Life is Precious

AN: Nearly didn't get this one done in time to post it today, but I worked later than usual to get it done. It's mother's day weekend, so I was busier than normal. But that's not really important, is it? You're all here for the story. Enjoy!

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

Chapter Eight:

The girl had been wallowing in her grief for nearly an hour now. The silence suited him just fine, of course. He had no desire to listen to her woes. In fact, the silence was almost enough to make him forget her presence save for his itchy scales. Passing the sensation off as some sort of skin rash helped a bit. It was better than contemplating the humiliation that was a human sitting upon his neck.

Ironically, he did enjoy musing upon how she was feeling right now. The failure to save her sire must be eating her up inside. The grief and frustration were obvious results. But was she angry? Was her hatred for orcs beginning to consume her? He liked to think so. Perhaps he would get to go on more hunts in the future. Even if those turned out like this one, he would begrudgingly admit that he enjoyed flying and was grateful that she'd given him the chance.

To think he needed permission just to go flying...

It was infuriating and humiliating, but this was the consequence of his choice. His only comfort was that she was clearly suffering now, too. She had taken his freedom, and the world had taken her sire in return. He'd prefer the world take her entire family and everything else she cared about for her transgressions against him, but...it was a start.

It wasn't a matter of if she would make another slip-up, but when. He would analyze every order she gave him looking for loopholes to punish her with. The two villages he'd burned down didn't seem to affect her too much. Perhaps he would need to do something that would hit her closer to home when his next chance came.

His musings were interrupted by the coming dawn. There was no way he could slip into that accursed valley unseen during daylight, not with it so close to Edoras. Simply flying over the White Mountains wasn't an option, either, as there were many Gondorian and Rohirrim outposts in those mountains. Someone was bound to see them if he continued flying, so he found the closest landing site, a clearing atop a small cliff—well, small to him. It was about thirty feet tall. That sort of fall would be fatal for a human.

It was as soon as his feet touched the ground that the girl even realized that they weren't flying anymore, the impact probably jarring her out of her thoughts or startling her awake. "W-What are we doing?"

He lowered his neck to the ground without a word, a 'request' for her to get off. When she didn't immediately move, he turned to growl at her. "In case you haven't noticed, the sun is rising." She blinked in confusion and looked to the east. Apparently, she was that oblivious if her genuine surprise was any indication.

"I must've fallen asleep..." She yawned as if to punctuate that, and he ended up staring at her in mild intrigue as she slid off his neck. Anyone else would be terrified to even be in his presence, yet she falls asleep upon his neck? And while they were flying? Perhaps she was simply that exhausted, but still...it was much harder to fall asleep in a dangerous position or area.

"Do you feel safe around me, girl?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He doubted it highly. No one, not even her, was stupid enough to trust their life to a dragon.

"Yes." He blinked in genuine surprise at her innocent reply. Then, he snorted in derision and laid down, his eyes sliding shut.

This clearing wasn't large enough to accommodate his entire body, so his tail ended up draping off the cliff's edge. His back faced the small forest while his neck laid along the cliff as a barrier between her and the deadly fall. If she was stupid enough to at least partially trust him, then she was stupid enough to fling herself off the ledge and expect to fly. His left wing was a bit crumpled against his side, but his right draped over the both of them. That would keep the sun out of his eyes, and she would be safe and warm in her living tent.

...

His eyes flew open at the realization of what he was doing. At the sound of her laugh, his glare snapped to her. Curse his subconscious mind! Here he was trying to make sure she was safe and protected after internally mocking her for think she was safe and protected around him!

So distracted was he by his own mental admonishment that he didn't notice her approach. "And this is why." Her smile alone would've been enough to infuriate him once again, but the patronizing pats on his snout was too much. With a growl, he used a quick motion of his head to send her flying back into the snow with an indignant yelp.

"It is in my best interest to keep you alive," he snapped, glaring at her. "Without this bond between us, I would kill you in an instant. Remember that." When she didn't respond, merely glaring at him from the ground and covered in snow, he snorted and closed his eyes.

He must've fallen asleep, for he didn't know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes again. The reason, however, was quickly discerned. Removing his wing, he lifted his head and took several deep sniffs, growling at the familiar yet repugnant scent. "What? What is it?"

"Orcs..." he hissed. He looked down to gauge her reaction to the news, and his eyes went wide in both fear and outrage when he saw where she was. He stood in an instant, the motion throwing her back into the muddy ground since the snow had melted within his circle of warmth. She stood as he backed away several paces, and he roared at her in utter fury, his teeth mere inches from her face. His maw shut with an audible snap. He glared at her with unrestrained rage as she cowered there, her hands over her ears.

