Chapter 14 - No Coincidence

"It never does to leave a live Dragon out of your equations." - The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

As the woman's words rang in their ears, a blood fury descended upon the soldiers. Their King had been murdered on their watch, the insult and dishonour of such an act burning them as they cast their hateful gazes upon the open servants' door. Without any need for a command or a word, the Captain led his troops of only a few men into the passage, withdrawing his sword as he quickly led them down into the darkness.

The followed the tunnel, their boots clomping rhythmically, the echoes making them sound like an army rather than a handful of men. But in their anger, that was all they needed as they each readied themselves for battle, for if the culprit they were after didn't want a fight – which they were surely hoping he would – then they would be the law and execution. Without direct orders to the contrary, they were more than happy to take this scumbag's life!

The passage had few turn offs, which the captain suspected that their murderer had not taken, going with his gut instinct as he continued to lead his men down the hall until they finally came to a door that stood slightly ajar. Bursting through it and spilling into a small corridor, the King's soldiers looked about for where their prey might have gone, as he could be just around the next corner and they would see a flash of a boot or cape to indicate where he had gone. But they were only met with an empty corridor… and one door.

The Captain knew this room, as he knew every inch of the castle as he should in order to better defend it. And he also knew that current guards were switching their rounds, leaving an opportunity of perhaps a few secret minutes where someone could nip in and out without being noticed. During the night, this happened once every three hours. It couldn't be coincidence.

Behind him, the Captain's men withdrew their weapons, each of them instinctively knowing that the hunt was over and that the battle was about to begin.

Smaug had been asleep for perhaps an hour, consciousness drifting back to him slowly as he awoke to the candles fading to nothing, on their last stands, about to go out. The room had the heavy scent of their smoke, even the fire in the hearth had gone out, leaving only a faint illumination, barely enough to see by. No moon filtered in through the windows or balcony doors, and Smaug felt the heaviness of the dead of the night lay like a shroud over the world. This was the hour when all eyes that could see were closed, when the night ruled eternity, and when all that was left was the silence and the night itself, an entity all on its own it would prowl the world and see through the darkness and play in the fields when not even the moon would look, and something ancient and unfathomable would be free and unchained were no mortal dared to venture. All in the dark of the night.

He remembered when he had been young, Smaug had found a fascination at how still and quiet the world could become at such a time in the night. When not a living creature was awake, and the earth seemed empty, ready for all kinds of magic to venture back into existence from where it had been banished by the day. He had been perhaps a young adolescent, not quite a hatchling but not old enough to fend for himself, he had wandered out from his nest to a ledge just outside his mother's cave, and had looked over the still and silent world, a thrill going through his blood, the magic within his very soul awakening and seeming to have boundless amounts of energy making him almost quake. He had looked up at the stars, when no moon had been in the sky, seeing them dazzle like diamonds, he had wanted to reach up and snatch them all down, but had not been able to fly. And because his mother had nested on the most northern point of the Withered Heath, he had been far enough north that at that moment, the aurora had suddenly split the night in two, it lights erupting as if from the magic in the air itself. He had stared in wonder and fascination, his first experience at seeing such a spectacular wonder, he had watched the colours shift from red to green to blue… and then to the most extraordinary colour he had ever seen… Gold. He had seen its brilliance and shine and how it looked like a piece of the daylight captured and held in the night. And he had wanted it. That night had started his obsession with all things precious, for he had wanted the sparkle of the stars and the colour of the northern lights, but they lay beyond his reach, and so he had coveted what could give him that on the mortal earth. As he had grown older, he had banished his immature fantasy with disdain, and allowed the greed for wealth and riches to consume him… How odd, he thought back in the present, that centuries later he now remembered such childish wants and thought with a small smile how in this still and magical moment, such thoughts didn't seem so far-fetched. He had been a child, he had matured into the most powerful dragon of the age, and one of the last fire drakes… and it had all started with him being out of the nest when he wasn't supposed to be, and he had looked up at the stars and the northern lights and wanted them.

