Chapter 7; Pet:

I really liked this chapter (its kinda long though), since it is less dramatic than some of my others, but it resembles a quiet calm that will be quickly turn into a typhoon before any of my poor characters will relieve it's raining. Please enjoy their story!

Special thanks to Teddy bear 007, The Queen Dragon, RadCatz, Forgotten Shadow Dweller, DONOVAN94, and Guest for reviewing. Also thanks to all the favs and followers! If any of you have questions or suggestions for me, feel free to ask!

The hour had grown early as dusk grew into dawn, but the mountain remained unchanging. The sun found no path to take its warmth into the heart of the stronghold, leaving it to freeze in its own, untouchable depths, the world shut out. The only warming light, feigned as it was, came from the dim reflection of the golden possessions, coating the grey stone lair in a flaxen shine. Even with the temptation of gold, there was not an abundance comfort for many in such a desolate place, spider webs hanging heavily with dust and the air stale with stagnation. Many, except the master of such a place.

Lying coiled between the hills and valleys of his treasure, Smaug was at his leisure. The heat of his fire radiated through his red scorched scales, stirring the airborne dust with its hazing temperature. He was not asleep, merely resting, a strange satisfaction keeping his eyes shut with breath slow and heavy. The corded muscles in his neck were relaxed, a telling sign that his usual frustration with this teasingly halfway state was diminished greatly, and he was quite content despite sleep not being upon him in full form, only because it had just left him not long ago. It had come upon him rather slowly, so much so that he could not quite remember the moment it took him. The shortness of it was but a taste, but it had been the first he had in weeks. In comparison to the years he had spent slumbering in past times, the length of this recent slumber was nothing, but with this recent spell of wakefulness, it was a welcomed boon. While not cured of his cursed lack of true rest, Smaug felt this to be a convivial sign to a complete repossession of what was once so easy to keep. And it was all thanks to his newest possession, his bird.

Ah, yes. His songbird. Even with his scaled eyes shut, Smaug sensed the human woman's presence nearby. She too was awake, but hardly aware that he was, else he doubted she would be watching him as diligently as he sensed she was, warily studying him while she felt, foolishly, safe to do so. From the moment he had let her cease in her entertainment for him, the young woman had not moved from the small ground she had claimed by the pillar of stone. Stiff and silent, she had spent the entire night there, her legs stiffly curled underneath. Her heartbeat was remarkably steady, as was her breathing, but the dragon could hear her force a yawn down every few moments. It was obvious she had not slept. Whether she was being mindful that she had not been officially dismissed from Smaug's presence or, more likely, she was too terrified to sleep, let alone move, either way the dragon was pleased that she had not made another attempt to run for the short while he slumbered. Most likely the maiden had learned by now that such was folly, as she was a slow creature that was trapped in his unfamiliar kingdom, in which he knew every coin and crack.

Thinking back, the young woman's performance was, somewhat unexpectedly, entertaining to the dragon, and so far for he was satisfied with Alfrid's success in procuring what he ordered. While not versed with the usual customs the humans made with their entertainment or how they judged its worthiness, from what Smaug tasted for the first time, the maiden's songs were pleasant to his senses. His songbird's voice was certainly appealing, light and silvery once she cleared her fear from it, and it held a distant kinship to the melodies of her new namesake. Her panicked mannerisms and attempts to run, pled, and survive his presence was also most amusing, but Smaug had to admit, it was different from the way other humans pleaded to him. It was as if the woman's desire to live was a need rather than a pitiful, mortal want, she daring so far as to shout her conviction to him that she was and would be everything he needed, meeting his eyes with her strange ones. Normally, Smaug would not stand for such insolence, and there was a moment when he was about to execute the proper punishment for such an affront, but the dragon held himself back. The sin of her tempered insolence to stand against him despite her fearful reverence spoke volumes of her, and to observe such, in a human no less, it was a curiously rare sight to one as old and as fearsome as himself. His songbird was certainly an entertaining human, one that showed promise to the dragon that further use of her skills would prove to be diverting and desirable.

