The dwarves, Bilbo and Amara had boarded the barge after promise of payment to the man who had introduced himself as Bard.

"You are not a Mirkwood elf." Bard said to Amara.

"No. I am from the valley of Imladris, realm of my father, Lord Elrond." She told him.

"Watch out!" Bofur called as some large ruins appeared out of the fog.

But Bard did not need warning as he steered smoothly past them.

"What are you trying to do? Drown us?" Thorin asked.

"I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." Bard told him.

"Oh, I've had enough of this lippy lake-man. I say we throw him over the side and be done with him." Dwalin muttered.

"Oh, Bard. He's name's Bard." Bilbo said.

"How do you know?" Dwalin asked.

"Uh...I asked him." Bilbo said.

"I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him." Dwalin muttered.

"We do not have to like him; we simply have to pay him." Balin reminded his brother as he counted their money.

"Come on, now, lads. Turn out your pockets." Balin told them.

The dwarves reluctantly began to search through their pockets.

"How do we know he won't betray us?" Dwalin asked Thorin.

"We don't." Thorin told him as Balin finished counting their coins.

"There's um...just a wee problem. We're ten coins short." Balin said.

"Gloin, come on. Give us what you have." Thorin said crossing his arms.

"Don't look to me. I have been bled dry by this venture! What have I seen for my investment? Naught but misery and grief and..." Gloin stopped as the rest of the company got up. He also got up and looked at the outline of the lonely mountain through the mist. "Bless my beard." Gloin said as he took out a sack of coins. "Take it. Take all of it." He said handing Balin the sack.

Bilbo cleared his throat to warn them that Bard was walking over.

"The money, quick. Give it to me." Bard said.

"We will pay you when we get our provisions, but not before." Thorin said.

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards ahead." Bard told them.

The company all looked forward to the nearby port.

Amara quickly ushered the dwarves into the barrels once again. There were only thirteen barrels so Bard turned to look at her. She merely smiled before pulling up her hood and vanishing. Bard looked slightly shocked but composed himself and pulled ashore.

"Ssh. What's he doing?" Dwalin asked from inside his barrel.

"He's talking to someone." Bilbo said looking through a hole in his barrel. "He's pointing right at us. Now they're shaking hands." Bilbo hissed.

"What?" Thorin asked.

"He's selling us out." Dwalin snarled.

They heard footsteps approaching and the sound of pulleys. Amara could not contain her smile as the Dwarves had fish dumped on their heads.

"Quiet!" Bard said kicking one of the barrels to stop the dwarves moaning. "We're approaching the toll gate."

Lake Town was, quite literally, built on the surface of the lake. The houses were suspended on stilts above the water. Wooden paths ran in-between the houses as well as waterways for small boats. There was also a main stream that ran through the centre of town, large enough for large boats such as the barge.

"Halt! Goods inspection. Papers please!" The keeper of the gate said as he stepped out of his lodging. "Oh, it's you, Bard!" He said seeing who was on the barge.

"Morning, Percy." Bard said.

"Anything to declare?" Percy asked as he walked up to the barge.

"Nothing. But I am cold and tired, and ready for home." Bard said as he walked to the edge of the barge.

"You and me both." Percy said as he took Bard's papers and stamped them.

"There we are, all in order." Percy said offering Bard his papers back.

Bard reached out to take them when a small man with greasy black hair, a small moustache and a monobrow plucked them out of Percy's hands. Amara silently unsheathed her daggers; the man made her uneasy.

"Not so fast." The man said. As he began reading from the paper. "Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland realm." He said before pointing at the barrels. "Only they're not empty. Are they Bard? If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman. Not..." He picked up a fish from one of the barrels revealing Bombur's eye. "...a fisherman." The man concluded.

"That's none of your business." Bard said.

"Wrong. It's the Master's business, which makes it my business." The man said.

"Oh, come on, Alfrid. Have a heart, people need to eat." Bard said.

"These fish are illegal." Alfrid said throwing the fish he was holding into the water.

"Empty the barrels over the side." Alfrid said to an armed guard stood behind him.

"You heard him, in the canal." The guard turned and said to the other guards. One by one the guard's walked aboard the barge.

"Come on. Get a move on." The head of the guard said.

As the guards started to pick up the barrels Bard watched with worry. Amara began to approach the guards, her knives drawn.

"Folk in this town are struggling. Times are hard. Food is scarce." Bard said as the guards moved the barrels closer to the edge of the barge.

"That's not my problem." Alfrid said.

Amara moved closer.

"And when the people hear the Master is dumping fish back in the lake? When the rioting starts? Will it be your problem then?" The guards started emptying the barrels and Amara raised her daggers to strike. But Alfrid held up his hand.

"Stop!" He said looking begrudged.

The guards put the barrels back down and walked off the barge. Amara lowered and sheathed her daggers.

"Ever the people's champion, hey, Bard? Protector of the common folk. You might have their favour now, bargeman, but it won't last." Alfrid said as he turned and walked off the barge.