Looking down at woman who lay in his arms, Smaug smiled to himself as he saw how her skin glittered in the faint candlelight, how her fiery red hair was splayed out across the pillows, messy and tangled from their exertions. They were chest to chest, and her face was nuzzled into his breast as she moulded her body shape to his, one hand lying limp on his stomach, their legs hooked around the other. Smaug absently used his free hand to brush his fingers lightly through her hair, allowing the soft curls to tenderly glide across his skin. She was his stars now, and he had finally captured her, and now he would never let her go. He smirked to himself as he imagined all the enemies he would destroy in order to keep her. First and foremost, the elf-boy, oh how Smaug would enjoy that! Then there would be the inhabitants of Lake-town, wherever they may be; the fools were too meddling for their own good, not to mention that Smaug had a score to settle with them, he thought as he looked down at his left breast to see the black scar still there, how it had not disappeared in his transformations, the jagged imperfection a constant reminder of his infuriating defeat. And then there was the dwarves, with them gone he would have his mountain back, his gold and treasures, and have a safe place for Kathryn. He would have her in nothing but the finest, adorning her with the greatest silk gowns in the mountain – not that she would be in them for very long, Smaug chuckled to himself gleefully – and then she would have diamonds and rubies and sapphires and emeralds at her brow, throat, wrists and fingers. She would be the living embodiment of his treasure and would be revered as such. The image he conjured in his mind was enough to make him purr with satisfaction. And then, once he had Kathryn safely locked away within the mountain, with no other mortal soul for hundreds of miles in any direction, he would then leave her alone for perhaps an afternoon in order to burn the whole of Mirkwood to the ground, roasting Thranduil himself for the pleasure of it. And then he would leave it a week, perhaps more, and then take the morning to fly back down south to Vathvael and burn the entire city into complete ash and ruin, and then he would come home to the mountain in time for dinner.

Oh yes, that plan sounded almost perfect.

He was first aware of their presence when he heard the clomping of boots coming from somewhere beyond the hallway. The hurried footfalls, the number and how even in their apparent hurry, they seemed to have a sense of military order. Alarm bells began to go off inside of Smaug's mind, he instantly became more alert, shifting his body as he tried to get up. He gently shook Kathryn's shoulder, roughly bringing her round to consciousness. Despite the fact that he wanted her there out of the way, he needed her alert in order to get herself out of any and all danger should it come her way - which he was determined to prevent.

"Wh-what?" she murmured groggily as she looked blearily around the room. He saw the confusion on her face as she tried to focus, her mind struggling to remember what had happened and where she was. When it all came back to her, her hands unconsciously tightened their hold on him. Smaug wasn't complaining, but knew that he had no time as he could hear the humans outside drawing out their swords, his inhuman hearing picking up exactly how the steel scrapped against the scabbards. Extracting himself from her hold he quickly stood, glaring impatiently at the door. "Smaug, what is it?" Kathryn whispered softly yet fearfully. He didn't answer her, and Kathryn's response was to quickly reach for the blankets of her bed and draw them up towards her neck, covering herself as she too began to hear the sound of boots right outside the door.

The humans thought they were fast, they thought they had the element of surprise. They had never been more wrong in their lives. And it cost them dearly.

They burst through the door, almost ripping it off of its hinges as four soldiers flooded into the room. Kathryn shrieked in surprise, pushing herself off of the bed, dragging the blanket with her as she fell to the floor and then scooted back until she was pushed into the corner of the room. Smaug however, only stood there, stark naked and his eyes fiery with an eerie calm that only warned of the hurricane that was about to be unleashed.

The soldiers wasted no time and immediately launched themselves at the naked man before them. The first, the captain, swung his sword in a great arch that would have been too fast and powerful for a normal man to anticipate and deflect, it should have cleaved open the seemingly defenceless man from shoulder to waist. But Smaug saw the blade coming, his dragon-sharp eyesight able to pick up how the path of the sword unsettled the very dust in the air in its wake like a tidal wave of motion. With a lower of his eyelids that gave him a bored and lazy expression, Smaug sidestepped the swing, watching as the blade came harmlessly past him. The soldier who wielded it was caught off guard, stumbling forward as his momentum didn't meet the resistance that he had prepared for, and so bent at the waist as his sword sent a spark against the ground. Smaug then brought his knee upward in order to meet it with the man's nose, instantly breaking it and his supporting cheek bones and knocking out several teeth with the sheer strength and force of his blow. Blood and spittle flew out, splattering Smaug's leg and the floor. The man fell back, lying limp on the ground though not quite dead. Smaug quickly fixed that by reversing the momentum of his raised knee in order to stamp his foot down on the man's head with the heel of his foot, crushing his skull.

But he couldn't savour the victory, for then the next two were upon him, the third close behind from where they had had to divide themselves up due to the small space in the room not allowing them all to attack at once. Smaug twisted his body in order to snatch the wrist of the soldier on his left and pull him towards him, driving his sword into the gut of the other soldier on his right. Allowing the soldier to continue towards him, Smaug's free arm came to wrap around the man's neck, fingers viciously clenching around the man's jaw, and jerking his head to the side, a loud "SNAP" echoing through the air as he allowed the soldier to fall to the floor, though snatching his sword from his lifeless hand in the process. As the fourth and final soldier came at him, Smaug saw the moment when the man registered what had befallen his comrades, saw his eyes widen in disbelief and panic, and that made his swing hesitate for just a fraction of a second. It was enough for Smaug, who took that wonderful opportunity to fling his sword through the air, cleanly decapitating the soldier, who's body fell in a heap at Smaug's feet whilst his head went flying off and landing neatly in the fire. The flames hissed from the blood and Smaug grinned wickedly as the stench of burning human flesh soon filled the air as the fire lapped at the new food source offered to it like a starving dog.

