The Hobbit Prompt #7: Curse of the Dragon Sickness

We all know of the Dragon Sickness, the curse that fell upon Thorin Oakenshield that caused him to go mad with greed and suspicion. We know that a curse was laid upon the treasure hoards of Erebor, possibly by the Dragon, possibly by the Rings Sauron gifted the Dwarves...or possibly a combination. 

But what if Dwarves aren't the only creatures in Middle-Earth to succumb to the Dragon Sickness? What if there's more than one way to get infected by it?

For evil comes in many forms -- whether it shows itself for all to see, or it cloaks itself under the guise of Good.

Unbeknownst to all, dragon fire is cursed. Whoever survives the damage caused by it is fated to succumb to their darkest desires. Even the most pure-hearted and good of Middle-Earth aren't safe from it. 

Why hasn't anyone known this dark secret? Because no one has lived to tell the tale; and even if they did, they wouldn't know that they were being affected. Just as the treasure hoards of Erebor was cursed by the dragon sickness, and darkened Thorin's mind with greed, such are the effects of dragon fire on any who survive its wrath. Only those who are close to the victim will notice the changes. 

Unfortunately, none had the infernal luck (or bad luck, depending on your perspective now that you know this new knowledge) of surviving a gust of dragon fire. Only Thranduil survived a dragon attack -- with surprisingly minor injuries considering it's dragon fire -- the same substance that can turn you into a shriveled husk. The same element that can melt anything.

Anyway, I digress. Over the centuries, Thranduil's wound dealt by Smaug heals, though it leaves him with terrible scars. Disfigured, Thranduil uses magic to cover his wounds to make him appear normal -- but it doesn't fool anyone. Every Elf saw the dragon attack their King, and watch as their King grows distant and dark, though they assume that it's from the growing Darkness that's spreading throughout Mirkwood, particularly in the Southern part.

In Short: Write from Thranduil's POV and cover his thoughts and feelings concerning his injury and the effects he might be suffering from.

Bonus (Option 1): Write from Legolas's POV as he watches his father and his darkening moods. What are his thoughts and feelings behind it?

Bonus (Option 2): Add Gandalf's POV into the story. 

Bonus (Option 3): Add Smaug's POV into the story. Delve into his evil thoughts as he feels Thranduil suffering the effects of the Dragon Sickness.

Alternative 1: Write strictly from the POV of an OC Elf, a Canon Elf (from either LOTR or The Hobbit) concerning Thranduil and their thoughts and feelings on the matter.

Alternative 2: Write strictly from Galadriel's or Gandalf's POV concerning Thranduil and about their thoughts and feelings on Thranduil's behavior. Do they have any suspicions? 

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Author's Note: Mae Govannen, Mellyn-nin! And well met, indeed! This is my third Tolkien Prompt of this year of 2019 (the first two being "The Blue Wizards" and "A New Age")! I'm so excited! XD

So sorry for not posting a lot of Hobbit prompts. To be fair, LOTR has more opportunity for prompts since there's THREE BOOKS! So if you guys want me to post more Hobbit and Silmarillion prompts, please give me some suggestions, as I'm not as familiar with them as LOTR -- especially the Silmarillion. Unless you just want me to post countless Aegnor/Andreth and Beren/Luthien prompts? lol XD

Anyway, this prompt was inspired when I was Googling for some images of Thranduil to post on here, then I saw his disfigured face, and, for some reason, my mind went to Thorin and the Dragon Sickness on the treasure, and then to Smaug, and how he scarred Thranduil, and thus my mind came up with this prompt. Considering he was a jerk in the book, I can totally see him turning to the Dark Side with the help of his injury. Dragons are magical creatures, after all, according to Tolkien, so why can't their fire have some form of enchantment in it?

I hope that you enjoy this prompt! I enjoyed writing this! Please let me know what you think!

(For those who wish to see the sequel to this prompt, go to "LOTR Prompt #9: The Second Kinslaying".)

Thank you for reading!

Long Live the Night!

- Noctus Fury