Miranda's POV
We stood together in the middle of the room where he gave me my lessons. I stared at him, waiting for him to begin.
"Every dragon can communicate with each other through their mind. Today I will teach you how to do that." I got into position and he continued. "Close your eyes and try to open your mind. Think of the sound of my voice, it's highs and lows, seek it."
I followed his directions. I looked for his voice, but I found nothing besides my own flame. "No! You are doing it wrong! You must seek past yourself! Try again!" He ordered. I closed my eyes once more, reaching past my memories and my flame. I came upon a door, I opened it.
"Hello?" I called through the darkness. I was answered by a light.
"Hello and welcome daughter. Congratulations. Now pull back out." His voice was softer inside his head. I did as I was told and exited his mind, returning to my own. "Very good. With time, and practice, you will be able to enter the minds of others who are not dragons nor those with the dragon gift. Of which there are few."
"Why is that?" I asked, curious.
"Some dragons do not live long enough to find one who is worthy. But most dragons do not want to go through the trouble of training a mortal. You are an elf, an elf that is immune to fire. It is a special gift." He responded.
"Oh," I said. "Will we train more today?"
"Yes, there is something else I would like to teach you, but it will take some time to learn. Close your eyes. I want you to try to make fire without rage or hate." He told me. That is what I practiced on the rest of the day.
~*~
In the weeks and months that followed we trained with these two things. I was soon able to talk to him through my mind without too much difficulty, but I was still unable to produce fire without aggression.
I groaned frustrated, flopping my back onto a pile of coins. Smaug's rumbling chuckle filled the room. "What am I doing wrong? I asked him.
"It might help to imagine your flame as one color," he offered.
I closed my eyes and reached into myself. I saw the swirling lick of flame inside of me. It was red and orange and right at the center, gold. I tried to pull that color out into the open. It didn't work. Always eluding my grasp. I began to push the orange and reds away. It was working! The light shone brightly in my hands as I grasped it. The golden fire was happy and danced lively in my mind. Now, I tried to bring it forth. A hiccup of flame escaped my open mouth but nothing more.
Smaug was roaring with laughter at my expense, his great body heaved as he took in a raspy breath. "That was good. Let's stop here for today."
I sighed, letting myself sink into a floor of coins. "Will you tell me a story?" I asked, looking up at him with begging eyes.
He smiled at me and said, "Alright! Now pay attention, this story is about a dragon named Gorth!" And so, he began another one of his stories about pillaging dragons and their hoards.