Chapter 14; Curiosity:

Well, I have nothing. No excuse, no shred of explanation that could possibly make up for the torment I put you guys through. All I can say is that for the past couple months, the muse had left me lost for this story of mine and I got caught up in college, work, and other projects, even though it happens to be one of my favorites. I am truly, deeply, sorry for leaving it this long. I can tell you that the muse has returned, and hopefully her fickle nature will be encouraged to stay for a while. I thank all the wonderful people who have reviewed, faved, followed, and encouraged me to come back to this story. Your pleas have worked. Without ado, please enjoy yourselves darlings! The song used here is 'Ghost of a Rose' by Blackmore's Night.

Raelynne read by the dim light of the library fire. Her time had been quite relaxed for the past few days and she had taken to reading about a multitude of subjects. Some for distinct purposes, others out of mere curiosity of the strange things the dragon had mentioned to her in their time together. From more tales about dragons to old dwarven curses that amused her highly. She had even discovered stories about the changelings he had once mentioned to her, and with a fascination devoured all she could about the strange creatures. There was nothing very revealing, but the stories painted them as beautiful and mysterious creatures, making her curious as to why her dragon would compare her to them.

Besides reading, Raelynne finally had time to finish that song she had been writing and almost looked forward to preforming it again the next time Smaug requested her presence. She had been a bit bored these past days, wishing for his company. It felt wrong to admit such to herself, but she could not help but long for their conversations as her time alone grew to be dull.

As for the reason for this rest, Smaug told her it was because she was useless to him while she was recovering from being attacked by the orcs, though what she was supposed to be recovering from, she had no idea. He made certain there were no pains or aches left on her, and while she did fear for her life in the moment the orcs caught her, she hardly was a mess of hysterics given the circumstances. Still, even if she wanted too, there was no arguing with a dragon who had made up his mind. Besides, she could put this time away from Smaug to good use, as dull as it was.

Reclined on a divan, Raelynne stretched herself lazily. An arm unconsciously reached around to the back of her neck to rub the area. It still amazed her, the dragon's ability to heal. Such a talent she did not think would be possessed by a creature that destroyed kingdoms as a past time. She was nevertheless grateful for it though, as it has saved her a week's worth of pain and scars. When she finally thanked him he just growled that she was becoming more trouble than she was worth, and the memory made her smile as she once again rubbed the spot at the back of her neck. If it wasn't for his overabundance of pride she might have labeled the dragon concerned in that moment when he treated her, or at least frustrated at having nearly lost her. But of course his charming personality would never allow for such, as he was oft to put it, 'weakling sentiment'.

Shaking her head, Raelynne pushed her thoughts aside, removing her hand from her neck as if it pained her. Of course the dragon had been concerned for her. She was his perfect little possession after all, and he had put far too much time and investment in her to lose her.

She was nothing more than a quaint little commodity to him, but for the first time, Raelynne disliked this truth. She accepted, certainly, else she would be a fool. But it…well, upset her in a way. Perhaps because she so keenly felt the absence of any real kindness when she, rather guiltily, felt sincere gratitude. Once more Raelynne tossed her thoughts and went back to her reading. In more ways than one she was grateful for the dragon healing her. After just a day of her gifted solitude did the lack of scarring on her body reminded Raelynne of something of greatest importance. It ashamed her that it had taken her this long to remember one of the tales of the Red Dragon that, quite possibly, was the most useful of them all.

The Black Arrow.

One of the few weapons that could pierce a dragon's hide, and if the story was correct, already had. It was one of the many stories she picked up on her first visit to Lake Town. The Lord of Dale fought bravely against the dragon, she heard, only to be killed for his efforts. But some said that before he had died, the Lord had wounded the dragon. Broke his armor with an arrow as black as night and as sharp as light, scarring him.

All details further than that were just suppositions, such as the placement of the wound or whether it had any effect at all for some believed a dragon could not be killed by any weapon. There were also her own knowledge that added doubts, such as the dragon's incredible ability to heal even scars and that it was not only scales that armored the dragon, but jewels as well. It had surprised her one evening to watch Smaug awake, stretch, and roll onto his back, and see a vest of jewels down his stomach. Impatiently he had explained to her curiosity that through his previous decades of slumber that some of the treasure he chose to lay on became a part of his body, fusing into his scales. It was a beautiful array of colors, but her hopes for defeating him became less at the thought of having to break diamonds. There was no physically conceivable way for her to hurt him, and she was distraught till she remembered the story. Again, it was just a story, but so had Smaug been to her, so long ago. If she could just find proof that something had gotten past his armor, had left a dent in him, perhaps she could use that to her advantage.

