So it has been ten years plus since Smaug attacked the mountain in this chapter.

Ch 3 Continuing On

Time continued on in the mountain like there was no one else in the world. Lapis knew better but she also knew there was no where else to go. With three children who were half dragon with no control over themselves, there was no other home for them. Even if Thorin was alive. Her everyday life was centered around helping her children grow strong and teaching them all she knew and read about. Smaug intervened some days, interrupting her lessons she tried to hold with his own history. With the knowledge held in the tomes within the library, Lapis tried to raise her children in their environment but eventually, they kept trying to go outside. It had been some years since they were born and thankfully, they learned the same hibernation Lapis did and slept through the heavy winter months.

Far from the Lonely Mountain, in an area of Middle Earth called Dunland, the previous dwarves of Erebor settled down to try and make a home. It was ten years after the attack and Thorin was more withdrawn from everyone as days passed by, only a few understood why. Frerin did his best to keep him company, as did Dis, who grew quickly and learned not to ask of her beautiful friend. His mind stayed tortured day and night, filling his thoughts during the day of the Elves turning away and the roaring cries Lapis gave before the quiet. At night, terrors of what happened and could have been left him sweating, sleeping only a few hours. To try and run from his demons in those years, Thorin worked in villages of men, laboring where he could find, but he always remembered the dragon fire as his home fell and the future that turned to ash. As every year passed, Thorin became stronger and more withdrawn and it was in the tenth year on the anniversary of losing their home, did another dwarf befriend the young prince. Balin.

Thorin sat on a rock, looking up at the clear, starlit sky ignoring all that went on around him. Thus the reason he didn't hear another walk up and sit on another boulder adjacent to his. With a sign, Thorin's gaze dropped to his mug of ale and from his peripherals, saw the other dwarf. He had seen the other before, mostly with the advisor to his grandfather, King Thror. From his understanding, the older dwarf was in the process of apprenticeship with what had been the current Advisor to the King, Kade, who had died during Smaug's attack. Now, from Thorin's understanding, he was essentially the new Advisor. After studying the other for a few minutes, Thorin finally spoke.

"Did you wish to ask a question?"

Balin sat with his hands clasped on his lap and turned his head to the prince. "I simply thought you might like some company."

"You were wrong." Blue eyes went up to the sky again, this time to the full moon to imagine a dragon flying in front of it.

"Was I?" Balin shifted slightly to get the same angle at the sky as Thorin. "It appears, to me, that you have none. Other than your brother, who it seems has exhausted his resources to make you happy, the same as your sister."

"I would accuse you of being sent here by them, but they know better than to interrupt my time."

"Presumably because of your shortness that has become your new personality."

Anger spread through Thorin and he stood abruptly, throwing his mug to the ground. "And what do you know of me? We haven't spoken more than ten words to another other than tonight."

"True, but one can gather enough information from watching another." Balin stood also but didn't approach Thorin. "I don't know all the details of what happened to you, but I believe you may have incurred a greater loss than most of us." He turned and left, not looking backwards as he took the path leading back to their camp.

Thorin remained where he stood in shock, watching as Balin disappeared before sitting back down and looking to the sky once more, tears burning his eyes.

After the encounter, Thorin began to actively seek out the slightly older dwarf. Sometimes to watch, or to sit near him, or talk once in a while. Slowly, the two became friends and Thorin was introduced to Balin's younger brother, Dwalin, who was only eight. He had been born in Dunland two years after they fled from Erebor, but at his toddler stage of life, Thorin could already tell Dwalin was a fighter. Slowly, after a couple of years, Thorin began to open up more towards those he loved and knew closely. He was never going to be the same as before, but some of his shields fell and he could hold a conversation with his brother again without yelling at Frerin. His demeanor as a whole was quieter, more mature, but he still held back some of himself, as though he didn't want the pain of losing someone close to him again. Dis, who was now twenty, put herself into training, learning anything and everything she could from whomever was available. Without a home or throne, she helped however she could whether it was hunting or sewing, no task was too menial. One of the soldiers had volunteered his time to train her in weapons and self defense during his free time, with permission from Thorin and Captain Gatik. Little did they suspect what would evolve from their time together.

The years were hard and barely prosperous for the dwarves of Erebor, they survived by the efforts of the few who set aside their lives to ensure the survival of the people. The years of poverty began to take toll on some of their numbers and dwarves began to disappear, although where to was the question. It was a problem Thrain and Thorin saw in their fallen King, Thror. His mind never recovered, even after being away from the gold for so long, Thror continued to become more restless, and in later years more desperate for action. How long he would last before leaving also was a hovering question.

