Title & Chapter Number: Dragon Fever 18/21
Author(s): - Author's Index
Fandom: LOTR
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. The characters, settings, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for Elwen and other original characters who belong to this author. I make no money from this, more's the pity, considering the number of hours burning the midnight oil.
Warnings: Mild BDSM and non-consensual situations in a few chapters. Some het.
Betas: Many thanks to Caz and Dhvana for beta reading, and to friend Dhvana especially for advice, consultation, and moral support and to Dalogas for being my most thorough reviewer.
Cast: Legolas/Aragorn; Legolas/OCs; also Thranduil, Smaug, Gimli, Balin, and Gloin.
Timeline: In the Third Age of Middle Earth, shortly after The Hobbit.
Spoilers: None
Summary: Legolas tells Aragorn a story about a trip he once made to Esgaroth (Lake-town) with his lover, Elwen, a Rivendell elf. But something is rotten in Esgaroth and Legolas is forced to strike an unusual bargain. A mix of adventure, romance, humor, angst, and hot sex.
Notes: This is actually both a prequel and a sequel to "Ohtarnil: A Warrior Love." The first and last chapters (1 and 21) are sequels and take place shortly after the Fellowship leaves Lothlórien. However, most of the story takes place 73 years earlier when Legolas first becomes involved with my fictional character, Elwen. Feedback, as always, greatly appreciated.
Chapter 18 - The Dragon's Bargain
The first light of dawn streaked the sky with a rosy tint that was reflected in the shining surface of Long Lake. Legolas paddled rapidly toward the blackened remains of old Esgaroth. Talagan steered the other canoe that held two prone, cloak-covered figures. One thrashed and called for Legolas in his sleep. Talagan leaned forward and felt Elwen's forehead.
"He's burning up," he said, without expression. "I don't know how long they'll last."
"You're sure this will work?" Legolas fretted. "That Smaug's teeth will cure them?"
"Yes, but I still think this is too risky for you," Talagan said. "How are you going to stay underwater long enough to find them?"
"Let me worry about that." Legolas glanced at the large rock he'd put in the canoe that morning. "You get them back to town and convince Audun and Thorvald that this is their only chance."
"Yes, my lord." Talagan paddled alongside Legolas. "Prince, we'll also need a large diamond to pulverize the teeth. It's the only thing hard enough to do it. It is said that the worm had an armored breastplate of diamonds. They must have rotted free from the carcass."
"Yes, I'll find one." Legolas reached out a hand and tenderly caressed Elwen's cheek.
Talagan looked at the prince's face, sad with longing. He must really be in love, Talagan thought. The seneschal reached over and grasped Legolas's arm. "May the Valar cleave by your side," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. His canoe slipped away and moved off, trailing a long V shape in the water.
Legolas watched him go, then began paddling toward the place where Smaug's bones lay at the bottom of the lake. He felt absolutely wretched. This trip had begun as a lark, a chance to be free from his father's control, a chance to relax and have fun with Elwen, but it had rapidly spiraled into a nightmare. He didn't know whether he could have changed anything. If he had only resisted his desire for the beautiful Imladris elf, then Audun wouldn't have taken them prisoner, but would denying his attraction have warded off this mysterious fever? Had Smaug infected everyone through the passion Elwen and he had enjoyed? He didn't think he could live with himself if he were the instrument of Elwen's death.
With that thought, he realized how deeply and truly he was beginning to love the dark-haired elf. How loving, talented, and enchanting he was, how he enjoyed his company. "Elwen, you can't die," he moaned, and resolve hardened within him. "I *won't* let you!"
He saw a thin column of mist curling up from the surface of the lake, very near the blackened pylons of old Esgaroth. Smaug! he thought. The evil that doesn't die. What could have awakened you? As he came closer, he could feel the sick sensation again, the evil will beating against his body. Legolas clenched his teeth. I will endure it, he thought. By Elbereth, I will.
"Legolasss!" He heard the heavy, whispered voice. "Come to me, my love."