She needed to look for any sign of an indent, a crack, anything. So far she had only considered his weakness of character, but now that she was inexplicably back in his favor, she could possibly take advantage of his physical flaws as well. It would require her to get even closer, for if the legend was true, she needed the proof of it, to assure her it was still possible for her to defeat Smaug as well as just where to attack. If the Lord of Dale had aimed true and pierced Smaug's hide, perhaps all that would be needed then was one last, fatal strike…

Every worm has his weak spot. I will find yours, O Smaug.

Raelynne felt a sigh of exhaustion leave her with the bitter thought. Throwing her head back, she lazily watched the flames dance themselves into embers in the fireplace.

She was so tired despite having done nothing. Some wise man one said to some foolish people that hate struggled under a weight of a burden too great to bear for most, and perhaps hers for the dragon was finally weighing her down. Once again the exhausting thought of whether she had it in her to go through with her plans, even if they became feasible, ran through her head. She had lied, stolen, manipulated, and even betrayed strangers and loved ones alike, but kill? Even if she had already done so once before, Raelynne could not stand to even go hunting whenever she was on the road. When Smaug had killed the orcs before her, she nearly lost her constitution then, and that had been in the name of her protection.

The dragon protected her, now there was a foreign thought. Whatever his intentions were in that moment it was the outcome. He protected her. No one had done that before, even unintentionally. Such backhanded kindness was not lost wholly on her as once again she felt the depth of her gratitude. Was it a betrayal to herself to feel this way? To be thankful to someone, some beast, that had taken so much from her and had driven her resolve to killing? He had saved her from a fate worse than death, and had done so with a ferocity of a being that cared. There was more besides, like her missing his company these past few days, wishing to sing and dance again for the dragon who inspired her greatest performances. She had been alone before, for many years and liked it so, but of late felt…lonely without the dragon.

Raelynne shook her herself to her senses, trying to feel disgust for the thoughts she was now desperately pushing away. This, above all else, was absolutely forbidden for Raelynne to reflect on. She could not allow for such thoughts, even if the sentiments behind them might be true. She feared if they were, but she would not stand for them regardless. There were too many other unanswered questions she needed responding before she dared try to answer those, if ever.

Just then a pair of footsteps entered through the open doors of the great library, and she looked up in time to see Alfrid's sneering face enter. She watched his hunched form come closer, knowing his new stance was from the punishment the dragon gave him for touching her. It was doubtful the cracked ribs would ever allow him to stand at his full height, giving him a permanently slouched look. Rather darkly, Raelynne believed it suited him.

"The master wants you. You are to go to him immediately."

She exhaled, unable to deny her happy smile for the end of her isolation. Her body tensed, ready to give a performance, as she stood herself up from the divan. She held onto the book she had been reading as she followed after the manservant, her step light and lively.

"Of course."

~:o0o:~

Alone and restless Smaug paced the length of the cavernous treasure room. Coins and jewels crunched beneath his weight, he having worn down a path over the last few days that nearly found the stone floor. His mind had become disturbed these past few days, lingering over little insignificances that he desired nothing more than to burn away. The rest of his world became an unimportant blur that was banished to the far recesses of his mind while he tried to tame the thoughts that ravaged. His only comfort was counting and recounting his gold, offering moments of peace that never lasted long. Sleep avoided him as before, though this time he was well aware of the source for its absence. He refused to call on his songbird to charm him into slumber before, knowing that she would be the last creature to calm his troubles.

No, certainly not when it was she who was the source of it all. She was the unwelcomed, uncontrolled, and persistent thought.

After bringing her back to his mountain he could not stand the sight of her, and sent her away before temptation to rip her apart became too strong. The urge was strange, unfathomable, and presenting a great danger to the innocent woman. No, he did not desire to harm her, especially not after having rescued and healed her. Troublesome girl, of course only she in a vast forest would end up finding the only danger present outside of himself. Those orcs might have ravaged and killed her if she had not the luck to stumble upon Smaug. That perhaps was what angered him above all, to have been so close to losing such a prized possession under his watch. It was rather unfair of him, he supposed, to direct his anger towards her when she had suffered. But his temper rarely was a thing of fairmindedness, outweighing his reason. He needed time for his rage to subside, fearing the residual effects of it would have been placed onto his songbird. Though this time undeserving of it, his rage blamed her for placing herself in danger, putting herself at risk. It was almost as if the thought of losing her was too much for his pride to bear, bordering on some other emotion he could not place. There was also of course, the matter that followed after that perhaps presented an even worse affliction…

