Author's Note: For the song in this chapter, if you go to youtube: "Kindle My Heart" by Karliene, for the song. Then after that, I was listening to 2 tracks on repeat as I was writing: Follow Your Heart and Whisper of Hope (extended) by Gothic Storm. Just something to listen to for the mood of the final chapter.

Chapter 24 – Epilogue

"Long live Dragons!" – Dragon-lovers sign-off

Gandalf stood amongst the wreckage of the battlefield, his ancient eyes scouring over the wrecked clearing. The ground was upturned, tracks and scrapes from large animals that had battled here evident in the churned dirt. The trees around the clearing were blackened and burned beyond recovery, though surprisingly a forest fire had not started, even when it appeared that many trees at the clearing's edge had succumbed to the flames. And then there was a very tangible hum in the air, one that only Gandalf could faintly detect: the aftermath of magic in the air. Yes, a great battle had taken place here the night before, and Gandalf walked amongst the wreckage, the afternoon sun shining down upon him as he walked amongst Elrond's elven soldiers who were looking through the debris in the empty clearing for any sign of their quarry. But honestly, Gandalf was not surprised to see that they were not here, and it made his old lips twitch into a smile.

After releasing Smaug and watching in horror as the dragon had taken his revenge on the witch Andraya, Gandalf had been unable to stop the dragon as he launched into the air and raced off to find Kathryn. In all truth, Gandalf had wanted the dragon to find her, agreeing that the beast was surely the only one who could get to her in time. But after that, Elrond had amassed his small troop of soldiers and they had all rode south to try and follow the dragon, though they soon lagged far behind. It had taken them a while to ride around the city walls to reach the southern point, but it was then, that they had noticed that something wasn't quite right. Gandalf had then felt the pulses of magic in the air, and then they had all heard the very distant roars of a dragon, very far off but could still hear the battle. They had then seen the flashes of fire in the distance, and had all set out towards it. But then, they had all seen that as they rode towards their destination, flashes of light lit up the sky like lightning, and Gandalf could practically feel the hum of Raw Magic as it struck out into the physical realm. And then, had come the explosion of magic, and even though it was some distance away, the force was still enough to knock them all off of their horses and make them black out. Once they returned to consciousness, Gandalf suspected that a few hours had passed, and they had all continued on their journey. It wasn't until almost midday that they had arrived at the battlefield, only to find it empty. There was no one there.

"So that's it?" Gandalf's thoughts were interrupted at the sound of Bilbo by his side, the poor Hobbit looked as nervous as a rabbit as he glanced about at the trees as if the shadows of the forest could hold the dragon of his nightmares within them. Gandalf couldn't help but feel pity for the poor fellow, he knew it would take a while for this fear to truly leave the poor Hobbit and allow him to live a normal life, though he suspected that Bilbo was now through with his adventures. The hobbit then looked up at Gandalf, eyes shifting uneasily. "Are they dead?"

"There are no bodies," Came Elrond's voice as he came to stand on Bilbo's other side, the elf Faervel beside him. "Besides, those two have survived death before…"

"So they're gone?" Bilbo suggested, his tone betraying how he didn't view that to be any better than death.

"Then we should go after them!" Faervel said fiercely.

"No," Gandalf finally said, his voice calm and collected, immediately easing the growing tension he sensed in the younger elf. "I suspect that they are far from us now. We must trust that they will keep their promises,"

"Trust Smaug?" Faervel scoffed. "You cannot think to let them slip through your fingers!"

"Oh, I have a feeling that we will see them again. But for now… we have greater problems to deal with."

Indeed, for Gandalf could feel it in the very air itself around him, in the scars the earth now bore from the battle that took place here. It wasn't over, whatever had happened here had only delayed what was to come. Darker forces were now at work, and waiting to strike. Gandalf could only hope that they were all ready for when that happened.

