Author's Note: Hey everybody! Big big big thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed, for those of you who I didn't get to message or couldn't message, this is my huge thank you for all your support!
Quick things I need to say: Firstly, I am now part of a Lord of the Rings role-play forum and this is an invitation for you to come and join, I think its going to be a load of fun, and I've already bugzeed the character Smaug! :P So come and play, and I'll look forward to seeing people there, link to it on my page. Also, Ultimatedragon131 has asked me to mention him, and I want to remind everyone that we all start somewhere, and to offer support to new authors, for they honour us with their creativity.
Okay, now: I have noticed that I seem to be updating on Tuesdays, so, I will try to be quicker in updates, but I promise that if not, then without fail, I will stick to posting on Tuesdays. :) Also, for the song in this chapter, if you look up "I see fire" cover by Karliene Reynolds and Noud, that's the version I listen to when envisioning this scene.
Chapter 4 - A Crumbling Mind
"What I create is not from this world, because the people who need my help suffer from afflictions that science cannot treat." - the Dragon in "Once Upon a Time"
Smaug opened his eyes, and instantly took in everything around him.
He stood in what was supposed to be a large field or plain, but instead, there was only hard, dried, and cracked earth the colour of ash, there was no life around him, everything was devoid of colour and activity. The only thing that moved was the wind that howled in his ears and the clouds above, grey and black, swirling and growling with the threat of a thunderstorm. Looking around him, Smaug saw that there was no one in sight, he was utterly alone.
Looking down at himself, he realised that he was still in his human form. Growling with irritation, it only took him a thought in order to change his appearance, as easy as throwing away a cloak and replacing it with another. And then, he stood there in all his gigantic dragon glory. It may have just been a dream, but Smaug still purred appreciatively; knowing that he had wanted his old form back, but he hadn't realised that he had missed his own skin THIS much. Compared to now, his human skin felt too tight, constricting, whereas now, he felt free. He allowed his talons from all four feet to gouge at the earth, strong legs as thick as thousand year old trees, rolling his wing joints in their sockets from where they lay tucked against his back. Feeling much more like himself now, he then cast his eyes around to look for his quarry. When he couldn't see her, Smaug leapt into the air, pushing himself up with his strong legs, and then driving his wings down at the height of his jump, catching the air in his wing membranes as he soared into the sky.
However, he couldn't distract himself with the thrill of being in the air once again, instead he stuck close to the ground, merely gliding along – still at an incredibly fast speed – only flapping his wings every now and then in order to give himself a little height. He twisted his head this way and that, eyes scanning the ground for any sign of movement. He eventually came across a dead forest, the trees black with no leaves, as if they had been burned into cinders, gnarled branches reaching into the air like hooked claws. And Smaug felt something cold settle over him as he thought of all the times he had dreamed with Kathryn and the setting had been in a forest rather similar to this… only healthier and full of life... but now everything had died and turned to ruin. The madness that Kathryn must have been suffering was slowly killing her, eating away at her mind and soul, and leaving behind nothing in its wake.
Continuing on with renewed urgency, Smaug flew over the forest, following the endless trees as he searched. A growl of frustration built up inside of him the longer it took him to locate her, usually when he materialised in her mind, he was never far from her, yet he was now going miles without spotting her.
Suddenly, Smaug heard a scream from down below, his eyes snapping towards the source of the sound, driving down his wings and tucking them against his body so that he could dive as fast as possible towards the noise. He reared up as he came towards the trees, splaying his wings out and lashing his tail, smashing through the trees with his legs, easily flattening them as he came to the earth with a huge "CRASH".
Looking about, Smaug couldn't see anyone about, nothing but silence rung in his ears as he searched for anything that –
Suddenly, he saw a flash of colour, a dash of red against the black and grey of the burned world around him. Instantly honing in on it, Smaug charged after it, his anxious roar escaping him as he smashed his way through the trees in order to try and reach her. Kathryn ran ahead of him, in nothing but filthy, torn and burned rags that hung off of her skeletal frame, her red hair the only vibrant thing that broke apart the monochromatic landscape. She didn't seem to be aware of him, Smaug realised, as when he called out her name she didn't respond. He was actually quite amazed that she was doing well to keep ahead of him, going faster than a mortal ever could, and no matter how fast Smaug moved, he always staid the exact same distance behind her. But Kathryn was being chased by something, as she would shriek suddenly and lunge away from the left or right as if something was snapping at her, but Smaug could see only shadows. But then he heard the howls of wolves and the hiss of snakes all around in the forest, making Kathryn scream again with renewed terror as she ran for her life.