Regardless, he needed her out of his sight. She needed to rest anyways, and he had other things to deal with. If the orcs were moving into his territory, they were far more brainless than he first presumed their race to be. They circled the edge of his mountain now as if trying to find a weakness in the very stone itself. His covetous nature charged him to patrol his mountain every couple of hours, not coming across any other trespassers but certainly catching their faint scent. They were not daring to come close, but they were not leaving either. His time was divided between hunting the orcs and counting his gold, the covetous habit bringing him only enough distraction until it was time to patrol. Hunt, gold, hunt, gold, his days began to blur.

Any day now Smaug expected the orcs to finally grow bold enough to come and try to take his mountain, their numbers many, and he eagerly looked forward to teaching them the folly of their mistakes. So long as they remained near the pit of Lake Town he would not bother to seek them out, not wanting to leave his treasure behind unless absolutely necessary. Their purpose for his mountain was obvious, they wanted his gold, and to leave it unguarded was against his every instinct. No, they would not even lay eyes upon it, he would make sure of it. This treasure, this kingdom was his, and none would ever have hopes to see its wonders and live.

The tension with which Smaug began to unconsciously claw the ground beneath him was released upon hearing a familiar voice. A soft hum traveled down the end of one of the entrance ways, and before he could even see or catch her scent, he felt the gentle presence of his songbird. The effect was strange, soothing, to hear her voice after the absence he forced. Smaug could tell by the sound that his little pet was pleased with herself, perhaps having enjoyed her time alone or, some part of him coveted, she was as eager to see him.

"My songbird seems to be in quite the contented mood this day."

At his greeting the young woman tilted her head to one side, smiling at him with those chaotically colored eyes. Her expression was sincere and voice teasing, though she was careful not to be snide.

"Do I? I will take your word for it."

His songbird was smirking now as if she had a secret that she was longing to tell him, but manage to repress the urge to with a careless laugh. As she made her way closer to where Smaug stood, he took the opportunity to appraise her form. His magic had done the trick, and whatever harm the orcs had delivered to her was wiped away, leaving her pristine and healthy. Dare he say she had a kind of glow about her, as if her vitality had returned. She had not looked so fresh and lively since she was first brought to the mountain, and Smaug knew it had to do with that day in the forest. Even for its unsavory end, she had thoroughly enjoyed her time out, her delight reflected in the returning color of her cheeks and unguarded smile. Though it had been a few days since, the effect had not worn off.

"What do you have there, in your hands?" Smaug questioned as soon as his songbird was a small distance from him, noticing that she was holding something. Lifting what was being held behind her back, Raelynne looked at the object she held as if she was surprised to see it. She fidgeted for a moment trying to find an answer, Smaug watching her struggle over what to tell him with amusement.

"Just…stories." She finally shared, trying to sound dismissive. The dragon bent his neck low so his face could be brought closer to her, and she could not help but notice his raised and skeptical brow. She tried to speak casually and without care as she started to settle herself on the ground near him, coins clinking under her weight.

"I thought perhaps I could read to you again Smaug. I remember how you enjoyed it before and we have not done so for some time."

Before he could help himself, Smaug felt a rumble of pleasure in his chest at her thinking to please him, as well as the sound of his name on her lips. Once again that strange urge came to him, but he knew it had nothing to do with his temper wishing to do his songbird harm as before. He pushed the feeling away by lowering himself till he too was reclined and relaxed, mere yards from where she had settled herself.

"If you so wish, but first you will sing." He commanded. Smaug would not admit to missing her voice, but nevertheless was yearning for its effects greatly this day, wishing for relief amidst his clash with the orcs to protect his territory. The thought of the wretched creatures set him off again as his claws clenched at the unstable treasure beneath him. Not wanting to have his songbird witness his displeasure, he started to shift his neck and head into the coin bed, the delightful feeling of gold soothing him as he buried part of himself. He cracked open one of his eyes when he heard Raelynne chuckling however.

"It seems someone else is in a contented mood as well. Did the sun rise in the west this morning?" She spoke playfully, her lips pursed together as she teased him. She was looking amusedly at him as if he was an old dog stretching himself out before a fire. Such a benign comparison served to irate him.

Smaug growled, and shut his eye from her, "Do not be absurd."

"My dear, sweet master, life is absurd, and death is the final word." She laughed again, the sound echoing in the chamber with enchanting resonance. She paused for a time, and Smaug could sense her tensing as she worked up her nerve to speak once more, this time her voice pleading and soft.

