his exception

chapter eighteen: weapons

Bard agreed for the dwarves and Bilbo to enter the house through the toilet as they were to short to go unnoticed as not humans. Maethel on the other hand, as an elf, was aloud to the use the front door. Though she had to cover her ears which would give everything away.

Inside the house, Bard's daughters, Sigrid and Tilda, greeted their father. Tilda, the youngest, ran up to him, jumped, and circled her legs around his waist. "Da! Where have you been?" Sigrid the eldest child raced from her bedroom. "Father! There you are. I was worried."  Bard then handed his bag to Sigrid.  "Here's something to eat. Bain, get them in." Sigrid looked over at Maethel and the two females smiled at each other. As Bard looked out a window, Bain went down some steps to the lower floor of the house, which is open to the water. After looking around, he knocked on the wall near the toilet three times. Dwalin's head appears through the toilet, which is open to the water below. "If you speak of this to anyone, I'll rip your arms off." The dwarf's gruff voice threatened. Dwalin raised the seat and began to pull himself out of the toilet. Bain reached out to help him, but Dwalin slapped his hand away. "Get off."

 "Up there." Bain replied as he shrugged off the awkwardness. Bain pointed up the stairs, and Dwalin went up. Bilbo poked his head up through the toilet, looking flabbergasted, and Bain helped him out. The rest of the dwarves followed and headed upstairs.  "Da...why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?" Sigrid grimaced as Dwalin's grumpy face stormed into the room, right past her. "Will they bring us luck?" Tilda giggled. Nori emerged from the toilet with some leaves stuck to his hair. Bard handed Bilbo a blanket and he gave him his thanks as he wrapped it around his small frame. The dwarves are wrapped in blankets too, and their wet things have been laid in front of the fire to dry. Some of them shivered. "It may not be the best fit, but it'll keep you warm." Tilda passed out blankets, and Maethel thanked her when she received one. "Thank you very much, darling"

Thorin looked out a window and saw a wooden tower not far away. Atop the tower was a windlass, a giant cross-bow type weapon with four arms. Thorin looked at it in shock. "A Dwarvish Wind-Lance." He whispered and Maethel trudged forwards so close that her breath left a small mark on the window. Bilbo, who was sipping a hot drink from a mug, looked at the wind-lance too.  "You look like you've seen a ghost." Maethel whispered as she wiped a strand of hair from his view.  "He has. The last time we saw such a weapon, a city was on fire. It was the day the dragon came." Her breathing hitched and she gave Bilbo a look. Thorin looked sadly away, Balin placed a hand on his friends shoulder.  "The day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city, rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast."

Maethel imagined the city is in flames, but a man in armour, Girion, lead a group of archers in shooting at the flying dragon. "But a dragon's hide is tough, tougher than the strongest armour. Only a black arrow, fired from a wind-lance, could have pierced the dragon's hide, and few of those arrows were ever made." A small gasp left her mouth and she looked over at Thorin who now, wasn't facing them.  "His store was running low when Girion made his last stand." Girion grabbed another black arrow into the wind-lance and fires. This arrow too finds it mark, but bounced off the dragon's chest. "Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different." Thorin muttered.

Bard came back from looking after his children and approached Thorin.  "You speak as if you were there." Thorin looked back at the human. "All dwarves know the tale."

[Bain:] "Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast."

[Dwalin:] "Ha ha ha! That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more." Thorin strode up to Bard. "You took our money. Where are the weapons?" Bard sighed before he answered,  "Wait here." Bard went down the stairs to the lower part of the house. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, he pulled on a rope hanging off a small boat and pulled up a wrapped package that had been hidden underwater. While Bard was doing this, Thorin, Maethel, Balin, Fili, and Kili talked quietly together. "Tomorrow begins the last days of autumn." Thorin started. "Durin's Day falls morn after next. We must reach the mountain before then." Balin added. Fili fiddled with his hands and Kili grew frustrated.   "And if we do not? If we fail to find the hidden door before that time?" He raised his voice. "Then this quest has been for nothing." Fili groaned.