"Kathryn!" Smaug called after her, thrashing his huge head and neck against a burned oak tree and uprooting it as if it were nothing more than a twig. But she didn't answer him, and he wandered if she even knew he was there. He chased her through the forest, catching small glimpses of other things lurking around them, here and there little things that caught his eye, even with the human woman running in front of him. Glimpses of bodies and demonic shadows that moved between the trunks of the trees, they were feasting on dead, rotting and burned flesh before noticing the human running through their hunting ground and so began the chase.
Smaug roared at them, his enraged battle cry echoing over the world as he snapped his teeth, wanting to rip them apart for daring to even look at her, let alone to threaten her. The creatures evaporated, like smoke in the wind, disappearing under the dragon's wrath. And Smaug carried on with his own chase.
But then, the forest came to an abrupt end, and Smaug found himself standing upon a cliff, a large flat rise jutting out before him, where Kathryn stood on the edge as she looked over the cliff side, to the roaring sea that Smaug could hear crashing away far below. The grey and black storm clouds that Smaug had seen earlier were now writhing above in the air and spat lightning and roared with thunder, the waves churning and rearing as it threatened to wash over the land around them. Smaug saw Kathryn not far from the edge, looking down onto the waves below, her whole body going stiff and tense, every muscle clenching as she stared down. With his height, it was easy for Smaug to see over her, even from a small distance behind her, and see down to the bottom of the cliff.
He felt his insides clench and his wrath burn furiously at what he saw. Bones. Dragon bones. HIS bones! He could tell by the way that a damned Black Arrow stuck out of the left breast, and the size of the skeleton alone identifying him. The bones lay broken and discarded at the bottom of the cliff, the waves lapping at them, but not strong enough to move the gigantic fragments of a once living creature. He was furious at the sight of himself down below, a creature of might and magnificence brought low by a mortal weapon! It only fuelled his already burning desire for revenge against those who had brought this fate upon him. He did not know whether Bard the Bowman of Lake Town still lived from the destruction of the town, for he had been in quite an injured state after his battle against Smaug. But Smaug DID know that the filthy dwarf Oakenshield and that some survivors of Lake Town still lived. That would be his sweet justice.
He heard a little sob escape Kathryn's lips, and his eyes refocused on her for a moment as he saw her shoulders shake, her gaze directly on the bones below. Was she weeping over him? Did she mourn him?
Suddenly, Kathryn exploded with sound as a scream was torn from her lips, so loud that Smaug's sensitive ears were ringing and he winced against the onslaught. A mournful noise came from her, seemingly endless as it went on and on, the woman seeming to never draw breath. She fell to her knees, hands clenching into her hair as she held her head, as if she were in physical pain.
As her knees hit the ground, Smaug felt a rumble in the earth, the sensitive pads of his four feet detecting it as the earth moved beneath him. He looked about, shocked as he saw huge cracks appear in the ground, threatening to split the cliff face in half, stretching down into the water and back towards the forest. Smaug saw behind him that the earth opened up from the crack, splitting it apart with a huge roar as soil crumbled and rocks fell, the trees of the forest falling into the hole down into the dark depths below that seemed to go on forever. He saw the mountains on the horizon crumble and fall, huge eruptions of flames and rock spewing from the bowels of the earth, roaring and screaming along with the woman who sat on her knees weeping into her hands.
Her mind crumbling into nothing, the final stages of this soul eating madness were almost complete.
"Kathryn… Kathryn!" Smaug called out, trying to reach the madwoman before him. At the sound of his voice, Kathryn whirled around and onto her feet to face him, eyes going wide as she beheld the mighty dragon before her.
"No! N-n-NO!" She screamed, backing away from him as she came perilously close to the edge –
"KATHRYN!" Smaug lunged for her, hand reaching to snatch her up before she fell off the side, but she screamed, flinching away from him. Immediately, the dragon froze and slowly retracted his hand a fraction, allowing her to calm as he looked from her to the cliff edge, wandering if he could grab her before she fell.
"No! Don't use him against me – not him, PLEASE NOT HIM!" Kathryn sobbed to herself, pulling at her own hair as she scrunched her eyes shut, continuing to pull herself away from his touch. "He's dead – you're dead!"
"Kathryn," Smaug spoke, an idea coming to him as he thought of the first time he had encountered her inside of her own head. "Kathryn this is just a dream, it is not real."
