Life is Precious
This one's shorter than the last, but that's mostly because there's a POV switch immediately after where this one leaves off. Hope you enjoy, though!
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Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings.
Chapter Three:
"Remember, no one says anythin' about what happened," Holdred reminded his children. After leaving the isolated valley, he had tracked down their horse, which hadn't run too far away. The beast was a loyal creature and wouldn't completely abandon his master even with a dragon nearby. Now, they were approaching Edoras as they had left, with Earyth riding and the two men walking on either side.
"What about mother?" her brother asked.
"Especially not your mother. She has enough to worry about without adding this to the pile." Now that they were closer to the town, they knew they had to watch what they said. If anyone caught wind of a dragon living nearby, there would be a panic. And if anyone learned that the dragon had let them live—or worse, that he was somehow bound to Earyth—there would be a mob. Her and her entire family would be killed. Witchcraft they would call it.
Honestly, she didn't know what she would call it.
Fate? Luck? Destiny? Or was it really as bad as sorcery? Smaug had already spoken of a wizard who was involved in this. But was he a good wizard or bad wizard? She had a feeling this grey wizard was a good one if she was remembering the old stories right. Why he would do this was completely unknowable without tracking him down.
"What of the wizard?" she suddenly asked. Now that they were in the stables, there was some semblance of privacy. The only other person in here was the stable boy, but he was far enough away to not hear if they kept their voices down.
Both Earyth and Fulcred looked to their father expectantly, figuring he would know more than they. And true enough, he did. "Gandalf, a friend to the King." He shook his head. "He is a wanderer, comes and goes as he chooses, usually when his presence is needed—even if no one else knows why yet."
"I'd say his presence is needed," her brother muttered.
"Aye," their father nodded, unstrapping the saddle. "But there's no way to summon him without arousing suspicion. For now, we bide our time and not speak of this to anyone. I have no doubt he will show himself eventually, especially if he really did have something to do with...this." He put the saddle up and grabbed his bags and sword, hefting them over his shoulder. "Both of you are to stay in the city."
Both of his children nodded, so he nodded, satisfied with their responses. Earyth had expected him to ask as much, and while she would heed her father's advice, she knew her 'distractions' would end up getting worse. Already she wanted to go back. If Smaug was now her responsibility—still trying to get her head around that—shouldn't she be at least spending some time with him. She didn't want him to think she would take advantage of this situation. He was still a living, breathing, talking creature—a person—no matter what horrible things he'd done in the past.
If she could prevent him from doing such things again, maybe this whole messed up situation wouldn't be so bad. And if he was bound to her...there was a possibility of having him do good, right? She could force him, yes, but she didn't want to. She would much rather him do things of his own accord. If they were going to be stuck together, it was better to have a relationship based on respect rather than resentment, for sure.
The only problem with that logic: why should he ever respect someone like her?
It was a dilemma that Earyth would no doubt be thinking about constantly. How to think about this and what to do about it were only the tip of her problems now. Smaug couldn't stay this close to Edoras. He would be discovered eventually. So did she order him to leave without her, or was she going to have to leave her home? She really didn't want to leave, but if she didn't have a choice...
She sighed heavily, her father and brother glancing at her in worry as they approached their home. Holdred placed a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder. "We'll figure somethin' out," he gently assured her. "Best not to worry needlessly."
Oh, but there definitely was a need to worry. If she was somehow bound to a wolf or a bear, at least then she wouldn't have to be too concerned about people finding out. They'd just assume she had saved the poor thing's life, and it was just following her around like a pet. But it wasn't that simple.
She was bound to a dragon. And not just any dragon, no. It had to be the biggest, meanest, and most cruel of them all if the stories were to be believed. 'Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities' he was called, and not for naught. Smaug would kill anyone who stumbled upon him if she wasn't there to stop him. And even if she did stop him, the witness would just report his presence and accuse her of being a witch.
Oh, now the headache was coming on.
Upon entering, Fulcred ran to grab a new pair of trousers while Earyth and Holdred sat at the dinner table where four bowls of vegetable stew with an accompanying slice of bread were already set up. Her mother joined them, and the three waited for Fulcred to return before digging in to their supper.
"So..." her mother began as the other three began eating. "How was the trip?" It took several seconds of silence before Earyth realized the question was addressed to her.
"It was...fun." Her mother didn't seem to buy her answer. No surprise there since Earyth herself didn't believe it.
"Shall I assume, then, that there will be no more trips to the mountains?" Cynewyn looked around the table expectantly as her silence lingered on for more than a few moments.
"There will be no more," Holdred eventually spoke up.
And there wasn't...for a while, at least. Their lives went on much the same for several weeks after the original incident. Holdred was relegated to guard duty since he wasn't needed elsewhere. Fulcred continued to work with the blacksmith. Cynewyn was still the mistress of the house.
