The Last of the Guardians Part 2 - A Hobbit Fan Fiction

Chapter 21 - The Heart of the Mountain

It began slowly. A river of gold pieces flowing from the mountain of treasures. Then more began to slide, the chalices and goblets, the plated armour, the shields, the chains, all of it slipped away. Here, a large snout was emerging. There, the ridge of an enourmous, scaled back was revealed as the jewels fell.

And, just as the flow of coins came to a stop, the back arched, the neck stretched, and the head shunted forwards, sending another torrent of gold cascading down the mountain. But Bilbo made no move to run.

Crouching on one of the few staircases that had not been drowned with gold, Nema watched the hobbit, willing him to move. Just run, she thought. Why do you not run? For half a moment she almost considered flying down there and carrying him off out of harm's way.

But it was already too late for that. The dragon was on the move. His big, fiery eye fixed on Bilbo, the dragon raised its head and shook off the lingering trinkets. Yet still, Bilbo did not move. He was rooted to the spot. In fact, the only movement he seemed capable of was that of fumbling in his pockets.

There was no longer time for any heroic dives on Nema's part. The dragon would work out her plans before she had so much as flown ten feet and would be ready to sieze them both as soon as she came within range. No, she would have to do something else.

Before the touch of fear could hold her still, Nema threw herself from the steps, unfurled her wings, and flew straight at the beast's head. Had he not been so fixed on Bilbo, Smaug may have been able to adjust his position so that the Guardian flew into his mouth instead, but as it happened luck was with her.

The dragon only had time to glance up before Nema struck him hard between the eyes. Wasting not a single moment, Nema flew off again and began to circle one of the great pillars holding the roof up.

"Smaug!" She cried in her flight. "It seems to me that you have become a little slow in your old age."

It was enough. Forgetting, for the time being, his other intruder, Smaug lunged after Nema. He did not take insults lightly.

The great hall was an immense cavern, with colossal pillars reaching high into the air. Empty of its treasures, it would have been large enough for Smaug to fly in - so long as he tucked in his wings when passing between pillars. But the mountains of gold had grown so large that the highest summits lay around the tops of the pillars, so there was no room for Smaug to fly after Nema. Instead, he ran - or at least, he walked as fast as he could go on the golden mountains in the limited space.

But there was plenty of space for Nema. She led him on a wild chase around the cavern, darting here and there, trying to keep Smaug's attention on her long enough for Bilbo to get to safety.

It must have worked, for when Nema finally deemed it safe to return to where she had left the hobbit, there was no sign of him. She could only hope he had made it back up to the passage in one piece. She had no time to be certain though, what with Smaug coming up fast behind her.

With one last glance over her shoulder, Nema headed for the passage they had used to enter. She landed just outside, tucked her wings against her back, and sprinted the rest of the way. Smaug sent flames after her, but she was too quick, and burst through the hidden door before they could catch her.

The cool night air was a blessing to feel on her skin after the heat of the dragon's lair. She stood on the ledge for a moment to get her breath back, and wiped the sweat from her brow. The lack of space may have impaired Smaug's movements a little, but he was still fast, and the chase had left her exhausted.

When her heart had slowed, Nema turned to face the dwarves. They had retreated up the passage to await their companions outside, and each and every one wanted to know exactly what had happened in the cavern. But only one question really caught her attention.

"Where is Bilbo?"

"I thought he was up here," she replied. Alarmed, Nema turned to stare back down the passage.

She had left him in the dragon's lair.

***

I should have run while I had the chance!

In the omninous silence that followed Nema's departure, Bilbo cursed himself. His fear of the dragon had kept him from moving to safety, even when the Guardian had taken the beast's attention away from him. Now he was paying the price for lingering.

He watched the dragon aligning his eye with the doorway so that he could look up the passage. If he was careful, and walked with as light a tread as he could manage, Bilbo thought he would just about be able to sneak past Smaug. He did have the advantage - or so he thought - for once Nema had drawn the dragon away, Bilbo had slipped on the magic ring he had found beneath the Misty Mountains. Invisible to the dragon's gaze, and with his hobbit stealth, all Bilbo needed was another way out.

That was when he saw it. A faint, glimmering of white light a mere ten feet from the tip of the dragon's tail. The Arkenstone. It had to be.

I could do it, Bilbo thought. I could take the Arkenstone and find a way out of here. The white gem was not far away, but there was a great deal of gold between him and the stone. Bilbo could pass through a forest without stirring a single leaf if he wanted to. He could wade through a small river without so much as a splash if it was necessary.

This was different. The gold here had a life of its own, and there was no clear path to the Arkenstone. The ground was not solid either, and the slightest mis-step could cause a sizeable landslide.

But he had no other choice. He had travelled thousands of leagues to steal the Arkenstone and he was damned if he left without it. If the dragon hear's me, I'll just have to make a run for it, he decided, and started towards the white light.

With every step he took Bilbo would look to Smaug to see whether he had heard him or not. But the dragon did not move, staying beside the entrance to the passage with his head tilted to the side. Emboldened, Bilbo carried on his way.

He was almost there when Smaug spoke.

"It appears your friend has abandoned you." His voice was as deep as his scales were dark, and sounded like the rumbling of thunder during a summer storm. "I wish she had not escaped me. It has been a long time since I feasted on Guardian meat, but no matter," he said as he turned away from the passage, "I am sure you will taste just as good."

Bilbo had frozen at the sound of the dragon's voice, and the threat of being eaten only heightened his fear.

"Where are you, thief?" asked Smaug, creeping closer. "It is no use hiding from me. I will find you. I can smell your fear. I can hear your breath, feel your air. Come now, don't be shy. Step into the light?"

***Hey, so I reckon there are about two chapters - maybe three if I can push it - left to write for Part 2. I'm going away on Friday for a couple of weeks so I won't be able to update but I'll try to finish this before I leave. If I don't manage it, I'll make sure to work on it while I'm away :) Hope you are all having a great day!***