Chapter 7 – Revelations

"But it is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them." ― Ursula K. Le Guin, 'A Wizard of Earthsea'

Smaug watched as Kathryn stood there staring at him, her whole body quivering from tremors of shock. Her eyes never left his, and he couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction as a smirk tugged at his lips.

"Kathryn –"

WHACK!

Smaug froze, eyes wide in shock as his brain struggled to process what had just happened. And then, he felt a burning sensation upon the left side of his face, his cheek growing hot and a sense of slight pain came over him. He blinked, muscles twitching as he looked at Kathryn, who was scowling at him as if she could murder him with her stare alone, her eyes holding a tempest in their depths. She still had her hand poised from where she had smacked him across the face, not even bothering to put it back by her side.

She had slapped him. Smaug's brows met in confusion, still trying to process this as he took a step closer to her.

"Kathryn –"

WHACK!

Kathryn smacked him a second time, her arm coming backwards in order to backhand him across the other cheek. Smaug was stunned, this wasn't exactly the reaction he had expected.

"Smaug, you have exactly three seconds to start explaining to me how you're here and prove that you are not some part of my madness!" Kathryn hissed at him.

"Do not presume to command me, Kathryn," Smaug growled as his anger rose in him at her audacity to strike him.

"I'm not commanding, I'm demanding!" Kathryn was almost hysterical.

"I had almost forgotten how frustrating you could be," he muttered almost to himself.

"How are you alive?!"

"Magic – the simplest and yet most questionable answer that I can give,"

"I saw you die!"

"No. Let us get one thing very clear: I watched YOU DIE!" He snarled at her in a dangerously low voice, eyes widening with barely suppressed emotion.

"I saw the blood, I saw the state you were in; you were dying!"

"The Black Arrow had pierced my heart, yes," Smaug tried to keep control of his temper, even when she insinuated his weakness in her words. "But it was your little feat that saved me,"

"You didn't die?" she almost whispered.

"No," he murmured.

"But I…" she trailed off, her mouth hanging open.

"Yes," he said softly.

"Oh… Valar!" Kathryn gasped as her knees threatened to buckle, Smaug lunged to catch her by her arms, his grip firm but gentle for he was extremely aware that his superior strength – even for a human – could easily break her. She was breathing hard, trying to fight down the panic that was surging through her body. She held on to his arms, her grip not so gentle as her knuckles went white, she forced herself to be steady as she looked up at him.

"What happened after I…" she swallowed, unable to bring herself to finish.

"I was left with your corpse," Smaug whispered, his voice sounding cold and almost angry as he was trying to hold back all of his emotions from that night from resurfacing again. "I was left to mourn you, when a stranger came and took you from me… My last wish was to die with you, and he took you from me." his grip subconsciously tightened, as if there were another threat of someone coming and taking her from him again.

"How are you human?" she asked as she looked up at his face, looking straight into his eyes as if that were the only thing she recognised. "You could only change in dreams, never in reality,"

"Again, your magic. That is the only likely explanation that I can see," he stated.

"I don't understand," she murmured.

"You pumped my body full of magic, remember?"

"I was trying to heal you," she mumbled.

"It didn't work." He almost bit out as his mind turned to think of that dark night. "You left your magic swirling within me. And when that stranger took you from me, a drop of your blood fell onto my body."

"What difference does that make?" She asked, taking a step back and out of his hold.

"Do you remember when I turned you into a dragon?"

Kathryn nodded, eyes never leaving his.

"I used the scale around your neck as an anchor, my magic was then bound to it, and the scale bound to you. I believe the same rule applied to that night." Smaug explained as his critical eyes scanned over Kathryn. "When your blood fell upon me, the magic used that as an anchor. However, because of your foreign blood and magic inside of my body, my own magic began to warp itself to match it, therefore… turning me human." he bit out the word as if it were a curse.

"That's very precise for a guess," Kathryn murmured.

"You should know by now that I never do anything by half measures,"

Kathryn then took a step towards him, her eyes searching his. Smaug had to resist the urge to purr contentedly, for he had longed to see those purple eyes shining for him once again. He met her stare unblinkingly, allowing her to melt into his golden-fire gaze.

