They departed the next morning for the Front Gate. Bofur and Bombur had been told of Bilbo's success the night before. 'Meta!' Bofur called as she descended the mountainside. 'I hear Bilbo saw Smaug and all is right with the world!' All was right with his world because his One was near again.
Meta absentmindedly answered, 'What, oh yes, a complete success. Smaug is still asleep and is sitting on a vast pile of gold.' She finally looked up from loading her pony and gave him a small smile. She returned to her task and did not speak any further.
Confused, Bofur turned to Bilbo. 'Did something happen that I should know about, Bilbo? She seems different somehow.'
Bilbo was glad someone else had noticed. 'A lot of them are that way, Bofur. Meta and Thorin seem lost in a fog this morning. It started after I came back and told them about the treasure. I was stunned by how much is there.' He went on to tell Bofur and Bombur what he had seen and how everyone had reacted.
Bofur watched as Meta rode next to Thorin. Their heads close together, they were oblivious to anyone and everything. 'Gold has that effect on some, brother,' Bombur said in consolation, 'especially with the line of Durin. It is a well-known curse.'
'What do you mean?'
'Certainly you have heard the tales of Thor and Thrain! How their lust for gold took over their lives and led to ruin for them and so many others? The dragon sickness may be rearing its ugly head!' Bombur explained.
'Of course I've heard of it, but they do not have any gold yet. How can they have dragon sickness?' he asked puzzled.
'This is probably just a hint of what may come, Bofur. You need to prepare yourself. Meta may well find her Only One in Erebor and it might not be you,' Bombur warned.
'I'll believe it when I see it. My Meta is stronger than that!' he proclaimed proudly.
'Let's hope so, dear brother, let's hope so.'
Early the next day, they stood off to one side gazing at the Front Gate in the distance. A few wisps of vapor issued from the gaping hole where the great doors had once stood. They could see the trail that Smaug had left over the years as he came and went on his nefarious errands.
Dwalin and Thorin surveyed the scene. 'What do you think, Dwalin? Do we proceed?' Thorin asked.
Scratching his chin, Dwalin contemplated the situation. 'I cannot lie. Most of me wants to turn and run back to Lake-town, Thorin. However, there is a small part that wants to try and see if this crazy idea will actually work. Few dwarves such as myself die old and gray in bed. I say we try it!' He swatted Thorin a mighty shoulder blow to accent his decision.
'I knew I could count on you,' Thorin said. He turned to the rest of the company. 'We are going to enter the mountain! First everyone going will bathe in the river and put on their coverall. The rest will stay with the ponies in that last sheltered area we found.' Under his direction, the company prepared to take the next dangerous step.
Only some of the company would go on this first venture. Bilbo would go as spy; Dori and Ori were to scout for needed parts while Thorin, Dwalin and Balin would supply the knowledge of the mountain and the muscle in the event anything went wrong. The others would tend to the camp and count themselves lucky.
The river was icy cold, but Meta insisted everyone spend a considerable amount of time scrubbing and scraping every last inch of skin and hair. 'It's for your own good. If that dragon gets even a whiff of dwarf, we are all going to be quick- fried! Use the baking soda in your beard, Ori. Hair excels at holding onto odor.'
Driven by Meta's nagging and the fear that if they didn't wash well enough they would bring out the dragon, they eventually were all scrubbed and clothed in their coveralls. It was after midday by the time they approached the Front Gate. Thorin's heart ached to see the destruction Smaug had inflicted on his beloved home, but there was no time for mourning. After sending Bilbo in for a quick, invisible peak, they surged through the door and into the Great Hall.
Without stopping to survey the devastation, they quickly followed the dragon's sooty trail into the mountain until they reached a point where they could break off and head toward the forges and mines. They finally stopped for a rest when they had cleared and closed several solid doors between the company and the dragon's trail.
'Everyone take a break!' Balin ordered. Dwarves gratefully dropped to the ground for a breather. Small amounts of food were removed from inner pockets and consumed. They had left all of their supplies outside for now. Thorin was not willing to risk any hint of odor until he got a good idea of what they faced. The plan for today was to see how far they could penetrate and then return to the camp outside.
No sign of the dragon had been seen recently. 'It looks as though Smaug kept his explorations close to the main part of the mountain. That isn't surprising. Almost everything of value was already in the Treasury,' Balin told Thorin.
'That and the fact that he couldn't fit through some of the doors. We will have to careful however. There are halls lower down that may have given him access. Watch for any sign of that soot stain he seems to leave wherever he goes,' Thorin advised.