And Earyth...was still distracted. She couldn't really help herself. Learning you were bound to a dragon was a big thing to wrap your head around. Worried didn't even begin to cover what she was feeling every day she was stuck at home. It didn't help that each night was still accompanied by nightmares. Now, though, they mirrored her fear of becoming some power-hungry monster or Smaug somehow gaining his freedom again. Edoras consumed in flame was a regular occurrence. So was seeing her family being burned beyond all recognition.
It was nearly two weeks of constant nightmares and worry before she decided that she would go back to the mountains despite her father's orders to stay in the city. She had to know if Smaug was still there and if he was still hidden. Unfortunately, she couldn't just head out there by herself. She needed Fulcred to come with her.
That meant coming up with a plan to convince him to help and to somehow sneak out without being caught by mother or father. Speaking of, she could see how her father was equally stressed by the situation. He was aware, likely more than she, that leaving a dragon to its own devices was not smart. Regardless of the outstanding issue of her being bound to him, Smaug was a clear and present threat to the Kingdom of Rohan. Dealing with the dragon meant putting his daughter's life in danger, and so it was that his duty to his King and family warred within him, the toll becoming clearer as time went by. He was stressed and uncertain as to what to do, and that uncertainty was tearing him apart.
His temper was short, though he would later apologize for any outbursts. His eyes were dark and his mood quiet. No longer was he the life of the house. Now, he merely spent the hours sitting silently, constantly thinking as he stared into the flames within the fireplace.
Obviously, his wife noticed. Her mother had no time to worry over Earyth's continued distraction when she was constantly worrying over her husband's darkening mood. Those were some quiet weeks. No one really talked to anyone else. Miles away he may have been, but Smaug was indirectly tearing her family apart.
Fulcred tended to keep his ear to the ground during that time, listening for any new stories of dragon sightings or strange experiences in the mountains. Being the apprentice to a blacksmith gave him the perfect opportunity to do just that. Travelers, hunters, and soldiers alike all came by the humble shop and told tales while waiting for their armor to be repaired or their weapons sharpened. So far, there had been no stories to cause alarm, but everyone of them knew it was only a matter of time.
The fact two weeks had gone by without issue was a miracle in and of itself. Even if Smaug was able to keep hidden throughout the winter, come springtime, hunters would be crawling all through those mountains. That was their deadline for figuring something out unless something unexpected were to occur. It seemed like a long while away, at least until the first snows came.
Then, the race against time suddenly became a real and constant concern. There was no more time to just sit around and think. It was time to actually do something. And while she knew exactly what she had to do, she needed help to do it. So, a month after the original meeting with Smaug, Earyth intercepted Fulcred on his way home. "I need your help."
She didn't even have to say what for. He knew what she wanted to do, for it was constantly on his mind, as well. "We go tomorrow before the sun rises. Mother can be mad upon our return if she wants." Their father had been sent with a scouting party up north that left a few days ago. More reports of orcs were coming from the towns on the banks of the Anduin. It would be better for all of them if they were to check in with Smaug before Holdred came back.
That night was even more restless for her. Sleep was a near impossibility as her anxious impatience kept her awake. Logic told her that Smaug would still be there. She had ordered him to remain within the mountains, so he should still be where she left him. Fear, however, said he would not be, that her order had been too vague, and he was off burning Minas Tirith to the ground or something. What would she find—or not find—tomorrow?
That single question kept her awake all night. And despite how tired she was when Fulcred snuck in with a coat and trousers for her to borrow, she was dressed and ready within minutes. He already had a pack thrown over his shoulder when she came out, and he hurried her out of the house into the pre-dawn chill. Snow was gently falling, a small dusting of it upon the ground and roofs.
"We'll have to walk this time," he informed her quietly, to which she nodded. When a guard came too close, they would duck behind a house until they passed. They weren't technically supposed to be out this early. It's not like they'd be killed for being out, but they'd definitely be taken in for questioning. Once they realized they were just a couple of dumb kids, they'd be released with a stern warning, most likely.
The main gate was well lit, but Fulcred knew of another way out. They simply climbed down the cliff where it wasn't quite as steep, though still steep enough to make going up a bit more difficult than going down.
After that, it was just the long walk through the cold, empty plains until they reached the mountain about an hour after dawn. Mother was probably worried sick, but this was arguably more important.
They followed the exact same path as last time, both remaining quiet as if afraid to break the stillness of the morning with unneeded words. Within the mountains, the snow was deeper and the air colder, each breath coming out in a great, white cloud. The coat she wore was barely enough to keep warm even when bundled up as much as possible.
As they traveled further into the pass and closer to the valley, the air grew noticeably warmer despite logic saying the opposite should be true. It was a good sign, then, of who they were about to see.
"An entire month you leave me here in this valley like a prisoner in his cell, eking out a mockery of living in some forsaken place with no shelter from the snow! An entire month! And yet you dare to return without so much as a single coin to offer in tribute for your insolence!" Smaug was rather livid if his words and the smoke billowing from his nostrils was any indication. He bared his teeth, his fiery glare burning into her small form, yet like last time, she was completely unafraid.
