A/N: If you can't tell already, Kali is stubborn af and it only gets worse

They'd made it down the river, past the rapids and to a calm spot they could hear each other speak in, "Anything behind us?" Thorin asked.

 Balin shook his head, half-wet hair spraying water every-which-way, "Not that I can see."

 Bofur spit a long stream of water from his mouth and gasped, "I think we've outrun the orcs."

 Thorin had acquired a stick somewhere along the line, and continued to swish it through the water though it did nothing to propel him forward, "Not for long; we've lost the current."

 "Bofur is half drown," Dwalin pointed out, pawing his hands through the water.

 "Make for the shore!" Thorin barked, steering his battered barrel best he could, "Come on, let's go!"

 Kali tipped over and with her came pouring out crimson tinted water. Dragging the barrel, she limped to shore and collapsed on the rocks to assess her damage. From her right knee jutted out a broken arrow shaft, black and slippery from the river. Blood mixed with water trickled down her leg, soaking into her trousers. 

 Bilbo was at her side, "Kali, you're - you're injured!" 

 Kali hissed when she shifted away from him, "It's only a small flesh wound, Mr Baggins, nothing I can't handle myself." saying it in a drawn-back tone, Kali thought, would make Bilbo leave her to fend for herself.

 However, it only made it worse, "Stop being so stubborn and let me help you."

 She tried standing, "I need no help, hobbit," Kali successfully stood, however when she attempted to take a step gravity took hold and she was on her arse once more. 

 "Stay here," Bilbo stood up, "I'll go get help."

 "Help is already here," Fili and Kili had knelt down beside the two. Fili scowled at Kali, "You're hurt!"

 "It's fine," Kali repeated, taking a deep breath as she grabbed ahold of the broken arrow, "It's....nothing!" her teeth ground together when she yanked it, quickly and painfully, from her leg. Without a second glance at it, Kali tossed it aside, "See? Absolutely fine."

 "On your feet," Thorin passed by, looking at the woods ahead.

 Fili, Kili, Bilbo and Kali obliged, but not without concerns, "Kali is wounded," Fili explained, "Her leg needs binding."

 "There is an orc pack on our tail; we keep moving," Thorin's voice was as hard and unmoving as the rock they stood on.

 "My leg needs no binding of any sort," Kali agreed. As she stood a new wave of fresh blood poured from her open knee, dripping onto the rocks below, "Let's go."

 "To where?" Balin asked, looking worriedly over in Kali's direction, though he spoke to Thorin.

 "To the mountain; we're so close," Bilbo told him, standing to move closer. Kali watched him walk and noticed there was a slight limp in his left foot.

 Balin held out an arm, "A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it."

 "So then we go around," Bilbo spoke as if it were easier done than spoken.

"The orcs will run us down, sure as daylight," Dwalin snapped, "We have no weapons to defend ourselves."

"Bind her leg," Thorin was looking back down the river, "quickly. You have two minutes."

"Two minutes is all I need," Fili looked at Kili, "Hold her down."

"Hold me dow- Hey!" Kili had suddenly grabbed her elbows and forced them down to the rocks.

"Be still, Kali," he smiled down at her, shifting with her as she squirmed, "It will only take a moment."

You can hold my arms but not my legs, Kali kicked out at Fili at the same time as squirming away from Kili. 

"Why are you being so difficult?!" Fili sat on her legs and wound a strip of cloth several times around Kali's knee, "This is for your own good so you do not bleed out."

"Perhaps I like my blood better on the rocks!" she shook off Kili and sat up, giving up on escaping from Fili.

"Why did you do it?" Kili asked suddenly, his voice timid.

"Do what?"

"Why did you push me from the arrow's path?" he asked again, "You could have gotten hit in a much worse place than the knee, Kali, and then no binding would be able to help you."

"Better me than you. Lower-born compared to higher-born. You're more important considering my blood is tainted," Kali spat out at Kili with a sidelong glance at Thorin, who simply looked at her with a blank expression. She noticed as he turned away that underneath there remained a trace of anger. No matter what he'll always have a cold shoulder, despite her having saved his neck a few times and he her's as well, "There," she looked at Fili, "My leg... is..." shaking her leg free from his hands she grunted out, "bound. Now let me up."

Fili stood and helped her up, forcing half Kali's weight upon himself. Kili was glaring softly, "You would die for me?" a small chuckle escaped his lips, "You're an idiot, Kali!"

