Author's Note: Quickly! A few things I need to say!

1) For this chapter, I was listening a LOT to Poets of the Fall "Beautiful Ones", so if you listen to that during Smaug's POV, then it really brings out the mood!

2) You may have noticed that the rating has now changed to M. So a warning now, that adult themes will be present at the end of this chapter. If you do not wish to read, then you do not have to.

Enjoy!

Chapter 11 – Desires –

Saphira fell through the abyss of sleep and into dreams. She now hated dreams, for all they brought her was anguish, but this time she had no control over the matter as she felt it pull her further and further down. She fought against it, beating her wings as she would fight against gravity, though this was more inevitable as she felt herself continue to fall.

Eventually, her wings snatched at the air as she flipped her body over so that she was soaring over a vast ocean. Calming her racing heart, Saphira beat her wings and sped along the water, talons grazing the surf as she passed little islands separated by the vast expanse of the sea. Saphira felt a vague sense of familiarity, and realised that she was crossing the ocean as she had in her travels to Middle Earth. But this time, she felt no fatigue or exhaustion, indeed she felt strong and able to battle against any wind or wave that tried to push her back. Eventually, she came across the long treasured sight of her homeland, as it quickly sped underneath her as she soared over it. Mountains passed under her, and she realised that she was crossing the Spine, having come much further north than she had anticipated. She flew into the forests on the Spine mountains, landing in a clearing in a break in the trees. She took a moment to absorb all the sounds and scents that filtered into her senses, a happy sigh escape her jaws as she flicked her tail happily: it felt like coming home. But then, she heard a twig snap, and looked around to see a figure emerge through the brush into the next clearing over, a boy with golden hair and blue eyes, a bow in his hands already knocked with an arrow. He didn't seem to have noticed the dragon that was twenty feet away as he stalked something further off that was leading him away from her.

'Eragon?' she asked herself as she instantly recognised the figure, though she was confused as to why he would be here, before a sense of joy filled her heart at seeing him. She bounded towards him, crashing through the undergrowth and startling him as she came towards him. 'Eragon!'

"Argh!" Eragon screamed upon seeing her, back peddling fast until he tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. Saphira stopped her advance, looking down upon the boy before her as she cocked her head in confusion. "Monster!" he screamed as he scrambled to try and get away from her.

'Eragon? What are you doing?' she asked him, completely bewildered as to his behaviour.

"No!" he screamed as he scrambled for his bow, and shot an arrow at her. Saphira yelped in surprise as the arrow bounced off of her scales, not causing her any harm though she still felt it sting.

'Eragon!' she snapped almost irritated as well as shocked as she looked at him in confusion.

"If you're going to kill me then just do it!" he cried as he cowered away from her, curling into a ball as he covered his head. Saphira stared down at him in shock, horror dawning inside of her. How could he think that of her?!

'I wouldn't –' she tried to say, but stopped herself, as even though her words reached his mind, he still remained fearful as he shook where he lay.

He had forgotten her.

That realisation alone was enough to make her heart cry with despair, as she roared to the skies, using her voice to project all of her pain and sadness, that her dearest one had forgotten her and now feared her so. She slumped her neck towards the ground, a high pitch keening sound escaping her throat as she wallowed in her own grief.

"Saphira…" came a voice. Saphira's head snapped up as a figure stepped into the clearing with her.

"Eragon?" Saphira breathed with confusion. But it was him… but he had just… Saphira turned her head back to look at where she had left the frightened Eragon, but he had vanished. Saphira turned her wide eyes back to the new Eragon that had just stepped towards her, his oddly unreadable eyes scrutinizing her.

Saphira suddenly found herself no longer in the forest, instead she was in the ruins of the Capital City, Urû'baen, all the buildings crumbling to ash, smoke curling into the sky as the city burned. Corpses were strewn over the streets, wearing various colours and sigils upon their armour. The scent of death and decay polluted the air until it was almost insufferable, and Eragon stood not twenty paces from her, his eyes unusually cold and hard as he gazed at her.

'Eragon… What happened here?'

"There was a rebellion. We could not bring order to the Empire, and those who once believed in us lost faith when they saw that their Rider was without his Dragon," he said in an icy tone that she had never expected to come from him. "They had lost their symbol, and so went back to their old ways. It turns out I was NOTHING without you." He paused, seemingly to deflate, before a hard gleam entered his eyes. "They wanted the Empire as it was under Galbatorix's rule, and so fought against us. With Murtagh gone to the North we had no way of frightening the people with the presence of a dragon. It was murder in the streets. This… is all that's left."

'How could such a thing happen?' she asked as she gazed at the wreckage around her in horror.

"Because you ALLOWED it to happen," he shot at her icily.

'Me?' Saphira asked doubtfully. 'How is this of my doing?'

"You fled from me!" Eragon roared at her suddenly, causing Saphira to snap her gaze back to him in astonishment. "You abandoned your duty, your debt owed to me and to others! Do you know what they will say of us in years to come? Oh I can imagine the stories – The Rider and his craven dragon!"

Saphira had heard these words before: when she had fled with Eragon to the Spine Mountains when the Ra'zac had come to kill them. Eragon had used these words – though not exactly the same – to insight her anger to make her take him back to his Uncle. His words had angered her then, and they angered her now, wounding her pride as she bared her fangs to growl threateningly. But her eyes caught on the death that surrounded them, and her fury died in her throat, a sense of guilt overwhelming her as she turned away from the wretched sight.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't run away!" Eragon shouted at her when she remained silent.

'You would not be alive if I had stayed.' She tried to tell him, her eyes imploring him, trying to make him understand, but if anything, he only became angrier.

"Look at this!" he screamed. "Look at what you've done! You left me, you abandoned me!"

'I had no choice! I was trying to find help –'

"But you could have returned, you could have come back to me, and we would have figured this out together. But you chose HIM over ME!"