"Raise the gate!" Percy called.

The guards began to raise the town gate and Bard began to steer the barge through.

"The Master has his eye on you. You'll do well to remember, we know where you live." Alfrid said as Bard went past.

"It's a small town, Alfrid. Everyone knows where everyone lives." Bard said as he entered the town by the main waterway with his barge, the barrels and the dwarves intact.

As they docked Amara pulled her hood down next to Bard, causing him jump.

"That was quick thinking." She told him as they began to push over the barrels.

"I said nothing but the truth." Bard went to push Dwalin's over but he popped out.

"Get your hands off me!" Dwalin said as he freed himself from the barrels.

The rest of the company began to climb out of the barrels as a townsman watched in confusion.

"You didn't see them, they were never here." Bard said handing the man a coin. He went to walk off but turned back. "The fish you can have for nothing." He said before walking away towards the dwarves who were waiting for him. They began to follow him through the town.

"What is this place?" Bilbo asked looking around in confusion.

"This, Master Baggins, is the world of Men." Thorin said as they carried on walking.

"Keep your heads down, keep moving." Bard said to the dwarves.

"Quickly!" Amara hissed.

A guard rounded the corner. "Halt!" He shouted.

Bard urged the company forward.

"Halt! In the name of the master of Lake Town I said halt!" The guard shouted again. The company started to run. "Stop! Stop them!" The guard shouted.

The dwarves rounded a corner to be stopped by another guard.

"Back, get back!" Thorin called to the company.

As both guards cornered them, Amara hit the one in the front with butt of her dagger and watched him crumple to the floor. The dwarves managed to disarm the other guard and hit him over the head with a nearby pot. They pulled the unconscious guards off the main path. The people of Lake Town had begun to watch but as the armed guard that Alfrid had with him earlier appeared with some more guards they went back to what they were doing.

"Oi! What's going on here?" The guard asked.

All the dwarves armed themselves with various things from pots to pans to oars. Amra unsheathed her knives.

"Alright stay where you are no one leaves!" The guard said.

The dwarves crouched down as Bard walked out in front of the guard.

"Braga." Bard said.

"You!" Braga said. "What are you up to Bard?"

"Me?" Bard asked. "Me, I'm up to nothing." Bard said.

One of the unconscious guards began to come round so the woman who was stood next to him dropped a plant pot on his head, knocking him out again. Braga heard the noise and went to investigate. But just before he walked around the corner, some of the townsfolk placed various objects in front of the unconscious guards to shield them from view.

"Hey Braga!" Bard said as Braga turned back around. "Your wife would look lovely in this." Bard said holding up a white dress.

"What do you know of my wife?" Braga asked walking up to Bard.

"I know her as well as any man in this town." Bard said.

He handed the dress to Braga, who clenched it in his fist before throwing it to the ground. Braga stormed off with the rest of his guards. Bard sighed in relief. He gestured for the company to follow him again. As they neared Bard's house a young boy ran around the corner.

"Da, our house! It's being watched." The young boy called.

Bard looked at Amara then at the dwarves.

"Into the river." Bard said to them as he then told them the route and they unhappily agreed.

Bard turned to Amara when the dwarves were out of sight. "Can you... Vanish again?" He asked.

She nodded and pulled up her hood. She followed Bard and his son, Bain, back to their house. They walked up the steps to Bard's front door. Bain walked in with Amara behind him as Bard threw an apple to some men sat in a boat.

"You can tell the master I'm done for the day." He said before walking in.

"Da! Where have you been?" Bard's youngest daughter, Tilda, ran up to him and hugged him.

"Father, there you are. I was worried." His eldest daughter, Sigrid, said also running to him.

"Here, Sigrid." Bard said handing her his bag.

As he did so Amara pulled down her hood appearing in front of everyone and causing Tilda to scream. Bard quickly hushed his youngest daughter.

"Who is she?" Sigrid asked.

"I am Amara, of the valley of Imladris, daughter of Lord Elrond." She introduced.

Both girls looked astonished as Bard turned to Bain.

"Bain, get them in." He said as Bain went down to the toilet.

The pain in her side had returned. "May I?" Amara asked, pointing to a seat.

Bard nodded as she pulled off her bag, knives, bow and quiver and pulled some leaves out of her bag. Both of the girls knelt down in front of her.

"You're an elf." The youngest said.

"Yes I am." Amara said with a smile that quickly turned pained.

The eldest girl looked worried. "What's wrong?" Sigrid asked as Bard looked over in worry.

"Can you get me some water?" Amara asked.

Sigrid nodded and came back with a bowl and cloth. Carefully, Amara pulled up the bottom of her garb revealing the bandages. She peeled them away revealing the exposed broken skin. She pressed the cloth against the wound, hissing in pain before chewing the leaves and pressing them into the wound. She then redressed it and turned to the family.

"What happened?" Sigrid asked.

"We were attacked by orcs just past the misty mountains. One of them struck me with a Morgul shaft." She said.