Though, let not his clemency of her tempered error be mistaken for endearment. She was a mere plaything. An object of value, not significance. One of the many lifeless trinkets Smaug called his own and to do with what he pleased. And so far, her uses called to be tested once more. She was after all, only a human, and was bound to have flaws. Having a few hours slumber to aid his mind might also find a second performance from his songbird to be less than what he first supposed from her, or perhaps his expectations came to life in her only through his depravation of that blissful oblivion. Thinking perhaps soon he might have the young woman repeat her performance to him, Smaug happened upon the sound of approaching steps. Seeing his servant enter into the vault from the dark hallway he so often hid himself in, Smaug watched through one, thinly cracked open eye as the Alfrid advanced the motionless maiden.

"I see you managed to live through your first night." The manservant spoke, startling the young woman who had not noticed his approach. Taking her tired, but vigilant eyes off of the dragon, she glared at Alfrid, obviously not pleased to see the only other, living, human in Erebor.

"No thanks to you, rat. It's all because of you I'm here." She sneered unbecomingly, though her voice was cautiously low, as if unsure what volume was safest to speak in. For a moment however, it appeared as if the maiden was going to make the imprudent choice to exchange her words for fists. She calmed herself though, continuing to lean against the stone pillar even as Alfrid came to stand above her. It seemed he did not appreciate her restraint, as his next comment came as feignly sweet deride.

"Take heart. It will end, as the master's interest for a new toy usually wanes after a fortnight."

The maiden glanced up at the man in slight surprise and great concern.

"Oh? Has the master had many…um, toys?" She attempted to ask unworriedly. Alfrid did not make to answer her, instead, he placed a wooden plate of mixed fruit and bread.

"Eat. You'll be needing it." Chided that he left her with no answer, the young woman begrudgingly turned her attention on to the meal that was now sitting beside her. She seemed to grumble something, now doubt a string of curses for Alfrid as she took large, mannish bites out of the bread. It was surprising that she had kept her appetite, as others surely would have had it driven out of them to stomach their fears. Almost angrily, she continued to eat what was in front of her, leaving only seeds and pits. She stopped only when a new question formed on her lips, one that burned to be asked.

"Why did the dragon want me?"

"Want you? The master didn't want you. He wanted sleep." Replied Alfrid, who was just about ready to snatch the plate away from the maiden to be done with this aggravating chore of having to feed her. The young woman looked at him curiously, making Alfrid scoff at her lack of understanding.

"The master has been having difficulties of late of finding that sweet bliss of dreams. He thought music might soothe his savaged mind. That is all."

"What does a dragon have to be savaged about?" She asked, sounding almost truly curious as to the identity of what could be on a dragon's mind. Alfrid completely disregarded her last question as he snatched her halfway finished plate from her, leaving the maiden with only the apple she had just taken into her hand.

"Best prey you deliver a better performance soon, if your show last night was any indication of your true talents." He smirked in satisfaction as he turned to leave the young woman to her devices once more. As soon he had slunk back into his dank hallway, the maiden's countenance worsened as she frustratingly kicked out at a neat pile of pearls before her.

"Ill-mannered tub of worm guts!"

"Careful. Such vulgar words would stain such a sweet voice."

The maiden let out a surprised gasp that would have been the birth of a scream. It never came to be however, as she directed her panic towards skittering herself to a stand, looking across the trove to find the gaze of Smaug peering up from his recline. He had decided it was time to rise from his bed of gold, and was unabashedly staring at his songbird from a distance he knew she wished to stretch out by the way she subtly pressed herself against the stone column.

"O-oh! Master, you're awake! Good morning!" She managed to say once she had composed her surprise at his being awake and how he rose without her noticing. A smirk grew across Smaug's jowls as he looked down at her, enjoying the recoil effect it had on the young human.