They finally made it to one of the great forges and Dori and Ori began to survey the equipment to see if what they required was there. 'It all looks promising, Thorin,' Dori reported. 'We have found the tools to recover most of what we need, and I think one of the copper boilers will supply the panel. It should only take a day to get the rest from one of the mines.
'Excellent. Get what you can in the next hour and then we will head back out. Given the lack of dragon sign, we will bring the others back tomorrow and move in our supplies. It is a little risky, but probably less so than traipsing back and forth across the dragon trail.'
Back at the camp, the rest of the company waited nervously for the return of the scouts. Meta paced back and forth glancing at the Gate every time she turned in that direction. 'Sit down, Meta. You will wear yourself out!' Bofur pleaded.
'I can't. I should have gone. This was my idea from the start. I should bear the same risk as the others,' she muttered angrily.
'Sounds to me like there will be plenty of risk soon enough. It won't make it any easier if you exhaust yourself before we even start,' he said.
She finally really looked at him for the first time that day. 'You're right of course, but this was mostly my idea. I cannot bear to see them hurt because of my actions.'
'We all agreed to the plan and accepted the risk. We will share in the blame as well as the reward. Now sit down and rest for a bit.' He motioned to a rock next to his.
With a sigh, Meta sat down. 'I keep worrying I forgot something important or that we missed some vital tip among all the records in the library.'
'You've done the best you can. Let it go, Meta. What's done is done, my amad used to tell me. All we can do is wait.' He was pleased to see that she seemed to have returned to normal after the odd mood of the day before.
'I have never been good at waiting, Bofur.
'Then I will wait for both of us. I am patient, Meta, very patient,' he said as he smiled at her. She blushed.
The six returned late in the afternoon to everyone's great relief. 'What was it like? Are we all going? Did you see the dragon?' Thorin held up his hands and called for quiet. 'We need to get out of these coveralls and then you will hear our tale.' Staying away from the unwashed dwarves as much as possible they stripped down and returned the 'clean' outfits to their storage bags.
The rest of the evening was spent telling of the day's discoveries and the plans for the morrow. 'After everyone has taken their bath, we will break camp and move to the mountain. The ponies will stay here for now. There is at least a little grass and we could never hide their odor from Smaug,' Balin explained. 'Once inside, we will move immediately to the forge we found and set up camp. Dori and Ori think they can find the rest of our supplies with another day's work.'
Finally everyone but Bombur was bathed and clad in his or her coverall. Bombur had offered to stay and tend the ponies. 'Somebody has to be left alive at the end of the day!' he joked. Thorin agreed that this made sense. The ponies would need to be moved around during the day so that they could find enough grass.
The rest quickly made their way into the mountain. In the Great Hall, Thorin, Dwalin, Balin, and Ori again separated from the group. 'We will head toward the Treasury and search for a good location,' Thorin explained. He saw several uneasy looks pass among the dwarves. 'Don't worry. We are not going all the way. I think there is a good place about halfway down. We should be back before evening.' With that, he kissed Meta and led the others out of the Hall.
As Thorin marched quietly through his former home, his eyes took in the sights that had occupied so many of his younger days. He recognized many things but also found many changes. Smaug's path to the Treasury had left a solid black crust of soot along the floor. His wing talons had scratched the walls and his feet had crushed many of the finer details into dust. At times it seemed the dragon had used various statues for target practice for his flame as they were heavily charred and blackened.
At last they reached a promising stretch of corridor. Most of the hall before this had been more than wide enough to accommodate the easy passage of a large dragon, but at this point it narrowed considerably. Thror, in his paranoia, had believed that a frontal assault on his mountain was all but certain. He had taken various portions of the Treasury access hall and narrowed it down. He built ramparts on the walls so that guards could fire arrows down onto any intruders. Now his grandson stood in one of those areas trying to visualize using it for a very different reason.
He could see where Smaug's great hide had repeatedly abraded the walls. There were soot stains that extended the entire length of the constricted area. 'What do you think, Ori? Will this suit your plan?' he asked the budding engineer.
Ori had been gazing up and down the walls and assessing the architecture. 'I believe it will. The width is right, it isn't too high and there is room for the others to stand and wait for the dragon.' He pulled out the scroll and made a few comparisons to what was written and what he was looking at. 'I doubt we will find anything better based on what you have told me. Also, anything else would be closer to Smaug.'
That decision made, they scouted back up the corridor for a few storage areas. Once they were satisfied, they hurried back to report their findings to the others.
In the meantime, the rest of the company set up camp and began collecting all of the articles needed for the plan. Dori directed the removal of a large copper door off a boiler. Gloin, Oin, Bifur and Bofur set out for a nearby mine shaft in search of a long length of cable. Fili and Kili hunted for eyebolts, hooks and large nuts in the various workrooms nearby.
