Life is Precious

AN: I'm leaving on a roadtrip Wednesday morning and won't be back until the following Wednesday or Thursday. So, to make sure another week of chapters isn't skipped and to celebrate Easter, I'm posting a chapter for all four of my concurrent fanfics. Yesterday, I updated my Wings of Fire and Godzilla fic as normal. Today, I'm posting this one and my Zootopia/Bad Guys crossover fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings.

Chapter Six:

Dawn's light was still an hour away, so the only light source in the darkened house was a single candle on the table, its flickering light casting shadows upon Cynewyn's face as she calmly watched them enter. Earyth and Fulcred both knew, without her even saying anything, that they were in deep trouble. "And where have you two been off to?"

The two siblings shared a look, and Fulcred nodded at his sister. Earyth sighed but nodded back. They'd already agreed, so there was no point in turning back now.

Earyth and her brother sat at the table across from their mother, though neither spoke at first. Eventually, as the first traces of impatience began to flash across Cynewyn's face, Earyth spoke. "It all started in the weeks leading up to our first trip to the mountains. I kept having the same nightmare every night."

"A nightmare?" their mother asked. She wasn't the most superstitious person out there, but there were some things that were more than mere coincidence. Everyone knew that when a red sun rose, it meant blood was spilt that night, and more often than not, ill news came to the city in the following days. Having the exact same nightmare every night, then, was something not to be ignored. "What about?"

"Laketown," she answered, making their mother frown in thought. "At first, I thought the stories were just getting to me. An entire city destroyed by a dragon is a frightening tale, after all. As time passed, however, they got more vivid. Felt more real. I could feel the heat from the fire, hear screaming, smell the smoke."

"That sounds like more than a nightmare," Cynewyn commented. "It's more like the stories about seers, except this is the past we're talking about and not the future." Among Men, the most superstitious of the races, seers were an ill omen. After the fall of Fornost, when a seer had predicted the city's destruction, they were often seen to be as useful as they were feared.

"If she was just a seer, this wouldn't be anywhere near as complicated," Fulcred muttered. Cynewyn gazed at her son in genuine confusion before looking back to her daughter as Earyth continued the tale.

"It seemed like every time I had that nightmare, the more I felt this strange desire to go to the mountains, as if something was calling me there." Cynewyn nodded, her daughter's strange behavior back then now explained a bit better. "What was waiting there was exactly what I saw in those dreams."

Before her mother could ask what that meant, Fulcred took over. "The dragon, Smaug, survived Laketown, mother. He's in the mountains as we speak."

A mix of horror and terror made Cynewyn's face turn pale. "The dragon, here!? W-We must tell the king immediately! We—" She began to stand, but Fulcred stood first, gently pushing her back down. Cynewyn stared at her son as if he'd lost his mind.

"Let us finish, mother. The story is about to get a lot stranger." Terror made way for confusion once again, but she sat and nodded, trusting in her children for now.

"Smaug is...bound to me...somehow," Earyth admitted, making her mother gasp. "When I order him to do something, he has no choice but to obey me."

"H-How is this possible?" Just like their father's initial reaction, Cynewyn was staring at her daughter as if she was a witch, which is how everybody else would see her if they learned the truth.

"We don't know exactly," Fulcred admitted. "And neither does the dragon. Though he did mention that the wizard, Gandalf, is somehow involved."

"Gandalf? The Grey Pilgrim? Why would he...? I don't understand." She seemed completely lost, and the two siblings just shook their heads in agreement.

"We don't, either. Father told us not to tell anyone about it until he figured out what to do." Cynewyn seemed to be a bit angry that her husband wouldn't tell her something so important, but she eventually nodded.

"Probably for the best," she agreed. "No one can know that Earyth is somehow involved in this. They'd burn her for a witch." Earyth winced but nodded. She'd already known as much, but it still scared her to even contemplate. "But the dragon cannot stay here, no matter what kind of 'bond' you have with it. You must order it to leave."

"That would be the easiest way, wouldn't it?" Fulcred huffed, glaring at his sister again. "But Earyth, curse her soft heart, won't do it."

"And why not?" her mother demanded, pinning her daughter with a hard look. "Order it to leave and be done with it. What's so hard about that?"

Earyth told the truth, even though she knew neither would understand. "Because he doesn't want to. How can I order him to do something against his will when you want to force me into a life that I don't want!?"

