Once Upon A Dream || The Hobbit ¹

13| 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝓮𝓷

esgaroth, the long lake

— AMIDST THE FOG THAT HANGS LOW UPON THE LAKE, THE BARGE MOVES SILENTLY. Mere shells of ruins protrude threateningly from the water here and there, but the bargeman doesn't seem to have a problem navigating, even with their sight at a disadvantage.

"Watch out!" Bofur cries as the jutting edge of a stone wall suddenly appears before them. The barge creaks as it's steered carefully aside.

An owl flaps its wings vigorously to land on the boat's edge next toThorin as he shoots the bargeman a glare. "What are you trying to do, drown us?"

The man cocks a brow. "I was born and bred on these waters, master dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." the owl cooes, though it sounds more like a giggle. Thorin watches her with an unreadable expression as she lifts her wing, tugging out a few loose feathers with her beak. Hesitantly, he reaches out, one finger stroking the animal's soft cheek. Her body seems to sink into itself, completely relaxed, her eyes becoming tiny slits as she purrs.

"Oh, I've had enough of this lippy lakeman." Dwalin grumbles. "I say we throw him over the side and be done with it."

"Oh, Bard, his name's Bard." Bilbo chides.

Bofur scowls. "How do you know?"

"Uh, I asked him."

Withdrawing from the owl, Thorin moves past Dwalin's side as his friend continues on with his grievances. "I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him."

"We do not have to like him," Balin reminds them, taking out his coin. "We simply have to pay him. Come on now, lads. Turn out your pockets."

"How do we know he won't betray us?" Dwalin whispers, low enough that only Thorin catches it.

"We don't."

"There's um, just a wee problem. We're ten coins short." Balin grimaces at the sight before him.

Scarlett gives a chirp before spreading her wings, taking off to land on the surface holding their coin. She extends her wings wide, flapping them twice. No visible magic occurs, but when she steps aside, there sits twice the coin that had been there before.

As they drift forward, the sun begins to part the fog just slightly, shimmering against the water's surface. It's as if a curtain is pulled gently aside, and everyone falls silent, the dwarves rising slowly to their feet, eyes full of reverence as they stare at what the brief sheath of light has revealed. Lone and towering, the mountain seems to cast the world in its shadow, and the land almost appears to bend to it rather than the other way around. It doesn't feel sad, the way Scarlett expected, though. It feels more as if it's waiting in its silence. Like it's patient. Like it knows someone will come home to it someday. It seems impossible that it's so close, after everything. The snowy owl flies up to a beam above the others to get a better look, and a strange feeling tugs at her gut, drawing her in for some reason.

The heavy, still moment is suddenly interrupted by Bard's approach. "The money, quick. Give it to me."

Thorin frowns. "We will pay you when we get our provisions, but not before."

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say." He warns. "There are guards ahead."

Thorin meets Scarlett's eyes up above, and after a second, the owl gives a little nod of approval in return. She won't realise until later that he looked to her – only to her – because her opinion is something truly valuable to him. Thorin won't realise until later that he would not have acted without her confirmation, both because he values her opinion and because he wants her to know that he does.