Meta and Bilbo mostly sat and watched. They had located a well and collected buckets of water for the evening meal and begun cooking. Neither of them knew anything about the mountain and each was content to answer any request for help rather than risk wandering off and getting into trouble.
At day's end, everyone gathered to rest, eat and relate their endeavors. Thorin had decreed that they could remove their coveralls if they wished when they were at the forge or deeper in the mountain. No other trace of dragon had been detected and they would need to keep the odor controlling clothing for when they would be working in more dragon-prone areas. Everyone sighed in relief and rushed to change. The coveralls were bulky, lumpy and made sleep all but impossible.
'It looks like we have most of what we require,' Thorin was pleased to announce when the meal was over. 'Ori has tentatively approved the site. He and Dori will go back tomorrow to give it one last look, but it should suit our purpose. Gloin, how did you fair today?'
Gloin stood and relayed his news. 'We have obtained a sheet of copper that we can use. A good strong cable has been located. It is quite heavy of course, so I waited until we can be together again. It will take the strength of the whole company to move it into position. Fili and Kili scrounged enough hardware and tools for the installation. If all goes well, it may be possible to make an attempt within the week.' He sat down to quiet cheers with a pleased look on his face.
'I found a storage room with enough solid timber should we end up needing any,' Bilbo reported. 'Some of the ones on top are rotting, but those underneath appear unaffected.'
Meta stood last and announced her discovery. 'The room with the timber had several small closets filled with these,' she reached under the table and pulled out a large, thick, heavy apron. She cocked an eye at her adad. 'Can you think of any use to put them to?' she asked with a smile. 'There were hoods to go with them also.'
'I had forgotten all about those!' Thorin exclaimed as he looked at the protective garment. 'They would never repel a direct blast from a dragon, but they certainly keep someone from getting singed if they were on the edge of one!' He put out a hand and stroked the heavy fabric. The aprons and hoods and been worn by the dwarves that operated and maintained the fierce fires that burned in the forges. At last he turned to the company, 'My friends, as unbelievable as it may seem, I think we are just about ready to trap a dragon!' The room erupted in shouts and congratulations.
The next day the dwarves began to move the supplies toward the narrow hall area. The plan was to build a giant snare and lure Smaug into it. The scroll from Thranduil's palace was very simple but ambitious at the same time. Bend the copper plate into a right angle and bore two holes through it. Find a long length of heavy steel cable and run the ends through the holes in the plate. Then form the cable into a large loop and tack it vertically up the walls in a hallway using hooks and brackets. Each end of the cable had a large strong hook fastened to it. Mount sturdy brackets near the trap on the floor.
If it worked, they would be rid of a dragon. If it didn't, they would be dead in a very short time.
Now all they needed to do was get Smaug out of the mountain so they had a chance to get to work and make some noise!
The supplies were in position. They had practiced in the vast cavern of the forge wrestling with the giant loop and installing the hardware. Gloin had instructed them in the basics of drilling into stone and then securing the brackets and eyebolts. They had it down to an art by now.
Bilbo watched all the preparations with growing apprehension. So far, he had not contributed much to the endeavor other than a few timbers that may or may not be used, but he knew his time had come. He was to be dragon bait.
Bifur retrieved Bombur and the ponies. The two hid them in a cavern as far from the Front Gate as possible. 'They don't deserve to be dragon chow!' Bombur exclaimed.
Bilbo, Meta and Bombur returned to the hidden door the next day. They hiked back down the tunnel making no attempt to hide their presence. At the end, the two dwarves ran up and down a short length of tunnel trying to raise as much dwarf stink as possible. After a half hour or so and gasping for breath they sat down next to a rather nervous hobbit.
'That should do it,' said a sweating Bombur. 'If Smaug can't smell me by now, he never will!' He wiped rivulets of sweat off his face and neck and onto a large handkerchief.
Meta stood and walked back up the tunnel into the darkness. A short time later she returned holding her sweat soaked blouse. 'Add this to the mix, Bilbo.' She helped him slide his arms into the damp sleeves over his coverall. Then he knotted Bombur's handkerchief around his arm.
His nose wrinkling in disgust, Bilbo said, 'Why can't I just go and steal some gold? You said that was sure to wake him up.'
'It will, but we also want him to think dwarf not unknown odor. We want him enraged that dwarves have returned to steal back the treasure, not leave slowly searching for a strange creature he has never smelled. The others tried to be as careful as possible, but they may have left a few signs of their presence. It is best if Smaug thinks the intruders have come only from this way and not the Great Hall,' Meta explained.
