Hobbit and Lord of the Rings One- shots/ imagines

Smaug 1 (part 2)

Part 2

The mountain halls were a maze.  You ran for as long as you could, but soon, your burning lungs and strained muscles demand you slow to a walk.  Once you did, you began actually paying attention to where you were going.   The treasure chamber seemed to be in the center of the mountain, so your best shot at finding an exit would be to head away from it.  Unfortunately, you had abandoned your food in the chamber, and your growling stomach was starting to get to you.  You knew that men could go early a month without food, but the same could not be said for water and you had a feeling you'd be here for awhile yet.  There had to be a well or natural spring somewhere in this place, right?  But before your train of thought could continue any further, you picked up on a sound that made your heart stop.  The sound of footsteps.  Footsteps that weren't yours.  Did Smaug have another person living here?  It was possible.  You ducked into the nearest room and found yourself in an armory, full of weapons and cobwebs.  You grabbed a dagger and hid behind the nearest suit of armor, hoping that if the person came in here, you could get the jump on them.

The shadow of the figure passed by the archway without even stopping and you breathed a sigh of relief.  But too soon.  The footsteps stopped and the shadow reappeared in the doorway.  A figure entered the room.  Just as you had suspected.  A man.  He was tall, but he was thin, so hopefully not very strong either.  The first place he went was the rack you'd pulled the dagger from, and only then did you notice that you'd disturbed the cobwebs there and given away your location.   The figure turned and took slow, calculated steps towards your hiding place, coming to a stop just outside your reach.

"I know you're there.  And I know you're armed.  However, there is no way you can best me in combat."  You were caught, but perhaps you could still escape.  So, you threw the dagger away from the door, causing the figure to whip around, and you took this golden opportunity to bolt from the room.   The man made an annoyed noise and gave chase.  You rounded one corner, then another, and a third.  You risked a glance behind you.  Nobody was there.  You had escaped!  You rounded the next corner without looking and smashed into a warm solid wall.   The man.  You'd obviously caught him off-guard a bit, which allowed you to turn tail and run in the other direction, but before you could get ten feet, a pair of arms wrapped around your midsection and lifted you off the ground.

"No!" You struggled, but you were caught, "Ok, ok, ok. I don't know who you are or how long you've been here but Smaug is keeping me prisoner and I have to warn Lake Town.  The sick people.  If they don't get better they're killed and left for him in Dale!  Tell him I'll come back, but you have to let me go!" You brought your fists down on the man's forearms, but he made no move to release you.  Instead, he chuckled.

"I told you.  I will not release you.  I also told you to hide well.  You don't listen very well, do you?"

"Smaug?" Another chuckle and he put you back on your feet, but kept an iron hold on your upper arm.

"In this form, I am known as Ben." You turned around and were met with the sight of the most handsome man you'd ever seen.  With pale skin, dark hair, high cheekbones, and elegant jawbone, and thin lips with an impossibly angled cupid's bow.  The only thing that hinted his dragonic nature were his eyes, which still retained their fiery colors and slitted pupils.

"Wha–bu–how?"

"Magic, deary.  One of my previous hoards contained several talismans.   I got a little too curious about one of them and this happened." He gestured to himself with his free hand.

"Are you going to kill me?" You steeled yourself against his inevitable response.

"No." That surprised you, "I have been here for many decades and this side of me has become lonely.  You will keep me company when I wish it."