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Aeradriel's POV
The lakeman had agreed to let us continue our journey on his barge to Laketown. The dwarves set at the far end of the boat, not trusting him and keeping to themselves in hushed whispers.
"What is your name?" I asked the lakeman as I walked towards the other end of the barge where he was controlling it.
"Bard, and yours?"
"Aeradriel" I answered him leaning on a wooden plank. "Thank you for helping us, a great deal of people would not do that" I thanked him.
"As long as I get payment, I do not care. You are not from Mirkwood" He observed glancing at me slightly before looking ahead.
"No, I am not" I answered before walking away to the company, not wanting to reveal anything.
"Watch out!" Bofur shouted as multiple stone formations and ruins appeared out of the fog. Bard did not say anything, but expertly steered past them.
"What are you trying to do? drown us?" Thorin snarled at him.
"I was born and bred on these waters, master dwarf. If I wanted to drown you I would not do it here" Bard answered him as Dwalin glared at him.
"Oh, I've had enough of this lippy lakeman. I say we throw him over the side and be down with him" He muttered.
"Bard... His name is Bard" I told them and Dwalin looked at me.
"And how do you know?"
"I asked him" I stated the obvious
"I don't care what he calls himself. I don't like him" Dwalin said.
Balin shook his head at his stubbornness. "We do not have to like him, we simply have to pay him" He reminded us as he counted the money.
"Come on, now. Turn out your pockets" Balin told the dwarves as they reluctantly turned out their pockets. The white haired dwarf in front of me pulled out the bag of coin I gave them on the journey which was significantly smaller than the amount I gave them.
"How do we know he won't betray us?" Dwalin asked Thorin who was standing opposite me.
"We don't" He answered as Balin finished counting the pile of coin.
"There's an uh... A wee problem. We're ten coins short"
The dwarves started to look at Gloin who was sat on the deck. "Gloin. Come on, give us all you have" Thorin said looking at him.
"Don't look at me. I have been bled dry by this venture!" He began to drone on as the rest of the dwarves, Bilbo and I looked to see something in the distance. Erebor. "Take it! Take all of it!" Gloin exclaimed once he saw it and handed Balin a bag of coins. I looked at Thorin and noticed he had a small smile on his face.
