Hope and Memory[Thorin Oakenshield Love Story]

[Chapter Thirty One]

It was a quiet, cold journey across the lake. The dwarves sat away at the front of the boat, away from their kind savior. They did not fully trust this man to keep his word and didn't bother to find out what his name was. Freya was the only one, who had approached the man to thank him for allowing her and the others to travel with him and she now knew him as Bard. Thorin would often glance over at her, seeing her smile as she continued to talk to Bard, which was probably why he didn't hear Dwalins annoyed voice calling his name for the fifth time.

" Thorin!" Dwalin hissed, snapping the dwarf out of his gaze. Balin chuckled to himself, noticing the princes distractions. Thorin quickly turned to Dwalin, who had his eyebrow cocked at him, wondering why their leader was acting so strange these last few weeks. "What is going on with you laddie?" Dwalin questioned.

" Nothing." Thorin grumbled and he walked away from the others towards the man and the woman. Dwalin turned to his brother, seeing him still smirking to himself.

" What's so funny, brother?"

" I think Thorin, likes our young miss Freya." Balin stated, watching as the prince approached Bard and Freya. Dwalin turned to look at the leader and the hobbit and could not see what his brother obviously saw.

" Freya." Thorin said as he nudged his head in the direction of where the others were, for her to join them. She smiled to bard and walked over to Thorin.

" What's wrong?" Freya asked, seeing the glaring look he had on, as he looked at Bard.

" I think you should stay over here with the rest of us. We cannot trust him." Thorin said, sternly and she smirked, not seeing how this man was a threat to them.

" Thorin, I think if he wanted to kill us, he would have done so. " The hobbit insisted as she walked passed him over to her cousin, who was starring off across the lake, that was covered in a layer of mist. Bard continued to stir the boat through the haze, when Bofur saw approaching tall rock formations.

" Watch out!" The bargeman weaved through them no problem. The prince glared at Bard.

" What are you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin growled at the man.

" I was born and bred on these waters, master dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." Bard snapped back and two of them continued to glare at each other in distrust.

" Oh, i've had enough of this lippy lakeman." Dwalin bickered. I say we throw him over the side and be done with it." Freya shook her head at this nonsense and rolled her eyes.

" Oh, Bard, his name's Bard." Freya snapped in Dwalin's direction.

" How do you know?" Bofur questioned.

" Ah, I asked him." She stated firmly. Making the prince smirk, as she argued with Dwalin.

" I don't care what he calls himself. I don't like him." Dwalin grumbled. The woman gave up, not wanting to argue with the fearless dwarf anymore.

" We do not have to like him. We simply have to pay him." Balin stated, who was sitting at a crate, counting the coins that everyone had chipped in to pay this bargeman for getting them across the lake and to supply them with weapons, food, and any other provisions they may need to get them to their destination. " Come on now, lads. Turn out your pockets." The dwarves grumbled, but began searching their pockets for any money they had and gave it to Balin.

Freya and Bilbo felt bad for not being able to help with the cost, but Thorin assured them, they were fine. " How do we know he won't betray us?" Dwalin questioned in a low voice.

" We don't" Thorin admitted as he eyed the man and then turned around when Balin spoke.

" There's, um, just a wee problem." The older dwarf stated, as he counted to make sure he hadn't made a mistake the first time. " We're ten coins short." Thorin sighed before turning to one dwarf in particular.

" Gloin. Come on. Give us what you have."

" Don't look at me." Gloin snapped, when everyone's eyes turned to him. " I have been bled dry by this venture. And what have I seen for my investment? Naught but misery and grief and--" The dwarf complained only to notice the others were standing and admiring a sight that was coming into view, they were so close; the Mountain was right there in front of them." Bless my beard. Take it. Take all of it." The red bearded dwarf said, handing Balin a sack full of coins. Bilbo suddenly cleared his throat, seeing Bard quickly approaching them.

" The money, quick. Give it to me." Bard ordered.

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

" If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards ahead." Bard pressed and the dwarves turned around to see docks coming into view, just outside the city. Thorin nodded to Balin to give the man their money and they began climbing into the barrels to hid before they are seen by the guards. Freya was about to climb into a barrel, only to see it was occupied by one of the dwarves, she frantically searched for an empty barrel that wasn't being occupied or at least find the one her cousin was in, they were both small and wouldn't be as squished like she was with the dwarf prince.

"Hurry up!" Bard hissed at her, when the barge was only inches from the dock he was approaching. She didn't know what to do. Thorin peeked his head out to see the woman was still trying to find a place to hid.

" Freya." Thorin whispered, waving his arm at her to get over to his barrel. She groaned and threw up her hands, knowing she had no more time. The barge had hit the deck, when the young woman dashed over to the barrel, causing the hobbit to fall on her stomach, against the wooden planks. She looked behind her to see the guards hadn't noticed her yet, but Bard had seen her lying there and was cursing under his breath for her to find somewhere to hide quickly.

The hobbit slowly stood up, watching the guards, her hand searching for the top of the barrel. " Get in here." Thorin quickly said, yanking her in, when he saw her hand, and she let out a soft shriek, when she fell in, causing the guard, Bard was talking to, to look in the direction of the barge, wondering where the sudden sound came from.

Freya was panting, her face was pressed against Thorin's firm chest, trying to slow her breathing from nearly being seen. " What's he doing?" Dwalin questioned, in a whisper for only those around to here.

" He's talking to someone." Bilbo answered, peering through a hole in his barrel that looked in the view of where the man was. " He's pointing right at us." Bilbo informed, moving from the hole before he was seen, only to peek through it again. " Now they're shaking hands."

" What?!" Thorin snarled.

"The villain." Dwalin snapped. " He's selling us out." Suddenly their is a sound of rattling chains and heavy footsteps coming onto the barge. Freya buried herself into Thorin when they came closer.

" Shh." Thorin murmured at her, when they were all suddenly hit with dozens of cold, slimy fish until they were completely buried in them. When the barge began moving once again, the young woman cringed at the smell and feel of the fish against her.

" Gross." She groaned