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-Berkas! - Tauriel's scream was heard from afar, the young Berkas, looking about ten years old, but in fact twenty-two, ran like crazy through the mountain passes.
Behind him, an elf chased him, catching up quickly, but the small figure was happy to see someone coming not far ahead, ready to use the person as an obstacle, only to see a tall man with black horns and white hair, the figure smiled at him and Berkas widened his eyes, before he could dodge, the guy grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, almost suffocating him.
"Damn it, Alduin! Let me go!" Berkas shouted in rage, wanting to fight him.
Alduin rolled his eyes. "Father already said, you can't go."
-Damn it! Because! I'm already big! - He got very angry, smoke coming out of his mouth, he wanted to spit fire, but a hand grabbed his shoulder, he turned around angrily, but withered in the next moment.
-Mo-mom, what's wrong? - He smiled, trying to pretend nothing happened.
Tauriel looked at him blankly, irritated, she picked him up like a sack of potatoes over her shoulders and walked away. "Thank you, Alduin."
"You're welcome, Aunt Tauriel." Alduin chuckled lightly, behind her, Berkas gave him a middle finger, making him laugh even more.
A black-haired, horned woman slowly approached, wearing a moon elf combat outfit. She looked at where Berkas was being held and smiled. "He's going to be very angry for a while."
"Yes? He got more of his father's temper." Alduin sighed.
-Actually, I think you've caught more of his temper... I see how you look at Wynah... - Hela smiled at Alduin.
Alduin turned his gaze and left without looking back, pretending he hadn't heard.
Hela laughed happily and followed him.
"At least I can look at someone. The last time Glamdyr tried to court you, his father beat him and left him to dry in the sun for three days." Alduin, who thought of a good answer, smiled at her.
Hela sighed, resigned, Smaug liked her more, that was clear to the three of them, whenever they asked for something, he scoffed, when she asked for something, even something stupid, he granted it, like the time she asked for a Mithril dagger, he gave it to her without thinking, only for Aunt Tauriel to get furious and confiscate the dagger.
But this has its problems, Smaug rejected any suitor who approached her and he even wanted to lock her in a tower when she complained, by the gods, she's descended from a dragon! She also has a libido, okay?!
Even when her mother tried to intercede, she only ended up with the two of them trapped together.
Smaug was angry for several days and it was Helena who managed to persuade him to release them.
In the end, they reached an agreement, when she turned 50, she could do whatever she wanted, but until then, she was a kid!
In fact, this was achieved with a lot of struggle and with the three queens uniting, even though Helena quickly abandoned the alliance after being a little "persuaded", but that was expected.
In the end it was Aluna who spoke to him and the farce was over.
-Come on, Mom must be impatient. - He sighed and left with Hela.
"Alduin! Quicken your pace!" Helena frowned and shouted as soon as she saw him.
Alduin's lips trembled and he sped up, his mother had a very clear double standard, even when he was a child, she was only a little lenient, but the older he grew, the tougher she became, she even personally trained him: "As the future king, you must be strong like your father" - she said.
Sighing, would her father live for a long, long time, be king? When would it be his turn? He'd rather chase Wynah. Speaking of Wynah, he glanced at the short night elf not far from her mother. The pair exchanged glances, and Wynah looked away in embarrassment.
Alduin's eyes grew hotter, but Wynah ignored him, Helena was beside him after all.
Helena saw this and didn't care, Wynah had been her second in command for a long time, she trusted her, if her son liked it, just pursue it.
Looking at Hela who grew up beautiful like her mother and father, Helena sighed, this would give Smaug a lot of headache in the future, she really wanted to speak for Hela, really, but... he gave that look and picked her up and... hehe.
Helena's face broke into a smile and everyone pretended not to see, the last one to speak about it was hung from a tree.
The group of ten soon raised their hoods, wearing the standard clothing of the night elf guard, with only Helena wearing black armor, it was her Mithril armor, but it was dyed later so as not to be too ostentatious.
They climbed into their thestrals and galloped away.
Arriving at the banks of the river, the horses spread their wings and flew, crossing it effortlessly, then descended and continued to gallop, near the forest of darkness, they flew again, this time going higher, descending only close to the kingdom of the elves.
They made their way to the wood elf gates, a group of elves already approaching cautiously.
-Who goes there! - One of the elves shouted.
Wynah stepped forward, took off her hood, revealing her cold face, white hair and pointy ears, with slightly lighter skin, the group found Wynah's look a little strange, but at least they weren't orcs, but these horses...
-We are from Dragon Mountain, we came to deliver a letter from our king to King Thranduil. - Wynah said.
-Dragon Mountain? - The group was stunned, they could only think of one place with a name like that, but it wasn't possible, was it? - Where is the letter?
Wynah got off her horse, took the letter from her blouse, and handed it to the elf. Then she got back on her horse, and the group waited. "We'll wait here for the answer."
The wood elves were confused, but said nothing more, one of them went off to deliver the letter and the rest stood by.
