I found Finian and he stood and walked over to me as soon as I left the pavilion and pushed his head into my arms, making that deep humming sound that reminded me of a cat's purring.

"Let's get back to Erebor, alright?"

He lifts his head and says, "You are sure?"

"Yes. We need to go. Soon."

He bows his head and I noticed on his back now was a leather saddle strapped at the base of his neck at his shoulders. I climbed into the saddle and found straps and attached my bag behind me, and then my legs to the saddle. "Well, this certainly makes things easier." I say. "Let's go."

He lifts his wings, and with a might tug down, he shot up and into the sky. I only hoped I wasn't too late. I lifted a hand to brush tears from my eyes as Finian sped onwards.

******

He got me back to the Mountain and landed on a outcropping of rock. I could practically feel Smaug through the great stones of the mountain. I clenched my jaw and looked to Finian and he seemed to bristle at the opening we stood at- Durin's Door, opened.

"I will wait outside for you. I do not trust Smaug."

"Neither do I." I said grimly as I stared into the darkness. "It's been so long since I've been here. It doesn't feel real. I got accustomed to life outside of Erebor, that now it seems backwards."

"And now you are here to take it back, instead of just save it." He says. He prods me in the back with his nose. "Go. It is now your time."

I nodded and turned and made my way into the passageway, leaving Finian and the setting Sun behind me.

I walked for several minutes before I heard voices, and practically ran into Bombur. He looked at me, startled and exclaimed,

"Freya!" He then gathered me into a crushing hug and I laughed and hugged him back.

"Freya?" My name echoed along the voices of my friends as they came forward to touch my arm, pull me into hugs, or slap my shoulder. And then Thorin was there and he shoved through them and ran to me, crushing me in a hug.

I threw my arms around him and hugged him back tightly, almost crying in relief to see him as I tucked my face into his neck. He pulled away and began to check me over for any more injuries and I caught his hands. "Thorin. I'm healed. It's ok. I'm ok, now."

"Did you discover what happened to you?" He asks and lifts a hand to my cheek.

"No. Only that it was Dragonsheart Weed, apparently. A plant that only grows where dragons are present."

"Where did you go?" Kili asks.

"They called it The Nest. There were dragons everywhere and six other Dracari like me." I swallowed hard, and I knew Thorin could tell there was more to the story. I'd tell him later. There was too much.

"Where is Bilbo?" I asked.

"He's with Balin. He hasn't left yet. Hurry." Kili says and points down the passage.

I looked at Thorin and took his face in my hands and kissed him. "I'll see you in a minute."

"See you in a minute." He replied and I race down the passage and find Bilbo just in time.

"Freya!" He whispered and caught my hug gladly. "You're alright! I'm so happy. We were all worried we'd never see you again. I've never seen Thorin so aggravated or upset in my life. He must have been so relieved to see you."

I smiled softly. "He was. But we need to go in there now. You just focus on not being seen and find the Arkenstone, alright? I'll deal with Smaug."

"Are you sure about this, Freya? He'll smell you and wake up."

"He's probably already sensed me." I said. I paused. "In Mirkwood, I watched you disappear- turn invisible. Do you have something that makes that happen? If so, I suggest using it."

He hesitated. "You... saw that, did you?"

"Yes. People don't just disappear, and last I checked, the only magic user in the company was Gandalf, and he wasn't with us." I jutted my chin down the hall. "We should go."

He swallowed hard and nodded, his hand reaching into his vest's pocket. We made our way down the path, and out into the open treasure room.

It was huge, and just as filled with gold and gems as I remembered. The only difference was there was now a sleeping dragon in the piles of treasure. I turned and noticed Bilbo was gone, then released a slow breath and closed my eyes.

A rustling of gold filled the room as piles slid down others like an avalanche. And then, Smaug's head was out of the gold and looking down at me with a toothy grin, golden red eyes flashing as his massive red wings raised menacingly.

His neck snaked along close to the gold and I remained where I stood on the steps at the entrance to the treasure room. His clawed legs gripped columns as he pulled himself from where he had been sleeping, buried, for six decades.

"Dracari..." He mused as his head lifted to meet my eyes. "You have returned at long last."

I clenched my fists at my sides, staring at the dragon in front of me. "I have, indeed."

"And you have your dwarf friends with you, too, I'd imagine." He hissed, sniffing in deeply. I almost didn't notice we were speaking in a different language for a moment, then recovered and said in the same tongue that flowed so effortlessly,

"It seems I did."

His nostrils flared as he took in my smell and snarled, "And you have a dragon of your own to call your friend. And I assume he is somewhere lurking."

"Outside the mountain. You are the only dragon within Erebor, Smaug. As I promised a little more than sixty years ago."

"Hm. Has it really been that long?" He asked coyly, forked tongue flicking out of his mouth. He sniffed again and recoiled. "And I see you have been poisoned. I wonder by who. I am glad the Dragonsheart Weed did not take you. It seems you have been to the Nest, as well. I haven't been there in two centuries, you know."

"Yes. I'm healed now. I wasn't too impressed- I understand why you left. But you've been sleeping for a long time, Smaug. Don't you want to stretch your wings?"

He seemed amused at that. "Hm-hm-hmm... You are familiar with my name, Dracari, though I do not know yours. Our minds are not linked as yours is with your own dragon. Do tell me, what it is I should call you?"

"Freya." I replied. "You may call me Freya."

"Hmmm. Freeyyyaaaa. In the Tongue of the dragons, it means 'fire breather'. Do you breathe fire, Freya?" A deep rumbling sounded through his chest and it glowed red, and as I stared, I noticed a large chunk of his scaled armor was missing, revealing the sensitive skin underneath, and a pathway to his heart....

My eyes flicked up to meet his and I replied with a smirk, "No, but I have always been called a spitfire."

He chuckled this time, the room rumbling as his tail swished and knocked over a mountain of treasure. "You amuse me, Freya the Dracari. Now, tell me. Why are you here?" He hissed the last word, baring his teeth.

I stood my ground and replied, "Because you've slept here long enough, as I've said. You've outstayed your welcome, Smaug."

His eyes narrowed and his lip curled in a snarl. "Oh, have I? And what's stopping me from eating you, Freya the Dracari? Nothing, I'd imagine."

"You won't." I say and narrowed my own eyes and stood my ground. "You will leave. This isn't up for debate. Not this time."

He hissed again and snarled, "You are not the first Dracari to try to control my mind, Freya the Spitfire. You will not be the last."

"But I will be the first to succeed." I say. "I did it before.

He chuckled, swishing his tail from side to side. "We made a bargain, Freya. Nothing more. I could have very well eaten you that day and the rest of your miserable people and taken the treasure for myself. But you willingly bartered it away. You have nothing to bargain with today."

"Surely there is nothing else you want?" I asked.

"I want Thorin Oakenshield. That way I can get rid of the last of the Durin line." He said with a snarl. "But it seems you don't want to give him up   You've attached yourself to him. I can smell him on you, Freya the Spitfire."

I clenched my fists at my sides and took in a deep breath, closing my eyes, then released it. My eyes opened and I said, "You will obey me, Smaug the Terrible. You will stand and you will walk out of this Mountain. You will leave."

As I spoke, the floor under me began to shake, a crack spreading through the stairs. He recoiled away from me, bristling as he hissed,

"No. You can't be the one, can you?" He lowered his head to sniff at me again and then growled and pulled away again. "So you are Earthshaker."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

His eyes narrowed, as if he hated the words he was about to speak. "It means, Freya Spitfire, that I will listen to what you have to say."