Chapter 4: The Oceans of Green and Blue

The soft sound of a nearby harp filled Yúla's ears as she laid atop her nest, her massive body curled around the treasures she has gained over the years.

It has been many years now since she had arrived in Rivendell, and over this time she noticed a few similarities to this place that reminded her of her old home in Mirkwood. The elves seemed just as timeless as the old forest she once dwelled in, as if thousands of years could pass unnoticed to the drake as she learned as much as she could from her new friends.

But it wasn't all sunshine and happy thoughts. One thing loomed over her the entire time she has remained here. No matter how hard she tried to ease the concerns of those around her, the stares and hushed whispers never stopped.

Even after remaining in Rivendell for as long as she has, the angry eyes and sour feelings surrounding Yúla's presence never disappeared. Sure, she has made a few friends over the years, but the feelings and sense of loss of those that couldn't look past what she was still remained. She couldn't escape them, like a storm cloud that constantly was casting its shadow from overhead, threatening to drench her in the cold raw emotions of those around her.

It certainly didn't help when she continued to grow… and grow… and grow…

She did her best to ignore them. After all, it wasn't like she didn't have problems of her own to deal with.

For instance, her studies of seemingly every topic that could ever be talked about.

She still had much to learn, and learn she did.

One of the things that she took for granted that the elves seemed to notice immediately was her ability to retain almost any bit of knowledge she came across. She really only needed to be told something once before she knew what it meant. The seemingly strange phenomenon was explained by Glorfindel after thinking about it for a few days.

"Dragons are well known to know every coin of their hoard as a rule. Why are we so surprised that one of their kin does the same with anything else? Perhaps the reason that the drakes get so caught up in riddles is because the challenges it brings are one of the few things they can't just observe and recall, but need to take the time to puzzle it out themselves?"

The firedrake chuckled at the memory, remembering how quick her positive reaction to even the word 'riddle' was. The day's lesson back then was immediately derailed at the thought as the two elf lords and the firedrake sat and riddled the rest of the day away.

The elves weren't the only ones to learn about her, as they had much to tell her about herself that she didn't know.

Apparently there were two mostly unknown abilities that dragon kind were known to possess that remained mostly a mystery to everyone. These strange phenomena were known as dragon sickness and dragon spell and although there were well known examples of each, no one quite knew how they worked.

Dragon sickness was a strange curse, or more accurately a feeling, placed on a treasure that a dragon has long since brooded over. If the treasure was ever stolen, the greed from the dragon would then transfer over to the new owner.

She truly hoped that her treasure wouldn't have such a curse, as the tales of what happens afterwards to whichever poor soul who takes it was sad to say the least. She had no use for such an ability, but it was interesting enough to know it was there even if she didn't know how it worked.

Dragon spell however? That was something she was interested in.

The tale started with Glaurung the Father of Dragons during the first age. Apparently, if the wyrm talked to someone long enough, he could manipulate the thoughts of those that heard him. The drake of old used this ability to drive his prey mad in some sort of sick pleasure for their pain and suffering.

Yúla had a different idea for it.

After several years of experimenting, she finally figured out how it worked. The spell seemed to work based on willpower alone, and the stronger her sheer want for something to happen was, the more powerful the spell itself was when she spoke.

It honestly made her think about dragon sickness when she figured it out. If the spell placed on her words was based entirely on emotions made verbal, then how much of that sickness was the emotion of greed made manifest in objects she broods on? She wondered if she could put a different emotion into her treasure? One a bit more positive…

Oh well, until then, she decided to continue to experiment with dragonspell. It went without saying that she mostly used it to have some of the elves give her more food when it came time to feed her. It worked marvelously up until Glorfindel finally noticed what she was doing and put a stop to it.

They then had a long talk about what exactly she was doing. Manipulation of a person's mind wasn't something to take lightly at all, and after a long moral discussion about what it would be like if someone did that to her, she vowed not to use it again on anyone she considered a friend.

The harp stopped for a moment as the elf drank a bit of water, before he continued to play the soft music. The small pause ended up reminding her exactly where she was again, causing her to sigh and shift a bit in her stone nest.

Due to how she outgrew her old clearing far more quickly than anyone seemed ready for, she needed to move away. Finding a cave near the peak of a nearby mountain, she enlarged the hole and moulded it using her fire to melt the stone and shape it for her needs. Thankfully, it wasn't too far from Rivendell so she still visited the homely house regularly. Not that it mattered, as it was beginning to dawn on her just how different she was from those around her.

She now towered over the elves by such a large margin that one small error while walking could seriously harm someone, and it was beginning to dawn on her that the descriptions of her kin that she learned about were not exaggerations. Even now, her size was a massive inconvenience as she could no longer walk the streets of Rivendell like she used to be able to. Bridges groaned at her weight even after just a few years, and her claws cut and scratched into the carefully crafted stone walkways.

