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Warning: This page contains some Late Arrival Spoilers, so tread carefully.

The Main Pairing

Kathryn

A Seer from Enedwaith who's been searching for her place in an unsympathetic world. It leads her to becoming the songbird and later soulmate of Smaug the Golden.

Afraid of Their Own Strength: Kathryn is afraid of her powers and what damage she might do to others and herself, especially after she unintentionally kills a Knight of Gondor.
Smaug: You do not wish to further your abilities?
Kathryn: Of course I don't! Smaug, I can barely control myself as it is, I don't even know what half my powers imply… I have never wanted them! To add more to that power… I couldn't… I don't even want to think about it! I once killed a man because I couldn't control myself with what I have now. My powers have come close to killing me already, they've hurt me on several occasions, I… I don't want to live in fear of myself. I just want to feel safe.
The Ageless: Due to her link with Smaug extending her lifespan, she physically remains at the age of twenty despite being much older, and it's said she'll live as long as he lives.
All Girls Want Bad Boys: You can't get much badder than Smaug "the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities", although admittedly it's not so much the fact he's bad as the fact he's one of the only people who understands and accepts her completely. He's also so dangerous few people would dare try to hurt her as long as she's with him, which is appealing, seeing as she's spent most of her life being hurt and victimized one way or another.
All the Other Reindeer: The superstitious common folk has scorned Kathryn, accusing her of being a witch and a bad omen.
Back from the Dead: Kathryn dies at the end of Heart of Fire when she tries to heal Smaug's fatal wound with her Raw Magic and overexerts herself. She's resurrected in the first chapter of Heart of Ashes by Fankil who needs her alive for his agenda.
Beast and Beauty: The Beauty to Smaug's Beast.
Beautiful Singing Voice: She is noted for having a stirringly lovely voice. The first thing that draws Smaug to her is her singing, and he captures her so she can sing for him. It's one of the few things that can calm and soothe him; he even believes her voice surpasses elven singers. She's also roped into singing for the royal court of Dorwinion.
That voice...Smaug had never heard anything like it. It was angelic, as if something from Aman itself: purer than any elf, stronger than any human, and utterly enchanting. The sound hooked itself on something inside Smaug's breast, as if magic was fused into its very being; calling to him, speaking to him. The pitch-perfect tune rang in his ears, as pleasant to his senses as the clinks of gold to his greed. The emotion stirred within the voice made Smaug imagine a menagerie of dazzling colours.
Because You Were Nice to Me: Even though Smaug actually held her captive, she comes to care for and eventually love him because he's the first person she met who didn't fear or despise her for her abilities, helped and supported her, and fully accepted her. He also saved her life when she had a vision that almost killed her. Compared to the way she had been treated by most of her own kind, Smaug comes off as positively decent.
Beware the Nice Ones: This kind woman can be dangerous when pushed too far. Her response to Smaug's act of remorselessly murdering Freyja is to turn into a dragon and give him a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
Blessed with Suck: At first, her powers are at best inconvenient, at worst life-threatening; she was mistreated by her parents, can never settle in one place for long lest the locals learn of her powers and either try to harm or exploit her, and her visions cause her pain and distress. However, with Smaug's help she begins learning how to properly control and harness her magic, after which her powers become a lot more useful to her.
Burn the Witch!: Played with; Kathryn has been hounded, cast out and hated by others for years due to her Seer abilities. Several characters call her a witch in spite throughout the trilogy.
Caged Bird Metaphor: In Heart of Fire, Kathryn is captured by Smaug who wants her heavenly singing voice all for himself. He even initially keeps her locked up in a giant bird cage. In Heart of Ashes, King Wilhelm calls her a songbird after he makes her his court's bard, a position that is a Gilded Cage situation for her.
Came Back Wrong: She's resurrected in the beginning of Heart of Ashes with her connection of Raw magic damaged, leaving her trapped in a state of illness and madness that ends only when Smaug fixes the damage.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Smaug notes that Kathryn tends to risk her life to protect strangers, especially from him. In the third story, he criticizes her for putting herself in danger so often in the name of her conscience.
The Conscience: Since the other member of the pairing is Smaug, it's no surprise that Kathryn has to take on this role.
Dark and Troubled Past: Kathryn's had a fair share of torment even before she was acquainted with Smaug and pulled into Middle-Earth's conflict against dark forces. When she had her first vision as a child, her misguided parents controlled her in an abusive way to keep her from being killed by superstitious villagers. After enduring this for ten years, Kathryn run away from home at the age of sixteen and never returned. She then wandered the Middle-Earth, unable to stay anywhere for long because people would shun her or try either to kill or exploit her due to her visions. When she was nineteen, she tried to settle in Dale's ruined city, only to be soon caught as Smaug's songbird.
Death by Childbirth: Subverted. Kathryn comes close to death while giving birth to her twins, finding herself welcomed by Irmo. Fortunately, the recently resuscitated Gandalf the White brings her back.
Dreaming of Things to Come: She regularly experiences visions in her dreams, some of which show future events.
Dreaming of Times Gone By: Some of her dreams and visions show her events that have happened long ago.
Elemental Hair Colors: Played with. Kathryn's hair is fiery red, and it has scarce golden highlights that help give it a resemblance to flames. She doesn't have fire powers, but she's the soulmate of a dragon, and she transforms into a dragon several times throughout the trilogy.
Emotional Powers: She's able to cast shockwaves in emotional turmoil.
Eye Color Change: Kathryn was born with her father's golden brown eyes, but when she had her first vision at the age of six, the magic of clairvoyance turned her eyes to purple. When she dies while trying to save Smaug from death, her eyes gain the color of molten gold. They remain so upon her resurrection because her link to Raw Magic is damaged. Once Smaug restores the link, she regains her purple eyes.
Fainting Seer: Her visions and dreams are often accompanied by painful seizures and collapsing. They are so intense and painful that she initially takes herbs to suppress them and ties herself up when she sleeps so as not to hurt herself by mistake. One vision gives her such terrible seizures it nearly kills her until Smaug intervenes.
