Timi groaned slightly as the impact of the fall had blacked her out for a very long time. She was greeted by silence, a deathly silence. She looked around and what she saw shocked her. Bodies of dwarfs were lying around, some of them were still bleeding. Their eyes were either closed or open from the shock. She knelt beside them in silence, to honour their bravery. She did not know where to go or what to do.
She got up, a bit unsteady and walked around in circles, thinking of what to do. She could either
- run away, without any provisions and literally starve to death
-stay where she was, a stupid idea really
- brave the dragon and creep through the hall to get to her room, which was impossible
She mused for a while and decided to go with the latter. She hoped that the dragon was asleep.
She gingerly set foot in the hall and was astounded by the gold that surrounded her. She had always crossed the hall to get to her room, but it seemed that the dragon had hunted for each and every gold piece in the whole fortress and brought it back here.
She sighed and trudged through the gold and silver. How on earth was she ever going to get to her room?! In all this mess, she was completely lost and she didn't know she was being watched. From under the gold, a thin, golden crescent was eyeing her movement, each and every step.
He had noticed the odd being with the dwarfs but he was very sure, she wasn't one. She was very tall, had long dark hair with streaks of red in them and looked very fit and agile. But it was her eyes that captivated him the most. They were a beautiful blue, with specks of gold in them. They were lively and happy. He knew at that moment that he should have this being with him at once. She was rare, and he never wanted anyone to look upon her.
"Bah," she mumbled to herself, "I'll never reach that darned room."
He knew it was his time to come up and reveal himself.
Tími walked silently and she heard a tinkling of coins. They didn't come from her feet, but something much larger. Frantically she dashed off behind a pile of gold and hid, waiting for any sudden movement.
With her surprised eyes, she noticed the dragon rise up from the gold, the coins falling from him. His keen eyes had already found her hiding spot. He was humongous, but was nothing like Ancalagon. His eyes were a hue of orange and gold, and his scales were a dark reddish colour.
"I know you are there. Stop lurking like a thief in the shadows. Show yourself!" He bellowed, the command harsh and threatening.
Timi sunk back behind the gold pile, terrified out of her wits. A few coins tinkled.
"I can hear you. Who dare disrupts my gold?" he snarled.
Something cool and yet at the same time warm grabbed her at the waist and with a yelp, she was now eye-to-eye with the fearsome beast.
"There you are, creature. Haven't smelt your kind before." he growled, not loosening the grip on her.
"I-I," she stammered, "mean no harm."
"Who are you? And most importantly what are you?" he questioned with a fierce look.
"O Great Dragon," she spoke, "Who I am or what I am is not important. It would be better if I recovered my belongings and left you in peace."
"Who says I'm going to let you go?" he grinned evilly. Her eyes widened in horror.
"Surely you must be mistaken O Dragon," she tried once more, slowly loosing her patience, "I am of no value to you. These treasures value much more than me. Therefore I implore you, let me go."
He chuckled darkly. "I know of your value more than you. You will stay here, be my pet."
She growled angrily at the last word, "I am no one's pet! I am a free creature of Middle Earth."
The dragon laughed, "You belong to me now. Either choose to live here or die."
She stopped for a while and thought. As soon as he set her down, she could make a rush for the door. But he could still catch her. It was time to try her own way.
"Put me down," she spoke with gritted teeth, banging her hands on the dragon's tail which was wound around her tightly.
Feisty, he thought to himself and he put her down.
As soon as her feet touched the gold coins, she dashed off towards the door. A few more steps! She urged herself, a few more steps to freedom...
WHAM!
His claw blocked her.
"Going somewhere?" He chuckled.
"Away from you," she spat and tried to in another direction but his tail blocked her again.
"How amusing," he spoke.
"Look O Great Dragon," she tried once more, "Please let me go!"
"Give me one good reason why I should," he spoke menacingly, as he once more got hold of her by his tail.
"I won't bother you. I will just retrieve my pendant and leave."
"Not good enough," he smirked. "You do not need it. I suggest you leave now."
"Ugh," she rested her chin on her palm. She knew he was never going to let her go. Her freedom had been robbed from her and she did not like it one bit.
"Timi," she spoke.
"What?" he sounded confused as he put her down once again, now assured that she wouldn't run away.
"The name's Timi-Drage," she spoke as she sat down on the pile of gold.
"Smaug," he grumbled, "I'm glad we've gotten over the pleasantries."
