Bard of Laketown

Chapter Two

My dreams were frightening and dark.

I saw a mountain, so large it disappeared into the clouds. I saw a battle with dwarves and monsters, bloody and heartless. There was a young dwarf fighting against a pale Orc with a scarred face and sharp teeth. The dwarf was covered with blood and losing strength quickly. The Orc raised his weapon and brought it down to end the life of the dwarf, but the dwarf rolled to the side and grabbed a large oaken branch, using it as a shield.

He took a sword from beside him and sliced down with his remaining strength, severing the orc's arm at the elbow.

The Orc let out a roar so loud that it rattled my skull.

I sat up quickly, sweat pouring from my forehead. I gasped for breath, and reached down for the mug of water, still beside my mattress. It was cool and sweet, and felt heavenly running down my sore throat.

I didn't know what the dream meant. I wasn't sure I wanted to know either, but something about it made me want to find that young dwarf and help him, wherever he was.

I stood up, my legs still weak and shaking, and walked to the door. Bard was sitting, his back leaning against it. It looked like he was sleeping, but when I knelt down in front of him, his brown eyes opened and he frowned. "What are you doing?"

I sighed. "I must go, Bard. Back to my people. I don't belong here."

He grabbed my wrist. "Your people?"

I tucked my hair behind my ear. "Yes. I should not have left them."

His eyes were fixated on my pointed ear. "So you are an elf..." He muttered under his breath.

"Yes. Please, Bard. I'm sorry I caused this interruption. Let me go."

"Did you come from Mirkwood?"

I nodded.

He threw his hands in the air. "Of all the places... The Master of Laketown already despises and distrusts me. If the elves realize you are gone, they will not trade with us anymore and I will be thrown in prison."

"But it wasn't your fault."

"I was the one who brought you here, wasn't I?"

"I'll go back. Your children need you. As I said this, I realized that I haven't seen a mother in the house. I wondered what happened to her. "Where is she?" I asked softly.

"Dead." He answered this in a short tone and then stood up. "I'm a fool for even letting you return in this state, but I'm going to come with you."

I started to protest, but he put a finger to his lips and walked over to where the boy, Bain, is asleep.

"Bain, I'm taking the lady back to her home. I need you to stay here and watch the girls until I come back."

Bain sat up. "Can't she go back by herself? We need you here, Da." His eyes flickered to me, and I felt surprised at the hard glint I saw in them.

Bard sighed. "Please, Bain. I'll be back soon. Try and go back to sleep."

He turned and walked back toward me, his gaze hard.

"I'm sorry," I said, but he didn't respond. 

He opened the door and walked past me. I was still wearing his coat, and I felt even more guilty for what I had done to this struggling family when I glanced back over my shoulder and saw Bain glaring at me from the corner.

I was taking away not only their father, but their mother, provider, and protector as well.

Bard walked down the steps to his boat and got in, and I closed the door and hurried after him.

"Bard, stay here!" I said. "I can go by myself."

He laughed wryly. "Really? How are you going to cross the freezing lake? How are you going to know which way to go? From the looks of it, you haven't the slightest idea of how to survive in the cold."

"No, but I-"

"Do you know how to make a fire? How to hunt?"

I kept quiet. That had been brought up many times back at Mirkwood. I was untalented for an elf. I could shoot a bow, and use a sword, but compared to some of the others, I was no better than a human or a dwarf.

"Hunt- animals?" 

"What else is there to hunt?"

"Roots, berries, and herbs."

He turned to me. "Do you think that we'll be able to find any of that out here?" He swept his arm across the town, to the frozen lake, to the snow-covered lands beyond that.

"Is it always so cold here?" I asked.

"No, but the shadow of the mountain isn't the warmest place to live."

I looked behind me and saw the same mountain from my dream, miles away and reaching into the sky.

"I had a dream with that mountain," I said.

"Did you now." He didn't look at me.

"Yes, there were dwarves."

"Really." He didn't sound at all interested.

I stopped talking and watched the houses as we rowed by. They were all the same, shabby and falling to pieces. "Why is everyone here so poor?" I asked.

"The Master takes all of our money."

I realized that he wasn't in the mood to talk. It was still dark, and the houses cast long shadows on the docks.

NOTE: I know it seems like the story is moving way too fast, but I'm going to add some barriers in their way! Comment your feedback!! -N