Oh, sorry for not posting sooner, I was just too lazy to edit.
Speaking of which, a Chinese Lord of the Rings fanfic was released that I finally liked, I was impressed by it, there are even people posting it translated, currently it is still at 80 chapters in raw, but I strongly suggest that you take a look.
English name: Hogwarts wizards signing in to Middle-earth
There are two people translating the web novel, you can take a look.
--x--
Two months later, life continued, his plan to create moon elves ended, a thousand little elves with gray skin and white hair walked around, their biggest variation was the color of their eyes, which could be green, blue, brown and red.
The group of young moon elves now helped care for the younger ones as they grew, as well as tending to a fruitful forest and some livestock he helped raise.
Large cows were fed with vitality and their babies too, soon there were thousands of head of cattle and a forest of several hectares full of fruits for the little elves, he worked with nothing but fruits that were easier to care for, the little ones had to train after all, but the future orc hobbits would be responsible for that in the future.
Turning hard rock into fertile ground made him consume large amounts of earth to put in his inner space, which he is not very proud of, he even took a lot of water this way and made a small pond with fish in the center of the forest.
At least it was simpler than eating dirt, but the fish were a pain to bring in.
Other news is that what he now calls giant elves were born well.
The current amount? 9 with three more coming not far away. It's amazing how useful this vital gift is to him. Even the babies were born perfect, without any malformations or tumors. They had smooth skin, like their brothers, but their skin was a little thicker. Their hair is black, and their skin is also pale, but more bluish, although only slightly. Another interesting feature is that their canines are slightly larger, with the males even having the lower canines protruding a little from the mouth.
They grew quickly, but in reality they were only bigger than the moon elves, when they reached the same age as the little elves, they were almost twice their size.
Unlike the moon elves who seemed more calm, the giant elves seemed more... playful and irritable.
To put it more bluntly, they were simpler, preferring not to think too much when acting.
Sure, they probably wouldn't be dumb when they grew up, but compared to the moon elves, they could only be a bit simple-minded, maybe they would get along with the dwarves.
Just like Helena, he named the first giant elf at birth, a boy, calling him Loki, yes, they reminded him of the frost giants from Marvel, but with skin more grayish white than blue and normal eyes, varying their colors like the moon elf brothers.
The moon elves took a while to get used to, but they soon adapted to the new recruits, in the end they were simple and kind normally, but when they got angry they usually destroyed things.
Just like Helena, he named Loki prince, he decided that in the future, when they grew up, a competition would be held and the strongest would take the title of prince for himself, but until then, Helena and Loki, as firstborns, would take the place.
Smaug also worked to prevent these children from resenting each other, making them think that they were all his children and the title of prince was just to stand up in front of his brothers and protect his family and king.
In any case, Helena was a little jealous, but quickly got along with the giant elves, especially with Loki, who she treated like a little brother. It was fun to see a little girl giving orders to a boy twice her height, and it was even more fun to see the simple-minded boy actually listen to everything she said.
He sighed and shrugged, letting it go.
During this time he encountered some vampire-descended bats as well, he enchanted them to help him gather information after removing their corruption, they kept an eye on Gandalf's movements from afar, the old man had been prowling Mirkwood for a while, but seemed to be heading towards Rivendell at this point.
That's what he decided to act on as well, after all he had been keeping an eye on Hera for some time.
--x--
As they left Mirkwood, Gandalf seemed to sense something, he looked confused at the forest but after hearing nothing, he let it go, until it happened.
From the trees they attacked, spiders as big as ponies leaped towards them.
"Attack!" Gandalf shouted, with Hera and Olwyn drawing their swords in surprise.
Gandalf used his cane as a staff and fought the spiders, but there were too many of them, dozens of them, and more seemed to be coming.
Soon Gandalf heard a cry. "Gandalf!" Olwyn rushed towards Hera, who was caught and wrapped in spider silk.
As the pair struggled to rescue the woman, they were shocked and confused as the spiders seemed to have no end, Gandalf wanted to use a powerful spell to counterattack, but at that moment more spiders jumped from above, while Gandalf struggled to defend himself, Olwyn was also caught and taken away.
Gandalf, angered, spurted fire from his staff, killing many spiders in the process, with the others fleeing.
