Chapter 11. The Arrogant and Foolish Thorin Oakenshield
Gandalf lifted his head and waited.
Naturally, Bilbo Baggins and the rest of the company halted as well, all of them craning their necks to look up at Smaug—now in the form of a great eagle.
In the blink of an eye, Smaug landed on a nearby short tree. Once steady, he lowered his gaze and looked down at Gandalf standing below.
"Mithrandir," Smaug said first, his tone surprisingly courteous.
At once—
The eagle spoke!
Bilbo Baggins was so startled his mind nearly froze.
Thorin Oakenshield and the other Dwarves, however, were more worldly than Bilbo. Having seen different creatures speak before, they were only mildly surprised and showed little outward reaction.
Gandalf, too, remained outwardly calm.
Yet inwardly, doubt stirred.
This eagle… what exactly is it?
As far as Gandalf knew, the Great Eagles associated with Galadriel did not speak.
Moreover—
There was something distinctly strange about the aura surrounding this eagle.
Still, doubts aside, Gandalf inclined his head politely and returned the courtesy.
"The Lady of Light sent me to remind you," Smaug continued smoothly,
"that the matter of the evil dragon Smaug establishing a Dragon Kingdom deserves your full attention."
"The situation at the Lonely Mountain has grown increasingly bizarre."
"The Elvenking Thranduil appears to have reached some sort of agreement with Smaug and is now assisting him in the construction of that Dragon Kingdom."
"Smaug is very likely pursuing a long-term scheme."
Smaug finished speaking in one breath.
Then—
His gaze shifted casually to Thorin Oakenshield, who still sat astride his horse.
Exactly as Smaug had expected.
Thorin's face put on a truly magnificent display.
Shock.
Rage.
Utter disbelief.
Smaug watched the expression change again and again—
And laughed inwardly, thoroughly pleased.
One second.
Two seconds.
The silence stretched.
Thorin Oakenshield snapped out of his shock. He leapt off his horse and stormed up to Gandalf, his voice rising to an outraged near-roar.
"Gandalf! What is it talking about?! Smaug has awakened? He's even founded a Dragon Kingdom?!"
"You knew this all along!"
The moment Smaug finished speaking, Gandalf had already anticipated this reaction from Thorin Oakenshield. His head ached.
Now it ached even more.
"Thank you for the Lady's warning. I will give it due attention," Gandalf replied to Smaug first despite the headache. Only then did he turn back to Thorin.
"Yes. I knew long ago."
The instant those words fell—
The other twelve Dwarves, already restless, all dismounted at once and began shouting.
Bellowing at the top of their lungs was simply Dwarven nature.
"When did Smaug wake up?"
"How long have you known?"
"What are we supposed to do now?"
"If Smaug is awake, who can possibly steal the Arkenstone?"
"—"
The twelve voices overlapped in a deafening clamor, so loud that Smaug nearly felt the urge to breathe fire.
Then—
Thorin's voice rose even higher, shouting straight at Gandalf.
"You lied to us! You knew Smaug had awakened and still sent us on this journey!"
"You were never helping us reclaim our kingdom—you were pursuing your own ends!"
"Liar!"
This was no longer shouting.
It was an outright accusation.
And to be fair—
It wasn't wrong.
Gandalf had always placed the peace of Middle-earth above Thorin's dream of restoration.
"Calm down—calm down," Gandalf said, rubbing his temples, feeling two heads where there should have been one.
"I can explain. Yes, I knew Smaug had awakened—but that changes nothing."
"The prophecy remains the prophecy. It has not changed simply because Smaug awoke."
"Is that not so?"
"Thorin, it is true that I have my own purpose. But that purpose does not conflict with your wish to reclaim your kingdom."
"Calm yourself and think—truly think. Isn't that the case?"
---
But Thorin Oakenshield—
Still clinging to the image of himself as the Prince of Erebor.
Still steeped in pride and arrogance—
Believed Gandalf ought to help him without any personal motive whatsoever.
Just as he believed, long ago, that no matter how rudely his father had treated Thranduil, the Elvenking should have risked his life to save Erebor when it fell.
For now, this arrogance was carved deep into Thorin's bones.
So—
Admit Gandalf was right?
Impossible.
"We are not tools for you to use," Thorin growled without hesitation.
"We don't need you!"
With that—
Thorin turned sharply, strode back to his horse, and barked an order at the others.
"We move! We reclaim Erebor by our own strength!"
"Thorin…" Balin, the wisest among them, hesitated and tried to speak.
"We—"
"We move!" Thorin cut him off brutally.
"Anyone who's afraid can turn back!"
The words barely left his mouth before Thorin mounted his horse and charged forward.
Balin could only sigh helplessly. Exchanging looks with the other eleven Dwarves, none of them spoke further. One by one, they urged their horses on and followed.
---
Standing beside his small pony, Bilbo Baggins did not follow.
He looked once at the retreating backs of Thorin and the Dwarves—
Then back at Gandalf.
Torn.
After a few seconds of struggle, Bilbo took a deep breath and walked toward Gandalf, who still looked thoroughly worn down.
The truth was—
Bilbo had gathered the courage to join this expedition almost entirely because of Gandalf.
To Bilbo, Gandalf was reliable.
"Gandalf…" Bilbo asked hesitantly.
"What… what should we do?"
Gandalf took a long pull from his pipe and gave Bilbo a small smile.
"Oh, my dear Bilbo. I'm sorry you had to witness that. I hope it didn't frighten you."
"I was frightened," Bilbo admitted honestly.
Then he repeated the question.
"What should we do?"
Gandalf exhaled a plume of smoke and turned to watch the Dwarves disappearing into the distance.
"Dwarves are brave," he said quietly,
"but also stubborn—sometimes to the point of foolishness."
After that remark, he looked back at Bilbo.
"Tell me, Bilbo—do you still have the courage to continue this journey?"
To be honest—
The moment Bilbo heard that Smaug had awakened, he had wanted to go home.
Even just now, what he truly wished to say was that he wanted to quit.
But standing there, facing Gandalf—
That desire wavered.
"If you're still here," Bilbo said at last, clenching his teeth,
"then I still have courage."
"Haha," Gandalf laughed warmly, genuinely pleased. He reached out and gently patted Bilbo's head.
"Whoever said Hobbits are timid cowards was spreading lies."
"Then let's catch up to them," Gandalf added with a smile.
"Since we've begun this journey, we might as well see it through—don't you agree?"