"Smaug, stop making me ill!" Legolas called. "Lift your curse for a time, so I may talk to you." He paused right over the swirling mist and fell over the gunnel, retching. Slowly the pain departed and he felt clear-headed again.
"That's better, worm," he said. "Can we talk here or must I come down to you?"
"You must come to me, lovely archer princcce," the hissing voice replied.
Legolas looked down into the clear water. Yes, there were the bones scattered about as he had seen them when he first came to Esgaroth three days ago. Legolas peeled off his clothes. He wrapped a rope several times around the large stone in the bottom of the canoe, tying a tight knot, then fastened the other end of the rope to the prow.
The light grew. Legolas shaded his eyes, glancing at the splendor of fiery Anor just reaching her long, dancing fingers over the horizon. He thought that this might be the last time he looked on this beauty, and so he drank it in, filling his heart with it.
The prince hefted the stone in his arms, taking several long, hard breaths. He held his last breath and heaved the stone off the side of the boat. Gripping the rope tied about it, he dived into the water, letting the rock carry him swiftly to the bottom of the lake.
Legolas heard a sound in his head like the tinkling of small metal bells. He looked up at the shadowy bottom of the boat spinning slowly, maybe thirty feet above him. Small bubbles emanated from his mouth. He turned his head looking for the bones, and his hair swirled slowly about his face, like golden seaweed. A small school of fish darted by, one of them bumping lightly against his thigh. Eerie shadows flowed back and forth over the half-seen rocks and debris scattered on the pebbled lake floor.
There lay portions of the immense skeleton of the dragon, terrifying even in death: a long curving backbone, with ribs still attached, portions of a huge curved hip bone. In the distance lay a long skinny neck and the skull with huge eye sockets. The neck was twisted and the head had turned over on its side, the sharp teeth still glinting in its jaws. Drifting along the rope line, Legolas moved toward the skull and the serrated teeth.
Where are you, Smaug? he thought, then he noticed a shimmering white fog gathering over the skeleton. The fog solidified and he was looking into the dreadful face of the dragon.
Smaug's eyes were burning yellow coals sliced by narrow, black pupils. Feathery plumes waved from above his eyes, and his nostrils flared wide, opening and closing as if the dragon still breathed. His horned head alone was the size of three elves laid end to end. He was covered in golden scales, but he had a shimmering, semi-transparent quality to him. He looked at Legolas and laughed, a wicked sound.
Legolas felt as if his lungs would burst. He needed to surface again, soon. He began swimming swiftly upward, but Smaug caught him by the leg with a clawed foot.
"Air-breather! This is what you need for us to have a little visit." He engulfed the prince in his mouth and exhaled all around him. The darkness was complete and Legolas had a moment of complete panic as he struggled to breathe and was buffeted in the forceful current up against the dragon's tongue. He flung up a hand and contacted a sharp tooth. The mud from the bottom flew up in all directions.
As the dragon pulled away from him, Legolas could see that now a large bubble floated about his head. He took a deep breath of stale, misty air, while he fought to remain calm.
"Much better, dragon," he said. "Now how can I stop the fever you've inflicted on the people of Esgaroth?"
"All in good time," purred the worm, his chest vibrating like a large tabby cat. "I've never had a guest in my new abode. You must come with me and chat for a while."
"Forgive my discourtesy, but I am in haste. I have friends who suffer."
"Do not fear, no further harm will come to them if I do not will it," Smaug said. "Come with me little prince."
He lifted Legolas to a seat on his neck just in front of the vast golden wings that lay folded up along his back. He rose up in the water and began swimming, his body wriggling sinuously back and forth, propelled by the beating of his powerful tail. They reached a crack in the lake floor and flattening himself, Smaug shot into it. They were in a narrow, twisting cavern which the dragon negotiated with skill.
The beast didn't feel solid and Legolas felt as if he were riding a current of water.
"Where are you taking me?" the prince asked.