'No!' Saphira argued instantly, though as she tried to explain herself, the words wouldn't come. 'Eragon I never… With Smaug… It is different,'

"You would rather go and play with that monster than be with those who once loved you!"

'At first I never meant to stay,' she told him, desperate to make him see the truth in her words.

"You had your chance to leave, but you threw it away! For what? For HIM?!" he demanded.

'It's… I… Eragon, I cannot it explain it!' she cried when the words failed her a second time.

"Then there is nothing further for us to discuss. You turned your back on me. Now let me return the favour." He spat, and without another glance at her, he turned away from her and left her to the horrors she had created.

'ERAGON!'

The roar that suddenly erupted inside the mountain was loud enough to have Smaug shoot up from where he lay, coins and jewels flying in all directions as he erupted from the hoard in his shock. He looked around with wide and startled eyes, teeth bared, chest shining with his fire as he looked around for the threat. His first reaction to the sound was that there was a threat to himself and his hoard somewhere in his den, and he needed to destroy it. It took a moment for the fog of sleep to leave his mind as his eyes looked around to locate the threat that he could not see. As the sound died, Smaug's attention was drawn to Saphira's perch, his body tensing as his mind jumped to the conclusion that she was under attack. But all he saw was Saphira looking around, just as startled as he, her eyes wide with panic and pain, her pupils thin blade edges as she looked about almost wildly. She was panting heavily, and Smaug could smell her fear and distress, yet she seemed to have just come out of sleep herself, her jaws were still slightly open from where the roar had escaped her in her sleep.

Smaug was most confused. He didn't know why Saphira would react to something so extremely, she had obviously had a nightmare, but she had never had such a reaction before. Smaug had heard her toss about in her sleep before but she'd always awoken before the dreams became too much, and she never seemed too bothered by them. The only time Smaug had ever seen her react to any dream had been on that night when they'd slept side by side the first time. She hadn't specifically told him she'd had a nightmare, but he'd only had to guess. But now, the normally level-headed and ferocious female looked almost terrified. The scent of her distress was slowly dissipating, but that didn't mean that Smaug was any less unsettled by it. Every inch of her was stiff, her muscles tensed, and he could see shivers rake through her frame as she tried to calm herself. Smaug wanted to be annoyed with her, to snap at her, to take his impatience out on her for ruining his sleep. But he exhaled sharply in exasperation, feeling something inside of him pull him towards her, knowing that her mental stability had an effect on him also if she was to stay with him, as he was beginning to believe was now possible. Since they had shared their memories several nights ago, something had been changed between them. Smaug had said to himself that he would take the broken pieces of her to make her into something grander – as was befitting of his standards, he told himself – so that meant that he was partially responsible for her well-being, as any mate of worth was.

Climbing out of his hoard, he shook his head at his own folly, muttering to himself bitterly about the stupidity of sentimentality as he marched over his hoard and towards the stairs that led to her perch. Long talons grasping at the edge of the stairs, he climbed his way towards her, thankful that the stairway was wide enough so that he didn't need to balance himself precariously. As he reached the large overlook that she had made into her own nest, he looked down over her, fiery eyes sketching each detail of her body as he studied her. She lay with her tail curled around her legs and her wings tucked tightly against her sides, a position of how she was trying to shield her vulnerability, even if it was only subconsciously. She looked up at him, her head low in a surprisingly submissive gesture though she looked up at him with a hint of desperation in her eyes.

"Are you injured?" Smaug asked, breaking the silence that their eyes had created. His voice seemed abnormally loud in the silence of the treasure hall, and Saphira's eyes flickered away, if only for a moment.

"No," she murmured softly. "Forgive my foolishness, it was just a dream."

Smaug waited for her to explain, tapping his claws against the stone impatiently as the silence was dragged out. He shifted uncomfortably as her sapphire eyes danced towards his once again. Smaug was unaccustomed to giving anyone any form of comfort, he was much more used to destroying things and leaving others in a state of woe. Trying to calm others was not his forte, and the realisation that he was beyond his own experience was disconcerting.

"Are you going to just sit there all night?" he snapped irritably when he could no longer take the silence. "Tell me what ails you."

"Why do you wish to know?" she asked almost edgily.

"If I am to never rest, I would like to know the cause." He murmured. And then, he added in an almost teasing tone. "If something frightens my warrior so, perhaps I should be afraid,"

But she did not tease him back, nor did her lips twitch into a smile. She laid her head upon the ground, a grief-stricken sigh escaping her maw as she closed her eyes briefly, a sadness emanating from her that Smaug didn't know how to handle.

"I dreamed of him… of Eragon," her voice whispered to him in his mind, a soft caress that he found himself yearning to hear more, even if the mention of the wretch she once served caused a flash of irritation to spike through his chest. "I dreamed that when I returned to him, he did not know me – he had forgotten me. And then it changed, that he was angry with me for leaving him, that my absence had left the new empire unprotected. He hated me…" her words were filled with such broken longing that Smaug felt something stir in his black heart, something akin to pity as he saw the tremors of grief in her body once again.

He held his tongue from saying anything as he continued to listen, wondering what else she might reveal to him. He sat himself down at the edge of the platform, which didn't offer him much room, though he kept his eyes fixed on hers the entire time.

"Eragon was connected to my soul…" she spoke in a hushed voice as if she were speaking her thoughts aloud. "I often called him a partner of my heart and mind. When he felt pain, I felt it, as when I was in pain he felt mine. We could sense the other's emotions, hear our thoughts, there were no secrets between us. We were one. It would only take a far great distance to shut us out of the other's mind. He was part of me so deeply, I existed only for him. I once thought that if he were ever taken from me, there would be nothing left for me but madness. I told him I would destroy everything in my path before trying to die in battle so that I could be with him again."