"Oh my…" he heard a soft whisper, and turned to see Kathryn huddled in the corner, her face as pale as snow, a hand covering her mouth and hand in an attempt to try and block out the stench that was making her gag. Smaug had completely forgotten that she was there in his bloodlust, and quickly went to her side.

"Kathryn…" he said, trying to call her back to the present as he saw that her eyes had become glazed over. At the sound of her name, her focus snapped straight back to Smaug, looking at him almost warily, before stiffly climbing to her feet. "We have to leave. Now." Smaug growled out the command, and Kathryn mutely nodded her head, clutching the sheet to cover herself as she went about the room until she found a clean nightdress and a robe to go over it for added warmth. They did not have the time for her to get fully dressed, so that would have to do. Smaug found his old breeches which were surprisingly intact considering he had thought he'd torn them completely apart when getting them off, but they would do to clothe him for now.

Once they were both ready, Smaug took her hand in his and half-led-half-dragged her out of the bedroom door and into the hallway and began to march them down the corridor. His senses strained themselves in order to pick up the slightest sound or the first hint of a scent or movement in the shadows. All Smaug needed was to get them into a big enough area for him to change, and until he found one, he would be incredibly jumpy as his nerves anticipated enemies that were not there. The soldiers he had killed had been undiscovered so far, but that didn't mean that they would remain that way for long.

They made their way down and to the south, trying to find their way to the courtyards, when suddenly: Smaug felt the tickle of a breeze of fresh air play across the bare skin of his chest. He stopped, Kathryn nearly ploughing into his back from the sudden halt in their fast progress, her panting breath from the exertion and adrenaline he could smell pumping through her veins making her heart race. Smaug's head snapped over towards where the breeze had come from, becoming eerily still as he waited for the breeze once again. He took in a deep breath, scent the air as he smelled the damp of the night air, grass and tree pheromones from the gardens.

They were close! Good, he could transform here and the damage his large form would cause to the structure of the castle would be inconsequential and neither he nor Kathryn would be harmed if he broke this little corridor. It would only take him a few strides in his dragon form to be free into the open world, and that was all he needed. So, taking in a deep breath, Smaug closed his eyes and concentrated, picturing his dragoon-self in his mind's eyes, every magnificent inch of him, and found that magical stream that looped itself around Kathryn and him. Using his hold on Kathryn as a bond, he pulled the magical energy into himself as he tried to begin the transformation.

Smaug's legs almost gave out underneath him as he lurched to the side and would have fallen if he hadn't caught himself against the wall and Kathryn had yelped in surprise and tried to catch him. He blinked in horrified surprise as he looked around and noticed that there was no difference in him physically. He simply felt physically weak, but he could feel his insides aching and groaning like they did when he had begun the transformation before. His black scar pulsed and pained him, making it feel as if his heart was going into a seizure and was about to give out. Smaug allowed the foreign feeling of panic enter his soul as he felt his spine ache and his stomach tingle, his sin felt alive, and with each pulse through his body he felt the energy drain him but build like a wave within his chest, hurting him and threatening to tear him apart from the inside. The transformation had begun…

But it was happening too slowly.

"Smaug?" Kathryn hissed at him, her eyes alight with concern and fear as she hovered over him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Before he could answer, the toll of the bells sounded, their knells ringing out across the castle and the city beyond in a cacophony of panic and alarm. They were out of time.

Smaug growled savagely as he once again snatched up Kathryn's arm and pushed himself back into a march, much faster than before as he tried to hurry them both out towards the outside. Smaug didn't know why they were hunting them and frankly, he didn't care, he only wanted to be gone from such a place and have Kathryn to safety. He pushed more energy into his transformation, growling again at himself as he felt his body grow weak, his vision faltering for a fraction of a second. He couldn't understand this! When he had transformed from dragon to man, it had been relatively easy, he had only had to endure the pain and the build-up of energy within him that had seemed to come from nowhere. Now though, it was as if he had to generate every single ounce of the energy required in order to even kick-start the process, and the pain of both the transformation and containing such energy itself was unbearable. Was it possible that the transformation only worked one way? He doubted it. He had done it once before and he would do it again. He would think on theories later, right now, he had to push the transformation along in any way he could and get out of this vermin infested city.

They rounded a corner and came into a courtyard, a small open space beneath the night sky, sheltered by the shadow of the castle on two sides and one of the outer walls on a third, the only exit being a narrow path on the fourth side that led to more of the gardens.

Suddenly, a volley of arrows were fired and pierced the ground right before them, Smaug snarled in surprise as he brought the pair of them to a halt, and quickly turned to see that soldiers were filing in, led by General Victis who scowled at them as he marched in with his men in full armour. Smaug pushed Kathryn behind him as he glared at the humans before, his eyes burning like the fire he wished he had.