"I was wondering…may we go outside today? After I sing?"

"No." He snarled irritably, "Play."

He heard his songbird chuckle at his impatience before replying "Of course."

"The valley green was so serene
in the middle ran a stream so blue...
A maiden fair, in despair, once had met her true love there and she told him...
She would say...
"Promise me, when you see, a white rose you'll think of me
I love you so,
Never let go,
I will be your ghost of a rose..."

…

Her song was sad and full of longing, opposite of how she appeared to the dragon. Perhaps she was not as content as he had thought. If his denying her the pleasure of visiting the woods had upset her, there was nothing to be done till the orcs had been dealt with. It simply was not safe, and he would not risk her again. But she was not so easily disheartened these days. She had grown in boldness and cheerfulness, as if she had lost all fear of the dragon.

This troubled Smaug's pride, for as her lord and master it was only natural to expect such reverence from his pet. But then there was the amusements that came with her lessening anxiety around him. Her nearness, her laughter, her touches, she was so radically changed from her trembling state when she was first brought to him. Could she possibly be coming to see this place and himself as her own, all notions of escape cast out? It could be. When she had been placed in danger, it was in her instincts to run to him for protection, even if she was not aware of it. It was as it should be.

Again, the memory of the incident with the orcs caused Smaug to growl in frustration. The stupidity of those mindless worms knew no bounds, daring to invade his territory and harm his songbird. The moment they stepped back onto his mountain, he would put an end to their miserable existence. He would repay them in kind for foolishness to stand against him and harm his possession, and the consequence that had brought him. His rage was unbounded. He would devour those creatures a hundred times over and still not feel satisfied for the damage they had caused his songbird. No one was granted to touch her but him. No one. Only he. That urge overcame him once more, magnified by the close presence of Raelynne. He knew she was the source of it, her blood that was driving him to slow insanity.

If before he thought the taste of her skin was persistently maddening, her blood was a thousand times more so. It sang to him. It preyed on his loneliness and promised to give everything that had been denied him, being last of his kind. He knew from before there would be little he could do to rid himself of the taste, and he was not tempted to in the least. The blood of his songbird had a potency to it that he never would have suspected, but should have known. In his haste to heal her he found out all too quickly its influence, and it was all he could do to keep himself from growling in sheer pleasure. She tasted like hot metal, blossoms, the air of winter...her taste, her touch, it was invading his mind. Her willingness to be close to him, to lean against his scales only served to infect the dragon with her presence, more so than the sensations it inspired.

And yet he remembered the way her legs had looked that evening, with her pale skin exposed in the sunlight, her thin dress tossed above her knees invitingly, her bare flesh framed by the crimson of her hair. His claws tightened into fists as he recalled the scent of her, lying in the dirt, smelling of earth and flowers, fresh-picked pears, copper and smoke and female. Yes, underneath all those fascinating odors was purely feminine, and she vulnerable on her back before him. Once his rage over the orcs had fallen away, he'd been seized by the urge to heal her, to touch her. Self-control had never been included in the sum of his virtues, and her blood tested its limits. He gave all his effort into gently fixing his songbird, and if he'd had an ounce less of control, he'd have kept her there beneath him, licking a hot stripe from the back of her knee, up her inner thigh, and-

"Lovely, as usual songbird." Smaug spoke, brought out of his thoughts as Raelynne finished her song. She smiled at his praise, and bowed her head as she made to stand.

"Thank you, Smaug the Red."

He watched her tilt her head curiously then, almost childlike as she began to come closer.

"Why do they call you that? The Red Dragon?"

Smaug contained his scoff, and choose instead to lift his head some up to have a better view of his approaching songbird, coins rolling off from his horns.

"My appearance should make it rather obvious."

Raelynne was now beside him, and looked away from his eyes to the side of his face. She seemed to be considering what he had told her, pursing her lips in thought. He twitched and shivered with restrain when she then lifted a hand, laying a palm against his cheek without the slightest hint of hesitation. Her touch was gentle and adoring, as if she wished to memorize his scales. She laughed then, disappointing Smaug as she took her hand away only to then lean against his nearby hand.

"Yes, I suppose it does. Odd, I thought it would be for some more poetic reason." She made for a strange picture, reclining against his talons as if they were mere pillows. Being human like, she was so small compared to him, so very delicate, and yet by her boldness she relaxed against him, her small weight barely perceptible. Something came to her mind then and she closed her eyes to recite.