"For more reasons than you know..." I would die for any of you stubborn men, even the hobbit. Kali looked up at Fili, avoiding looking at Kili, "It's been almost two minutes, let's get moving." We wouldn't want Thorin to attempt to drown me in the river.

Fili took one step and all hell broke loose throughout the Company. Dwalin had jumped in front of Ori with a branch, protecting him from a strange silhouette looming on the rocks. The whir of an arrow was heard and one was embedded in the branch, right between Dwalin's hands. Kili stooped and picked up a large stone, raising it above his head. Another arrow was shot and the rock went flying. Kali reached out and grabbed it from mid air and without a moment's hesitation she chucked it.

The shadow cursed and aimed straight at her, "Do it again, and you're dead." As the clouds parted above, you could see a handsome man with black, shoulder length hair. The sides were pulled and clipped in back of of his head, giving his hair layers. The fur-lined coat he wore was tattered around the hem and went down to his knees. The scowl he wore matched the reason he had his bowstring drawn back.

At this statement, Kali felt the urge to throw something else at him, just to end the endless burning that was seeping into her entire being. Her eyes caught sight of Balin. What in all of Middle Earth does he think he's doing?!

Balin's hands were up, showing he meant no harm, as he inched closer to the stranger, "Excuse me, but, uh, you're from Laketown, if I'm not mistaken? That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

The man lowered his bow and walked over to his barge. It looked rickety and unsafe in many of the dwarves eyes, "What makes you think I will help you?"

"Those boots have seen better days," Balin pointed out as the man began loading the barrels onto his barge.

Insulting his footwear will not get you on his good side, Balin, Kali jolted to go help with the barrels but Fili's arm stayed around her waist, "Where are you going?" he whispered.

"He needs help," was her muttered response, however she made no more movement to help.

"As do you," Fili leaned her against a tree and knelt in front of her, gently holding her knee, "Is the arrowhead still in your leg?"

"No, I pulled it out, Fili," Kali placed her hands in his hair, "It's laying in the rocks back there."

Fili suddenly jumped up and walked quickly away, only to be replaced with Kili at her side, "What were you two doing?"

"He had been checking on my knee that is perfectly fine," Kali stressed, crossing her arms, "Why?"

"No reason," Kili crossed his arms as well and walked away. Kali tuned back into Balin's conversation with the unnamed stranger. 

Balin smiled a little, "... your wife, I'd imagine she's a beauty."

The other man's smiled faded, "Aye. She was."

Kali's heart sunk. It must be painful to lose the person you love most. 

Fili was suddenly back, standing in front of her with a stick in his hands, "Kali, are you sure you got the arrowhead out?"

"Positive, why?"

Dwalin's loud whisper to Thorin interrupted Balin's apology and Fili's chance to tell Kali something important, "Oh, come on, come on, enough with the niceties."

Kali turned and glared at the two men behind her, "You could at least attempt to be kinder to some, you know."

Fili squeezed her arm as a warning. Dwalin glared at her and Thorin growled, "You should know your place, elf, and learn not to speak ill to your superiors."

Her next insult was stopped by the newcomer's voice, "What's your hurry?"

"What's it to you?" Dwalin crossed his arms.

The response was simple and was even accompanied by a small shrug, "I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands."

Balin, the calm, good-natured dwarf with fuzzy white hair lied, "We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills."

Of course, no one could blame him as all beings feared that Mountain, but all the same the lie came so easily from Balin's mouth. However, the bargeman looked very skeptic, "Simple merchants, you say?"

Thorin stepped towards the man, his deep voice holding a hint of desperation, "We'll need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?"

The closest barrel to the stranger was grabbed and looked over gently. He was examining the nicks and scratches from the elves and orcs, "I know where these barrels came from."

Thorin's ice blue eyes narrowed in suspicion, "What of it?"

He knows! Kali's senses were tingling and she tensed up. The next words from the man's face told them all he hadn't believed the lie at all, "I don't know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Laketown but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He will see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil."

"Thranduil has no wrath outside Mirkwood," Kali scoffed, "He's merely a coward who refuses to leave the safety of his Woodland Palace."

The bargeman had a ghost of a smile grace his face before he frowned again, "Speaking ill of the King will get you nowhere, Miss."

Balin turned from looking desperately at Thorin, "I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen."

Balin got a suspicious look, "Aye. but for that, you will need a smuggler."

"For which we will pay double," Balin countered.