686Chapter 24: A Crucible Of Gold
Author's Note – A fathom is a unit of length about six feet long. To the guest reviewer who pointed out 'Barzul' is not a LOTR expression, true. I needed some exclamation to fit the scene, and the LOTR Dwarven language of Khuzdul is very incomplete, so I borrowed one expression.
A Crucible Of Gold
They woke at dawn's first light and prepared to depart after a long, restful night of sleep. Hiccup yawned and stretched as Toothless similarly woke up, pawing at the ground inside their big tent.
"Sleep well, bud?"
Oddly, Toothless flinched and grumbled while staring at his paws.
"Yes, and no."
"What kind of answer is that? Sounds like something an Elf would say..."
"I mean," Toothless flicked his wingtip at Hiccup's head, "that I had a bad dream."
"Oh, well, do you want to talk about it? What was it about? Talking about dreams helps."
Toothless sighed and lay his head on the ground, looking away from Hiccup.
"I dreamed that I was Smaug: big, golden, great, sitting on a mountain of gold, flying... flaming Lake-town..."
"Yikes, that's a bad one," Hiccup solemnly agreed.
Then he sat down by Toothless's head to give him a gentle scratching.
"Yes, I was flaming them because they might take... my hoard, Smaug's hoard, actually. It was so bad. I wanted to kill them and... then you shot me."
The scratching stopped.
"I shot you? Like, I shot you down with ropes so you couldn't hurt anyone anymore?"
"No, you shot me with an arrow, a black one like the one that killed Smaug."
"Double yikes..."
"Yes, and it was a good thing you did. You saved me by shooting me down."
"Huh?"
Toothless nudged Hiccup's shoulder.
"You helped save me from becoming more like Smaug, and I would still be flaming Viking nest-cities if not for you. You helped me not become the bad dragon that I could have been."
Hiccup shrugged.
"I guess so. Want to get something to eat and then leave?"
"Yes," Toothless purred, "I want to put my tail to this place as soon as I can."
"Won't argue with you on that, bud. We should also check and see if we can get any supplies before we head out."
Hiccup packed up his supplies and stowed everything away in the saddlepack. Then he and Toothless went outside and were met by an attendant who had been instructed to wait for them.
"Master Haddock, are you and your... great steed leaving us now?" the man asked.
"We would like to, and he is my friend, not my steed."
The man inclined his head in a sign of respect.
"My King would meet with you before you depart. He wishes to speak with you and give you both some provisions."
"That sounds good," Hiccup agreed, surprised and thankful at this offer from the King.
"If you would please follow me."
"Where are we going?" Toothless asked.
The attendant looked surprised at being spoken to by him, but to his credit he answered without much delay. The man avoided meeting his gaze though, preferring instead to stare at his paws.
"To King Brand's hall, good dragon."
"Will we be walking around other humans?"
"Yes. That will not be a problem, will it?"
Toothless snorted.
"No. There is no problem. I can behave myself. I am more worried about everyone else wanting to... hurt me."
"King Brand gave orders that you are not to be harmed."
Toothless glanced at Hiccup, who nodded back at him.
Brand seems like an honest King.
With that reassurance, Hiccup and Toothless followed King Brand's representative through the streets of Dale. It was still early enough in the morning that the streets were not very filled. However, there were enough people out and about that shouts of alarm began echoing through the streets.
Toothless paused when he saw a line of guards, spears and bows in hand, standing in an alley and carefully watching him. He could not help but think about how he would make his escape if there were a need to do so. It did not look like doing so would be easy. The path was narrow and with many humans watching from the sides.
This path is too narrow to fly out of. I do not like this...
Hiccup must have noticed his concern.
"Toothless, don't worry. Nothing's going to happen."
"That is easy for you to think. No one looks at you like you are prey."
"Prey? Aren't you the dragon?"
"Yes, but... they do not trust me."
"Alright, fair point, but no one is going to hurt you. The King ordered them not to do anything."
Toothless huffed.
"If only they were not showing their weapons..."
Hiccup patted him on the neck.
"They're just doing their job. Don't worry too much about them."