Well… they used to anyway.

That was even a long time ago now… She was definitely taller than most of their buildings now! Just by existing, she was damaging her host's home. She was willing to bet that the bridges would shatter under her weight, and it would be extremely easy to cause property damage by turning at an inconvenient time or swishing her tail at the wrong moment.

Forced into seclusion away from her newfound friends, she sighed as she decided to look through her treasures again. The pitch black dragoness lifted her head off her forepaws and snaked her neck around. Glancing at the small pile of objects in her possession. She didn't need to look for very long to note that they were all where they were supposed to be, though considering that anyone would need to climb a sheer cliff to reach her, it wasn't that surprising.

Glancing over to Ídhaiamrûn, who was calmly playing his harp at the entrance to her cave. He seemed to be the exception to the rule, as he seemed to visit whenever he felt like it even despite the difficulty. Apparently the clear view of the valley below and sunrise was something he valued greatly, along with her company of course.

She now has a decent pile of a few thousand gold coins she has amassed over time. The dragoness smiled at the sound of coins striking coins as she poked at the pile with a talon.

It turns out that elves with all their dexterity and wisdom sometimes have need for a bit of strength, and were willing to trade away a bit of their gold for her to lift an inconvenient boulder or something similar. It wasn't nearly enough to be used as bedding for her massive body, but it was honestly earned and given freely which was enough for her to be proud of it.

She learned long ago through her studies how the dragons of old got their wealth, and she vowed never to go down that path…

…Unless it's orcs, trolls, or goblins I am stealing from. Then I don't particularly care too much about their feelings on the matter.

Next her eyes moved to a long and thin contraption that Lord Elrond gave her at the beginning of her studies here. The object was made out of a strange metal so as not to be bent and broken by bee claws or strength, and was the closest thing she could get to a decent writing utensil. Eventually, much like everything else around her, she outgrew the thing and had trouble even gripping it in between two talons now as it was too small.

Then there was the painting, the coin Gandalf gave her, and her obsidian.

Yúla found it a bit ironic. The items she placed the most value on were the ones that were arguably the most worthless. From a sheer monetary standpoint, the pile of gold she has obtained over the years that she has been here held the most value, but she didn't feel any particular attachment to those coins. The value on the objects that she has an attachment to seemed small in comparison, and yet she knew that if anyone tried to take them…

She didn't want to go down that road of thought.

Sighing, she began to stand up. Even inside of her large cave she has made for herself, it has still become a bit cramped. She would need to find someplace new within the next few years, and that thought alone saddened her. Wanting to clear her thoughts, she shifted her wings a bit.

Maybe I'm due for another adventure. I've been cooped up in this timeless valley for long enough.

She was large enough now that she knew nothing short of another dragon would be able to challenge her. She studied maps in her lessons, memorizing their contents for any future references, and she wished to see some of the sights.

The harp stopped playing as the elf turned his head to look towards the moving dragon.

"Going somewhere?"

Yúla snorted, amused at his observation. Of course she was going somewhere, why else would she be getting up?

Keeping herself low to the ground so as not to scrape the ceiling, she made her way to the cave entrance. Once she pulled her head free of the side of the mountain, she tilted her head so one of her eyes could see her friend.

"Yes, and I might not return for some time. Please inform Lord Elrond of my departure."

Setting the harp to the side for a moment, Ídhaiamrûn fixed her with a slight frown.

"Where will you go?"

Yúla sat on that question, staring out to the vast horizon in front of her. She wasn't quite sure where she was going to go, but she needed to start exploring. Rivendell was not her home, and she needed to find where she belonged.

Her first thought was the mountains to the north. The Grey Mountains and the Withered Heath were well known to house dragons before, but therein lies the problem. Not fully grown like she was, she wouldn't stand much of a chance if it came to fighting more of her kin.

No, she needed someplace large enough to fit her fully grown, yet either abandoned or overtaken by someone she could clear out without making her conscience guilty. She needed gold, yet she was unwilling to steal.

The silly idle thought of becoming a mercenary dragon for hire came across her mind before she smashed the thought down. While she was sure many lords and ladies would pay a pretty penny to have an incarnation of death and fire on their payroll, that way led to her not being able to choose who she killed and who she didn't.

Either way, she needed a better home, one that would be more permanent than this one. She couldn't stay here forever with how fast she was growing, and she has grown frustrated with her living conditions. Rivendell was nice, but yet again, just like back in the forest, she was kept as secret as her hosts could allow.

Any time they had guests from afar, she was hidden. Taken outside the city so not to disturb whoever was visiting from far away lands. She was tired of hiding, tired of all the secrecy and scared whispers about what she might one day become.

She knew what she was, and she didn't care what anyone else thought right now.

"I don't know… But I'll be back before long."

