his exception

chapter fifteen: smugglers

The river calmed down, and the dwarves paddled along in their barrels with their hands. Maethel looked around and saw no sign of any orcs. She sighed with thankfulness. "Anything behind us?" Thorin asked and Maethel shook her head. "Not that I can see." Balin replied. "I think we've outrun the orcs."

"Not for long; we've lost the current." Maethel pointed out as she squeezed a lot of water from her t-shirt. "Bofur is half drowned." Maethel looked over towards poor Bofur who was shivering as water dripped from his clothes. "Make for the shore! Come on, let's go!" Thorin ordered and the dwarves and Bilbo paddled to the riverbank; they climb out onto a slab of rock jutting out a bit into the river.  "Come on!" When Kili is on the rocks, he fell to his knees in pain from the arrow wound in his thigh; it had been bounded with cloth, but blood was seeping through. Bofur looked at him concernedly. "I'm fine, it's nothing." Kili tried to play it off but Maethel knew he wasn't.

 "On your feet."

 "Kili's wounded. His leg needs binding." Fili stood in front of his uncle. "He's right Thorin.. we need to do something or he won't last long.." Maethel pleaded as she looked down at him "There's an orc pack on our tail; we keep moving." Maethel scoffed. "We shall get no where if he's injured. Here, come here let me bandage you up.." She smiled as she held her hand out for Kili and the youngest dwarf stumbled over.

"To where?" Balin asked. "To the mountain; we're so close." Bilbo replied as he looked at the eldest dwarf in the company. "A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it." Balin sighed. "So then we go around."

 "The orcs will run us down, as sure as daylight. We have no weapons to defend ourselves." Dwalin groaned, defeated.  "Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes."

While Maethel gently binded Kili's leg, some of the dwarves sat down and Ori kneeled by the river to empty his boot of water. Unbeknownst to them, a man, Bard, snuck up over the pile of rocks and aimed an arrow at Ori. As the dwarves realised a man is there, they jumped up, and Dwalin, holding a branch, leaps in front of Ori. He raised the branch and began to charge the man, but the man shot his arrow and it embedded itself right in the middle of the branch, between Dwalin's hands. Kili raised a rock to throw, but the man shot the rock out of his hand too. Maethel squeaked in surprise as the arrow whizzed past her ear. "Do it again, and you're dead." Balin, who stood near the edge of the group, saw a barge floating in the river behind Bard. He spoke to Bard, approaching him slowly with his hands held in the air.  "Excuse me, but, uh, you're from Laketown, if I'm not mistaken? That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

Bard lowered his bow. He climbed aboard his barge as the dwarves approached. "What makes you think I will help you?" He spat. "Those boots have seen better days." Bard began loading the dwarves' empty barrels into his barge. "As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?" Balin questioned.  "A boy and two girls."

 "And your wife, I'd imagine she's a beauty." Bard looked down and Maethel knew what he meant almost immediately.  "Aye. She was." She gently sighed and looked down. Balin's smile faded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" He was then interrupted by Dwalin whispering loudly to Thorin. "Oh, come on, come on, enough with the niceties." Maethel shot Dwalin a look. "What's your hurry?"

 "What's it to you?"

 "I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands." Bard replied calmly."We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills."

"Simple merchants, you say? Then why is the Princess of Mirkwood travelling with you, she really travels outside of Mirkwood unless supervised with top guards." Maethel walked closer to Bard. "I am their friend helping them on their journey." Maethel replied looking into his eyes. "We'll need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?" Thorin asked as he looked over at Maethel who was trying to wipe the blood caused by the cut on her cheek away. Bard looked at the barrels and examined the various dents and nicks they received during the fight with the orcs.  "I know where these barrels came from." He turned to look at Maethel.

"What of it?"

 "I don't know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Laketown but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He will see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil." He looked at Maethel, "Your father." Bard boarded his barge and tossed a rope to Balin. Thorin mouthed to Balin. "Offer him more." Balin looked at Thorin then back at Bard. "I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen."

 "Aye. But for that, you will need a smuggler."

 "For which we will pay double."

Bard looked at Balin suspiciously.