He quickly chased after where Hera and Olwyn had been taken, but the spiders were fast and quickly left. Gandalf took half an hour to find a cave full of spider webs. He pursed his lips in concern and waved his stick, making fire and burning the webs.
Gandalf, like the other Maiar wizards who came to Middle Earth, cannot use magic excessively, only in times of great need, at which point Gandalf judges this as a great need, so his restraint has greatly diminished.
But the deeper he went, the more worried he became, there was no end to the cave and soon he encountered orcs who ambushed him whenever they could.
It took him hours to get to the other side, only to lose the trail.
Gandalf took off his hat and sat on the ground, confused, sad and exasperated, he felt that something was wrong, it seemed very deliberate, but at the same time he didn't know where to start looking.
Gandalf sighed, got up and went towards the forest kingdom, going to seek help from the elves.
If it really were the spiders, the two would have died by now, if not, the elves could help find the perpetrator.
--x--
On the other side, hours before, as soon as he caught the women, he flew away.
At first he wanted to take only Hera, but thinking that Olwyn could kill herself or do something crazy that would end up leading to her death, he decided to take her with him, after all he wanted to win over the human girl.
As for lifespan? Vitality could let her live as long as he did, he wasn't worried.
Thus, Hera and Olwyn were taken to Dragon Mountain.
As soon as he arrived, he found Tauriel training the group of giant elves, who, due to their troll blood, also felt more comfortable at night.
The group of tall, handsome boys smiled happily as they saw Smaug arrive, and Loki, who had a small crown on his head made of silver and sapphires, ran up to him. - King! King! What did you bring back?
-Hmm... two humans. - He explained without caring, placing the two on the ground, still wrapped in web and unconscious from the spider's venom, since they were not corrupted, a little venom wouldn't kill the spiders, it would just make them sleep.
-Humans? - The little elves approached, seeing this new creature for the first time.
-Well, they don't have pointy ears... how strange. - A giant elf nudged the elderly woman with interest.
"Stop it! Get back to training!" Tauriel rolled her eyes, the children laughed, picked up their wooden swords, and went back to training.
With their size, he would train them for infantry and cavalry, but he would also teach archery to a lesser extent.
Tauriel looked at the two humans in confusion, wondering what Smaug was up to now.
When Smaug took them inside, her curiosity got the better of her and she left the children to train alone for a while, then quickly left.
The children, looking at each other, began to play, using their swords to hit each other, laughing in amusement.
Tauriel appeared behind them and coughed.
The group that was rolling on the ground like a street fight got up running, standing at attention and going back to practicing, pretending nothing happened, Tauriel looked at these guys and sighed, thinking that Smaug had created the shame of the elves.
She was going after Smaug, but came back when she realized that these guys couldn't be alone, it's good that she came back.
She groaned in irritation and doubled the training for that day, leaving the little elves rolling on the floor in exhaustion.
On the other side, Olwyn was taken by the young moon elves to the dungeons, they had already taken on common functions such as guarding and service, although they were still far from the combat itself.
Applying vitality to Hera, she woke up startled, looking for her sword, she stopped the moment she saw a huge eye, looking straight at her.
In the gold-covered halls, a black dragon with metallic scales looked straight at her. "Hello, Hera, daughter of Helm, former heir to Rohan... but that title has been abandoned, hasn't it...?"
-Dra-dragon! Where did you take me! - She got up and tried to run, but he used his tail to stop her escape.
-Ah... excuse my manners, this is Dragon Mountain, of course, you should know it as Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. - Smaug laughed lightly.
"Erebor?! You're Smaug!" The woman was shocked, trapped between the dragon's head and its tail. "Because you kidnapped me, dragon! Where are Olwyn and Gandalf?!"
-Ah... I devoured them a little while ago, they were really... appetizing. - The dragon laughed lightly as he spoke.
-You...! You're lying! - The woman fell to the ground, tears rolling down her face, but she still denied it.
"Ah, indeed, I'm lying, killing them would be counterproductive to my proposal, after all." Smaug laughed lightly, not caring about the woman's crying.