"The fire! It burns!" she shrieked, her eyes wild as she looked about, as if the flames of which she spoke were about to erupt from the cracking earth and engulf her. "But the darkness always comes back – it always comes back! It eats you! It makes you burn – always burn – and then it puts you back in the dark…" Kathryn whispered, her eyes darting around for the Darkness with terror. "I don't want to go back to the dark,"
"I won't let that happen," Smaug locked his eyes onto hers so that it was all she could see, as he slowly held out his clawed hand towards her. "Just remember, this is not real. Take my hand and it will be over," he paused, and his eyes met hers as he spoke in little more than a whisper: "Please…"
She gazed at him, and Smaug realised that her eyes were still molten gold, even in her dream. Did that mean something? For a brief moment, she looked at him, and a sense of clarity entered those eyes, the sadness that had consumed her seeming to dissipate for a second as she hoped. And yet she still hesitated. Smaug held back his growl of impatience, knowing it would not further his cause with her unstable mind-set. But he had little time, and counted to three, knowing that he would have to –
She ran to him.
Smaug snatched her up as soon as she was close enough, already feeling another tremor go through the earth, holding her in the talons of his hand as he pulled her close. Tucking her protectively against his chest, he curled his gigantic body around her like a snake, coils of red scales encasing her, wings opening from his back and then folding over his body, so that she did not have to see the horrors of the world around her. She clung to his fingers desperately, as the world shook around them, the huge roars of the earth echoing in their ears. Smaug growled a warning, as if he could frighten even nature itself into doing his biding.
"Kathryn," he murmured as he brought his head closer to the little human in his grasp; she shivered under the force of his voice, but didn't look at him, instead burying herself in her hands. "Kathryn, look at me," he commanded, his tone making it clear that he had no patience for her refusal. Slowly, she shakily moved her head to gaze into one of his piercing slit-pupil eyes.
"The darkness," she whispered, her entire body beginning to shake with absolute terror. "The darkness is coming again – I can feel it! But it will make me burn first, I always burn, then it will take me!"
"Kathryn," Smaug said, trying to keep her attention focused on him as he spoke. "Do what I tell you, and I will make this dream go away. You must send me to the heart of this "darkness". Send me there, and I will stop this."
"The darkness will swallow you, and the fire will burn you!" Kathryn murmured frantically. "I lost a dragon to fire and water – and then the darkness swallowed me and –"
"Kathryn!" Smaug snapped, making her face one of his blazing eyes. "Fire cannot kill a dragon, and the darkness will fall before me – it will know my fury for this atrocity. But you must send me there,"
"But as soon as you go, it will swallow me again – and it won't let me go!"
"I won't let it hold you," he vowed as he stared into those alien and yet familiar molten gold eyes. "When I leave, sing."
"W-what?"
"It will help to calm you. Your voice is everything that is light and beauty and precious. Sing for me."
"There is no one else…"
Smaug found her hushed statement rather odd, and for stranger reasons, he felt his heart swell with pride, puffing out his chest like a proud peacock as he thought of her singing only for him. Just like before, in the mountain, when life had been perfect. But that was gone, and he would do anything and everything in order to get that back.
"Sing." He whispered.
He watched her tremble slightly, her terror still evident in every shaky breath, but not even in this state, could she defy the power in his voice, even when spoken in as soft a voice as his harsh, dragon vocals would allow. She took in a deep breath, and even when she clenched her hands on his fingers and her limbs shook, she still managed to open her mouth, and unleash the most beautiful sound Smaug had ever heard.
"Oh, misty eye of the mountain below
Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
Keep watching over our wayward sons
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
Watch the flames climb high into the night
Calling out father,
Stand by and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side, oh,"
Smaug had been right. For as Kathryn sang the haunting song, her body began to relax, her eyes closed and she seemed to melt into the melody, her body no more than a vessel to its need to be released. The dragon felt his heart swell at the sound, the voice that he had yearned to hear for sixty years, he was hearing it once more, perhaps not in the flesh, but after watching her die, and feeling truly mournful for never having heard it once more… to hear it now put him under a spell. Not only was it the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, but he could feel her soul, a magic that could never be vanquished, inhabit each and every note, piercing his heart and pulling him into her.