Fiery Redhead: Averted for the most part. Kathryn's hair is fiery ruby red, but aside from a few Berserk Buttons, she's overall a sensible character.
Foil: To Andraya, Freyja and Queen Lalemwen (see their respective folders).
Glowing Eyes of Doom: Her eyes glow several times when she's about to have a vision or use her powers in emotional turmoil.
Hero with Bad Publicity: It's implied that Kathryn has this after the events in Heart of Ashes, as King Brand believes from his grandfather's stories that Kathryn actually aided Smaug's attack on Vathvael instead of trying to stop it.
Homeless Hero: She was this after she ran away from home, unable to settle anywhere because of her visions and people who'd either ostracize or exploit her. She eventually tried to settle in the abandoned city of Dale, only to soon become Smaug's songbird.
Hot Witch: Though she's a Seer instead of a witch, she has magical powers and remains attractive through her life that lasts more than a century thanks to Smaug's magic.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The Tiny Girl to Smaug's Huge Guy, whatever he's a gigantic dragon or a seven feet tall man.
Hypocrisy Nod: When she challenges Aragorn by telling him to place the hilt of Narsil back on its pedestal and walk away if he truly believes he will fail like Isildur did, she is ashamed of herself for telling someone to enter a life they may not want to, for many people have tried to push her to fulfill their expectations and seize the power at her disposal.
Immune to Mind Control: Smaug and Kathryn's Psychic Link renders her immune to Smaug's dragon-spell after it's established.
Interspecies Romance: With Smaug, a dragon (although he can also take on a human form, Kathryn still thinks of him as being a dragon more often than not).
Is That a Threat?: She gets to both deliver and receive this line during her last conversation with Lord Beronor.
Lord Beronor: Do not stand in my way, witch… life will become very unpleasant for you if you do.
Kathryn: Is that a threat?
Lord Beronor: No, that was truth. A threat would be if I proposed something I had a chance of completing; when I say truth, I mean it with utter certainty.
[…]
Kathryn: Do you believe me to be a little puppet for you to pull the strings?! Do not think that because I am a woman, I am feeble! I too can command the winds sir! I have a hurricane in me so great it will strip the leaves of your Noble House bare if you dare to try me!
Lord Beronor: You dare to threaten me?!
Kathryn: I do!
MacGuffin Super-Person: She's thought invaluable by factions who know her to be a Seer. Even Smaug initially takes interest in her because of this and her heavenly singing voice before he develops feelings for her. However, the most serious threat to Kathryn is Fankil because he wants to use her Raw Magic in locating the Door of Night and releasing his father Morgoth.
Mama Bear: For her twins Kolstros and Vervenia.
Kathryn: Never. Insult. My children.
Martial Pacifist: She tries to convince the Company of Thorin to let her be this between them and Smaug. Thorin says no in his Sanity Slippage.
Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration: At one point in Heart of Fire, Kathryn tries masturbating out of sexual frustration; she's nineteen years old, never been so much as kissed, and there aren't any blokes around (and Smaug is hardly going to let any man near her). She tries fantasizing about a random guy, but Smaug in human form (whom she had previously dreamt of) keeps intruding in her thoughts. She decides to just go with it.
Maternity Crisis: Kathryn's labour begins right after she looks into the Mirror of Galadriel and ends up having to resist Sauron's domination attempts. Galadriel drives Sauron away with Nenya's power, but Kathryn's left with an extremely difficult childbirth to endure.
Mayfly–December Romance: With Smaug. When they first meet, she's nineteen, while he's well over a hundred years old.
Mindlink Mates: She and Smaug are psychically connected through their dreams and can also sense when the other is in pain or distress. Unusually, they actually establish this connection before realizing they're in love, as a consequence of Smaug entering Kathryn's dreams to save her from a deadly vision.
Morality Chain: A downplayed one to Smaug. He generally does whatever he wants, but there a few occasions when Kathryn is able to reason with him, or where he'll restrain himself from doing something that would upset her. In the third story, he outright tells her that if she'd die permanently, he'd burn everyone to the ground.
Morality Pet: To Smaug. She seems to be the one person in the world he cares about and shows kindness and empathy towards.
Morphic Resonance: Kathryn retains her purple eye color in her dragon form, and she has some ruby red scales just behind her horns as a substitute for her red hair.
Older Than They Look: As a result of Smaug's magic, she still looks to be in her early twenties when she's chronologically around eighty years old. By the time of Heart of the Inferno, she's about one hundred and forty years old, yet still doesn't show much signs of aging.
Pregnant Badass: Downplayed. Kathryn takes no part in fighting while she's pregnant in Heart of the Inferno, but when Gandalf is fighting Durin's Bane alone, she's able to make Smaug take her to Zirakzigil, and while the dragon battles the Balrog, Kathryn is able to temporarily resuscitate the dying wizard by transferring her Raw Magic into him so that he can deliver a fatal stab in the Balrog's chest, despite the protests of her pregnant belly.
Randomly Gifted: Both her parents were seemingly ordinary humans^note and Kathryn herself appeared to be a normal girl until she experienced her first vision at the age of six.
The Runaway: When she was fifteen or sixteen years old, Kathryn run away from home and never returned after enduring for ten years her parents' misguided methods to control her visions.
Seers: She is literally called a Seer on account of her ability to experience visions of past, future and faraway events (which also come to her in dreams).
Technicolor Eyes: Ever since she had her first vision, her eyes have been purple because of the Raw Magic coursing through her.
Took a Level in Badass: Once she starts getting better control of her powers.
Weredragon: In Heart of Fire, Kathryn briefly turns into a dragon (with Smaug assisting through their bond) so that she can repel Bolg's orcs. In Heart of Ashes, she shifts two times of her own accord, first when she's furious with Smaug over Freyja's murder, and secondly to battle against Fankil.
What the Hell, Hero?: At the end of her first and only encounter with Thorin, she has eight parting words for him:
"May your greed be your doom, Thorin Oakenshield!"
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: In the beginning of Heart of Ashes, her madness causes her to imagine being suffocated by darkness and then burned alive repeatedly. After her sanity's restored, she remains afraid of darkness and fire for a time.
Woman Scorned: Smaug gets to experience her wrath in Heart of Ashes when Freyja's murder pushes her over the edge.

