Bard paddled the dwarves and Bilbo across the lake in his barge. It was very foggy, and the barge pushed aside ice floes. Suddenly, large stone formations appeared out of the fog.
"Watch out!" Bofur called out in fear.
Bard expertly poled the barge between the rock formations, which turned out to be ancient ruins. The old rock foundations looking old and frail as their weak columns threatened to fall down.
"What are you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin sneered as he looked at Bard.
"I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." He replied softly as he kept his eyes on the chilling waters. He spared a quick glance at Draco who had coughed softly. Her small body was being help by an anxious Kili whose brother stood beside him as he watched her. He glanced up at Thorin when she began to shiver, her skin pale as a sickness began to overpower her senses.
"She's getting worse." Fili exclaimed in panic.
Before Thorin could say anything Bard called Kili over.
"Bring the child here."
Kili sent a look to his uncle but complied when Draco shuddered. Walking over he allowed Bard to examine her.
"She has a fever." He said
"She needs herbs but I have none on me. She will have to wait until we reach my home."
Kili looked down sadly at her.
"Is there nothing we can do to help her?" He asked
Bard looked thoughtfull.
"The only thing we can do for her is make sure she is comfortable. She's cold so we need to warm her up." He said.
"Give her body heat."
Kili looked up at him quickly and then back down at the child in his arms.
"Can't you? I mean you have more layers than I and since you're bigger than me you will generate more heat and it will be easier to hide her from guards" he said
Bard looked down at him before he slowly nodded. Taking the sleeping child, he placed her in his right arm before he grabbed the corner of his coat an pulled it to cover her.
Kili bowed his head in gratitude and walked back to his brother.
"Oh I have enough of this lippy lakeman. I say we throw him over the side and be done with him." Dwalin scoffed suddenly
Bilbo answered him slightly angrily.
"Ohh, Bard, his name's Bard."
"How do you know?" Bofur asked
"Uh, I asked him." Bilbo said with a look of no patience.
"I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him." Dwalin told Thorin.
"We do not have to like him, we simply have to pay him. Come on now, lads, turn out your pockets." Balin said
The dwarves began pulling out their money and valuables. Dwalin whispered to Thorin.
"How do we know he won't betray us?" He asked with a suspicious look towards Bard.
"We don't."
"There's, um, just a problem: we're ten coins short." Balin voiced after he had finished counting the coins.
"Gloin. Come on. Give us what you have." Thorin said
"Don't look to me. I have been bled dry by this venture! And what have I seen for my investment? Naught but misery and grief and-" Gloin started but 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, he saw the Lonely Mountain.
"Bless my beard. Take it. Take all of it." He said as handed Balin a sack of coins he had secretly withheld before. Bilbo coughed and gestured his head towards Bard, who was approaching the dwarves on their end of the barge.
"The money, quick, give it to me." Bard said
"We'll pay you when we get our provisions, but not before." Thorin snarled
"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards ahead."
The dwarves turned and saw the rooftops of Laketown in the distance.
.....
Bard's barge was stopped at a dock just outside the city; Bard hopped off and spoke to a man. Meanwhile, the dwarves and Bilbo were hidden in the barrels on the barge.
"Shh, what's he doing?" Dwalin asked
Bilbo peered through a hole in his barrel.
"He's talking to someone."
Bilbo saw Bard point back at his barrels while talking to the man.
"And he's...pointing right at us!"
Thorin looked anxious. Bard shook the man's hands.
"Now they're shaking hands."
"What?" Thorin asked
"That villain! He's selling us out." Dwalin said
All the dwarves in their individual barrels listened anxiously; suddenly, dead fish were poured into the barrels. The dwarves spluttered in surprise.
.....
Bard poled his barge towards the gate of the city; on deck are the 14 barrels all full of fish, with a dwarf or hobbit inside as well.
"Oh god." Someone muttered
Bard kicked the barrel closest to him.
"Quiet! We're approaching the toll gate."
"Halt! Goods inspection. Papers, please. Oh, it's you, Bard." The gatekeeper said
Bard brought him boat up to the gatekeeper's office, and the gatekeeper stepped out to see him.
"Morning, Percy." Bars greeted
"Anything to declare?" Percy asked
"Nothing, but that I am cold and tired, and ready for home."
Bard handed the gatekeeper some papers.
"You and me both."
As the gatekeeper took the papers and any into his office to stamp them, Bard looked around warily.
"Here we are. All in order."
Percy said as he holds out Bard's papers, but a man, Alfrid, suddenly stepped out of the shadows and grabbed the papers.
"Not so fast."
Alfrid read Bard's papers, then looked at his load.
"Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm. Only, they're not empty, are they, Bard?" He asked,smiling evily.
Alfrid tossed Bard's papers to the wind and approached him, with some of Laketown's soldiers behind him.
"If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman."
As Alfrid said this, he picked up one of the fish from a barrel and held it up to Bard. He didn't see Bombur's eyes looking up from the gap where the fish had been.
"That's none of your business." Bars said as he pulled Draco closer to his chest.
"Wrong. It's the Master's business, which makes it my business."
"Oh come on, Alfrid, have a heart. People need to eat!"
"These fish are illegal." Alfred said as he threw the fish he was holding into the water, then commanded the soldiers.
"Empty the barrels over the side."
The soldiers, lead by their captain, Braga, moverd to comply.
"You heard him. Into the canal. Come on, get a move on." Braga commanded
The soldiers began tipping the barrels over and letting the fish fall into the canal.
"Folk in this town are struggling. Times are hard. Food is scarce." Bard said
"That's not my problem."
"And when the people hear the Master is dumping fish back in the lake, when the rioting starts, will it be your problem then?"
Bard and Alfrid stared at each other intensely for a few seconds, then finally Alfrid raised his hand to the soldiers.
"Stop."
The soldiers stopped tipping the barrels over and returned to the buildings.
"Ever the people's champion, eh, Bard? Protector of the common folk? You might have their favor now, bargeman, but it won't last." Alfrid said and Henley walked away.
"Raise the gate!" Percy called
A large portcullis blocking the channel was raised, and Bard began to pole his barge through. As he passed, Alfrid turned around and shouted to him.
"The Master has his eye on you; you'd do well to remember. We know where you live."
"It's a small town, Alfrid; everyone knows where everyone lives." Bard said as he hid a smile.
High up above the city, you could see the view of Laketown; it's a town built in the middle of the lake, and it looked quite poor and ramshackle. There were many channels of water throughout the town, through which various boats float. Bard poled his barge down the main channel.