Prologue
The small town of Shirewood was quiet in the dark of the night. The once bustling town now stood abandoned. The houses lay in ruin, the buildings reduced to rubble, and ash covered the streets. No one dared set foot upon this place, even the insects kept their distance. However, if you listen closely, you can hear the faint sound of footsteps slowly making their way between the broken buildings.
One man, armed with a large empty sack over his right shoulder and a dagger on his left hip, peaked around a large piece of rubble. Upon noticing that there was no one in sight, he stepped out of the shadows. He was a beautiful man, there was no doubt about it. He was very tall, about 6 feet, and he was lean, but his body had a glimmer of muscle tone. His eyes were light greenish-yellow and they stood out in contrast to his dark, wavy hair that stopped just before his jawline. His face was strong, yet smooth, as if it had been chiseled from marble.
Why a man like that would be sneaking around, you ask? He is a thief, you see. Although, he would disagree. He would like to think of himself as a liberator of all things shiny. He keeps what he wants, then gives the rest to those who are less fortunate. Tonight, his hungry eyes were set on a much larger sting. Beyond this hopeless place, at the base of a mountain, lies a cave that is rumored to be filled with mounds of gold and jewels. How they got there was a mystery to him, but all he knew was that anyone who entered never came out. He was determined not to add himself to that list.
Once he reached the cave, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "My fortune awaits." He said as he reluctantly stepped into the darkness. He took out a lantern from his bag and lit it with a match. After what seemed like hours, the thief came upon a set of crumbling stone stairs that led deeper below ground. He descended further and raised his lantern towards a large, open doorway. As his foot met the next step, it crumbled underneath his weight and sent him tumbling the rest of the way down.
"Son of a bitch!" He exclaimed, once he reached the bottom. His lantern lay broken beside him. He reached up and felt something wet and sticky on the right side of his forehead. Great, blood, he thought to himself. Without his lantern, he believed that he would be encased in darkness. Instead, he was surprised that the room he fell into had a blue glow to it. The thief looked up and saw the moon shining brightly through a giant hole in the ceiling. It looked as though something fell through it or, perhaps, dug its way out.
He took a step forward, but when his boot touched the floor, jingling and clanging could be heard reverberating off the walls. The thief looked down and to his amazement, coins were strewn all over the place. Upon further inspection, he realized that he was standing on a pile of gold coins. Quickly, he swung the bag off of his shoulder and proceeded to scoop as much as he could, with his hands, into the bag. He traveled further into the chamber, grabbing coins and jewels as he went. A shadow passing overhead made him halt his advances and look up. Just then, a great gust of wind sent him tumbling backwards off the mound of treasures. His bag remained where it was, undisturbed by recent events.
A loud ROAR pierced through the night and echoed throughout the chamber. The thief covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, fearful that his eardrums might burst. The room shook violently and coins flew in opposite directions, some hitting him with force. When he opened his eyes, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened with fear. Standing before him, with its tattered wings spread wide, was a massive dragon! It snarled down at him with sharp, surprisingly white, teeth, a few of which were missing. The tendrils lining its back stood erect and its sharp claws were clenched angrily into the piles of coins. Several arrows were sticking out from between its brownish-gray scales, some of which were also missing here and there.
"How dare you steal from me, thief!" It roared in a deep, loud feminine voice. A wicked grin spread across its features as it spoke once more, "I must shed some light on this situation. I want to better look you in the eyes before I kill you." The dragon reared back and lifted her head. Her belly, her throat, and then her mouth began to glow a bright orange. The thief, wide-eyed in fear lunged for cover as the dragon unleashed her fiery fury upon the walls of the chamber, lighting large torches as she did so. Once every torch was lit, the thief looked up only to realize that he had landed in a pile of charred human bones. With a startled yelp, he sprang off the pile and glanced towards his only exit. His stomach churned when he saw that it was now blocked by a pile of rubble. With no other alternative, he gulped down some bile that was threatening to come out and grabbed his dagger, holding out shakily with his right hand. The dragon looked down upon him in anger and amusement.
"Really?" She sneered, "Do you honestly believe that you can defeat me with that toy? Hah!"
"P-please, honorable dragon," the thief stammered, "I didn't know these treasures belonged to you and -"
"And yet," she interrupted, narrowing her eyes at him, "you proceeded to steal it anyway."