"Prove to me..." she whispered, almost pleadingly. "Prove to me that you're really here. Please… don't say I'm mad…"

"You are not mad," his voice hung heavy between them as it rippled through the air, seeming to make the very space between them vibrate. Smaug then leaned forward until his face was about an inch from hers, and all she could see was his eyes. "And I am real."

Kathryn's breathing hitched into her throat with him being so close, and he could hear her heartbeat accelerate, and Smaug couldn't help the satisfaction within him. He wanted to growl and bury his face in her neck, keep her close to him, make her know that she was his and his alone, to rewind time itself if he had the power, and take them both home. But then, she cleared her throat noisily, breaking the spell as she shifted away from him, attempting to hide her face behind her curly red hair.

"How did you find me?" Kathryn's voice was slightly hoarse as her eyes shifted to his hesitantly. Smaug sighed, trying to reign in all of his desires that were screaming in his blood that pounded in his ears.

"It seems I have required a servant, she told me of you, and through certain magics, I found that you had been taken here,"

"Servant… Wait, Andraya?" Kathryn frowned.

"Very perceptive of you," he muttered.

"How did I wake up?" Kathryn asked, ignoring his little comment.

"That, I'm afraid, I don't know." He scowled at the shadows around them, as if the disgusting insect like mortal were hiding there, laughing at his back.

"Well, how were you awoken? Is it possible we were resurrected together?"

"I doubt it," Smaug muttered, his mind spinning through ideas. "I was awoken through an ancient ritual, a price had to be paid and I awoke healthily. I could not feel you: the bond had been broken."

"Whatever happened, mine went wrong… I-I went mad!" she whispered fearfully.

"I know, when I was finally aware that you were somehow alive and plagued by madness, I came to you. In death, the bond had been severed between us. I reconnected it, and so cleared your mind –"

"That was you in my dream?"

"Who else could it be?" Smaug snorted. "When you were on the brink of madness, none of your mortal magicians nor doctors could help you, your precious humans were on the verge of abandoning you. I was the one that fixed you. I who –"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, wait a minute… how long have you been in Vathvael?" Kathryn asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Perhaps a week, maybe more. I see no –"

CRACK!

Smaug's head jerked as Kathryn's fist slammed into his jaw. He mildly felt the pain register, but could not hear it over the furious pounding of blood in his ears. He glared at her as if he could still incinerate her where she stood. If it had been ANYONE else, Smaug would have snapped their neck for daring to strike him, as it was, he barely suppressed a threatening rumble in his chest.

"Do that again…" He growled dangerously. "And I may be forced to do something I might regret,"

"THAT was for leaving me alone that night! You let me believe you were dead! I mourned you! A murderous, monstrous dragon, the whole world was celebrating your death, but I was the only one who cried for you in the night! I was the only one sorry for the loss of you!"

"If I am so monstrous then your sentimentality is wasted on me," he gave her a hard look. "And it did not suit my purposes to reveal myself too soon. I had to be sure that you were ready,"

"Ready? READY?! You make it sound as if I was a pig being chosen for slaughter, you arrogant bastard!" she shrieked. "Do you have any idea what you put me through?! You left me alone, in a strange place, filled with strange people; I thought I was going mad! And you were here, all the time, you could have… you –y-you… ARGH!"

She screamed as she launched another strike at him, but this time Smaug caught her wrist firmly in his hand, grasping her free arm with his other hand. He pulled her against his chest and pinned her against him so that she couldn't fight. She struggled, but it was useless.

"I told you not to do that again," he growled.

But Kathryn did not retort back, instead she was… weeping. She was crying true tears as she buried her face against his chest, her body leaning into him as if she were a child seeking shelter. Smaug blinked in surprise as he felt something swell within his chest. A sense to shelter and protect this tiny female against him, to hold her as if she were made of glass, and to keep her as if she were more valuable than gold. But despite the fact that he had only ever experienced a slight sense of empathy before, he did not know how to comfort Kathryn. So, stiffly, hesitantly, as if he were doing something wrong, he put his arms around her and pressed her to him. She responded instantly, her arms going around his middle to pull him closer as she buried her face in his chest, seemingly unaware of what she was doing in her apparent grief.

