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"Bless my beard." Gloin breathed when the fantastic sight came into view.

Bard turned to the dwarves. "The money, quick, give it to me."

"We'll pay you when we get our provisions, but not before." Thorin replied.

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say."

Thorin looked at Valadhiel, who gave a nod in response. They may not have known this man at all, but Valadhiel was typically a fairly good judge of character, so knew someone wasn't trustworthy moments after meeting them.

"Hide in the barrels." Bard then told them, gesturing to the barrels before he began paddling toward the dock.

The dwarves and Bilbo all got into a barrel, and Valadhiel, still in her wolf form, sat down next to Bard. Hopefully no one would suspect her, though she didn't see why anyone would. Dogs were man's best friend after all.

Soon, Bard docked his barge and walked up to someone before he began talking to him. Valadhiel watched him and listened in, glancing back at Dwalin when he asked what he was doing.

"He's talking to someone." Bilbo replied quietly, watching Bard as he spoke. His eyes widened when Bard pointed right at them. "And he's... pointing right at us!"

Thorin, hiding in a barrel, resisted the urge to peel over the top of it. He wouldn't want to give away their location, though he had a bad feeling that this man might be doing just that.

"Now they're shaking hands." Bilbo informed them after a moment.

"What?" Thorin said.

"That villain! He's selling us out!" Dwalin growled.

"Calm down, I can hear every word being spoken." Valadhiel harshly whispered to them, keeping her snout as still as possible. "Prepare to smell like fish."

"Smell like fish? What do you-"

"Sh!" Valadhiel looked up when the two men walked over and wagged her tail, barking a couple of times at the man before quieting when Bard patted the top of her head and told her to calm down. She watched as fish was poured into each barrel, resisting the urge to laugh.

"Oh, great." Dwalin muttered once he was sure that the man was gone.

Bard kicked the barrel that the dwarf was in. "Quiet! We're approaching the toll gate."

"Halt!" The gatekeeper said, not looking up to see who it was. "Goods inspection. Papers, please." He then looked up before he continued. "Oh, it's you, Bard. And you brought a friend with you, I see."

"Morning, Percy."

"Anything to declare?"

"Nothing, but that I am cold and tired, and ready to go home." Bard replied, handing papers over to the gatekeeper.

"You and me both. Here we are. All in order." Percy said, patting Valadhiel on the top of her head before holding the papers out for Bard.

"Not so fast." Another man, who had soldiers with him, said. He walked over to them, took the papers from Percy, and read them before he looked at the barge. "Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm, only, they're not empty. Are they, Bard? If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman."

Valadhiel had wagged her tail when Percy patted the top of her head, then she looked at the other man that had walked over and immediately pinned her ears back. She sensed trouble from this guy. When the man picked up a fish, she growled at him loudly, then yelped when she was kicked in the ribs by him.

"That's none of your business." Bard said, then he frowned. "And don't kick the dog."

"Wrong. It's the Master's business, which makes it my business." The man replied, then he looked at the dog. "Keep the mongrel under control and I won't have any need of kicking it."

"Oh, come on, Alfrid, have a heart. People need to eat!"

Valadhiel pinned her ears back when she was called a mongrel and growled once more, then backed up when she was kicked at once more.

"These fish are illegal." Alfrid threw the fish he was holding into the water. "Empty the barrels over the side."

The soldiers that were with Alfrid took the barrels and began to dump all the fish into the river. Valadhiel began growling and barking at some of them, doing what she could to delay them, though she wound up getting kicked several times.

"Folk in this town are struggling!" Bard said. "Times are hard. Food is scarce."

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

Valadhiel growled and lunged at Alfrid, grabbing onto his pant leg and tugging at it. Bard quickly grabbed her, giving the canine a swat and shooing her onto the barge before he looked at Alfrid again. "And when the people hear the Master is dumping fish back into the lake, when the rioting starts, will it be your problem then?"

Alfrid stared at Bard for a moment before he raised his hand toward the soldiers. "Stop."

The soldiers stopped dumping the fish, set the barrels back, and walked away to some buildings a little ways away.

"Ever the people's champion, eh, Bard? Protector of the common folk? You might have their favor now, bargeman, but it won't last." Alfrid taunted before he walked away.

"Raise the gate!" Percy called out.

"The Master has his eye on you; you'd do well to remember." Alfrid told Bard. "We know where you live."

"It's a small town, Alfrid. Everyone knows where everyone lives." Bard replied. Once they were through the gate and a little way's away, he looked at Valadhiel with a frown. "What possessed you to attack him?"

"He is a very unpleasant man." Valadhiel replied, then breathed a sigh. "I get the temper from my father; it's something I struggle with."

"Who's your father, Smaug?" Bard questioned, then he shook his head. "Here we are." He docked the barge and, after looking around, knocked on all of the barrels. When he got to Dwalin, the dwarf poked his head out from among the fish.

"Get your hands off of me." He snapped grouchily.

Bilbo and the dwarves struggled out of the barrels, Valadhiel watching in amusement. When Thorin noticed the smirk on the wolf's face, he rolled his eyes at her. "Don't make me kick you." He teased.

Bard tossed a coin to the dock-keeper, who watched on in shock. "You didn't see them, they were never here. The fish you can have for nothing." He then began leading the Company through the town. "Follow me."

Valadhiel trotted along after the man, hobbit, and dwarves, wagging her tail so she would appear to be any normal dog. She planned to use this form most of her stay, in fact, as even her wingless elvish form would draw much attention. Her hair was fiery red, after all, and her eyes were yellow in that form, whereas they were normal in animal form.

