Dragon Soul 1 (Smaug Fan Fiction)

Chapter 5: Smaug's First Memory

Hegda left Bilbo's room to join the dwarves in the sitting room. They had eaten their share of the hobbit's food and were now settling down for a night's rest before leaving on their quest early the next morning.

There were dwarves spread throughout the room, draped over chairs, lying on the ground, there was even a dwarf sleeping on a table. Hegda found a clear spot on the floor and laid down using her pack as a pillow. From the corner of her eye she noticed Gandalf watching her. It made her a little uncomfortable. She glanced at him and gave him a slight smile. He turned away.

She sighed to herself "I should be resting amongst my treasure with gold as my pillow." It didn't take long for her to fall asleep but it was not a peaceful sleep. It was filled with images from the past. Images that she wished were long forgotten.

Images from times long past flashed through her mind. Her mind settled on the first thing she remembered...darkness. Dragons were born in darkness, in dungeons away from the light. Blackness filled her first days. Her kind were born to be slaves doing only what the master willed. A long time passed before she ever saw the light, before she ever saw exactly what she was.

The day came when she was taken from the dungeon and forced to go on a long and difficult journey. Her overseers were cruel and pushed the young group of dragons hard. They were anxious to get them to their destination as soon as possible. The master was waiting to meet this new group. The poor young dragons had no idea of where they were going and what was to become of them.

Some races of Middle Earth believed that dragons are immortal but that is not true. Hegda witnessed many of her fellow dragons fall on that journey, and many more afterwards.

Hegda's fitful dream continued. Some of her fellow young dragons were pushed to the point of exhaustion and then beaten to death when they could go no further. Others starved to death for refusing to kill their prey. The images of those bruised, broken, bloodied, thin bodies were what haunted her dreams that night. She tossed and turned reliving those painful memories.

She, along with the other surviving dragons learned to be strong or be killed. Though many of her fellow companions died along the way, many also lived and were taken to see the master. After sizing them up, he chose a few and sent the rest to a desolate waste land to fend for themselves. They were told they were too scrawny to be of any use. If they somehow survived the test in the wilderness they could prove their worth and perhaps be of use.

So, they were abandoned, left alone to live or die. Fear crept into the group. They would have all perished if a leader had not stepped forward to take charge of them. Hudraer, was a black and red fire-drake. He was only slightly bigger than the rest of them but his courage was well beyond his age. He told them that if they wanted to live they had to work together and get stronger. They followed him like sheep to their shepherd.

Under Hudraer's leadership things started to look up. Each dragon learned how to hunt to the best of his or her ability. They practiced how to use their wings to pounce and fire to burn. They worked together to survive.

One day the survival test ended. The master sent his most trusted lieutenant to check on them. What he saw surprised him. He had not expected any of the little dragons to survive but not only had they survived, they had flourished and grown. They stood paralyzed in fear when they caught sight of the ominous presence staring at them from a high cliff. They did not know it then but they had just gotten their first look at the Dark Lord Sauron.

Hegda jolted awake gasping for air, her amber eyes wide in fear. Sweat poured from her body. She took a minute to remember where she was. She hoped that no one saw her but her hopes were dashed when she heard Thorin speak.

Thorin who was packing his things looked over at her curiously, "You look like you've seen a dragon."

Hegda looked over to him, "No, worse, much worse, but it was just a dream, just a silly dream."

"Get up and pack, we are leaving before dawn," he said walking out. "Go, wake the others."

Still shaken Hegda got up and did as Thorin asked.

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