Smaug

One of the last great Fire-Drakes and Erebor's conqueror. He adds Kathryn to his hoard due to her beautiful singing, but his fate becomes gradually interweaved with the Seer he comes to love.

Achilles' Heel: The canonical gap in his scales. After he's resurrected, the gap is covered by thick scar tissue. There's also a downplayed case with the pores between his nostrils. While the scales are in that area as tough as elsewhere, it's still sensitive to pain.
Achey Scars: After his brief period under Sauron's influence, the scar in his chest tends to ache and pulse when he indulges in his more sinister instincts in his dreams and thoughts.
Adaptation Expansion: Smaug and Kathryn's interactions over the first 2/3 of Heart of Fire, coupled with portraying the conversation with Bilbo from Smaug's perspective in Chapter 19, provide a lot of expansion on Smaug's characterization during the events of The Hobbit, including but not limited to his movie incarnation's hatred for Thorin.
Adaptational Heroism: Only a downplayed example, for Smaug is much the same as in canon, displaying humane caring only toward Kathryn and their twins. However, while the movie trilogy's Smaug insinuates that he'd gladly join Sauron For the Evulz, the Smaug of this fic series isn't interested in serving the Dark Lord, wanting primarily to be left alone with his treasure and Kathryn.
Adaptational Intelligence: Smaug is established to be a Genius Bruiser both in the book and the films, but the fic series goes more into detail about his sophistication and magical abilities.
Anguished Declaration of Love: It takes two stories worth of trouble and feeling regret for the first time in his life before Smaug tells Kathryn out loud that he loves her.
Arbitrary Skepticism: Despite being a freaking dragon and knowing what a magical world he lives in, he thinks that while powerful, the Valar couldn't be gods (possibly powerful Elves from who all the current wizards descend from), for he thinks that the power to bend the world to one's will is reserved solely for the likes of dragons.
Badass Boast: Some of his canon examples still occur in Heart of Fire, and he racks up some more during the trilogy. His canon boast to Thorin is adapted into something that debatably manages to be even more badass:
"If you think to keep her from me, dwarf, you are sorely mistaken! Did you think I would crumble? That I would bow to you? I have felled the strongest armies. In one day, I brought your entire people to their knees. I instil terror in the hearts of men. I am KING UNDER THE MOUNTAIN!"
Beast and Beauty: The Beast to Kathryn's Beauty.
Bizarre Alien Senses: Like the rest of his kind, Smaug has in the scales between his nostrils pores that allow him to sense electrical currents in the air, just like sharks can do in the water. This enables him to feel the changing air currents, anticipate the course of the weather, and tell the location of his prey through their aura.
And with [Kathryn's] touch upon such sensitive skin, he could feel every current of electricity running through her body, every strong heartbeat, every breath in her lungs, every twitch of a muscle.
Body Horror: In Heart of Ashes, Smaug's human body gradually starts turning draconic when he has thoughts related to greed and bloodlust. He eventually turns into a grotesque half-man/half-dragon trapped in a state of animalistic wildness, with his body futilely trying to complete the transformation into a dragon. Kathryn fixes this by lending Smaug her magic through their bond, helping his body to fully restore itself.
Brainwashed and Crazy: In Heart of Ashes, Smaug becomes even more aggressive than he already was when he allows Sauron's taint to take root in his heart. Bilbo notes this as he remembers his first encounter with Smaug when the dragon's rage wasn't so uncontrolled.
Brought Down to Badass: While stuck in his human form, Smaug is superior to ordinary humans both in physical abilities and senses. He can also use his Dragon-spell along with other magic.
Byronic Hero: Smaug is arrogant, greedy, and bloodthirsty, and he will do anything he desires. While he comes to really love Kathryn, he doesn't easily comply to her wants, and he has a lot of problems with changing himself for her. He's also highly intelligent and knowledgeable. The human form he gains would be considered handsome if not for the cruel lines he has around the mouth as if from a lifetime of looking down on people unworthy of him.
He was a complexity if ever there was one. He was majestic yet frightening, powerful and quick, supremely intelligent but his guarded nature wasted his cunning on the pursuit of gold, he was utterly beautiful but deadly, and his lack of empathy only pushed forward his wickedness. He seemed to be a very angry creature, wanting to lash out at the first thing that drew his attention, but also… desperate for attention. Kathryn could find no other way to describe it; even when he was at his utmost cruel, even when he was playing mind games, even when he was stalking his prey, he craved for the respect and attention of another creature, so therefore he would have something to distract his mind. Even if he would eventually tire of whatever caught his interest. But he hadn't tired of Kathryn.
Bystander Syndrome: In the beginning of Heart of the Inferno, Smaug thinks that the War of the Ring is not his or Kathryn's problem. After Sauron makes the mistake of mentally assaulting Kathryn just as her labour begins, Smaug swears to destroy the Dark Lord.
Card-Carrying Villain: Downplayed. He's proud, greedy and cruel, but he's somewhat aware of and doesn't deny it, in contrast to certain mortals who are fueled by greed like Thorin and the lords of Vathvael.
Crazy Jealous Guy: He's extremely possessive of Kathryn, as all dragons are over their treasures. He can barely tolerate any male touching Kathryn.
Dream Walker: After linking his mind with Kathryn's in order to save her from a lethal vision, Smaug makes it a habit to enter her dreams and make sure she won't be killed by a vision.
Debt Detester: He hates to owe anything to mortals, but his pride won't let him go back on the favours he's sworn. Kathryn convinces him to save Gandalf from Durin's Bane by arguing that by doing so, he will be released from the favour he promised the wizard in Heart of Ashes. When Smaug tries to claim that Gandalf's death will undo that debt, Kathryn shoots that argument down by pointing out that if Gandalf survives without Smaug's aid, the wizard will still have Smaug's favour to call upon, so Smaug agrees to help him.
Enemy Mine: His Neutral No Longer decision includes him fighting with the Free Peoples (many of whom he has wronged during the past centuries) against their common enemies Sauron and Fankil. Furthermore, he sets upon a mission to rally under his banner the last dragons, a race that's generally hated for wreaking destruction in the name of greed and formerly Morgoth.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Smaug's love for Kathryn and their twins is the highest of his few redeeming traits. Gandalf even states in the third story that said love can prevent him from succumbing to utter evilness.
Even Evil Has Standards:
- When Kathryn finds the Arkenstone, Smaug puts a stop to its corruption of her by burying it deep in the gold and making her swear not to seek it out.
- When Andraya reveals that she wants Smaug to impregnate the fourteen-year-old Freyja with a powerful offspring, he's repulsed with the idea of laying with a teenaged girl. He establishes that he wouldn't copulate with a dragon not of age (younger than fifty years) either.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When he learns that Aragorn is Isildur's heir, he admits the mortals who don't pick up what little glory they can confuse him.
Evil Versus Evil: He ends up at loggerheads against Sauron, Fankil, Andraya, and Durin's Bane.
Foil: To Faervel, Thorin Oakenshield, King Wilhelm, Aragorn and Durin's Bane (see their respective folders).
Full-Frontal Assault: After Smaug has first made love with Kathryn in Heart of Ashes, he's forced to defend himself against four soldiers who believe him to have murdered King Wilhelm. He kills them in a Curb-Stomp Battle while being stark naked in his human form.
Hair-Trigger Temper: His temper is volcanic.
Heroic BSoD: Well, Anti-Heroic BSOD. After he sends Kathryn away in Heart of Fire, he has a complete breakdown, going on a rampage around the countryside and smashing pillars, before sealing himself inside Erebor and sleeping for sixty years until Bilbo turns up.
Horrifying the Horror: Smaug is immediately made wary when Fankil reveals his identity, even if the dragon's skeptical of the demon's claim to be Morgoth's son; as to even claim tie to Morgoth is something not to be taken lightly.
Hot in Human Form: Somewhat downplayed; the narration acknowledges that Smaug's human face would be considered handsome if there weren't cruel lines around the mouth.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The Huge Guy to Kathryn's Tiny Girl. Whatever a gigantic dragon or a seven feet tall man, he dwarfs her.
Humanity Ensues: At the end of Heart of Fire, Smaug is turned into a human thanks to Kathryn's magic. He's in Heart of Ashes outraged at having to get by in the body of a human, a species he has looked down upon all his life. He eventually learns to magically change between his true dragon form and the human form.
Hypnotic Eyes: His Dragon-spell. It's accessible to him in his human form as well.
Hypocrite: Aside from Smaug's canon points, Kathryn observes in Heart of Fire that he's The Perfectionist about others meeting his desires when he asks something of them, but he's very fond of using Loophole Abuse towards others when it comes to upholding his word to them.
Hypocritical Humor: When the civility at the Council of Elrond starts to break down, he has this exchange with Gimli about the One Ring:
Smaug: Just like a dwarf – the mere look of gold has you buzzing like a fly to dead flesh.
Gimli: Says you! You couldn't do this task either!
