The Green Dragon

By XxWanderlustxX

Summary: Hobbit AU. In which there is a dragon that is not Smaug, we learn the origins of a name, and Yavanna is very protective of her youngest children.

Disclaimer: No, this is not mine. Although I'll gladly take Richard Armitage and Martin Freeman. No? Yeah, that's what I thought…

Chapter One: The Children of Yavanna

Yavanna remembers the Firstborn, the children of Eru, when they were new upon the world. She remembers the excitement in the newness, when the vision was first revealed to them, in the beginning of time, and they had set to work with all gladness, to prepare this new world for the Firstborn and the ones that followed after.

Yavanna remembers the making of the world, the battles with Morgoth, and the marks it left upon the world. Mountains and valleys, cliffs and caves.

And Yavanna remembers the Children of Aule.

…It is not that she dislikes her husband's children, although she cannot help but sigh at what will become of her dear trees, her growing plants, and it is not as if she doesn't understand that this will all be necessary, not only for the Children of Aule, but for the Children of Eru as well, and truly this is not the problem at all. Iluvatar has promised her the Ents and she is content with that.

…truly. She is. She wants for nothing more. At all.

The Valie sighed again, she knew what plagued her, and she disliked it immensely. When the truth had come out about the children that Aule had fashioned, the dwarves, it was not merely concern for the green things that had settled in Yavanna's heart. A yearning had come upon her, to have her own children, as her husband did, to bring something into life, something that grew, that flourished…

…And she could not help but think, as she looked at her husband's (rather… stumpy, and so hairy, too) children that perhaps, if only he'd told her, or asked for her help, they would've been… prettier. That is to say, there wasn't anything wrong with them! Truly! But her husband, the darling that he was, so much like a child at times, had been so excited, no doubt gathering inspiration from the brief vision of the firstborn that they had witnessed, as artists are often wont to do. And he'd made them as best he could remember, an artist attempting to capture a brief thought in his work, but the first tries are often clumsy, and do not do the thought much justice. And that was the problem, right there. Yavanna had better memory.

If only he'd asked!

But that was long gone and past. Eru had given the Children of Aule his blessing, adopting them as his own. And Yavanna… now, Yavanna wanted.

It was a troubling thought, and it gave the Valie a troubled heart, until Aule asked her what it was that was upsetting her, and not one to hide secrets, Yavanna told him the truth. How she wanted children of her own, to nurture and care for. This perplexed Aule as well, for while he knew well the yearning his wife felt, he also knew that he had been but a stone's throw from earning Iluvatar's ire when he had fashioned his children.

So, of course, they went to Manwe to seek his cousel.

The King of the Valar thought long of Yavanna's request, and finally, he agreed to bring it up with Iluvatar, for what Yavanna was asking was not too unreasonable, after all. Eru had granted Aule's children his blessing, and here Yavanna was actually asking, unlike some (Aule actually managed to look sheepish). And all the children of Eru had long since awoken by now.

Iluvatar granted Yavanna's request, to the queen of earth's joy. And Aule offered to help her create them, to her delight.

She fashioned them after the firstborn, with pointed ears for she found those quite pleasing, and they were short, shorter than her husband's children (but not stumpy, of course, they would be well proportioned, small things), she did not wish to give them much hair, like the children of Aule, instead she gave them lovely curls (much like her own) and hairy feet, which perplexed her dear husband a bit, for he could not understand why feet had to be hairy, but Yavanna wanted it so, and she gave them leathery soles that could withstand any sharp rock or twig. They were her children, and they were children of the earth, who would love the green and growing things. They would always bear a connection to the earth, and what better way than to ever feel the grass beneath their feet?

At long last, Yavanna looked upon what she had created(with Aule's occasional help, of course), and was very pleased. She offered them to Eru, who breathed upon them life, and finally showed them to the rest of the valar, and even they could not help but coo at the new ones, for they were small, and soft, and adorable, peaceful things which took after their Mother's nature, and even Manwe smiled down at them fondly.

But Orome looked troubled. They were the gentlest of creatures, and they would not do battle against the dark forces, for they were much too sweet for such woes. And he voiced his troubles to the rest. Worrying that should Morgoth's forces ever come upon them, they would not be able to defend themselves.

Yavanna frowned, but she did not wish to turn her children into a fighting race, and so she made them quiet and subtle, so that they would pass unnoticed by most.

Nienna gave them endurance, that they might weather any darkness and ill, and even in the blackest of days, find hope.

Orome gave them skill, perhaps not with a bow for Yavanna would hear nothing of her children learning the ways of war, but a sharp aim nonetheless.

Vana laughed, and gave them song, so that they would always be a cheerful.

Varda, whom the elves call Elbereth, gave them light, that they would bring good will and happiness upon others.

And Manwe, who was quite taken with Yavanna's children, declared the land they settled upon would be blessed, and promised that they would be protected from harm.

Then Mandos, silent during the whole exchange, suddenly spoke: "So it shall be, by the finger of the smallest, the tower shall fall. Bless the little ones." but Mandos was oft speaking dreary prophetic gibberish such as that, so no one thought much of it.

Pleased at the reception her children had been given, Yavanna thanked them all kindly, and settled the little ones on the western side of Arda, along the path to Valinor. She blessed the land to always be fruitful, and Manwe, true to his word, protected it.

And she called them… Hobbits.

This perplexed her dear husband quite a bit, for he could not understand where the term came from. But Yavanna just laughed, and felt quite accomplished with herself.

…I can't believe I wrote that. Honestly, it was supposed to be a simple thing about where hobbits came from, but then I started writing Yavanna, and ohmigawd Yavanna is so easy to write, she just… she just… flows out, and now I've gone and made up personalities for Perplexed!Aule who is helpful but confused and Troll!Yavanna who loves her kids and her husband, but likes to troll him on occasion.

Yeah… what have you wrought, my brain?

BTW, just in case your confused – Manwe, King of the Valar. Varda, Queen of the Stars and Manwe's wife. Nienna, Lady of Mercy. Orome, the Huntsman of the Valar. Vana, sister of Yavanna and Lady of Flowers. Mandos, Doomsman of the Valar and caretaker of the dead. Aule, Creator of the Dwarfs and Craftsman of the Valar. Yavanna, Queen of the Earth, who cares for all things that grow. And of course, Eru Iluvatar, who is the One, the creator of the Valar and all things.

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