"What goes into the water red and comes out black?"

Ah, so she was going back to that then, was she? Her and her riddles. It seemed to always delight her when he played along, though she had yet to test him.

"A red-hot poker." He answered and she nodded her head happily.

"Lives without a body, hears without ears, speaks without a mouth, to which the air alone gives birth?"

"An echo."

"Are you not going to guess your riddle?" Smaug asked of her after a little while into the game. They had no rules, but it was expected of her to make at least a few attempts at the riddle he had given to her. Raelynne however only huffed in frustration.

"It's impossible. I bet you made it with no answer just to spite me." She told him pragmatically.

"Perhaps the answer is closer than you believe it to be."

"Was that a clue?" Her eyes lit up at the possibility, but before he could give her time to guess, Smaug's eyes wandered to the book Raelynne had kept beside her.

"Why don't you read to me, songbird?"

The woman frowned then, glancing towards the book she had brought with her. Setting it in her lap she ran a hand over the cover, looking at the title with uncertainty.

"On second thought, you may not like the selection I have chosen." She turned the book over to show him the title, and with a frown he had to agree with her. It was a book about dragons. Of course. Though her fascination with his kind had been a tedious thing to deal with, his pride could not help but feel pleased to have captured her fascination so. She began to glance through the pages.

"I know you do not care for these stories, but they were my favorites as a child. Would you like to hear of Argonautica, the legless beast that guarded the fleece of gold? Or Endriago who battled Amadis?" Smaug only growled in response to her attempts to raise his interest in listening to such drivel about his kind. Most stories were exaggerated, or worse, painted dragons as fictional obstacles for some hero to overcome who would not last a moment against the true reality. This did not dissuade Raelynne as she kept on.

"What about this? The tale of Melusine? She was disguised as a human, and only revealed as a dragon when she refused to partake in a ceremony of worship to the coming of spring." Raelynne paused, her own interest peeked as she looked up from the book to meet Smaug's eyes and asked "Did she really turn herself into a human?"

It was almost endearing how she took the legend to be true just because it was written. But in this case, Smaug himself could recall a similar occurrence happening once before. That was not the answer he offered her however.

"Your desire to know what is true and what is legend is a dangerous curiosity to have." His songbird gave him one of her more amused expressions, barely suppressing a smirk that lifted one corner of her mouth crookedly.

"Any sort of curiosity is dangerous. Especially when you get answers to the questions you want to know."

"Is it now?"

"Oh yes. There is no greater moment of danger than the instant curiosity becomes satisfied. Because then, you just might become deathly bored."

At this, Smaug did chuckle. The dark sound traveled through the chamber, causing Raelynne to shiver at its ambience.

"How amusing."

The smile she had worn before wore off as Raelynne once more was hesitant to speak. Smaug believed that she might ask if she could be taken outside again, and found himself wanting to give a more pleasurable answer than before. But whatever topic on her tongue this time seemed even more distressing than that request. He waited patiently however, and was soon paid for it.

"You mentioned something about changelings once…it got me curious." She paused only to make certain the dragon was paying attention, and was satisfied to see his eyes trained upon her. "I've been reading about them. They were an ancient race that could take on the appearance of any being, though they looked mostly human. Is that true?"

She appeared to be very much in need of answer. And yet Smaug took amusement in not responding. When he continued to remain silent, Raelynne pushed on.

"Is that how Melusine changed from a human to a dragon, she was a changeling rather than a dragon?"

"Your tales have many things fictitious, and put spoiled ideas into your head. Melusine was a dragon." Smaug finally told her, tormenting her curiosity long enough. His songbird seemed very surprise of this, having been sure of herself before. Perhaps that had been her intention in bringing the book with her, to have this conversation, and given how clever she was Smaug inclined to believe it. It did not matter to him, as he himself was already planning on how this entertaining conversation would end. Perhaps…it could be to his advantage…

"Really?" Raelynne asked, her humorous impatience prompting Smaug to answer.

"Dragons do possess magic that cannot be understand by mere mortals, as what seems to be may not always be what is."

"Why must you always speak in riddles?" She sighed to herself, but Smaug was too far gone in his thoughts to hear her.

