The excitement of the first day having stolen a cup from the vast dragon had entirely worn off as Bilbo crept along the passages once more.
"I should have stayed in my hobbit hole." He muttered, not for the last time, and certainly not the first. He thought once more of his warm fire, and a pot of tea that had just begun to whistle. Adventures were dangerous business, and while the Tookish part of him held full reign as crept along the passage back to Smaug's lair, the Baggins part of him wanted to blaze off in a full retreat.
However, as the story goes, Bilbo once more emerged into the vast piles of gold, having delayed his return for a few days whilst traveling to Lake town with the dwarves for supplies. His excuse to the dwarves had been that if he were not present in the mountain for a couple day the dragon may then be lulled into a sense of security from which he could then recover the Arkenstone.
This hope was soon dashed by the dragon shooting fire across the hall straight at poor little Bilbo Baggins who ducked rolling off the stairs and through countless treasures and the air heated around him. Stunned Bilbo looked upon the wall upon where a face had been scorched. You may not know this, as it has been many ages since Dragons have walked the face of the earth, but they can become extremely bored. Long hours guarding treasures to become tiresome after a few hundred years.
Bilbo however, amazed at his luck of survival did not know this, and you and I do, and therefore became unreasonably angry at the fire breathing monster before him.
"WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Bilbo yelled at the flaming beast whose eyes rolled toward the hobbit sparkling with amusement.
"Bored."
The poor little hobbit could scarcely believe his ears. He's almost been roasted alive because the dragon was bored? That was hardly a reasonable excuse and Bilbo became quite red in the face an act which intrigued the dragon Smaug.
"Is it common for your kind to change colors?" He smirked drawing close staring at the hobbit resting his enormous head upon his talons so very close to Bilbo's body. Any anger that the hobbit may have felt was drained away in such close proximity to the dragon along with any color that may have entered his face.
"No… no… not at all." Bilbo stammered.
"Was your journey to Lake Town eventful? Other than getting a pitcher of ale dumped on your head?" Smaug asked lazily as if this were common knowledge.
"How…"
"Oh please, you absolutely reek of men and liquor. Not an over startling observation." Smaug said bored. Bilbo nodded.
"Very keen nose you have." He complimented, "what a fantastic observation."
The dragon however, had grown quite bored of such compliments as they were offered quite frequently by now. Bilbo sense the air took a step back.
"Surely, someone of your intelligence knows more than just how to recognize the scent of men and ale."
Now this question intrigued the Dragon. As I've mentioned before Smaug was a master sorcerer. He knew conjuring and tricks almost as well as he could recite spell work and long dead incantations of devastating magic.
"Of course. It would be a fool move to assume otherwise." Smaug scoffed feeling insulted, and, though I will not be a fool to suggest that he felt like he had to prove himself, there was certainly a curious emotion about him, which the Dragon could not place.
"Of course, oh Smaug the most Knowledgeable, I don't know much about the world outside compared to you." He praised, eyes darting to the gold and back to the dragon searching for the Arkenstone.
"Of course you wouldn't, you've lived a sheltered life, where nothing unexpected ever happened," Smaug said his deep baritone teasing and cruel, "what would a simple countryman such as yourself know of war and death and destruction of the world."
"I know enough to know that all of the world is not so!" Bilbo defended, "I have seen many beautiful things, the light of the moon upon a lake as still as a looking glass, reflected back bathing the world in tones of silver and starlight, I have seen the Last Homely House, walked the Halls of elvish creation and seen the beauty of nature, I have beheld the terrible beauty of a lightning storm in the mountains and night and seen the most fearsome Dragon up a pile of such treasures as to be enviable by man, god, and dwarf. The only reason you've seen the world in such dark brush strokes is because of the terror you bring to it yourself!" Bilbo huffed, "Do not assume that I know nothing of the world, I am not the hobbit I once was."
Smaug blinked his great eyes then laughed.
"So you're a hobbit?" He questioned. Bilbo stammered.
"I… I… was that the only part you caught?" He made out. Indeed Smaug had heard of the vast travels of the hobbit, he'd heard glimpses of his new found entertainment's journey before whilst the hobbit had been introducing himself, but now he could put a label on the scent that had baffled him so far.
"I have heard of many beautiful things in the world, but none I have seen with my own eyes." Smaug was curious of the halls of the elves which he had never been to see and had only read about before alongside books of magic and other wonderful bits of information. The Dragon Smaug prided himself on his knowledge, but would have never admitted that he didn't know anything.
"Tell me more." He prompted the young hobbit seeking of his knowledge of the elvish home. And so Bilbo told the dragon of the beautiful halls, and the intricate details, he glowed as he described the grace and beauty of the elves and went on in such length that if I were to transcribe the entire conversation it would go on for several more pages. As it is, Smaug listened carefully whether captivated by the words of the hobbit or unwilling to scare away the bit of entertainment he had found, he stayed perfectly still and Bilbo was almost able to forget about the fact that he was speaking to a thousand foot dragon. I say almost because it is certainty hard to miss a vast scaly face that could take a bite out of your front door and half your sitting room without even trying, but it did comfort Bilbo to know that the Dragon had yet to throw fire or even make a semblance of movement toward the hobbit. Once Bilbo had finished with his tale the dragon continued to sit very still as Bilbo stood.
