"They removed northward higher up the shore; for ever after they had a dread of the water where the dragon lay. He would never again return to his golden bed, but was stretched cold as stone, twisted upon the floor of the shallows. There for ages his huge bones could be seen in calm weather amid the ruined piles of the old town. But few dared to cross the cursed spot, and none dared to dive into the shivering water or recover the precious stones that fell from his rotting carcass."
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
Prompt: Hidden
It was something we always talked about doing. Every summer when the waters of the lake warmed and the minnows swam thick as clouds in the shallows, we would stand on the edge of the bank and look out.
And wonder.
Were the tales true? Was there really a treasure in the shallows, one no one had dared touch? We wondered why. Why would anyone pass such a boon?
But we were young and thought we were wise and so we decided that the summer of our twelfth year we were going to find out just what was at the bottom of the shallow and why everyone avoided it.
We waited until a banquet was in full-swing before slipping away, sad to miss all the treats, but certain there was treasure and adventure to be found.
It was an early summer evening, the sun still well above the trees, when we stood on the shore, feet bare, pants rolled up, and pushed our boat out. Scrambling in, we began to row towards the part of the lake that everyone had always avoided.
"Doesn't look so odd to me."
I was doing the rowing, so I just nodded. "Tell me when you see something."
"Slow down, slow down!"
I let the oars drag in the water to slow us and peered over the edge of the boat to see what Kell was staring at. "What is that?"
Something was gleaming, dull white, in the water beneath us. "It looks like a fish skeleton."
"Too big." Kell looked up and met my gaze. "Have to be a huge fish, like those in the books."
Kell's ma was a story-teller from Gondor who met and fell in love with a tradesman. She'd brought all her books and stories with her from the White City and Kell knew more about places I'd never even heard about than anyone I knew. Probably more than all the fancy folk in Dale!
"Do they live here?" I'd never seen one, but the idea of monsters swimming beneath us sent a delicious shiver down my spine.
"Nah. The sea, Liw. There are only fish in these waters."
"Too bad." I shipped the oars and leaned over to peer at the water. "It doesn't look that far down."
Kell was prepared. He dropped one of the rocks we'd found at the shore, one about the size of his fist, and watched it sink down. "I think we could swim that deep."
"I can." I stood, confident and started to pull off my tunic.
"Liw!"
"What?" I stopped, one arm trapped and peered at him.
"You can't just take your shirt off anymore. Nana said so."
With a grimace, I wriggled my arm back into the sleeve and glared at him. "I ain't ashamed! Got nothing to be ashamed of, Kell Alwison!" He's started to be strange this summer, starting at me at times, making me wonder if spots had appeared on my face like my older cousin. "Don't even have any breasts yet, you know." I crossed my arms across my still very flat chest and watched him look away with a flinch. "You ain't gonna see nothing new!" How many summers had we swum in nothing but our braes? He'd never said a word and now he was going to protest?
"Just…leave your clothes on." He shook his head, dark hair falling in his face and stood. "I'll go first-"
"Ha!" I dove from the boat before he could say another word, cutting into the water and kicking deeper. I was going to see what was here first! Then no one would dare say I was "just" a girl or "just" the daughter of a woodsman. They had plenty to say already, folk of the Lake. Always had.
As if it was my fault my ma disappeared after I was born. Da said she went back to her folk, but all I know is she was gone.
I felt a tug on my foot and twisted to see Kell letting go of my ankle. I wrinkled my nose and turned to kick deeper.
Then we saw it, gleaming in the low grey light of the lake, shimmering against the dark of the lake bed. Bones. But no fish was this huge, not ever. The ribs arched above us like the limbs of the tallest tree, and the skull was bigger than my da's big draft horse, Solweig! It went as far as I could see, this wonder, and I swam closer to the skull, wanting a better look. Something tugged on my tunic and then Kell caught at my hand, shaking his head. I tried to pull away but he pulled harder.
Then I heard it, a soft, low sound, as if someone…something was laughing.
