Golden light exploded from Escanor 's body like a miniature supernova. The air instantly superheated, causing the stone beneath his feet to crack and glow red. His power, Sunshine , roared through him with an intensity he had never experienced before.
Because for the first time since he came into this world, he wasn't holding anything back.
For the first time, I was letting everything go.
His body transformed, his muscles swelling, the light becoming so intense that looking directly at him was impossible. Rhitta in his hands began to glow like molten metal, absorbing his power, magnifying it, becoming more than a weapon, becoming an extension of the sun itself.
Smaug stepped back, his eyes squinting against the glare.
—What ... what are you? —For the first time in centuries, there was something resembling fear in the dragon's voice.
Escanor 's voice boomed with a power that shook the very air. "I am the sun. And you, fireworm, are about to learn that your flame is but a candle compared to my radiance."
Smaug roared, the sound shaking loose stones from the mountain, and hurled a column of fire directly at Escanor . Not ordinary fire, but dragon fire, flames so hot they could melt stone, so intense they had burned entire cities to ashes.
Escanor didn't move.
The fire struck him, enveloped him, and consumed him completely.
And when the flames cleared, Escanor was still standing, unharmed, his body glowing even more brightly.
"My turn," he said.
And he launched himself forward.
He moved so fast he was barely visible, closing the distance between himself and Smaug in an instant. Rhitta swung in a massive arc, striking the dragon's ribs with enough force to shatter mountains.
Smaug howled in pain, the first time he had felt true pain in over a century. One of his scales cracked, then peeled away, revealing vulnerable flesh beneath.
" IMPOSSIBLE!" roared the dragon. "MY SCALES ARE IMPENETRABLE! NO SWORD, NO SPEAR CAN PIERCE THEM!"
"I am not a sword," Escanor struck again, this time against the dragon's wing, tearing through the membrane with pure heat. "I am much, much worse."
Smaug rose backward, his wings beating powerfully, soaring into the air. If he couldn't fight this... this thing on the ground, he would fight from above, where he had the advantage.
But Escanor wasn't going to allow that.
—Cruel Sun !
A dozen golden fireballs materialized around him, each the size of a carriage, each containing enough heat to melt steel. He hurled them upward like blazing comets.
Smaug tried to dodge them, his centuries of battle experience making him agile despite his size. He managed to avoid several, but three hit him directly, exploding against his belly, his chest, his neck.
The dragon crashed back to earth, creating a crater with the impact. It slowly rose, smoke billowing from dozens of wounds it had never imagined receiving.
"You..." Smaug gasped, his arrogance finally breaking, "you are not natural. You are not of this world."
"No," Escanor said, walking forward, each step leaving fused footprints. "I'm not. I was brought here for a reason. And I think... I think that reason was you."
—To kill me?
"To stop you," Escanor corrected. "You have terrorized this land for far too long, Smaug . You have killed countless innocents. You have amassed wealth you have no use for except greed. You have denied an entire people their home." His eyes shone more brightly. "And today, that ends."
—NO !— Smaug lunged forward, jaws wide open, trying to swallow Escanor whole.
Escanor met the attack head-on. He caught the dragon's jaws with his bare hands, his fingers digging into the scales, his power burning against the dragon's flesh.
For a moment, it was a stalemate. The dragon pushing down with all its massive weight, Escanor pushing up with a force that defied physics.
And then, slowly, inexorably, Escanor began to win.
He pushed the dragon's jaws open wider and wider, until Smaug was squealing in pain, his jaw joints creaking under the pressure.
" How many people died in your flames?" Escanor growled, his muscles tensing. "How many children were orphaned? How many homes were destroyed? How many lives were ruined?"
" They were... weak ! " Smaug gasped. "The weak exist to be consumed by the strong!"
"No!" Escanor roared, and his power surged even higher. "The strong exist to protect the weak!"
That's the truth you never understood! And that's why you'll die here!
And with one last massive effort, he threw Smaug backward, sending the dragon tumbling down the mountainside.
Smaug crashed against the rock, stunned, bleeding from dozens of wounds. His breathing came in labored gasps, and for the first time in his long life, he felt something he had never felt before.
Fear.
True, primal, absolute fear.
"No," whispered the dragon. "No... this can't be happening. I am Smaug the Terrible. I am Smaug the Magnificent. I have lived for centuries. I have destroyed kingdoms. I cannot... I cannot be defeated by a mere man."
"I am no mere man." Escanor stood over him, his silhouette against the setting sun, as if the two suns—the one in the sky and the one of his power—had become one. "I am the Lion's Sin of Pride. And my pride is to live with honor. To protect those who cannot protect themselves. To defend what is right, no matter the cost."
