, they popped out of their barrels, looking like they were cautious about being in a town that many of them had not stepped foot in for 60 years. As I helped them out of the barrels Bard stepped off and turned to a man.

"You didn't see them, they were never here." Bard said to the portman, while handing him couple of coins into his hands. He then turned to the rest of us and lead us through the fish market. "Stay close. Follow me." He said in a hushed tone, looking around cautiously.

"What is this place?" Bilbo asked astounded.

"This, Master Baggins, is the world of Men." Thorin snarled before I then turned back to him, giving him my best 'and what am I? Chopped liver?' look. "No offence, Amara." He said back to me, looking like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar again.

"Some offence taken." I muttered as I followed Bard through the crowd of people in the market, many men crying out deals to passing customers and women selling their crafts and needle work in the cold weather by the water.

"Keep your heads down, keep moving." Bard said as he motioned us past him, one-by-one. "Quickly now." We all did as we were told but then a guard then caught sight of us all with Bard.

"Halt!" He cried, causing us all to stop for a brief second before Thorin then said to us all.

"Come on, move." Thorin said as the company followed him through the crowd, I followed him as the guard was crying out for us to halt. The dwarves tried to avoid the guard by running through the stalls under houses before Thorin then spotted yet another guard appear. "Get back!" Thorin cried as the company collided with each other but then used the small spaces of the stalls to fight the guards with whatever they had on hand, I cast a few minor spells to cause the guards to slip and fall.

Many of the townsfolk, Bard including, watched as we fought and knocked out a few guards with ease before I turned to Thorin as Dwalin then pulled one of the unconscious guards into the stall to cover the fight up, a lot of the townspeople watched us and were curious but then dispersed quickly. I knew what was going on.

"Quick, hide." I said as all of the company hide in the stalls as the sound of a guardsman called out.

"What's going on here?" He asked, wondering what had the townsfolk acting strangely as he slowly walked through the crowd. "Stay where you are, nobody leaves." He said looking around suspiciously, I was knelt down near Thorin as he turned to see Balin who held a boat oar to a boat as a weapon at the ready.

I managed to look out and see Bard casually walk up to the guard and seemed to greet him just as casually.

"Braga."

The guard, Braga, looked at Bard and asked. "What are you up to, Bard?"

"Me? Nothing." Bard said casually like it was a normal day in their lives, I looked over at one of the guards we fought and saw him sighed as he began to move. 'Oh crap, he's waking up!' I thought before watching one of the ladies who stood at a counter covered in plants, slide one of the pots off the edge of the counter before it then fell on the guard's head, knocking unconscious again. 'Good thinking.' I thought with a smile, I knew we had yet another ally in the stalls.

Braga then noticed something and pushed past Bard, other townsfolk moved a few things to hide the unconscious guards from his sight before Bard then distracted Braga yet again by holding up what I think was a piece of lingerie for women. Braga seemed annoyed before he then walked off with the other guards following behind him.

"Alright, let's go." I said to Thorin and the others before we then followed Bard through the small alley behind many houses before the sound of a young boy softly called out.

"Da!" We turned to see a young boy with dark brown curly hair and a few freckles appear out from the alley and walked up to Bard. I knew that this had to be Bain, Bard's son.

"Our house, it's being watched." Bain said worriedly as Bard then turned around, looking a bit worried before turning to me.

"Lass, can you cast that spell of yours again?" He asked

I shook my head before answering. "Not for the whole group. I need at least an hour to recover my energy to cast it again, but I can cast it on myself." I explained, Bard then looked around as if he was trying to come up with a plan... Which he did.

After explaining the plan and having to be separated from them, Bard then turned to me and indicated for me to cast the spell on myself, which I did.

"Follow closely behind us." Bard said in a hushed tone.

"No problem." I replied in the same tone as I walked between both Bard and Bain as they made their way through the paths, I could hear the many signs of the Master's spies as we walked through the streets. Reaching Bard's house, I followed Bain up the stairs and slipped into the door before Bard turned to the two men in the boat under the front porch.

He whislled down, causing one of them to look up before Bard tossed him an apple. "You can tell the Master I'm done for the day." He said before entering the house, he was then greeted by his daughters: Tilda and Sigrid.

"Da! Where have you been?" Tilda said happily and she raced down from the bed and embraced her father before pulling away.

"Father! There you are! I was worried." Sigrid said as she also embraced her father, relieved that he was safe.

"Here, Sigrid." Bard said as he handed his bag to his eldest daughter before turning to the house, asking. "Lass, you here?"

"Right here, Bard." I said as I removed the invisibility spell, causing both the girls to turn in surprise at the sight of a stranger appearing inside their house out of thin air.

Bard smiled before turning to his son. "Bain, get them in." He said as Bain then descended the stairs to their toilet, I could hear the sound of Bain knocking on the toilet walls as Tilda then stepped closer to me with curious eyes.

"Who are you? Are you an elf?" She asked innocently, I looked at her as saw nothing but pure curiosity and innocence in her eyes. She was so adorable and pure like a lot of children at her age were.

"No, child. I am not." I smiled as I then saw Dwalin climbing the stairs, dripping water as he and other entered the house. "Excuse me." I said to Tilda as I then raced over to the dwarves and gathered them by the fire.

"Da? Why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?" Sigrid asked wearily.