"I thought I'd killed you," she whispered in between her heaving sobs. "I did everything I could to save you, and when I woke up, people told me you were dead. You left me feeling so alone. Sixty years you dominated my life, and then you were gone. Eru, I wished I'd staid dead, the guilt was enough to kill me again!"

"Do not waste your tears on something that was not of your doing," Smaug said in a soft rumble. He then pulled her back, placing one finger beneath her chin and tilting her face upwards so that he could look into her purple eyes that were red and puffy from her tears. "Why did you kill yourself?"

"Because I was trying to save you," another tear snaked down her cheek, and Smaug brushed it away with his thumb, fascinated by the feel of the salt water against his human skin.

"Explain."

"I was dying anyway, I thought it better to die knowing I did everything I could to save you. I poured my magic into you and tried to heal you. Using all my magic would have surely killed me, and I didn't care. I wanted you to live, if that meant that my own life was forfeit, then so be it."

Smaug growled savagely at that.

"I will not have it." he snarled quietly. "Swear to me that you will not do this again! I will not have you be taken from me again,"

"And yet you died because you could not allow one man to go," she whispered. "I gave you the chance to come with me, yet you would have preferred to kill and destroy,"

"It is in my nature, I am what I am,"

"But because of it, all this happened."

"We cannot change what has been, but we can fight now for a future," and with that, Smaug pulled from his coat pocket a large golden scale hanging by a string of gold that was laced through a hole that had been pierced through the top of the dragonscale. Smaug had stolen the golden trinket, and thought it more fitting then the leather cord that Kathryn had previously used. Upon seeing the scale, Kathryn's eyes widened as she stared at it, open mouthed, her face going pale.

"H-how did you… what did…" she babbled due to her shock.

"You wore it once, and it was taken from you." Smaug murmured almost reverently as he allowed the pride to fill him at the thought of one of his scales with her once again. "It belongs around your neck as it has always meant to be,"

"No." she whispered.

"No?"

"I can't take this," her gaze met his imploringly. "I can't! It was this missing scale that caused your death. If it had been –"

"It was supposed to protect my heart: and it did." Smaug said, and his words shocked Kathryn into stunned silence. It was enough for him to turn her around so that her back was against his front, as he lifted the Scale necklace over her head and brushed away her hair so that it landed against the bare flesh of her neck. Smaug then pressed his human nose behind her ear, burying his face in her hair as he took in a deep breath of her scent. "The greatest treasure I possess… finally returned to me. You're mine, Kathryn."

Before he even knew what she was doing, Kathryn silently moved out of his grasp, walking away and only turning to face him when she was a good six feet away from him. She stared at him with a cold gaze as a single tear slid down her cheek.

"I think you gave up the right to that treasure the moment you put your greed before such devotion," she whispered brokenly.

Smaug's momentary frown of confusion quickly turned into a scowl as he made to demand –

"Kathryn?" sounded a voice.

Both Smaug and Kathryn looked over sharply in the direction of the voice, and both instantly recognised it as the male elf. Smaug felt his insides boil at the threat of someone coming and taking her from him now, when she was finally his once again. His hackles rose, and his lip curled to reveal his teeth in a silent and animalistic snarl. He made a move to intercept the threat, but was stopped when Kathryn spoke.

"Coming!" Kathryn called, though Smaug noted how her voice seemed dead, lacking all emotion, as if she had spent it all.

Kathryn made to leave, but Smaug stepped into her path, eyes blazing as he stared down at her, willing her into submission. Kathryn looked up him, her eyes – though purple – seemed as dead and lifeless as when they had been like molten gold. Smaug felt something in him falter at the realisation.

"I have to go back," she murmured so quietly, that should the elf come up the alley, only Smaug would hear her words. "I now have a duty that you abandoned me to face. It is time for you to face the ashes of your fires, dragon."

Smaug blinked, and was left stunned as Kathryn swept past him and out of sight. He let her go, not sure if he would be able to contain himself with the force of emotions that whirled inside him like the hurricane beneath his wings.

