Daughter of a King

Chapter 38: The Bargeman

(3rd person POV)

Teeth chattering as Arulla clutches tightly to the rim of the barrel, keeping as much distance from her cousin as to not cause him more harm. Ice cold water sloshed from the inside and out cascading their already drenched clothes to stick solely on their skin. And Arulla, still trying to be a sister to her younger cousins, continuously looks behind her to see if any orcs are on their trail, while checking to make sure her brunette cousin is still breathing.

"Anything behind us?" Thorin bellows from a few barrels in front of her.

"Not that I can see." She replied, surveying the rest of the dwarves and their potential injuries.

"I think we've outrun the orcs. " Bofur says, sputtering out the cool liquid as he pops up from the bottom of his barrel.

"Not for long, we've lost the current." Thorin informs.

"Bombur's half drowned!" Dwalin reports.

Arulla looks around her surroundings and finally spots an outcropping of rocks and grass. She stands up as best she could trying to not cause further pain to Kíli and she points to where her eyes are locked, shouting her father's name.

"Thorin!"

Thorin whips his head around and follows his daughter line of vision.

"Make for the shore!"

And everyone pushes themselves to make it to shore as fast as possible to try and get warm, Arulla even more.

(Arulla's POV)

I sigh in relief as I take my fingers across the hard gravel and gaining purchase on a small lip of the rock formation and begin to pull myself and Kíli to the shore. As I begin pulling two arms reach out above me and help me pull to sure. I look back at my brunette cousin as he smirks.

"I'm not helpless cousin" he smiles.

Finally we reach the shore and both young dwarrows use teamwork to get out of their single person barrel with only a few grunts and hisses of pain.

Kíli only makes it a few long wide spaced steps before he's tumbling down onto the stony ground once more. I rush to his side as well as Bofur and Fíli, all three of us are looking at our friend, cousin and brother with great concern and a saddened frown.

"I'm fine. Its nothing." Kíli grumbles but by the look in his eyes, he's in great pain.

"On your feet!" Thorin bellows as he looks to see us four crouching basically sitting on the stony surface. I just rolls my eyes in exasperation

"Kíli's wounded. His leg needs binding." I say, hopefully creating a tone to where I will not be argued upon. Ppht. I wish.

"There's an Orc pack on our tail, we keep moving." Thorin growls. I stand up and turn to him, raising my head o look in his eyes, "And I say Kíli needs his leg bound, he could lose his leg completely if we leave it unchecked, which will not happen if I have anything to say or do about it! And also where can we go? There are no boats, no oars, no way to cross the Long Lake, and no way to make it into Esgaroth unnoticed. We have no weapons, so we can't go around. THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO AS OF THIS VERY MOMENT!! WE ARE SITTING DUCKS!!" I breathe a deep inhale as I try to get my temper under control once more, "So please oh great King," and I give him a mock bow, "Where can we go?"

Every day that I have loved and known Thorin II Oakenshield, I don't believe I've ever seen his face more red in anger and his eyes protraying such frustration. But he breathed deeply before he spoke again, the red in his face slightly lessening. "Bind his leg, quickly." He grounded out, "You have two minutes."