For the Sake of Kings (Thorin x OC x Aragorn romance)

14. That Smell is going to Stick

When I woke up, I found myself on a rocking platform. Turning my head, I realized it was a barge upon seeing a man pushing it through the water.

"I have been bled dry by this venture. What have I seen for my investment? Naught but misery and grief a-and....."
I turned my head at the sound of Gloin's voice, just in time to see all the dwarves staring into the distance.
Gloin was shaking as he took out a pouch of coins he had hidden in his trousers, holding it out to Balin. "Take it, take all of it!"

The barge man cleared his throat as he walked around past my head, whispering something urgently to the dwarves. They began to argue with him until the man said something about guards.
Thorin came over to me, kneeling down and brushing damp hair out of my face, about to say something when the man urged him to hurry up and join the others, who'd disappeared into the barrels they'd come down the river in.

Thorin glared at the man, before shooting me a quick look of apology and going to climb into a barrel.

"So you're awake then? What's a woodland elf doing travelling with this lot?" The man said as he took the control staff again, eyeing me curiously.

"And you are?" I asked, pushing myself up to sit against the short wall of the boat.

"Bard. Now answer me."

I huffed and looked ahead where a dock came into view. Before I could do as he asked, a man called out, drawing away Bard's attention. Slowing the barge to a stop, he climbed off the boat, speaking in hushed tones to another mortal, pointing at the barrels and then shaking the other man's hand.

I watched then in horror as they began pouring dead fish into the barrels over the dwarves, the expression changing to one of amusement as I heard muffled grumbling among the slapping of the fish.

Bard pushed away from the dock when the barrels were filled to bursting, and looked at me expectantly.
"Very well." I grumbled. Moving so I was leaning against the platform he was standing on instead.
"These dwarves were confined guests in our cells. Somehow they managed to escape, and when my kin and I went after them, they'd become targets of orcs. We couldn't just let them die on the river, so we followed and defended them. Unfortunately, I sustained a bit of injury and fell into the water. The last I remember, the dwarves saved me from drowning."

Bard's face told me he didn't believe the altered tale, but he nodded anyway. "Quite the story.." he muttered, before yet another man's voice was heard.

"Halt! Good's inspection!"

Bard stopped at another dock, and moved to give a tired looking man some papers, which were stamped and about to be returned, until a rat looking man appeared and snatched them up.

"Not so fast. Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm. Only they're not empty are they, Bard? If I recall correctly...you're licensed as a bargeman. Not a fisherman."

Bard got closer to the slimey man, speaking in quiet, angry tones.

The rat man waved at him dismissively, before some guards approached and began to tilt the barrels, dumping fish into the water.
I lifted myself up to try to stop them as Bard continued to try and convince the other man that dumping the fish wasn't a good idea, and that it could start riots. I grabbed one of the guards arms and he shoved me back, before the rat man told them to stop. They righted the barrels and Bard climbed back on, about to push away from the docks when the slimeball shouted at him to stop again, climbing onto the boat.

"What now, Alfred.." Bard growled.
'Alfred' approached me, where I stood leaning against one of the barrels.

"Who is this.. vision?" He said, taking one of my hands and kissing my knuckles. Bile rose in my throat, but I pushed it down to give him a haughty expression.