He began to breathe hard through his nose, the sound angry and almost desperate as he tried to gain control. He wanted to roar, he wanted to burn, he wanted to kill. But constantly, his mind brought forth images of her, her beauty and heart scorning and burning him even as it drew him closer to her. After all this time, of yearning for her, dreaming of her, he finally gave her everything, gave her the chance to return to him, and she had refused him. He would never understand humans, and the frustration, the rage, the anger and the hurt all built inside of him, burning like a fire in his veins. Her tears still staid in his mind, only adding to the whirlwind in his black heart, causing him to think of the grief she had suffered, and it only made him want to roar with anguish. He felt the scar on his left breast throb and ache painfully, the flesh seizing and constricting, threatening to wrap around his heart and squeeze the life out of him.

The pressure inside of him suddenly became too much, it was like he was being filled up with air, and it had no way of escape, and threatened to make him burst if it was not released. With a roar of anger and pain, Smaug drove his right hand into the ground, hearing his bones grind with the force of it as he released all of his emotions like a tidal wave spilling out of him.

A shockwave passed through the pavement, the stone cracking and threatening to tear open into the abyss. Flames leapt from beneath Smaug's fingers, the heat burning his mortal flesh, but he ignored it as his eyes became enraptured by the dancing flames that writhed like angry serpents. The air became heavy with the taste and scent of an ancient spice, something powerful ripped through him, right from his soul, his very blood as it fed off of his emotions. After a few moments, the flames disappeared, and Smaug lifted his hand to stare at it in wondrous shock.

Magic…

Smaug stared at his hand, as if it didn't belong to him, twitching the fingers in order to assess what had just happened. His flesh was burned, and he could still faintly register the pain somewhere in the back of his mind, but he ignored it, his mind racing. He had always had magic in his veins, for he was a dragon, his very being was in touch with the deepest magic of the universe, it flowed through him, feeding his power. But when he had been in his other form, he had never really any need of it, nor had he been able to access it in all truth. There were tales of some dragons who had discovered how to harness their own magic, but their secrets had never been revealed to Smaug, nor had he truly had an interest before.

He then heard the bells chiming as sunset drew near, and began to slowly walk back towards the castle, still staring at his hand. He walked in a haze as if he were in a dream, unable to comprehend what had just happened to him and stumbling here and there as his mind raced. He now had magic! Suddenly he couldn't help but grin, with his connection to Raw Magic if he harnessed this, he could have a world at his fingertips.

Smaug was awoken from his stupor however, when he heard voices. He was still in the alleyways, using their shadows and cover to hide his impressive mortal form. He looked around sharply when he heard someone intrude upon his solitude, his already short temper stretching to almost the breaking point.

At the mouth of an adjoining alley, Smaug saw a group of four dwarves, all scuttling about around a cart pulled by an old and flea-bitten mule. Smaug felt his hackles rise and a growl rumble through his chest at the sight of them, his mind filled with thoughts of Oakenshield. That filthy dwarf, who had taken everything from him! Feeling the anger build within him again, Smaug stalked towards the dwarves, keeping silent and in the shadows as he came closer. One dwarf, the leader, had a bow at his back as he directed all the others into place, the second was beside the mule, making sure that it was strapped securely to the cart. The final two, were hauling a chest into the back of the cart, as they placed it down with a loud and heavy "THUD", the lid bounced open and a few coins spilled out onto the floor. The dwarves were quickly to scurry down to pick them up, but not before Smaug saw the gleam of gold in the waning sunlight.

As soon as his eyes caught sight of the gold, Smaug felt something deep within him stir, a burn in his stomach, a want that started like an itch in his teeth, a want to bite, rip and take. Smaug then stood in the centre of the alleyway, blocking off the only exit, and allowed a very loud and menacing growl to thunder through his chest, echoing down the alley towards the dwarves.

They stilled upon hearing the sound, the mule suddenly screeching as it picked up his scent, and Smaug could smell a small hint of fear in them. That wasn't good enough for him, he wanted them soiling themselves before him, he wanted to hear them beg, to see them weep, to see them lower than a rat in his presence. The dwarves turned to look at him, already on edge as they saw the tall human before them, blocking their only way out, burning eyes trained on them with a mad gleam.

"What do you want stranger?" One dwarf asked with own voice carrying a hint of a threat.

Smaug said nothing, instead he began to walk towards them, his steps deliberately loud so that they could know of his coming. As if sensing the threat, the dwarves pulled out their weapons and readied themselves for battle. They shouted at him, perhaps a warning, but Smaug was beyond hearing and listening to them now, just that eager song in his bones that made him want to spring into the air and pounce upon his prey. He continued to come forward, and realising that the danger was very close, the dwarves charged.

