his exception

chapter twenty-two: helping

Maethel helped Fili to carry his brother towards Bard's house. Gently, Oin knocked on the door and it was quickly opened by Bard. "No. I'm done with dwarves and elves. Go away." He tried to slam the door shut, but Bofur stopped it with his foot.  "No, no, no! No one will help us; Kili's sick. He's very sick." Maethel looked around panicking, "He was shot at.. a poisonous arrow.." She now had her head in her hands thinking of what to do. It didn't help that she had no experience in healing.

Bard saw Kili being supported now by Oin and Fili; he looked extremely sick. Bard hesitated. In Bard's house, Kili was laid on a bed moaning and straining in pain. His face quickly covered in sweat.  "Ah! Ugh! Argh!" As he continued moaning, Bofur filled a bowl with hot water and rushed to him.  "Can you not do something?" Fili pleaded at Oin.  "I need herbs, something to bring down his fever." Bard searched frantically through his bag of medicines.  "I have nightshade, feverfew..." Bard murmured as he moved onto searching in draws with Maethel who had already started to rummage through.  "They're no use to me. Do you have any Kingsfoil?" Bard looked up for a moment, "No, it's a weed. We feed it to the pigs." 

 "Pigs? Weed? Right." Bofur replied as he pointed at Kili.  "Don't move." It was obvious by the noises he was making that he wouldn't be moving anytime soon. Bofur then ran out of the house in search of pigs and Kingsfoil. The reverberation reached as far as Laketown; in Bard's house, everyone looked up at the sound, and dust fell from the ceiling. Kili is still moaning in pain.  "Da?" Sigrid whispered in shock and panic.  "It's coming from the mountain." Bain added as he nervously looked at his father. Maethel left Kili's side and approached Bard. "You should leave us. Take your children; get out of here." She pleaded, "It's not safe for your family. You must go." Bard looked down at Maethel. "And go where? There is nowhere to go."

"Are we going to die, Da?" Tilda cried as she held onto her fathers leg.  "No, darling." Bard whispered as he looked down at his youngest daughter.  "The dragon, it's going to kill us." Tilda cried as she looked up at Maethel who had tears in her eyes. Bard looked at his children worriedly for a moment, then reached up and pulled a black arrow, the last of the three that Girion had in Dale, from where it had been hidden as a drying rack for plants. His children looked at the arrow in shock. "Not if I kill it first." He then kissed Tilda's forehead before he ran out of the house shortly followed by Bain. Maethel held her hand out and Tilda rushed into them, tears streaming down her face. Maethel then kissed the young girls forehead. "Shhh, it's going to be okay... I'm going to keep you safe, you and Sigrid. Bain is in your fathers hand now."

In Laketown, Bard and Bain snuck through the town. Bard held tightly onto the arrow. He looked around a corner to check whether all is clear. "Alright." Bain stopped moving.  "A black arrow? Why did you never tell me?" Bard looked back at his son, "Because you did not need to know." They ducked behind a wall as soldiers passed by. Bard put his arm on Bain's shoulder and indicated the tower with the dwarvish wind-lance on top. "Listen to me carefully: I need you to distract the guards. Once I'm at the top of the tower, I'll set the arrow to the bow." Just then, Braga and the other soldiers, who have been sent to find Bard, saw him.  "There he is! Bard! After him!"

 "Quickly! Down there! Go!" Bard shouted at his son as they ran from the soldiers. "Stop him!" Braga ordered. Bard and Bain ran through shop and docks, knocking over various items in their way. The soldiers followed, yelling "Stop him!" The shopkeepers yelled angrily at both parties. When they have put some distance in front of the guards, Bard stopped Bain and hands him the black arrow. "Bain! Bain. Keep it safe. Don't let anyone find it. I'll deal with them." Bain shook his head,  "I won't leave you!" Bard nodded,   "Go!" As Bain ran off, Bard turned and faced Braga, who had just caught up to him. "Braga."

"You are under arrest."

"On what charge?"

"Any charge the Master chooses."

Bard turned and saw that he is surrounded. He then turned back and suddenly punched Braga in the face, then punched his way through the soldiers and ran with the soldiers in pursuit. Bain, seeing the soldiers chase his father, jumped into a boat and hid the arrow beneath some ropes and fishing gear.

Bard ran through the town; he leapt across a channel using boats as stepping stones. He used his momentum to cause the last boat to slide several feet across the water until he could step onto the opposite bank. A soldier trying to follow him slipped and falls out of a boat into the water. Bard ran down an alley, but a foot is suddenly stuck out of a doorway and Bard tripped over it, falling into a pile of wood. As he sits up, dazed, Alfrid stepped forward, followed by the Master. As Bard struggled to get up, the Master lifted a wooden pole and hit Bard in the head with it, knocking him out.

Meanwhile, Bolg and his Orcs snuck around on the rooftops, looking for the dwarves.  "Shugi Khozd-shrakhun hum. Nuzdidiz." (The filthy dwarf rats are somewhere here. I can smell them.)