As much as his teasing and half-truths entertained him, perhaps it was time to finally tell his songbird the truth of what he had discovered about her. She deserved to know her noble linage. He did not expect their conversation to go down this avenue, but he found himself unable to keep himself from spoiling the surprise. The satisfaction had long been his, but it was time that she knew certain things about herself, namely, that she was anything but common. It irritated him that she still thought herself as such when it was clear that her being a part of his hoard meant otherwise. He would not take any further delight in her until she has shed all her notions of humanity. Her curiosity was merely mild, not at all stirred like he hoped to make it. But he had denied this reveal for too long, and he could use the amusement in light of all that was happening. Perhaps it was time then, to tell her the answer to the riddle he had given her…

"Do you really wish to know the truth, dear songbird?" Smaug then spoke, turning his head to bring himself closer to his songbird, "About dragons and changelings?"

He waited until his silence encouraged a response from her. Becoming nervous from his sudden change in countenance, she hesitantly nodded. His lips curled into a smirk as he began.

"They were an ancient race, created after dragons. But whereas my kind was created for war, they were meant for peace by Eru's design. Their magic was tied between the sky and the earth, bringing serenity between the two. Because of this they had no true shape, no form, so they took on others."

"But you said they were like the fae and raised by humans." She interjected, becoming confused. Fae, to the human folk, often referred to the elves, but the creatures Smaug spoke of were far more dignified and of older ilk than the tree lovers.

"Yes," He went on, "in the beginning they were shapeless, but they took to mating with humans after the first age, tainting their blood with mortals. They wiped away their own bloodline to become physical."

Raelynne then cut him off with a laugh of disbelief. "Then why would you think I was the daughter of one? If they no longer exist? And if Melusine was a dragon, how could she have changed forms?"

Here was the moment. Smaug could evade her questions, distract her, and delay the reveal. He could forever keep the truth from her, and she would never know better. But some part of him wanted her to that she was far more worthy than the mere humans, that she belonged to something better. He had once said he would grow tired of her, but now he knew that would not happen. She was closer now than she had ever been to him, and yet she was still ignorant of her value, of her effect on the dragon. But if he longed for her to come into fruition, he could very tell her any time and the allurement to do so now was growing more arduous to overcome. He would take whatever his need of her was after the fact with no shame of her being deluded into believing herself human and undeserving. And right now, his need was to be closer.

"Since your curiosity cannot be constrained, shall I tell you the truth you have been denied? Or perhaps I should show you?"

At Smaug's words, his songbird gave him a most curious look. Underneath it he could see her caution, she knowing that he was once more playing with her, though what game she had yet to find out.

"What truth? I do not understand." She asked him almost desperately. Whether she was ready or not, she wanted the truth, and the dragon was in no mood to deny her. Though it might damage his pride but a little, the effect would no doubt be worth it. His songbird's surprise and shock would be worth it, let alone all the possibilities afterwards.

Smaug smirked darkly.

"Perhaps not now, but you will."

With that, Smaug allowed his body to sink further into the bed of jewels below him. He opened his mouth, and bellowed. From his jaws came a vapor that enveloped and clouded the air, causing his pet to stand up in alarm. She was choking on the air and sought to distance herself to breathe, but Smaug continued to push out the foul smoke. But fire did not follow as Smaug then began to twist and turn, his body tensing under the effects of the magic he had surrounded himself with. A curtain of coins erupted, hiding his body from the woman who now shielded herself in fright. The chaos that came after no doubt left her shocked and frightened as Smaug continued to growl and twist, as if his body was under severe torment. He wasn't, truly, but the feeling of him changing was strange and indeed anguishing to feel as all that was familiar and defining of his personage began to transform and reshape. Claws shorted, scales grew soft, bones broke, teeth rounded, wings folded, and fire lessened.

Then, all at once, it all stopped. The air cleared, the smoke drifted. Smaug felt no different, but he knew from experience that he had undergone a great change. In part he felt somewhat exhausted. He had not used such magic in quite some time, but no doubt the theatrics would be worth the effort.

Bones cracking, Smaug straightened himself. His statue was shorter than he was ever used to in his long centuries, but he found himself unable to focus on his new form for long as Raelynne looked up from her cowering. She had thrown her hands above her before to shield herself from the smoke and coins, but now she had dared to glance his way, and caught his eye. In that moment she had become transfixed, captured by her disbelief for what she saw.

"Is your curiosity satisfied yet, dear songbird?" He eventually spoke, his words having lost its previous resonance from the transformation, but still very much the same in tone. No doubt, his words coming from this new form was too much for the poor woman to take, as her eyes became impeccably wide and shocked to hear. Smaug half expected her to scream, but to his disappointment and curiosity, Raelynne's eyes rolled over and her body collapsed.

She had fainted.