I Gave My Word: As the last resort to talk himself into being released from Celebrimbor's chain, he promises to grant a favour for Gandalf, Faervel and Queen Lalemwen, with his pride refusing to let himself break such a serious vow.
Ink-Suit Actor: His human face resembles that of Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrayed Smaug in The Hobbit film trilogy.
Innate Night Vision: He can see well in the dark.
Interspecies Romance: With Kathryn, a human (although he can also take on a human form, although even then he thinks of himself as a dragon more than anything).
Karmic Transformation: Smaug has always considered himself superior to humans and other non-dragons, and his human lover unintentionally turns him into a human while saving him from certain death. He finds himself vastly less formidable in this new form he loathes, only a select few people know his real identity as the Dragon Dread, and his stolen treasure is back in the hands of dwarves while he can do nothing about it. Even his first transformation back into a dragon is a full-blown Body Horror procedure since it's triggered by the draconic urges he still wishes to pursue, and he once again needs to be rescued from certain death by Kathryn so that he can regain his true form.
Kick the Dog: Being who he is, Smaug has done and does a lot of unsavory things, but the one that sticks out is the murder of Freyja.
Lack of Empathy: During the beginning of her captivity in Smaug's lair, Kathryn realizes that Smaug isn't concerned about anything that doesn't directly affect him, so she has to convince him to give her more bearable living conditions so that he can listen to her singing at its best. Even after he warms up to her, he remains unremorseful about anything bad he causes to others.
A Lighter Shade of Black: As bloodthirsty, greedy and selfish as Smaug is, he's not interested in serving purely evil entities like Sauron or Morgoth. It's lampshaded by Gandalf in the first chapter of Heart of the Inferno.
Lightning Bruiser: Like in the films, he's strong, fast and resilient. He's even in his human form pretty strong, fast and tough.
Lima Syndrome: Towards Kathryn. Initially, he's only interested in her for her singing abilities, but he gradually comes to care for her and eventually falls in love with her, to the point where he willingly lets her leave him so she can live freely. He does expect she will return eventually, but there's no guarantee she will. The separation utterly devastates him, and he actually goes to a lot of effort to ensure he won't follow her.
Logical Weakness: If Smaug ends up in water, his inner fire douses.
Morphic Resonance: Smaug is in his human form rather large, and he retains his eye color and the scar inflicted by the Black Arrow. Kathryn is also able to spot in his face subtle resemblances to his draconic face.
Mindlink Mates: With Kathryn (see her folder).
Mugging the Monster: Anyone who messes with Smaug when he's in his human form, something only a select few know him to have.
My Blood Runs Hot: His body temperature is incredibly hot, with him being a dragon and all, to the point that Kathryn can use him as a scaly heater. Even in his human form, Kathryn notes that his body temperature is higher than normal, though not nearly as much as when he's in his dragon form.
Neck Lift: His first act as a human is to inflict this on Andraya.
Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: Galadriel gets Smaug to help her Elves against the Orcs of Dol Guldur by suggesting that the dragon-dread is too cowardly to stand against Sauron.
Noble Demon: He's vicious, greedy, arrogant and self-serving, but Smaug does display a code of honor; taking the act of directly giving his word (which is considered binding among dragons) very seriously, and refusing to be seen as a coward.
No-Sell: Arrows and blades, like in movie canon, are useless on his hide to the point that using them on him is almost pitiful. In his human form in Heart of Ashes, he gives nothing but a haughty smirk in response to Queen Lalemwen's impressive Death Glare.
Not in This for Your Revolution: Though Smaug eventually agrees to ally with the Free Peoples against Sauron, he does that only to destroy Sauron and Fankil for what they've done to him and Kathryn, get rid of Sauron's taint inside him, and retake Erebor as his reward for helping the Free Peoples win the war.
Panicky Expectant Father: Played for drama and justified with Smaug. Kathryn's hard labour is suddenly triggered when Sauron tries to dominate her, and Smaug is left feeling helpless for being unable to make the process easier for Kathryn anyhow. Galadriel offers him an outlet by asking him to fight the Orcs of Dol Guldur in the meantime. While the birth is successful, Kathryn would have died without Gandalf the White's help.
The Perfectionist: Kathryn notes in Heart of Fire that Smaug expects his every demand or request of another to be met precisely to his desires.
Playing with Fire: He discovers in Heart of Ashes that he can emit flames from his human palm.
Really Gets Around: Smaug has mated with many female dragons before conquering Erebor.
Really 700 Years Old: Smaug's exact age is unknown, but apparently what mortals would consider a long time is but an eyeblink to his species, and he was already a couple of centuries old when he met Kathryn. Since he's four generations down the bloodline from Ancalagon, who died 6,459 years before the War of the Ring's start according to Tolkien's novels, Smaug could be over a millennium old.
Rebel Prince: He's revealed in Heart of the Inferno to be this among the dragons. As Ancalagon the Black's descendant, Smaug has the blood-right to unite the remaining dragons, who live largely independent of Middle-Earth's affairs. He forsook this birthright in his adolescence due to being uninterested in maintaining ties to his dying species and caring only about his own interests.
Related in the Adaptation: He's a descendant of Ancalagon the Black, the largest dragon to have ever existed. The source materials didn't refer to them being related.
Rightful King Returns: After Sauron provokes him, he decides to fly north to reclaim his dominance and unite the dragons against Sauron in the War of the Ring.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When the Company try to kill him and take back Erebor and he learns they have Kathryn locked up nearby, he lays waste to Lake-town in retaliation.
Scars Are Forever: After Smaug's been saved from the fatal injury caused by Bard's Black Arrow, the scaleless spot is covered by a long and twisted black scar. The scar's present in his human form as well.
Seven Deadly Sins: He's particularly afflicted with Pride, Wrath and Greed, though he gets a case of Envy too when he falls for Kathryn.
Spared by the Adaptation: Thanks to external magical aid, this Smaug is around when the War of the Ring takes place.
Sue Donym: He makes up an alias for his human form this way, but not with his own name because he doesn't want anyone to use any variation of it. Instead, he takes the name of his ancestor Ancalagon and turns it into Cail Agonn.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: He has golden eyes, which he retains in his human form, clearly marking him as being no ordinary man.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Smaug's human form is seven feet tall, dark-haired, and physiqued like a warrior. He would be considered handsome if not for the cruel lines around his mouth and his condescending personality. He can be at times Tall, Dark, and Snarky as well.
Threat Backfire: In Heart of Fire, Thorin's attempt to threaten Kathryn as part of an I Have Your Wife gambit only confirms to Smaug that Kathryn is in Lake-town and makes him even more determined to exact his retribution.
Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Downplayed when Smaug struggles to comprehend Kathryn's grief for her Abusive Parents' deaths. Smaug himself honestly doesn't care beyond a code of honor about what's happened to his parents or his siblings since he left the nest and whether they're alive or dead, but he indicates that dragons naturally don't retain close emotional ties to their kin into adulthood like humans do.
The Unapologetic: He doesn't apologize anything he does because he believes himself to be always right.
Victory Is Boring: Downplayed. While Smaug is satisfied with living in Erebor with his treasure, he sometimes misses the days when his prey and adversaries offered more of a challenge.
Villainous Cheekbones: Smaug's human form has high cheekbones, and he's a Villain Protagonist.
Villain Protagonist: Smaug's the main character along with Kathryn, but he's even at the best of times a Nominal Hero.
Virtue Is Weakness: He thinks that he can't afford being merciful since he doesn't want the world to think he's weak. When he finally confesses his love towards Kathryn in the epilogue of the second story, he feels like he's allowing the world to see his greatest weakness, even though he doesn't regret admitting it.
Weredragon: Becomes one after he learns to shift between his true form and the human form. According to Gandalf, no other dragon has had this ability. It's magically more taxing to shift from a man into a dragon than the other way around. His twins inherit this ability, but they're able to do so more effortlessly thanks to being connected to Raw Magic like their mother.
Would Hit a Girl: Gender makes no difference to Smaug when he decides to make a kill. Just ask Tauriel, Freyja and Andraya.
Would Hurt a Child: He eventually kills the fourteen-year-old Freyja just for appearing when he didn't want to see her or her mother ever again.
Would Harm a Senior: He would have killed the aged Bilbo Baggins upon meeting him in Heart of the Inferno, with only the old hobbit's sudden fit regarding "his precious" leading Smaug to decide killing his "insane" enemy won't be satisfying enough.
You Sexy Beast: Smaug the dragon is the Love Interest of Kathryn, a human woman. Although it should be noted that neither of them really think of the other in more sexual terms until Smaug learns how to shapeshift into a human form. They've previously had sexually charged dreams about each other, but Kathryn always imagined him as a human and Smaug saw her as a dragon like himself.