Toothless grumbled but kept walking, remaining alert in case anything suspicious were to happen. He understood the need to answer this summon of the Alpha-King who let him and Hiccup rest here. However, he was a little worried about how easily Hiccup seemed to want to trust others. That trust made sense given that Hiccup wanted to be a peacemaker; however, some amount of care and precaution was needed also, or they both might get into trouble.
Hiccup, you are too trusting of others. True, that was good for me, but...
He was not going to do anything aggressive to any of these humans. If he had to in self-defense, then that would be different.
Dale was very impressive even from the ground. The buildings were made of stone, the streets had many fountains, and the clearings had stalls in which merchants set up their businesses. People carried linens, cloths, and crafts while children flew kites on the morning wind.
All activity ceased as Hiccup and Toothless walked by. Everyone else stopped whatever they were doing and turned to stare at them and point fingers. Horses whinnied and cried out in fear as they passed.
Toothless calmly looked back at everyone who was gazing at him. None of them seemed to want to meet his eyes. He gave everyone who was looking at him with a friendly or curious look a toothless smile in return.
I am the only dragon that has been here since Smaug. He did so much bad by attacking and burning these people. For what? Gold? I would never kill for gold.
A group of human children ran into the street without noticing that he was there. Then they saw him and froze, staring in awe and fear.
"Hello! I am..."
The human children spun around and ran back up the alley without looking back at him.
He sighed and hung his head with a soft hum. They did not want to give him a chance to show them what he truly was.
"Sorry about that, bud," Hiccup whispered.
Toothless only shrugged.
"It is okay. I understand that they must have only bad stories of dragons..."
"It's still not fair of them to judge you when you haven't done anything wrong."
"Can we blame them? I... do not think blaming them would help them trust me more."
"True."
They arrived at King Brand's hall in the middle of Dale. His hall was a large stone building with several spires, bells in the towers, and guards up on the wall. There was also a company of guards before the main gates.
A crowd of curious onlookers had also gathered around the square.
Hiccup remained standing at Toothless's side to reassure him, though there did not appear to be a need. There was no screaming, and the guards were calm. Their seeing Toothless calmly sitting on his haunches probably helped them not be too worried about him.
Then the main gate opened, and King Brand strode out accompanied by a few of his attendants.
"Master Haddock, Toothless, thank you for coming here. Would you please join me in my hall?"
"You do not mind me entering your den?" Toothless asked in surprise.
"Of course not. There will be no problem. I have no doubt that you know to mind your manners."
King Brand led them into the main chamber of his hall. There was a table on which was laid out several plates of roasted chickens, clearly for Toothless, and a plate of bread and cheese for Hiccup. Then the King dismissed most of his attendants and guards, which was a sign of good faith and trust.
"I thought that you would both want a proper meal before your departure this morning," Brand said as he sat down at the head of the table.
"Thank you, King Brand. This is very kind of you," Hiccup answered as he similarly sat down on the other side of the table where his plate of bread and cheese had been set out for him.
Toothless sat down at the side of the table while eyeing the chickens and licking his chops.
"You are most welcome, Master Haddock. Toothless, I was not sure what you would like for a meal, so I hope these chickens are to your liking."
"They are a good meal. You have my thanks, King. I will not need to hunt anyone in these lands," Toothless purred.
King Brand chuckled and leaned back in his chair.
"I never imagined that I would share kind words with a dragon. These are strange times, indeed. I also brought some more supplies for your journey into the northern lands. We do not have much that could be useful to you, Master Haddock, but these might help you."
King Brand gave a signal, and an attendant came forward with a bag of supplies which he left at Hiccup's side. Meanwhile, Toothless started on the chickens.
"We have some winter gloves and mittens, insulated boots, wool socks, a thick coat, and a wool mask to cover the whole head. Those should keep you warm up in the northern reaches."
Hiccup tried on the various pieces of winter attire and found that they fit well enough.
"Thank you again, King Brand. What is this here?" he asked and nodded at the packaged biscuits.
King Brand had a wry grin.
"That is the specialty that we people of Dale are known for throughout the world. Cram."
"Cram?"
"The most tasteless and bland meal you could wish for. But it keeps a man working or marching and does not spoil. That should be enough for you alongside any hunting you might do. Do you need a hunting-knife?"
