The Hobbit | The Lost Bender {Book 1}

31 | All aboard

{Myrna POV}

I swallowed thickly as the tension within the group started to grow.

"Listen, there is no need to be afraid of us right now. We do not need any special treatment whatsoever."

Taeryn watched me with large eyes.
"What is it? Do you want to show us something?"

She nodded lightly, stretching her limbs to warm them up.
"The time in the cell has made her stiff." Cedrick said.

"But now know why they were afraid of her." Rigmor said, crossing her arms as she looked at the airbender in front of her. Taeryn signed something.

"She means that she used to have a glider when she was younger."

I frowned.
"A what?"
"A glider. Something that made her able to glide through the sky. It is also of good use in battle, so we should craft one as soon as we can."

I nodded understandingly, pulling one of the ties from my hair. Taeryn shook her head.
"She held her hair short on purpose. That way, it won't tangle too much."

"It explains the funny choice of clothes."
I mumbled. Taeryn blushed a bit, brushing her hands over her grey tunic.
"It doesn't matter. I think it suits you." I added.

A grin spread over her face.
"Are we really totally okay now?" I asked her.
She nodded frantically, her grin growing even more. "Good."

It was truly satisfying to watch, the elegant jumps that she made in the sky, high over the treetops she went.

"It must look fantastic when she glides."

Cedrick nodded as she pushed a few Dwarfs aside with the force of her landing, who tumbled onto the ground, laughing loudly.

"They seem to enjoy it so far."
"I wish others thought about it that way as well. But no, we had to flee from Lake Town and got captured right here. We woke up in our own bed and went to sleep in prison."

I looked over the group. Bofur, Bombur and Oin were literally being blown away by Taeryn's powers, Kili's wound was being tended by Fili, Thorin was sitting on a rock, sunken away in thought.

On the shore, I saw Ori emptying his boots, which were still filled with water.
"I am going to check up with him." I announced, standing up to meet my friend.

Or was he to be called a friend? I sunk down next to him, smiling a bit as he turned to face me.
"What do you want?" His voice was cold.
"I wanted to apologise. I should've stood up for you. Kili was just being mean."

"But you really think I am stupid, don't you?" I shook my head.
"You aren't stupid, you silly Dwarf! You are my friend!"

I wrapped my arm around him.
"I'm just not good with words. Can we just be friends again?"

He stared at his hands for a second before he nodded. Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over us.

The chattering of Dwarfs fell still as we looked up, a man standing there with a bow aimed towards Ori. Dwalin grabbed a branch and leapt in front of Ori to defend the young lad.

He started to charge, but the arrow from the man buried itself into the wood he was holding. Kili picked up a rock to throw, but with a quick aim it is whacked out of his hand by a steel arrow.

"Do it again, and you're dead." the man taunted.

"Excuse me, but, uh, you're from Lake Town, if I'm not mistaken? That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

We all turned to Balin as the man lowered his bow.
He jumped from the rock he was standing on, hoisting himself into his boat.
We slowly followed him.

"What makes you think I will help you?"

"Those boots have seen better days." Balin answered as the man started to stack the barrels onto the deck. "As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?"

Now I understood Balin's strategy. He tried to convince the man to help us by talking about his little cubs. We had gold, but not a lot. However, we could miss a bit.

"A boy and two girls." His eyes filled with sorrow as he stared at the casks for a brief second, his mind probably wandering to his children who he had to raise in poverty.

"And your wife, I'd imagine she's a beauty."
She had to be, I thought, since the man himself wasn't ugly at all.

"Aye. She was." Poor thing. Balin's smile fell.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, come on, come on, enough with the niceties!" Dwalin interrupted.

"What's your hurry?" the man asked, crossing his arms.
"What's it to you?" the tattooed Dwarf snapped back.

"I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands."

Balin stepped forward. "We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills."

The man raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Simple merchants, you say?"
"We'll need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?"

The man seemed to think for a moment, combing his hand through his brown beard.
"I know where these barrels came from."

"What of it?" Thorin quizzed.
"I don't know what business you had with the Elves, but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Lake Town but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He will see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil."

The man boards his barge, throwing a rope towards Balin.
"Offer him more." Thorin muttered.

"I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen." Balin noted.
"Aye. But for that, you will need a smuggler." Bard said.

"For which we will pay double." the Dwarf concluded.

I started to grow a little worried, since I didn't even know if we had that many coin.

"Alright." he said, making space for us to board.

One by one, we stepped on board.
As Bard pushed the boat from the shore, I looked back at the land.

From the shadows, a certain blonde Elf had stepped, his eyes filled with something I couldn't lay a finger on.

As soon as he noticed me, I threw him a kiss.