Hatch: A Dragon Story

Chapter IV: Ancalagon the Black

"I have him, your magnificence," the smoked dragon landed on the stone floor and bowed.
Flame erupted out of the tip of the mountain and revealed Smaug's horrifying face, looming over the smoked dragon and Olivias's unconscious body.

"What is this!?" demanded Smaug.

"He wouldn't give me this stone," explained the smoked dragon. "So I brought him to you."

"He!? This is a female!"

The smoked dragon looked down at Olivias and nodded sadly.

"Ah," he said, miserably, "So it is."

"Indeed!" spat Smaug, disapprovingly. "Take her to the rest of them and smoke her!"

The smoked dragon grabbed Olivias again and dragged her to where many dragons were lined up, their eyes full of tears and their bodies trembling. On the other end of the line was smoke which filled the atmosphere with a purplish glow.
The dragon at the front of the line stepped forward into the smoke and a minute later, he came out covered in it from head to toe. He looked exactly like the smoked dragon who had captured Olivias. He was now a servant of Smaug.

Olivias awoke and looked in front of her at the long line of dragons. She looked on either side of her at the smoked dragons standing guard. There was no way she would be able to escape now. She was trapped. Captured.

Suddenly, from out of the sky shot a large grey dragon. He landed on the stone floor and called upwards, "Smaug! I have come to bargain with you!"

Smaug's fiery face turned towards the grey dragon and laughed aloud. "At last, Gostir, we meet in person. I have so longed for this moment. As for your bargain, I will ignore it, whatever it is."

"I thought you might be this stubborn," replied Gostir. "This is my bargain: If you prevent the Dragon City from ruin, I will give you a stone."

"Is it the Stone of Garman?"

"No... not exactly..."

"THEN I SHALL BLAST YOU INTO SMITHEREENS!!!"

"NO! Wait! I have the boy!"

Smaug froze (although that is impossible when you are made of fire) and smiled wickedly.

"Where, dear Gostir, may I ask is Ancalagon's son?"

"In the Dragon City," said Gostir.

"Except you will find, dear Gostir, that he is not in the dragon city but is in fact somewhere else, and I will find him if it's the last thing I do. Now, any last roars? Anything you want me to pass on to your family?  Any 'famous words' you would like to quote before you... die?"

"Please, your magnificence!" begged Gostir. "You have all the stones! Spare the city!"

"I have all the stones which will make me powerful!" said Smaug. "What I don't have is the stones which will allow me to wipe every being off the face of this planet! I'm having second thoughts though... maybe I won't kill you after all."

Smaug reached down with a large and fiery hand and tossed Gostir into the purple smoke. Gostir came out. His body was no longer visible from the smoke which covered him.
Then he said something which made Olivias's scales pickle up in fear and horror: "Hail... Smaug."

~~

It was Ancalagon the Black. His face was old and square-shaped. His eyes were grey and tired. He had scales pricking up from the back of his head and his wings were crooked and pointy.

"Welcome... Marman," he spoke in a comforting, yet horse voice. "It has been long."

Marman looked at the old dragon with an awed and speechless expression.

"I understand that is a shock for you, thus you must hold it light in your heart that you may not see me for yet another long time. It is what it is. I have used the stones too many times in my life and now I am old and withered with only these beautiful statues to stare at. These statues were once dragons and once my friends. They, like all dragons, died and turned into stone. Only I have been kept alive, for I have used the stone one last time. You see, when I left all those years ago, it was because I had errands with Earendil. Earendil, however, cast me out of the sky. I thought I was dead, thus I used the stone one last time to preserve me all these years..." Alcalagon sighed and turned away.

"Who... who are you?" asked  Marman, not sure if this really was Ancalagon the Black.

"I am known by many names," said the dragon. "Some call me the most powerful dragon in the world. Others know me as Ancalagon the Black. My disguise tame is Kruger Packston. You, on the other hand, might know me as..."

"Father," Marman drew in a deep breath.

"Yes, hello son," Ancalagon smiled.

Marman felt tears rush up to his eyes.

"Time runs short I am afraid," said Ancalagon. "Smaug needs two more stones before he becomes too powerful. I have one of those stones."

Ancalagon revealed from his outstretched claws a blue gem which shimmered in the light.

"The Stone of Garman. This was a stone which Gullarung treasured and that he passed down to me. Some thought I gave it to my son, you, but I have kept it all these years, fearing what might happen to you if you got hold of it."

Marman nodded but then said, "Before I leave you, I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Why, am I a missborn? Why did the Tester not accept my egg? Why couldn't I be like any other dragon?"

Ancalagon sighed and then said, "Because you're a half-blood, son. Your mother was not a dragon."