Hiccup was astounded by how considerate the King was being by giving him all these supplies. He also doubted that cram could compare to Berk's food in blandness.
"Thank you again, King Brand. This is very kind of you. If it is not too much to ask, I could use a knife for carving."
"Think nothing of it, Master Haddock. A small token to aid others who oppose the Enemy. I shall have a hunting-knife brought also. I wish you both the best fortune on your searches in the Heath and the Waste."
King Brand chuckled and stroked his beard.
"I daresay that we could do with a few more dragons like you, Toothless."
"I hope there are also," Toothless sighed in-between his mouthfuls of chicken.
King Brand then stood up.
"As pleasant as I am sure an entire morning of speaking with you would be, I have other business to attend to: preparations for possible war as was mentioned before. Feel free to leave from here as you will after finishing your meals. And if you would, Master Haddock and Toothless, King Dain wishes to meet you both up at Erebor."
"Does he? Any idea why?" Hiccup wondered.
"Possibly. It would be best if you ask him yourselves though."
There was something that Hiccup needed to know before he committed himself and Toothless to visiting the Dwarves.
"King Brand, can we trust Dain to not... do anything to me and Toothless?"
Toothless grumbled, looking up from the remaining chickens.
"Yes, I do not want to need to kill many Dwarves to protect Hiccup," he huffed.
"Really, bud?" Hiccup protested.
King Brand shook his head at them.
"King Dain is rather grouchy in his age, but he can still wield an ax as well as any Dwarf. Dwarves are stubborn, slow to trust, and have... unique table manners. But for all their faults, they are not treacherous. You have been formally invited by him, so you can trust that they will not instigate any violence against either of you."
"Alright, good to hear. We will go meet him before we leave," Hiccup agreed.
"Farewell to you both. Go with the blessing of Dale."
King Brand nodded respectfully to them and then departed from the hall, leaving them alone save for a couple attendants left behind for them.
"See, told you the King was a good man," Hiccup said.
Toothless idly nodded, the last chicken having been finished, and then sat down beside him.
"True. He does not hate dragons. He is not like Strider, but he is a good leader."
"Yeah, he's good proof that it's possible for the humans of Middle-earth to accept you... or any other good dragons once they get to know you."
Hiccup kept working on his meal until an attendant arrived bearing a plain hunting-knife which he stowed in his supplies after a brief inspection.
Eh, not very sharp, but it's better than nothing.
It was not a long flight to the massive front gates of Erebor; the gates were visible as soon as they took to the sky over Dale.
A clear and much-frequented road led from the Northern gate of Dale up to the rock wall that looked so like a fortress. Massive Dwarves carved out of solid rock stood watch on both sides of the wall. A stream poured forth from within the depths of the mountain and ran alongside the main road.
Wow, that is impressive. Even the carved statues back on Berk don't compare to this.
Toothless dove outside the front gates where a dozen Dwarven guards in formation clearly were awaiting them. He touched down and pranced up to them, eventually stopping a safe distance away from the group of Dwarves.
The Dwarves shuffled on their feet while holding their spears and shields. They were definitely nervous, which was understandable of them.
As long as they do not try to hurt me or Hiccup...
Hiccup hopped down and approached them with a warm smile.
"Greetings good Dwarves, we were supposed to come visit you and your King."
One of the Dwarves, clad in more golden armor than his comrades, stepped forward and tapped his spear on the ground once.
"I am Dwurlom, first of the guard. Mine King told me to expect your arrival, you and your... tamed dragon."
Toothless blinked but decided to not say anything or growl at them. He knew that growling at them or saying anything biting would not help with the Dwarves. Hiccup similarly ignored that belittling statement. They both remembered enough stories of Dwarves to know that they have stubbornness problems.
"I will not pretend that we are pleased to have a dragon within Erebor. However, you have been invited by mine King. Please follow me," Dwurlom then said.
Dwurlom tapped his spear against the ground twice, and the entire company of Dwarven guards turned about-face, splitting in two. The guards clearly meant to escort both of them into Erebor.
Toothless hissed softly, not liking this plan very much.
"Bud, don't worry. It's normal for them to be worried about you."
"I know. I just do not like the weapons and being trapped underground..."
