A Shot in the Dark (Thilbo - Bagginshield)

Chapter 16

"So... what's the plan?" Bilbo asked as they made their way to the long and thin bridge that would lead them to Lake-town. It was the only way for them to pass over the lake without a boat, and it stretched on into a fog that not even his Hobbit eyes could see through.

"We restock what we can in the town. Then we continue to Erebor," Thorin explained, leading the group.

"Great. Wonderful. But what if the citizens of Lake-town object to our little adventure? I don't think they really want to risk making Smaug angry," he pointed out.

"They will not stop us," Thorin said with certainty. "We are too close to fail now. We will retake Erebor or die trying."

Bilbo couldn't help but flinch.

"I'd rather it not come to that," he said quietly.

Bifur was the only one who heard him, and he gently patted the Hobbit on the shoulder. He made a sign with his other hand that he roughly translated to mean, 'It won't come to that.'

When they reached the bridge, Bilbo looked ahead at the two guards on duty in front of the locked gate. They were drinking and laughing over something between them with their weapons abandoned at their feet. The group was halfway across the bridge before they were finally noticed by the two Men.

"Halt! Who are you and what do you want?" yelled one as the other cursed and spilt his drink down his shirt.

Thorin looked them over with an arched brow, obviously unimpressed. "I am Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, and I have come for my kingdom."

The two young Men simply stared at him.

"You're a Dwarf," said the one who had spilled his drink.

"And you're the village idiot," Thorin returned easily, and then pushed past the two without hesitation.

"Wait a minute! You can't just barge in without permission!" cried the first Man who had spoken. He swung himself in front of the king and leveled his rusted and dull sword at him. "Step back now!"

Thorin looked to the blade for a moment before turning to Dwalin. The taller Dwarf stepped forward and calmly broke the sword in half with his hands. The broken piece fell to the ground, and the two Men stared at it as if it had just insulted their entire lineages.

"Wow. This is reaching a new level of pathetic," Bofur commented, wincing.

Bilbo mentally agreed and stepped forward to save the two from further humiliation. "Would you please inform your lord of our arrival? We must speak with him as soon as possible."

The two guards turned to look at him, and the second one pointed a finger at him. "Who are you? What are you?"

"The one trying to save you from making a bigger fool of yourself," he replied sweetly. "We simply wish to speak to your leader. Now let us in before you say something even stupider."

"I kind of want to see that," admitted Kíli.

The first guard at least had the sense to pull his friend away and gestured to the gate. "F-Fine. Follow us then. But don't try anything! We have a lot of soldiers on guard inside."

Nori snorted as they followed the Men into the town. "If they're anything like you two, I'm sure we'll be fine."

~*~

Lake-town looked exactly as Bilbo remembered. The wooden buildings were still suspended above the water as if floating. There were few roads or streets to be seen; mostly there were canals with boats, and bridges built high above them to connect the homes. The air was chilly, and he could smell of stench of dead fish and lake water even miles away.