An Unexpected Romance

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

We sat, covered with damp fish and shrouded by a cold veil, for a while longer. It was only when I had lost feeling in my legs that someone hit the wall of my barrel.

"I'm going to tip you over," Bard warned, and he did.

I slid out the barrel, carried by slippery, smelly fish. I stretched out my arms and rose to my feet, wobbling slightly. Over on the dock, Bard was whispering to a bearded man. He handed something to the man and motioned for us to follow him.

As we followed Bard across creaky planks, I fell in line next to Kili. His fingers brushed mine, sending shocks of electricity though my entire body. I said nothing, but linked our pinkies together loosely. From the corner of my eye, I could see him fight back a smile. Heat rose to my cheeks and I kept my head down.

"Da!" Came a voice from in front of us, accompanied by hurried footsteps. "Our house, it's being watched."

I looked up and saw a boy, maybe fourteen, speaking to Bard. Bain, I thought to myself. Bard's son.

Bard turned to us with a grim expression. "You're not going to like this."

Then, he told us the plan.

***

Three knocks, just like we were promised. Three knocks before Dwalin drifted upward, shaking. Not with cold, but with rage.

I could just barely hear him. "If you speak of this to anyone, I'll rip your arms off." Though our situation was not particularly nice, I had to find humor in it. We were a bunch of dwarves climbing out of a toilet.

After Bard told us what we needed to do, we'd hurried down into the water beneath Bard's house. The only way we could get in unseen.. was to climb up.. through the toilet.

I followed after Dwalin, nearly tripping as I stumbled onto the floor. Bain steadied me and I gave him a warm smile, mumbling a quick thanks before jumping up the stairs.

"Da..?" The eldest daughter, Sigrid, asked as we made our way upstairs. "Why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?"

The younger daughter, Tilda, gasped. "Will they bring us luck?"

"Only the white bearded one." I whispered to her as I passed. "The rest are far too grumpy."

"Come now." Bard said gruffly. "Let's get you into something warm."

And so, merely minutes later, I was clad in surprisingly well-fitting trousers and shirt with sleeves just a little too long. I'd set my boots and socks out to dry, borrowing a pair of Bain's so I didn't get frostbite.

Clinging onto my sword, which I had realized was still with me, my surroundings didn't feel all too alien. Sigrid had offered me a fleece blanket, which I took with gratitude. I couldn't help but find beauty in the way that these children so openly accept us into their home. They clothed us, cared for us, and they didn't even know us.

"They may not be the best fit," Bard said, once everyone was in dry clothes, "but they'll keep you warm."

I was staring into the fire when a small figure appeared in front of me. Tilda.

"Hello." I said carefully.

"Bain says you're the only girl." Said Tilda, as if she was building up to something. "And that you live with all these men."

I shrugged. "Well, generally, it's just Thorin and I, but lately, yes I live with all of them."

"And you have to fight sometimes?" She asked.