My Heart, My Mountain, My King {Thorin Oakenshield Fanfic}

Chapter 24 - Smuggled

Balin attempted to reason with our attacker.

"Excuse me, but you're from lake town, if I'm not mistaken?" he asked, only to have the arrow directed at him. He put his hands up, but proceeded talking. "That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

The man lowered his bow. I could finally see his face. He was an older man, probably in his 40s. He had a few wrinkles and dark hair that came to his shoulders.

"Bring your barrels," he said.

We nodded as we rolled our barrels over to his boat. He started rolling them onto it.

"What makes you think I will help you?" he asked.

"Those boots have seen better days," Balin pointed out. "As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed."

Balin continued to reason with the man as Dwalin and Thorin whispered to each other.

I walked over to Kili.

"Kili," I whispered. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, but immediately winced.

"I don't think you are," I argued. "You look pale," I reached out to touch his face. He swatted my hand away.

"I'm fine!" he insisted.

"Kili!" Fili whispered as he came over to us. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing!" he snapped.

I pulled Fili aside. "Fili, your brother doesn't want to admit that he's in a weak state right now."

"Will he get well soon?" Fili asked, worried.

"I'm not certain. He got struck by a black arrow. Orcs dip their arrows in poison." I thought back to the redhaired Elleth and how Kili had looked at her. "I have a feeling he'll be okay."

Fili nodded nervously. I rested a hand on his shoulder. "You needn't worry, alright? He's going to be fine."

"Com'mon," Bard said. "And hurry."

We climbed onto his barge and he immediately started across the foggy lake. Suddenly, a large stone formation appeared out of the fog.

"Watch out!" Bofur warned.

The man expertly poled the barge between the rock formations, which turned out to be ancient ruins.

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

"Oh I've had enough of this lippy lakeman," Dwalin complained. "I say we throw him over the side and be done with him."

Bilbo rolled his eyes and stared at Dwalin.

"Ohh, Bard, his name's Bard."

"How do you know that?" Bofur asked.

"Uh, I asked him," Bilbo replied sassily. I chuckled at his remorse.

Balin started collecting money from everybody.

"There's, um, just a problem," Balin said with a nervous laugh. "We're ten coins short."

"Gloin. Come on. Give us what you have," Thorin requested.

"Don't look to me. I have been bled dry by this venture!" Gloin exclaimed. "And what have I seen for my investment? Naught but misery and grief and-"

Gloin stopped talking when he realized that all the others had slowly stood up and were looking at something in the distance. As the fog thinned, I saw something in the distance. The Lonely Mountain. I sighed in awe.

"Bless my beard. Take it. Take all of it."

Gloin handed Balin a sack of coins he had secretly withheld before. Bilbo coughed and gestured his head toward Bard, who was approaching us on our end of the barge.

"The money, quick, give it to me," Bard demanded.

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

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say," Bard threatened. "There are guards ahead."

I turned and saw the rooftops of Laketown in the distance.

He told us to hide in the barrels. We stayed in there for a long while. The barge stopped. Suddenly, several dozens of frozen fish were being poured onto my head. I gagged at the smell.

"Ssshhh," Bard hushed.

I felt the barge moving again but stop not long after. I heard some sort of commotion outside, then my barrel was being tilted out the side. My eyes widened in fear. What was happening?

Suddenly, it stopped, and the barrel was brought back up. The barge started moving again.

We moved through the water and came to a final stop. He knocked over our barrels and we came spilling out of them. I looked around at everyone. We all looked greasy and slimy from the fish. I looked to my right. The dock keeper looked on in shock. I saw Bard bribe him.

"Follow me," he instructed.

We walked with great stealth through lake town. A young boy scampered towards us.

"Da!" he exclaimed. "Our house, it's being watched."

Bard looked at Thorin, a plan forming in his mind. I groaned when I figured it out.

Five minutes later, we were swimming up the cold water and out of their toilet. This really was not my day.

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Srry just sort of a filler chapter...I have good things planned for chapter 25 doe...😏

Be sure to check out my new Frodo Fanfic! Just posted the Prologue today! It's gonna be a cute one, but relatively short... Please vote for it!!

But Heyyyy if you type in Thorin Oakenshield on the search list, mine is the 8th one down! That's progress, right? Please vote and comment!! ILY❤️