"Cail Agonn," Victis called out to him from where his troops had assembled in three rows, kneeling crouching and standing with a variety of crossbows, longbows and broadswords at the ready. The soldiers waited as patient as the stone for their general's command. "You are charged with high treason for the murder and assassination of our King Wilhelm of Vathvael and Dorwinion. If you do not come quietly, I will have no choice but to take the law into my own hands,"

"Smaug…" Kathryn's murmured tone was a warning to him, which Smaug ignored as he continued to glare at Victis, his impatience growing as he pushed more energy into the change as he felt his skin begin to burn, his muscles and bones aching as the true transformation started, but it wasn't fast enough. The general sighed, and nodded the signal to his men.

The crossbows fired, the arrows whistling through the air, and the next thing Smaug knew, he was roaring in pain as three bolts hit him: two on his left thigh and one in his belly. He lurched to his knees, one hand clutching at the bolt in his stomach as thick blood oozed out from between his fingers. Smaug bared his teeth, his eyes glowing in primal rage as he panted, and even in his now weakened state pushed his own energy into the transformation.

"No!" Kathryn shrieked as she made to dive for him, but was cut off when hands grabbed her roughly from behind and began to haul her away from the half-naked man, making her scream.

Smaug whirled around to see two soldiers holding Kathryn's arms as they dragged her away from him, even as she kicked, and bucked and struggled all the while to get back to him. Utter and unbelievable fury ignited within him as he shook from the force of his rage as he glared at the soldiers who would dare steal from him! His jaw opened in a silent roar, his face practically turning red and purple from the pressure of his emotions building inside of him, his eyes alight with animalistic rage. Suddenly, Smaug felt the whirlwind of energy in his centre build to gigantic levels, fuelled by his rage and pain and hatred, the emotions offering their own energy that swelled to the levels he needed. The resulting energy was too painful to contain, and Smaug hunched over, roaring in agony as his back arched, his chest feeling as if it would explode, his bones fracturing under the pressure, his skull felt like it –

There was an explosion of sound and light for Smaug as he gave in to the energy that had been building within him, he felt weightless for a moment, time and space seeming to freeze around him as he felt himself change even at the deepest molecular level. He closed his eyes and allowed the rush that escaped him to carry him to wherever it needed. He had once told Kathryn that fighting magic was pointless and utterly futile, and it was time to heed his own advice, and so allowed it to do with him as it would will.

When he opened his eyes again, he was much higher up, his sight was sharper still then it had been before, and he felt dizzy as the magic drained him of energy. A quick roll of his head and cast of his eye and he saw his full magnificent Dragon form, the transformation was complete and successful. He allowed himself a wickedly evil grin as he turned to look at all of the stunned and terrified faces below him. He roared, the sound exploding from within him with such force that all the mortals below him had to cover their ears from the assault of such a noise. With a flick of his tail, Smug sent the two soldiers that had been holding Kathryn away, breaking their bones into breadcrumbs with his strength. Kathryn had ducked at the last minute, as he had known she would, and she lay there covering her head as she tried not to get in his way. Smaug preferred that as he stood over her protectively and possessively, as much as his giant form would allow in such a small space. He snarled at the soldiers who were trying to reorganise themselves around him, Victis shouting and giving orders. Smaug couldn't breathe fire on them as the small courtyard – that was barely big enough to fit him – meant that he would easily burn Kathryn if he attacked the others as well.

He lurched to the side, his legs wobbling and almost unable to support his weight underneath him, the energy that had been drained from him due to the transformation had still not returned, and it burned his pride to allow these humans to see him so weak. He couldn't breathe fire on them, so instead, he decided to smash them. With one swipe he managed to crush or completely obliterate most of the soldiers, a few leaping clear of his talons and stumbling and running into the castle. Victis managed to avoid the worst, but Smaug was incredibly satisfied to see that he almost severed the man's leg off before he rolled clear and ducked into a passage into the castle.

He could hear the bells ringing again, heard the screams and shouts of soldiers and other humans as they ran throughout the castle. He gave out a deafening roar, the sound rolling over the city, awakening every inhabitant who shook with primal terror as they instinctively realised what had been unleashed within their city. Feeling himself going week once again as he felt his energies drain, Smaug turned and saw Kathryn looking up at him frightfully, but of what, he did not know. But pushing those concerns aside, he plucked her up from the ground with his hand that was not covered in blood and held her possessively to his chest.

With one final roar, his prize in his clutches, Smaug unfurled his wings and leapt into the air, his movements not as graceful as he would have liked due to his weakened state, but he still flew off into the night, his gigantic form melting into the darkness of night until he was literally nothing more than a shadow amongst shadows.

Faervel looked up at the sky, his face pale, his mouth hanging open in unsuppressed terror as he watched the gigantic form of the dragon fade away into nothing in the dark night sky. He was rooted in place where he stood on the battlements that had overlooked the courtyard.

