Chapter 25
Bilbo growled in frustration as he sifted through the gold. Well this will take all bloody year! He looked around him and felt the urge to cry. Or scream.
Suddenly, the gold started shifting. He felt a burst of steam shoot into the stale air to the left of where he was standing. Yelping quietly, Bilbo made sure his ring was on and hid behind the pillar. He was not going to be Dragon dinner.
The ring proved to be useless.
Bilbo sighed as he searched for words to appease Smaug. Magic rings aren't meant to be useless! "Please, oh Smaug the Magnificent! I only came here to gaze upon the wondrous majesty of you. Truly the tales sung in the halls of my people do you no justice. You are far more excellent and awe-striking than I could have ever imagined!" There that should make the lizard happy.
It did.
Smaug chuckled. "Pretty words for a thief and a liar. What do you go by, Thief?"
"I…ah…I go by many names! Smaug the Wealthiest! I am...He Who Walks Unseen!"
"Oh? Go on!"
"I live far away, under a hill. And…and over the hills and under trees I have journeyed far. I am Luck Bringer, Ring Wearer, and…and Barrel Rider."
"Barrel Rider?! Such fine names! Pray do you have more?"
Bilbo smiled breathlessly. "I am a being of no true race. I am alone in the world. The only of my kind!"
Smaug listened in amusement. "Intriguing! Such a pretty list of names. Tell me, Barrel Rider, where are the others whom you traveled with?"
"Others?! No! No others here! I came to view your majestic form alone!"
"I smell Dwarf on you, and yet, I do not know the scent that comes from you. You are a mixture of two races. What are those races?"
Bilbo laughed nervously. "Truly, truly, they are far too boring to even be spoken about, oh powerful Smaug."
Smaug rose to his full height, spreading his wings. "Powerful?! Yes, I am powerful! Nothing can pierce my hide! And if I so wish to know something, then you will answer me!"
Bilbo didn't. Not at first. He was too focused on the spot just above Smaug's heart. A scale missing. "The arrow did hit the mark…"
"What?!"
"Nothing! Oh wonderfully impressive king! I am in awe of your fear inducing splendor!" Bilbo's thoughts went a mile a minute. It was mentioned that there had been one black arrow left.
If word of Smaug's weakness could reach the men… Bilbo knew he had to hurry and tell the Dwarves.
Smaug was moving again, shifting the tides of gold, turning them into waterfalls, or was it goldenfalls?
Bilbo yelped and tried to keep ahead so as not to be buried.
"I know the smell of Dwarf! I tasted them! Ate their flesh! Who is it that travels with you?"
"No-No one!" Bilbo quaked slightly. He couldn't help it. Not even Glorfindel would be brave in front of a Dragon alone.
"Who is it that seeks the gold from my mountain?! Who- oh…Thorin, son of Thrain… Yesss…I can smell him on you, as clearly as I can smell your fear. Well! He will find that there is only one king Under the Mountain!"
Bilbo turned to flee and then froze. He saw it. The Arkenstone. Truly, they had been right. It was one of it's kind. Unique and beautiful.
"Yesss…the King's Jewel. I am almost tempted to let you take it. For you to watch it corrupt him and drive him mad! However, I fear that our games are done. How would you like to DIE?!"
Bilbo slipped the ring on his finger and snatched the stone up, running as fast as his furry feet could take him, awfully glad that he had lost those stupid shoes in the forest.
Smaug roared and exhaled fire. Bilbo screamed and ducked around a corner. His feet were burned badly.
"Bilbo!"
He looked up to see his father and the others hurrying down the steps to get him. "No! He's coming! RUN!"
They didn't. They kept right on coming. Dwalin grabbed Bilbo right when Smaug turned the corner.
"THORIN SON OF THRAIN SON OF THROR!" Smaug bellowed out another roar and swiftly moved to attack them. Thorin gave a shout and rushed them to a smaller hallway. He led them on a rushed tour of the mountain. Bilbo was slightly out of it, because of the pain. They rushed outside again and hid. Bilbo told them everything that happened, including the weakness in Smaug's armor. No one noticed the small thrush that was sitting on the rock, head tilted towards them as if listening. No one noticed the small bird quickly fly away towards Laketown.
Oin quickly started slathering salve on it. Bilbo winced but bit his knuckle so he wouldn't cry out.
Dwalin growled in unison with Thorin. "What were you bloody thinking?!"
Thorin snarled. "I will never let you out of my sight again!" Even Fíli and Kíli were cross with him. Nori and Dori and Ori were secretly relieved, but they were horrified, too, at how close they came to losing their Dwobbit Prince.
Bilbo winced again and felt a tear slip down his cheek. "S-sorry. I couldn't ask…ah! Ask Nori to do something that I a-a-agreed to do. Signed a contract."
Thorin verbally cursed his son's stupid pride, oblivious to Balin's incredulous stare.
Bilbo stiffened. "We need to get inside! NOW!" His eyes were wide. The wind buffeted like an oncoming storm. Balin paled. This was a very similar storm.
Dwalin cursed and herded everyone into the mountain again. Fíli's eyes widened when they all felt wind buffet the door. "Move the rock! Seal the door!"
They closed the secret door just before the entire mountainside was swathed in flame. Smaug, it seemed, had snuck out of the mountain to see if they had been hiding outside. "THIEVES! DEATH! FIRE! I SHALL SHOW YOU NOT TO STEAL FROM ME! THE HUMANS WILL PERISH AND YOU ALONE WILL BE TO BLAME!"
The mountains shook and the gates were shattered. Bilbo cried out. They rushed out to the ledge of the secret door and watched Laketown burn.
Bilbo thought of the Elf-Prince, Legolas, and Tauriel. Were they still there? What of Bard and his family? They watched the desolation. Bilbo couldn't take his eyes away, no matter how Thorin tried to pull his son away from the sight.
Ori saw it first. "The Dragon fell! I saw it fall!"
Gloin breathed out. "It is dead then?"
Balin searched the skies quickly. "He is not flying. The fires are dying."
Bilbo leaned against his father. "The Dragon is dead…but as what cost? Oh Ada…"
Thorin held Bilbo close. "At least my son is alive. At least you have not died, my precious son. My only son. My treasure." Thorin kissed Bilbo's cheek with all the affection that he could muster. Bilbo held onto Thorin as tightly as he could. This was the one time when he truly felt as young as the Dwarves thought him to be.