Smaug tilted his head curiously. He knew his reveal would present a bit of shock to the woman, but hardly predicted her to react so extremely. Perhaps she had not been ready for the truth. But that ship had long sailed, and there was nothing now but for Smaug to enjoy the after effects.

Striding forward on two legs, the newly transformed dragon walked towards his songbird. Blissfully without her consciousness, Raelynne almost looked peaceful as Smaug came upon her. Leaning down beside her, he appraised her form, going so far as to test his new hands by reaching out and removing a tendril of hair that had cast itself over her face. The fingers trembled some as they did so. It would take him some time to get used to this form. Such strange sensations it elicited as his hand then drifted to feel the softness of her cheek. He wondered if he would even be able to hold it for even a day, already feeling his magic slowly waning. It had been too long since he had used even this much, his mother would have been disappointed. But it would do little good to reflect now, especially with the damage done.

"Alfrid." The dragon called out, knowing that the commotion from before would have drawn his manservant near. He stood himself up, disliking the small height of this new body. But for this latest game of his, it would be most amusing to keep this form on, at least until Raelynne awoke to see it. When the rat of a man hesitated to come when called, the dragon released a snarl.

"Alfrid!" The growling commanded was every bit as ferocious as it would have been in Smaug's original form, and inspired the cowardly man to finally bring himself before his master. The dragon's senses, still as sharp as ever, timed when his servant would arrive in the chamber, and heard the expected squeak of surprise follow. Alfrid then let out a sound like a choke as Smaug turned to face him, eyes burning.

"Fetch me a suitable robe."

~:o0o:~

Raelynne felt heavy, as if the weight of the world had landed on her. She could not bring herself to move, let alone think. It was a despicable feeling, but there was little she could do about it. She simply did not have the energy to. So, she resigned herself to her exhaustion, deciding to wait until she had the strength to do something more than just breathe.

Eventually, Raelynne felt her senses returning, though she had yet found the ability to open her eyes. No wonder she felt heavy, there was something on her. A blanket? No, an arm. The true question was whose. Had she gotten drunk and made a mistake? She had never before been so foolish to invite a man to her bed, but that seemed the only conclusion to make. Was it even a man? Had to be. The weight of it, the corded muscles that flexed in response to her stirring, it most certainly was a man. She could move now, but found that she was too wary to open her eyes. The man, whoever he was, was awake. She could tell by the way he breathed, even yet not shallow in sleep. She tried to think on the last thing she could remember that might shed light on her current predicament.

She remembered singing for Smaug and then touching the side of his face. Had she been looking for the Black Arrow's mark, or simply admiring his form? She could not recall. After that, all she could remember was something about changelings. Had she asked Smaug about them? She could not remember how that line of her curiosity came about, but it had been one of the things she had been meaning to ask him about, if just for clarification. He had ellued enough that he thought her to be one of them, but how he could believe that was beyond her. Did he answer her? She couldn't think. Something happened, something that turned her world black. She must have fainted. How utterly humiliating. But what had happened after she asked such a simple question? Where was Smaug himself, and how could he allow a man to touch her? Had she escaped, been rescued, died?

It seemed the only way to answer the questions that paraded in her mind was to open her eyes. The action was simple, but in the moment extremely difficult. She did not know what she would wake up to, and feared to find out. But she had to.

The sight that greeted her was familiar. She kept her eyes narrowed, fearing to be hurt by light. But there was only a soft fire that lit her library, her little reprieve in the dragon's mountain. So, she had not escaped, been rescued, or died. How disappointing. She turned her body, only to remember the weight that was draped about her waist. That's right, the man. Eyes trailing down her body, she saw the arm of her mysterious companion. It was slender yet strong, porcelain in complexion. Following it she caught the shoulder, neck, and jaw of the man reclining beside her, stopping at his eyes. His eyes were open, and staring right back into hers.. He was so close, close enough for her to feel his breath upon her face.

Raelynne reacted appropriately.

With a wild scream, she struck at the man, aiming to blind him. She succeeded for a moment, feeling his arm lift off her to protect himself, giving her the opportunity to stand and run. This only served to trip her, as she discovered too late that she had been lying in her divan and was wrapped in her blankets. Legs tangled, she struggled to right herself, but stilled when she noticed the man was now standing before her.

"Who are you? How did you get into the mountain?" She demanded, angry and confused. Perhaps she should also be afraid, but for the moment she was unable to get over the stranger's impudence to have laid beside her in such a familiar way without her consent. The dragon would no doubt object to that, she being his prized possession and not inclined to share. She would reserve calling out for the beast however, for if the strange man had come from outside the mountain, perhaps then he knew how to get out.

