✓ | Forget-Me-Not ~ Fili FanFiction / Hobbit FanFiction / Fili FF

「 Chapter 27 」

Ilèyn darted quickly behind one of the narrow trees on her right. She peered carefully from behind the trunk.
Across from her stood a man with his back to her on a rock, armed with a longbow and clad in a tattered long light brown cloak. He had tied his black hair back.
He had shot down with his bow, at none other than the dwarves.
"Do it again." he said calmly and pointed his bow at Fili and Kili "And you are dead."
As in a short-circuit reaction, which probably resulted from the fact that the company was being persecuted and the fact that someone was just threatening the dwarves with a weapon, Ilèyn shot forward.
Immediately she had climbed the rock directly next to the man, that she was towering him. She knelt beside him, her bow pointed at him, her arrowhead pointing directly between his eyes.
"The same goes for you... bowman." she hissed softly and screwed up her eyes.
The dwarves exchanged surprised looks, the majority of them actually didn't seem to have a negative feeling that Ilèyn had joined them. The dwarf could not look around for long, after all this person was still standing in front of her with his weapon raised.
Nevertheless, she saw the company, completely taken from the wild descent in large barrels. Everyone was soaked, clad only in the linen shirts they wore under their usual travel clothes. The Elves had really taken everything from them.
The man had still not turned his bow away from Fili and just glared at Ilèyn.
"Excuse me, but..." it came suddenly from Balin, who stepped closer with slightly raised hands. "That won't be necessary, I think."
Ilèyn felt the dwarf's gaze, which indicated that she should lower her weapon. Reluctantly, she relaxed the bowstring and took a step back. The man had meanwhile pointed his bow at Balin.
"Sorry for the... stormy behavior of our companion." the white-bearded dwarf said soothingly, "She is still very young."
"Since when do dwarfs keep a short statured elf as a bodyguard?" the man asked skeptically.
Ilèyn looked up at him with devastation.
"Bodyguard?" Dwalin growled "We can take care of ourselves well enough, you puny..."
"You are from Lake Town, if I'm not mistaken." Balin stated and interrupted his brother. "That... barge over there. It wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"
The man gave the old dwarf a long, probing look before slowly lowering the bow. He jumped off the rock and kept a safe distance from the dwarves.
Ilèyn went down on the other side of the rock.
"Let me think about it, dwarf." the man was saying and went to the barrels lying on the bank. He examined them.
Thorin took advantage of the brief moment and came up to Ilèyn.
"What are you doing here?" he asked angrily and quietly "You have betrayed us, get out of here!"
"I did not betray you, Thorin!" Ilèyn contradicted vehemently. "I haven't told my uncle the slightest thing about you and your plans!"
"You are an elf the way they are!" the dwarf leader hissed "The same blood of these upstarts runs in your veins!"
"She followed us this far, she killed some of the orcs, uncle." Fili said, who had immediately followed Thorin "She is not like them! She did not betray you!"
"My family hates me, I have no reason to help the Elves of Mirkwood." Ilèyn added seriously "I came back because I want to continue to be part of this venture. Because I want to help you."
"She is not against you, Thorin." Fili said emphatically "We have other worries, we have to convince this boatman to let us have the barge."
Thorin still looked upset at his nephew. Latter met his uncle's gaze and stepped closer to Ilèyn.

When Thorin noticed that none of the other dwarves really took his side either, he let the discussion rest. Even Dwalin didn't seem really convinced that Ilèyn had bad intentions. The bald dwarf was standing with his brother, who approached the boatman to attempt another negotiation.
He had already started loading the barrels onto the ship. The deck was almost closed.
"What makes you think I would help you?" he asked without looking at the dwarfs.
"Those boots have seen better days." Balin replied, behind whom the rest of the company had now gathered. "As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed." The dwarf laughed amiably "How many bairns?" he asked smiling.
"A boy and two girls." the man replied as he rolled another barrel on board.
"And your wife, I imagine she's a beauty." Balin went on talking.
The boatman put the barrel down.
"Aye." he said softly, "She was."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Balin said apologetically and shook his head.
"Oh, come on, come on. Enough of the niceties." Dwalin grumbled, who was standing further back in the group.
"What's your hurry?" the boatman asked and looked at the dwarf with amusement.
"What's it to you?" Dwalin only replied.
"I would like to know who you are. And what you are doing in these lands."
"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains." Balin joined the conversation again "journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills."
The boatman looked around skeptically.
"Simple merchants, you say?" he asked and grabbed the next barrel that was in front of him and rolled it to the boat.
"We need food." Thorin said and came closer. "Supplies, weapons. Can you help us?"
The man took a deep breath and examined the barrel he had just put down with one hand.
"I know where these barrels come from." he just said and took hold of the wood splintered by the orc arrows.
"What of it?" the dwarf king replied.
"I don't know what businesses you had with the Elves." The man smiled knowingly at Thorin, then glanced over at Ilèyn. She just screwed up her eyes.
"But I don't think it ended well." the man ended.
Fili and Ilèyn exchanged a quick look. Balin was silent, as was the rest of the group.
"No one enters Lake Town but by leave of the Master." the boatman said. "All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil." With these words the man threw the rope at Balin.
The dwarf looked over at Thorin.
"Offer him more." the latter said softly and became more restless.
Balin looked helplessly at the dwarf leader.
"Others have already drawn the wrath of Thranduil, don't worry." it suddenly came from Ilèyn. Slowly she stepped forward past Thorin to the boatman. The man eyed Ilèyn suspiciously.
"Still, I'll wager..." The archer stood next to Balin, "There are ways to enter that town unseen." She gave the boatman a meaningful look.
"Aye." the latter replied and picked up his bow. He got on his boat and put his weapon there.
"But for that" he turned to Ilèyn. "You would need a smuggler."
Ilèyn pulled the small leather pouch from her belt.
"For which we would pay double." the archer said, and let the bag of money dance in her hand in front of the boatman's eyes.