Friends and Allies

Gandalf

A wizard and a member of the Istari. The trilogy begins with him meeting Kathryn to hear her story about how she met Smaug.

All-Loving Hero: When he argues in the beginning of the third story that Kathryn can convince Smaug to aid the Free Peoples and prevent him from succumbing to Sauron's darkness through The Power of Love, Galadriel says that he can always see light even in the darkest corners of the world.
Berserk Button: Smaug calling him a magician riles the Grey Wizard to retort that he's not a "conjurer of cheap tricks".
Cassandra Truth: He meets Galadriel in secret in the first chapter of the third story because the rest of the White Council would think he's crying wolf about the prelude for the War of the Ring.
It's All My Fault: In Heart of Ashes, he feels that he caused Lake-town's destruction and the Battle of the Five Armies by starting Thorin Oakenshield's quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Before learning that Kathryn and Smaug are both alive, he also holds himself responsible over Kathryn's "death" and is sorry that he was unable to keep the promise he gave her about keeping Smaug alive.
I Warned You: While discussing with Galadriel in the beginning of Heart of the Inferno, he says that he did warn the White Council about the darkness that was starting to make an appearance sixty years earlier.
The Paragon: When Kathryn tells Galadriel that she has learned much from Gandalf who has given her understanding and guidance, the Lady of Lothlórien notes that his way of inspiring others is one of his most distinct characteristic.
Worthy Opponent: Smaug seems to start feeling this way towards Gandalf during their duel in Heart of Ashes.

Elrond

The Elf Lord of Rivendell. He briefly shelters Kathryn after Smaug allows her to leave Erebor and develops fatherly affection toward her.

Like a Daughter to Me: Elrond is fond of Kathryn in a fatherly way.
My Significance Sense Is Tingling: Heart of Ashes establishes that Elrond felt Kathryn's death.
Papa Wolf: He tells Gandalf that if the quest of Thorin Oakenshield's Company — which the Grey Wizard started — will lead to anything happening to Kathryn, the Elf Lord will hold Gandalf responsible.
What the Hell, Hero?: In Heart of Fire, he tells Gandalf off for seeking out Kathryn and involving her in the matter of Thorin Oakenshield's quest.

Freyja

Andraya's timid daughter.

Chekhov's Gunman: Along with Andraya, Freyja first appears when Kathryn helps them against Orcs on her way back to the Lonely Mountain. They return for the epilogue and become prominent characters in Heart of Ashes.
Cowardly Lion: Though Freyja is a scaredy-cat, she knows how to handle a crossbow. She uses it to kill a Warg in Heart of Fire and try to threaten Smaug into releasing her mother in Heart of Ashes. She later insists on accompanying Faervel to rescue Kathryn from Smaug, despite her obvious fear of the dragon and her mother's wrath. It tragically costs her her life.
Dropped a Bridge on Her: Poor girl is given a quick death in the jaws of Smaug who then drops her body instead of eating it.
Family Eye Resemblance: The only family resemblance between Freyja and her mother are the ice blue eyes.
Foil: To Kathryn. Both had an oppressive and abusive mother (Kathryn herself inwardly identifies with Freyja about this when they first meet). Kathryn's mother tried to repress her magic through misguided methods out of fear for her safety, whereas Andraya demands her magicless daughter to sire a magical child with Smaug in Heart of Ashes. Kathryn openly screamed at her parents before fleeing them once she'd had enough of the abuse, whereas Freyja is meek and completely submissive to her mother's demands despite her obvious wish to the contrary. Kathryn has outlived her mother by more than a century, while Freyja's mother outlives her by a short time. Kathryn avoids people due to how she's been treated in the past, whilst Freyja is like a wary rabbit when interacting with men on her own due to her mother's control.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Freyja's hair is golden like sunshine, and she doesn't have her mother's black heart.
Hates Being Touched: Receiving comforting hugs is odd for Freyja, in no small part thanks to her mother's misandristic teachings.
Icy Blue Eyes: The only trait she shares with her mother. And unlike Andraya, Freyja is not a ruthless schemer.
Kill the Cutie: Freyja is unceremoniously bitten into a pulpy mess by Smaug who promised Andraya that he'd kill them both if he ever saw them again.
Lady-In-Waiting: She becomes this to Queen Lalemwen thanks to Andraya calling in a few favours.
Mirror Character: Kathryn feels this way towards Freyja in Heart of Fire upon first meeting her and Andraya:
… truly she felt compassion for the poor girl, who acted as her mother ordered, constantly under her thumb and lock and key. Kathryn knew what that felt like.
Muggle Born of Mages: Freyja does not have her witch mother's magical abilities, even though Andraya stored magic into Freyja during her babyhood.
Shrinking Violet: She's a timid girl.