A high pitched keening noise of grief escaped her throat, and she squeezed her eyes shut against her own grief. Smaug felt her thoughts be coloured with her emotions of such deep sadness, and he found himself in the most peculiar position of not knowing how to grant her the peace she sought.

"Having him taken from me so suddenly, and yet he stills lives…" she whispered. "There is nothing that can describe the ache in my heart, the conflict I feel inside my mind. I fear I will go mad like Shruikan… to be parted from the one I was meant for, the one I was bound to, and yet still live… it feels unnatural to me. I want to go back to him, every instinct inside of me is telling me that I must be by his side, for that is where I belong." Smaug resisted the urge to growl at that statement, as Saphira's eyes looked up towards him, her eyes bright and glistening the way he had never seen them before. "But I cannot risk putting him in harm's way. I cannot bring myself to put him in danger because I might fail at controlling myself. We are no longer bound, so I am no longer responsible for my actions around him. My impulses are too much. But at the same time…" she paused, eyes locking with his as a heavy beat of silence fell before she spoke again. "I secretly do not wish to. Smaug…" she whispered his name. "How do I do what is right when my heart is torn in two ways?"

Smaug had no words for her, mainly because he felt that if he said the wrong thing, then the moment that had been created with her confession would be broken. He felt a yearning inside of him to not ruin what had been given to him, as if this was some silent offering that he did not understand right away. But, he could no longer sit still, and so, uncaring of the consequences, he moved towards her. Like a serpent he moved fluidly, slithering his way around her; she yelped in surprise, and almost made to get up as he brushed around her hindquarters, but he pushed her back down with a claw as he came around her back, settling himself. He now lay beside her, curling his long tail around them both, her encircled by the length of his body, he arched his neck so that he looked down at her, and she looked up at him in clear surprise and confusion. Only a foot of space separated their faces, and Smaug looked at her, seemingly un-noticing of the fact, though Saphira glanced away, almost a nervous look in her face. Smaug waited again for her to speak, though she seemed to be waiting for the same of him, though when it appeared that he would not, she spoke.

"I have never felt closer to anyone else then I had with Eragon," she told him softly. "And yet a part of me wishes to stay here, a part of me I loathe for betraying me and Eragon. I want to return to Eragon, and I want to stay here… but for different reasons…" and she finally looked up at Smaug, their eyes meeting, fire and water it seemed for the deep blue of her eyes churned like the sea, and Smaug found himself hypnotised by her eyes. But then, she broke the stare as she turned her head away and laid it upon the ground with a heavy breath that stirred the dust on the floor. "How can I hate myself for wanting something?"

"I may not know much of what you speak of," he murmured. "But I do know that no love is the same as another, the heart will want what it must, and there is no sin in simply following that desire." Although she was not directly looking at him, he knew that she was paying close attention to his every word. "You should not feel ashamed of wanting your freedom, and you shouldn't feel guilty because you enjoy it."

She remained silent, though he could almost feel her pondering his words, yet she still seemed disheartened by her grief. Smaug stared at her for a long moment, enraptured by the faint glimmer of her scales in the dim light, her beauty apparent even in the midst of such sadness. He felt another pull at his heart towards her, another stirring in his chest as he wanted to banish away the sorrow that had settled on her heart. He leant forward, his long neck easily reaching around the curve of her neck, until his head was above hers. And then, ever so gently, he licked the top of her head soothingly, his thick tongue caressing her scales and feeling the tense muscles beneath. He felt her stiffen for a moment, before she let out a sigh, and relaxed against him, accepting the comfort he offered her. He silently groomed the top of her head for a while, not in any way having any ulterior motive to the act other than to simply comfort her in any way he could. In the back of his mind, he subconsciously noted that it was perhaps the most selfless thing he'd ever done in his life, just to simply offer himself to her so that she might vent away her grief. Saphira began to hum in her chest, and Smaug felt a smile creep up his lips at the thought that he was the one who had brought her back from her depression, and that it was for him that she was purring for. He finished in his tending of her as he brought his head down alongside hers, mouth coming close to her ear as he murmured to her softly.

"The choices you've made, the paths that have led you here, it is all in the past. Think no more of it. There is only now." he told her, his voice a hushed whisper that floated around her, such a contrast to his usual booming volume that it seemed that only she could hear him, as if he were telling her something only for her. "But never regret who or what you are." He licked her cheek in a tender caress, leaving her to her thoughts as he retracted his head back to –

"How do you cope?" he suddenly heard her ask inside his mind.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her in confusion with a blink as the only sign of his surprise. Saphira turned her head on the floor just enough so that she could see his face out of the corner of one of her eyes.

"Your mother…" she told him softly. Smaug immediately felt himself bristle, instinct shutting out all sense of sentiment he had built over their encounter as instant anger filled him. It was an automatic response for him to be enraged at the mention of such an intrusive subject. He had momentarily forgotten that she knew of his past, and now felt anger at her for bringing up such weakness on his part. But before he could snap at her, her voice came softly into his head, attempting to sooth at his anger. "You feel it is a weakness that you mourn her, the shame of her death stains you, but I find it is strength." Her words made him rear his head back in surprise and he cocked his head at her in confusion. "Even when you were young, you've always remained so strong, never failed yourself… Maybe she would have been proud of who you have become. As I am grateful for that same strength that you have given to me… Thank you,"

The way she whispered to him reverently, as if she truly meant what she said… Smaug found himself so completely off guard that he could only blink dumbly at her for a moment. An odd feeling stirred in his chest, a heat blossoming along his veins that had nothing to do with his inner-fire as he stared at this unorthodox female beside him. She was so unlike anything he had ever encountered before, she always surprised him, and as ever he was fascinated by the new side of the jewel that he'd found. He stared at her for a moment, lost for words even as the shock began to leave him slowly. He thought briefly of leaving her to go back to his hoard to sleep, knowing that their little exchange had come to an end, yet he felt absolutely no desire to leave her side.