"Just think about what happened the last time a dragon went into Erebor. We can't blame them for being suspicious."
Toothless sighed.
"True. The Dwarves are very suspicious of me. Even Gimli was back in Rivendell."
"So let's show them how different you are."
They followed after Dwurlom and the first half of the guards, slowly approaching the towering mountain and the massive gates that were already opened. The road led over a moat, and the wall had countless arrow-holes. The Erebor entrance looked absolutely impossible for any attacking force to take.
Then Hiccup rolled his eyes.
Unless that attacker is a dragon...
They passed through the massive gate, so wide that it could probably let a couple wagons enter side-by-side, and then they entered the first great room inside Erebor.
Hiccup's jaw fell open in pure shock as Toothless similarly froze.
The first chamber was truly massive with a ceiling many dozens of fathoms high. Massive columns of stone rose from the ground all the way up to the roof. Stairways led up the walls to higher and lower levels while more chambers on the ground level were visible through doors on each side of the chamber. Massive tapestries hung dozens of fathoms down the walls of the chamber.
Everything was much more massive than was reasonably necessary.
"Oh... my... gods..."
"This place is very big," Toothless grunted in reluctant acknowledgment.
"Of course it is. We are the great miners and craftsmen of the mountain!" King Dain's voice boomed out and echoed off the walls.
The Dwarven King walked toward them along with several of his assembly, all of whom were alarmed to see Toothless. Guards held closely their spears and shuffled in place. Craftsmen and others pointed at them from a distance.
The Dwarf King had no such reluctance, though he was bearing his red ax at his hip.
"Greetings, Master Haddock. Dark dragon. Welcome to Erebor!"
"You do appreciate the irony of you welcoming a dragon here," Hiccup smirked.
"Oh, I do indeed. I'm not worried about him though. He is a very small wyrm, and he is grounded on his own. Completely harmless, it seems. Toothless, I might even say," Dain grinned.
Toothless grumbled and flicked his tail in some annoyance. The Dwarf King, unlike Brand, was already frustrating him with almost everything the Dwarf said.
He is testing me with word-taunting.
"I am not completely harmless. Ask the Nazgul what they think of me."
Dain stroked his massive beard.
"Hmm, doesn't react to a veiled insult. Interesting."
"You mean the part about me being a wyrm? That is just wrong. I have wings, so I am not a wyrm."
"A fair point. You are a fire drake. Smaug was one of those too," Dain answered.
"Yes, he was. I saw his bones, and it is good that he is dead."
"You are glad that one of your kind is dead?"
"He is not... was not my kin. I am not Smaug."
"Excuse me, good King, but we wanted to continue on our journey today. You wished to speak with us," Hiccup politely interjected.
The Dwarf King surprisingly bent his head toward them.
"Aye, I do. Mine people have no good history with dragons. We fought a twenty year war against dragons nearly five hundred years ago. That war was grievous and ended in our defeat, though many dragons were slain."
Toothless blinked and did not otherwise react. He knew that the dragons that had died had almost certainly deserved it, just as Smaug deserved his fate.
Hiccup answered the King by telling him about something that he thought the Dwarves might be interested to hear about. There were noticeable similarities between the Dwarves and the Vikings, at least in temperament.
"My old tribe has been fighting with dragons for over three hundred years."
Nods of approval and admiration went through the gathered audience of Dwarves.
"Three hundred years, you say? Well, the humans where you live must be very hearty folk indeed to put up with such constant war. Almost sounds like a place where we could lend a hand, eh lads!" Dain laughed.
"Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!"
The crowd gave a deep, united cheer that echoed off the stone walls.
"Excuse me, what does that mean?" Hiccup asked once the roar's echoing faded.
"That, good lad, is our most ancient battle-cry. It loses much in translation to Common Speech, but it roughly means 'The axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!'
Hiccup nodded, understanding entirely the sentiment behind such a battle-cry. Berk had its own similar calls to rally the tribe in combat.
"Well, my old people definitely have stubbornness issues. They also like the hammer and the ax as their favorite weapons. Their favorite food is ale."
All the Dwarves roared with laughter and slapped their sides.
"Ha! Very good! More humans with good sense!" Dain laughed freely.
"Oh, I don't know about that..." Hiccup grinned.
