Coincidence? →️The Hobbit fanfic

XV

"What makes you think I would help you?" the man asked as he loaded the elvish barrels onto his boat.

"Those boots have seen better days," Dwalin answered. "As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?"

"A boy and two girls." the man replied while continuing to load his boat.

"And your wife, I imagine she's a beauty," Dwalin said with a smile and the man froze with his back to them, "Aye, she was."

Dwalin's smile faded, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Dwalin interrupted, "Oh, come on, come on. Enough of the niceties."

The man turned his head to the dwarf, "What's your hurry?"

"What's it to you?" he asked.

"I would like to know who you are...and what you are doing in this lands." he stepped from his boat and stopped in front of Balin, who explained, "We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills."

"Simple merchants, you say?" the man moved to the barrels. "We need food...supplies, weapons. Can you help us?" Thorin asked. The man ran his hand along one of the barrels and the damage that the orcs had done to them, "I know where these barrels came from."

"What of it?" Thorin looked up at the man.

"I don't know what business you had with the Elves but I don't think it ended well." he looked around the small group, "No one enters Lake Town but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil." He threw the rope with which he had bound his boat to the shore at Balin to catch.

Balin looked to Thorin who said, "Offer him more." the white-haired dwarf turned to the man again, "I wager there are ways to enter that town unseen." 

"Aye," the man said, "But for that, you would need a smuggler."

"For which we would pay double," Balin spoke. 

The man still seemed wary but made a hand gesture for them to get onto his bote. As Erlanda passed him he gave her a confused look, "You don't look so good, what business does a woman have with dwarves?"

"Well, you aren't exactly my type either," Erlanda remarked, "And I'm a translator."

"Translator?" the man asked.

"Im ped- i lamb -o i galadrim," she said and the man seemed surprised but then nodded, understandingly. Erlanda moved to the front of the boat and sat next to Bofur as the man brought his boat over the icy lake, through the fog.

"Watch out!" Bofur yelled as they saw giant rocks in front of them. The man steered his boat between what turned out to be ruins, passing them narrowly. 

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

"I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf." the man told them, "If I wanted to drown you I would not do it here."

Dwalin, who leaned on one of the barrels, watched the man suspiciously and annoyed, "Oh, I've had enough of this lippy Lakeman. I say we throw him over the side and be done with it."

Bilbo groaned, "Bard, his name's Bard."

"How do you know?" Bofur asked him. "Uh, I asked him." the Hobbit replied but Dwalin still looked at Bard grumpily, "I don't care what he calls himself. I don't like him."

"We don't have to like him," Balin told his brother, "We simply have to pay him." he was sorting gold coins on a small wooden box that he used as a table, "Come on now, lads. Turn out your pockets."

"How do we know he won't betray us?" Dwalin asked Thorin.

"We don't." the latter replied.

Balin spoke up, "There's just a wee problem. We're 10 coins short." the dwarves groaned and Thorin crossed his arms over his chest, "Gloin...Come on. Give us what you have."

"Don't look at me." the red-headed dwarf grumbled, "I have been bled dry by this venture." he didn't notice that the other dwarves attention was slowly moving from him to something behind him as he continued, "What have I seen for my investment?" the other dwarves were now standing up as he continued ranting, "Naught but misery and grief and-" he now noticed the other dwarves and stood up himself to see what everyone else was looking at: the Lonely Mountain.

"Bless my beard," Gloin said and took out a pouch of money, "Take it," he handed it to Balin, "Take all of it."

Bilbo cleared his throat to get the dwarves attention and then made a head motion towards Bard who was walking towards them, "The money, quick. Give it to me."

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

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say." Bard spoke, "There are guards ahead." The dwarves turned and saw docks and boats in front of them. Balin handed him the money. "Quick, into the barrels," Bard said.

Erlanda made her way to one of them, trying not to put too much weight on her injured leg but Bard stopped her. "You won't be as suspicious as 13 dwarves or a halfling." she nodded and leaned against the mast of the boat so she could see what Bard was doing as he stepped onto the docks.

"What's he doing?" Dwalin asked.

"He's talking to someone," Erlanda told him. "Now he's pointing directly to us." she continued watching the man with narrowed eyes, "They're shaking hands now."

"What?" Thorin asked and Dwalin said, "The Villain. He's selling us out."

Erlanda tried not to laugh as she saw men with a lot of fish walking towards them, "No, don't worry. He's not."

"Then what-" Dwalin started but was silenced by fish falling on top of him. 

The dwarves grunted as they were buried beneath fish and continued to make noise as Bard steered the boat over the lake again. He kicked one of the barrels, "Quiet. We're approaching the tollgate."

"Halt!" someone yelled out, "Goods inspection! Papers, please!" a man stepped out of a wooden building by the gate, "Oh, it's you, Bard."

"Morning, Percy," Bard spoke.

"Anything to declare?" the man asked. 

Bard brought his boat closer to Percy, "Nothing, but that I am cold and tired," he handed the man some a piece of paper, "and ready for home."

The man took Bard's paper, "You and me both." He put a stamp on it and handed the paper back to Bard, "Here you go. All in order."

"Not so fast."

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