Consciousness slowly drifted back to Smaug as he lay there upon the ground. Light filtered in behind his eyelids, broken by the shade of trees that hung above him. The first thing he was aware of was how much his body ached: he felt exhausted, his bones felt ancient, his muscles stiff, and the pain from the wound in his leg was now just a dull burn. It had stopped bleeding but it was still very tender. But he was alive, and Kathryn was too, he could feel her now that the bond had been cleared. He theorised that when Fankil had chained her soul to his with his dark magic, it had blocked Smaug off, but when she mysteriously broken his control, Smaug had felt the blocks evaporate and he and Kathryn were one once more. Smaug didn't know how long he had slept after the battle against Fankil, he only knew that he had collapsed into unconsciousness, only waking perhaps just before dawn, fighting his own exhaustion as he knew he couldn't stay in that place. Not only would it be likely that someone had noticed the battle and come looking, but Fankil might return if they stayed. So, Smaug had carefully gathered Kathryn into his hands, limping as he lurching as he pushed into the air. He'd only flown for ten minutes before his body had shut down against his will, and he was forced to land in the thick of the forest. He'd curled up under the trees, Kathryn beside him as he hoped that no one would find them until he next awoke.

And now he lay there, simply dozing, unknowing of how long he had spent in his second round of unconsciousness, but knew that he was still not rested enough to make any long journeys to safety. Smaug didn't trust the mortals he had left behind at Vathvael to leave him alone, but his mind was currently so exhausted that he just wanted to rest again. But he knew that he was not the only one in need of recovery, and so he tentatively reached through the bond for Kathryn, and felt her presence. She was not beside him as he would have liked, instead, she was perhaps fifty feet away from him, but unmoving. Smaug trusted in the fact that she was safe and not far if he needed to reach her, and so continued to doze. He laid there for some time, neither asleep nor waking as he remained laying there with his eyes closed, feeling his body repair itself piece by piece, restoring his energy slowly as he allowed his wings to extend slightly out of the shade of the tree he lay under in order to soak up the rays of the sun. He couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed basking like this; it had been so long, not since before he'd conquered Erebor, when he had last simply laid himself in the sun and enjoyed a peaceful moment of scales growing warm and strong in the heat and light. It was serene.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours, Smaug finally had the energy to open his eyes. He was immediately met by the sight of trees surrounding him on all sides, other than where the sun broke through the canopy to wash his wing membranes in golden light. Although the forest around him was silent, he could hear in the distance the sounds of animals and birds and running water and wind through leaves. He sighed, taking note of the calm atmosphere and how it helped to dull his earlier paranoia at being found. So, he winced as he forced his tired muscles to raise his head, curling his long neck around so that he could inspect his wound. It had not been treated, but so far was no infected. He was grateful for that small gift at least, and so instinctively began to like at the large wound, cleaning out all dried blood and using his hot saliva to clean the wound. Like that of dogs, dragon's saliva was antiseptic, even with the fact that it was almost boiling-warm to human standards. His thick saliva would help to clean and seal the injury for now, though it was still weak and Smaug knew he would have a limp until it was fully healed. Only a fool ignored their injuries, and Smaug did not consider himself one; he would regularly treat the wound until it was fully healed, otherwise he run the risk of infection as well as having a limp for life – perish the thought!

It was as he was finishing his task, that Smaug became aware of a noise: singing. Smaug knew that voice, and immediately felt it resonate within his heart and pull at something deep within him, bringing to him that sense of perfection and awe that he always felt when he heard it. It made him want to get closer to it, as if by doing so he would be closer to heaven's music itself. Smaug turned his head towards a thicket of bushes, where the sound of the singing was coming from, not too far away. Smaug wouldn't even have to get up, his long serpentine neck would easily be able to reach that short distance. So, Smaug moved his head over the bushes, to see Kathryn sitting on a rock beside a small stream, naked still, her back to him. She was singing softly to herself, her tone sad, almost grieving as sang the haunting melody. With her back to him, Smaug could see that her own injuries were already healing, now scabbed over and seeming to fade: perhaps due to the magic that had caused them it had sped the healing process, though Smaug still found himself distressed at the sheer number of injuries he saw on her back and the backs of her arms alone. Smaug would have said something, but restrained himself, choosing instead to listen to his beloved as she sang.

"As the moon kindles the night
As the wind kindles the fire
As the rain fills every ocean
With your heart kindle my heart

Take my heart, take my heart
Kindle it with your heart
And my heart cannot be kindled without you
With your heart kindle my heart..."

