Calm The Fire

33

Managing to climb and pull himself through the hole he just created, Smaug bounded across the floor, his feet thudding heavily as he did so. He trampled over the tapestries at his feet, oblivious to the hiding hobbit underneath one. "You think you can deceive me, barrel rider?" Smaug said sounding for the first time breathless from this whole experience.

Reaching up, he grasped onto a pillar while turning and looking back the way he came. From underneath a tapestry, Bilbo's eyes and face appeared. He managed to reach the edge and push it up off of himself so he could spy the dragon in front of him.

"You have come from Lake-town. This is some sordid scheme hatched between those filthy dwarves and those miserable trading Lakemen." Smaug's voice pitched slightly as he spoke his thoughts and suspicions. He looked to the floor below him and then looked wildly around. "Those snivelling cowards with their long bows and black arrows." Smaug said his voice turning if anything whining, like he was momentarily upset over these two things. But it was gone in seconds with his next words. "Perhaps it is time I paid them a visit." His voice turned dark, deadly and serious as he turned slowly to look to a large window to escape through.

Bilbo being privy to all that he had spoke couldn't believe what he was hearing. His eyes widened as he frowned and pushed the tapestry more off of himself. "Oh no," he whispered to himself. In front of him Smaug was already turning to walk away. "This isn't their fault!" Bilbo exclaimed while fully appearing from the piece of material he was hiding under. "Wait! You cannot go to Lake-town!" Bilbo exclaimed firmly while walking forwards with his hands fisted.

There was a thoughtful hum from Smaug as he faltered in his walking. "You care about them, do you?" He said teasingly while turning and looking to the running hobbit in front of him. "Good," he spat while Bilbo stopped running and stopped in front of him. "Then you can watch them die." Smaug opened his mouth in another odd, slightly menacing grin and turned away again.

"Here! You witless worm!" Thorin's voice exclaimed from behind.

Smaug stopped again and slowly turned, his eyes narrowed from the name he was called before looking intriguingly up at Thorin. "You," he said it as if even registering Thorin was a horrid thing to do. Like even addressing him as you was painful or tasted nasty.

"I am taking back what you stole." Thorin said firmly from his position on top of a large column.

With low rumbling breaths and steady steps forwards, Smaug made his way towards where Thorin was. "You will take nothing from me, dwarf." He said assuringly. "I laid low your warriors of old. I instil terror in the hearts of men. I am King Under the Mountain." Smaug said in a boasting tone. When he reached the column, he reached up and grasped onto two nearby pillars and reared himself up to look at Thorin.

"This is not your Kingdom. These are dwarf lands. This is dwarf gold, and we will have our revenge." Thorin said while staring into the eyes of the dragon in front of him. He tried to pay little mind to the glowing in Smaug's chest which signalled he was preparing to unload fire on them all again.

Reaching up, he held onto a chain and a rope and pulled steadily. Behind him there was the heavy clinking sounds of metal being undone. Below him each clasp which was around the column he was standing on, opened and fell away. Beside him there now stood a golden statue. There were curious noises coming from Smaug then as he leaned in close to look at the golden statue before him. His eyes flicked over the object admiringly.

For the moment, he had forgotten about Thorin hanging close by. All that mattered was this statue, that was until the face started to drop and spurts of gold shot out from it; the statue hadn't set. Because of this, it was starting to cave in on itself. The gold which was used to make it now flooded over Smaug and across the floor. From the admiring noises previously he now let out pained sounds as the liquid hot gold poured over him and seemed to coat him and envelope him. From his hanging position, Thorin smiled and let out a happy noise.