A young boy ran up to Bard after a moment, causing them all to halt. "Da! Our house, it's being watched!"

Bard looked at Thorin, who had looked up at him, then he looked at the boy again before he looked at the dwarves. "I have a plan. You probably won't like it, but it'll be better than getting caught." He told them, then he looked at the young lad. "Bain, take the dog inside. I'll be in in a minute."

Bain looked at the dog before he nodded and turned, clicking his tongue at the animal. "Come on, pup."

Valadhiel, since others were still passing by every so often, followed after him and wagged her tail. However, once they were inside, she looked at the boy and decided that she should probably let him know that she wasn't really a dog. Then again, she didn't want to freak him out. Maybe she shouldn't say anything at all.

Bard walked into the house not too long after Bain and Valadhiel had, and he looked up when two girls ran over to him.

"Da! Where have you been?" One girl asked.

"Father! There you are. I was worried." The other said.

Both girls ran into his arms and hugged him, then the younger of the two grinned. "Aw, a dog!"

Bard looked at Valadhiel before he looked at his girls. "Yes, though she isn't our dog." He then handed both girls something. "Here's something to eat."

"If she isn't ours, then who's is she?" The older girl asked. "And why have you brought her here?"

"I'll explain in a moment." Bard told them, then he looked at Bain and gave a nod. "Bain, get them in."

The girls looked over when dwarves began climbing into their house, and the older girl furrowed her brow and looked at her father. "Da, why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?"

"I'll explain soon, Sigrid."

"Will they bring us luck?" The younger girl asked.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough, Tilda."

Valadhiel smiled in amusement at the younger girl, Tilda, then she looked at Bard. 'If it is all right with you, I would like to continue allowing your children to believe that I am just a dog. Just in case word were to get out. I am very much wanted by Lord Thranduil, more so than any dwarf here, therefore I believe it would be best for your safety if everyone believed I was just a canine.'

Bard looked at Valadhiel in surprise when she spoke to his mind, then he gave a subtle nod before turning his attention to the dwarves. Once they were all in, he started a fire while Bain, Sigrid, and Tilda got blankets for the dwarves and Bilbo. Soon, their wet outer clothes were lying out to dry, and they were all wrapped up in warm blankets.

Valadhiel had been sitting in front of the fire, though she moved out of the way for the dwarves, since they had swam in through the toilet and she had simply been able to walk in. She jumped onto the couch after a moment and laid down, wagging her tail when Tilda began scratching behind her ears.

"Ah, ah!" Bard said, gently nudging the animal's ribs. "No dogs on the couch."

Valadhiel got up off the couch and walked over to the dwarves. She was trying to decide which dwarf she would belong to if she were any normal dog. Or perhaps she would belong to Bilbo? Yes, Bilbo. He was the one she had to watch over, after all.

Bain walked over after a moment and petted Valadhiel before he looked up at the dwarves. "What's her name?" He asked them.

The dwarves glanced at each other briefly, and one was about to speak before Bilbo beat them to it. "Her name is Isil. It's elvish for moon."

"It fits perfectly." Sigrid commented as she looked at Valadhiel. "Since she has those crescent moon markings on her flanks."

"Which one of you does she belong to?" Tilda asked, getting off of the couch and sitting next to the dog so she could pet it again.

"She belongs to me." Thorin replied, almost without hesitation.

Valadhiel looked over at Thorin when he spoke, almost shocked, and she felt herself blush beneath her fur. When Thorin looked over at her, she wagged her tail to make it seem like she was a dog. She had to act like one, after all, as not acting like one could be suspicious. Then again, every dog acted different, and they wouldn't assume she wasn't a dog as long as she looked like one.

"She's very beautiful." Tilda commented.

Thorin smiled at the girl before he looked at Valadhiel again. "She is."

Bard walked into the room after a moment and looked at his children. "It's bedtime, you three." He told them.

Valadhiel sighed softly after the children got up to say goodnight to their father, after bidding their guests a good night, and laid down. Being a dog was pretty boring.

"You okay?" Bilbo asked after the children were gone, lifting a mug to his lips after having spoken.

"Yes, I'm just bored." Valadhiel replied, then she looked up when she heard Thorin speak.

"A dwarvish wind-lance."

Bilbo glanced at the wind-lance as he sipped from his mug, then he lowered it a little. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"He has." Balin replied. "The last time we saw such a weapon, a city was on fire. It was the day the dragon came."

Valadhiel lowered her ears a little and looked at the fire. She had also been there that day. She had been planning on defending the dwarves after learning what Smaug intended to do, but she had been too late.

"The day that Smaug destroyed Dale." Balin continued. "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. His store was running low when Girion made his last stand."

"Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different." Thorin said.

Valadhiel got to her four feet and walked a few steps from Bilbo before giving a low growl. "Had I discovered Smaug's intentions sooner, things would have been very different."

Thorin looked at Valadhiel when she spoke. "Don't blame yourself for something you couldn't prevent. Nothing can be done about it now."

Bain entered the room after a moment, and Bard approached Thorin. Valadhiel resumed her "normal dog act". "You speak as if you were there." Bard commented.

"All dwarves know the tale." Thorin answered.

"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon." Bain said, looking at Thorin. "He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast."

"Ha, ha, ha! That's a fairy story, lad." Dwalin said, looking at the boy. "Nothing more."

Valadhiel looked at Dwalin and gave a small yip as if to scold him for laughing at the boy. She, for one, knew that it could have been possible. What if a scale had indeed been knocked loose? If that was the case, then defeating Smaug was that much more possible.

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