And with that, she jumped clear off the side of her cave. Spreading her wings, she caught the current and began her flight east.

Before she got too far, even through the rushing of wind in her ears, she heard her friend's frustrated voice yelling to her retreating form.

"You could have flown me down at least!"

-OtWoF-

Flying over the vast forest to the west of Rivendell, her mind began to wander.

Her decision to leave the elven lands was based on an impulse, but now that she was flying above unexplored lands for her she knew it was the right one. She hasn't felt this free in a while, her decisions being her own for the first time ever.

Where will I go?

The north was the dead kingdom of Angmar, and the grey mountains past that. She still remembers stories that Glorfindel taught her about that dark land, which put a sour taste in her mouth.

West? There wasn't much to the West before you hit the blue mountains except vast farmlands, hills, and a small village of men by the name of Bree. However, if she went further than the mountains, she could visit the great sea.

During her time with the elves, there have always been talks about their longing for the ocean. She didn't quite understand it as to her, all descriptions told her that it was a big body of water. Nothing special there…

South? She would eventually visit Rohan as she did many years ago. She has learned much about the lands she passed through, and it wasn't too surprising to learn that they were a superstitious lot. The horse lords of Rohan wouldn't take kindly to her intrusion… not that they could do much about it.

Or east. The mountains proved a troubling issue for the races that were forced to walk, but as she was currently demonstrating by soaring high into the sky, she had no such limitation.

The east led to the misty mountains, and past the river Anduin to the Greenwood. If she went that way, she would definitely be able to visit her old caretaker and perhap the lands beyond.

Choices… so many choices.

In the end her decision was to turn west and visit the lands there. The blue mountains seemed nice and might have a place for her to claim for her own, and she would be able to visit the ocean if only just to see it.

While it would be nice to visit the one that hatched her, she was feeling a bit more adventurous. Turning westward, she caught a particularly strong air current which carried her on her way.

-OtWoF-

The dragoness flew long through the night and into the next day, crossing the vast countryside in the process. The midsummer's sun was beating down on her back as the humidity of the forest down below rose to meet her. The earthy scent of mud and foliage was ever present as she cut her way across the skies.

She was surprised at the sheer amount of forest the world seemed to have. Everywhere she went, there were trees far older than she was down below. Thinking back to it, she realized that she enjoyed lands similar enough to Rohan. Vast plains of grass with nothing stopping your view of the area.

As she casually cut her way across the countryside, she noticed that the forest seemed to thin out a bit ahead. The wind itself seemed to pick up as the forest wilderness made way for a vast network of hills.

She wasn't tired in the slightest, needing only to adjust her wings to compensate for the changing gusts to glide across the skies. She thought of herself as one of the great serpents of the north like she read of in her studies. Surely from below, she must be a sight to behold!

Eventually, something caught her eye. A strange circular outpost built on top of what appeared to be the largest hill in the area. She could see smoke billowing out from the center of the strange structure, peaking her interest.

The smoke itself told her that there was someone there. Who that could be however, she doesn't know. She hasn't spotted any settlements in her flight over, and she didn't remember this place on any of the maps lord Elrond showed her.

Thinking for only a moment, she thought of this as a fantastic opportunity. She's been told even since she was young how people might react to her, but she never once had the chance to test it.

Smiling to herself, she began to dive towards the structure.

With how high up she was, she was sure she could be mistaken for a bird if one didn't look too closely. Not to mention, who was going to look up? The only threatening beings that came from the skies were dragons, and from what she was told, her kin haven't been in these lands for centuries due to how there was little to no wealth here to collect.

Spiraling her descent to not arrive too quickly, she tried to examine who she was intruding upon. From what she could tell, there were three people she saw around the fire that didn't resemble dwarves or goblins. They seemed about as tall as elves, but without seeing their ears or getting a good whiff of their scent, she couldn't know if they were of the race of men, elves, or orcs.

Before she even examined the terrain to find a good spot to land, she smelled the scent of delicious cooked meat. Her sharp eyes immediately took note that the people below were cooking some kind of spiced meat, the savory scent causing her mouth to water.

Then she heard the yelling.

"What the...?"

"Quick! Put out the fire!"

"Fool! It already sees us! Run!"

Ignoring the strange people for a moment, she realized that this decrepit old outpost didn't have a good spot for her to land comfortably without landing in the center. Knowing she needed to place her rear legs on a ledge and hold on to the side, that's exactly what she did.

All around the structure were strange walls except for one side that she could land. Flapping her wings to steady herself, she landed with a loud thud against the side of the tall hill. Holding onto the side tightly, she had to adjust her grip several times as the stones came loose from her weight.

No longer focused on her stability or descent, she looked up to see three people all with their backs placed against the wall.

