The Half Breed Ranger

Chapter 24: Laketown

*Hey sorry guys for not updating as often! i had a bit of writer's block but I'm past it now! So here you go! *

After the river Rapids in the barrels, the pulled themselves up and onto the shore of rocks. The pain in Amanda's lower right side, where the orc had got her, had only increased from the waters. Once she was on her feet, she staggered away slightly from the group. She ripped a piece of her shirt off and wrapped it tightly around her waist. She grunted as she pulled it tightly around her.

" Amanda? Are you alright?" Bofur's concerned voice drift to her. He must have heard her muffled groans of pain. Amanda sighed and put on a smile before turning around to face him.

" Fine, just slightly dizzy from all that bashed around." She smiled through her pain. Bofur could see there was more to what she was saying but dropped the subject anyway and went to help Thorin pull the other out of the barrels. Kili feel onto a rock and took a piece of cloth before he began to clean his wound. Amanda instantly rushed over to him and knelt down.

" Kili. Here give it to me." Amanda spoke and gently took the cloth from his hands and into her own.

" It's alright, Amanda. I can do it." Kili spoke but she just shook her head and began to clean his blackening wound. Her brows fused in concern as she was positive she had seen a wound like this before.

" I will wrap it and when we get to Laketown I will tend to it properly." Amanda whispered as a sharp pain burst through her from her own wound.

" Amanda, why are you covered in blood?" Kili asked wearily to her as she just shook her head softly.

" I was fighting against orc." Amanda simply stated and tied a cloth around his leg and stood up. "He just managed to get a kick into my side 'tis all." She answered him as he just shook his head, not believing her at all. Just as she finished tying the cloth around his wound, everyone froze and turned around to see the outline of a man standing, towering above them with a ready bow. Dwalin was the first to take action and hold up a thick stick ready to fight but the man fired his arrow and It embedded itself into the stick. Immediately after that Kili reached down and picked up a large stone, swinging it back ready to launch it. But as soon as it reached back an arrow shot it straight from his hand. The arrow bounced and missed Amanda's cheek by inches

" Do it again... and you're dead." The man said moving the aim of his arrow between them all.

" Excuse me, but erm..." Balin said grabbing the man's attention, " You're from lake town, If I'm not mistaken." He continued while taking careful steps closer to the man.

" That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?" he asked as the man dropped his bow and turned around.

" No." Was all he said as he walked over to his barge and began to load the barrel onto it. Amanda quickly follows him closely followed by the others.

" Please, we are in need of safe passage to Laketown. If we go around the lake it will take day and we have no food or clean water." Amanda begged him with pleading eyes.

" What makes you think I would help you?" The Bargeman spoke as he stepped off the boat to collect another barrel. 

" Those boots have seen better days. As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed?" Balin chuckled softly trying to win the man over. " How many Bairns?"

" A boy and two girls." He said, this surprised Amanda as to the fact he openly said that to a stranger.

" And your wife, I imagine she's a beauty." Balin continued looking back then to the bargeman again.

" Aye." The bargeman said standing straight with a somewhat guarded posture. "She was." He spoke which caused Amanda heart to sink as her eyes instantly looked over to Kili before looking down to the rocks below her feet.

" I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Balin began only to be cut off by his brother.

" Oh, Come on, Come on. Enough of the niceties" He growled as he stepped down towards Thorin.

" What's your hurry?" The man asked with a smirk.

" What's it to you?" Dwalin seemed to grumble out to the man. Amanda sighed knowing if Dwalin kept talking there was no way of swinging the Bargeman around.

" I would like to know who you are, and what you are doing in these lands." The man said as Balin opened his mouth to speak. 

" I'm going to visit my mother, who resides in the Iron hills. She is sick... I wanted to get their fast with my Uncle and two cousins." Amanda stepped in saying as she pointed to Thorin, Fili and Kili. 

" Then what are the rest of them doing with you?" The man asked as Amanda looked to him.

" We are travelling a long distance, across the wild where Orcs are growing ferocious in numbers. We did not want to chance it going just four of us." Amanda continued on to answer his question. 

" Please, we need your help."Amanda continued to beg him as Thorin stepped over to her and placed a hand onto her shoulder.

" We need food, supplies, weapons." Thorin began as you looked down and away from the man as memories of when you found out what happened to your mother, flooded back. You tried to blink away the tears rapidly. " Can you help us?" 

" I know where these barrels came from." The man said rubbing the splintered wood of the barrel.

" What of it?" Throin spoke lowly to him.

" I don't know what business you had with the elves, But I don't think it ended well." Amanda visible cringed at his words.

" No one enters Laketown but by the leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from the trade of the woodland realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil." The man spoke as Balin looked to Thorin and he whispered huskily to him. Amanda tuned out of the conversation now going on as the pain in her right side seemed to increase greatly. She grunted gently as her hand moved up to the wound to find her blood was seeping through her bandage. Her mind began to spin gently and her vision rocked side to side. 

" Shit." She hissed as she grabbed onto Thorin, who turned to look at her alarmed as her forehead rested against his cold wet shoulder.

" Amanda, what's wrong?" Thorin asked in a worried voice as Amanda sank to her knees as they could no longer hold her weight. Thorin dropped down next to her and placed his hands onto her sides but retracted his left hand when it touched her wound. He looked down as saw red on his hand and your clothes.

" You're wounded." He spoke with fear as Thorin turned his head to look at Oin for help. 

"T-Thorin. I'm fine..." She whispered in a weak voice as she tried to stand up only to fall towards the ground at her left side. She grunted as Thorin caught her before she hit the ground.

" You are anything but fine. Why did you not tell me?" Thorin asked as he cradled Amanda to his chest. Oin began to look at him wound as Thorin looked to him with a pale face. Oin leaned over to whisper into Thorin's ear.

" If I cannot get her wound cleaned and taken care of in the next half a day at most... She will not make it." He said as Thorin snapped his head to look at the bargeman.

" Please you must help us. Help my niece if anything. We do not have the supplies to heal her and if we don't she will surely pass." Thorin begged for one of the only times in his life and for once he was truly afraid that he would lose Amanda. 

" Fine, But hurry." The bargeman spoke as he placed the last of the barrels onto the boat. Thorin looked down at Amanda and Kissed her forehead as he picked her up.

" Hold on." He whispered to her gently so only she could hear his words as her eyes fell shut.