He had been walking through the castle, even in the dead of night, his mind not letting him rest as he was forced to think over all that Kathryn had told him throughout the previous day and what he was going to do about it. He still stood by his statement: Kathryn's feelings were completely sincere, and now that he knew about it, Faervel could feel the connection between them like a thread of magic hanging in the air. But his concern was if the monster was feeling the same as her, or was it all a ploy for something greater? Kathryn had told him the entire story, of how she had come to meet the famous Smaug and how she had fallen in love with him over the course of her captivity and how he had been with her ever since, even extending her life with youth for sixty years. Questions and theories buzzed inside of Faervel's mind all through the night as he pondered the dragon. What could he want with her? Kathryn had admitted that he had originally wanted her for her singing voice and then for her powers as a seer. Faervel could concede to the fact that from what he had heard of Kathryn's singing voice, it was truly beautiful, something even a dragon would take note of, and her powers made her extremely valuable, as he had discovered by her treatment from the nobles of Vathvael. But did the dragon desire her for these reasons? He had given her up once, was he now so bent on having her again because she had returned to him for the destruction of Lake-Town and now it was some draconic impulse that meant he had to have all of his treasures? Faervel didn't understand and he didn't know how to begin to. What a mess all of this was!

He had been on the battlements when he had heard the alarm bells, confusion had sparked through him, and then he had heard the commotion in the courtyard below him. He had looked down to see Kathryn with the human version of Smaug surrounded by soldiers. When the dragon himself had suddenly appeared, Faervel had been knocked back, and then frozen in horror at the destructive power that had been unleashed before him. He had seen how easily the dragon had killed the soldiers, even when he seemed to be clumsy or exhausted from the way his body moved, and then he had plucked up Kathryn in his clutches and made off with her into the night.

Faervel looked up in horror at where they had gone. Kathryn… what had she gotten herself into?

Before he even knew what he was doing, Faervel was running through the castle that was suddenly alive with activity, panicked servants screaming and running for their lives, soldiers marching down the halls to their fallen comrades. The elf amongst them gracefully made his way through the crowd as he went to the small guard rooms where his things had been placed when he had been arrested after bringing Kathryn back to the city. The King had pardoned him for now in order to talk with him more seriously in the morning, but his equipment had been confiscated by the King's Captain so that he wouldn't be a danger to anyone. Faervel found his way inside – the door was unlocked and unguarded, what with everyone being otherwise occupied at that moment. He quickly searched through the racks until he found his bow and knives and satchel, going through everything in order to make sure that he had what he would need.

He didn't know when he had made the decision, but all he knew was that he needed to find Kathryn.

"You are going after Kathryn?" said a small voice.

Faervel spun around to the door, so lost in his own thoughts that he had not heard someone come in and was taken completely by surprise. In the doorway stood the young girl, Freyja – Faervel could faintly remember Kathryn introducing them in the market. She looked at him, her face pale, her hand clutching tightly on the doorknob to the room; how she had found him the elf did not know, but brushed it aside as he cleared his throat of the tense silence that had descended on them.

"Miss Freyja," he said a little gruffly, coughing again until his voice was honey smooth once again. "Forgive me, I did not see you there."

"And you didn't answer my question, sir," the girl said warily, eyeing him as if he were a strange dog that she didn't know would bite her or greet her. "Are you going to go and bring Kathryn back?"

Faervel studied the girl. He did not know her, but he could assess that her concern was genuine if she was so willing to through away her manners which she hadn't been without when last they had met, all for the sake of knowing whether or not he had the answer she sought. Faervel sighed, deciding to admit at least half of the truth, as he couldn't think of a reason as to why he shouldn't tell her.

"I have to," he admitted. "I don't know what that beast plans on doing with her, but I need to make sure she's alive,"

"Then I am coming with you," Freyja said, her tone wanting to be stern, but her body betrayed her as she shuddered a little, and her fear clouded the air around her like a fog.

"What?!" Faervel started, staring at her.

"Kathryn is my friend also… she told me that this is what friends do for each other," she murmured.

"I am sorry Freyja, but I can't let you come. I will not endanger you," he told her in a scolding tone. Kathryn was his friend also, and if she knew that he had put this girl in danger then she would never forgive him, and he would never forgive himself.

"You need me!" she stamped her foot almost like a human child throwing a tantrum.

Faervel looked at the girl in surprise, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as he searched her face, one that was obviously terrified but trying very hard to hide it.

"I know a lot about him," she said quietly. "A lot of things that could help you…"

"And how do you know this?" he asked cautiously, but the girl only gave him the very smallest of smiles.

