Stay With Me [Thorin Oakenshield]

Chapter 19: Laketown

By the time the orcs reached the dock, the company of Thorin Oakenshield was long gone.

Mist from the lake had spread onto the shore, hiding the sun from view as the foul creatures scattered over the area, searching for a sign of their prey. A small puddle of bloodied water caught an orc's attention. He knelt down, dabbing a finger into it and lifted it to his mouth for a taste. "Bolg! This is dwarf blood.", he informed his commander, confirming their assumption that the dwarves had passed by this part of the shore.

The tall orc growled in frustration. When another went to speak up however, Bolg lifted his hand to silence him. He sniffed the air. "There is another scent...", he thought aloud, trying to pinpoint what it was. It didn't take him long to do so. "Man flesh!", the orc snarled as he followed the lingering scent to the dock. His expression turned sour when he realised what had occurred. "They have found a way across the lake."
Swiftly he turned to face the orcs that had joined him to chase down the dwarves. He approached the one who had first addressed him, causing him to straighten up and await his orders.

"Report back to our master as quickly as you can. Tell him he was right about the woman.", Bolg demanded. An evil grin spread on his features.

"She is exactly who he believed her to be."

The barge creaked as it slowly moved through the freezing water. The mist that had spread onto the shores had thickened as they moved further out onto the lake, leaving them with barely any sight of what lay ahead. Louisa shivered slightly in the cold as she stood by the dwarves, having joined them with Thorin shortly after their conversation.

"Watch out!", Bofur suddenly exclaimed. Louisa quickly looked to see what had startled the dwarf so much. Large stone ruins had appeared before them, getting dangerously close. It looked as though they were buildings that had been claimed by the lake over time. The woman glanced back at Bard who remained calm, entirely unbothered. He maneuvered them around without difficulty, as though he had known that they were there before even seeing them. He probably had, Louisa figured. She felt reassured that the bargeman knew what he was doing. Thorin on the other hand did not share her trust in his abilities.

The king glared at the man. "What are you trying to do? Drown us?", he asked spitefully. A haughty expression crossed over the bargeman's face.
"I was born and bred on these waters, master dwarf.", he informed the company's leader.
"If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here."

Had she not spoken to him earlier, Louisa would have believed Bard to be threatening them. Dwalin seemed to think precisely that. "Oh, I've had enough of this lippy lakeman.", he grumbled, turning to glance at his companions over his shoulder. "I say we throw him over the side and be done with him.", the dwarf suggested. Louisa threw him a pointed look but did not comment, knowing that he wouldn't truly go through with it.

"Oh, Bard, his name's Bard.", Bilbo muttered unamused.
Bofur furrowed his brows in confusion. "How do you know?", he asked. "Uh, we asked him.", the hobbit revealed, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he pointed out the obvious. Dwalin grumbled quietly to himself. "I don't care what he calls himself. I don't like him.", he dismissed Bilbo's notion.

Louisa was about to speak up when a voice of reason beat her to it. "We don't have to like him. We simply have to pay him.", Balin spoke up, fed up with his brother's malcontent. He placed a few coins on the small table before him as he addressed his companions. "Come on now, lads. Turn out your pockets.", he demanded. Louisa wasn't surprised in the least when dissatisfied grumbling ensued. None of the dwarves liked parting with their gold. With a little encouragement most of them complied but Louisa took notice of Gloin who merely crossed his arms in front of his chest, not contributing anything.