Hey guys! Happy New Year! Hope you all had a great New Year and are having a good 2025 so far. I know for some places, things aren't going so well at the moment, and if I have any readers in those areas, I hope you are all safe and my work can bring a smile to you, I love you all xx

Also, for a while now, I have been getting PM's from artists wanting to make artwork from my stories and while I am flattered by this, and would love to have artwork made, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline. I am not in a position to be able to afford to pay people to do things like this for me, so I would appreciate it if I didn't get anymore people asking to collab to do art for me. If anyone is ever wanting to do that anyway, without wanting any payment, then just send a message and I'll give you my socials to send to, but that is your choice, as like I said, I'm not in the position to pay anyone unfortunately.

One last thing, I've been trying to think of a language that the Dragonians can use when communicating with one another, but cannot think of anything good enough to use. If you could give me some ideas of what you think would be good for them to use, I would be most thankful xx

Chapter 7

Despite having woken up in an elven dwelling, Thorin surprisingly had a good night sleep last night. After enjoying a lively breakfast with the company, all except Seraphina, he is currently back on the terrace, which is adjacent to their rooms, all of the dwarves and Bilbo are relaxing. Although he has missed the company of Seraphina that morning, it was probably for the best she wasn't there.

As he slept, his dreams were haunted by a certain woman in their company.

When they had been at dinner the night before, and the others were singing, he had looked up in time to see Seraphina standing on a balcony, wearing nothing but a thin, lilac nightdress, leaving nothing to the imagination.

During the journey, she had worn a few layers of clothing and armour, which made her seem bulkier than she actually was. Even when he had fallen on top of her, he didn't know where her body ended and the armour began, but seeing her on the balcony. . .she was not as broad as she appeared. She had curves in all the right places, a small waist and her red hair, which she had always worn up, was down and flowing to the middle of her back, blowing gently in the wind.

He shifted in his seat a little as memories of his dream came back to him, of her underneath him once more, but this time, during a different type of. . . rigorous activity. For it to then change to her on his arm, wearing a dress of Durin blue, the crown of the Queen of Erebor on her head as they walked through their kingdom.

He quickly dismissed those thoughts. They would only distract him from the quest. At the moment, the need to reclaim Erebor should be at the forefront of his tasks.

His thoughts are interrupted by a loud gasp, looking up, as does everyone else, they see Bofur standing by the railing, looking out into the gardens.

"Durin's beard. . ."

"What's wrong, Bofur?" Fili asks as he walks over. Thorin frowns as he sees his oldest nephew freezing. "Uncle! Quick, you need to see this!"

Intrigued, Thorin hurries onto his feet and rushes over to him, as do the others, and what he sees in the garden shocks him to his core. An ice blue dragon, snoozing away as it sunbathes.

"The elves have dragons now? Since when?" Gloin asks.

"Does it matter? We should kill it before it can hurt anyone!" Dwalin growls.

The others agree and go to retrieve their weapons before Thorin stops them.

"No. We won't be killing anything here."

"But, it's a dragon." Nori says, as if that should be a good enough answer, and normally it would be.

"I am aware of that, Nori. But, I think I know that dragon."

He feels the looks of shock on his back as he looks down to the dragon. The colour of the scales are the same as the ones that covered Seraphina's arm the day before.

"How could you know a dragon, laddie?" Balin asks.

He turns to them all. "I believe we all do. We will go down there together, but be on your guard. Just in case."

"I-is this wise?" Bilbo asks nervously.

"We are about to find out, Master Baggins."

Following Thorin's lead, the company walk down into the gardens, carefully advancing on the dragon, which is indeed snoozing away. Getting a closer look, this dragon doesn't seem as big as what Smaug was, maybe just over half his size, the blue scales so light they looked white in places. Spines went all the way down her spine to the tip of her tail, which was curled around her, wings, which protrude from the back and not forearms like Smaug, folded up against her body.

The whole company jumped, weapons at the ready when they see one golden eye lazily pop open, just staring at them for a moment before it closes.