As the first dwarf ran at him, he swung his axe through the air, perhaps meaning to bury it deep in Smaug's shoulder. However, Smaug easily caught weapon in his hand, his finger flexing around the shaft and ever so slightly squeezing. A second later, the wooden handle was snapped in two, and Smaug used the instant of surprise to grab the dwarf's face in his large palm, pressing his right hand against the dirty flesh. He allowed the anger and frustration to well inside him, the fury building and building like a small explosion of fire, it triggered the magic in him, as he had known it would. The flames danced beneath his fingers, the dwarf screaming in agony, struggling but unable to break Smaug's grip. Smaug gritted his teeth against the pain, but felt utter satisfaction as the dwarf went limp, his face practically melted, the stench of burned flesh and blood in the air. Turning back to the other dwarves, who were all staring in wide eyed horror at the sight before them, Smaug gave them a toothy grin, his eyes bright with cruel glee. Oh, how he had missed the smell of dead dwarf.

The next two attacked him simultaneously, one carrying a pair of daggers, the other carrying a huge Warhammer. The one with the dagger tried to slash at Smaug's legs, meaning to cut his knee and calf to ribbons, but the dragon-in-human-skin merely used his impressive height in order to reach over and down before the dwarf came in range of him, grabbing the filthy thing by the beard, and lifted him off of his feet. With a snarl, Smaug threw the dwarf into the wall, a smirk of satisfaction streaking across his face when he heard the crack of the dwarf's skull against the brickwork. His sense of victory was short lived however, as the second dwarf with the Warhammer was almost upon him, bringing down the hammer towards him.

Smaug took a step back at the last second, the hammer sailing past him to smash into the pavement. Taking the dwarf by surprise, Smaug raised his left foot, and gave a good, hard, kick to the dwarf's chest. He couldn't help his eyes from lighting up in a bloodthirsty glee as he felt all the ribs in the chest cavity cave and buckle beneath the force of his blow, turning to little more than splinters that slashed and ruptured his organs. The dwarf went flying back, straight into the last dwarf who had been aiming a bow at Smaug. The two fell back into the cart with a loud "thud", one dead, the other dazed.

Picking up a fallen dagger, Smaug walked lazily over to the last dwarf, bending down over the inferior creature to inspect it. He waited for the dwarf to look at him, waited for the moment when he saw the fear, the absolute terror to enter his eyes, the plead for mercy, before he slit the dwarf's throat.

Smaug then straightened, and went to the back of the cart, ignoring the mule who was screeching in distress and terror. He ignored the world as he grabbed the id of the chest and wrenched it open, marvelling on the sight of the gold within. It shone in the final light of the sun behind him, and Smaug felt a purr rise within him as he ran his human fingers over the cold metal, enjoying the feel of it against his flesh. Oh… how he had missed this… and he would –

Suddenly, Smaug felt a slight burning in his hand, and gasped at the very strange and painful sensation. His bones suddenly felt like they were snapping and dislocating, his skin felt like it was being stretched over his fingers, the muscles contracting painfully like a cramp. He looked down to see his hand, the one that had been burned by his own magical flames, the flesh was contorting and shifting, as if the muscle structure itself was moving like he had worms eating at his flesh. He tried to shake it off as if it were a muscle spasm, but that only made the pain intensify, almost to the point of unbearable.

Smaug stared in wonder, as his nails grew into points, the colour turning black as talons pushed their way through his fingertips. His flesh began to change, the burn marks began to recede as red bumps began to poke through his skin, breaking the surface until little droplets of blood beaded on his flesh. The change was only slight, nowhere near the perfection that Smaug was used to in his own body, but… it was something indeed.

Smaug was staring at scales...

Quickly looking about him, he saw that in the cart that was full of wares and trading goods, mainly in clothing and weapons and armour, but he saw a large leather glove. Snatching it up, he quickly pulled it over his changed hand, putting it out of sight.

He was no fool, he knew that if anyone saw this, he would quickly be discovered, and he couldn't afford that, not when he was so close! Normally he would welcome this, he'd be dancing in the street for joy, but he would have to conceal it until he was ready to take Kathryn and flee.