He leaned back and lifted his arm, the attached wing held in the air above them both as he offered her his side silently. He looked at her with an unreadable expression, watching her carefully to see what she would do. Saphira looked almost nervous as she hesitantly looked from his offered side and then back to his face. But it only lasted a moment, as she slowly and hesitantly moved herself closer to him. She nestled herself against him, their scales rubbing against each other as she wriggled to make herself comfortable. Once she was settled, Smaug laid his wing over her, the leather membrane covering her like a blanket as the fingers on his hand rested on the floor on her other side, his wrist brushing her foreleg as he pulled her closer to him. He laid his head down and curled around her, and almost instinctively his tail twined and coiled around hers. Saphira fidgeted for only a moment more, and Smaug had to ignore the way he liked how she fit snuggly against him. After a second, she then laid her head down beside his, nuzzling into the softer underside of his neck for comfort, eyes already closed as she drifted off back to sleep. Smaug allowed himself a secret smile as he enjoyed the way they were linked together, he moved his head closer to hers, their snouts brushing, before he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.

The fog of sleep slowly filtered away from Saphira's mind as she slowly awoke. She didn't want to leave her sanctuary that she had rested in, feeling great warmth encircle around her, a softness pressed against her cheek. She wriggled closer to the warmth, trying to get herself comfortable so that she might lose herself to sleep once again, nuzzling her face close to the soft thing beside her. In response to her movements, she heard something mutter softly, before a deep breathing could be heard. Saphira's eyes slowly blinked open, her confusion apparent as she looked about as her vision came into focus, and she was immediately met by the sight of Smaug's muzzle close to her own. So shocked was she, that she quickly lifted her head upwards, and looked about in slight panic as she saw how his wing-arm was draped over her body as she lay tucked against his side, his claws relaxed as they lay limp on her foreleg. His tail was loosely coiled around hers, and one knee was propped against her hip so that she could be comfortable between his legs. Saphira felt a heat spread through her, partly in embarrassment as the memories of the previous night came back to her, but also for something else. Something she dared not name.

Her heart was beating irregularly as she gazed in amazement at the impressive male that was curled around her, snuggled up against her as if they had been mates for decades. She listened to his breathing for a while, his deep and even breaths suggesting how he was in true deep sleep, his breaths punctured by a soft growl in his nostrils with every exhale. Saphira's lips twitched into a smile as she recognised that Smaug was snoring softly, it was a rather serene picture to place with someone as fearsome as he made himself out to be. Saphira herself felt well rested, better then she had ever since she'd left Alagaesia. She wondered briefly at how long she had been sleeping, though her body told her that it must be mid-afternoon, and she marvelled at how she could sleep for so long. Once again, she felt a sense of gratitude to Smaug for what he had done last night, and secretly, she found that she'd enjoyed the night in his embrace.

But now, it was becoming quickly apparent that her body needed food, her hunger making itself known as her stomach growled. Also, she didn't want there to be any awkwardness between her and Smaug once he woke up. She didn't know what would happen once he awoke, and Saphira never liked to not know a situation as it left feeling ill prepared with how to proceed. So, ever so slowly and gently, she tried to get up, thinking him to be so deeply asleep that she might slip out from under him. She tried to get her feet underneath her so that she might pull herself out from under his wing, but as her scales brushed against his side and she moved even just a fraction, she felt the claws on his hand get a grip on her foreleg. The muscles of his wing tightened around her as he pulled her closer to him, until she was pressed firmly against him once again. His tail tightened its hold around hers, wrapping itself more firmly around her so that she couldn't move away, effectively pinning her in place.

Saphira felt another wave of heat spike through her, but she beat it down as she looked down at Smaug with a hint of annoyance in her eyes. She nudged him, though all she got in response was a small break in his snoring before it resumed. She shoved him again, harder, but still he did not wake. Gritting her teeth in slight frustration, Saphira stretched her wings slowly, enabling her to gently move Smaug's arm from where it lay draped across her. She pushed herself up so that she was half crouched as she tried to crawl out from under him. She had to pull on her tail though it was not easy as she tried to disentangle herself from the male –

"Where do you think you're going?" came his voice, and despite the fact that he had spoken rather softly, almost sleepily, Saphira still jumped in surprise as she snapped her head around to look at his face. So startled was she that she dropped his wing, and she could have sworn that he allowed it to fall heavily onto her shoulders, causing her to stumble. She snorted at the amused smirk on his face.

"I tried to get you to move but you would not wake," she told him as she tried to recompose herself.

"I did not wish to be awoken." He shrugged, before glancing back at her with a twitch of a scaly brow. "I rather enjoy my sleep, especially with a beautiful female next to me…" Saphira tried once again to beat down the rising heat like liquid fire in her veins. As if sensing her sudden nerves, Smaug changed the subject as he closed his eyes as if preparing to fall back asleep. "And you did not answer my question: where are you going?"

"I am going to get myself food. You sleep if you wish," she added softly as she tried to extract herself from his hold once more. But again, she felt his claws and tail drag her back down to his side, and she fell with an undignified yelp of surprise.

"No." she heard him say, and turned her head to look at him with confusion. "I will get you meat. Rest." he ordered her as he unwound his tail from hers and stiffly got to his feet as he left her side. Saphira was about to argue that she could feed herself, but Smaug was already gone, disappearing out through the exit of the chamber and towards the dying daylight.

Males, Saphira thought to herself with a sigh of exasperation. With nothing better to do, Saphira laid her head back down onto the floor, resigning herself to wait until her unlikely bed-companion returned with food for her. She tried not to notice how his absence was already apparent to her as her back now felt cold where his warmth had been pressed against her.