"Is it good, dear song bird? Even with your eyes still raw with the trace of tears?" He asked her, spying the red trails against her cheeks that crying had caused her, spoiling those lovely eyes of hers with the dark rings underneath them. The young woman began to furiously wipe away the traces of her distress, either not knowing she had been crying or embarrassed to have had him see. Turning away from him, the maiden busied herself by looking elsewhere other than where Smaug was, as if being unable to see him lessened the threat he posed to her. The dragon narrowed his eyes, slighted by her attempt to ignore him, but, he calmly took this as an opportunity to study his songbird further.

When he first saw her, dusted with dirt and dressed in man's clothes, he was able to see promise in her. The effect of the bath and change in attire afterwards amplified the qualities Smaug had noticed, bringing about a curious change in her from rustic handsomeness to a more nobly feminine beauty. He was curious why such a creature would dress herself so lowly and travel alone, as human females were rarely without some form of a male escort. And then, of course, there were her eyes.

Cerulean and viridescent battling for dominance. To say that her eyes were beautifully strange was akin to saying the sun was yellow. Sufficient, but not accurate to capture the burning. Such a sight Smaug had never beheld before, and for that, it made her a welcomed rarity, as dragons were ambivalent collectors of such among their love for polished metals and cut jewels. As such, the idle curiosity Smaug had for his new human was nothing more than an interest in his possession. It was an undeniable part of a dragon's nature to know all there was to their horde, metal or living alike. His curiosity was nothing but like that one would hold for a new toy, and as Alfrid made mention before, he has had many toys, though not one as pretty as this in some time.

"Now then, my songbird, what are you called?" Smaug asked just as his songbird was about to bite into her apple. Every time he spoke, the young woman jumped, as if she still did not quite expect from him to be able to do so. But she quickly composed herself, giving a slight bow of her head as she spoke.

"Raelynne, my lord."

Smaug hummed in thought. Her human name was acceptable enough, even though its meaning in elder tongue was odd. But the title strangely befitted her.

"And where do you hail from? You do not possess the stink of those humans below on the lake." He commented, leaning down to take in the air that surrounded her. Her smell intrusively entered his conscious, the scent a new oddity his senses were not quite accustomed enough to ignore entirely just yet. It came to full fruition after she had cleaned herself, that copper sweetness paired with wild florae singling her out against the dust and tang of gold. His closeness caused an obvious discomfort in the young woman, but she bore her calm well enough to answer.

"That is because I am not from it, oh magnificent Smaug. I have been a wanderer since my fingers were skilled enough to play for wages. For seven years now."

"Then you have no family." The dragon reasoned. Surprisingly, the maiden let out a short, halfhearted laugh.

"If I had possession of such, do you think I would come to be in such a place as this?" Her lips were pulled into a small, almost sad smile as she said this, though her insultingly bitter tone hid its reason well. Smaug though was not amused, giving her a glare full of warning for her dangerous mistake of insulting his kingdom.

"Take great care how you speak, my song bird. Surely one as fair as you must be just as clever, and knows better than to insult the likes of my splendor?" He said scathingly.

The young woman cringed at his tone, knowing and regretting her mistake. Smaug's songbird had much to learn in the way of respect to him, and so far he had been lenient towards her behavior for it entertained him. But such would not be tolerated now, for as a creature of time and fire, she owed him her mortal awe.

"Me, fair? You flatter me, oh Kingly Smaug." Said the maiden, trying to move past her mistake by avoiding his question and asking her own. The dragon, though able to see through her simple trick, never the less stuck his scaled chest out in pride.

"Everything I own is such. Nothing in these halls fails to appease in radiance." He said in a proudly matter of fact tone.

"I suppose Alfrid is the exception that makes the rule then?" Asked the young woman so earnestly, though there suddenly was a bold smirk Smaug had not seen yet on her lips. A chuckle of dark humor escaped the dragon, causing her to suddenly cringe at the sound of it as if it was worse than his roar.