Then he noticed that a lot of the gathered Dwarves were very interested by the shining jewel on Toothless's pendant. Dain also realized that and pointed at the pendant.
"Good dragon, would you tell us again where you got the beautiful pendant from?"
Toothless purred and held up the pendant with a paw. Unlike before at the bottom of the lake, the jewel was now only faintly glowing from within.
"Lady Galadriel of Lorien gave it to me as a gift. It shines with the light of a star."
"And a greater gift I do not think I have ever seen. Only the Arkenstone surpasses it in splendor. I would say that your gift is probably worth your weight in gold, should you wish to part with it," Dain answered.
A tense silence followed that as Toothless narrowed his eyes on the Dwarf King. No one said anything, and all the Dwarves shuffled in place. He thought that something was twisted about this.
Why is he asking that? Did he trick us here to take it from me?
"No, I will not give it up. I do not want gold."
Dain blinked and gave a faint frown.
"No, you do not want gold, you say? What makes you so different from every other dragon that has ever been in all of history?"
"I am... me," Toothless huffed.
"Fair enough. Please follow me. I want to show you a special place here in Erebor," Dain requested.
"Bud, want to see some of Erebor while we're here?"
"Yes, if this will help the Dwarves trust me better!"
Hiccup took off from Toothless's back the various packs of supplies, not knowing how long this detour would take him and Toothless. Dain then turned away and started for one of the large side-chambers. Several of his guards went with him as Hiccup and Toothless followed him.
Their steps, the crash of armor on the stone floor, and the click of Toothless's claws on the ground all echoed in the calm. Sounds of distant activity came from far deeper within Erebor.
"Excuse me, but where are we going?" Hiccup asked after they had walked nearly a full minute.
"Toward the forges, but not all the way to them," Dain answered.
"What is this way?"
"You will see!"
They turned a corner and saw into the next room, which was just as massive as the first one. There was one very strange feature of this room.
Toothless froze when he saw inside the chamber.
"Why did you bring me here?" he hissed with his gaze narrowed on the Dwarf King.
Dain crossed his arms on his chest and white beard.
"You know darn well why I brought you here, dragon. This is a chance for you to show your quality. Show me, show all of us, that you are what you say you are."
"You tricked us!" Hiccup bristled with anger as he went to stand with Toothless.
"It is a fair test that he should have no problem with, if he is what he claims to be," Dain countered.
"Are you okay, bud? You don't have to go out there," Hiccup then whispered.
Toothless snarled softly and glared back at Dain.
"No, I should do this. I am a dragon, and being stronger than this... is part of being a dragon. Just walk with me."
Hiccup stroked his neck in reassurance.
"Always. We can do this: you and me as one."
Toothless took a deep breath and then strode forward into the chamber while Hiccup walked at his side. They walked together ahead of all the other Dwarves.
So alluring. So much around him right now.
A precious shine.
A warmth that stroked his tail as it swayed on the floor behind him.
He wanted to lay down and feel that warmth on his belly.
But all his thoughts went to the glowing gem hanging from his neck and to Hiccup's hand on his head.
He kept his eyes open the whole time, wanting to truly see it all around him and to show others and himself that he was not afraid of it. Then he froze as motion far out on the shining floor held his gaze. Something was slithering toward him.
Around him.
Something like a long tail lacking tailfins.
An echo was swimming around him in the pure golden floor of the chamber.
A hissing whisper floated on the air or in the dark parts of the room.
It is ours and ours alone.
"I'm here, bud."
I will not part with a single coin. Not one piece of it.
He raised a paw and stroked the warm jewel. The warmth of its touch was so different from that of the gold. While the gold was warm and filled him with wanting and needing, the light of the jewel left only peace in his soul-fire.
Underground with a hoard or the open sky?
You will never be free.
Then he slowly spun in place to face all the Dwarves standing over at the entrance to the chamber. They were staring toward him, clearly waiting for his reaction to being around this much gold.
So weak against this innate temptation that his kind was destined to suffer from in this world. He knew that he might not be able to resist on his own.
But he was not alone.
"I AM NOT SMAUG!"