Seemingly to have a lot of time on her hands, Saphira found herself contemplating over the strange events that had happened in her life recently, especially of those that occurred last night, of what Smaug did and how his actions had affected her. Smaug had comforted her when he had every right to leave her be to wallow in her own self-pity, he'd been oddly gentle and more than that, he had stayed by her side throughout the night. Saphira felt grateful to him, for all he had done for her, where perhaps a lesser dragon might have tried to kill her by now. His words from the night before echoed in her mind, how to not regret who she was or decisions. She'd never regretted anything of the sort before, but his words suddenly gave her the courage to address the issue of her plagued heart. She could no longer deny that she felt attached to Smaug. He had wormed his way into her emotions, despite being a huge thorn in her side when he wanted to be, his arrogance and greedy nature were enough to make her angry that he would waste his magnificence on such things. But despite that, he had a charismatic charm about him, his voice was hypnotic, and when he desired to be so he was rather playful. Now that she thought about it, Saphira found herself rather drawn to him, he had this allure that kept her attention. He was a male of physical appeal, despite the fact that his wings and forelegs were one, he had obvious strength and speed that was deceptive for one for his size. He was also wickedly clever, his mind as sharp as any blade, which made Saphira oddly respect him as a warrior, that he did not rely on just brains or brawn, but had both, making him a frightening challenge were it not for his temper that blinded his thinking at times. But it went beyond attraction, Saphira realised. She was becoming dependant on Smaug: he cared for her as he had promised he would, and she was now becoming reliant on his companionship, his attention to care for her. She wanted his attention, she wanted to continue to depend on him. And that frightened her.

Before she could think further on it, she heard the loud of 'BOOM' of his landing from outside the mountain, making her realise that he must have flown out to hunt. She turned her head towards the entrance to the treasure hall, and waited as she could hear his loud footfalls through the mountain kingdom. It didn't take him long to poke his head into the chamber, the body of a large cow hanging from his jaws. He looked up at her perch, and their eyes met, Saphira looking at him honestly as awaited him. Almost without hesitation, Smaug easily leapt upwards towards her, claws latching onto the edge of the platform and hauling himself up until he came onto the ledge with her. He dropped the carcass in front of her, before circling around her once more in order to resume his place beside her, shoulder to shoulder. Saphira wasted no time in sinking her teeth into the flesh of the carcass, the blood rushing onto her tongue with its sweet taste. It only took a few bites for her to devour the belly of the creature. But she thought of the male beside her, who had brought her this gift, and so, without another thought, she picked up the carcass and offered it to him. He looked at her a moment, as if judging whether she was serious, though when she continued to hold out the meat for him, he rumbled his approval. He latched his jaws onto the half of the carcass that dangled from her jaws, their lips brushing as she continued to hold her half. As one, they both twisted their heads and pulled on the carcass, tearing it in half before they began to feast on their own pieces.

As they ate silently, Saphira watched how Smaug cared for the place where she lay. Once he was swallowed his last piece of the carcass, he began to lick at the ground, clearing it of blood and gore. He seemed to do this almost without noticing, as if did not expect a comment or anything in return. Saphira then also thought on how he had cared for her last night, how he had comforted her, almost with the air that he did it for his own reasons but not because he had some other purpose for his actions. Before, he would do what he did in order to make her more compliant to his plans to mate her, but she felt as if that had only crossed his mind briefly last night, but had not been his true intention. But if not… Saphira was actually stunned by the implication: that Smaug might actually care for her wellbeing. She would normally have thought that he was too self-centred to consider others, everything he did had a selfish act to it, but what happened last night was nothing like what she would have expected. And now, it left her moved.

After their meal, they rested, though Smaug did not twine himself around her like he had the night before. They simply laid side by side, the pair of them dozing for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening together. Saphira did not sleep, though that did not seem to be a problem for Smaug as she heard his soft snores once again as he fell back to sleep not long after settling beside her. Saphira still thought, her mind unable to rest completely as she absorbed everything that she had learned that day. She knew when darkness truly fell, and as the cover of night came over the world, Saphira found herself unable to resist the sudden calling in her to move. Slipping out from beside Smaug, Saphira stealthily left his side, not making a sound and careful not to brush his scales once for fear of waking him. She silently made her way out of the treasure hall and began her trek through the mountain, following the scent of the cold and damp night air as it filtered through the mountain to her waiting nostrils. She reached the front gates of Erebor, hesitating on the threshold as she stepped out from the interior of the mountain and into the world of night.

Saphira breathed a sigh as she allowed the fresh air to fill her lungs, looking up at the stars above, taking in their constellations, so different from what she used to see back in Alagaesia. Her body was telling her to go into the air, and she obeyed without question, needing the therapeutic sensation of the wind beneath her wings to help clear her mind. Leaping into the air, she quickly soared above the mountain, flying through the air, becoming one with the clouds as she flew in lazy and wide circles around the circumference of Erebor. She just needed to help clear her mind, clear it of the affliction that pressed against it, that troubled her now so much. It was something that she had once denied but now could no longer suppress.

She wanted to mate with Smaug. She could not say otherwise anymore. It had been there for a while, at first her body responding to the attention that had always been denied to it, yet over time Smaug had charmed her, so that even though they did not always get along, there was no denying that her heart longed for him. As her mind thought over the issue, she realised it was not just her heart that called for its desire, but her whole being. Her body ached for him, when he touched her, she felt warm inside and there was an excitement in her veins as her instinct became harder to ignore when he brushed her just the right way. She already thought of him as hers just as he thought of her as his. He was her captor, her companion, her confidant. She respected him and even admired him, and he'd already put in too much effort to her to just throw her away after he had what he wanted. Though that was the problem, Saphira didn't know what he wanted. He said he simply wanted a mate, to have her as a treasure, to take the opportunity to rebuild their race. But although Saphira wanted to have hatchlings and a mate of her own, she couldn't fathom that such a dragon like Smaug could want just that. It couldn't be just that… and why did she want it to be more than that? Because of this indecision on her part, she was still wary of him, even if her blood sang at the thought of having him give her eggs. She had never not known what to do: on all her adventures with Eragon, she had always known exactly what was the right path to choose. That had been until she had tried to mate with Glaedr, on that issue she had been lost, and it seemed that she was making the same mistake now. With Smaug, she didn't know what the right path was: to deny herself her deepest wish as well as the rebuilding of her race? Or to give in to her carnal desires and abandon everything she had once known?