Cynewyn recoiled as if struck, but then she huffed angrily. "Wanting you to be married is far different than bowing to the whims of a dragon!"

Yep, she knew she'd get no empathy. "We reached a compromise, though," Fulcred continued when he saw how his sister was too upset to talk. "Smaug agreed to leave if Earyth goes with him. For what reason we don't know, but he seemed genuinely afraid of being separated from her. She agreed to his terms."

"I don't care! I forbid it! Send the dragon away, or I swear you'll be married before winter's end!" Earyth shrunk down even further at the threat.

Fulcred, surprisingly, came to her defense. "I don't think threatening her is the right way to go about this, mother. Why would she stay if she feels like everyone is against her?" Her mother didn't seem convinced, but Fulcred looked down at his sister with a sigh. "If you're worried about her safety, maybe...maybe I could go with her."

"And what exactly do you think you could do against a dragon?" their mother shook her head, her mind made up. "You will both stay, and that's final. There are ways to report the dragon's presence to the King without bringing Earyth into this."

"And when Smaug mentions her by name, what then!?" Fulcred snapped. "If he gets attacked, he'll make sure to bring Earyth down with him! We're far too involved with him to get out of this that easily!"

"Then we'll get her out of the city!" Cynewyn stood with a yell. "There are other places we might settle!"

"So what's the point of having Smaug killed to protect our lives here if we have to leave, anyway!? You're not thinking, mother!" Mother and son glared at each other while Earyth just sat there in silence, unwilling to break her silence and too upset to even if she were.

Cynewyn just grit her teeth in frustration. "Send the dragon away, then! And make no mistake, your father will hear about your combined stupidity when he gets back!" With that, their mother stomped away, slamming the door as she went outside to quite literally cool off.

"That went well..." Fulcred scoffed.

"Would you really come with me?" He had a future here: a job and a wife already lined up. To think he would abandon that for her seemed dumb.

"I don't know..." he admitted with a sigh. She sighed too, expecting as much. Why should he give up his perfectly good future and ruin his life for her? She was the one with the dragon problem, one that would be so easy to fix if she just did what her mother wanted. She just couldn't, though. Not only did it go against what she believed in, forcing others to do things they didn't want to, but some instinct deep within her just wouldn't allow her to send Smaug away to be forgotten. Out of sight, out of mind wouldn't work in this particular case since she had a hunch that her nightmares would return tenfold if Smaug was sent away.

He said they were bound to each other. Maybe that meant more than she had assumed until now. She'd simply assumed that he meant her ability to order him around, but what if they literally could not remain apart for long periods of time? Her nightmares would go away for a few days after each visit with him, and then after that, they'd return in force. And if she had nightmares when separated from him, did he have nightmares, too? Or some other malady, perhaps?

This was all so confusing...

And as if this situation wasn't stressful enough, now her mother was fully against her decided course. Did she think the choice to leave was an easy one!? She'd spent her entire life here! She didn't know much about what was outside the city, and the few things she did know were enough to make her glad she lived in a well-defended city. People in the outlying villages had to deal with orcs and raiders and, apparently, dragon attacks. Yet here she was, giving up everything she'd ever known to save those same people from that same dragon, and no one seemed to appreciate that!

She was volunteering to be kidnapped by a dragon, and no one seemed to care!

"I'm going to grab what little sleep I can before the sun rises," Fulcred declared. "You should do the same. I'm sure dad won't be as stubborn as mom."

One could only hope...

But try as she might, sleep would not claim her. The snow had stopped falling by the time the sun rose, and despite the chill, she decided to watch the sunrise. Her mother was purposely not talking to her right now, so she figured giving her some space was the best thing to do right now. The fact that she wasn't yelling at her to get her chores done only seemed to prove that assessment right.

When the sun rose, however, it came as an ill omen. A red sun was rising, and it wasn't Smaug who was responsible this time. What sort of bad tidings would come in the next few days? Fulcred walked out of the house then, no doubt on his way to the blacksmith's for work. "Fulcred..." he glanced at her, and then looked to where she pointed. He nodded, frowning at the red sun, and then left without a word.

No news came that day or the next. Even still, the atmosphere in the house was poisonous. Cynewyn remained steadfast in her decision, not paying her daughter any more attention that strictly necessary. Fulcred continued to defend his sister, which only made their mother more angry.

