After much rowing and tense silence, the barge stopped and the hidden dwarves anxiously waited what would happen. Kali heard repeated thumps from something and she grunted when her barrel was shoved on it's side. She sighed in relief and pulled herself to her feet, leaning against a nearby wooden post, "I hate fish."

 What little layers of clothing she wore were greasy and covered in fish slime, making her shudder in disgust. Swiping a large blob of mucus from her hair, Kali watched Bard step over to the dock keeper. He was a small old man with dark, ratty old cloaks. Bard slipped him a coin, "You didn't see them, they were never here. The fish you can have for nothing.

I don't see why he would want them, but I suppose people will eat anything when hungry enough, Kali thought as Bard began walking away, "Follow me."

*

Entering through the toilet may be comical under any other circumstances, however my mood is prohibiting me to think anything comical at this moment, Kali trudged up the lopsided wooden steps of Bard's home with the others. 

 "Da..." from the two girls leaning over the upstairs railing, the elder was first to speak, "why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?"

 The younger one was beaming, "Will they bring us luck?"

 Kali growled as she became eye-level with the girl. Dwarves are not 'lucky', foolish little girl.

 Kali got a harsh glare from the older girl, however it didn't faze her and Kali moved away from the staircase. Her leg had finally had enough and it locked once again, forcing Kali into a small armchair by the fire with a groan.

 "Are you alright?" the older girl stepped gingerly over to Kali.

 "I'm fine," Kali kept her hands clamped on either side of her knee to hide the bleeding that had started once again, "I apologize for growling at your sister."

 The girl smiled a little bit and rested a hand on Kali's shoulder, "No harm done, Mistress Dwarf."

 Bard had begun handing out blankets and spare clothing, "They may not be the best fit, but it'll keep you warm." Most dwarves had begun changing into the offered clothing, and Bard was right when he said they may not be the best fit; the clothes were at least two sizes too big.

 Bilbo finished slipping on his small and furry dark blue coat when he glanced at Kali who hadn't moved from her previous position (hands on her knee, leaned forward over her lap, brooding about something), "Kali, are you not going to change?"

"No."

 "Your clothes are wet," a blanket was draped over his shoulder by the small girl and he muttered a quick thank you to her as she moved on to the next dwarf. Bilbo wrapped the blanket around himself tighter, "You'll get a cold if you stay wearing that, Kali."

As if her body wished to prove him right, Kali's nose tingled and she sneezed, very violently. Her hands slid from her knee when her body jerked forward, and since her hands were bracing her upright, Kali's forehead smacked right into her kneecap. Sitting back up, she scrubbed at her nose with the back of a bloody hand, "I'm fine."

Bilbo shook his head and walked to Thorin, who was standing by the window looking out. Thorin whispered, "A Dwarvish Wind-Lance..."

  "You look like you've seen a ghost," Bilbo observed quietly as a hot drink was pushed into his hands. 

"He has," Kali piped up, very quietly, as she too could see the four-armed Wind-Lance from where she sat, but she hadn't been able to finish her thought as she'd trailed into an old memory.

Balin finished for her, though, "The last time we saw such a weapon, a city was on fire. It was the day the dragon came." He begun telling the tale of how the Lord of Dale attempted to bring down the beast, but the dwarrowdam's mind was elsewhere on that terrible day.

"Mother! Mother, where are you?!" the young dwarf's sword was drawn, however useless it was as she could not see through the smoke and throng of frightened inhabitants of Erebor. Her heart was frantic, searching through every face for a sign of the only one dearest to her.

"Kali!" it was her good friend, her only friend, Odik Greyhand. His ash coloured hair was black from all the soot, blood and sweat that covered him, making him harder to recognize immediately. He'd bolted from a side corridor that branched from the main hall. A rough hand gripped Kali's bicep, forcing her to look at him, "Nituri-"

"Where?!" her heart leapt around in her chest at the mention of her mother. Another roar shook the halls, followed by more bone-chilling screams, "Odik where is she?" Kali had tried leading Nituri to safety, but the dragon had knocked down a supporting pillar and a part of the ceiling had caved, blocking Nituri from her daughter and, thusly, safety, "Odik she's trapped by herself tell me you got her to safety!"