The nightmare still haunted her mind, Eragon's words – even if only fictional – clawed at her heart. It was another factor that added to her dilemma. She didn't want to stay here with Smaug and leave Eragon alone forever. She had already been gone from him for too long, and she feared of the harm that might befall him without her there to protect him. She realised now the error in her leaving him, but if she had not, she would not have been on this journey of self-discovery. She would not have met Smaug. And then a shadow of shame was cast on her heart again, as she wondered: was she replacing her love for Eragon with another type of love? Could her relationship with Smaug ever overshadow what she'd had with Eragon? Her initial response, was no – never! And Smaug had told her that no love was ever the same as another, so could she indulge into something else without marring what had once been? But what also fuelled her doubts was that what if she stayed, what if she enjoyed this life of freedom that Smaug promised, and what if it ended as badly as her bond with Eragon had? The only person in her life that had meant anything to her had been taken from her, and she didn't want it to happen again.

Did that mean that Smaug meant something more to her then she first realised? Her breath caught in her throat at the thought. Was he the closest person to her she'd ever known besides Eragon? Quite possibly.

She was so lost in her own thoughts, that she didn't hear the leathery wingbeats that followed her, she didn't notice the familiar presence that quickly gained behind her, nor the now familiar scent. Only when he was right behind her did she notice the presence as she heard him, and turning to look over her shoulder, she locked eyes with Smaug as he steadily and easily kept pace with her. His eyes bore into hers with slight anger and suspicion, Saphira did not say anything, waiting for him to speak as she kept her eyes on him.

"Skulking out in the middle of the night?" he almost snapped at her, a clear edge in his tone. Saphira knew he must have thought that she had been trying to escape, and the anger and hurt that seemed evident in his eyes moved her. "What are you doing out here?" he demanded.

Saphira didn't need to think on her answer, it was automatic and her whole being was behind it, now set on her course, no matter where it might lead her.

"I was waiting for you." She murmured.

Smaug blinked, clearly slightly taken aback by her answer. Saphira said no more, and by dipping one of her wings, she brought herself towards and above him, and as she passed over him, she dipped her head down and licked along his muzzle before soaring away. She heard him follow her immediately afterwards, and Saphira turned to smile at him as she soared up the side of the mountain. She flew high up above the peak and into the clouds, emerging out of them as she spread her wings wide to catch the air to allow her to hover. Admiring the stars and the full moon that glowed brilliantly above, making her scales glimmer and sparkle with bright sapphire light. Smaug was only a second after her as he too emerged through the clouds, coming up right behind her, taking in the sight of her for a breath-taking minuet, before he circled around her, rumbling to her in a way she had not heard before. Saphira immediately followed, continuing to circle him, the two spinning and spiralling until it was no longer clear who was chasing who. They sailed over the clouds and under the stars, their chase smoothing out and then building again, simply playing with each other. Saphira would do impressive loop-de-loops over Smaug, and he would circle around her, or dive beneath her and turn so that he was flying on his back and facing her, kicking at her legs with his. They said not a word, as if it might break whatever enchantment lay upon the night, with nothing but the stars and moon as witness to their actions.

Saphira began to feel something build within her, it started in her chest and with every wingbeat it grew, flowing out along her belly and through her limbs until she felt it in her fingers and toes and along each feather on her wings. It was a fire, a fire that had never been created like this before, it burned her insides but not with pain, but with an exotic pleasure that she had never felt inside of her before. At least, not of her choosing. She had felt something similar, when she had been under the enchantment of the Dagshelgr Invocation. She felt those sensations again, but this time it was different, because all of these emotions belonged to her, they were created from her and were not a product of some spell that forced her to feel such things. Her blood was burning in her veins, it caused a liquid heat in her stomach that grew and grew until she thought she would catch fire. In that night sky, she felt alive as she had never had before, as if there was true energy and true purpose in all her movements. It was a fever that burned through her soul, it left her breathless, and it made her see the world around her as if it were a stranger. Every time she looked at Smaug, she felt as if the world were being born anew, and she was helping to create it with the fire inside of her. And as their eyes met, Saphira could see that it was the same for him also, his eyes were dark and burning like two flames inside his head as he gazed at her, and she felt unashamedly thrilled by his stare alone.

No longer able to deny herself the fire that begged to be fed, Saphira gave in to the song in her body and let loose a booming trumpeting call. A sound the likes of which she had never produced before erupted from her jaws, and although she had never uttered its like she understood the call that was announced inside of it. Her cry echoed for miles, announcing to all who would listen her cry for what she had always longed for, and begged for anyone to answer her. Smaug immediately roared back to her, his own cry racing through the air and shaking her with its ferocity, answering her call and declaring himself one with it. Saphira felt her insides lift with elation, a joy and excitement filling her the way nothing else ever had before. Their chorus of cries echoed around the landscape, awakening the inhabitants of Lake-Town that seemed so far away from them now, but neither of them cared, so caught up in each other were they, that the rest of the world seemed to fade away. Saphira then tucked her wings against her side, leaned her body backwards, and dropped like a stone back through the clouds towards the ground.