"You are an entertaining human." Stretching his neck closer, Smaug then smiled, a gesture that opened his jaws and bared his teeth in a deceitfully charming manner "Now, show me some more of your tricks, little songbird."

The young woman looked at him wide eyed, her fear reflected clearly in them as her sight was filled with his sharp fangs and curled lips, and she stuttered some as she spoke.

"W-what would you like to see me do, master? Play one of my instruments? Perhaps the lute or viol?"

"Whatever your trembling fingers can manage…"

~:o0o:~

Four days had passed since she had been forced into the mountain, and still, Raelynne found herself breathing. It was a small comfort to say the least, but to be able to draw in the stale air was something not to be taken for granted each second she was able to continue to do so. Each day was a new horror, and each time she closed her eyes to sleep she wondered if she would be graced with another one. Not that she often could close her eyes, and only from sheer exhaustion did sleep willingly come to her.

For Smaug was always nearby. Either awake or slumbering, it did not matter. With him nearby he was but a monstrous reminder of Raelynne's precarious fate. Nothing comforted her as the hours drizzled slowly by. Her music, once so beautiful and spell like in their ability to bring wellbeing to her, was an empty thing she now did for the dragon's enjoyment. The very reason she had learned the art was to provide herself with its beautiful company, but now every time the dragon awoke from his short slumber, he was demand it form her, and every time Raelynne felt the thing she loved become a dreaded task. Nothing brought her comfort, even the blanket Alfrid had begrudgingly given Raelynne to use seemed to only make her colder, making the sting of the unforgiving gold she rested on all the more painful. Sometimes it was too much for her to bear, and she just wanted to scream at the beast to eat her already, for anything would be better than this. But, truthfully, that would be a lie. If anything, Raelynne was determined to live now more than ever. Before, with her wanders, she was merely trying to distract herself from her inevitably lonely ending. Here, trapped, she had a clear intention for herself, one the beast unintentionally inspired within her, making her want it all the more with every moment she was in his presence.

Survive. At any cost. This thought and this alone was her relief, her hymn. It was her way of refusing to surrender entirely the hope that life could be reborn in the midst of a living hell.

And so, Raelynne made sure the dragging time had been put to good use. For one thing, she had been watching the dragon. She kept a faithful vigil of observing the dragon from the first night and since, first out of fear, now out of study as he slept or counted his treasure. If she could learn the dragon like she could her fellow humans, then perhaps she might be able to increase the length of her now precarious lifespan. As she watched him now, the beast having once more discharged her to surrender to his precious sleep, she noted the dismissal that closed his heavy lids like curtains. The ridges around his eyes were creased in a frown, furrowed as brows would be on a troubled man. Except this was no man, and she did the favor of reminding herself of that as she studied him where he laid. A giant lizard draped in the color of blood, every groove and edges of his scales a shield, and claws sharpened down to fine tips. How could anyone prepare for such an adversary? What could one do to escape?

She shivered.

Raelynne was still uncertain as to why she had been brought here. Certainly, Alfrid and the dragon had told her it was for the purpose of entertainment, but Raelynne could hardly bring herself to believe that. People never said their true intentions. She assumed it was the same for dragons as well. Though, what did she truly know of dragons? She already had made the mistake of thinking them nothing but myths. The dragon, Smaug, was certainly unamused to hear that much from her. But Raelynne possessed no other knowledge to explain the beast, and with every hour she watched him she could not help but compare him to the legends she knew as a child.

Truly, they did him no justice. Never had such fear been instilled in Raelynne as it was every time the beast stirred, stared, or spoke. A walking nightmare, a breathing demon that had withheld time immortal.