She'd been sitting against his chest, right next to the space left by the missing scale, his most vulnerable spot! And she'd been touching it! If she wanted him dead, she could've killed him then and there while he was sleeping! The mere thought of it sent shivers down his spine and put a chill in his heart.

"YOU COULD HAVE JUST SAID SOMETHING IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE IT!" He actually winced at her volume. It sounded like she was yelling as loudly as she could as she wiped mud off of herself.

"Must you shout so loudly?" She stared at him blankly for a moment.

"WHAT!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU! MY EARS ARE RINGING!" He just deadpanned at her. Every orc in the area would be able to hear her shouting. Then again...they probably heard his roar, too. Still, orcs would avoid a dragon, but a girl's shouting would send them running to investigate.

"Are all humans this dumb, or are you just uniquely gifted?" She just shook her head and gestured to her ears again.

He was getting ready to roar at her again for getting on his nerves when a shout on the wind caught his attention. "...Earyth!"

Smaug's gaze shot to the landscape stretching on below the cliff, scanning the forests for any sign of movement. He'd recognized that voice. "The sire lives..." What luck did that man exist by!? By rights, he should be long dead! Fortunately, the girl couldn't hear it. It was mid-evening by the sun, so he could just grab the girl and fly away. She'd be none the wiser. And why should she get her sire back when he couldn't have his freedom?

Something stopped him from simply leaving, though. The beginnings of a plan were forming in his mind, one that made him grin maliciously, and his eye found hers again. "WHY ARE YOU SMILING!?"

What had he concluded earlier? That he should take something from her that was closer to home? Why let the sire die when watching him go mad was a much worse punishment. He'd weave his spell over the fool's mind, convince him of...something. There were many options to choose from, many possible schemes to enact. He'd give it some thought on the flight back to Edoras.

Taking another glance out at the landscape and another sniff of the air, he zeroed in on the general direction of his target. Then, he turned to the girl and used a single wing claw to point at her, the tip stopping less than a foot from her belly. She looked at him in confusion. "You..." Then, he pointed to the ground in front of her. "Stay here." Before she could say anything, he was launching himself into the air.

Leaving her alone was a risk, of course, but it was a calculated one. He smelled no other orcs than these that he was hunting, so she should be perfectly fine for a few minutes. If, somehow, he was proven wrong, and she miraculously got into trouble in the short time he would be gone...

Perhaps he'd start carrying her around in his mouth like a defenseless hatchling.

If she managed to get into trouble in such a short span of time, that'd be about the only way to keep her safe. It wouldn't be his fault if she proved to be that inept. He could already hear her indignant squeals. The sound made him chuckle sinisterly.

It only took a few passes overhead to locate his prey. They were cowering just in the tree line. What must the vermin think, seeing a dragon flying overhead? They feared for their lives, undoubtedly. Well...except for one of them. The girl's sire wasn't calling out anymore, so the orcs had either killed him or silenced him in some way. He hoped for the latter. If he was dead, his chance to make the girl suffer would disappear.

He landed upon the plains, his gazed locked onto the shadowy figures moving between the trees. They tried to stay silent, but even from here he could hear their hushed whispers and the soft crunch of foliage under their boots when they moved. "Don't bother hiding. I know you're there." The whispers stopped, but no one came out. He took a few sniffs, being quite obvious that he could smell them. A small surprise hit his nose as he smelled not one, but three humans. "You have humans with you. Give them to me, and I will not burn the forest in which you stand."

At first, there was no reply. But then, "And what would you want with a few humans, dragon?"

He grinned at the question. "To eat, of course. They taste much better than you orcs, but...I'm not terribly picky." Within moments, three humans were thrown out of the trees. Two were awake and clearly terrified. The third was unconscious. All of them were filthy, their faces caked with dirt, sweat, and blood. Even so, he knew which one he wanted. He used a single wing claw to carefully pull the unconscious human towards him. His comrades called his name in terror and desperation, but the girl's sire did not wake. "This one will do. The others are yours."

With that declaration, the fifty or so orcs all came out to collect their prisoners once more, thinking they were spared because of this deal. In reality, Smaug just wanted to separate the girl's sire from the others. No one had the chance to flee before they were turned to ash where they stood, such was the heat of his fire. The forest was ablaze, the smoke already billowing into the sky. Whether the wildfire spread or not, he didn't care. He had his prize.