She fell with such speed that the wind howled in her ears and stung her eyes, the ground racing to meet her faster than even she had thought possible. At the right moment, she snapped open her wings and levelled off, flying as fast as she could, a primal need inside of her to go as fast as was possible, beating her wings frantically as she began to map a course in her mind that brought her down near the lake's edge before climbing back and circling the Lonely Mountain again, rising high above the clouds before, at the peak of her ascension, she would fall into another dive and begin it all over again. She did not have to look behind her to know that Smaug was following her, his wings beating furiously, stirring up the winds of a hurricane in his wake as he raced after her. Saphira kept her lead, knowing that this was part of the ancient game, to see if he had the iron in his bones and the fire in his belly to match her. She could feel the heat of his breath against the tip of her tail as he snapped his jaws at her, though she kept herself just out of reach, her muscles working tirelessly in an attempt to keep herself ahead. It was exciting her to have him so close but she was making him work for every inch he got. Though she wanted him to catch her, she wasn't going to make this easy for him.

As she neared the climb around the mountain for the third time, she heard Smaug snarl as he began to beat his wings as hard as he could, the strength in his every strike enough to make Saphira marvel at it. But as he did, Saphira felt it in her bones: the end of the chase was at hand, the final rise would be the last, and something deep and ancient would be ignited. As she neared the height of her climb, she held out her wings to catch the air so that she would hover and a single moment would hold her suspended before she would fall back into the dive. It was the only chance Smaug would have to strike. And he did not waste it. As she slowed, he did not, continuing to beat his wings with strength as he brought himself up in front of her, chest to chest and face to face as he suddenly latched onto her. The talons on his feet locked with hers, and his hands clutched at her arms as his wings folded along his wrists so that they wouldn't tangle with hers. Their combined weight forced them into a dive, Smaug pulling backwards until their weight brought them down until they were racing noses first towards the ground. Saphira kept her eyes ahead, even as she felt Smaug shift as he reared his head back, before lunging forward and biting at the soft scales between her shoulder and neck. His teeth sank into her flesh, her blood bubbling from the wound and pooling into his mouth and across his tongue. Saphira roared at the sudden white-hot sensation that pierced through her, and she expected to feel pain…

But it was not pain she felt.

She kept her eyes wide and fixed on the ground that was rushing to meet them, wondering as to why Smaug was not coupling with her completely. She could feel that he was holding back from her, keeping his instincts at bay, growling savagely with the force of the effort. He kept his teeth buried in her skin, each beat of her heart sending a new pulse of the white-hot feeling through her body and down to her core. Saphira was panting, her need and want evident as she felt the ground coming dangerously close to meet them, so little time left for Smaug to even start the final act, let alone finish. But somewhere deep down, something of her rational mind seemed to know what he was doing, and slow understanding built inside of her, and she was practically shaking with excitement.

When it seemed as if they were about to crash into the ground, only one hundred feet in the air, the both simultaneously pushed themselves away from each other, breaking apart and flying in opposite directions. Saphira arched her back as she levelled at an almost right angle, almost tearing her body in half as she did so, her talons raking the earth as she realised how close she had come to death. And it was exhilarating.

Her shoulder throbbed and she felt a small trickle of her blood slip down her shoulder, but she ignored it as she hastily looked around for Smaug. He was angling himself upwards and was quickly turning and coming towards her, and Saphira felt her stomach quiver in anticipation as if another chase was about to begin. She beat her wings in order to regain her speed as she raced back towards the gates of Erebor, following the intuition inside of her to lead her to the right choice. Her body was raging that the mating had not been completed, and she allowed it to fuel the fire that still remained in her limbs, until it was a raging inferno so hot she could barely keep herself standing as she touched down onto the ground outside the entrance. Quickly ducking back into Erebor, Saphira raced through the empty halls and she could already notice the way her scent was left in a very easy trail where she went, her pheromones spicing it until it was a call all its own. Saphira was half way to the treasure chamber, when she heard Smaug burst into the mountain, an animalistic roar exploding from him and echoing through the mountain until it was shaking around her. She heard him crash through the stone kingdom after her, following her trail, and Saphira doubled her pace, not wanting him to catch her before she was at her final destination.

He had just appeared around the corner behind her when she reached the treasure hall. Saphira did not waste a moment before she leapt onto the bed of jewels and gold coins that seemed to be shining with its own light as if a magical mist lay over it. She only faintly thought on how it was odd that she did not go to her usual perch, but Saphira dashed such thoughts aside. Tonight, she belonged down here, on the gold, in his bed, with him. Once she was on the gold, she turned, still standing as she watched him come through the main entrance to the chamber, his eyes locking on her immediately, before he sprung himself into his massive hoard, quickly dragging himself towards her, coming to a stop only when an inch separated their chests and faces. Saphira looked up at him, eyes wide and pupils as thin as blades, Smaug's exactly the same, his reflecting the fog of lust that she was sure was in hers. He stood before her, sides heaving as he breathed heavily in her face, his warm breath tickling her scales, his winged forelegs quivering as if from a tremendous strain. Neither moved for a long moment, simply gazing at the other as the moment seemed to be suspended in time.

Saphira was the first to move, bringing her head forward until she bumped her muzzle with his, following her body to tell her what to do, as she dipped her head beneath his chin and slithered forward. She nuzzled at the soft patch of scales at his throat, and felt him nuzzle the back of her head in turn. Sliding her neck along his, Saphira continued to move forward, rubbing her side along his front, allowing him to dip his head towards her rear to smell her hips as they passed him, the end of her tail sliding beneath his chin seductively. He was rumbling at her, and she echoed his calls as she crouched to slip her body beneath his, laying her belly upon the ground. Smaug took a step back and began to lower himself down, when Saphira quickly darted out from underneath him, arching her back so that her spines pushed into his underbelly as she dashed away before he could stop her. Smaug growled at her, his frustration evident as his body was demanding the release as much as hers, but they both knew how this game was played. Saphira came to him again, nuzzling his face and neck as she suggestively rubbed herself against him. Smaug stepped one foreleg over her so that she was underneath him again. This time, she slowly lowered herself to the ground, claws and belly on the bed of gold, her back to him as he stood over her. She felt his knees on either side of her hips, the talons of his winged forelegs placed on either side of her shoulders, boxing her in place. In a last moment of nerves due to her inexperience, Saphira let out an uneasy whimper, tilting her head upwards until her nose bumped into his chin. She licked the end of his muzzle, and felt him make a low rumbling sound to her softly as he reassured her, returning the gesture as he licked the end of her nose. Saphira then lowered her head back down, trusting him to take care of her as he was more experienced than she. She had never placed herself so intimately in another's hands, and she did so gladly.