He roared with all his breath at the distant ceiling, and then he flamed the golden ground before his paws. The narrow flame spilled on the golden floor, warming and softening the gold. He stopped flaming, and then he flashed his claws, carving deep scratches into the golden floor. The echo of his roar bounced long through the unknown chambers and depths of Erebor until the sounds finally faded.
Then he heaved as he caught his breath while snarling.
"Could have given me some warning there..." Hiccup moaned, his hands over his ears.
"Oh, sorry about that. We should go..."
Hiccup nodded in agreement, and they walked together back toward where the Dwarves were standing. Toothless snarled softly at them once he arrived at their side.
Oddly, none of them reacted with suspicion. There was a different, more approving look in King Dain's eyes now.
"By Durin's Beard, that was impressive! That settles that, don't you lads agree?" Dain asked.
The Dwarves all answered with grumbles and nods of agreement.
"Are you satisfied?" Toothless hissed.
"Yes, I believe you now. No Dwarf who saw or heard what you just did could rightly think that you are of the Enemy."
Toothless snorted.
"I am glad that you agree. What happened in that room? Why is there gold in the ground?"
Dain shrugged.
"All that I remember is that the Dwarves who took back Erebor had an idea to bury Smaug in molten gold. That room is what resulted."
Toothless blinked and tilted his head in amusement, forgetting all his frustration with these Dwarves. He was not sure that he heard that correctly.
"While that would be an ironic ending for him, that sounds like a very bad plan!" he pointed out.
"Dragons are fireproof, probably heatproof too, on the outside," Hiccup added.
"Yes, it clearly did not work at all since Smaug escaped out these chambers and flew off to Lake-town," Dain grumbled.
Dain then frowned after glancing into the golden room.
"I would ask what happened to you in there. You looked like you were watching something in the golden floor."
Toothless growled and looked away from him, glancing back over his tail toward the golden floor.
"I saw Smaug in the gold."
"Smaug?" Dain exclaimed.
"Yes, I also saw him in my dreams last night. It almost feels like he is still here as a part of the gold, somehow."
Dain laughed heartily.
"Indeed, you see keenly. It is said that there is a sickness over the treasure of Erebor. That desire to hoard treasure touched more than only dragons. Even we Dwarves are not above its temptation. The dragon-sickness also affected Thorin Oakenshield and his grandfather, Thror."
Toothless blinked in surprise and looked back at Dain. He had not expected that the temptation to hoard gold was something that other creatures could also have. This admission by Dain helped him feel like he could share some more truth with this Dwarf King.
"I... do feel a pull from the gold. Part of me wants a gold hoard to claim as my own, but I know that those are bad wants that would only hurt me and others I care about. I fight against those wants, and I want to be free of that twistedness and rot in me."
Dain grimly nodded.
"Have you ever heard the story of two wolves?" Dain then asked.
Toothless shook his head.
"No, have you, Hiccup?"
"Nope. How does it go?"
Dain gestured back toward the main gates in the first chamber. They walked at his side as his guards followed at a distance.
"There is a story that inside everyone's heart live two wolves. One wolf is honorable, kind, and generous. The other wolf is vile, malicious, and miserly. Both wolves are locked in combat with each other and both are starving. Do you know which one will win the battle for your heart?"
"Which one?" Toothless asked.
"Whichever one you choose to give food. Whichever one you indulge."
Toothless purred at that.
The story has some lift. Just change it to be two different dragons fighting for my soul-fire.
"It is a good story with a strong life-lesson."
They arrived at the front gates. Dain again stepped forward from his company while Hiccup strapped all the various bags of supplies back onto the saddle.
"If you two will indulge me for a while longer, I would crave pardon for not greeting you kindly yesterday. I was too quick to judge you, Toothless."
Toothless hummed softly, accepting the apology.
"I am used to people not liking me at first," he explained.
The Dwarf grumbled at that and looked ashamed of himself.
"Still, I have wronged thee, and this is a stain upon mine honor. You are both welcome back here to Erebor whenever you would like, assuming that we are still here to welcome you of course."
"Is that a real danger? Will Sauron really strike here?" Hiccup asked.
"Sure is. We refused his servant he sent to us many months ago. All the signs are that he will move on us before too long."
Dain held out his arms, as if to embrace all of Erebor, before continuing.
