destitute ~ The feeling of lacking something and incapable of feeling said thing.
~ You can't run away from your battles, because battles turn into wars until you're left broken beyond measure
I DO NOT own the hobbit, the characters or their stories. I only own my OC character Nikoleva and her story
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Bard looked suspiciously at them, before turning around to think. "Very well, but I will not hesitate to throw all of you over board" He warned them as he boarded back on his barge, which held all the dinted barrels.
"Your threats mean nothing," Dwalin spat at him as he and Thorin walked on, followed by the rest of the company.
"Clearly you haven't been thrown in frozen water" The lakeman mumbled.
"You should try lava, gives more pain" Nikoleva told him as she was the last to board the barge.
The lakeman began to paddle the dwarves, Nikoleva and Bilbo, across the lake in his barge. It began to turn very foggy, and the barge pushes aside ice floes. Suddenly, large stone formations appear out of the fog.
"Watch out!" Bofur cried. Bard did not say anything, but expertly steered past them.
"What are you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin snarled at him.
"I was born and bred on these waters, master dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here" The lakeman answered him as Dwalin continued to glare at him.
"Oh, I've had enough of this lippy, Lakeman. I say we throw him over the side and be done with him" Dwalin muttered.
"I agree" Nikoleva told them before she leaned against the edge of the boat, staring out into the fog.
"Oh, Bard. His name's Bard!" Bilbo told them with a sigh.
"How do you know?"
"Uh... I asked him"
"I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him" Dwalin glared at the hobbit as Kili walked over to Nikoleva.
"You are not going to kill him, are you?" He asked her in a hushed whisper as he ssignalled to where her hand was tightly placed around one of her blades.
"If he stares at me one more time I will, I do not trust him" She turned to him slightly before looking away. "Your brother, how is he?"
"He says he is fine, but he is getting paler we can all see it" His face turned into a frown as she fully turned to him.
"He will pull through, we will find a way to heal him" Nikoleva smiled at him slightly causing him to smile back with his eyes widening slightly.
"You just smiled again!" He exclaimed as quietly as he could.
"Not a word" The two turned around to face the others when Balin called out.
"There's an uh... A wee problem. We're ten coins short"
The dwarves started to look at Gloin who was sat on the deck, not paying attention.
"Don't look at me. I have been bled dry by this venture! And what have I seen for my investment? Naught but misery and grief and-" As he said this, the company rose and turned around to see in the distant fog - Erebor. "Take it! Take all of it!" Gloin exclaimed once he saw what they were looking at.
"Uh... Thorin" Thorin looked to Nikoleva who nodded her head back to where Bard was approaching them.
"The money quick! Give it to me!" He demanded, holding out his hand for it.
Thorin shook his head, "We will pay you when we get our provisions, not before"
"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards nearby," He pointed to an incoming watchtower. "Get in the barrels, quickly!" He told them as some of the dwarves start to protest.
Thorin looked back to the watchtower before looking at the company. "Do as he says"
"Wait!" Bard called out as he pointed to each of the barrels. "There is not enough, we are one short"
The group looked towards the barrels seeing that there was only fourteen - enough for the dwarves and Bilbo.
"There is enough" Nikoleva glared at Bard as he looked at her confused. "You really think that I am going to let you talk to your people and betray us? There are enough barrels"
"Fine, In the barrels" Bard looked at the dwarves as they started to get in them, then he turned to Nikoleva. "You will say nothing, keep quiet and do not raise suspicion"
"Excuse me?" She asked as she stepped towards him. "You have no place to threaten me when you are deeply outnumbered. If I feel like you are going against us, I will kill you and this entire town!"