"Please..." Smaug gasped, and it was shameful to see such a powerful creature reduced to begging. "Please... let me live. I will leave. I will never return to Erebor . I will go, and you will never be bothered by me again."
Escanor hesitated. Every instinct told him to end this, to kill the dragon here and now. But to hear Smaug plead, to see the proud dragon reduced to this...
" Will you swear by your true name?" Escanor asked. "Will you swear never to harm another innocent person again?"
Never again accumulate stolen treasure? Live the rest of your days in solitude, harming no one?
Smaug hesitated, and Escanor saw the indecision in the dragon's eyes. He saw the greed still there, the pride, the malice.
And he knew the truth.
"You wouldn't," Escanor said softly. "Even now, even defeated, you still plot revenge."
You still crave the treasure. You still want to burn and kill and destroy.
—I... — Smaug began.
"I cannot let you live," Escanor lifted Rhitta one last time. "Not because I want you dead. But because allowing you to live is to condemn countless others to die at your hands. And that... that I cannot allow."
—WAIT !— Smaug tried to get up, tried to run away, tried to fight.
But he was too hurt, too weak, too late.
Escanor channeled all his power into Rhitta , the axe shining so brightly it was like a second sun held in his hands. And then, with all his weight, all his strength, all his purpose behind him, he brought it down.
Directly into the heart of Smaug .
The dragon had time for one last roar, one that echoed through the mountains, through the valleys, throughout all of Middle-earth. A roar of fury, of denial, of final refusal to accept his own end.
And then he fell silent.
Smaug the Terrible, Smaug the Magnificent, last of the great fire-dragons of the north, was dead.
Escanor lay over the body, Rhitta still embedded in the dragon's chest, breathing heavily. The exertion of the battle had left him exhausted in a way he had never experienced before. He had used too much power, pushed too far.
And slowly, inevitably, his power began to fade.
The golden light diminished. His body shrank back to its normal size. The heat he had radiated cooled.
And Escanor collapsed next to the dragon's corpse, barely conscious, barely breathing.
"I did it ," he thought weakly. " Smaug is dead. Erebor is free."
But... so tired. So... cold.
Arwen ... Tauriel ... I'm sorry. I tried to come back. But I think... I think this is as far as I can go.
His vision darkened, the world disappearing into shadows.
And the last thing he heard before unconsciousness claimed him was the sound of running footsteps, voices shouting his name, gentle hands turning him over.
—Escanor ! No, no, no! Stay with us !
—He 's barely breathing!
—We need help! Now!
But his words faded into the distance, becoming echoes, becoming nothing.
And Escanor , the Lion of the Sun, the man who had defeated a dragon, slipped into the darkness.
Not knowing if he would ever wake up.
Three Days Later
The awakening was slow, painful, like swimming through thick mud. Escanor became aware of sensations first: softness beneath him (a bed), warmth around him (blankets), pain in every muscle of his body (everything).
She opened her eyes slowly, blinking against soft light filtering through... curtains? She turned her head, a movement that required more effort than it should have, and found herself in a room she didn't recognize.
No. That wasn't true. I recognized it. This was an elven style of healing. These were elven medicines I smelled in the air.
But where...?
—You're awake.
He turned his head towards the voice and saw Bilbo sitting in a chair next to his bed, looking exhausted but relieved.
The hobbit jumped up, almost knocking the chair over in his haste.
—You're awake! Thank goodness! We thought we'd lost you!
" Bilbo ?" Escanor 's voice came out raspy, unused. "What... what happened?"
—What happened? — Bilbo He laughed , though there were tears in his eyes. "You killed Smaug ! You defeated the dragon! And then you collapsed and have been unconscious for three days!"
—Three... days... — Escanor tried to sit down, but his body protested violently.
" No, no, don't move!" Bilbo gently pushed him back. "You used too much power. Your body was nearly burned from the inside out. The Elven healers say it's a miracle you're alive at all."
" Elven healers ?" Escanor frowned. "Where are we?"
" Erebor ," Bilbo smiled. "Well, the healing halls the dwarves cleaned up. But Thranduil sent healers when he heard what happened. He said anyone who could kill Smaug deserved the best care the elves could offer."
— Thranduil ... that was kind of you.
"There's more," Bilbo leaned forward. "After you collapsed, after Smaug died... the treasure became accessible. The dwarves went in and found everything. The Arkenstone, the gold, everything. Erebor is theirs again. You did it, Escanor . You kept your promise."
Escanor felt a wave of relief so intense that it almost overwhelmed him.