"We can endure siege here in Erebor for a long time, but we cannot hide ourselves away from the world and let the Enemy march over these lands. We will not leave Dale defenseless. No, we will meet the foe with our axes and give the enemy a taste of the old Dwarven steel!"
Another roar of enthusiasm and shouts of 'Baruk Khazâd' went up from the other gathered Dwarves.
"Anyway," Dain continued, "should your paths lead you back here, I can promise you both malt beer and red meat off the bone, or on the bone if you would prefer."
Toothless chuckled.
"I would prefer the meat on the bone."
Dain stroked his beard again while nodding.
"And so you shall have it. There is one more thing I would do for you both before you leave us. You are flying to the Withered Heath next, true?"
"Yes, we are," Hiccup answered.
"Excellent. I wish to make further amends now by singing you both a song we Dwarves know well."
King Dain took a deep breath and began a slow, solemn lay.
"The wind was on the withered heath, but in the forest stirred no leaf: there shadows lay by night and day, and dark things silent crept beneath."
"The wind came down from mountains cold, and like a tide it roared and rolled; the branches groaned, the forest moaned, and leaves were laid upon the mould."
"The wind went on from West to East; all movement in the forest ceased, but shrill and harsh across the marsh its whistling voices were released."
"The grasses hissed, their tassles bent, the reeds were rattling; on it went o'er shaken pool under the heavens cool where racing clouds were torn and rent."
"It passed the lonely Mountain bare and swept above the dragon's lair: there black and dark lay boulders stark and flying smoke was in the air."
"It left the world and took its flight over the wide seas of the night; the moon set sail upon the gale, and stars were fanned to leaping light."
Dain fell silent, and both he and all the other Dwarves bowed their heads at the conclusion of the song.
Toothless purred and inclined his head in gratitude.
"Thank you, King Dain," Hiccup thanked him.
"May your search be fruitful. I daresay that the world could do with a few more dragons like you, Toothless. Go with the goodwill of the Dwarves of Erebor..." Dain answered.
Hiccup and Toothless strolled outside through the great gates of Erebor. On the way out though, they noticed how much weaponry: arrows, bolts, spears, armor, and shields was being assembled in the guard-houses and supply rooms near the gate.
Erebor was preparing for war.
Then they felt the warmth and light of the morning sun high off in the east. Before taking off they stared back through the great doorway.
"It's hard to believe that such a world exists underground. Moria is like this too from what I've heard," Hiccup mused.
"Maybe," Toothless grumbled, "but that is not a world for me. Dragons are not meant to be underground. There is not enough room to fly. Why have wings if we cannot use them?"
"Can't argue with that."
Hiccup took his place in the saddle, and they took to the sky, swiftly flying up toward the lone peak under which Smaug had slept and under which an entire Dwarven realm lay hidden underground. The Long Lake flashed blue, and the flying kites over Dale gleamed in the wind and morning light.
Up beneath the layer of clouds and into an easy glide, they passed by the Lonely Mountain and turned for the distant mountains breaking through the low cloud cover. Those were definitely the Grey Mountains, which split apart somewhere northwest into two separate ranges of mountains. The valley between the two ranges was their destination.
As they soared up into the lowest-flying clouds, Hiccup kept thinking back to the song Dain had sung about the wind in the Withered Heath.
I wonder what we will find there. There might not be any dragons anymore, but we'll probably see signs they were there once.
Toothless finally glanced back over his tail when he was well past Erebor. He gave a sigh of relief and settled back into a glide.
"Feel better with that behind us?" Hiccup asked.
"Yes, Dwarves are stubborn rock-heads, but I am used to being around people like that!"
"Huh?"
"I have to carry you!"
"Real funny, bud," Hiccup laughed.
Toothless hummed softly.
"Truly, the Dwarves were not as bad as I thought they would be. We only met a pawful of them, but they are not bad life."
"No, they are not."
Hiccup took a deep breath and breathed in the crisp air while staring ahead to the distant mountains.
"You ready for the Withered Heath?"
"Yes, I want this!" Toothless added a roar for emphasis.
"Me too!" Hiccup agreed.
Even if the name sounds a little ominous. How desolate can it really be?