A quick examination of their fair skin showed that they definitely were not orcs. Their ears were rounded, so they weren't elves. Their ragged grey and green clothing told her they were used to spending weeks or even months in the wilds around them, and yet their ragged hair and rough appearance told her everything she needed to know.

Men then. Interesting! I've never met any men before!

"Back!" One of them yelled, gathering his courage as he swung a torch in her direction. "Get back you foul beast!"

Yúla was immediately offended. Not at the nature of his insult and obviously wrong conclusion that she was a beast, but offended by the absurd notion that a torch and flame could harm her.

He's waving a fire… at a dragon?

Without warning, the foolish man yelled back to his two companions.

"Run! I'll hold it off!"

The notion itself was silly, as she could probably fit this person's body within her mouth in a single bite. The assumption that this creature might be able to put up as much of a fight as Glorfindel was just silly.

Unable to help it, she began to laugh.

As her deep chuckles rang through the area, the two who were instructed to leave began to sprint towards one of the gaps in the structure. Knowing she was just here to observe their reactions to her, she calmed herself down and continued her observation in calm calculation.

As the two began to quickly make their way down the hill, the courageous but foolish man rushed her. The sound of a sword being drawn could be heard, but after only flicking her gaze to the steel weapon she knew that it couldn't pierce her.

The man charged her, waving his torch as close to her head as he could. She noted that the flame was quite far away as she was still leaning upright against the hill with only her head showing, which caused even more mirth to bubble up from within her.

Gandalf and Elrond said that most people would be scared of me, but this is just ridiculous!

Snaking her head towards the man, she felt her crest of spikes flatten themselves on her neck to appear smaller. Wanting to seriously know what he was doing, she began to speak.

"What do you think you are accomplishing by-"

Clang.

The metallic ring of the sword bouncing off the scales on her snout stopped her from speaking, sheer surprise at the audacity of this person replacing her previous thoughts.

Did he just…?

Waving his tiny sword in front of her nose, the man took a few more swings at her that she dodged by pulling her head back slightly.

"Back! Back you fiend!"

Yes… Yes he did.

Growling, she decided to show this man just what his place here was. Perhaps after she showed just how clear her control of this situation is, he might answer her questions.

Unfurling her wings, she took a step up onto the strange platform. Going from clinging to the side and only her head and neck showing, she revealed more of her bulk to the man.

"Surely this isn't a fight you want. Perhaps instead we could talk, you and I."

Immediately, she saw horror and realization in his small eyes. While she didn't exactly revel in the fear she gave him, she couldn't help but admit to herself that it was satisfying to know she could.

Annoyingly enough, instead of talking with her like she wanted, the man then turned and fled like his companions.

Left alone on the structure as she was unwilling to give chase to the men, Yúla was thoroughly disappointed. Sure, she expected this kind of reaction considering everything she was told by her companions, but still!

Suddenly, the wind shifted, and the smoky scent of a slow cooked deer caught her attention. Looking up, she spotted the remains of their camp, abandoned by its previous inhabitants in a hurry.

Including the results of a successful hunt it looks like.

Against her will, her mouth began to water. The meal itself looked like it was seasoned and smelled absolutely delicious.

Pulling herself more fully onto the structure, she reared back onto her hind legs and began to look around. It didn't take her long before she spotted the fleeing men. Spotting them swiftly riding horses away from here, she assumed that they were not coming back anytime soon. She idly noted that they were traveling East towards Rivendell, and she hoped that her little adventure wouldn't reach Lord Elrond's ears before she could even return.

After only a moment, her nose attracted her attention once again. Her sharp eyes focused on the fully dressed and spiced deer cooking over the fire, even as her stomach reminded her she hasn't eaten in quite a while.

Oh well, I wouldn't want good food to go to waste!

In a single bite, the meal was gone. It wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her hunger fully, but it was a decent enough meal for now.

No matter what else she thought of the cowardly men who ran from her, she knew when she began to taste the delicious spices and carefully dressed meats that at the very least they knew how to cook.

Sighing at the abject failure her first attempt at contacting another race was, she decided to study the area more closely. Other than the structure she was on, the area looked abandoned to the nature around her. The hills were tall, but they weren't as tall as mountains and she couldn't spot anywhere that she could take shelter from the elements even at the size she was now.

This place was not for her.

Spreading her wings, she took flight and continued her journey westward.

-OtWoF-

Days passed before she ended up passing over the blue mountains. A quick examination of the places she passed over told her that these mountains weren't what she was looking for. There seemed to be near constant rain surrounding them, no doubt catching the clouds coming from the ocean like a net. The humidity and constant moisture remaining on the ground mixed with the mossy ground that retained it caused her to have a near constant chill in her feet.

No, she didn't want a dwelling like this. It would only lead her to staying inside her cave, never to come out except for food. If this little adventure showed her anything, it was that sitting still and lying on piles of gold for decades wasn't who she was.