His thigh nudged her tail aside, and she made it reach over his hip and coil around his tail, much as he had done to her the night before, thus keeping it out of the way for what was about to transpire. Saphira felt herself quivering with both nerves and excitement, though she dared not move. She felt Smaug's teeth at the back of her neck, pinning her in place forcefully, she yelped but was completely overcome as he entered her.

Saphira roared in both shock and pain as her body adjusted to this new development, Smaug pausing, growling to himself as he forced himself to remain still long enough for her to acclimatise to his presence. He licked at the back of her neck where his teeth had been though they had not cut the scales, and then brought his head down so that his muzzle was by her ear as he began his rhythm. She heard him panting in her ear, his deep voice raspy and in time with each of his powerful thrusts. Saphira felt something new transpire inside of her, the fire that had been stoked by their foreplay now raging as it was fed with each of his strikes to her insides. Saphira too was panting, the white-hot sensation of pleasure that had appeared in her shoulder before now sparked through her entire being, making it feel as if lightning were dancing across her scales. But she was kept from the edge of the bliss that was promised in the fire that now raged inside of her, as she felt that Smaug was continuing to hold back perhaps because of her earlier pain. Touched by his thoughtfulness, but burning with need, Saphira angled her head to nuzzle the side of his face, a soft and high pitched sound escaping her as she begged him.

He took a moment to understand her intent in his lust filled craze, but when he did, he did not disappoint her. He then began to thrust into her with earnest, his hard scales scratching at hers, his knees driving into the back of her legs as he drove his hips harder and harder against her. The need inside of him was becoming harder to resist, she could feel it inside of him, a building tension in his muscles that accompanied her own. Their talons clenched around the gold coins below them, their breaths were in time as they panted together. Saphira arched her back, angling her hips slightly as she wanted to bring him closer. Smaug growled in approval, eyes squeezing shut, the vibrations of his voice shaking through her and adding to her trembling pleasure. Finally, Saphira felt that the end was coming for them both, as Smaug's movements became faster, desperate, frenzied, lost was his control as he battled for the release that they were both begging for. Suddenly, Saphira felt every muscle in him tighten, his body going tense –

Smaug sank his teeth into her shoulder again, his teeth fitting into the slots he had created earlier, opening the wound anew and driving it deeper. Saphira roared as she felt the searing sensation of heat burst through her body, the liquid fire in her veins detonating in an explosion that eclipsed everything she had ever felt before in her life. Smaug roared with her as they finished together, though his cry of pleasure was muffled slightly against her shoulder, her blood once again pooling into his mouth. Saphira felt a sudden physical heat inside of her as Smaug finished, pouring his seed into her with one final thrust. She gasped at the sensation like something was tickling at her belly from the inside, and she was left gasping. A few moments passed after the initial release, and Saphira had thought that it was over, when she suddenly felt a tingling inside of her as Smaug released once again in a short burst. It lasted this way for a few minutes, that he would release himself inside of her, setting her flesh alight with the embers of their passion before it would stop. There would be another wait of a few minutes before he released again. Saphira was quivering with the pleasure that was rolling in waves through her, not just from their mating but also from the aftermath as well, when it finally ended.

Smaug gently disengaged his teeth from her flesh, Saphira hardly noticing the sore pain of it. She gasped again when Smaug slowly eased himself off and out of her, stepping away from her before he collapsed onto the gold beside her. The both sighed, completely exhausted from their exertions, but Saphira smiled tiredly, her heart higher then she had ever thought possible. She had done it, she'd mated, and now she was bound to this dragon who now lay beside her, heart, body and soul. She carried his mark now in her flesh, a testament of their mating, and also a claim, that they were bound together as one. The thought filled her with an odd sense of pride. Her eyes lazily drifted to Smaug, and their eyes met, and they both shared a small chuckle, smiles lighting their features. Smaug then rolled onto his side after a moment, holding open his wing to offer her his side once again. This time Saphira went to him without hesitation, nuzzling herself snugly against him, and he folded his wing over her, their tails coiling around each other's, and Saphira nuzzled her head against the flesh of Smaug's neck just behind his head. A contented purr escaped from her, and Smaug mimicked her, squeezing her a little closer as he dipped his muzzle towards hers.

"My Warrior," he murmured softly.

"My Conqueror," Saphira replied, a deep satisfaction in her voice as she thought that her nickname for him now had more than one meaning.

They chuckled together, though their exhaustion soon won out, and they both fell into the waiting arms of sleep.

A/N: So... I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter... was something new for me to write certainly, though I will admit that I at least got a little hot under the collar... ahem.

This chapter took a little longer then I expected to get out, mainly because I had to find my old Inheritance Cycle books as I wanted to get the information in this chapter absolutely perfect. I hope some of you will recognise some of the quotes from Eragon, Eldest and Inheritance that were included in this chapter. :)

And please review! Please tell me what you thought of the chapter and if you thought everything worked out well. I honestly need your opinion on this one. Was it too soon? Were there any OOC moments? I seriously hope not, but I just need to be sure as it was rather difficult to get what I wanted to achieve whilst also being true to the characters. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll see you all next time! xXx