The Lonely Mountain [1]

The Bowman

Amara ran downstream, following the dwarves. As she reached them, the river had evened out and they were no longer being carried by the current.

"Is there anything behind us?" Amara heard Thorin ask.

"Not that I can see." Balin replied.

"I think we've outrun the Orcs." Bofur said looking around.

"Not for long, we've lost the current." Thorin replied.

"We almost half drowned!" Dwalin shouted.

"Make for the shore!" Thorin said as he began to swim to the shore.

"Aye." Balin agreed.

"Come on, let's go!" Thorin called as they all began paddling to the shore. They reached the shore and began to get out of their barrels. Thorin was first ashore and Amara appeared in front of him.

"You took your time, didn't you?" Thorin yelled. "You could've gotten us out of there yesterday."

"Not with the king's son watching my every move. Bilbo seemed to have managed just fine." She retaliated.

They didn't get to say anything else as Kili fell to his knees, pressing a cloth to the wound in his leg. Amara ran over and knelt down in front of him.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." He tried to tell her but the look on his face said otherwise.

"On your feet." Thorin told the company.

"Kili's wounded, his leg needs binding." Amara told him.

"There's an Orc pack at our tail. We keep moving." Thorin told her.

"To where?" Balin asked.

"To the mountain, we're so close." Bilbo said, relived to see Amara.

"A lake lies between us and that mountain; we have no way to cross it." Balin told him.

"So then we go around." Bilbo agued, he had come too far to give up.

"The Orcs will run us down as sure as daylight. We've no weapons to defend ourselves." Dwalin said.

"Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes." Thorin told Amara and Fili, who had come to Amara's aid.

Ori sat at the side of the river emptying his boots of water. He looked up and saw a man holding a long bow, ready to fire. The rest of the company noticed and Dwalin jumped in front of Ori with a branch. The man shot the branch, then turned and shot a rock out of Kili's hand.

"Do it again, and you're dead." He said.

"Try it." Amara stood square on with him, her bow loaded. The man eyed her warily and lowed his bow. Amara followed suit.

"Excuse me but you're from Lake Town, if I'm not mistaken." Balin said getting to his feet and walking slowly towards the man. "That barge over there it wouldn't be available to hire, by any chance?" He asked.

The company followed the man as he went down to his barge. Amara and Fili helped Kili up and then walked over as well.

"What makes you think I would help you?" The man asked as he started to put the barrels onto the barge.

"Those boots have seen better days, as has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed? How many bairns?" Balin asked.

"A boy and two girls." The man replied, glancing briefly at Amara.

"And your wife, I imagine, she's a beauty?" Balin asked.

"Aye, she was." The man replied solemnly.

Balin's face dropped as what the man had said sank in. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Balin started before being cut off by Dwalin.

"Oh, come on, come on. Enough with the niceties." Dwalin muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What's your hurry?" The man asked.

"What's it to you?" Dwalin said harshly.

"I would like to know who you are, and what you were doing in these lands." The man asked.

"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains, journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills." Balin told him.

"Simple merchants, you say? And what is an elf doing with dwarves?" He asked looking at Amara.

"We need food, supplies, and weapons. Can you help us?" Amara asked.

"I know where these barrels came from." The man said.

"What of it?" Thorin asked.

"I don't know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Lake-town but by lead of the master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of king Thranduil." The man said getting aboard his barge.

Thorin glanced at Balin indicating to persuade him to help.

"You do not need to worry about Thranduil and I will wager there are ways to enter that town unseen." Amara said.

"Aye. But for that you would need a smuggler." The man said.

"For which we would pay double." Balin said, this perked the man's interest.