The Choice [I Gilas] {A Hobbit Fanfiction} (DISCONTINUED)

12. I Hîr en Esgaroth [The Master of Lake-town]

It took us all some time to agree to Bard's ridiculous plan, but eventually we did and I didn't regret anything more in my life. There was nothing more embarrassing than climbing out of Bard's toilet and I certainly didn't blame Dwalin for threatening Bard's son that he would rip his arms off if he spoke of this to anyone.

"Da, why are there Dwarves climbing out of our toilet?" a girl asked as we made our way upstairs to the living room with soaked clothes.

"Will they bring us luck?" another — younger — girl asked.

When we had all arrived in the living room, Bard heated up the fireplace and gave us a few blankets to dry ourselves. Bilbo and I were the only ones to thank him.

I noticed Thorin staring out of the window and I wondered what he was looking at. I moved over to him and saw some kind of large crossbow standing on a large wooden structure. I recognised it immediately, and so did Thorin.

"A Dwarvish wind lance," he whispered. I put the blanket I held tighter around my shoulders and sat down on the windowsill.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Bilbo noted.

"He has," Balin told him. "The last time we saw such a weapon, a city was on fire." I averted my eyes. Indeed, the last time I had seen it Smaug was destroying the city and Thranduil gave the order to do nothing. I felt ashamed for that, even though I was almost banished for defying his order.

"The day that Smaug destroyed Dale," Balin continued. "Girion, the Lord of the city, rallied his bowmen to fire upon the beast. But a dragon's hide is tough. Tougher than the strongest armour. Only a Black Arrow fired from a wind lance could have pierced the dragon's hide. And few of those arrows were ever made..." I closed my eyes, seeing everything again. The fire, the destruction, the fear on people's faces. It had all really happened. I knew what had happened that day. Girion fired off the last Black Arrow, but he missed and that miss cost him dearly.

"Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different," Thorin said.

"Dale was destroyed," I whispered, "and all because Thranduil refused to help." I clenched my fist angrily. We heard footsteps and looked up to see Bard looking at us.

"You speak as if you were there," he said, looking from Thorin to Balin to me.

"All Dwarves know the tale," Thorin lied. Bard looked at me.

"My father told me what happened," I said quickly.

"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon," Bain, Bard's son, said. "He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast." Dwalin, who was standing behind Bard and Bain, laughed.

"That's a fairy story, lad, nothing more," he chuckled, shaking his head. Thorin turned to Bard, stepping towards him.

"You took our money," he said. "Where are the weapons?"

"Wait here," Bard told him and left the room. As soon as he was out of view, we all gathered around Thorin.

"Tomorrow begins the last days of autumn," he said.

"Durin's Day falls the morn after next," Balin told us. "We must reach the mountain before then."

"How are we going to do that, then?" I hissed.

"We will find a way," Thorin assured me.

"And what if we do not?" Kíli asked. "If we fail to find a way or fail to find the hidden door before the last day of autumn?"

"Then this quest has been for nothing," Fíli added. We all stopped talking when we heard Bard climb up the stairs again. He threw a large package on the table and removed the cloth that was wrapped around it, revealing a pile of anglers, hammers and other fisher's tools. The Dwarves picked them up, looking at them closely.