"You would be surprised at what you learn if you simply sit in a corner and listen,"

It took exactly three days for word to spread out from Vathvael. News was carried from person to person, gossiping ear to ear, carried on the winds and through the forests. Three days was all it took for a rider to hear people talking about what had happened, and then for him to ride as if the fires of hell were at his horse's heels and to get as quickly as he could to Dale. He made his way through the camp, running around demanding where the King was, people seeing the obvious panic the rider was in, eventually pointed him in the right direction. He made his way through the camp towards the city that was in the middle of being rebuilt, and found the new King of Dale standing in the city centre, his crutch held under his arm, standing with the elven lord and the wizard at his sides as they overlooked workers working on the city hall. The rider stumbled towards them, panicked and out of breath as he almost fell exhaustedly at his King's feet. The three males looked at the rider in concern and confusion, Bard hobbling forward in order to come closer to the man as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Braga?" he looked at the former captain with worry, his burns and injuries from the attack of Lake-Town not fully healed, but they hadn't been as bad as some others. He shook the man's shoulder trying to make sense of his mad ramblings. "What is it man?"

"D-d-d-dra-dra-dra…" he mumbled, eyes unfocused and voice hoarse. "Va-vae-vae…"

"Here…" Gandalf mumbled as he knelt before the man and touched the side of his face with his fingertips. Instantly, Braga stilled, holding in a long breath, before slowly releasing it and calming some of his pent up nerves. Gandalf kept his grey eyes focused on the man as he, Bard and Elrond all waited patiently for the man to speak. When he did, Braga's voice was slurred, a monotone as if he were speaking from within a deep sleep, his body was slumped as his eyes heavy lidded.

"Heard word… from Dorwinion…" he said sleepily.

"Yes…" Gandalf said slowly, comfortingly as he encouraged the man to continue. "Tell us what you heard."

"Vathvael… had a… was… attacked…" Braga murmured.

"Attacked?" Gandalf grumbled as his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Attacked how?"

"Was attacked… by… dragon…"

There was a heavy silence that hung over the group as they stared in disbelieving horror, each struggling to process what they had just heard. Gandalf looked at the former captain, his eyes wide as his sharp mind tried to comprehend what this could mean. A dragon? Attacking Dorwinion? So close after Smaug's death and seeming to come out of the blue… it didn't make sense. Smaug was one of the last of the Great Fire Drakes, yes a few others existed but none had ever boldly come to Middle-Earth since Smaug himself. And what could Dorwinion have? It was a nation built on political power and trading wealth, no mountains of gold in any safe that would draw the necessary attention of a dragon of all creatures. Would could possibly have drawn such a beast there?

"It appeared… from nowhere…" Braga carried on in that dreary tone. "Attacked the castle… killed people… stole… stole…"

"What?" Gandalf whispered urgently, his heart quivering as a wave of dread swept over him, freezing his blood in his veins. "What did it steal?!"

"A… S-S-Seer…"

Another deadly silence hung over the group, one perhaps more shocking then the first, Gandalf couldn't breathe as he attempted to figure how any of this was possible. A dragon attack on Vathvael… a seer stolen…

"Gandalf," Elrond breathed out in a shaking whisper, and Gandalf turned to see the fearful yet disbelieving look in his friend's eyes. "This cannot be…"

"It would appear, Lord Elrond," Gandalf murmured gravely. "That there is no such thing as coincidence,"

As Gandalf and Elrond learned of Smaug and Kathryn's continued existence, unbeknownst to them, said dragon and seer were making their way south.

Throughout the night that they had escaped from Vathvael they flew until the dawn's light. At that point Smaug had grown perhaps too exhausted from the transformation, its effects on him had finally caught up with him and he needed rest. They had found a cave in the foothills that bordered the south-western side of the Sea of Rhun, one only just large enough to fit them both at a squeeze, and Smaug had slept for the entire day recuperating his energy. Kathryn had slept as much as she could, though her constant worry of pursuers kept her awake and on watch whilst Smaug slept. Come nightfall, the demands of her body also began to catch up with her as she was suddenly starving for food and dressed only in a nightgown and a robe the cold easily got to her flesh, making her shiver. Smaug had awoken once true darkness had descended, finally back to his usual self, and had immediately noticed his human's state. Without a word he had with his tail brushed all the debris that littered the cave such as dead leaves, twigs and branches into a small pile and set it on fire, offering a slight warmth which Kathryn huddled around almost desperately. Smaug had then unceremoniously exited the cave and found a large boulder which he used to block three quarters of the entrance, despite Kathryn's shouts of protest. There was enough space to allow air in and out but was too high and offered some protection to his treasure should would-be thieves be skulking about. Smaug had then ignored Kathryn's shouts to him as he had flown off into the night to go hunting. He had only returned several hours later when he had filled his own belly with fish and whale meat from the sea and then gone hunting for a little farm pig for Kathryn. When he returned to the cave he had cooked the meat in his fiery breath and ripped off a chunk for Kathryn to have. She was still sulking over the fact that he had left her, so she only grumbled her "thank you" before digging in to her little meal.