"Nothing you're saying is making any sense," Odik began moving with the newest wave of screaming dwarves, moving Kali as well, "Nituri is near the Gallery of the Kings. The beast has yet to reach there, if you hurry-"

He hadn't been able to finish before Kali wrenched her arm from his grasp and took off running towards the danger. Odik did not follow, but stayed with the people and helped all he could get to safety.

The fear... Kali's eyes stung and she blinked back the tears, "Had the aim of Men been true that day," she heard Thorin whisper, "Much would have been different..."

"Very different indeed," Kali agreed solemnly. Her voice was very quiet, however Thorin's eyes snapped to her, his gaze unreadable to her.

Bard approached Thorin, looking down at him, "You speak as if you were there."

"All dwarves know the tale," Thorin replied lowly.

Bard's son piped up from beside the fireplace, "Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast."

Dwalin's barking laughter shattered the mood to pieces, "Ha ha ha! That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more."

Thorin dropped from the conversation and instead looked at Bard, "You took our money. Where are the weapons?"

"Wait here," Bard moved away and disappeared down the stairs.

In his absence, Thorin stepped next to Kali, "You're still injured, yes?"

"No, my arrow wound healed long ago," Kali remarked, "I missed the bleeding so I stabbed myself with a knife I found in the kitchen."

Thorin rolled his eyes and looked at the dwarves standing behind her, "Tomorrow begins the last days of autumn."

"Will your wound be healed by then?" Fili looked down at Kali.

She shook her head, "No, I'm afraid not."

Fili was cut off from saying something again, this time by Balin, "Durin's Day falls morn after next. We must reach the mountain before then."

"And if we do not?" Kili asked quietly, "If we fail to find the hidden door before that time?" his question came from all five of their minds.

Fili's answer was what they'd all been thinking as well, "Then this quest has been for nothing."

"We've made it this far," Kali's voice was hushed, "We cannot give up until all our options have been depleted."

They all nodded and turned their attention to Bard, who had returned a long grey package of some sort.Kali didn't have the curiosity, nor the patience, to stand and go see what it was so she stayed put while the others went to investigate.

"What is this?" Thorin demanded.

"Pike-hook," Bard clarified, "Made from an old harpoon."

What is that man up to...? Kali watched Kili pick up something large and heavy-looking, "And this?"

"A crowbill, we call it, fashioned from a smithy's hammer," Bard clarified, "It's heavy in hand, I grant, but in defense of your life, these will serve you better than none."

Thorin and Dwalin shared a disgusted look with each other as Gloin yelled out, "We paid you for weapons. Iron-forged swords and axes!"

"It's a joke!" Bofur added, throwing the weapon he'd had in his hand back on the table. The others followed suit, groaning in disgust.

"You won't find better outside the city armoury," Bard snapped, "All iron-forged weapons are held there under lock and key."

At the mention of a city armoury, Thorin and Dwalin shared a conniving-sort-of look with one another. Kali shook her head, muttering under her breath, "Should not have mentioned that, Bard..."

"Thorin," Balin began. Bard looked up from the table at the mention of Thorin's name and his expression was slightly paranoid. Balin looked kindly at Thorin, "Why not take what's been offered and go? I've made do with less; so have you. I say we leave now."

"You're not going anywhere," Bard snarked angrily.

"And why not?" Kali's eyes darkened slightly as they narrowed.

"There's spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in the town. You must wait 'till nightfall," Bard amended, moving towards the door.

Upon hearing this the dwarves all settled down. Kali leaned back in her chair and shivered as another internal-cold settled into her bones. No amount of blankets could get rid of it (she knew this already), so she never even grabbed one, only wrapping her arms around her stomach. My leg burns, my insides are cold, my outsides are scorching hot and I believe my palms to have been torn into once more.

"You look very uncomfortable," Fili sank onto the floor beside Kali's legs, "Would you wish for a blanket?"

"My uncomfort comes from inside, not out," Kali's tone was short, but her voice sounded stuffy, "I'll live."

"Everybody up," Thorin was one who had never settled down, "We're leaving."

Bard's son ran a long-fingered hand through his curly, unruly brunette hair as he came back into the house, "You can't! You must wait 'till nightfall."

"No sense in arguing, boy," Thorin snapped, "We will be leaving."

Fili attempted to help Kali to her feet, but she managed on her own, despite having no strength in her legs (or her entire body), "And where will we go?"

"Anywhere but here," Thorin brushed past the boy who was attempting to stop the party from leaving. One by one the others followed.