His eyes saw her up close with renewed desire, that silky red hair, firm curves and slightly freckled face... hum... he considered devouring a human to be able to assume human form, but he still had some psychological blocks, besides that he couldn't stay transformed for too long yet, it wouldn't make sense, but the time was increasing more and more and he was getting impatient, even more so with Tauriel rolling around.
He didn't want to take the form of a dwarf or some monster he ate for that, so he could only look now... pity.
The woman breathed a sigh of relief and looked at him angrily, but wondering who she was talking to, she remained quiet for a moment, trying to compose herself and wiping away her tears.
"Tell me, dragon! What do you want to release my friends for? Is it gold? I'm sorry, but I no longer have any right to Rohan!" The woman seemed to regain her courage, even though she was scared inside. He could feel her fear, her heart pounding, but she still stood up bravely...
Ah... he didn't even want to bewitch her like Tauriel, no, he wanted her to bow her head to him, whether physically or spiritually.
"I want..." He spoke long and deliberately. "You."
-Me?! - The girl was confused, not understanding, what did he want from her? To eat her? Then why was he talking to her here?
Smaug laughed amusedly, guessing the girl's thoughts. "Oh, princess, no, I don't want to eat you, not in that sense at least." Smaug quickly shrank his body and transformed into a large Warg, resembling a giant black wolf with dragon eyes.
Hera screamed in shock, looking at the wolf twice her size in fright. Smaug laughed lightly and said, "I'm a shapeshifter, as you can see... so if I want to have little dragons, I can have them with any species, but you see... when I saw you... I ended up getting interested..."
As he drawled, he transformed into an eagle and flew around her, before returning to dragon size, staring at the shocked woman.
"Y-you want me to be your wife?" The woman asked in shock, wondering why life keeps throwing up "potential" husbands, always turned to the dark side of the force. "B-but I'm human!"
-Oh yes, and you managed to interest me, congratulations? - He laughed lightly, his laughter echoing through the great hall.
-What if I say no? - She swallowed hard before asking.
-Ah... then I'll be your squire. - He opened his lips and showed his big teeth.
Hera fell to the ground, confused and scared, she didn't think she could defeat such a big dragon, hell, all of Rohan wouldn't be able to, but marry the dragon?!
"No need to rush, princess," he said calmly, moving away from her and lying down on his gold. "Let's make a deal. You agree to stay. I won't force you to become my wife, but you won't be able to leave Dragon Mountain. In exchange, your squire can be freed and live with you here, in peace."
"So you're not going to force me to be your wife, but you're going to keep me here?" She asked confused. "Why?"
"Ah, love comes with time, if not love, habit is enough, if you want to leave in the future, you'll have to bow your head, if not, just live here until you die of old age." The dragon shook his head, amused.
"Just like that?" Hera didn't think for a second that she would fall in love with the dragon, but with Olwyn free, she could at least escape. "And Gandalf?"
-Gandalf wasn't caught, it would be annoying to catch him, it would lead to a lot of trouble. - The dragon snorted angrily.
Hera pursed her lips, but nodded. "Well, I agree, let Olwyn go."
-Well, fine, but before that, I must warn you something, I am a dragon, but I don't like to go back on my word, but I am a dragon after all, if you run away, I won't come after you, no... I will burn all of Rohan to ashes and watch you spend your life in regret. - The dragon lowered its head and looked directly at her, releasing a puff of sulfur-smelling smoke from its nostrils in her direction.
Hera's lips trembled, she almost fell to the ground again, she wanted to cry, but she held it back.
"So, Princess of Rohan, do I have your word?" He asked calmly.
Tears fell from her eyes, but he didn't care, maybe a little pity, but not too much, like seeing a dead bunny on the side of the road.
-Yes, I won't run away, I promise. - Hera fell to the ground crying at that point.
Smaug nodded in satisfaction, called a moon elf who fit almost perfectly into a slightly smaller dwarf armor, gave her some instructions, and he took her to the dungeons to release Olwyn who was probably still sleeping.
"Well, that turned out perfectly." He nodded, curled up into a ball, and went to sleep.
--x--
Only to be woken up hours later to a hard look from Tauriel who threw a gold coin at his head.
Smaug looked at her, turned his head and closed his eyes and pretended not to see her, what the dragon's eyes do not see, the dragon's heart does not feel!