Faervel

An Elf historian from Rivendell who travels around Middle-Earth to construct the history of all the free peoples collectively and without cultural biases. He first meets Kathryn in Mirkwood on her way to east and later re-encounters her in Vathvael. By the time of Heart of the Inferno, he has become Rivendell's ambassador for Esgaroth's all peoples.

Ambadassador: In Heart of the Inferno, Faervel is an ambassador, and he successfully convinces Smaug to accept King Brand's way of handling things between the dragon, Kathryn and Esgaroth's people.
Armor-Piercing Response: In his first appearance in Heart of the Inferno, he gives Smaug one.
Faervel: There is one thing, Smaug, that you have not accounted for…
Smaug: And what is that?
Faervel: You owe me a debt.
Badass Bookworm: He wanders across Middle-Earth to learn all he can about the history of all the Free Peoples, so he has made sure that he can defend himself.
Bodyguard Crush: He seems to have this towards Kathryn, and is concerned for her safety almost to a fault.
Brainy Brunette: His hair is mahogany brown, and he's a traveling scholar.
The Bus Came Back:
- In Heart of Fire, he appears only in the 17th chapter, parting ways with Kathryn after he has guided her through Mirkwood. He makes an unexpected return in the 6th chapter of Heart of Ashes.
- Though he appears in the epilogue of Heart of Ashes, he doesn't return until the 15th chapter of Heart of the Inferno.
Drunk with Power: In Heart of the Inferno, Kathryn thinks his new political power (which he previously detested) has gotten to his head regarding his Took a Level in Jerkass behaviour.
The Dulcinea Effect: He first meets Kathryn by saving her from being imprisoned by King Thranduil's elves and becomes very supportive of her even though he learns later on that she's keeping quite a few secrets.
Foil: To Smaug. Both are implied to have romantic feelings towards Kathryn — in Smaug's case, it develops over time and is reciprocated, whereas Faervel has something of an unreciprocated Bodyguard Crush and seems slightly interested in Kathryn from the moment they first meet. Both of them are also outsiders who are generally on their own in Middle-Earth when their paths don't directly intersect with Kathryn's — Smaug is initially alone in the Lonely Mountain in Heart of Fire, then later goes into hiding with Kathryn following the events of Heart of Ashes, while Faervel is travelling Middle-Earth and seeking to publish an unbiased history by interacting with numerous peoples. They also both commit acts which hurt Kathryn's feelings in some way when they think it's necessary, though Smaug is concerned only for his and Kathryn's welfare whereas Faervel is also concerned for others' welfare.
I Did What I Had to Do: He justifies his act of forcing Smaug to let Kathryn be held in the custody of Kings Brand and Dáin as the only way to ensure Smaug wouldn't kill everyone to get Kathryn back.
Lantern Jaw of Justice: He has a square jaw that gives him a devilishly handsome look, and he's a heroic character.
Nice Guy: Faervel is charming and polite without being condescending. He helps and emotionally supports Kathryn as well as Freyja while asking little in return.
Took a Level in Jerkass: When Faervel first returns in Heart of the Inferno, he's become cold, sly and haughty in sixty years.
Took a Level in Kindness: Following his first appearance in his new colder demeanor in Heart of the Inferno, it doesn't take more than a brief and intense argument with Kathryn to get through to the old Faervel.
You Owe Me: In Heart of Ashes, Smaug promises Faervel, Gandalf and Queen Lalemwen each a favour in exchange for releasing him from the Chain of Celebrimbor. In Heart of the Inferno, Faervel calls on his favour to convince Smaug to accept King Brand's condition that he'll get Kathryn back once he returns from his mission in the north and leaves without harming anyone in Esgaroth's area.

Queen Lalemwen

The Queen of Dorwinion and King Wilhelm's wife.

Death Glare:
- She gives "Cail Agonn" a pretty impressive one when she first asserts herself in her court (though it's a total No-Sell on the fearsome Fire-Drake).
- She gives another one to Lord Beronor and Lord Gregorse when they try to tell her not to ask for the help of Erebor's dwarves.
Foil: To Kathryn. Both are physically beautiful and overall decent women who really Took a Level in Badass, both have a husband who can be malicious at times and who they each attempt to reign in respectively, and both fall pregnant in their respective unions. Lalemwen is in her third decade yet somewhat naive, whereas Kathryn physically appears only nineteen but is much older and more experienced (Kathryn lampshades this contrast when they first meet, finding Lalemwen's naivete oddly pitiable). Lalemwen is royalty by blood, whereas Kathryn was born a commoner before becoming a Homeless Hero, and her closest tie to royalty is being the mate of Smaug. Though Kathryn is by no means unintelligent, she's sometimes outclassed by Smaug's Genius Bruiser intellect and cunning, acting more as The Conscience, whereas Queen Lalemwen is ultimately one of the brains to a witless worm.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: The good-natured queen has a light yellow hair that resembles a finely spun thread of gold and silver.
Honor Before Reason: She's proven not to be an advocate of this trope when she refuses to risk her people for petty pride while Smaug's threat looms in the air.
Lord Beronor: Your Majesty! We cannot go to others and beg for help! The words of Dorwinion have always been 'Strong and sure'.
Queen Lalemwen: I do not give a damn about words when my people are in danger! If that dragon returns, I want us to live long enough to say that we swallowed our pride to survive so that we might have any pride with which to speak of.
Kissing Cousins: Downplayed; Lalemwen and Wilhelm are distant cousins and expecting a child.
Nice Girl: She's one of the few people in Vathvael's court who really cares about Kathryn and her feelings. She also puts her people's safety before their pride.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: She refuses to listen to Lord Beronor's nonsense about Dorwinion refusing to ask for others' help.
'Lord Beronor: Your Majesty, please listen to us when we say —
Queen Lalemwen: [rises up to glare at the Lords] I am the Queen. You. Listen. To Me!
Silk Hiding Steel: Being gentle and pregnant won't stop her from asserting herself when she has to.
Took a Level in Badass: After Wilhelm is murdered, Lalemwen starts standing up for herself and preventing the nobility from playing their politics while there's a looming threat of a dragon in the air.
Widow's Weeds: She wears black clothes after her husband is murdered by Andraya.

Lady Galadriel

The Elf ruler of the forests of Lothlórien.

Secret Test of Character: She puts Kathryn through one when the Seer asks for her help in learning to use her powers against her enemies. As they argue about what motivates Kathryn, Galadriel challenges Kathryn to combine her prophetic powers with those of the Lady's Mirror, going so far as to suggest that her unborn child's fate may depend on it. Kathryn nearly looks in the Mirror before she stops herself and states that prophecies are mostly self-fulfilling. Galadriel congratulates her and reveals that she was testing her.
Silk Hiding Steel: This epitome of Elven beauty and gracefulness is able to remain calm even when Smaug himself is about to attack her for suggesting he's a coward.

