A Single Dream is More Powerful Than a Thousand Realities

A Thief, A Liar, and A Tookish Hobbit

"You should know, little thief," The dragon hissed at her leaning his face closer to her own, "That I could smell you the minute you stepped into the room? Did you think that your scent would not carry to one so adept at detecting things as I am?"

Lyla gaped at the colossal creature, her heart hammering in her chest.

This was bad.

When she didn't answer, the dragon's eye narrowed and he growled louder, his enormous pointed teeth snapped near her face.

"I would incinerate your tiny, pathetic form," The Smaug rumbled, slamming a massive paw down onto the pile of gold, "But I would not risk harming my precious possessions.
They are dear to me. Far more valuable than some little...rat seeking shelter and a few coins for its pocket."

Lyla tightened the grip around the ring as her heart hammered roughly against her ribs.

Yes, this was very bad.

She didn't dare move quite yet. She feared that the slightest indication of her desire to remove herself from the dragon's presence would provoke the ire of the fire breathing beast.
Smaug's eye twitched and he snorted again sending small clouds of smoke into the air, eyeing the hobbit carefully.

"Well, come then, help yourself little thief!" he grumbled, "There's plenty to spare and you were so eager to return..." he trailed off, eyes narrowing as he blew a small puff of smoke into the hobbit's face.

Lyla coughed and tried to clear the air near her face by waving her hand.

But she didn't dare blink. She was afraid of what might happen if she let them slip closed.

"I-" she coughed again, trying to expel the thick, harsh smoke from her lungs and stall for time, "I did not come here to steal your treasure."

Smaug growled, eyes narrowed as he stepped outwards, more of his body exposed to Lyla's view, glittering jewels on the creature's chest reflecting into her eyes making her squint up at the red scales, glowing yellow eyes and long pointed snout filled with agonizingly sharp teeth.

"Did you not? Why, are you a thief and a liar too?"

'Stall Lyla' She thought in a panic as tension billowed in the air, 'You have to stall. Do something until you can get that ring on without alerting him.'

The massive dragon stepped fully into view, his body blocking the small entrance back down towards the tunnel. The red scales gleamed with a sinister light as Smaug's long spiked tail swished back and forth agitatedly. He peered down his long snout at her, eyes narrowed and calculating, waiting.

"I did not come to steal from you, o-oh great and magnanimous Smaug the Terrible. I merely came to see if the-the legends were true," Lyla stuttered over her words as she tried stop her legs from shaking in fright.

Aule she was talking to a dragon!

She was mental...

She tightened her grip on the ring and waited, watching for the right moment.

Smaug, though, didn't seem to believe her expulsions of curiosity.

"Why?" he hissed, "What legends have you heard? That I am nothing more than a harmless lizard laying in a bed of gold? Easy prey was that it? Come to take back presents to your companions perhaps?"

Lyla swallowed back the squeak of fright as the Dragon's face loomed closer to her, "I-I-no thank you, O-O Smaug the tremendous! I did not come for presents...I only came to see if the tales were as accurate as others have claimed. I-I did not believe them."