It took half an hour for the messenger to return. - The king invites you to speak with him.
-Lead the way, Wynah nodded and the group behind led the horses forward, the group advanced calmly through the possibly hostile territory, they knew their king was watching, if something went wrong, he would fly to them quickly.
Soon the group stopped in front of the elven king, he still had a letter in his hand, looking at Wynah with interest and doubt. - You... I've never seen an elf like you.
"I'm a moon elf." Wynah shook her head and explained.
"Moon elf?" Thranduil asked confused.
-A creation of our king. - Wynah spoke unhurriedly.
Thranduil's eyes narrowed, but soon turned to a figure still hooded in a different outfit than the others, it looked like armor that fitted the body like clothes. "Are you the leader?"
Wynah stepped back, standing behind Helena.
Helena removed her hood and mask, smiling at Thranduil. "Greetings, I am the queen of Dragon Mountain, or at least one of them." She laughed.
Thranduil was even more confused. "So Smaug married a... moon elf?"
"Oh, yes, also with a human and a wood elf." Helena shrugged.
Thranduil's face grew heavy. "Wood elf?"
-Yes, you must know her, her name is Tauriel. - Helena explained.
"Tauriel?!" Thranduil was confused and shocked, but soon his brain made sense. "Wait, was the disappearance of that group of elves your doing?!"
"Ah, in a way, you could say that, our king used them to raise us," Helena explained calmly.
Thranduil clenched his fist, filled with barely contained rage. "I see, so you kidnap my people and humiliate them, and Tauriel was part of that?"
-Oh no, she was persuaded, she wanted to save them after... you know, but they weren't very happy, they killed themselves or attacked our king and died, it's a shame. - Helena sighed sadly.
-He... you are truly brave, tell me, "queen" Helena, why shouldn't I kill you here to avenge my people? - Thranduil asked full of fury.
"You won't bring them back. You won't kill us fast enough, and we'll take many with us. Our king will rain fire on your kingdom by then. In the end, it's not worth it." Helena shook her head and explained. "Besides, we're just a small group. You can try to capture me too, but in that case, the war will be a one-way street. Anyway... it's up to you."
Thranduil clenched his fist tighter, frustration and anger burning within him, not for the lost elves, no, but for the dragon's insolence, using his people as breeding animals.
"So? Why did you come here today? Your letter doesn't say much other than that Smaug's people have come to negotiate." Thranduil calmed down quickly.
"Our people have much, but there is still much missing. We are not ready to expose ourselves, so we came to you, who are more closed and isolated. Magic, forging, healing, we want it all, you have it, so we came to negotiate, hoping that the two kingdoms can be friends, not enemies." Helena spoke calmly.
-Ha! Tell me why I should trade with you? Didn't Tauriel tell you? Gold isn't something we're interested in, as if your dragon king would be willing to part with it in the first place.
-I know, there's a lot to give, food, drink, weapons, clothes and most importantly, help, corruption advances after all, having us as allies, especially with an adult fire dragon, isn't a bad thing, is it? - Helena explained calmly.
Thranduil looked at her from his throne, thoughtful, irritated, deliberating the options and their consequences.
"This is our apology gift, I believe that shows sincerity enough." Helena waved back and one of the moon elves approached with a chest, opened it and placed it in front of Thranduil, leaving soon after.
The man froze, staring at the necklace as if he had gone back in time. He stood up, knelt down, and picked it up. He looked at it closely. His face showed sadness, but it also calmed down. Seconds later, he put the necklace away and set it aside. He looked at Helena. There was no longer any evident irritation, but there was still a slight distance. "I accept your apology."
"That's good. If you wish, our king invites you. You can see what we offer and decide whether to accept the deal." Helena spoke calmly.
Thranduil looked at her, skeptical but interested, he didn't really know what he was getting into, but he also wanted to see what the dragon could build, besides, rejecting a dragon that lives next door is not a good idea.
He sighed and nodded. "Very well, I will go with a delegation in a few days."
-No, our kingdom is still hidden, we use the veil of night to arrive, hiding from the world, growing, Sauron has eyes everywhere. -Helena shook her head.
"Sauron?! What do you know about Sauron?!" Thranduil asked with a frown.
-He never left, he's closer than you think. - Helena shook her head.
Thranduil narrowed his eyes, but nodded. "How do you expect us to leave?"
"Our horses. You can take someone with you if you wish, but only one person," Helena said. "Besides, I hope you know that it is a vote of confidence from the king to bring you. If the news leaks and there is war before we are ready, our king promised to visit your kingdom first."
Thranduil pursed his lips in irritation, but nodded.
When Thranduil saw the horses, he was shocked, in the end he left Legolas, not daring to take him, taking the new captain of his guard with him.
Hela sat with Helena and Helena asked Wynah to go with Alduin.
This made the elf blush heavily, but she didn't reject it, Alduin beside her was so happy that he almost wanted to hug his mother right there.
The other elves laughed lightly, Thranduil didn't quite understand, but he mounted one horse while the guard mounted another, soon the group took flight and flew away.
