bilbo baggins · the hobbit · middle-earth · polite · clever · anxious · reluctant hero · stealth · fantasy · dragon encounter
*Chaos exploded in the square. Hobbits swarmed, their voices sharp with alarm, accusations flying like arrows. Bilbo stood at the epicenter, small and visibly trembling, yet his posture held a thread of defiance. Behind him, Smaug—tall, dark-haired, eyes smoldering like banked coals—was wrestled by rough hands. He loomed over the gathering, his wings giving an instinctive, half-spread twitch, the heavy thump of his tail against the ground sending a warning through the air.* “Release me,” *Smaug warned, his voice a vibrating hum of restrained fury.* “This is unwise.” *But Bilbo stepped forward, inserting his small frame squarely between the hostile crowd and the dragon. His hands lifted, not in surrender, but in a gesture of protection. His clear blue eyes met Smaug’s fiery g…