Speaking of whom, the girl's sire was much skinnier than he remembered. Two weeks of malnutrition would do that. His leather armor was ripped and torn, exposing parts of his torso and arms. "It is a miracle you survived, human...but soon enough you'll wish you hadn't." Predictably, the unconscious human didn't respond.

Carefully, he scooped the human into his mouth, grimacing at the taste of mud, sweat, and leather. Even if he were awake, this human would not be riding upon his back. He already had his pride stained by one, he would not make it two.

The flight back to the cliff took barely two minutes, and thankfully, the girl was where he'd left her. "The fire! If you found the orcs, did you find—" He spat the human out at that moment, and she gasped in shock. "Dad! What did you do!?"

He narrowed his gaze at her accusing tone. "I saved his life, but I would be more than glad to end it if you preferred."

"But...okay..." She cradled her sire's head in her arms, apparently unconcerned with the smell or lingering saliva. After a few moments of him glaring at her and her watching her sire for any sign of him waking, she looked up at him. "Thank you, Smaug."

"You ordered me to find your sire, and that is what I did," he replied matter-of-factly. That wasn't entirely true. She had asked him to help her find her sire, but she hadn't said anything about what condition he had to be in. It was by his choice that he lived, but she didn't need to know that. If she wanted to put her naïve trust in him, she would simply be even more crushed when she finally figured out his true motive. But by then, it would be too late.

"Still...thanks." On the outside, he didn't react other than to lay down and watch the fire burn in the distance. On the inside, however, he was laughing at how foolish this girl was. She really thought he cared for her? One day soon she would learn just how wrong she really was.

Hours passed. Sunset came and went. It was nearly an hour after dark when the sire finally awoke. "Earyth?" The utterance startled the girl, who seemed to have fallen into a light doze, and Smaug turned to watch the interaction. "What are you— How are you here?" His voice was weak. No doubt he was dehydrated. His eyes met Smaug's and understanding dawned upon the human. "I remember hearing the roar. I called for you, Earyth." She helped him sit up and gave him the waterskin from her small bag of supplies. He drank it all without pausing, coughing a bit at the end. "The others!" he remembered. "Where are the others?"

"Others?" Smaug asked, feigning ignorance. "I pulled you out and set the forest ablaze. I was not looking for other humans."

"You killed them?" It was said as if he had expected no less. That just meant the sire wasn't as naïve as his daughter.

"Other humans were not my concern. I was told to save you, and I did." Smaug looked away after saying his piece, a clear sign that this conversation was over.

"We need to get back to Edoras," the girl reminded them both. "Mother and Fulcred will be glad to see you safe." Doubtless there would be questions as to how he was able to escape the orcs and return to Edoras, but that may work in his favor.

"Questions will be asked," Smaug stated, still watching the fire. The forest it had been isolated within was all on fire now, and it showed no signs of weakening any time soon. The snowy plains were preventing it from spreading very far on one side, and the river stopped it on the other. "People will want to know how you escaped. What will you tell them? Tell your King?"

He appeared thoughtful. And troubled. That hadn't really occurred to him. His mind was fogged from exhaustion, hunger, and overall weakness. It was the perfect chance to plant the seeds of madness within him. "King Fengel must not know about Earyth. He would use her to control you."

"Oh?" Now that was interesting, not that it surprised him in the least. Men desire power, and there were few things more powerful than him in this world. The fact the girl's sire was choosing her over his King surprised him more. "And having a dragon under Rohan's control doesn't appeal to you? I could destroy your enemies with ease."

"No King deserves that kind of power. When his enemies crumble, what's to stop him from turning on his friends?" He shook his head. "Nothing. I'm not blind to human nature. I will...come up with a believable story. No one else need know what happened."

Smaug turned and looked the man right in the eye. "It doesn't matter what you say. They'll see through your lies eventually. Someone will find out the truth at some point, and they'll come for her."

"That's enough, Smaug," the girl snapped. He glared at her but acquiesced. The doubt was already planted within the man's mind. The seed was sown. Now, all that was left was to wait for the paranoia to set in.

AN: I just want to reiterate something real quick: Smaug evil. He's not a good guy, and writing him is unlike any character I've done before. Because of that, I actually have to get in his mind a bit, which is sort of a scary thing to do. I'm trying to balance staying true to his character with my own sanity, so let me know how I'm doing. Anyway...

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22