Once they were both fed, Smaug had then snatched Kathryn back up in his claws and flown off again. They continued south-west, Smaug having knowledge of a place where they might find shelter and for him to hide and rest and plan his next move. He knew a lot of geographical knowledge of Middle-Earth, particularly the east, if only from stories or the faint glimpses of maps and diagrams he had seen in his treasures or on the many tapestries and wall decorations in Erebor. He knew roughly where he was headed for now, and so began to search for his destination. He only had a few hours of flight however, before the sun came up and he was forced to land and hide within a small woodland. Smaug had resigned himself to flying at night so that he wouldn't be seen and therefore tracked; he was not worried about pursuers for himself but for Kathryn. He didn't want to leave her to hunt one day and find that someone had followed him and taken her away. So he was flying at night when he would be less visible; he could have simply flown higher during the day so that anyone who did look up would only see a slight speck in the sky and think it to be a bird. But then Kathryn would freeze in the temperatures of the sky, and he preferred her to be warm and breathing with a functional beating heart.

He waited for night to fall once again, letting Kathryn stretch her legs whilst they were grounded, though never letting her out of his sight. He had dozed during the day, only waking on occasion to fully assess his situation, have a small conversation with Kathryn, and then go back to dozing. Kathryn usually slept during the middle of their flight, safe and warm in the grasp of his hand. With the dark of the night, Smaug had picked her up once again and leapt into the air, enjoying the rush of the wind under his wings as he flew out and back upon his course. After two hours he spotted a farm and had quickly dived to pluck a cow from its herd, before landing a few miles away so that Kathryn could eat and he gobble up what she left – which was almost all of it seeing as her tiny stomach hardly ate anything in comparison to him.

They flew through the night, and it was in the early hours of the morning, dawn not far off, when they finally reached their destination.

The flat and almost barren lands that they had been flying over for the past few hours slowly gave way to hills, which steadily grew in size and steepness until it formed giant crags and canyons, steep cliffs made of black rock that all looked like rotten dragon teeth poking out from the ground. From Smaug's vantage point as he flew over the top of the crags, he could see that these rocky formations were like a maze, stretching for perhaps a hundred miles from north to south and just about seventy-five miles from east to west. Smaug flew through the seemingly identical crags, where a mortal might get lost in the labyrinth that the hills created, but Smaug put it all to memory, knowing that if he was to hide out here, he would need to know every twist and turn when making his way through here. He searched for about an hour, looking for a suitable cave where he could fit inside comfortably – a rather tall order considering his massive size – but was also not too exposed to trespassers. He would not give up his search, even as he spent close to two hours looking through pitiful holes or great caverns that were too close to the ground or were practically advertised for thieves to come in. If only he could find a suitable cave…

But then, he found something better…

More towards the south, hidden from view by great crags that surrounded it on the north, east and western sides, lay a huge, broken and abandoned fortress. A keep with a massive square structure as the main body of the building, that looked to be plenty large enough for Smaug to fit through, a broken bridge that once connected it to the main crag, as the fortress itself was sitting atop a sheer cliff, one solitary tower rose high above the fortress itself, poking out amongst the crag-tops in order to look out over the landscape, the tower-top being what had caught Smaug's attention in the first place. Excitement brewing within him, Smaug dived down towards the old fortress, quickly scenting the air as he drew closer, noting the absence of life in and all around the structure, nothing had been here in a long, long time. Perfect.

Landing on the edge of the broken stone bridge, hopping slight as he walked on three legs instead of four as he clutched Kathryn in one hand still, folding his wings tightly against his sides as he squeezed his way through the almost gigantic double doors, though he still managed to break part of the wall off in order to fit his size. But once inside, he found it to be rather satisfying: plenty of room for him to move about, the entrance chamber leading to more chambers further down that seemed to have been carved from the rocky cliff the fortress was atop. Finding his way into what was probably once the vault, Smaug finally released Kathryn, who looked about their new surroundings in wide eyed wonder but also with caution.

"Where are we?" she asked in a small voice, looking at the shadows around her nervously.

"We are in the hills of Emyn Muil," Smaug told her, his deep voice echoing through the chamber ominously.

"And what is this place?" she asked further when it seemed that Smaug would not elaborate upon his statement.

"A place long forgotten…" Smaug said thoughtfully as he too looked about the chamber, at the stone walls where torn and ragged tapestries hung eerily still, stacks of rusted and cobweb covered armour lining the walls, a few ancient coins scattering the floor with the occasional goblet or piece of parchment or broken barrels. "Considering that we are geographically close to Mordor, the only thing standing between us and there being the Dead-Marshes. I would say that this was a fortress once being a stronghold against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron,"

He noticed Kathryn's involuntary shiver as he spoke the name, fear flickering across her face and he could hear her heart hammering. Smaug didn't like to see her so distressed, and fought the urge to growl at the memory of her fear from when she had seen the apparition of the defeated Ring-Lord.

"How do you know that?" she asked him, trying to put her mind off of her fearful memories.