"Will they bring us luck?" Tilda asked innocently, I smiled as I then used my magic to summon a small, enchanted tent that was often used as the bath house and as the final dwarf was safe in the house I turned to the company and pointed to the tent.

"Everyone, bath, now." I said as all the dwarves and Bilbo turned to see the tent and knew instantly what it meant.

"No need to tell me twice, lass." Dwalin said as they all made their way into the tent to have their warm bath, Bard and his family watched as Bilbo and the dwarves then walked into the tent in their house. Bard turned to me and I saw he was about to ask how it was possible to fit 13 dwarves and 1 hobbit into such a small tent.

I then explained to him how the tent was enchanted and its purposes, which made Tilda and Sigrid look at me in awe. Tilda especially was amazed to know that I could use magic, like the wizards in stories.

I then turned to see the kitchen area, it was small but I knew that I could make something in there for everyone before turning to Bard. "If you don't mind, may I borrow your kitchen to cook up a meal? Don't worry about ingredients, I have my own." I asked him as he then turned to his children and then back to me before nodding.

"You may." He said calmly.

"Thank you." I said with a smile as I then made my way to the kitchen and pulled out all the ingredients that I had in my item box. 'Let's see, I have: carrots, peas, corn, rice, chicken, bacon and beef along with some eggs.' I looked over all the ingredients and thought for a brief moment before deciding on what I was going to cook. 'I think I'll make some fried rice with all this, and there's more than enough for Bard and his family to have some too.' I then got to work cooking the dish, prepping the stove and all the ingredients as Sigrid stood nearby and watch me.

"What are you making, miss?" She asked me, curious at to what dish I was making.

"It's a dish I learnt while I was travelling, it is called: Fried rice."

"Fried rice?" Sigrid looked at me in confusion, not that I blamed her, fried rice was most likely not a recognised dish in Middle-Earth as it was from my world and originated in China.

"Yes, it's very tasty." I smiled before asking her. "Would you both like to help me? I could use the company." Sigrid took this chance and began to help me, in return I taught her how to cook it the same way as I believed it would become a hit with her family as it has with the dwarves.

As I had Tilda and Bain set the table while Bard was outside smoking and keeping a lookout, I noticed that Bilbo and the Dwarves emerging from the tent freshly bathed and dressed in clean clothes that I had made for them all.

"Feeling better, guys?" I asked them as Sigrid and I began to serve up the fried rice on the table.

"We always do after those baths." Thorin said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned his head into my neck, I playfully shrugged him off as Bard then re-entered the house as we all were about to sit at the table.

"Oh Bard?" I turned to him and summoned a pouch of money out of my item box and held it out to Bard. "The final half of the payment I promised."

"Thank you." He thanked me as he took the pouch, before smelling the air. "What is that delicious smell?" He asked, I knew that they aroma of the fried rice was filling the house.

"Lunch." I confirmed as I motioned to the table, everyone sat down with a bowl of fried rice that they all began eating with pure glee.

"So yummy!" Tilda cried out happily, she continued to eat the rice like it was the most delicious thing she had ever had in her short life.

"This is amazing!" Sigrid said as she watched her little sister eating. "I can never get Tilda to eat her vegetables, and yet here she is scarfing them down like it's nothing new." She turned to me with a stunned look, I then began to tell her of many tricks and recipes that would make eating vegetables easier for Tilda.

After dinner, I made a hot beverage for everyone as we all relaxed by the fireplace, I saw Thorin stand by the window and walked over to him with a cup in hand. He turned and saw me as he smiled softly and took the cup from me, I turned to look out the window at what had caught his attention before noticing the familiar weapon on top of a tall tower aimed at the sky.

"A dwarvish windlance." Thorin said in awe before Bilbo walked up to us with his cup.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." He said blowing into his cup before taking a sip of the beverage.

"He has." Balin stated as he joined us all at the window. "The last time we saw such a weapon, a city was on fire." He then began to tell the tale of when the dragon attacked Dale and how Girion, Bard's Ancestor, the lord of Dale had taken up arms with black arrows and a dwarvish windlance to fight the dragon but failed.

I looked to Thorin who looked like he was reliving that day all over again. Recalling all the screams... the feeling the heat of the fire spat by the dragon... all of it.

"Had the aim of Men been true that day..." Thorin began as he turned to look at Bilbo and Balin. "Much would have been different." I placed my hand on his face as he then leaned against my palm, knowing that I was his comfort in these now intense times on our quest.

We turned to see Bard staring at our little group with a curious look, "You speak as if you were there." He said in an inquisitive tone, 'Because they were.' I thought as I look up at him.

"All dwarves know the tale." Thorin stated as Bain then stepped out from behind his father.

"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosen a scale under the left wing." He said as he looked at Thorin with a tone that told us that he believed it. "One more shot and he would have killed the beast." I looked over at Dwalin who stood by both Bard and Bain as he chuckled.

"That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more." Dwalin said as I turned to Thorin and shot him a look that told him not to push this any further, as Thorin then enquired about weapons after being shown fisherman's tools that could be used as weapons. But after hearing that all dwarven-made weapons were kept in the town armoury under lock and key, I knew what they were thinking and what they were planning to do.

I sighed as I knew this would end badly as Kili was still injured but Durin's day was tomorrow and we needed to get ready to face a dragon as well as orc armies. I turned to look at the dwarves, I knew what needed to be done...