"To my bed," purred the dragon.
"Now, *that* is an alarming notion," Legolas said grimly. Smaug merely laughed, a sound that set Legolas's teeth on edge.
They emerged through a large round hole in the rock. With a quick heave, Smaug pulled himself up into a dry cavern. There was a crack in the roof that let in a narrow band of light. In one corner of the bare cave was a pile of sparkling gemstones.
"This is my new home," said the dragon, his voice wheezing unpleasantly. "Not much, is it? Not especially after the splendor of the dwarves' kingdom under Erebor." He sighed, "Ah yes, the good old days. This is all that remains of my hoard, the stones from my breast armor." He reared up slightly and raised one skinny leg. Legolas could see a long blackened arrow shaft protruding from the hollow between his left leg and his breast.
"How the mighty have fallen," he said. "No more gold to sleep on, nor warriors to feast upon. Instead I am doomed to lie cold on the bottom of a heartless lake."
"You'll forgive me if I'm not exactly sympathetic," Legolas said. "You were a terror to this region. I remember you swooping down upon our realm, setting the forest ablaze."
Smaug turned a huge yellow eye on him. "A tender elven princeling should be more respectful when he is naked and alone in a dragon's lair," he said.
"What do you want, worm? My lover is dying of dragon fever."
"And what would you do to save him?" Smaug settled down on the ground with his hind legs tucked under him and his tail wrapped about his body. He rested his chin on his front leg.
"Whatever you wish, dragon," Legolas said sitting on the floor. He sounded defeated.
"We will strike a bargain that will not be beyond your ability to give, I think," said Smaug. He reached out his other foot and closed it gently about the prince. "Tell me the answer to this:
I drive men mad for love of me.
Easily beaten.
Never free.""A riddle?" Legolas asked. Smaug merely looked at him in amusement. Legolas wracked his brains. Easily beaten. Never free? He couldn't think.
Smaug yawned. "Just this once, I'll give you a hint. The Merchant's Guild has contracted this madness, especially its leader, Audun."
I drive men mad for love of me. A light dawned in Legolas's mind. "The answer is gold."
"Correct," Smaug drew Legolas close to his chest. "Do you think you could scratch me behind the ears? I've not had that done in uncounted eons." Legolas reached up and rubbed behind the dragon's ears, sending him into an ecstasy. He rubbed his nose hard against the prince, pushing him along the floor, then the worm rolled over on his back. "Climb up here and scratch my belly," the dragon said.
"This is a lot of servicing, worm," Legolas complained. But he crawled up on the dragon, settling into his soft, yielding flesh and scratching his white belly. The beast wriggled in delight.
"Yes, gold," the dragon continued. "I know the smell, the feel, the weight of every piece I once owned in Erebor." He lifted his head off the ground and looked Legolas in the eye. "I was awakened from death because a critical amount of it has accumulated very near in New Esgaroth."
Legolas crawled forward and began scratching around the dragon's front legs. "Tell me more, dragon. This is suddenly very interesting."
"Indeed, I thought you'd see it thus," Smaug laughed. "Audun has sold some of the building materials your people provided him in exchange for a share of my treasure. He has now amassed his own hoard and has become consumed with the lust that clings to it. He will not willingly give it up. Ah that feels good! A little higher, if you please." Legolas moved up along the dragon's neck. "The gold is located in Audun's Inn, in an underground room, I believe," Smaug continued.
"The wine cellar!" Legolas said.
"Here's the first part of what I require from you," Smaug said. He flipped over. Legolas leapt out of the way, somersaulting across the floor. The dragon reached over and put a claw under his chin, raising him upright. "I wish my gold returned to me. All of it, every last sovereign. You must scatter it in the lake, over my bones."
"Yes, I'm sure that can be done," Legolas said, his eyes gleaming with sudden hope. "Is that all?"
Smaug cocked his head to one side, looking him over. "I'm not an expert in elven shapes," he said, "but I experienced the delight your partner took in yours. It was almost enough to kindle the fire in my belly again."