"Magnificent tales." Smaug spoke at last, but softly as to not give his story teller too much of a fright. "I fully expect to hear about the mountains tomorrow." He continued.
"Ah… yes… of course." Bilbo said. Smaug stood and wandered off leaving Bilbo to stand there wondering what had just happened cautious to retreat too fast for he fully expected another threat upon his life.
Yet Bilbo returned to the outside world, rather shaken, confused, but in perfect health. The dwarves listened to his story eagerly at first, then with confusion and then anger. Thorin was the first to speak.
"You had him right there the entire time and did not think to look for the Arkenstone!" He prosecuted. Poor Bilbo stammered trying to explain himself.
"Thorin, the poor lad was before a dragon, be happy he's returned alive at all after four journey's to the depths." Balin spoke kindly, for he did not believe that Bilbo deserved any wrath after listening to the curious tale. Bilbo nodded his thanks to the elder dwarf as Thorin went off to brood muttering about useless hobbits and dragons in dwarvish.
"You don't have to return if you don't want to." Balin assured Bilbo as he sipped some warm cider they had acquired from Lake Town. Bilbo responded with a head shake, as something quite curious had woken up inside him, the Dragon was full of mischief, and danger, and yet… there was something Bilbo could sense that did not sit quite right with everyone's view of Smaug.
In thinking back on the subject many years from his time with Smaug perhaps it had always been obvious what the Dragon had been after, what his true treasure was, and his eventual plan would be. It was because of the young hobbit that Smaug fell, but not in the way that history has come to view such a thing.
But at the moment as Bilbo huddled next to the fire thinking only of the time when he would have to return to the mountain, and the very curious dragon inside, there was no knowing the out come of such an event. It would not be till many days and many shared stories later that Smaug would fall, leaving the world of death and destruction behind.
Bilbo finished his tale of the time in the mountains and of the Goblins and of the strange creature called Gollum. Smaug listened intently but now that the story was over he grew restless.
"I have told you a story, why don't you tell me one." Bilbo prompted, having despite himself, grown quite placid in the company of the dragon. Smaug shifted upon the gold and gazed upon Bilbo most curiously.
"You wish me to tell a story?" Smaug asked, his voice a low growl echoing through the tunnels and mines of Erebor.
"Surely a Dragon such as yourself has many stories to tell, you've lived through many era's of men and a history so rich have you not?" Bilbo said, genuinely curious. Perhaps it was this that prompted Smaug, or perhaps it was the novelty of a Dragon telling stories to a hobbit, but Smaug began to speak. He spoke of a time when dragons roamed free across the land, when men had just begun to crawl from the primordial soup. He talked long of the wars and bloodshed of the world and of his own conquest of Erebor and of those who tried to take it from him after he had claimed it.
The poor hobbit sat in fear as Smaug's might voice rang throughout the halls roaring with displeasure and the remembrances of dragons and orcs which he had found particularly annoying or had a irksome mischief about them. Bilbo was reminded once more what a powerful force Smaug was and how very tiny he was next to him. When Smaug claimed to have seen bloodshed it did not even register one tenth in the hobbit's mind of how much he had caused.
Shivering and fretful Bilbo sat listening to the stories of Smaug. Smaug taking notice of this ended rather abruptly in the middle of a sentence. Bilbo jumped at the sudden silence and absence of the deep rumbling of the Dragon's voice. Smaug drew quite near Bilbo causing the hobbit to give out a ungracious squeak of terror.
"Do I frighten you small barrel-rider?" Smaug hissed, low and yet with a certain softness. Bilbo stared at the great beast.
"Yes." He said softly as the massive dragon blinked, "It would be foolish not to be intimidated in the presence of such a large and dangerous creature." Smaug nodded.
"We can't have you frightened whist telling stories, that would spoil the quality." Smaug stated. Bilbo just stared up at the Dragon, "Meet me at the throne come midday tomorrow and we shall share stories once more, I shall do my best to put your mind at ease as we speak." Smaug spoke. Bilbo nodded not quite sure how his mind was to be put at rest in the presence of a great fire breathing beast. Smaug picked up a small chest of gold and threw it at the hobbit's feet.
"For the story." Smaug said haughtily and then turned his back and flew off before he decided to change his mind. For it was a very un-dragon-like gesture to part with even a single of his golden coins. Bilbo, for his part scurried off dragging the chest behind him till he emerged from the mountain amid a cluster of curious dwarves.
Overwhelmed by their burglar's sudden success, they did not even question what went on down in the mountain but eyed the gold greedily and clapped Bilbo on the back assuring him that this was just the beginning. They did not even object when Bilbo announced he would be going back the following day, except Balin who gave Bilbo a strange look yet asked no more from the hobbit. Bilbo slept through the night waking to nightmares in which Smaug was murdering him in one of the foul ways in which he had described that day.
Hope you enjoy this short update. Evolving friendship maybe? Stay tuned.