Okay! Here's Chapter 27, I hope you like it! :) Please comment, vote and follow! :)

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*Cassy's POV*

By the time we approached the gates of Laketown I was freezing cold, I kept silently emerging from the water to breath before I'd submerge myself beneath the water once again. The cold water stung my eyes whenever I opened them whilst I was under the water, my fingers began to feel numb and I kept praying that I could get out of the water soon.

I couldn't hear what was going on above the water but from the muffled sound of raised voices I could only guess that it wasn't good. I slowly and silently lifted myself up so that my head was above the water. I heard Bard talking to, Alfrid, the Councillor to the Master of Laketown. I recognised him from the last time I was here, he always was a nasty piece of work.

"Ever the people's champion, aye Bard, protector of the common folk. You might have their favour now bargeman but it won't last." Said Alfrid as he glared at Bard before he began walking away.

"Raise the gates!" Ordered the elderly toll-gate man.

"The Master has his eye on you, Bard. You'd do well to remember that. We know where you live." Said Alfrid who had stopped walking to face Bard.

"It's a small town, Alfrid." Said Bard as he began to steer the barge through the now-open gates. "Everyone knows where everyone lives." Alfrid glared again before storming off.

I stifled a laugh and quickly submerged myself under the water again as the boat was steered further into Laketown.

I waited until the boat came to a stop before I burst out of the wafer gasping for breath. I really should've come up for air earlier. I could see Bard pushing the barrels over emptying the fish from the barrels so that the others could get out of the barrels. They didn't look too happy and I had to admit, they didn't smell that great either. I pulled myself up the side of the boat catching everyone's attention.

"Do y-you know how c-cold that wa-water w-was?" I asked stuttering due to my shivering body and my chattering teeth.

Caspian chuckled and walked over to me before pulling me on to the deck. He offered me his cloak because mine was currently soaking wet and was clinging to me with the rest of my clothes. I scrunched my face up in disgust at the smell of dead fish coming from his cloak.

"T-thank you for the o-offer but I'm n-not wearing that. It s-stinks." I said still shivering whilst smiling at him.

"Suit yourself." Caspian said grinning at me.

"We should get going." Said Bard.

"Agreed." Said Thorin.

Bard walked up to a man who had been watching us and handed him a coin before saying, "You didn't see them, they were never here. And you can have the fish for nothing."

The man nodded and allowed Bard to pass by him with the rest of us following behind him. I caught sight of Kili who was still limping with a pained expression on his handsome face. I was seriously worried, I had a feeling that the arrow that had hit him wasn't an ordinary arrow. I knew that orcs sometimes laced their weapons with poison so that even if they didn't kill their target with one hit, they'd still become weak enough for them to attack or they would wait for the poison to kill the victim. It could take days for the poison to cause serious damage to the victim but it depended on how strong the person was.

After sending Kili one more worried look I concentrated on following after the others. Bard led us through different paths and weaved in between the different houses.

"Da!" Said a voice. We all looked towards the teenage boy who ran towards Bard and hugged him. It was Bain, Bard's son. "Our house, it's being watched."

Bard's smile faded and he quickly turned to the rest of us. "There's only one way into my house where you won't be seen. But your not going to like it." Said Bard.

"What is it?" Asked Thorin, his face turning cold.

"You're going to have to climb up through the toilet." He said.

"We're going to have to what?" Asked Gloin in disbelief.

"It's either that or you can climb the walls and crawl in through the window?" He asked.

Thorin growled. "Fine. We'll do it your way."

"I'm guessing the two of you will climb through the window?" Bard asked Caspian and I with a knowing look.

"Of course." I said still shivering.

"You know where to go don't you?" He asked. I nodded in reply and he motioned for us to go but Bain stopped us before we could.

"Wait a minute." Bain said causing Bard to chuckle as Bain looked at Caspian and I with a confused look adorning his young face.

"Bain, you remember Caspian and Cassandra Mandaria don't you?" Bard asked.

"Woah! You're the Archer Queen!" He said grinning excitedly. "You're amazing! Could you please show me how you shoot so well?!"

"Hello Bain. It's good to see you again." I said. "I'd love to show you some other time but right now we're in a bit of a hurry."

"Okay!" He said before he hugged me.

Caspian then dragged me off in the opposite direction. The streets were quite familiar to me and after a few minutes we made it to the back of Bard's home. I began to climb the wall towards the closed window whilst Caspian followed behind me. I could hear the familiar voices of the dwarfs from the inside and once I finally managed to get to the window I knocked on the glass and smiled at Oin when he opened it for me.

"Thank you." I said as I climbed into the room with the help of Dwalin.

Once Caspian was inside I closed the window before I was handed a towel by Tilda. I smiled down at her. She was the spitting image of her mother.

"I'm Tilda. What's your name?" She asked.

I smiled at her and crouched down to her level. "My name is Cassandra Mandaria." I said.

"You're very beautiful." Said Tilda.

"Thank you, Tilda. You're very pretty too." I said.

"Thanks, Cassandra." She said before she walked off.

"Hello Cassandra. It's great to see you again." Said Sigrid as she hugged me.

"You too, Sigrid. How have you been?" I asked.

"Good I guess. What about you? How's your father?" She asked.

"My father was killed by orcs a few years ago." I said.

"Oh I am so sorry!" Said Sigrid as she hugged me again.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Anyway, I hear the archery is going extremely well?" She said smiling.

"Well I am famous for being the Archer Queen, aren't I?" I replied grinning.

"Ah yes! Bain really wants you to teach him." Said Sigrid.

"I know, he already told me." I said.

"We'll talk later, I need to see to Tilda." She said.

"Of course." I said before I walked over to Kili who was sat in the corner of the room on his own.

"Hey there." I said sitting down beside him.

"Hey." He replied smiling at me.

"How's your leg?" I asked.

"It's fine." He said. I just raised my eyebrows which caused him to sigh. "It still hurts but I will be fine, don't worry." He said.

"I'm still going to worry, Kili." I said. "I... I care about you a lot. I don't like seeing you hurt."

He smiled at me and ran his hand through my damp hair causing me to close my eyes so that I could enjoy the feeling of his fingers in my hair. I felt him tug on my hair and I opened my eyes to see him looking at one of my braids that had been hidden underneath the top layers of my hair.

"I didn't know that you had braids in your hair? I thought that it was only a dwarf thing?" He said.

"I am part dwarf remember?" I said smiling. "That braid was given to me by my father. I have two more in my hair; one from Caspian and the other from my mother. They represent my family. I put one in my mother's, father's and Caspian's hair as well."

Braids are something very important for dwarfs. In our culture they are symbols for all sorts of things; family, friendship, work, marriage and when a dwarf finds his love, he will put a courting braid in her hair and she will do the same as a sign that they belong to each other. And to show others that they are already spoken for. I only had family braids at the moment.

"I only have a braid from Fili and my mother. My father died before he had a chance to put his in my hair." He said as he continued to fiddle with the braid that he had found in my hair with a look of concentration on his face.

I gently entwined my fingers with his and rubbed my thumb along the back of his hand soothingly. "I bet he's so proud of you Kili. You're such an amazing person. You're funny, strong, witty, handsome, kind, caring and so much more."

"Thank you, Cassy." He said.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please comment, vote and follow! :)