The dwarves soon get out of the barrels looking greasy and slimy from the fish.

You scrunch your nose in disgust but help those who accept help out of the barrels. Soon they are all out, and Bard asks you to follow him. After a while of walking, a young boy comes up to Bard. "Then! Our house it's being watched," he says, and the archers look away at you and hatch a plan for sure.

Well, it turned out that the Dwarves had to take the toilet route. Luckily you don't need to. Although you get weird looks, you look like a sore claw between all these people. But you are right behind Bard and his son, whom you will hear is called Bain.

Lovely boy, if you can say so yourself. But nothing for you. Soon you three will enter Bard's house. Some younger girls greet him and their brother.

His daughters, I guess, you think with a smile, slinking to a spot by the window. the youngest girl looks over at you, eyes wide with curiosity, and asks her father, "who is he?" Bard looks away at you, who look away from the little family and out of the windows. Then he looked back at his youngest daughter, Tilda.

"a new friend, dear," he then turned to Bain. "Bain, get them in."

you turned as you heard Dwalin's angry voice and smiled to yourself. The dwarves aren't friendly to people they don't like.

One by one, the Dwarves came up the stairs, soaking wet and ill at ease. But when they saw you, they still gave you a small smile which you unfailingly returned.

Finally came Thorin. Bilbo came over to you and sat down next to you. You put an arm around his shoulders as Bard and his children began handing out blankets.

"It may not be the best fit, but it'll keep you warm."

you smile at the little girl as she hands a blanket to Bilbo, who thanks her politely.

After a while, the dwarves make friends with the children and start talking, each with a hot cup in hand. "you look like you're enjoying yourself here," suddenly says a voice, and you turn around and see Thorin smiling at you.

You nod "well, they may not be my people, but they are still more like me than the elves. besides," you smile, "Bard is friendly."

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

Right now, Balin tells the story of how Smaug took Dale.

It's a gripping tale, you might say.

"The Day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city, rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast. But a dragon's hide is tough, tougher than the strongest armor. Only a black arrow, fired from a wind-lance, could have pierced the dragon's hide, and few of those arrows were ever made. So his store was running low when Girion made his last stand."

Thorin's words fall silent, saying, "Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different."

You sigh. You didn't know that the dragons in this world had such a bad influence on people. It made your heart burn with anger. You should at least try to change the reputation that dragons had here. But you didn't know how.

Bard approached the small group gathered around the white-haired dwarf and said, "You speak as if you were there."

Thorin looks at the archer and says, "All dwarves know the tale."

you look up as Bard's son, Bain, comes over to you and the dwarves. "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." he says. You tilt your head, but the dwarves seem to think this is just a fairy tale. "Ha ha ha! That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more."

you have a clue that there is some grain of truth in it. Guess I'll get myself one when I meet this dragon, you think, crossing your arms. Thorin speaks to Bard, "You took our money. Where are the weapons?"

the archer looks around a bit and meets your eyes before saying, "Wait here."

it leaves you in silence.

Thorin, Balin, Fili, and Kili whisper together, and you have no choice but to listen to this. "Tomorrow begins the last days of autumn." says the dwarf king. Durin's Day falls the morning after the next. We must reach the mountain before then." says Balin. "And if we do not? If we fail to find the hidden door before that time?" says the younger twins. His brother replies, "Then this quest has been for nothing."

"I'm not sure about that," you whisper under your breath, but the dwarves don't hear. Soon Bard returns, and you all gather around a table. He loosens the wrappings and reveals a couple of hand-made weapons. The dwarves look at them in shock, then pick up the weapons and look at them in disgust.

You frown. "What is this?" the king under the mountain asks. "PIke-hook. Made from an old harpoon."

"And this?"

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

You give Thorin a look, and he looks down. "We paid you for weapons. Iron-forged swords and axes!" Gloin says, dropping his weapon. You tilt your head, troubled by their behavior towards this man who has given them a roof over their head and warm food. "dwarves, my friends," you say, and everyone looks at you as you get up from the window.

You walk over to them and stop in front of Thorin. "Is this how we treat our host? He has taken us in, given us food and a roof over our heads until our mission has come. And this is how you thank him?" the dwarves look at each other, unaccustomed to you speaking up and scolding them.

"These aren't what we're used to, Sharpe. You wouldn't have used these things, would you?" you snort and give the dwarf king a long, meaningful look. Then, after a while, you withdraw and keep your mouth shut.

"Thorin," Balin says and starts talking to Thorin.

After a while, he says you should leave now, but Bard thinks you can't. "Spies are watching this house and probably every dock and pier in the town. So you must wait till nightfall."

You settle down. You sit in front of the window again and think about how close you are now.

Tomorrow we will probably be at the mountain's doors. I hope.

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