Bard returned and laid the package on the table as the dwarves stood around it. He loosened the wrappings and revealed a couple of hand-made weapons. The dwarves looked at them in shock, then picked up the weapons and looked at them in disgust. "What is this?" Thorin muttered as he picked up one of the weapons. "Pike-hook. Made from an old harpoon." Bard replied. "And this?" The youngest dwarf asked.  "A crowbill, we call it, fashioned from a smithy's hammer. It's heavy in hand, I grant, but in defence of your life, these will serve you better than none." Thorin and Dwalin looked disgustedly at each other. "We paid you for weapons. Iron-forged swords and axes!" Gloin shouted as he threw the weapon, which was in his hand, onto the floor with a loud clunk. "It's a joke!" Bofur mumbled. Bofur threw his weapon back on the table, and the other dwarves follow suit.

 "You won't find better outside the city armory. All iron-forged weapons are held there under lock and key." Thorin and Dwalin looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes, hatching a plan.  "Thorin." Balin whispered. Bard looked up at the mention of the name Thorin, as if the name sounds familiar to him. "Why not take what's been offered and go? I've made do with less; so have you. I say we leave now." The eldest dwarf advised. "You're not going anywhere."

 "What did you say!?" Dwalin shouted ready to start a fight. There's spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in the town. You must wait till nightfall." Hearing this, the dwarfs began to settle down. Kili, leaning on a pole, looked like he's in pain and he slowly slid down the pole and sat on a couch. Wincing, he examined the bandage on his leg while making sure no one was looking. Bard stood on his porch; he talked to himself, trying to recall where he'd heard the name 'Thorin' before. "Thorin..." He mumbled to himself. With a sudden shock of understanding, he whirled around and looked at the Lonely Mountain in the distance. The door opened, and Bain stuck his head out.  "Da?"

"Don't let them leave." Bard hurried down his steps and into the town. After nightfall, they planned to acquire better iron-forged weapons by stealing them from Lake-town's armoury. Thorin stood looking out of the window at the Dwarvish Wind-Lance. "Thorin.. It's late you should get some rest.." A sweet voice asked from the corner of his eye. He knew who it was instantly as he had been thinking about her. He turned slightly to the right and came face to face with Maethel's large beaming blue eyes.

"You have something to tell me.. I can see that.." Maethel whispered as she looked up at Thorin. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Thorin smirked and Maethel tilted her head in confusion. "Your beautiful eyes don't make it any easier.." Maethel rolled her eyes as she looked back outside at the sky. "What's wrong..? Tell me." There was silence as Thorin continued to look at the elleth. "That is an order from the Princess of Mirkwood... I declare an answer." Maethel joked and a quiet chuckle left Thorin's lips. "My heart belongs to you."

"My heart belongs to you too..." Maethel moved closer towards him. "What did you say..? I want to hear you say it again.." Maethel smiled. "I love you too Thorin Oakenshield." Thorin smirked, "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to hear that from you .." Maethel smiled again. " I want to court you sometime in the future.. and I want to prove myself worthy of you.. So will you be my Queen?" Maethel pulled him closer in response and he smirked. "You're going to be my Queen.. though I know nearly nothing of you.." Maethel looked down at her dwarf and she saw him smile to himself. Maethel's smile faded quickly as she remembered her home which, would be a surprise to her, if she wasn't banished. She thought of her brother, whom she was very close with, her father who was convinced that she was a traitor. Lastly she thought of her mother. "M-Maethel..?" Thorin's voice called out and it was then that the elleth realised that she was crying.

Maethel talked about her life in Mirkwood and how her mother died when she was barely a century old. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She then spoke about how because of that she was never leave Mirkwood unless she was accompanied by either her brother or the top guards. She then walked back to the main room where the rest of the Dwarves are. Bombur noticed her tears first, "You're hungry right?" He questioned and Maethel smiled before she took her seat at the table. "Very.." She replied.