He flicked out his long, skinny tongue and licked Legolas from head to toe, lingering on his groin. His tongue left a harsh, slimy trail on the elf's skin, followed by a brief, fiery tingling. Legolas shivered in disgust as he stepped back from the hideous beast.
"Delicious," Smaug smacked his lips. "You have a sweet taste, elf. I could get used to it."
"I am not your toy, worm!," Legolas cried, his fists clenched. "Tell me what else you require and be done."
"Such pride for such a little thing," Smaug purred. "Tell me this. How much do you care for your dark-haired elf?"
"A great deal," Legolas said.
"Mmmm," murmured the dragon, stretching and retracting his claws. "What would you give up for him?"
"What do you wish?"
"Something to warm me in the long, eternal nights, which is all I have to look forward to. Tell me what this is:
If you break me, I do not stop working.
If you touch me, I may be snared.
If you lose me, nothing will matter."Legolas thought long and hard about this one, rejecting one by one the mad fancies that flitted through his mind. If you lose me, nothing will matter. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and then it came to him.
"My heart?" he said incredulously. "You want me to give up my heart?"
"Just the barest portion of your affection for the other elf. You will still be able to love him, but you will never be able to give your whole heart to him. And you may never tell him the reason why."
Legolas's legs suddenly felt weak. He sank down to his knees. "You drive a cruel bargain, Smaug," he cried. "There is naught else that you desire?"
"I could devour your lover's whole heart. A much better deal for me, as the strength of his passion is great, but it would kill him," Smaug said.
"I cannot allow that!" Legolas cried.
The dragon laughed again, the terrible sound reverberating about the cavern. Legolas fell forward on the ground and stopped his ears. "Then it's a slice of your heart, elf," Smaug roared. "In return I shall give you three of my precious teeth, enough to cure everyone of the fever. I deem it a fair exchange."
"I need a diamond to pulverize them," Legolas said swiftly. Smaug hesitated a moment and turned to look longingly at his pile of gems. "Yes," he said finally.
"And one more item, dragon," Legolas stood, furious in his determination. "You will remain in your grave and not send the dreaming out to trouble the people of Esgaroth again."
"Done, elf," Smaug said. "But I guarantee you will find it a difficult matter to pry my gold from Audun. It is your choice how you do it, but it must be done by sunset or the potion brewed from my teeth will not prevent the fever from taking its course."
"Are we finished here, worm?" cried Legolas.
Smaug cocked his head back and forth, looking at him first with one eye, then the other, as if judging distance.
"Stand up straight, elf," he commanded. In a rapid, darting motion, the dragon thrust a sharp claw into Legolas's chest. The prince shouted in agony as he felt a searing blade tearing through his heart. Smaug withdrew his claw with the tiniest sliver of bloody flesh on it. He flicked out his tongue and swept it into his mouth.
"Ahhh, yes. So warm, so tender, so full of lust," he licked his mouth sensuously. "My thanks to you, elf."
"I do not thank *you*, Smaug. Take me back now!" Legolas shook with fury. A thin line of blood trickled from the gash in his chest.
"As you wish, my luscious princeling," Smaug hissed. The dragon grabbed up a large diamond from his hoard and handed it, with a shudder of longing, to the prince. "Use this to knock out my teeth," he said, opening his jaws wide.
Legolas came close to the hideous red cavern of the dragon's mouth. He grasped the diamond and hit one of the teeth with tremendous force. It came loose with a rush of clear fluid and fell to the floor as the dragon howled in pain. The prince removed two more and picked them up, cradling them in his arms.
"Are you ready now?" asked Smaug.
"Valar, yes. Take me back," said the elf.
Suddenly Legolas felt exhausted. He crawled onto the dragon's back and barely felt the return journey. When he came to, he was sitting in his canoe. At first he thought it had been a dream, then he looked down. Three large, daggerlike teeth and a diamond as big as his palm, glittered at his feet.
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