"Please, I beg you, I meant no harm. My village, the people, they're starving and -"
"Do you think I care about your stupid village?" she interrupted him again and swung her long tail, flinging him across the room and knocking the dagger out of his hand. The force of the landing left him winded. The dragon crept closer and tilted her head so that her right eye was level with him. The close proximity made the thief back up as far as he could against the wall. "You humans will never learn. You think everything belongs to you. You and those cursed elves! You're all the same!" She spat.
"Please, your greatness, spare me and I will spread word across the land that this treasure is yours and yours alone! Please!" He pleaded while choking back tears, his hands grasped together in front of him as if to emphasize his plight.
"You seem to believe that flattery and begging will spare your life? Intriguing." The dragon backed up and turned her head to face him completely. She tilted her head to the side, as if contemplating something. Then, a grin replaced her once angry features and she spoke in an almost mocking tone, "My encounter with the elves has left me in a sour mood. However, I am willing to let you go." A relieved look appeared on the man's face.
"Thank you! Thank you!" He exclaimed, as he bowed his head.
"However," the dragon continued, "I cannot let you go as you are, oh no. You must learn what it is like to spend your life defending what is yours. Being hated for what you are." Before the man could react, the dragon snatched him up in her claws and slammed him down hard against a pile of coins, pinning him there. The thief let out a strangled cry and struggled beneath her weight, his once relieved features now held a look of pure terror. "You will spend the rest of your life…as a dragon!" She began chanting in a language unknown to the man, who tried desperately to break free.
"NO! PLEASE!" He screamed. The dragon reared back her head and as she brought it down, she bathed the man in orange and red flames. The man let out a blood curdling scream and the dragon released her grip on him. The man began writhing around like a serpent, unable to control his body's movements. The dragon looked on in amusement as the thief before her began to change form. The man brought his hands up in front of his face and watched in horror as they began changing into claws. His body began to stretch and grow. Scales were sprouting all over his person and his arms became wings. Once the transformation was complete, a massive reddish-gray dragon took the place of where the man once was. Tendrils lined his back and tail and smaller ones of varying sizes surrounded his head. His eyes were now a bright shade of yellow. His snout held a mouth full of razor sharp white teeth. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!" He roared in a deep voice that he could hardly recognize as his.
The older female smiled, "Isn't it obvious? You are like me!"
"I will never be like you!" With the strength of his new body, he flung himself at the other dragon and pinned her down. "Change me back!"
"NEVER!" She roared, "As I said, you will live the rest of your life hated. No one will ever willingly help you! You will spend the rest of your life wallowing in the riches of man. Your lust for gold will always be your downfall. You will love nothing more!" With all her strength, she pushed the younger male off of her and slashed at him with one of her claws. He roared and dodged her attack. He swung his tail and sent her flying into a nearby wall. The force of her impact sent the rest of the ceiling crashing down upon them. The male spread his wings and, clumsily, began flying towards the opening in the ceiling, while trying to avoid being hit by chunks of debris along the way. He looked down at where he was and landed a few feet away from the mountain, miles away from the demolished town.
Just then, the female dragon burst free from her entombment and sent herself hurdling towards him. The younger male swiftly grabbed on to his assailant with both claws and dug them deep within her hide. She let out a pained roar and proceeded to bite him. He quickly threw her down and pinned her to the ground. He took both claws and pried open her mouth. "You should have killed me!" He hissed as he sent red and orange flames down her throat. He let her go and flung her charred carcass into the side of the mountain. He let out a loud roar that could be heard from miles away.
For over a hundred years, he flew from kingdom to kingdom, leaving death and destruction wherever he went. In each kingdom, he bathed himself in their riches until the humans would cast him out once more or he would hear of another kingdom that held greater riches than the last. The people came to call him Smaug, the bringer of fire and death. He didn't seem to mind that name, forgetting who he once was, forgetting how he was once a human. All he knew was an unquenchable urge to fill a hole in his heart. One that he believed could be filled with gold. The rest of the story is well known. He last took refuge within the confines of The Lonely Mountain, where he remained buried in the riches of the dwarves for over 60 years, undisturbed in his slumber. Until now.
Well, this is my first Hobbit fic, so please go easy on me. I wanted to give Smaug a back story because I thought that it would be cool if he wasn't originally a dragon. I have never read the books, but I have seen the movies. As soon as the other chapters go up, you'll realize that I crossed over a few concepts from other genres that I think, hopefully, you guys will like. Comments and healthy critiques will help greatly. Thank you! Also, I am going through some health issues, so I apologize in advance if updates are slow.