Despite such foreboding thoughts, Raelynne almost smiled at the thought of how her sister would find the situation to be a wondrous one, if just for being able to meet a dragon. She did always believe in the stories Raelynne, now foolishly she supposed, thought were merely myth. All Raelynne could see however, thanks to her dry humor, was that, at the very least, how many besides herself could say they played for a dragon? Such an achievement would surely let her pass into the most upmarket of bards' guilds once she had bragged about this accomplishment, should she survive it.

A light laugh passed through her lips before Raelynne had hardly noticed, tossing a single coin away from her in expert aim. It had become her game of late, a childish attempt to relieve both her troubled thoughts and boredom in one fell swoop. There was a golden vase not far from where she had been forced to make her uncomfortable bed, and it was a monotonous task for her to shoot coins at it whenever the dragon slept. He only did for so long, just a couple of hours at a time, but it was almost curious how, no matter what noise Raelynne made, accidently or otherwise, the dragon did not wake. She supposed that much which Alfrid told her was true then; the dragon was having trouble sleeping. Though what could possibly bother a beast?

Tempted once more, Raelynne compared the dragon to the ones she knew from myth. For them, all they ever needed was a cave, a bit of treasure, and a knight to battle, and they were as happy as kings for all she knew. And from the looks of this extraordinary place, Raelynne assumed all three desires had been met by this dragon.

From the high stone ceiling to the cold, coin strewn floor, this place lacked nothing in the way of wonders. Though the cold that plagued her night and day and the lack of light left much to be desired, gold and jewels surrounded her at all times, and Raelynne never thought she would live to see the day she would be complaining at how many rubies were prickling her back every time she tried to catch a few moments of sleep. If she was a dragon, certainly her mind would not be, as Alfrid had put it, savaged. But, then again, there were some stories that said a princess, or at the very least a beautiful young maiden that had been sacrificed to save her village, was also required to make a dragon content.

If that's my role, perhaps it would be better to just yell at the dragon until he did eat me.

About to toss what she thought was another coin, Raelynne was distracted from her thoughts by the weightiness of whatever she had grabbed instead. Looking down, she saw it was a necklace of sliver, dripping with pearls the likes of which she had never seen before. Raelynne had not been raised entirely ignorant of the luxuries life offered the rich, what with her family having been more of then modest means, but still, nothing could compare to this treasure. The prickling that was her greed itched to see if the small pearls would be easily slipped off of the necklace and into her pocket, and Raelynne found this sign of her old self still surviving despite circumstances to be a welcomed, if troublesome comfort.

Suddenly, and without warning, the dragon's head rose from his bed of treasure. Though a slow, almost graceful movement, it shocked Raelynne to turn and see the scaled rimmed eyes raise themselves up in the darkness of the catacomb, and she jumped back.

Her fright seemed to amuse the dragon, who let loose a sleepy smirk.

"Such a skittish thing, aren't we my song bird?"

If a human had been speaking, Raelynne would have guessed she was being teased, but from the dragon, she could not distinguish a jibe from a threat from him. She watched the muscles in his tail uncoil as he stretched his limbs, coins streaming off of his body like a fountain, forcing a polite, subordinate smile to her lips.

"Y-yes. But perhaps if my master did not delight in surprising me so? I am still acclimating to your…presence." Raelynne finished delicately, hoping to not offend. She took every precaution when it came to speaking to the beast, making sure to say master or lord whenever she could to please him, though every time she did it left a burning, shameful taste on her tongue. It was rather tiresome to be frightened and timid all the time.

The dragon's smirk grew as his red, terrible eyes glanced at the pearl necklace Raelynne still held in her hands.

"Oh, but you already have. At least enough to finally pay heed to the treasure that you sleep on."

As if it had become scorched by his fire, Raelynne dropped the necklace, almost embarrassed by her greed for once. Still, her resentful admiration for her beautiful prison seeped through her next words.