The man however only saw fit to answer her with a devilish smirk full of mischief. His eyes trailed down and up, raking over her body as if the appraise the view of it. This made Raelynne furious as she finally found her footing. She stepped back from that man, who was approaching towards her. He stopped, sensing her aversion for him. It appeared to only amuse him further.

The man was strange, in every possible way. If she could even call him a man. Now that she was alert and awake, she could see the obvious.

He was tall, almost impossibly so, towering high over her. His frame was muscled yet slender, much of him visible by the loose robe he wore that hung about his shoulders, clasped partway down his bare chest. Obviously a man of strength and agility, an awful combination that offered her no advantage. But this was not the worst. While human in body, the rest of him was not. With an unrestrained gasp, she took in his face. It was most foreign, handsome and otherworldly, as if it had been chiseled out of stone. His face was long and features sharp, cheekbones razor-edged enough to cut, with thin lips still curled in his overly pleased smirk. From those lips, long canines were visible, fascinatingly wolf like. Adorning his head was a thick collection of dark hair that reached far passed his wide shoulders, along with a pair of horns. Yes, horns, bent back and sharply tipped. Quite obviously not human, but again, this was not the worst of the man. That honor belonged to his eyes.

Black slit pupils surrounded by the deepest red, like swords heated by the glow of fire. Those eyes, mocking her confusion and anger, were painfully familiar.

"I warn you, you better leave, lest you wish to be a dragon's dinner. Smaug does not take kindly to strangers." Raelynne told him, finding her resolve to speak.

The stranger's smirk became wider then, and his head threw itself back to laugh at her. Raelynne nearly growled in irritation, and resolved there was nothing for her to do but to call for the dragon to deal with this rude, and very possibly dangerous being. However, when he spoke, Raelynne felt herself freeze.

"You are correct songbird. But seeing as how there are no strangers among us, you need not be so apprehensive."

Raelynne felt unreservedly shocked. The man's voice, coarse and resonating, and that irritating nickname, it was all so familiar and yet utterly impossible. Still, she found herself stuttering a name before the rest of her mind could comprehend.

"S-Smaug?"

The man smiled at her with insufferable charm, lowering his head to her in an informal bow. Raelynne felt her jaw go slack as memories flooded back to her. When she had fainted, she remembered seeing something, someone, and the sight of it caused her unbearable shock. Smaug was there a moment, and the next, a man was in his place. But that was impossible. She must simply have gone mad. Her time here had done her sanity in, and this was the proof of it.

"How is…can it…I-" She struggled to speak, unable to comprehend.

"Dragons learned the ability to mask their shape from Changelings long ago when our history ran together." The man, Smaug, answered. It was certainly the dragon's voice, but to watch the man move his lips and produce the sound was all but enough to send Raelynne reeling. The voice did not belong to this body, but it came out so naturally.

"Most dragons had lost the knowledge long ago, thinking this magic beneath them. I admit I was one of them when my mother taught it to me, but I have recently come to see the ability has its merits."

Raelynne jumped to notice that the dragon, if she could call him that anymore, had made his way closer to her while she had been frozen in shock. He was now standing before her, barely a hairsbreadth away. She had to crane her neck back in order to meet his eyes, still producing the same effects on her as they always had. His look pierced through her, and a shiver cut through her disbelief and confusion.

"It really is you." She was finally able to whisper, her reality spinning, "You look…almost human…"

Smaug's grinned darkly down at her then, and raised a claw tipped hand to her. Softly, he stroked her cheek. She had never known him to be so gentle, and yet the simple action caused Raelynne to flinch as if he had burned her.

"My dear songbird, I am just as human as you are."

Le gasp! Well, this chapter had a bit of a shocker ending, didn't it? Figures. Poor Raelynne, I really am quite cruel to her. She was just curious about changelings and WHAM, Smaug gives her more answers than she ever expected. And just what about Smaug? His obsession with Raelynne is now far past curiosity and has trespassed into something a little more…licentious (P.S., please tell me if you all still feel he is in character. I wish to stay true to his nature, nothing OOC in your opinions I hope). And is Smaug really right about Raelynne being anything but human, or am I still messing with you guys? Well, regardless, here's the preview for the next chapter!

Raelynne's strange life with Smaug turns upside down as she tries to get use to him being deceivingly human. Smaug, in trying to persuade Raelynne that she is not human, ends up discovering another secret of hers. Necklace chains create unending troubles for the pair in the next chapter, so be sure not to miss it lovelies!