These years were quiet, time passed without event for anyone in Middle Earth. At least, that had gone noticed. Behind walls and mountains, it was another story all together and from what anyone knew, nothing ever happened.

Back at the Lonely Mountain, three adolescent dragons were wreaking havoc upon the gold and the two adult dragons with them. At some point, Lapis had given up and merely sat at a vantage point in case they became to wild and she had to rescue them from Smaug who mostly appeared to be sleeping. She missed however, when Meio squirmed her way under the mountains of treasure that hid Smaug and located his tail. Lapis didn't see the ensuing result, but spotted her daughter as a large red tail flicked from its cover, waving back and forth as trilling filled the air. Jumping from her ledge, Lapis soared to where Meio was clinging to the tail while laughing as a dragon. After another minute, the tail swung around and lifted the child-dragon to a higher spot and Smaug's head appeared, shifting the gold into a landslide that the other two children found amusing.

"Remove yourself from my being."

Lapis waited where she was, hesitant to interfere. She had learned in the past years that Smaug was in charge and there was little she could do against him. Really the only thing she could go against him on was actions involving her children. But he had never shown any malice towards them, only flexing his power now and then to show his dominance over them. She waited and watched as Meio slid from the red and black tail, flapping her small wings to stay in the air.

"Sorry, Uncle Smaug."

The large gold eye blinked at the title and then rolled over to Lapis. "What did you tell your offspring to call me?"

"Nothing, they decided on their own." Lapis had told them not to call him the honorific used by the rest of Middle Earth, dragons didn't really have family and Smaug was of no relation to them. "I'm sorry, I'll make sure they don't call you by it again." The dragon-speech they spoke in was full of hisses, it had taken Lapis some time to realize she was speaking it at all.

"See to it, I am the Great Smaug, I am not a toy for your eggs to play with or on. Understood?"

"Yes."

Lapis waited until his head was buried before swooping in and grabbing Meio with her teeth, feeling her daughter go limp as she sailed to the ground where the other two were playing. Releasing her, Lapis used her tail to collect her children and grab their attention. She had gotten larger in the years as her hatchlings grew, thankfully since she wouldn't be able to do such an action had she stayed the same size.

"Mama, can we go outside? We want to see the stars you talk about." Tarin asked, climbing over Keahi to get closer. Her two siblings gave their pleas after hers and clambered loudly.

Fearing Smaug would wake again, Lapis hushed her loud children. "It isn't safe, there could be others out there."

"We would smell them, Mama. No one would hurt you." Keahi announced and as before, his sister agreed and pleaded.

Lapis looked down fondly at her three babies, they didn't understand that she didn't want to leave for their safety. She didn't know what or who was out there, or if anyone had even stayed after the destruction Smaug had wreaked some years ago. The begging was clear in their eyes. It would do them good however, to get out and play, hopefully tired themselves out. "You will listen to me or it will be another five years until any of you leave the mountain."

A chorus of agreements met her ears and Lapis unwound herself, shaking out her wings before giving flight. "It is nighttime now, we will go outside for a few hours before returning." Three much smaller dragons flapped before her now and Lapis led the way to Thorin's old chambers, the only way out of the mountain now without digging another tunnel.

It took some work, and time over the years, to make the tunnel outside larger and keeping a door hiding the entrance. Something she was thankful for since her children were impatiently bumping into one another, herself, and the walls. Reaching his doors, Lapis had to shift in order to enter, holding doors so her babies could get in. They immediately found the gold and gems she had left there and rolled around the treasure as she made the tunnel ready for them. It took a minute to regain their attention, but eventually followed her into the bath room and into the tunnels where they were instructed to wait while the doorway was cleared and opened.

"Remember what I said, follow what I say and you all will be able to return outside again soon. Ready? Fly straight down the mountain and wait by the river." As a human, she was able to push the door open while her three baby dragons flew by her. Without looking down, Lapis launched herself from the side of the mountain and shifted while falling, landing next to her babies who were wrestling in the tall grass by the river.

Meio danced around as Keahi and Tarin nipped at one another before stopping and glancing up. "Mama, what is that?" The other two stopped at the question and looked to where their sister was gazing.

Lapis stretched out her long neck, taking in a deep breath. "That is a full moon, it is the biggest the moon can be."


The next chapter will have more time jumps. remember, this is more of a fill in the time story. much love.