But then, he noticed the world become dark around him, and although he did not wish to leave her, Smaug reluctantly allowed Kathryn to guide him as she took him to the heart of her crumbling world, to the seat of this darkness that had infested her soul and was eating at her being. She had been right when describing it to him. Smaug found himself inside of a darkness so thick, it was like he was swimming through oil, it clung to his body, weighing him down and making his limbs feel heavy. It clogged at his senses, making it feel as if it were hard to breathe; the vile substance choking him as it tried to force its way down his throat. But Smaug pushed on, writhing and slithering his way through it like a serpent, his strength far superior to the tentacles of the darkness that tried to drag him into its embrace. A fire suddenly sprang from nowhere, the flames licking at his scales, but he passed by unharmed as he left it behind and ventured further into the dark.
He felt Kathryn's terror eclipse her for a moment as she was left on her own, where he had abandoned her upon the cliff. It was as if he was within the very centre of her emotional core, and he felt it in the air like a living thing, so that he could taste her fear as it gave the darkness strength. But still, Smaug pushed ahead, silently urging Kathryn to sing, and was given purpose when he felt her relax as she continued with the song.
"And if we should die tonight
Then we should all die together
Raise a glass of wine for the last time
Calling out father,
Prepare as we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky
Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood on the breeze
And I hope that you remember me
Oh, should my people fall
then surely I'll do the same
Confined in mountain halls
We got too close to the flame
Calling out father,
Hold fast and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky
Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood on the breeze..."
As he heard the song all around him, even echoing within his own mind, he pushed on, pushing his way through the darkness that threatened to halt his progress. But eventually, Smaug found what he was looking for.
Her centre, the seat of Kathryn's power, he entire being, lay before him.
His imagination gave it form in this world created by the power of the mind. And he imagined it to be an archway made of pure gold, but lay broken and shattered, laying around like the debris of battle in dozens of pieces. Where the archway once was, a hole appeared that had once been Kathryn's link to Raw Magic; now however, the link was cut, and instead the black oozing substance was spilling into her soul, like tar it bubbled and festered with toxic fumes as it stuck to her and corrupted and destroyed what it touched.
Smaug knew he had to fix this, for the emptiness that was created by the absence of her magic would surely kill his precious Kathryn – not to mention the toxicity of this vile darkness inside of her.
"And if the night is burning
I will cover my eyes
For if the dark returns
Then my brothers will die
And as the sky is falling down
It crashed into this lonely town
And with that shadow upon the ground
I hear my people screaming out,"
Smaug took in a huge breath, filling his lungs, seeming to take an eternity as he filled his entire being, a golden light blazing from in-between his scales as he built up the fire inside of himself. And then, with a roar, he unleashed the brightest and hottest flame he had ever breathed, it erupting from his maw like a blazing sun that banished the darkness around him, flowing over the broken fragments and melting them down until they became liquid gold.
"Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood on the breeze..."
Smaug surveyed his work, as the liquid gold had been given form by his flames, purged from the darkness and allowed to be rebuilt as he had poured his own dragon-magic into its rebuilding. Now, a great golden ring was before him, the radius as wide as his wingspan, engravings glowed upon the side from the heat of his fire. The blackness instantly began to retreat back through the hole that it had come in through, and was replaced by a warm current, flowing like water, but glowing a brilliantly beautiful purple, it danced through the air as it raced into Kathryn, and Smaug could have sworn that he felt her entire being rejoice as she gave a warm contented sigh in sign of her peace. Smaug felt his own black heart swell with pride as he saw the magic begin to repair and race through Kathryn's body, perhaps a little stronger and surer then he had been anticipating.
The dragon felt something tug upon his soul as the song that Kathryn had been singing, died away, the last notes, having been played, echoing into the silence. Smaug would now be pulled back out of her body, for now his task was done.
But he lingered for just a moment, fighting the compulsion to leave as he surveyed his surroundings once more. He reached deep within himself, to the wealth of power that lay hidden within him, his own magic rising and responding to his call on demand, his blood singing as it flowed in his veins. Smaug then sighed as he breathed out the power into the space around him, and saw a great golden chain begin to form in the air, linking him to Kathryn as it went from his heart and disappeared to somewhere deep inside of her, a place that not even he could reach. He forged it link by link, yard by yard, his iron will and magic binding him to Kathryn and her to him in return. He only thought for a moment as to the consequences of this action. For he had done this once before, unknowing of such consequences then, when he had bound her life to his, had made her immortal and forever young, and he gathered that she would only age when he did. Their minds and souls had been one, meaning that the bond shared between them was absolute, and no matter the distance, they had been linked. However, this also meant that when Smaug had died, the bond had pulled Kathryn down with him, forcing her to die as well. But Smaug pushed such thoughts aside as he continued to create the chain; he still wanted the same result as before, that Kathryn belong to him in body, mind and soul, and he did not plan to die this time.