She paused, and Smaug heard her choke softly, something catching in her throat. Smaug sensed the rise of emotion across their bond, felt deep hurt and grief in her very core, he could smell the salt of her tears which she refused to allow to fall. The emotion and truth in her voice as she sang cut him as deeply as the black arrow had, and in her small pause, Smaug felt himself feel something he had never known before: regret. He regretted for the fact that his own actions had hurt her so; all he had wanted was to have her by his side, to make her happy and to make her stay with him, but he had only hurt her and in so doing had hurt himself. The dragon had never once apologised nor doubted anything he had every done before, he always believed in what he did and always knew he was in the right. But for all his life, he had only ever had himself to care about. Kathryn had weakened him, he realised; she'd carved her place in his heart and he now cared for her so that she might continue to hold that place that he now knew he couldn't live without. But by caring for her, he had left himself open, for now he couldn't be the way he once had been, not without hurting her and thereby hurting himself. Perhaps he had realised this too late, perhaps not, though it still stung his pride, he still felt true remorse. And in that moment of shared pain between them, Smaug felt compelled as he gently leaned forward, not uttering a word, nor making a sound, his breath of a soft sigh being the only thing to warn her of his presence. She tensed briefly, but Smaug continued ahead, and placed the end of his muzzle against her back. Kathryn gasped, her whole body tensing, before her shoulders collapsed, and she leaned against him, a sob escaping her throat as she allowed herself to feel her sorrow. Smaug kept his nose at her back, allowing her to lean on him as he tried to be comforting, for the first time in his life. He listened to her continue her song, pushing through to sing even as she sobbed and continued to weep.

"As the moon kindles the night
As the wind kindles the fire
As the rain fills every ocean
With your heart kindle my heart

Take my heart, take my heart
Kindle it with your heart
And my heart cannot be kindled without you
With your heart kindle my heart"

They stayed silent and still for a long time, taking in the silence of the world around them, as if they were the only two souls. Smaug wouldn't have thought this a bad thing, but at the moment he just wanted something to break the silence, to say something, anything, but found that no words could convey what he wanted. His once fiery heart now felt like crumbling ash inside of him, and he didn't know how to stop it. But he had to try.

"Kathryn…" he whispered, his voice still a little hoarse and not as rich from the fight last night.

"Please don't," she whispered. Smaug's eyes focused on the back of her head, where she had not turned around to face him. She then began to mumble something, but the whispers refused to fully form themselves. "I can't… I can't…"

"Hush, we're here now," Smaug thought he sounded somewhat awkward, but pushed past it as he gently nuzzled her back, still trying to be soothing. "We're together, it's –"

"No."

Smaug stopped, bringing his head back a little in order to stare at her with an unreadable expression. He didn't say anything, not trusting himself encase he jumped to conclusions, and waited for her to fill in the gap.

"I can't," she finally whispered.

"What?"

"Smaug… I can't do this. I can't deal with it anymore. The heartbreak, the hurt, the anger, the grief… all of it you bring me… I can't handle it." she whispered brokenly, tears evident in her voice as she bowed her neck to place her head in her hands.

"No," he whispered, denial racing through him although with a flash of hurt and anger, though he beat both down as he tried to focus rationally. He knew that getting too emotional – despite the fact that that was his usual response – would only bring ruin to this already fragile situation. "That can't be –"

"My heart can't handle anymore!" she snapped, shoulders shaking to try and contain her own emotions.

"But you're here!" he stressed at her, a hint of frustration entering his voice. "If you truly felt that way, then why are you still here?"

"Because I…" she hesitated, turning her head slightly so that he could only see the slight corner of her face as she debated her words, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Because I do love you. Valar forgive me, I do!" she wept, taking in a heavy breath before she could continue. "But I can't. I have to stay here, with you, to save everyone else. To protect them from me, from you. I have no other choice. I can't love you: you've broken me too many times."

Smaug would not lie that her words stung. They stabbed at a place deep inside his heart, threatening to shatter whatever sanity he had left. She would stay with him, yes, she had admitted that. But she couldn't love him? That break him as surely as her leaving. Would she hate him forever, drive him to madness with her rejection and scorn because of his past transgressions? He supposed that in her eyes he deserved as much, and once again he was brought to regret. Though this time, it made him angry. He'd never once been sorry for who he was, so why should he feel so wretched by what he had done, when all he'd been doing was trying to do what was best for him. He tried to turn his anger into something that might help him, as he tried to snake his neck around in an attempt to see her face, though he could not reach without moving the rest of his body, and also she would not let him.