Aragorn

A member of the Fellowship of the Ring and the heir to the throne of Gondor.

Family Eye Resemblance: Kathryn sees in a vision that all of Aragorn's ancestors, starting from Isildur, have his blue-green eyes.
Foil: To Smaug in Heart of the Inferno. Both have an Interspecies Romance with some elements of Maligned Mixed Marriage. Upon their first meeting, Kathryn and Aragorn also display a Psychic Link which has yet to be explained. Increasing the parallels, Kathryn forges a silver-themed psychic connection between Aragorn and Arwen, in Color Contrast to her and Smaug's gold-themed link. Smaug effectively grants his human lover a virtually immortal lifespan equivalent to his own, whereas we know from The Lord of the Rings canon that Arwen faces an inversion to be with her human lover. Most prominently, it turns out that Smaug is a Rebel Prince among the northern dragons due to his descent from Ancalagon, just like Aragorn is for Gondorians as Isildur's heir. Smaug even decides to claim his right to unite and lead the dragons against Sauron during the War of the Ring, and Kathryn and their children's imprisonment in Erebor while Smaug arrives at the Withered Heath has downplayed hints of Loved I Not Honor More.
The Good King: Kathryn already sees the makings of one in Aragorn and encourages him to take up that role.
Kathryn: I have seen harsh kings, I have seen forceful and cruel kings. But not once have I seen a king to offer kindness and compassion, who leads others through loyalty and friendship. That is what YOU are. I BELIEVE you can do this.
It's All My Fault: After the Fellowship breaks, Aragorn feels like he has failed as their leader.
Psychic Link: One forms between him and Kathryn in Heart of the Inferno that allows them to converse with each other while dreaming.

SPOILER CHARACTERS

Kolstros and Vernenia

The twins of Smaug and Kathryn who are born during Heart of the Inferno.

Half-Human Hybrid: They face the prejudices involved with this status from Men, Dwarves and Elves. On their father's side, Urgost is disgusted when he works out their heritage.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: They're already starting to show signs of this dynamic, with the more daring Vervenia being the Red Oni to the more reserved Blue Oni of Kolstros.
Strong Family Resemblance: Smaug thinks that the deep iron grey (or nearly black) Kolstros resembles in a certain light Ancalagon, Smaug's own great-great-grandfather.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: They both have their father's bright flame-like eyes.
Token Heroic Orc: They're the first dragons in millennia to be born without a link to Morgoth due to their hybrid bloodlines being connected to powerful magic from either parent.
Unto Us a Son and Daughter Are Born: They are born in the 9th chapter while Smaug assists Lothlórien's Elves against the Orcs of Dol Guldur.
Weredragon: They are born as human babes, but they first shift themselves into dragons only one week after their birth. Gandalf says they're the first dragons to born with this ability, and Galadriel theorizes they can shift with less effort than their father because they're connected to Raw Magic like their mother.

Antagonists

Fankil

A half-demon and the trilogy's primary antagonist along with Sauron. A former lieutenant and son of the first Dark Lord Morgoth, he aspires to free the Dark God from the void, and he intends to do so by using Kathryn's powers as a Seer.

Alien Blood: His blood is black.
Arch-Enemy: To Kathryn. While the Seer gains the attention of many factions due to her powers, Fankil's reasons to target her out (releasing Morgoth to take over the world) put her (and the rest of the world) in the gravest danger.
Big Bad Ensemble: He and Sauron are the most prominent antagonists of the trilogy due to their respective interests regarding Smaug and Kathryn. In Heart of the Inferno, they have some sort of a consensus even though they pursue their own goals separately.
Black Cloak: Wears a dark hooded cloak.
Black Eyes of Evil: He has black eyes that can somehow shine under his hood.
Canon Foreigner: The character of Fankil comes from The Book of Lost Tales that Christopher Tolkien composed from his father's source materials. Also known as Fangli or Fúkil, he acted as the lieutenant of Melko (Morgoth) in addition to being his child.
Creepy High-Pitched Voice: His voice is described to be high and wilting, as if it hasn't been used for years.
Creepy Long Fingers: A lot of attention is given to Fankil's fingers that remind various characters of the legs of an insect/spider.
The Dog Was the Mastermind: After he disappears in the first chapter of Heart of Ashes, he's revealed to have been all along the physician brought in by Lord Beronor to treat Kathryn.
Evil Cripple: Fankil walks with a limp as if his leg's being affected by an old wound. This doesn't prevent him from fighting with feline agility, though. At the end of Heart of Ashes, one of his arms is dislocated, and it's still in that condition sixty years later.
Evil Smells Bad: He has a signature scent of dust and ash combined with perfume sweetness so strong it's nauseous.
Evil Sorcerer: A demon whose dark magic is powerful.
Eye Colour Change: When Fankil is identified by Gandalf in Heart of Ashes, the demon's eyes return to their normal state of being completely black.
Foil: To Sauron. Both are ancient evil entities and former lieutenants of Morgoth, but while Sauron, a corrupted Maia, has lost his physical form and commands vast evil forces to conquer Middle-Earth for himself, Fankil has a physical (albeit crippled) body and works by himself to free his father Morgoth from the void. While Sauron, Morgoth's second-in-command, took the title of the Dark Lord for himself after Morgoth was cast into the void, Fankil views his father Morgoth as the true Dark Lord for whom the world truly belongs to. Sauron tries to make Smaug his beast of war, and while he has some interest in possessing Kathryn due to her Seer abilities, he mainly views her as a tool in forcing Smaug to obey him. Fankil is solely focused on Kathryn whom he needs in freeing Morgoth, while Smaug is in his eyes at most an obstacle that needs to be removed if he aims to have Kathryn.
Handicapped Badass: Fankil doesn't seem to be faking the limp he walks with, but when he has to, he can fight with speed and agility.
Hidden Agenda Villain: Until the end of Heart of Ashes, Fankil's name, essence and motivations are a huge mystery.
In a Single Bound: He can jump surprisingly high.
In the Hood: He wears a hood both before and after his identity is revealed.
Know When to Fold 'Em: When Fankil's discovered with the freshly resurrected and screaming Kathryn by a merchant caravan in the first chapter of Heart of Ashes, he knows himself to be too weakened to take on the men and escapes.
Lean and Mean: He's rather skinny, looking nearly malnourished.
Lightning Bruiser: He has enough strength, speed and toughness to take on Smaug himself.
No Cure for Evil: Fankil doesn't seem to have self-healing powers, as his arm remains dislocated after it's been sixty years since the events of Heart of Ashes. This is ironic since he poses as a physician for a good deal of Heart of Ashes.
Our Demons Are Different: He's basically a black-eyed and long-fingered man who seems to suffer from malnutrition, and he's the son of Morgoth.
Palm Bloodletting: He slices his palm open to use his blood in a ritual, and no less than two times in Heart of Ashes. The first time is in the first chapter when he resurrects Kathryn, and the second time occurs during the climax when he attempts to locate the Door of Night through Kathryn's vision.
Pretender Diss: He regards Sauron as a pretender Dark Lord who cannot match the power of Morgoth.
Stronger Than They Look: He's tougher and stronger than he looks for such a skinny creature.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He enters one with Sauron in Heart of the Inferno. They already had this relationship in the First Age when they both served Morgoth and fought over the right-hand position.
Villain: Exit, Stage Left: He's defeated and seemingly destroyed at the end of Heart of Ashes, but he merely goes into hiding to lick his wounds until Heart of the Inferno.
Villain Has a Point: During the final fight of Heart of Ashes, Fankil gives Smaug an insightful retort before he uses Sauron's taint contained within Smaug against him. It's only thanks to Kathryn's intervention that Smaug doesn't succumb to the darkness.
Smaug: You cannot defeat me! My strength is greater that your parlour tricks!
Fankil: Did you not know, Dragon?! You cannot defeat the darkness outside, without first defeating it within yourself!
Wham Line: The last part of his answer to Kathryn's question why he wants to release Morgoth.
Fankil: Because he is the true dark lord, and my master. Sauron can pretend all he wishes, but the true power lies with our master, the Dark God himself; he will bring about the end of days and we his followers shall earn a place at his side. And as my father… [grins sickly] I owe to him my allegiance.
Wound That Will Not Heal: He seems to be unable to heal his limping leg and dislocated arm.