"I was wondering when you would find me."

This causes everyone to stare. Seraphina's voice just came from the dragon.

After waking up early the next morning, I get myself a bite to eat from the kitchens before going out into the gardens. I want to avoid the company as much as possible, just trying to think of how to tell the others about my dragon side. I flop onto the grass, stuffing the last of my cheese scone into my mouth, the frustration going blaring through me like a raging fire,

Looking in the direction I know the dwarves are staying I decide on something that could be risky. Standing, I push the change and my dragon form soon comes through, my wings stretching out. I let out a sigh, the dragon has been held back for quite some time. Hopefully, she won't be contained for too long next time.

As the sun begins to make its way into the sky, I lay down, curling myself around and tucking my wings into my body before laying my head on the ground. My golden eyes still watching the sleeping area of the company, I gradually felt the sun warming my scales, and my eyes closed as I felt myself drifting off.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Bilbo's voice speaks quietly.

"Shh! You'll wake it up!" Gloin hisses.

The voices of the company are the first things I hear as I'm pulled out of my snooze. I knew they would see me eventually and would come to investigate.

Hearing a twig snap in front of me, I lazily open my left eye, hearing the company take a sharp intake of breath as they freeze. I look over each of them, seeing they all have at least one form of weapon in hand, ready to use if needed, a different ray of emotions on each of their faces. My eye focuses on Thorin, who has his sword out but not raised like the others. His face is void of emotion, so I can't even tell what he's thinking right now. I close my eye again, knowing I'm not in any danger. The elves would never allow anything to happen to me, neither would my mother, who would attack the company without hesitation.

"I was wondering when you would find me." I simply say to them.

Gasps ring through the entire company as they recognise my voice,

"S-Sera!?" Kili asks, sounding flabbergasted.

"Aye."

Hearing footsteps, I open my eyes to see Thorin walking closer, stopping in his tracks when I lift my head. I notice the others tense behind him, but Thorin doesn't.

"This. . .This explains your eyes. . .how you can control fire?" he asks breathlessly.

"Control fire?" Bombur asks.

"Aye. I'm a fire dragon. When we were captured by the trolls, I was concentrating on the fire, turning down the heat so that you wouldn't burn. I'm thankful Gandalf turned up when he did. That was the first time I controlled it like that for so long. Any longer, and I would've lost control."

There's silence for a moment.

"Well, I'm sure glad you did, lass." Bofur says, smile on his face. "I thought it wasn't as hot as it should've been."

Those that were on the spit all nod in agreement, other than Dwalin, who is still glaring at me, which doesn't faze me.

"Y-You're one of the Dragonians. . .aren't you, lass?" Balin asks as he steps forward.

"Dragonians?" Thorin asks as he turns to Balin and then to me. "I thought you were just legend? A fairytale for children?"

"That's what we wanted everyone to believe. However, we are not fairytale. There are a few out there, hiding in plain sight, all retelling of the myth of Dragonians, for our protection."

"Protection? You're hunted?" Fili asks, a look of alarm on his face.

I nod. "We're all spread out now, so I don't know how many are out there. Once, many years ago, we were all together in our village. Until Smaug came."

They all look shocked.

"Smaug? He destroyed your home?" Thorin asks, empathy mixed in with the horror in his voice.

"Yes. It was the middle of the night, we weren't prepared. Well, should I say my family weren't prepared. I was still an egg at the time."

"An egg?" Ori asks.

"Yes. When we're born, we are in eggs, like normal dragons. We grow in the egg and get stronger, before hatching into a baby dragon.

But, when Smaug came, as I said, we were unprepared. He had known, somehow, that a group of half dragons were around, frauds as he called us, he didn't like it. So, he came and attacked us.

Many of my people were killed instantly, others, after getting their bearings, had tried to fight him, while others had fled. My father. . .he was one of those that tried to fight. . .they didn't stand a chance. He was too strong, even the strongest among us couldn't defeat him. My mother, after he died, she took my brother and I and fled, flying to the only place she knew we would be safe. Here. The elves of Rivendell had always been friends of my people, ever since the first Dragonian's arrived here."