Sighing, Bilbo nodded. 'And since I am the lucky ring wearer, I get to face the dragon.' There were days that the gift of invisibility had its drawbacks.
'All you have to do is steal a little gold, make sure Smaug is awake and then run for the tunnel,' Bombur stated.
'Oh, is that all!' the hobbit declared. 'I thought you wanted me to do something dangerous!'
Meta did her best not to laugh at the hobbit's tone of voice. 'Bilbo, it is dangerous, but think what the others will be doing afterwards. They not only have to set up the trap hoping that they finish before Smaug returns, but they also have to trigger it. So, yes, in the grand scheme of things, Bombur and I are most fortunate and you only slightly less so.'
'I suppose,' he said heading toward the end of the tunnel. 'I may as well get this over with.'
Meta ran up and kissed his forehead. 'For luck, Bilbo, and if you really get into trouble, do not hesitate to shout. Bombur and I will not abandon you,' she promised.
Bilbo nodded, straightened his spine and went off to face a dragon.
Smaug stirred restlessly in the Treasury. For the last few days he had been increasingly uncomfortable. His subconscious told him something was not quite right. His dreams were filled with intruders knocking on doors and pounding on his walls. His walls! Not dwarven walls; his walls. For the last few decades he had slumbered undisturbed, rousing only rarely to venture out to grab a quick meal. Now, however, his sleepy mind reached out and did a survey of his beloved treasure.
Suddenly his mind snapped to full alert. Not only was gold missing, but there was the stench of dwarf emanating from that miserable little hole he had never bothered to block! They were back and stealing from him! He reared up on his bed of gold and stirred the mighty fires that never quite went out.
'Thief!' his voice boomed and echoed around the chamber. He whipped his head back and forth hoping to catch sight of the nasty little slinkers. He would make quick work of them once he found them. He was stunned when he saw nothing. The scent of dwarf floated near that little hole, but there was no sign of anyone. Instead of looking further, he turned to his other phenomenal sense, his hearing.
This proved far more productive. He detected the tiniest clink of gold against gold. He whipped his head in that direction but was once again brought up short. The room remained as empty as before.
Bilbo thought his heart might fail when the dragon went from a seemingly sound sleep to roaring 'Thief!' Instead of playing it safe and grabbing the first bit of handy gold nearest the tunnel entrance, Bilbo had been tempted further into the Treasury by the sight of a large two-handled cup and the fact that the dragon was sound asleep. Now he was trapped a short distance to one side of the exit. Smaug's head kept turning towards him any time he moved even though he was invisible. It was impossible to move without the cursed gold making some kind of sound no matter how soft.
With the latest clink, Bilbo thought for sure the dragon could see him. He was staring at the exact spot that the trembling hobbit occupied. Bilbo froze and didn't dare to breath. 'Well, so the miserable dwarves have returned. It took you long enough. I have been waiting for some amusement for a very long time,' the dragon rumbled. 'I must congratulate you. Usually your kind is quite easy to spot and snap up for a tasty snack. Tell me, what is your secret?'
As terrified as he was, Bilbo found the dragon's voice so compelling that he almost answered. Only by biting his tongue did he hold his words inside. With the sound stopped, Smaug's head began to move away from Bilbo's position. The hobbit remained frozen afraid the slightest movement would bring it back.
Suddenly in the distance there was the tiniest of clinks among the gold. The dragon head whipped around and his body lumbered after it. As soon as his back was turned, Bilbo dared to take a few steps. The reprieve didn't last long. The fearsome head returned almost immediately to its previous position.
'I suppose you think you can defeat me, dwarf!' Smaug muttered. 'You obviously have some magic of which I am unaware. However, just because I can't see you, doesn't mean I can't kill you!' He reared back and took in a great breath of air. Bilbo swore he could hear the rumbling of the flame building in the beast's guts.
There was another, louder crash in the distance. This time, Bilbo moved as soon as Smaug did. He raced toward the tunnel keeping one eye on the dragon in case Smaug stopped. When he did stop, so did Bilbo but not soon enough. A few coins cascaded down the side of a pile near where he stood. Smaug immediately turned and scrambled back.
'This grows tiresome, little thief. Why don't we make a deal? I will allow you to take a very small amount of gold, and you will go away up your tunnel and never return. That is fair is it not?' the deep voice asked.
Once again, Bilbo felt compelled to answer and this time he did. 'How can I trust you, oh mighty Smaug, when you killed so many of my kin?' the words were dragged from his mouth.
