The Woman Out of Time [1]

Chapter 28: The Bowman's Tale

"Wet", I sigh "wet again."

I can't feel my limbs, the icy water causing them to seize up as I paddle. I make my way under the wooden flooring amongst the dwarves and Bilbo. I hiss for breath, the cold air not helping my frozen lungs consume air as we head in the direction Bard ordered us to go.

Without any other option, we had to climb into this bloody ice water and swim in pursuit of Bard's house. Through the only place possible. The toilet. At first, I was in complete shock, but then I remembered that there isn't plumbing in this world. Meaning...well, I try not to think of what I could be swimming in right now.

The wooden flooring above us lowers, forcing us to be chin-deep in the water. We hold onto the flooring above to guide us as our limbs start to freeze. I shiver, focusing my mind on the warm house only a few more feet ahead of us.

Dwalin, at the head of the group, stops and gestures for us to wait. His head is illuminated by a dull light coming from a small hole. Something brushes past my leg, and I close my eyes to pray that it is a fish. Thankfully we don't wait long, the three knocks as our signal booming above. 

Dwalin pulls himself up through the toilet. "If you speak of this to anyone, I'll rip your arms off."

Dwalin disappears, Bilbo being the next to hoist himself out of the toilet. The dwarves climb out of the toilet in a single file, one by one. I follow behind Ori as the sweet dwarf gets out. My frozen limbs don't help with pulling me out. Bard's son, Bain, offers me his hand, which I take happily.

"Thank you, Bain", I offer with a kind smile, following the others towards the stairs. Bombur's head appears as I leave, the dwarf struggling more than the rest to get up.  

"Da...why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?" a young woman's voice asks.

"Will they bring us luck?" a young girl's voice states excitedly.

I emerge at the top of the stairs into a small home. To my left, I find a fireplace. To my right sits a dining table and a kitchen beyond that covered in herbs and various nets. My attention turns to Bard as he offers me a blanket, and I take it gratefully, wrapping myself in it quickly as my body shivers.

"Bain, we need warm clothes", Bard states, handing half of the blankets to his youngest daughter. I smile down at her as she peers up at us all with beaming blue eyes. "Sigrid, this is Ashley", Bard introduces me to his eldest. "Can you find her some clothes and privacy, please?"

Sigrid nods, still unsure what's going on. She offers me a smile. "Follow me."

I happily follow after the young women. Bard wasn't wrong. She can't be much younger than I, probably only a few years. We venture into a back room by the kitchen, a simple sheet covering the doorway. I duck under it as Sigrid holds it for me. It's a small room with two beds on either wall, a single window at the end covered with a thin curtain.

Sigrid rushes over to one of the beds, pulling out a large box. She props it open, sorting through in pursuit of something. She pulls out a faded blue dress and a white underdress with sleeves rolled up. She glances over at me, surveying my size and what may fit me.

"It's not much, but it will keep you warm", she offers, handing me the dresses.

"Thank you, Sigrid."

She smiles, pushing the box back under the bed and pulling out another. She pulls out some knitted dark brown stockings. I hadn't thought about what humans here wear, having only been dressed by the elves since arriving. It hadn't even occurred to me that they would own old clothes like those of the 18th century. As if confirming my thoughts, she pulls out brown woollen fingerless gloves. They are long enough to cover up to my elbows. Sigrid also pulls out a dark brown woolen shawl to go over the dress.