"Kathryn," he said almost fiercely. "I have done many things in my life, all of them to satisfy my own wants. But for a long time, all I have done, I have done for you. It is in my nature to take what I want and to guard it with everything I have and however I can. I will not apologise for who I am. You do not want that, no matter how you may pretend to. And I cannot change what I am; a dragon will not be brought down so," he saw how her shoulders curled under his almost angry tirade, seeing her draw deeper into herself, and he forced himself to sigh in an attempt to try and calm himself, before his desperation ran away with him. "But… I want you. I want you more than anything else in this world. I tried to keep you before, but all it did was bring us to this. I don't want you here out of obligation, I want YOU!" Be damned with his pride, he thought, he was actually begging her now. "A dragon never gives up their treasures, and you are my greatest treasure! But you're more than that, you are my mate, my one, the one I will bind myself to. Yet you still turn your back on me?!" he hissed, starting to become angry as his own emotions bubbled up until he couldn't even name them. "YOU have broken ME! My life was fine until you entered it, until you changed everything for me; now all I can think is of you, all I want is for your happiness. You make me do things that hurt my pride and drive me MAD just for a taste of your affections! I would do anything for you, be anything for you! Is that not enough?! I love you!"

Once the words were out of his mouth, he knew there was no taking them back, and they were gone before he could think to stop them. And strangely enough… Smaug found that he didn't want to. He had never said the words before, he had once thought he'd never needed to say it, it had all been very clear in his eyes. But now that the words had been spoken, a line had been drawn, and he had blasted right past it in his attempt to reach her. Now, there was no going back, and Smaug could only hope that such a thing would not come back one day to destroy him. To admit that he loved her aloud, it was like displaying to the world his greatest weakness, to strip away his armour and leave him bare for others to strike. But he did not regret it, of all things, he didn't regret it at all.

She was silent for a long time, and for one terrifying moment, Smaug thought that that would be it: she would forever shut him out, never release the silence; it was over. But then, she slowly moved, turning her body around so that she could face him, so that he could see her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and exhaustion, red marks lines her cheeks from the tracks of her tears. She had a few scratches, as well as wounds across her throat, chest and stomach that were similar to those on her back. Her hair was wild and tangled, some curly strands falling in her face though she made no motion to move them. She stared at him, eyes locking with his in a guarded but also pitiful gaze, as if she was trying desperately not to dare hope. And then, finally, she spoke.

"I want to believe you…" she murmured, and Smaug found that he was waiting on bated breath for her next words. "But if I do… what is to stop you from destroying this again? I love you but…" She then turned to fully face him, her hands reaching out to grab at the sides of his muzzle, holding onto him for dear life, her knuckles turning white, her fingernails finding the small grooves between his scales. "I want you to promise me, swear to me now Smaug. I cannot be with you unless you swear that you will not go back to how it used to be. No more death. No more killing. No more evil. No more darkness. Promise me."

Smaug was silent for a long moment, his eyes catching hold of hers as he stared unblinking as the tears of desperation and hope shone in her purple gaze. His answer caught in his throat, and he found that his mind suddenly halted. Could he promise this? He was no fool, he knew what she was asking: to abandon everything he had known, all his plans, and to leave it all behind. It meant that he couldn't go after the mountain again, he couldn't reclaim the treasure of Erebor, and he could not have his revenge on those that had hurt him and Kathryn. But also, he couldn't do it anew to some new place either. Once again, he felt his anger flare at his pride, why should he have to give up what was rightfully his as a dragon, just because she demanded it of him?! But then… what would happen to him if she completely sealed off her heart from him? He'd just told her that he couldn't be without her, and he had been right: she was his greatest treasure, and so much more. Could he make such a promise, could he give away all the treasures of the world for the greatest single one of the all? But then, he thought back to his new affliction: the Wizard Gandalf had told him in not so many uncertain words that if Smaug succumbed to the more darker aspects of his draconic nature, then he would fall to the dark poison that now lay at rest inside of him. It had already cost him in the battle against Fankil, what more would it do to him?