Though I would still very much like to have piles of gold.

All of this flying eventually came to an end when she finally saw what she set out to find.

Even from the mountains, she could see the vast sea of blue stretched out as far as she could see in front of her. It didn't take her too long before she was on the vast beach that stretched the coastline.

Looking out over the constantly crashing waves, the sound rang over miles for what seems like an endless choir of nature. The soft breeze carried the salty air up from the vast blue in front of her to her nose, allowing her to almost taste the ocean in front of her.

And yet her eyes remained on the coastline.

How can something so vast exist? I know from my lessons that it ends, but from here…

Digging her claws into the sandy beach, she finally tore her eyes away from the ocean. Looking down, she spotted several dried green patches of seaweed and sea foam. The strange plant somehow managed to cling to life without roots or even soil somehow, living amongst the fish and water.

She remembered the lessons of ancient history. She knew just how much of the world was lost to the sea long ago, sunk by powers much more powerful than her. The dragoness idly wondered if she would be able to survive, watching as a torrent of water the size of a mountain came crashing down upon her.

No. She wouldn't. That fact alone humbled her deeply as she stared out into one of the world's greatest powers. No fire would be able to withstand that much water. Nothing could.

Lost in her thoughts as she was, she noticed the sun setting over the water. The reflection on the constantly shifting waves reflecting the beautiful sight in front of her.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

Shaking her thoughts off, she looked down to her left forepaw. Sure enough, there was an elf standing there, staring out into the sea just like she was.

"Though admittedly, I didn't think your kind were all too keen on watching the sunset… Or even the ocean for that matter."

Blinking, she was surprised when the elf continued, seemingly uncaring of what she was.

"Though, to be fair, I haven't seen a firedrake since the first age. Reaving monsters burning everything and everyone alive, content to slaughter and steal… and yet here you are sitting in peace seemingly longing for the ocean. One can only wonder why."

Returning her attention to the waves, she thought on the matter herself.

Why was she here? What brought her to what could only be considered the exact opposite of what she was? She had many choices of destinations when she left Rivendell to explore, and yet she ended up here.

In the end she decided to let her mouth wander, as her mind found no conclusion. Looking down to the elf, she began to talk.

"I don't know why I am here. I set off to try and find a new home, as I have outgrown my old dwellings, and yet in front of the vast unending ocean in front of me, I find myself feeling something I haven't before."

The elf looked intrigued, finally diverting his attention away from the ocean.

"And what feeling would that be?"

A wave threatened to overtake her forepaws, stopping just short. Reaching out, she dipped a talon into the foamy water only to feel the sand below as the wave retreated back to the vast ocean it came from.

"I feel… humbled."

It was true after all. Never once has she ever been absolutely certain that something was stronger than her. More powerful than her in every way. Something she was absolutely sure that she couldn't defeat.

Even as she passed mountains when she was younger, she knew that she could melt rock. She could outlast storms, and control the wind. She was an incarnation of fire, able to burn down any forest or plains…

Another wave crashed against her claws, never ceasing its endless peaceful assault on the beachhead.

She knew she couldn't defeat the ocean.

"It has been an interesting journey, but in the end the ocean will not be my new home, and nor will these mossy damp mountains. Maybe I shall try traveling south or east on my next journey, as the misty mountains or even the white mountains seem promising."

The elf seemed surprised, taking a step back. It was only then that she noticed that he had a hand on his previously unnoticed sword.

"You will leave these lands in peace then?"

Seeing the hostile demeanor for the first time, her peaceful mood was now ruined. Of course he didn't come over just to talk to her, but it didn't matter now.

Dipping her head low in a crude imitation of a bow, she tried to look as non threatening as possible. The gesture was a bit awkward as all she ended up doing was placing her head and mouth closer to the elf.

Sometimes it was hard being big.

"Yes, I didn't mean any harm in the first place and apologize if I gave off the impression."

Silence reigned supreme between the two for a moment as the elf looked her up and down. Eventually, he let go of his sword and returned the gesture.

"If this conversation is to end without a battle as I first thought, then I would ask your name."

Yúla stopped to think for a moment. Not because she didn't wish to give him her name, but because she has gotten used to the elven name she has been given over the years. She had two now, and considering this was an elf, she figured she might as well give him both.

"My given name is Yúla, but the elves of Imladris have named me Morrovalùr. It makes no difference to me which one you use."

The elf hummed quietly before turning back to the ocean, his hand dropping to his side.

"It's been interesting meeting you, Morrovalùr. I am Círdan."

Smiling at the peaceful nature of the elf, she returned her attention to the ocean.

The two sat in silence for a while longer, watching as the orange sun dipped below the horizon. Neither said another word to the other until the sun was gone and they were shrouded in darkness.

Knowing it was time to leave, she took only a step away before the elf stopped her by speaking up.