The atmosphere is now sombre as the others look on sadly and horrified, even Dwalin has lost the glare on his face.

"Looks like you've got more in common with us than we first thought, lass." Dwalin says with a sigh.

I give a sad bow of my head in agreement, knowing what Smaug did to them.

"How did the first of your kind come here?" Bilbo asks, now sitting near me with Fili, Kili, Ori and Bofur.

I let out a little laugh at this. "That is a good question. I have no idea how it happened. Mama has told me constantly, but I still find it hard to believe. It is said that our kind aren't even of this world. That somehow, they just appeared. Fell asleep in one world and woke up here."

This causes some of them to laugh in disbelief, which I can't blame them. Even I have difficulty believing it.

"Surely you're pulling our legs! Other worlds don't exist!" Bofur laughs.

"They most certainly do, Master Dwarf."

We all look up at Elrond's voice and see him walking over with Gandalf. They walk past the company and stand in front of me. I lean down so Elrond can place a hand on my snout.

"Decided to tell them, henig?" he asks softly.

"They deserve to know the truth, adar."

I notice Thorin watching us. "I thought you said your father had died?"

I playfully nudge Elrond a little, and then Gandalf, before turning to Thorin. "I did. He did. My blood father died. When I hatched, I had no father. Elrond became as close to a father as I could ask for. The same with my brother, Terran, eventually. He had memories of our father, so I think hearing me call another male father. . .it deeply hurt him. But, he came around."

Balin turns to Elrond. "You said other worlds exist?"

Elrond nod. "I am just as unsure as you are as to how it can be, but, I was there when the first Dragonians appeared. I was out with a scout party when we were suddenly blinded by a bright light. When the light had vanished, four dragons were laid there, all unconscious. When they had woken up a few moments later, and we realised neither side were a threat, we learned who they were and where they had come from. It would have been hard to believe, had we not seen them appear for ourselves. This was over four thousand years ago."

"Your people have been around for four thousand years?" Oin asks.

I nod. "We have. Unfortunately, we have had to live in secret. With the dragons of Morgoth, some of us had been mistaken for those. So, we take to living in our human forms, becoming dragon only when needed to, or we were around other Dragonians."

They nod, taking it all in.

"You mentioned before your brother could sense nature?" Thorin asked.

"That's right. He was a nature dragon, able to make flowers, plants and trees grow. Even the grass beneath his feet, if he wished it. Animals also flocked to him, even though they're a little skittish around the rest of us. I was able to pick up on certain cues to do with nature and animals, even though I'm a fire dragon. It's how I was able to tell it wasn't ideal to make camp."

He nods, look a little guilty for not listening to me.

"What kind of dragons are the rest of your family?" Kili asks.

"My papa, Pailen, he was a lightning dragon. He could summon storms at will. My mama, Marina, is a water dragon, speaks for itself really and my little girl, Nina, is just starting to come into her fire powers, only able to spit out little embers at first, but she'll learn."

They nod at this. Elrond then takes his leave of us, patting me once more before leaving. Once he is out of earshot, I turn to Thorin.

"I have now told you the truth about myself. I go by my promise I swore to you before, concerning the safety of everyone. No one will come to harm by me. I leave the decision to you on whether you still want me to travel with you."

The whole company look to him at this. As I watch him, I see him thinking hard about this choice. Not long after, he walks over and raises a hand up. I look to him for a moment before lowering my head down so we are on eye level with each other and allowing him to touch my snout, his calloused fingers gently running over my scales, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I would be honoured to have one of the Dragonians as part of our company, Seraphina."

I smile and nudge my head closer under his hand, making him smile, before we hear the cheers of the others. Gandalf smiles, happy by this development, before he then also goes back inside,

Some of those that are braver, jump forward and I allow them to feel my scales, look at my claws, tail and wings. As Kili is touching a wing, I grin before pulling the wing towards me, causing him to cry out as I trap him underneath. This causes everyone to laugh as Kili pops his head out from under the wing, his hair messier than normal.