"This place is a…most impressive sight." She breathed as she took a glance around her, wishing for a little light to see more of it. The dragon seemed to straighten himself more upright at her comment, his chest bared out in pride. If there was one thing Raelynne had learned so far in her stay, it was that the dragon did have one, if small, weakness. Flattery. Not to such a degree as some of the more flamboyant humans Raelynne had come to know in her travels, the kinds of men and women that would titter and tease when given even a half-handed compliment for their beauty or skill, but an earnest word of praise did hold some sway over the dragon. If she was careful then, it could be put to good use for her.

"Dragon's surround themselves with nothing less than perfection."

"So it is true then? Dragons always have hoards?" She asked before she could bite her tongue for its curiosity. The dragon only looked at her however, it's scaled brow raised as if surprised by her question. It would appear as if dragon's were not quite used to two-way conversations. He did not answer, perhaps he thought her question too inane or annoying to bother with, but instead looked as if he was about to call Alfrid to fetch him something to eat, his lips beginning to curl in hunger. But Raelynne's curiosity forced her to press on with a different, more desperate question of hers, one she had been girding herself to ask for some time now.

"I do have to wonder, master, about…where we are? I mean, what is this place called?"

"You do not know this place?" The dragon asked, his tone making her question sound like the most imbecilic thing he has heard in all his centuries. Raelynne suppressed her need to snarl in defense. From a dragon or no, she still did not take insults lightly, but since it was from a dragon, she did quickly learn to bear it.

"I have had my thoughts, but I would like certainty." She put politely, if somewhat tersely. This time, the dragon did not ignore her question, but instead looked to be considering it. The wait for his answer made Raelynne squirm with impatience, but finally the dragon answered.

"This was once Erebor, the dwarven palace of Lonely Mountain, but now, it is mine." He spoke reverently, jowls cracking further open in a pride filled sneer for the kingdom he had stolen for his own.

"Indeed." Raelynne replied blank faced, her thoughts turned inward. So, that confirmed one of the stories Raelynne knew. Specifically that of the Red Dragon, the very story which spoke of Smaug himself. She knew that Erebor was, most likely, where she was being kept, but when it came to making plans to survive a dragon, she supposed there was no harm in being certain and cautious. Having recited the tale these past few days to herself, Raelynne felt certain now that one facet of it had been proven true, the rest could be assumed to be as well.

Silence paraded for a while, and Raelynne wondered if the dragon was going to ignore her to count his treasure. It was a habit of his she had seen him carry out many times within the past few days she had been kept here. It was not the kind of counting a tax man did for his collections or like that of a stingy loaner. It was almost loving, not quantifiable by numbers, but by worth, and to the dragon, every coin was worth so much more than it seemed. It was as if he could see a beauty far beyond what Raelynne's eyes allowed her to, but then perhaps it was because the dragon's greed reached farther than her own. Perhaps that could also be used to her advantage?

"Master?" She asked after a moment, another question of hers burning to be asked "I-if I may, I was wondering if it was possible for me to…to…"

The look the dragon gave her wilted her, and she learned only too late to never interrupt a dragon's counting. Still, she had come this close to making her request know.

"…wander for a moment? I have been still for far too long and am I used to a more rugged and demanding lifestyle. I cannot even remember the last time I have been still for so long. And I would so very much love to admire more of your…um, kingdom?" She rushed out, feeling better for just having said what was on her mind. It was true, she wished to stretch her legs. Whatever reason the dragon had for keeping her by his side at all times did her poor bones no favors. And besides, it was time she had gotten to know her prison a little bit better, as well as to step away from her beastly master, if only for a moment to have her head cleared of fear.

The dragon pondered for a moment. It was obvious to both of them that she could not escape, at least not from here. She would be lost in a matter of seconds. He glanced up and down her body, making Raelynne repress shudder at his blatant study of her. To receive such attention from a human was unbearable enough from Raelynne, but the dragon amplified her small amount of shyness a thousand times to her everlasting chagrin.

"You are looking feeble." He commented out loud finally.

"Is that a yes or no?"