Once he was finished, he allowed the magic to fade back to where it had come from within him, and only then, did he allow the call of his own body to take him, as he was brought out of Kathryn's consciousness and into his own.
Kathryn screeched in terror as she jolted upright, chest heaving as her back arched, her eyes opening wide as she struggled to breathe. Finally, she had awoken, as if awakening from a deep sleep where she had been trapped in a terrible nightmare, only for it now to end and her imprisonment finally over. She looked around the room fearfully, eyes going from object to object as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings, heart hammering as adrenaline coursed through her veins, body drenched in sweat. Clearly she was searching for something as her breathing slowly calmed and she appeared to be almost upset at the fact that she was alone in the room.
The maids – who had previously been absent from the room in order to feed themselves – came filtering into the bedroom, drawn in by the sounds of distress in the room. They saw the woman who had previously been comatose, suddenly awake and looking at them fearfully, and instantly they set into action, flocking around her like mother hens, seeing to the woman's needs as she clung to them like a child wanting protection.
None of them saw the shadow lurking in the darkness outside of the doors that led to the balcony. It peered in through the windows and watched with burning and scrutinizing eyes. That same gaze never left Kathryn's face, it studied every piece of her, took in every movement, and most noticeably, it focused on how the molten gold eyes had transformed into brilliant amethyst purple. Smaug watched from the shadows, keeping himself out of sight and cloaking himself as only a hunter could, making himself oblivious to his prey. He allowed his eyes to linger on Kathryn for just a moment longer, as if memorising her features, before he slowly turned away and headed into the night.
He saw a window open a small distance down, perhaps ten feet, and so jumped from the balcony, feeling the exhilaration of the wind in his hair as he fell, weightless, towards the ground that was dozens of feet below. But it was nothing compared to how he had felt when really flying. He caught himself as his hand struck out and snatched at the stonework around the window, his strength surprising even himself as he gracefully and silently swung his body through the open window and landed in the middle of a hallway. Luckily no one was about, and so Smaug hastily retraced his steps, working his way back towards the rooms of the Lord who held Kathryn, and once he was in that hallway, he followed the more recent scent of Andraya and Freyja, following their trail as it led him back through the castle, presumably towards their chambers.
Smaug growled low in his throat to himself in angry frustration, his mind still lingering in how free he had felt, how right it had felt to be in his old body once again. Now he was trapped back in this mortal shell, his skin felt too tight, itching and irritating, as if he couldn't breathe properly, the movements too constricting. How was it that a dream, a figment of the imagination, something that was only half real, felt more satisfying than the current reality he was living in this body?! It made him shake with fury.
He found the room, and did not bother to knock as he simply barged into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Freyja was busy trying to sort out the fire of the living area. There were two doors that supposedly led to the bedrooms to the right and left of them, though the living area was furnished rather similarly to that of the lord's: a few couches, desks, tables, flowers and fruit arranged artfully about the place. Whilst the girl was busy, her mother was struggling to move about their trunks and supplies of equipment, some that Smaug had not seen previously. Instantly upon seeing him, Freyja bowed her shoulders and lowered her head in a submissive position, as if her very instincts were telling her that Smaug's foul mood was not to be trifled with. He thought it rather wise of her.
"Good," Andraya said dryly, clearly either not noticing his dark temper or completely ignoring it. "You're back," she muttered as she tried to heave a huge and heavy sack towards one of the rooms that was behind her.
"Allow me to help you with that," Smaug said softly as he came over to the witch.
Freyja dropped the fire-poker as she whirled around to stare open mouthed at Smaug. Andraya herself snapped her gaze up to him, her eyes as big as saucers. Smaug ignored them as he came over to her and with one hand lifted the heavy bag, pots and pans clanking inside as he opened the door to the bedroom and threw it inside, closing the door as he came back into the living room and sat down upon one of the couches. The two women were staring at him.
"Thank you…" Andraya said slowly, watching him warily. She then seemed to snap out of whatever stupor she was in, and focused her eyes back on him. "Did you plan work? Is the Seer well?"
"Naturally," Smaug muttered, though he couldn't help but allow his consciousness to find the bond that linked him and Kathryn together and cautiously feel the consciousness that lay at the other end. He didn't make contact, more rather observed in order to reassure himself that she was still there. "There were unforeseen complications, but it was nothing I could not fix,"
"You did not take her?" she asked.
