Walking In Starlight

22

Bard docks his barge, Ryneela slowly opens her eyes and looks up, her eyebrows furrowing slightly in confusion at the sight of dead fish above her, which was strange because she hadn't even heard them, add to the fact that she wasn't particularly covered in the dead fish made her confusion grow slightly. After looking around, he knocks over one of the barrels, and a dwarf falls out along with a pile of fish. Bard continues knocking over barrels, reaching for Dwalin's barrel, but Dwalin pokes his head up through the fish'

"Get your hands off me" Dwalin ordered

The remaining dwarves and Bilbo struggle out of their barrels, looking greasy and slimy from the fish. Ryneela, however, puts most of her weight on one leg, hands on the translucent shield above her and pushed it up, as if opening a lid with hinges, the dead fish falling over the side of the barrel. Her hands grasped the barrel as she pulled herself up, looking around, seeing that they were in Laketown, the rest of the Company being greasy and slimy because of the fish. The dwarves help Ryneela out of her barrel, Kili keeping her close to him as the dock keeper looks on in shock, Bard approaches him and slips him a coin,

"You didn't see them, they were never here" Bard said, causing the dock keeper to nod slightly "the fish you can have for nothing" turning to the Company "follow me" leading them away

A woman working on a boat happens to look up and she sees the dwarves running through Laketown in the distance, a shocked look forming on her features. As they stride through Laketown, Bard's son, Bain, runs up to him,

"Da!" Bain said "our house, it's being watched"

Bard looks at Thorin and hatches a plan, Bard and his son walk along back to their house. As they walk, a fisherman in a boat sees them and drops his eyepatch over one eye, then knocks with his staff on a wall nearby, upon this signal, two boys run from the wall, and one knocks over a contraption which causes a hammer to hit a bell. At this signal, another man lights a match to light his pipe, turning and looks at two men in a fishing boat right next to Bard's house, and they nod and switch their poles to the opposite sides of the boat than before. They do this just as Bard and Bain get to their house and enter through the door, but just before Bard enters, he tosses an apple to one of the fisherman,

"You can tell the Master that I'm done for the day." Bard said

Inside the house, Bard's daughters, Sigrid and Tilda, greet their father,

"Da!" Tilda said happily "where have you been?"

"Father!" Sigrid said "there you are. I was worried"

Both daughters run to their father, and they hug, Bard handing his bag to Sigrid,

"Here's something to eat" Bard said "Bain, get them in"

As Bard looks out a window, Bain goes down some steps to the lower floor of the house, which is open to the water. After looking around, he knocks on the wall near the toilet three times, Dwalin's head appears through the toilet, which is basically open to the water below,

"If you speak of this to anyone, I'll rip your arms off" Dwalin threatened

Dwalin raises the seat and begins to pull himself out of the toilet, Bain reaches out to help him, but Dwalin slaps his hand away,

"Get off." Dwalin ordered

"Up there" Bain said

Bain points up the stairs, and Dwalin goes up, Bilbo pokes his head up through the toilet, looking flabbergasted, and Bain helps him out. The rest of the dwarves and Ryneela follow and head upstairs,

"Da . . ." Sigrid trailed off "why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?"

"Will they bring us luck?" Tilda asked with a smile as Nori emerges from the toilet with some leaves stuck to his hair,