"I name you Morrovalùr the Humble. May you keep that trait with you, as it might serve you better than hatred or greed ever will."

Snorting, she shook her head. It seems as if assumptions about her will always plague any contact with someone new. Wanting only to begin her journey home, she nods her head and takes off into the skies.

-OtWoF-

Morrovalùr the Humble? Why couldn't I have gotten something like Morrovalùr the Fierce, or Morrovalùr the Terrifying?

She knows she was obsessing a bit about it, as she was about halfway back to Rivendell by now if memory serves, but she couldn't. All of the known dragons like Scatha the Wyrm and Glaurung the Father of Dragons had cool and fierce names!

She needed to make a name for herself. Being stuck with the title of "humble" just couldn't be left alone.

Tearing her attention away from her distressed mind, she decided to look around. She has been flying without paying much attention to where she was going, and honestly she was a bit surprised to find a strange gathering below her.

Several small people were all gathered in what could technically be described as a town. Torches lit the countryside as they all seemed to be making merry, drinking and smoking the night away.

These have to be the farmers that tend to the lands nearby. I wonder what the occasion is?

Thinking back to her time flying over these fields during the day, she remembered the vast farmlands were definitely something to behold, even if she didn't fully understand the lifestyle of those below her.

Even through the dim moonlight Yúla could see a large number of penned up animals, stuck in fenced areas as they awaited their fate. The dragoness thought it was a rather sad way to get food. The thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of victory over your opponent was honestly her favorite part of her meals, but she knew not everyone was a dragon.

In fact, it always seemed like she was the only one sometimes.

Glancing around the party a bit more, she spotted large open fields of plants lined up one by one. She could only assume they were for a similar purpose to the animals. There were fences and strange dwellings that seemed to be dug out similar enough to her burrow-

Boom!

The air itself seemed to explode around her, followed quickly by a sudden flash of light and fire. The abrupt shock of something so unexpected caused a fight or flight reflex to show itself within her.

Rattled from the explosion that suddenly intruded on her thoughts, she reflexively spun to the right to avoid any chance of harm. Frantically, she looked around her to try and find out what just happened. After only a moment, she noticed the afterglow of several red and yellow lights that were quickly dimming as time went on.

What the…?

Boom!

Once again her world was rattled as an explosion of lights and sound. This time she saw where it came from. A sparkling thing rose into the sky before detonating into a beautiful display of lights and colors. After the ringing in her ears subsided, she heard cheers from down below.

Glancing down, she spotted what could only be a rowdy party of hundreds staring up at her and cheering. Tents were set up in a field as everyone happily enjoyed themselves.

It took her only a moment to realize that the people below don't even know she was there. These explosions were apparently part of the celebration, and she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something that caused her blood to freeze.

Grey pointed hat, old beard, and smoking a pipe with a wooden staff ever present at his side? Yes, there could be no doubt.

She spotted Gandalf lighting a strange contraption, stepping back as the entire party cheered. Watching in horrid fascination, she saw as the now sparkling projectile shot up into the air, seemingly heading straight for her.

Swiftly flapping her wings, she dodged out of the way only to hear yet another explosion behind her. Gritting her teeth, she searched the ground for a place to land.

It seems as if her old friend was the one launching explosives at her. The dragoness couldn't let this stand, even though he very clearly didn't actually know she was there. That little fact wasn't going to stop her from exacting her sweet revenge on the wizard.

Finding a spot in an open clearing to plan her retribution, she settled down just in time to hear the strange whizz and pop of another of those strange projectiles. Looking up, to the sky she recently occupied, she was amazed at what she saw.

Red and gold sparks showered down from the sky, beautiful but fading fast as they burned out their fuel all too quickly. The dragoness didn't quite know what she was witnessing, but she was definitely interested in whatever it was. The sheer vibrancy and beauty in the colors as they detonated almost made her forgive the wizard for hitting her with one.

Almost.

Lying in wait, she decided to be a bit patient. She will get him back, but for now she will enjoy the show.

-OtWoF-

Oh you think you can escape me?

Looking at the wizard as he made his way down a dirt road atop a small two wheeled wagon towed casually by horses, the dragoness prepared herself to strike. She has been lying in wait on the side of this road for hours now, finding the best spot to hide her large bulk from the road.

She was hidden by a hill with large trees, the wind was blowing the other way so the horses wouldn't smell her, and the sun was even behind the hill so she has been able to peek her head over the hill to see her quarry. All in all, it was perfect.

Poking her head over the hill just enough to examine Gandalf again, she felt happy to know that he hasn't changed even a little bit. She hasn't seen the wizard in years, the last time she saw him being when he visited Rivendell to check on her years ago. She has grown considerably since then, and at the very least she knew the horses wouldn't be ready for her.

She could even hear him humming a chipper tune as he smoked his cares away with his pipe.