"Humans, dwarves and elves alike all like to hear themselves talk," he said dismissively as he laid down his huge bulk upon the floor, curling up as his eyelids grew heavy, and he yawned, flashing his long fangs in the dim light. "They talk long enough – even when they are unaware that you're there – you hear things,"

"And you don't?" Kathryn looked over at him, raising a brow at him almost playfully.

"Don't I what?" he narrowed his eyes at her suspicious.

"You: Smaug the Golden, Smaug the Wondrous, Smaug the Magnificent, Smaug the O-so-pompous one, you of all people are commenting on others liking the sound of their own voices?" She smirked.

"Be careful with that witty tongue, Kathryn," Smaug growled irritably.

"Don't mistake me," Kathryn held her hands up as if in surrender, though she could not supress a full grin from creeping across her face. "I'm not exactly complaining… I love the sound of it," he could hear her heart beating wildly with nerves as she gathered her courage to boldly state her next words. "Especially when used in the context of… the other night,"

A sound erupted from Smaug's chest, something between a dark purr and a growl, his eyes flashing as they locked onto her, claws scraping against the ground as he clenched his fingers with the involuntary roar in his blood at her words. Heat pooled through him that had nothing to do with his inner fire, the animalistic sounds coming from his throat made it hard for him to speak out a quick remark. The lust that shot through his body was unlike anything he could comprehend, it fogged his brain and made reckless notions and ideas come to him that was probably not so good for either of their health's. Knowing that he couldn't appease such fantasies right now, he quickly tried to beat down his own desire, slowly regaining control as he watched Kathryn's smug face at knowing that she had gotten to him. He growled again; he wanted nothing more than to have his pretty little human in every single which way he could, and even considered at some point in the near future taking perhaps days as a human – once he figured out how the transformation process worked exactly – in order to explore the possibilities and to… test her endurance, so to speak. But he was almost cast into a foul mood to think that he couldn't have anything now, not even to show her who exactly she was dealing with, even though she already knew. But if she wanted to play with fire, then he would play.

Quicker than the eye could follow, Smaug wrapped his tail around Kathryn's body, pining her arms to her sides as he brought her close towards his face, locking his blade thin pupils with hers so that she could see how he was barely controlling himself for her. He wanted her to know how close to the edge he really was, wanted to see the realisation dawn on her face.

"Do not tempt me with such a delicious offer, my sweet," he purred at her, his eyes glowing darkly.

"Your 'Sweet'?" Kathryn asked, though couldn't quite keep the tremble out of her voice.

"Yes," Smaug chuckled. "Because I can still remember the sweet taste of you, the scent of your desire… sweet like the richest honey… and all MINE." he growled to her, letting the vibrations of his voice roll through her body. Within the coils of his tail, he gave her a firm squeeze, though not enough to harm her, the end of his tail twisting around one of her legs, the rough scales scratching against her skin, leaving her trembling. He watched in satisfaction as he had her at his mercy, revelling in his victory, in the power he had over her, right up until he could scent the slightest change in her scent when the spice of her arousal began to filter into the air.

He quickly put her down, depositing her within the crook of his elbow before lying himself back down as if nothing had transpired, though he was fighting every instinct within him to keep control. Kathryn took a moment to get her own body and breathing under control as she looked at Smaug incredulously.

"Get some sleep," he grumbled.

"Fine." She mumbled. She tossed and turned for a moment, trying to get comfortable, before eventually settling with her upper body draped over his forearm as she ran her fingers across his scales soothingly. They lay in silence for a while, and Smaug was just drifting off to sleep, when he heard her murmur softly. "So this is home now?"

For now. Smaug thought to himself darkly, though he did not speak his thoughts aloud.

Author's Note: Hey! So, sorry its been a while, but now that I'm home for the summer my day time is being taken up by lovely baby sisters so I only have the evenings to write now. But I hope that this long-ish chapter makes up for it!

A quick couple of announcements to make. Firstly, the wonderful RainSpark, which some of you may remember did a 8tracks playlist for Heart of Fire, well, she has now done one for Heart of Ashes! :D I've listened to it, it's brilliant, and I thoroughly recommend that you guys hear it. There's a link to it on my Author's page! Secondly, I feel the need to mention my good friend NativeAvenger, who with his amazing story, a Hobbit/Demon Souls crossover, has placed a cameo appearance of my character Kathryn! :D I am literally bouncing off the walls and recommend you guys check it out. I find it so cool to see his interpretation of my character!

And now please review! Tell me what you thought of: Smaug's thinking in the midnight stillness? the soldier attack? the courtyard? the transformation? Faervel and Freyja? Gandalf and Elrond? Smaug and Kathryn finding the fortress (I don't know if there is actually a fortress in the crags, that's a little liberty I took as we only saw a little of that place in Two Towers)? And Smaug and Kat's flirty banter ;)

Hope you guys enjoyed it, and can't wait to hear what you think! x X x