On the third day, just when Earyth was beginning to think she would be kicked out, it finally came. She was outside in the early hours, gone to fetch a bucket of water, when several mounted soldiers came galloping down the street, plumes of snow being thrown up behind them, with shouts of, "Make way! Make way!". She had to dive out of the way to avoid being trampled, and none even bothered to check if she was alright before heading straight for the King's hall. She saw them only briefly, but the armor was damaged, stained with red in some places. Their horses looked half-starved and ready to collapse, as if their riders had forced an extended ride upon them. One of the riders even looked about ready to fall from his saddle.

They'd seen battle. She was absolutely certain of it.

Fear began to grip her heart at that moment, but not for herself. A dragon didn't shoot arrows or swing a sword, which is what those wounds she saw were from. Her father had been sent to fight orcs, and four wounded soldiers had just arrived.

The fear that he may not come back from an assignment had always been there. Until now, that fear had always been unfounded, for he always came back. Even now, she was trying to deny the possibility that he was dead, but she knew, deep down, that he'd already been gone too long this time. No matter how the pieces fell together—the red sunrise, the wounded soldiers, and the length absence—she still tried to deny it.

She grabbed the bucket from where it fell in the snowy streets and continued to the well, trying desperately to reassure herself that her father was fine and he'd be coming home soon. She greeted her neighbors when they greeted her, acting as if nothing was wrong. She'd gotten pretty good at that in the months since Smaug first arrived.

Likewise, she walked back home with the full bucket and continued her chores as if nothing was wrong. Her mother continued her silent treatment, making the occasional comment about how things would be easier if the dragon was gone.

Dinner was a silent, moody affair. Neither mother nor daughter spoke to the other. As darkness began to fall, however, Fulcred arrived, his face pale. Before he even said anything, Earyth knew what was wrong. She'd been in denial of it all day even when she knew the truth.

"What? What's the matter, boy? Spit it out already." Cynewyn had been distant with her two children ever since they told their tale. When she had to interact with them, however, she was often short with them.

"It's father...the orcs were more numerous than they expected..." All hardness disappeared from Cynewyn's face when she realized what he was saying.

"No..." she tried to deny, just as Earyth had tried all day.

"Most of them were killed, but a dozen or so were captured. I tried asking if he was still alive, but none of the survivors knew." Fulcred sat down heavily at the table, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing to keep calm.

"When will they send a search party?" Cynewyn asked, sitting across from him as Earyth stood nearby. She was still reeling from the news, tears in her eyes as their worst fear came true.

"The King won't risk any more men," he shook his head. "There won't be a search party. Even if he survived, he'll die, anyway, with no one to save him."

Cynewyn shook her head in denial. "No! If the King doesn't save his own soldiers, what hope do they have? Who will save them if not their King!?" She broke into sobs, already mourning her late husband, and Fulcred stood and knelt beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. With Holdred dead, Fulcred was now the man of the house. He would have to support his mother and sister alone.

Earyth didn't cry, though. Her emotions nearly got the better of her, but if there was no confirmation that her father was dead, then there was still hope that he was alive. There was still a chance to save him. "I can..."

Both her brother and mother turned to look at her, as if not believing what she had just said. At first, they just stared at her as if she had made some cruel joke, but it didn't take long for Fulcred to catch on. "The dragon..." He nodded and stood, Cynewyn standing next to him. "Earyth can order Smaug to save them. Mother..."

He turned to her, then, awaiting her answer to the unvoiced question. She didn't appear to like it. All this time, she'd been purely against interacting with the dragon, but now, it was clear that Smaug was possibly her only chance at seeing her husband again. Or at the very least, recovering his body. She released a heavy exhale and nodded. "Do it. Fulcred, go with her. Take one of your father's spare swords, just in case."

Fulcred nodded, running over to his parents' bed and grabbing a blade from beneath it. It was a plain steel sword, but it didn't need to be ornamented to kill. It just needed to be sharp. And Holdred made sure all his weapons were well taken care of.

"You bring him home alive. But, if he's already dead, you kill every single one of those orcs. You understand?" Both Earyth and Fulcred nodded. "Then go!"

Both of them grabbed their coats and ran out of the door, heading straight for the main gate. This time, they didn't care if they were seen or not. Time was of the essence here. The gate guards watched them go suspiciously, though they didn't try to stop them. There was no law against leaving the city at night. It was just so unwise that anyone who did was regarded with suspicion, their activities called into question.