Perfect.

It was time, and she will have her revenge for the slight against her that he didn't even know he caused. Tensing her muscles and taking in a deep but quiet breath, she mentally prepared herself for her attack.

Slowly, the sound of the horses hooves impacting the dirt road passed by as she slowly lifted herself over the hill. A moment just before she let out her growl, the wind shifted.

This strange turn of events had an unexpected but fortunate side effect once the horses caught her scent. Just like every other animal she has come across, the moment they took in a breath they started to panic. Tossing their heads from side to side, they let out loud whines of displeasure as they attempted to locate their impending doom.

"Woah there!" Gandalf yelled as he dropped his pipe, forced to grip the reigns with both hands. "What's wrong?"

With the wizard's attention firmly placed on the horses, Yúla was able to sneak the remaining distance to the back of the cart silently. Slowly, she unfurled the wings on her back out as far as they could go and brought herself to her full height, puffing out the spikes on her neck and crest as she tried to make herself as intimidating as possible.

And then she began to growl menacingly.

From her spot towering over the cart, she was able to watch the resulting chaos in utter glee.

She was very satisfied to know that the midday sun was blocked out by her display, the ground outlined by her shadow enveloping the entire cart. The two horses finally caught sight of her, and began to panic. Bucking at their restraints, the cart bobbed up and down at their motions, causing the wizard to grip the side in order to keep himself steady.

Thankfully, they were so panicked that they couldn't seem to agree on if they wanted to go forward or attack their restraints. This only added to the delightful chaos that Yúla had wrought upon her unsuspecting friend.

Gandalf, however, didn't appear like he was going to just sit there and do nothing. Almost immediately, he began chanting in elvish to try and calm the horses down. After a few moments, the incantation seemed to work as the frantic behavior of the four legged animals calmed down. His task done, he snatched his staff from beside him. Yúla was a bit surprised that the stick didn't end up falling to the ground from the chaos, but that was neither here nor there.

Spinning around with his staff at the ready, she could tell that Gandalf was prepared for a fight. His eyes were hard and his muscles were tense as he stood up on his little wooden wagon. A strange invisible power seemed to emanate from the wizard, pressing ominously through the air like a blanked all around him.

Only to receive a claw pointed at him and hysterical laughter from a black dragoness.

Falling to her side in her fit of giggles, Yúla idly noted that she was absolutely destroying the road. Not that she particularly cared at the moment as she startled all the wildlife for miles with her laughter.

"Yúla? What are you doing here?"

The wizard seemed actually stumped at finding her here, not that it was surprising to her. To be completely honest, she didn't exactly expect to come across him like this either.

Finally getting a hold of herself, she lifts herself off the ground. Dusting herself off with a forepaw and a few flaps of her wings, much to the horses dismay, she smiles to one of her only worldly friends.

"I was exploring a bit, trying to find a new home. Imagine my surprise when I was suddenly under assault from explosives launched from the ground!"

Snaking her head down to become eye level with the wizard, she fixed him with a stormy look so cold it could freeze ice.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Her tone was deadly, the growl underneath her words so fierce that the horses began to shift yet again. Sadly, his reaction to her obvious irritation was lackluster at best.

"I am truly sorry my friend, but I must say I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about."

A tense but friendly silence came and went at that sentence, both of them not willing to back down at their strange game. Gandalf seemed like he wasn't willing to continue their impromptu childish staring contest.

"A new home you say?"

Happy that she won the stand-off, she snorts before focusing on the new topic.

"As you can see," she flared her wings and spiky crest out and reared her head back. "I have grown too large for Rivendell. I traveled to the blue mountains to see if there would be a place for me there, but it is too damp and wet there for my liking."

Taking his pipe out, he sits back down on his cart. Eyeing her suspiciously, he sat there for a moment before speaking up in a soft tone.

"No, I don't suppose it would be."

Hearing the contemplation in his tone, she knew he had some sort of idea. Jumping at the opportunity to have a better idea than just flying around and looking for a big enough cave, she pulled her wings back to her body and tilted her head.

"You wouldn't happen to have an idea of where I could go, do you?"

A small puff of smoke and a hum was her only answer for a moment, before he spoke up.

"I have an idea… but I must speak to Lord Elrond first."

Vague as always…

"It would certainly fit you no matter how large you might get, but reclaiming it might be too treacherous."

That caught her attention.

"Reclaiming? From who?"

The wizard waved a hand absentmindedly over his head. Reaching for his reigns, he urges the horses onward. Yúla felt a bit of pride rise up as she watched the beasts scurry away in fear of her.

"Worry not, it is but a thought I have, and it might not even see itself past the wondering of my own mind. I shall meet you back in Rivendell, as I doubt your impatience would allow you to travel with me ever again."