As he looked back at Kathryn, he knew that there was only one answer he could give.

"I promise." He murmured softly.

Kathryn sat in silence for a moment, looking into his eyes with shock, her mind unable to process this for a moment. But then, tears gathered in her eyes, a sad smile spread across her face, the tears falling softly onto his scales with soft a "pitter-patter" sound. They remained still for a moment, until Smaug slowly pushed himself forward, until the end of his muzzle was pressed against her stomach, the end of his nose practically in her lap. Almost instinctively, Kathryn folded herself around, wrapping her arms around the bridge of his snout, her naked body pressed against him as they embraced each other.

Smaug knew that nothing was set between them, far from it. They may have bargained for a new start for the both of them, and that it seemed clear that they could at least try to find happiness in the days ahead. But it was more than clear that it would take time on both their parts in order to heal from everything that had occurred. Smaug needed time to adjust to the path that he had now been set on, and Kathryn needed to learn to trust him again. But he would work for it, he vowed that now to himself, now that he had all the time in the world with her, he didn't care how long it took, he would find a way to open her heart to him once again. He would find their happiness.

They stayed there in that small clearing for the rest of the day, Smaug forcing himself to move once the sun had set in an attempt to get them some place safer. They spent weeks in that forest, moving from place to place, and waiting until Smaug's leg healed enough for him to at least stand on it so that he could get airborne. Then, it was onto their search for a new home, and as much as Smaug's heart felt heavy still from the prospect of never seeing his beloved treasure again, which he had worshipped as his own for the best part of two centuries; he knew he had to let it go. He needed to move on. Neither of them knew where they might end up, only that they needed to move and go where others would not find them. They both agreed that it would be in the best interest of all if they stayed away from others. They needed to be someplace far away, Fankil was still out there, the lack of a body making Smaug all the more frustrated at the fact that he hadn't killed the foul creature, meaning that it could come back for them if they were not careful.

And that was not all, Kathryn had told Smaug of what she had seen after the battle before she'd blacked out: the eye wreathed in flames. Smaug theorised that thanks to their little stunt against Fankil, darker forces where no alerted to their presence, meaning that they needed to go into hiding. Smaug would be damned if he let anyone have Kathryn now, after all he had gone through to keep her safe. If they were searching for them, then let the whole world come looking; they would not be so easily found. He would make sure of it.

And Kathryn would be by his side throughout. The prospect brought an unexpected smile to his scaly muzzle.

To Be Continued…

A/N: So, here it is... the final chapter... A very different kind of ending from Heart of Fire, wouldn't you agree? ;)

Whilst I am very sad to see such a big part of my life these past few months come to an end, I am also rather grateful. Mainly, to all you people who have stuck by me with this in this story, through all my delays and small chapters and big chapters and pauses. It hasn't been the easiest ride, but you have no idea how thankful I am to each and every one of you. Like Heart of Fire, Ashes, has gone under a huge transformation from what I originally planned, and that is due to feedback and help from all my lovely supporters. I want to give special thanks to those people, and they know who they are, so BIG HUGS AND KISSES AND COOKIES AND THANKS!

And to all of you who have reviewed and liked, and favoruited this story, you have no idea how grateful I am. There were times when I was afraid that this story wasn't getting loved any more, but your comments really inspired me and made me believed that there is someone somewhere who still likes this, no matter what :) and for new fans, I hope you all continue to stay with me as I continue on.

Now, for news regarding the third and final instalment of the trilogy, I plan on making it a Hobbit/Lord of the Rings crossover, so it won't be in the Hobbit archive. But, due to uni work as well as my other commitments, I'm taking a small break from the Heart series until my other current stories are finished, and then I will begin with the next story, which will be called: "Heart of the Inferno". Trust, if I've learned anything these past few months, its that trying to write four stories at once is exhausting -_- But don't worry! I WILL write the final story, its just going to take a while until its here. I want it to be perfect for you lovely readers so I'm going to take my time. I hope that's okay.

BUT, if you want something to wet your appetite, then on my youtube channel, I have posted a TRAILER for the final story! There's a link on my profile page if you want to check it out! :)

But for now, I sign off. And as the quote at the beginning of this chapter says: Long Live Dragons!

Forever yours,

Donovan94

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