[Legolas] In every grain of sand, is the story of the earth.

Chapter 6

As an outsider, I stayed out of the argument but was relieved when Thorin allowed Fili a minute to tend to Kili's wound. It was obvious Kili was in bad shape, I just hoped he could cope until the next town we came across so he could be tended to properly. With his leg bound, we set off along the shoreline in hopes of finding a way to cross the waters and closer to the lonely mountain, the dwarves destination.

Before long, we stumbled upon a ferryman collecting the barrels that had helped us escape the elves and the orcs. Luckily, Balin took it upon himself to negotiate safe passage with the human from Laketown. It took some time but eventually he agreed to smuggle us in to the city for a rather large payment.

The dwarves took their place on the boat with Bilbo while I scanned our surroundings to ensure we were neither being followed nor watched. After I was sure we were alone and would be for some time, I jumped on to the boat before leaning up against one of the barrels where I planned to stay for the duration of the journey.

I allowed myself to enjoy the breeze that came with being on a large expanse of water, my people were sea elves after all. Being pulled from the tranquillity that washed over me, I caught Bard turn his gaze to me out of the corner of my eyes and it wasn't long before I heard his low voice ask a question I had anticipated from the start.

"What business does a she-elf have travelling with 13 dwarves and a hobbit?"

Lifting my gaze, I allowed my green eyes to fall upon the male as I formulated an answer that would satisfy his curiosity and not give away too much information in the process. Although this man was giving us safe passage across the lake, it was still unknown whether or not we could trust him. Balin had already lied and claimed they were merchants so I couldn't say anything that would impact the validity of their story.

"I owe them a debt."

I hoped my response was vague enough to clue Bard in that I didn't want to talk about the subject. I watched as one of his dark eyebrows rose, his gaze scrutinizing me for a moment before he turned his attention back to the waters and obstacles that lay ahead causing a feeling of relief to pass through me.

The rest of the journey was silent for the most part, the quiet chatter of dwarves being lost in the breeze. All that changed however when the lonely mountain came in to view. The dwarves were captivated by the mountain as was I. While I had ventured many parts of Middle Earth, I had never been this far before. Bombur throwing his coin purse at Balin captured my attention away from the mountain and ensured we had enough to pay Bard for his services.

I couldn't help but let a smile form on my lips as I noticed how excited the dwarves were to return to their homeland, much like I would be if I was gone for as long as they were. Not that I knew how long I would be away from home at this point but I felt like I had to repay the dwarves for helping me escape the dungeon of Mirkwood.

After a while, the dwarves conversation was interrupted by Bard ordering them to pay him and hide in the barrels that littered the boat. Looking ahead, I noticed a fishing vessel approaching and realised how Bard intended to get us past the guards and in to the town undetected. Turning to the human, I noticed a small smirk on his lips as he thought of what lay ahead for his 'employers'.

"You too she-elf."

With an inward sigh, I walked over to one of the barrels before turning it upside down over my body. My elf ears managed to pick up the sound of the bargeman laughing under his breath, probably at my expense but I had no intentions of being submerged in a barrel of dead fish for the remainder of the journey.

The sound of quiet groans filled my ears when dead fish were dropped down on top of the dwarves hiding in the barrels. Bard took no time in hushing them before carrying on his journey towards Laketown. It must have been a big risk for him to smuggle outsiders in but I couldn't help but think there must have been an easier, more hygienic way.

I was unsure of exactly how much time had passed until we were stopped by the guard. It seemed like he knew Bard well and allowed him to enter the town almost instantly. That was until a slimy voice filled my ears and the boat was boarded by what sounded like soldiers. The man with a voice that brought nothing to mind than snails slime began talking to Bard, informing him that he was only licensed to bring empty barrels back from Mirkwood. With that said, the soldiers began tipping the barrels of fish overboard causing me to bite my lip in worry. My hand moved to the hilt of my sword, ready to fight should one of my companions be found.

Luckily, Bard managed to persuade the man to allow him to pass with the fish for the good of the people and we crossed the threshold into Laketown. It was obvious the man had a personal feud with Bard meaning that we would have to be extra careful within the town. When we were given the ok to climb out of the barrels, the dwarves wasted no time getting away from the hundreds of dead fish that they had been submerged in.