Chapter 79: Lake Town Pt 4

[General POV]

-Alfrid-

It was not a good day for him. He had planned to cause trouble for Bard, as usual. After all, he needed to find an excuse to lock him up. Bard's prestige had increased over time, which was not a good sign for the Master, as his supporters had started to dwindle exponentially, putting his position at risk.

As a good aide, Alfrid had to stifle Bard's influence. Finding an excuse to make the people who clamored for Bard to govern lose faith in him should have been an easy task, if only he could find a flaw. After all, people's opinions usually shifted quickly once someone made a mistake.

But today was not a good day. Bard had brought food for the city's inhabitants, and it was a large amount. At least the people would have a day of decent meals with the fish he provided.

It was a feat that boosted his popularity, as the elves rarely sold their fish to humans. This accomplishment indirectly raised Bard's status in the eyes of the people.

Adding to that, the princess of the elven kingdom had come with him, along with two other companions. One of them had made a fool of Alfrid, leaving him to retreat as the clear loser.

"Damn it, there must be something I can use against him," he muttered while biting his thumb in frustration.

His frustration only grew when one of Bard's watchers came running up. "Mr. Alfrid, Mr. Alfrid," the man said, his voice breathless from running so hard.

"What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" Alfrid barked irritably. His hunched figure and hideous face frightened the poor man, who quickly explained.

"We saw Bard's daughter enter with a stranger."

"I don't care..." Alfrid started to say, but the words got stuck. "Bard's daughter entered with a stranger?" he murmured, repeating the information. A horrid grin spread across his deformed face. "That's music to my ears," he said with satisfaction.

"Prepare the guards. We're going to Bard's house to arrest him," he ordered the man, who nodded and ran off to inform the others. "This time, I'll lock you up, Bard," he said to himself, the corners of his mouth lifting in a sinister smile.

-With Aldril-

"And that's the plan," Bard whispered to the dwarves who had gathered around him like small children. The people nearby paid no attention to them, imagining that Bard was just telling the dwarves stories, as he often did.

The dwarves' faces twisted in disgust at Bard's plan. He had explained that they could sneak in by swimming under the house and slipping through the toilet, allowing them to go unnoticed by Alfrid's watchmen.

"That plan is stupid," Glóin muttered with a scowl. The idea of coming up through someone's toilet disgusted him.

"I'm not coming out of a damn toilet," Dwalin grumbled in refusal. He was still angry about being in a barrel full of fish, and now they wanted him to enter through a toilet? It was an absolutely ridiculous plan from his perspective. He wouldn't lower himself to that, unless Thorin ordered it.

"Ugh, no way. That's gross," Nori vehemently objected. "Don't joke around. We may not be the cleanest, but we're not filthy enough to crawl through a toilet."

"Come on, it'll be fun," Kili said with amusement.

"I'm with Kili. It'll be a funny story to tell," Fili added.

The dwarves' opinions started to shift. Some saw it as an experience worth sharing. While other races might never admit to such a thing, for dwarves, who often poked fun at their own experiences, it was something fun to recount in the future. Balin was the only one who didn't join the discussion. He remained by Thorin's side, watching him, waiting for his decision.

Thorin stayed quiet, wearing a contemplative expression. He remained in that state for a few moments before nodding. They had already been through so much, and he didn't want to cause more problems. He lifted his gaze, and with his cold voice, he silenced the noisy dwarves.

"Enough. We'll follow the plan," he said, much to the dismay of the opposing dwarves.

"Hey, Thorin, I don't want to do this," Dwalin approached in a low, humble voice, his head bowed, showing that he didn't want to upset Thorin. Thorin just shook his head and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We are close to home, Dwalin. Something this insignificant won't stop us," Thorin explained, causing Dwalin to look up. Thorin was right; they had overcome countless obstacles, and something so simple wouldn't prevent them from continuing their journey.

Seeing Dwalin nod in agreement, Thorin smiled slightly, turned to Bard, and nodded resolutely. "We'll follow your plan."

----

Leading them through various houses, Bard spotted his home in the distance. He stopped and turned to the dwarves. "From here, you can swim," he pointed to a hidden corner. "You'll have to go under those three houses. Go straight, and you'll reach mine. You'll find the toilet entrance in the far-right corner," he explained calmly, having already identified Alfrid's spies from afar, they were incredibly obvious.

"Alright, we'll be there," Thorin said as he approached the indicated corner, the other dwarves following without complaint. However, Glóin frowned when he saw that Aldril, Bilbo, and Tauriel remained beside Bard.

"Hey, why are you three just standing there?" he growled, drawing the attention of the other dwarves.

"We don't need to go. They've already seen us," Aldril explained with a mocking smile, a grin that made a vein throb in Glóin's forehead. Outraged, he shouted, "That's not fair!"

"Quiet, guard!" Thorin's cold command doused Glóin's fury.

Feeling the resentful stares of some dwarves, Aldril looked at Bilbo and, with a conspiratorial smile, said, "Well, if Bilbo wants to join them, that's his choice. What do you say, Bilbo?"

At that, the dwarves' attention shifted, now focused on Bilbo's response. He shook his head vehemently. "No, no, they've seen me too, and if I disappear, it could lead to misunderstandings." His reasoning was valid for the rest of the dwarves.

Aldril suppressed a smile, but his mischievous expression only deepened the resentment of the dwarves who opposed the plan. Glóin and Dwalin, the most dissatisfied, shot him irritated looks.

"Let's not waste any more time," Thorin said calmly, seeing that the argument was going nowhere. At his command, the dwarves followed him. Kili and Fili turned to Aldril, smiling as they made mocking gestures at Glóin and Dwalin.

One by one, the dwarves jumped into the water, swimming cautiously. Aldril watched them go, no longer able to hold back his laughter. Bilbo, equally amused, chuckled along with him. He glanced at Tauriel, who had a playful smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"In a few minutes, you'll see how dwarves are born," Aldril joked, making even Bard chuckle softly.

"Well, it's time for us to move," Bard said, stifling his laughter as he gestured for them to follow.

----

"Your boyfriend is so handsome, Sigrid," exclaimed Tilda, "and he has such beautiful hair!"

"Thank you for your kind words," Legolas responded with a radiant smile. He was courteous to Sigrid's sister; after all, he would treat the family of his beloved Sigrid with kindness.

"It's getting late, and the food isn't ready yet," Sigrid muttered as she hurried to the kitchen, ignoring her sister's comment, who remained mesmerized by the elven beauty.

While Sigrid rushed to prepare the meal and Legolas chatted with Tilda, the door to the house opened. Legolas quickly turned, surprise clear on his face as he saw the people standing behind Sigrid's father.

"Tauriel? What are you doing here?"

***

Filthy orcs!sorry for the delay, it was a very difficult week. Remember to support me on patreon where there are 16 advanced chapters, as well as the new resident evil fic. "p@treon.com/Mrnevercry"