In fact, she was more than a little relieved that he was still here. And that there seemed to be no sign that anyone else had stumbled into this valley since she was here last. "I'm sorry, but we haven't been able to get away until now. Father forbade us from coming."
"Yet here you stand," he hissed. "So what reason would you have to come to me against your sire's will?"
The dragon lowered his head, turning to study them with a single eye. Fulcred looked away, having heard the stories of dragons' strange powers. Earyth, however, was unconcerned about being affected. She doubted the spell would allow him to manipulate her, and even though she didn't know that for certain, it felt correct. "To talk," was her simple reply.
"Oh? And what reason have I to engage with you, girl?" There were some people she knew in Edoras that wouldn't give anyone the time of day unless it was business-related. It was probable that Smaug was much the same. She knew dragons were selfish creatures, so it seemed likely that he wouldn't simply talk for talking's sake. He needed something out of it.
Fortunately, she had a reason. "To discuss the future." The faintest traces of intrigue entered the dragon's gaze as he backed away, looking down upon the imperiously. "You cannot stay here. Come spring, hunters will be frequenting this area. If they discover you—"
"Let them come!" he grinned maliciously. "I would play with them like a cat with a mouse!"
That's exactly what she was hoping to avoid if at all possible. "And when people go missing, what then?" Fulcred challenged. Smaug glared at him in utter contempt. The dragon was most likely only willing to engage with Earyth because of their unique situation. Any other mortal was still less than nothing to the dragon. "How long do you think it would take until people figure out how Earyth is involved? I will not have you put my sister in danger!"
To their great surprise, Smaug seemed contemplative upon hearing that. It made Earyth wonder why he would suddenly care when he clearly thought very little of her. She didn't have much time to contemplate it, though, when he bent down to look into her eyes once more. "I'm...listening."
If Smaug being too close to Edoras was the problem, then the solution should be simple. "You must leave, Smaug. You cannot stay near Edoras."
"Leave?" he asked incredulously. "Gladly would I rid myself of you, yet you seem to have forgotten that I have no choice in the matter! Do you seriously believe that it is by my own choice that I stay?"
Ah, she had told him to stay here. Then, there was yet another simple solution. "Then, you have my permission to go. You need not stay here any longer."
"Permission!?" he boomed, making the two humans cover their ears at his volume. "You are bound to me, girl! And I to you! To send me away is to shirk the duty you were charged with, and make no mistake, I would take full advantage of that!"
Earyth stared at him in surprise. Not because he had basically threatened to become a scourge of the Earth. He was a dragon. It was in his nature to burn and destroy. No, what surprised her was that he had blatantly admitted it as a way to dissuade her from sending him away. Didn't he want his freedom? She was basically offering it to him on a silver platter, yet was unwilling to take it. Several moments of studying him later, she spied a strange emotion in his eyes: fear. He wasn't hiding it particularly well, which was the only reason she spotted it. She'd seen animals afraid before, too. It made her wonder, though, why he was afraid of being separated from her.
Fulcred glanced her way, and from that, she gathered that he had caught it, too. However, both of them were wise enough not to bring it up to the irate dragon. "So...what would you propose, then?"
Smaug glanced to him with a dismissive snort before focusing back on her. "You wish me to leave? Very well." The quick turnaround took them by surprise. They should have known there was a 'but'. "But I will go nowhere unless you accompany me. That is my price."
"I could simply order you to leave," she returned. "And give you further orders to never bother anyone ever again." Surely, that would ensure Smaug would not be a problem for the rest of his days. Neither of them expected the dragon to grin maliciously.
"You could...but you would never." He said it with such utter surety that even Earyth was second-guessing her argument. "Your empathy would never allow you to order me around like a mere slave." He backed away again with disinterest in his gaze. "And I can sense your inner conflict—your...discontentment. You wish to be more than what you are told to be, do you not? The fact you have no husband yet is proof of that." She blushed at that but didn't argue. It was true, at least partly. "So you cannot, in good conscience, ask another to simply do as they are told."
"Earyth..." She turned to face her brother, who sighed and facepalmed at her apologetic look. "You are too soft for your own good sometimes..." he muttered.
"You know Middle-Earth better than I, Smaug," Earyth spoke after a moment. She turned back to see how pleased he seemed in himself, whether that was from her compliment or him getting his way—or both—she couldn't say. "Where would we go?" He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off with one last thing. "And don't say the Lonely Mountain because I will never agree to that."
He huffed, glaring at her with clear displeasure. "Very well..." he reluctantly acquiesced. "I can think of a few other places..."
AN: Where might Smaug be thinking of, I wonder? Any thoughts? Questions, concerns, or comments welcome. I try to reply to every review.
Until Next Time
AdmiralCole22