The journey to the mountains was the same as it had always been, though it wasn't snowing this night, and the half-moon was visible behind the stray bits of cloud that passed overhead. When they arrived at the valley, completely out of breath from the constant running, Smaug was asleep, his breaths coming out slow and steady.

They looked to each other, uncertain how to best go about waking a sleeping dragon without getting themselves killed. Fortunately, they didn't have to. "I know you're there..." the great dragon spoke, his eyes still closed. "To what do I owe the displeasure of this visit?"

"Our father's troop was attacked by orcs," Earyth responded. Smaug's eye opened, suddenly interested.

"Indeed? Then, he's doubtless dead already. Or perhaps those vermin are using him for sport as we speak. The slower the death, the more entertaining for them, after all." Fulcred cursed the dragon under his breath, glancing at Earyth. She needed to be the one to take control of this situation. Smaug raised his head with a toothy grin. "I'm sure his screams are music to their ears."

Earyth completely ignored his taunts, knowing Smaug was just trying to get into her head. "I know the general area that they were sent. Once we're there, I want you to track the orcs and find any survivors."

"We?" the dragon asked incredulously. Then, he narrowed his eyes dangerously, his voice dropping an octave in what she could assume was anger. "And how do you propose you join me in this hunt, exactly?"

"And why!?" Fulcred intervened, equally dumbstruck. "Just order him to go, and let's wait here."

"I'm not risking him doing something I don't want again," Earyth countered. She'd given him freedom once—even if accidentally—and two villages ended up being burned to the ground, their residents slaughtered. "While I'm with him, I can control him." Then, with her brother nodding in hesitant agreement, she turned to Smaug. "As for your question, I think you know how."

Smaug growled in clear displeasure, glancing between her and the valley's mouth. "She's giving you the opportunity to kill orcs, is her riding on your back such a bad price?"

Smaug glanced at Fulcred and growled after a few seconds. The prospect of a human riding him was most likely a demeaning and infuriating one, but he really had no choice. Even if he denied her, Earyth could simply order him to let her. Finally, after nearly a minute, he hissed in extreme displeasure and clear anger. "Dragons are not meant to be ridden...but the base of my neck would be the best place for it." Then, as an addendum, "And I will only allow you. The boy stays here."

"Too bad no one can know about this. The bards would be singing your name for sure," Fulcred shook his head but didn't protest. Smaug growled at the comment but lowered his neck once again, a clear show that he was waiting for her to climb on.

Earyth approached as if in a daze. Never before had she even considered riding the dragon, but now that the prospect was in front of her, it was both terrifying and exciting. No one else could claim to have ridden a dragon, certainly.

Unsurprisingly, his scales were hot to the touch, though not enough to burn just on contact. They were surprisingly smooth for how jagged and rough he appeared at a distance, and each one was unique, be it by shape or color. No two that she could see were exactly the same. Close up like this, she could also see the chips and scars both big and small and wondered behind the story for each. Smaug was not called the greatest dragon of the age for nothing, but what challenges had he faced? What battles had he experienced?

It was an awe-inspiring thought that a creature this old, this experienced, this feared was letting her ride upon his back like no one had ever done before. "Have you finished gawking yet, girl?"

"I can't help it! I've never been this close to a dragon before!" Smaug preened a bit at the praise, a bit of his impatience melting away. She made a note to herself at that moment. Flattery was a good way to get on his good side. Reaching up, she grabbed the closest spike and heaved herself up, using the myriad rows of spikes on his neck to climb up. Once she was up, she sat down, her legs not even reaching the sides of his neck, it was so thick. The single, thick spike in front of her was the only thing she could hold on to. "Just don't go crazy, alright. I don't have much to hold onto back here."

He stood with yet another soft growl. The world suddenly appeared a lot smaller now that she was on the back of a dragon. "As much as I deeply despise this situation, I have no intentions of dropping you."

"We'll be back soon, Fulcred. And hopefully, with father in tow." Her brother nodded, stepping as far back as he could to give the dragon space. "We need to head north, to the banks of the Anduin."

His only response was to walk out of the valley, and despite the dire situation, she couldn't help but smile in excitement. She was actually riding a dragon!

AN: Some action to come in the next chapter with Smaug as the POV again. Wonder what he thinks about all this...

Let me know thoughts, theories, questions, and concerns if you have them.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22