—The dwarves... are they alright? Did they all survive?
—Everyone. Thanks to you, you kept Smaug focused on you; they never had a chance to get near them. You're a hero, Escanor . A true hero.
"I don't feel like a hero," Escanor said, closing his eyes. "I feel like I've been trampled by an army."
"You fought a dragon and won," Bilbo pointed out. "I think you're allowed to feel terrible."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Bilbo got up to open it, revealing Thorin , Balin , and several of the other dwarves.
" Is he awake?" Thorin asked, and there was something in his voice that Escanor had never heard before. Something soft.
Almost vulnerable.
—It is — Bilbo stepped aside.
The dwarves entered, and to Escanor 's surprise , Thorin knelt beside the bed, his eyes shining with undisguised excitement.
" Escanor ," the dwarf king said, his voice hoarse. "There are not enough words. There is not enough treasure. What you did for my people, for my kingdom... is a debt we can never repay."
"There's no debt," Escanor smiled weakly. "I did it because it was the right thing to do. Because it was my purpose. And because... you are my friends."
—And you're ours— Balin took a step forward—. More than that. You're family. An honorary dwarf, if you'll accept such a title.
"I accept," Escanor felt his throat tighten. "With pride."
"Then let it be recorded," Thorin rose, composing himself. " Escanor , the Lion of the Sun, the Dragonslayer, is hereby declared a Friend of Erebor . These halls are your home for as long as you wish to remain. Our forges are yours to use. Our resources, yours to request. As long as dwarves call Erebor home , you have a place here."
"Thank you," Escanor whispered. "All of you. Thank you."
They spent the next hour updating him on everything that had happened. How they had raced back after Smaug fell. How they found Escanor barely alive. How Thranduil , upon hearing the news, immediately dispatched healers. How the people of Dale, seeing that the dragon had fallen, began returning to their ruined homes.
"There's one more thing," Thorin said, hesitated, then took something out of his robes.
The Elessar .
Arwen 's pendant , which Escanor had given to Bilbo , has now been returned.
Bilbo 's neck ," Thorin said, placing it in Escanor 's hand . "We thought you'd like it back."
Escanor closed his fingers around the pendant, feeling its familiar warmth, and felt tears stinging his eyes.
—Thank you —she whispered.
Eventually, the dwarves left, letting him rest. Only Bilbo remained, sitting by the bed as he had done during the three days Escanor had been unconscious.
— Bilbo — Escanor said after a long silence — Can I ask you something?
-Anything.
—When I was fighting Smaug ... when I thought I might die... my last thoughts were of Arwen and Tauriel . Both of them. What does that say about me?
Bilbo considered this, then smiled gently.
—It says your heart is big enough to hold multiple loves. That you're not limited by conventions that say you can only love one person. It says you're human, Escanor .
Wonderfully, complicatedly human.
—But how can I return to them? How can I face Arwen knowing that my heart also holds feelings for Tauriel ? How can I honor both loves without betraying either?
"I don't know," Bilbo admitted. "But I think the answer isn't choosing. I think the answer is honesty."
Tell them both the truth. And let them decide if they can accept sharing your heart.
—That's... terrifyingly brave.
"You killed a dragon," Bilbo pointed out. "I think you can handle an honest conversation with two women who love you."
Escanor He laughed despite himself, then winced as the movement sent pain through his ribs.
—Maybe you're right. Maybe... maybe honesty is the way. Even if it's difficult. Even if I risk losing them both.
"I think you'll be surprised," Bilbo said quietly. "True love isn't possessive. It doesn't demand exclusivity when the heart is genuinely big enough for more. And if Arwen and Tauriel really love you… perhaps they can find a way to make it work."
—Or maybe they'll hate me forever.
"That's the risk," Bilbo agreed. "But it's worth it, I think. Because the alternative is living a lie. And you, Escanor , are no liar."
"No," Escanor agreed. "I'm not."
He touched the Elessar , feeling its warmth, thinking of Arwen . Then he thought of Tauriel , her red hair catching the light, her understanding of his divided heart.
"I will come to you ," he promised quietly. " Both of you. And I will tell you the truth. And whatever you decide... I will accept it."
Because you deserve honesty. You deserve choice.
And I deserve to live with integrity, no matter how difficult it may be.
He closed his eyes, exhaustion pulling him back into sleep.
But this time, it was a peaceful dream.
Because for the first time since he met Tauriel , for the first time since his heart had been broken, he had a way forward.
Difficult, yes.
Absolutely terrifying.
But honest.
And for Escanor , the Lion's Sin of Pride, honesty was everything.
To be continued...