'Ah, at last, I was beginning to doubt my own senses, little thief.' Because Bilbo was standing so very still and the dwarf scent had now permeated a good portion of the immediate area, Smaug could not narrow down his location. 'You must come into the light so I may greet you properly.'
Bilbo wisely remained silent, clenching his hands against the desire to speak. Smaug was looking almost directly at him. The hobbit barely breathed.
Yet another crash interrupted the interrogation, but this time Smaug was slower to react. He had begun to suspect that those crashes were not where his focus should be. However, Bilbo did not move and at last Smaug began to move away toward the latest noise.
The tunnel entrance was so close. He would have made it undetected if it hadn't been for that last little pile of gold. In his haste, Bilbo's foot slipped and he tumbled forward into the opening. Smaug whipped his head around and reared back and prepared to incinerate the little pest.
'Ring!' Bilbo heard a deep voice shout. As his body staggered through the door, Bilbo managed to yank the ring off his finger. As soon as he reappeared, Meta and Bombur hastily dragged him up and along the tunnel. Luckily for all three, it takes a little while for a dragon to get his flame to full, and Smaug gave them a broad blast rather than a narrow one straight up the tunnel. As it was, all three felt the hair on the backs of their heads begin to shrivel in the heat as they raced away from the Treasury.
Meta and Bombur listened in horror as the dragon suddenly woke and roared, 'Thief!' They had no idea where Bilbo was but when he didn't immediately appear, they knew he must still be in the Treasury. They crept down the tunnel and heard Smaug attempt to find the hobbit. Meta dared to take a quick peak. The dragon had his back to the door and was focused on a spot a few yards away.
'What do we have that we can throw, Bombur?' she hissed. They had not brought anything much with them since this was supposed to be a very short visit.
Bombur ran his hands over his chest and found a small knife he used for eating. 'Here, toss this,' he said. She took it and without getting too close to the entrance, tossed it away from the dragon. Bilbo got a reprieve but only a little one. Smaug soon returned to the same spot. Even the dwarves had been able to hear the hobbit move.
Now it was Meta's turn to search her body but she came up empty-handed. Then she remembered the torches they had doused earlier. Picking one up, she again flung it as hard as she could. When the dragon moved, Bombur was able to see the trail of disturbed gold that showed Bilbo's progress. 'He's almost to the door. One more time should do it,' he said.
'I don't have anything big enough and we need the last torches,' she hissed.
Bombur reluctantly pulled out a metal flask from a pocket. 'That hobbit's going to owe me for this,' he grumbled as he flung it out of the tunnel. 'That was a really good year.' The two watched as the dragon refused to budge for a very long minute. Then at last he turned towards Bombur's valuable flask.
They heard Bilbo trip and fall at the entrance. 'Ring!' Bombur cried as they tried to figure out where he was. Suddenly Bilbo appeared. First Bombur and then Meta grabbed an arm, and they dragged him up the tunnel. The blast from the dragon was horribly hot but only served to motivate their retreat up the tunnel.
'Miserable dwarves!' a voice roared behind them. 'I'll roast your sorry hides!' More flames penetrated the door, but by then they were far enough away to feel no effect.
The three sat along the wall and allowed their heart rates to return to some semblance of normality. 'Well, that wasn't so bad,' the ever-cheerful hobbit commented. 'That's one way to get a dragon outside!' The dwarves stared at him. He had come within inches of being incinerated and here he was joking about it. Gandalf had been correct; hobbits were amazing.
The little group monitored the sounds of rage coming from below. It sounded as though Smaug was working himself into a proper fit. At last, the golden glow that had lit the tunnel faded and no more was heard. Anxiously they crept back to the Treasury. Bilbo had no need of his ring. The great room was empty. They fumbled around and re-lit the remaining torches.
Up until that point, Meta had only had the briefest glimpse of the room and even then it had been suffused with panic over Bilbo. Now she stood at the top of a step and looked out over a dwarf's wildest dream. Gold and gems glittered in the light and called to her. She stepped down and began to walk toward a necklace poking out of one of the piles.
'Meta,' Bilbo cried, 'What are you doing? We need to get out of here!' He raced behind her and grabbed her arm.
Her head jerked around at his touch. He saw the same look in her eyes as the night he had told the company about the treasure. 'What? Oh, yes, of course.' She shook her head and smiled weakly at him. 'I suppose this can wait until the dragon is gone. Which way did Thorin say to go?'
'Left, he said to go to the left,' Bilbo kept his hand on her arm and steered her in the proper direction. Bombur followed seemingly unaffected by the gold.
Almost there, my friends, almost there...
A