Unfortunately, it didn't work. Tauriel climbed onto his snout and slapped him on the forehead. When she saw that it didn't help, she drew her sword and attacked. It didn't do any damage, but the noise was annoying. He snorted angrily, making her fall, but she regained her composure in the air and landed on her feet.
Irritated, Smaug spoke. "Tauriel, what do you want?"
-The princess of Rohan?! Seriously?! - The woman asked irritably.
-Jealous?! - He narrowed an eye at her, Tauriel rolled her eyes, she might have changed her impression of Smaug, but she still wasn't crazy enough to fall in love with a dragon!
"Jealous of your ass! You kidnapped her to be your wife? What the hell is wrong with your dragon head?" She began to scold him, and Smaug sighed. He'd given this woman too much freedom. He wanted to burn her to silence her, but he still wanted her to lay eggs for him. Thinking about it, will she lay eggs or hatch directly? That's a good question.
-Hey, Tauriel, do you think you'll lay eggs or will the child be born directly? - Smaug looked at her curiously.
Tauriel stopped, her face flushed with both embarrassment and anger. "I'm not laying eggs for you! You perverted dragon!"
-I see... you think you'll lay eggs, well, I think you will be born, after all you are the mother, maybe if you were a female dragon and I was a human you would lay eggs, that's a good question, I'm curious about the outcome. - Smaug began to imagine what the birth of his children would be like.
Tauriel at the side was shocked beyond words, she turned and ran away quickly, afraid that she would be forced to lay eggs right then and there!
Walking out of the room, as she passed by Hera and Olwyn who were shocked, she grabbed them and carried them away quickly.
Smaug snorted, thinking that this elf is still too young, then went back to sleep satisfied, just like the creatures here, he is more nocturnal than diurnal, mainly because he hunts at night.
--x--
On the other side, Tauriel finally stopped, breathing heavily, looking at the two of them in embarrassment, she looked away. "Well... sorry, I can't help."
Hera also seemed to doubt life, she was also thinking about whether to lay eggs or not, she immediately became depressed, feeling that the world was no longer colorful.
"Hera, I still think we should run! The dragon probably won't abandon his gold!" Olwyn sighed, thinking that Hera's fate was truly troubled.
-I wouldn't do that, since I got here, this dragon has never lied to me and always said what he wanted, he even said he bewitched me not to leave, if he didn't do that to you, it means he's confident his threat is enough. - Tauriel sighed and shook her head.
Hera's eyes grew darker, but she made up her mind, she would stay, if she had to spend her life trapped here for Rohan she would stay, be it her cousin who was currently the king or her father and brothers who had already left.
-Don't think about it anymore, Olwyn, let's stay, you can go if you want, it's me he wants. - Saying that, Hera turned inside with Olwyn opening her mouth and finally closing it and sighing, she thanked Tauriel and ran after the princess.
Tauriel then looked around the corner and said, "Listening to other people's conversations isn't polite, Helena."
Helena, still a little girl, wearing a silver dress and her long white hair tied in a bun on her head, with the tiara showing her status around her, the girl smiled and stuck her tongue out at Tauriel.
-Tauriel, what is a wife? - She asked interestedly.
Tauriel opened her mouth and was confused for a moment, then sighed and spoke. "A wife is when a woman stays with a man forever, like a couple. The man is called husband and the woman, wife."
Helena's eyes shone. "So I can be the king's wife?"
Tauriel was stunned for a moment. She opened her mouth and tried to dissuade him, but she stopped. Something made her not want to harm Smaug's interest, she knew it. She sighed and spoke. "Who knows, it depends on his desires, but you probably won't attract him now. You need to grow strong first. Haven't you seen what that woman looks like?"
Helena stopped and thought for a moment, then nodded. "I want to grow up quickly... besides, Tauriel, the king also seems to want to take you as his wife, why don't you accept?"
Tauriel's lips trembled again, she rolled her eyes at the little girl and wanted to scream, "Because he's a damn perverted dragon!", but in the end she sighed and walked away without answering.
Helena looked at her confused, shook her head and ran away, going to ask the king how long it would take for her to grow up and if she could be his wife then.