The journey took a few hours, Thranduil was very surprised by these winged black horses, upon landing, he couldn't help but ask.
-These horses? Are they for sale?
"No, these are Thestrals bred by the king, but he realized you might be interested in them, so he said he could make a different breed of winged horses for you, of course, for a certain price," Helena explained with a smile.
Thranduil nodded, thinking Smaug was indeed intriguing, creating not only a new species of elf, but also a new horse.
But the surprise was far from over, Helena took him to meet the gray dwarves, giant elves, gargoyles, vampire wolves and imps.
Every time he saw a new thing and a new place, he was more shocked, when they finally reached the dining hall, Thranduil finally met the dragon, but it was not the giant creature he expected, it was a tall, strong, handsome man, with black horns and a bare chest, his lower part was draconic, with a black dragon tail coming out of his coccyx and from the waist down full of scales, his draconic eyes stared at Thranduil, who was shocked beyond belief.
"Smaug?" He asked confused, finding the dragon's metamorphosis intriguing.
Smaug laughed and said, "Let's talk while we eat." He waved his hand and sat at the head of the table. To his right, Hera, Tauriel, and Helena sat down, followed by Alduin, Hela, and Berkas. Berkas looked at Thranduil with interest, but his mother's warning was still on his mind, so he didn't joke.
To his left, Thranduil sat, his guard behind him at the ready.
-Well, you know Helena and Tauriel, this is Hera, also my wife, she is the daughter of Helm, Hammerhand. - Smaug explained, Thranduil looked at Tauriel with complicated eyes and she responded with apologies in her eyes, in the end he shook his head and left it aside, what he saw today changed his perception of Smaug, also the danger of going to war with him.
Then he looked at Hera, a little surprised. "I heard about you, Gandalf came to us looking for you, we couldn't find you, so this is where you were." He nodded to himself.
Hera sighed, Gandalf still didn't know about her, but Smaug still didn't want to contact the wizard. "Thank you for looking for me, sorry for the trouble."
"It's okay." Thranduil didn't care much, he wasn't the one who looked for it after all.
-These are my children, the eldest, Helen's son, Alduin, the little girl, Hera's daughter, Hela, and the red-haired Berkas, Tauriel's son. - He introduced.
Thranduil looked at the young men with dragon eyes and horns in surprise, finally landing on Berkas, then returning his gaze to Tauriel, his curiosity evident, but he did not delve deeper.
-Dad! What did I tell you about calling me a little girl! - Hela groaned beside him and became furious.
Smaug pretended not to hear as Helena laughed and Hera sighed.
Alduin held back his laughter, while Berkas laughed freely, which earned him a punch from Hela.
Seeing the pair start to fight, Smaug didn't stop them and looked on with interest, Alduin and Helena didn't care, Hera was tired and Tauriel was boiling with anger.
She swears it all came from her father! This boy is impossible!
"Berkas..." Tauriel's voice was low, but anger flooded her.
Berkas, who was fighting with Hela, stopped and Hela didn't continue either, the pair got up from the ground and sat down, as if nothing had happened.
Smaug turned to Thranduil without a care and said, "Well, let's have dinner first. I took the liberty of preparing several dishes with our produce. You can eat and ask as much as you want."
Clapping their hands, a group of moon elves brought the food, placing it carefully on the table, Thranduil looked interested, the group began to serve themselves excitedly and without decorum, including Smaug, who just took a piece of boar leg and began to chew.
Helena ate with decorum, but she didn't care at all about how others ate. Hera lowered her head in shame and ate, trying to ignore Thranduil's stares. Tauriel sighed and turned to Smaug. "Really?"
-What?! - Smaug took his face off the boar's leg and asked confused.
-You're a king, can't you have a little decorum even when you have visitors, royal visitors at that? - Tauriel complained irritably.
"Do you mind?" Smaug turned to Thranduil.
Thranduil cared, but he still vehemently denied it.
"See? He doesn't care." Smaug went back to eating, Alduin chuckling softly and Hela turning her face away to hide her smile. Berkas, like his father, held a large boar leg, eating with gusto, without caring about anything else.
Tauriel had a defeated look and went back to eating tiredly.
As they ate, Thranduil realized that the food was actually very good, there was everything, vegetables, greens, fruits, sweets, meat, bread, cheese... anything you wanted, you could find.
He ate a little of each, finding it very good, there was no shortage of food in the forest, so he didn't care much about it, maybe buying some things that were in short supply sometimes would be good, but the wine surprised him, sweet, slightly woody, but full-bodied and with strong alcohol.
"I don't think I've had that wine before," Thranduil asked.
"Oh, this? You can take two barrels if you want, it's made by the imps, we have plenty if you want to buy." Smaug shrugged and continued eating.
He was eating for pleasure, not using his ability to devour, with the improvement of the kingdom's cuisine, he became increasingly happy to eat.
Thranduil did not refuse and tasted the wine calmly, very satisfied, he would let Legolas taste it when he returned.