Perhaps it was time to check on Andraya and see how far she had come with preparing his little magical remedy for his current "affliction".

Kathryn knew she was in a dream, but she couldn't escape like she usually did, as she felt it pull her down as if a sea serpent had wrapped its coils around her legs and dragged her down into the ocean depths.

When Kathryn opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of an empty plain. The earth was barren, dry and cracked, completely devoid of life. It stretched on for miles to the east and west, to the south, were rolling hills, but to the north, a range of tall and dark mountains stood, fracturing the light of the sun like shattered glass. A dark cloud hung around the peaks, like a sickly mist the poisoned the air.

On one side of the field on the hills of the south, Kathryn saw an army standing proud and tall, the songs of their battle cries filling the air like the voices of a choir. They wore armour that sparkled like diamonds and silver, their flags flying high and led by a group of majestic warriors that seemed incredibly tall, even upon their huge battle-chargers. The army stood straight and proud, disciplined and ready to fight.

But on the other side, coming down from the mountains, a horde of monstrous creatures poured forth, as if hell itself had opened its gates and the torrent of them had spilled forth onto the world. Orcs mainly dominated their numbers, but Kathryn also saw huge nightmarish creatures, that looked like men, but with skin as black as tar, the horns of a bull, the wings of a bat and a snake like tail, hell fire pouring from their eyes and mouth. Balrogs. Kathryn felt her insides squirm in fear as she looked from them, then back towards the silver army behind her.

This seemed very familiar.

They all charged towards each other, the two forces racing to meet the other upon the field of battle. When they reached the centre, there was an explosion of sound as the two armies clashed, the Orcs beating against the silver army who valiantly held them off, their swords singing through the air

Kathryn watched, for she was thankfully in a third person view of the entire battle, her body not among the soldiers, but instead her vision merely allowed her to glance at everything as if she were watching through a pane of glass.

The silver warriors seemed to be winning, their battle strategy and tight formation and almost dance like movements winning over the unorganised frenzy like fighting of the Orcs. Even with the Balrogs at their side, the Orcs were clearly losing, the silver warriors using discipline and tactic in order to win out, striking down foe after foe with very few casualties of their own. As Kathryn watched, she suddenly felt as if she were being watched, and so turned so that the vision would permit her to see behind her. For standing before the mountains, above the battlefield, was a figure dressed in black armour, with a long flowing cape as dark as night, his helmet resembling a skeletal face, with a crown upon his head that had two glowing jewels placed in the front. The figure was massive, a mountain of a man, the very air seeming to radiate his power, and when his gaze swept over Kathryn, she felt her body shiver at the hate and vileness within his very soul.

The figure unleashed a booming roar that made Kathryn's spine quiver with an instinctive fear, making her want to run and curl into a ball beneath her bed and never come out again. The voice twisted her soul, but called to the Raw Magic that slept deep within her, it summoned something inside of her that she was too terrified to allow to be released. The sound echoed over the entire battlefield, bringing the fighting to a standstill as all turned to look at the figure above them.

And then, above the mountains, the dark shadow of a gigantic dragon loomed, wings opening until it blocked out the sun in its black shadow. And as if by some command, upon the peeks around it, more shapes and shadows began to move, revealing themselves as they joined the first. Everyone on the battlefield stilled, gazing up in equal parts horror and awe at the sight that now revealed itself to them. Kathryn was the only one who was not placed under such a spell, her heart hammering in her chest as she tried to scream but had no voice with which to use.

And then the sky was filled with the war cries of the Dragons.

Author's Notes: Hey! So I hope everyone liked the chapter, and I'm back on schedule now as well, so YAY! :D

A little announcement: Heart of Ashes now has a TRAILER! I'm really proud of it, go check it out, there's an Url leading to it on my author's page.

So, review time! Please tell me what you think of: Kathryn smacking Smaug (I know I laughed when that idea came to mind)? Their "reunion"? The theories that Smaug has? How they parted ways? Smaug's magic? Smaug killing the dwarves? The return of Smaug's greed? Smaug's slight abnormality now? And Kathryn's dream? Can anyone tell me what she's dreaming about? ;)

Until next Tuesday my lovelies! x X x