The dragon sucked in a long, deep breath, still considering her request. With no small amount of pleasure he kept her waiting. An all too familiar glint overtook his horrid eyes; one that Raelynne knew meant her ill will. True, the dragon had not harmed her since her first attempt to flee, but the promise of claws and teeth always more terrible than the reality, for at the very least the reality would end far quicker. But the dragon seemed to take joy in instilling fear in her, possibly for her insistent battle with her fear, or her stubborn hatefulness to mewl to him, which no doubt he had been noticing amid her attempts to flatter him. Either way, it appeared the dragon was one to play most cruel games with his toys.

"Perhaps," He finally spoke with a crooked sneer "if you can sate a dragon's curiosity."

Raelynne was taken aback by this condition set by Smaug. With no inkling to what he was referring to, she hesitantly nodded.

"How did a human come to possess such striking eyes?"

A shiver of surprise and shame came through Raelynne as the last syllable of the beast's question was sinfully pronounced. Instinct found her eyes immediately casting themselves down in indignity, and hands childishly reached to clutch the long braid of her hair to twist and turn the auburn train. The beast could have asked her any question, any, and she would have been so willing to oblige him an answer for the sake of earning a little space from him and for her thoughts. Why then, why did he ask the impossible from her? Why ask about her lovingly cursed eyes? Raelynne felt a spark of hate for the dragon rise up in her, the first to battle against her fear for him. How dare he feel welcomed to ask such a question, to make her feel her old shames among her new fears, even if unintentional? How dare he gaze into her damned eyes freely, where she and others always had to pay a price; it was as if he was a beast crafted for her to pay her private sins.

Now more than ever she wanted to escape.

Defeated, she turned herself away from the dragon to sit herself back down onto her dreaded bed of coin. Unease climbed in her at hearing a snarl from the beast, no doubt insulted by her attempt to ignore him, but she could not bring herself to simper any more for him, hate and shame giving new strengths to her.

"I am afraid, dear master, that I am the last person who would ever be able to answer your question, for I myself do not know." Raelynne confessed once able to swallow her mind's stirrings. The snarl of the dragon lessened at her answer, but she could tell he was far less than pleased with her denying what he wanted.

"It is not wise to keep secrets from me, little human." The dragon spoke, voice soft with threats.

"I have no secrets to tell, master. What I said is true."

"There are always secrets where shame is concerned."

Raelynne shuddered at the beast's ability to see her. But then, she was not truly surprised. The beast claimed once to be able to smell lies, so who knew what it could read from her now. Curious, how she had been studying him all this time, recalling her childhood stories to learn how to defeat dragons or at the very least survive them, that the dragon had been doing the same. Tightly, her arms pulled her knees to her chest.

"Unless a human is ashamed of themselves every once in a while, they're not being truthful."

There was a pause, and then a snickering hum.

"Such an amusing pet you make, my songbird."

Hey folks, I really hoped the beginning with Smaug was not OOC. I didn't want him to completely intrigued with Raelynne, but I didn't want him to be unimpressed with her either. I feel that Smaug does fancy himself a collector, so keeping Raelynne for her eyes and voice alone might be justified, but then again, she is just a human, so I don't know how well I pulled that off. I just wanted to have an OC that was different from the usual half-dragon, or a dragon raised by humans or some special mystical animal that was also the last of their kind (not that I have anything against that, I adore those stories). Please let me know how I handled the first part of this chapter and Smaug's character! I want to stay true to the dragon we know and adore!

As for the second part, I really liked writing that. I feel that too many stories have the OC get too used to being around Smaug, rather than focus on what's really important, freakin' surviving him and trying to escape with their skins still intact! But oh well, despite Raelynne's understandable fear of Smaug, we did get some moments here, didn't we?

Well girls and ghouls (sigh, I miss Halloween already…), join me next time as Raelynne tries to escape from Smaug! Will she succeed, or will she be caught? And if the latter, will she survive Smaug's wrath?