He was absolutely right about that. Spreading her wings, she took to the skies once more. Happy that she finally had a lead at finding a place she might belong, she almost didn't notice when several farmers below noticed her flying above them. She watched as they pointed to the sky in amazement and a bit of fear, which only made the feeling of pride increase.

Roaring loudly, the sound of her excitement echoed across the land for miles. Finally ready to find her place in the world, she pushed herself faster as the wind whipped past her ears.

Let them stare, I am done hiding.

-OtWoF-

In the vast fields near her mountain, she saw as a small army of elves all stood in formation below her cave. From above, she could spot Lord Elrond at their helm as they looked towards the sky.

How strange.

Flying down to meet them, she circled for a bit before touching down. Smiling, she turned to the elf lord.

Only to be met with the sound of several hundred bows pulling back their arrows.

Elrond stepped forward with his hand on his sword, a show of hostility she hasn't seen from him since she arrived. Taking in a deep but obviously emotionally pained breath, he spoke up.

"Morrovalùr, I will ask you only once. Where did you go?"

Feeling a bit betrayed, she feels her fire igniting itself in her chest. She didn't know what this was about, but it was obvious they thought she did something wrong.

"I flew west to the blue mountains and beyond. I wished to see if there was a home for me there, but there wasn't."

Relief spread across the entire army, all of them taking in a sigh as they relaxed their bows. This action only served to confuse her more, as even Elrond appeared as if a great weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Confused, she tilted her head.

"Why? What has happened?"

Elrond bowed low, an obvious sign of apology.

"My deepest apologies for this, but we needed to be sure we weren't the cause for such needless death by harboring the one responsible."

Blinking, she snaked her head down to look him more closely in the eyes.

"Lord Elrond, what happened?"

The elven lord squared his shoulders and his face morphed into a solemn frown.

"A dragon has attacked the lonely mountain."

—Author's Note—

Well that was longer than expected. 8000 words…

Oh well, a lot of it needed to be said.

Now, ima explain exactly what abilities she has here and how they work, so spoiler (kinda) if you don't want to know what she will be able to do.

I've researched dragons in middle earth quite thoroughly, and other than fire breath, hard scales, and being gigantic flying beasts of death, I noticed that dragon spell and dragon sickness were a thing. Obviously I couldn't keep them the exact same as they were in cannon because both of them were quite evil, so here goes my explanation.

Dragons are inherently magical creatures. They were created and bred via magic and it seeped into them. Their will is made manifest via wanting something hard enough or imprinting on being around it for long enough.

Glaurung was able to drive people mad because he wanted to do so when he spoke. Bilbo took off the ring in the movie and showed himself to Smaug because the dragon wanted to find him and that want was projected through his words.

The same goes for dragon sickness. The reason greed was imprinted onto the gold of both Smaug and Scatha the worm was because greed was the only feeling they were projecting. If they were projecting say nostalgia or kind love for instance, that would be the feeling imprinted on whatever the dragon was sitting on.

Hopefully that explains where I'm going with her treasures.

Now, I've seen a lot of people asking about timeline explanations, so ima do that here also. I didn't do it before nor did I explain exactly where I was because I didn't quite know myself yet. I used terms like "for over a hundred years" to give myself about a 50 year gap of leeway.

Good thing I sat down and mapped it out eh?

Her egg was found at the start of the war between the dragons and dwarves in 2572 of the third age. Radagast sat on it for 118 years making when he hatched her T.A. 2690

Radagast raised her for 15 years before Gandalf showed up, taking her to Rivendell. She remained there growing for 65 more years until this chapter. As of now she's 80.

It takes about 200 years for a dragon to become fully grown from what I can tell, maybe a bit longer. She's still less than half the size she's going to be, and I had to take that into account. This is still on the low end of where I think she will be simply by sitting here and studying Smaug in the movies and taking into account her heritage of being a descendant of a dude that crushed mountains.

The way I see her right now, she's fully grown Drogon from Game of Thrones sized…if only just a bit smaller. She has 4 legs and isnt a wyvern obviously, what with me constantly saying forepaws and hind legs and all that. Ima say now that the last bit of her growth is a bit slower, but she's still going to end up quite a bit bigger than Smaug was.

I was going to make her smaller in this chapter, but just looking at Smaug during desolation… yeah she'd need to hit a MASSIVe Growth spurt all the sudden, and I don't like inconsistency.

As I said in this chapter, sometimes being big is hard. I made the character, and now she's gotta live with the consequences of needing to find a big enough hill to hide herself before sneaking up on wizards. :3

Last but not least, any guesses as to where Ima have her end up as a permanent home? There really aren't many places that can hold her, I can think of 5 off the top of my head, and I wanna see if y'all can guess it. You probably have a better chance if you read my other fic as you know I love to mess with the timelines. :3

As always, read and review, and if you like it, consider giving me a follow and a favorite!