"I need her to become more settled; this is a game I must play correctly for all the pieces to fall into my possession. I will not move before I am ready,"
"Very well, My Lord," Andraya bowed her head to him, unable to stop her lips from twitching into a smile. "But I must discuss an issue of our agreement with you,"
"Yes?" Smaug watched the witch with burning golden eyes.
"Now that the Seer is within you grasp, I must ask that you fulfil you end of our bargain,"
"Oh?" Smaug raised an eyebrow at the witch, a dangerous look in his eyes.
"The next time that my daughter's prime time during her cycle comes, I need you to mate with her,"
A sharp "CLANG" was heard as Freyja dropped the fire-poker for the second time. Smaug looked over at the girl, to see her hands shaking, and her face had gone ghostly pale, he could hear her heart racing with fright as her breathing became shaky. But she had a sense of mind not to turn around, nor did she argue, she merely tried to regain some control – encase her mother should turn to regard her with a look – as she picked up the poker and set it back against the wall. Smaug found her behaviour rather curious. He had suspected that she had not known the exact details about the deal – she must have known something, for she did not seem to be a complete dunce. So this only confirmed that she had not known everything that was involved in the deal. The dragon in human's skin regarded the Witch coldly.
"No." he said in a low voice.
"No?" Andraya barked, completely startled by this.
Smaug did not repeat himself, his eyes only becoming hotter as he held the Witch's gaze. All of a sudden, her calm and perfect façade came crashing down, fury etched into all her features as her face flushed red with rage.
"How dare you?!" she hissed. "We had a deal –"
"I made no such deal," Smaug snapped.
"What?! You promised me –"
"I agreed to the deal that said, and I quote: 'All I require is for you to help me with a small task.' Which, I have now done," Smaug couldn't help the smirk from spreading across his features as he indicated to the room where he had tossed the bag of utensils that Andraya had been struggling with.
The Witch looked from the room and back to him, her eyes wide, her mouth open like a fish as she struggled to comprehend what was happening. But then, her rage came back, full force.
"THIEF!" she screamed, launching herself towards him. "OATH-BREAKER! How DARE you do –"
But as she came to within three feet of Smaug, he suddenly stood and snatched out his hand, and in an instant he had a firm grip on her chin, his fingers so tight that he could feel her jaw bone creaking under the pressure. The woman's eyes widened with pain, and she struggled to free herself. Smaug looked over at Freyja, who had pressed herself against the wall, edging towards the door, but Smaug's look stopped her cold. He then turned his gaze back to the Witch in his grasp.
"I could kill you right now: crack your skull open with one hand, like an egg, it would be so easy." He hissed into her ear, and was satisfied to hear her heart begin to hammer against her chest. "But… I'm not one to turn something away when it can still be of value to me. So now, I propose my own deal." He released her, and watched her with cold and sneering eyes as she straightened and stared at him, equal parts furious and curious. "You will conjure any magic you have, and change me back to my true form,"
"That kind of magic is beyond me," she snapped at him.
"Then find me something that has the power to do it!" Smaug roared at her, his rage getting the better of him, the sound ringing even in his own ears. But then he finally cleared his throat, going back to his aloof pretence once again. "You will change me back to my dragon form, and in return, I will give you what you desire."
"A child conceived between you and my daughter?" Andraya said carefully, clearly not falling for the same trick twice.
"Yes."
Andraya watched him for several long moments, before finally breathing out a sigh, and looking back at Smaug with that same calm and cool air as before.
"Very well. You have a deal."
"Now then," Smaug sat back down, lounging in his seat as he picked a coin from where the coin-purse sat on the table, flipping it through his fingers as he admired the shine as it glittered in the firelight. His dragon greed rearing its head from deep within him. "Firstly, I want you to tell me everything you know about the Dorwinion Court."
"I take it you have a plan then?"
"Naturally."
A/N: Okay, so please review! Please tell me what you thought of: The burned world? Smaug and Kathryn's interaction? The song? How about the darkness and the golden ring? And Smaug's own new deal? I thought I'd put a spanner in the works on the old one, so that people can still have faith in old Smaug, he's still as tricky and as clever as ever ;)
And please come and check out the "Heart" Series Devianart page, I would love to know what you think and would also love to see any and all art work! :) There is a link to it on my page.
I hope to see you guys soon, but if not, then see you next Tuesday! x X x