"Hey!" He cries out indignantly, just making my grin grow.

"Mama! Mama!"

Looking up at the sound of the voice, I smile as Nina runs over in her dragon form. Her colouring is a turquoise blue, the spikes on her back have yet to come in and her wings are still close to her body, having not learnt how to fly just yet. She is roughly half the size of the ponies the dwarves and Bilbo rode on.

I smile as I stand and walk over to her, leaning my head down to nuzzle her, she nuzzles me back.

"Hello my, little flame. Have you been good for Gramma?" I ask her.

She nods. "Uh-huh! She's been helping me to breathe fire! Look!"

She jumps down and opening her mouth, a small stream of fire comes out. I glance up at the dwarves worriedly, however, they're just watching in interest and amusement. I let out a slight sigh of relief. Some of them having been present when Smaug attacked, I was afraid this would have bad side effects. I smile as I lean down and nuzzle her, pride filling my whole being.

"Well done, little one. I am proud of you."

She smiles at me before noticing the company. "Who are they?"

"They're my friends. Come."

We walk over and I introduce them to her and vice versa. When I tell her Thorin is our leader, Nina pads forward and bows her head, like I taught her.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Oakshield."

This causes the rest of us to chuckle at her mispronunciation of his name. Thorin smiles as he kneels down in front of her.

"It's very nice to meet you, too, Miss Nina. Your mother has told us a lot about you."

"Really?" She asks.

"Of course. She loves you very much."

"I love mama, too." she says with a smile back at me, which causes me to also smile. She then turns back to him. "Will mama leave with you?"

He nods. "She will. I promise to look after her, and see no harm will come to her."

She looks to him for a moment and nuzzles her head under his hand, causing me to smile. Even more so when Thorin pets her head.

Not long after sees us all relaxing in the garden. I'm still in my dragon form, as is Nina, who is now running around with Fili, Kili and Bofur. I smile as I watch her from where I'm sat with the others. She's come a long way from when she was born. She was usually such a shy little girl, but had recently come into her own and is now such a bubbly child.

"You must be proud of her." Thorin asks as he sits by me.

I nod. "Very much so. It's been hard, being a single parent. I am lucky I had my mother, Elrond and many others around to help me."

He nods. "It was hard for my sister, Dis, too." As I look to him in confusion, he elaborates. "Kili was only a few months old when their father died. Dis, suddenly being left alone with a newborn and a four year
old could barely cope. I moved in with her and the boys and helped her to raise them."

I give him a soft smile. "You've both done a good job with them. They've grown to become fine young dwarrow."

He smiles. "They have. I couldn't love them more, even if they came from my own loins. Although, they have driven me crazy over the years. I am sure ninety percent of these greys are due to them."

I chuckle at this. "It's a child's job, to drive their parents insane. I know Terran and I did the same to mama."

Now it's his turn to chuckle. "Oh, I don't doubt that." he laughs more as I nudge him with my snout, causing him to fall over a little.

None of us notice the stares of surprise from some of the others at his laugh. He sits upright as he smiles at me.

"You have done a good job with Nina, too. It's not easy to raise a child alone, nor is it easy to admit you need help. But Nina is a sweet and well mannered little girl. One I'm sure will make you more and more proud as she grows."

My heart flutters at his words. No one's ever spoken to me like that before about her, and with such admiration. I smile as I lay my head down next to him, almost touching his leg. I almost purr as I feel Thorin's hand on my head. I just smile as I watch Nina play. If I had known this reaction from the company would be this good, I would've revealed myself sooner. To have this acceptance from others outside of Rivendell and our race. . .it makes me happy inside. Especially since this group has become my family. A family I will protect with my life.

And there we have it, the company now know of Sera's secret and we have all met her little girl Nina. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter xx