We turned and twisted, looking to see if someone had followed, but there was only Kell and me.
And the bones of ….we didn't know then what it was.
It grew louder, and I swear to you upon all that I have, it was coming from the skull. I know, I know…this thing was dead. Dead! Nothing but bones scattered across the dark bed of a lake, but there was a gleam in that skull that was no fish, and nothing even Kell had ever read about.
My foot bumped the lake floor and I nearly screamed, but just reached to pull away whatever had touched my foot and pushed off.
Up. We clawed our way up through the water, desperate for air and light and the laughter chased after us, nipping at our toes and swirling through the water as if a sound can take form.
Up, we swam and Kell reached the surface first. I thought he'd leap into the boat, but he reached down, reached out to grab my hand and pull me up to his side before pushing me up into the boat. I turned and pulled him in, frantic to escape that laugh and the eerie nothingness chasing us.
It churned the water around our boat, rocking us violently, and Kell grabbed the oars with grim determination. He pulled and pulled, hard and faster than I could have, but for a breathless time it seemed we weren't going to break free. We didn't move, and the water churned and churned, and then finally…
We lurched forward, and I yelled something and Kell pulled on those oars so hard I thought we would fly to the shore.
I heard the boat grind against the sandy shore, gravel stopping us suddenly, and we both sat there, breathing hard, staring at each other in shock. Kell's gaze finally left mine and I turned then, finally brave again, to look behind.
The sun was sinking beneath the treeline, a fiery ball of orange, and for a moment….
Well. You'll think me mad. Maybe I am. But I know what I saw. What we both saw.
Gleaming golden eyes, like coals when they die down and suddenly flare, watching us from just on the surface of the lake. The laugh floated across the water, low and sinuous, twining around our shivering bodies.
And then it was gone with the sunlight, sinking into the twilight grey of the lake.
"Liw."
I didn't turn. Wasn't ready to turn and see in his eyes what I knew was in mine. A warm hand fell on my shoulder and tugged gently. I turned with a shaking breath.
"Liw. Look."
He was holding a rock and I frowned, but then he turned it so the low light of the evening caught it and I drew in a sharp breath. "Kell!"
Eyes fierce, he nodded. "Do you know what this is?"
It was green and too reflective to be even the prettiest lake rock. "It's beautiful."
"This is a gem, Liw. A gem!" He turned it and I saw then that it was the deepest green of a summer forest. "I saw it right as your foot touched the lake bed."
"And you grabbed it?" I shook my head. "What if that thing comes after it?"
"It won't." Kell grinned and the dark hair fell over one grey eye. "There's more for it to guard down there."
I nodded and hoped that he was right.
It's been years now, and nothing ever came after that gem.
We never went back though. Whatever it is that guards that treasure, it's still jealous of its hoard. I don't understand, but… Well, there are strange things in this life. I've seen trees deep in the forest that I would swear blink as if waking up from a deep sleep before dropping back down to slumber. I've heard sweet singing at night, and followed the song to find a troupe of Elves walking a path westward. There was something in those songs that tugged hard at my heart and awakened an ache I can't explain and don't understand.
But there's a stronger pull on my heart these days. Kell came back from visiting his mother's people in Gondor and he was taller and stronger than I remember. I'd changed too, finally started looking like a girl, though it seemed to take forever.
Da says that's cause of my ma's folk. I don't know what he means, but Kell nods and laughs and asks if I'll still love him when he's grey and wrinkled and I'm still young.
Fool of a man. As if I could love another?
Nothing ever came after that gem, not even when Kell took it to Gondor to have made into a necklace and earrings and …oh, many other fine things. I don't know. It's gorgeous, but a dragon's gem will never be more beautiful to me than my Kell.
We stand at the edge of the lake sometimes at sunset and watch to see if glowing eyes appear, but we've never seen anything. Maybe the dragon slumbers, or maybe it's just waiting for more foolish humans to come and awaken it in its hidden depths once again.
After all, dragons never forget.