Sauron

A corrupted Maia and the current Dark Lord. In addition to pursuing his canon goals, he attempts to make Smaug his beast of war and has some interest in possessing Kathryn, one of the last Seers.

Big Bad Ensemble: He and Fankil are the most prominent antagonists of the trilogy due to their respective interests regarding Smaug and Kathryn. In Heart of the Inferno, they have some sort of a consensus even though they pursue their own goals separately.
Deal with the Devil: He tries to make one with Smaug in Heart of Fire, offering him gold and glory in exchange for leading the Dark Lord's armies in war. Smaug's not interested in serving anyone, but after Kathryn escapes from him near the end of Heart of Ashes, Sauron offers to help him in taking Kathryn and Erebor back in exchange for swearing allegiance to the Dark Lord. This time, te seething dragon accepts the offer and attacks Vathvael, with Sauron's taint in his scar directing his actions with a varying level of success. Once Gandalf realizes this, he contains the worst of Sauron's influence, but the threat of succumbing to Sauron's influence if Smaug isn't careful with his darker emotions remains.
Dragon Ascendant: He took the title of the Dark Lord for himself after his master Morgoth was cast into the void. Fankil regards him as a mere wannabe.
I Have Your Wife: After Smaug turns him down in Heart of Fire, Sauron tries to have Kathryn captured in order to make the dragon more compliant.
I Want Them Alive!: He assigns Bolg to bring Kathryn alive back to him in order to pressure Smaug to join the Dark Lord's cause.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- When Smaug notices Bilbo Baggins having the One Ring in Heart of Ashes, Sauron attempts to outright force Smaug to take it. As Smaug fights against the force attempting to control his body, Gandalf is able to use this distraction to knock Smaug unconscious and contain the worst of Sauron's taint.
- In Heart of the Inferno, Sauron mentally assaults Kathryn just as her labour begins. This helps to convince Smaug to take the Free Peoples' side against the Dark Lord.
Real After All: In Heart of Fire, Kathryn has a vision of the War of the Last Alliance, and the vision's version of Sauron seems to be aware of her presence. Smaug is able to convince her that it wasn't real. Unfortunately, it's revealed sixty years later that Sauron himself was summoned to this vision, even though he was bound by its rules. It was through this incident that he became aware of Kathryn's existence and her status as a Seer.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: His partnership with Fankil is strained. Even during the First Age they were at each other's throats over the right-hand position of Morgoth.

Andraya

A witch from Dol Amroth and Freyja's mother. She awakens Smaug after he's turned into a human and attempts to bargain with him in order to gain through him and Freyja a powerful grandchild as a means of getting a better future. Things don't go quite according to her plans, though.

Abusive Parents: When Freyja tells her mother that she doesn't want to copulate with Smaug, Andraya slaps the girl, acts like Freyja made her do it, and goes on to reciting her misandristic teachings about staying strong against men.
Asshole Victim: Andraya ends up being killed in a cruel manner by Smaug shortly after she hands Kathryn over to Fankil in the name of Revenge by Proxy.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Towards Kathryn, especially when Andraya lures the unsuspecting Seer straight to Fankil.
Bullying a Dragon: She tends to forget to watch her mouth with Smaug who is literally the greatest Fire-Drake of the Third Age.
Chekhov's Gunman: Along with Freyja, Andraya first appears when Kathryn helps them against Orcs on her way back to the Lonely Mountain. They return for the epilogue and become prominent characters in Heart of Ashes.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Andraya is mauled and swallowed whole by Smaug before being scorched by the fire in his stomach.
Deal with the Devil: At the climax of Heart of Ashes, Andraya lures Kathryn into Fankil's clutches in order to gain from the demon the spells necessary to resurrect Freyja as well as to get even with Smaug.
Does Not Like Men: Andraya has extremely misandristic opinions, believing that all men are inherently evil and exploit women sexually as well as deprive them of happiness.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While ruthless and oppressive of her daughter, Andraya's schemes are to provide a better life for her and Freyja. Freyja's death by Smaug's teeth saddens and angers Andraya into handing Kathryn over to Fankil, both to get back at Freyja's killer and gain from the demon a resurrection spell to get Freyja back.
Evil Counterpart: If Kathryn desired power, were willing to commit immoral acts in the name of her goals and didn't care about other people's wellfare, she'd be like Andraya.
Family Eye Resemblance: The only family resemblance between Andraya and her daughter are the ice blue eyes.
Faux Affably Evil: She's capable of acting civilly, but she's still a ruthless and scheming witch capable of resorting to Revenge by Proxy.
Fireballs: She conjures these to use in fights.
Foil: To Kathryn. They're both Hot Witches, and largely live in the wilds and on the outskirts except for when they're in Vathvael. It's implied both of them have pasts that would give them reason to feel bitter towards the world. However, Kathryn still cares about the welfare of other people, to the point of putting their welfare before her own if she believes there's something she can do. Andraya is an embittered misandrist who only cares for herself and her daughter (and even then she doesn't exactly put her child's welfare before her own power-hunger), and she lies, betrays, bargains and murders others to further her own goals. Kathryn's bond with Smaug developed not by her choice, whilst Andraya at times strongly hints at We Can Rule Together towards Smaug after his revival in human form. Kathryn at first despises her Seer powers which have led to her being cast out and hounded by so many others, whereas Andraya considers her witchcraft to be the only power she has left and is terrified when faced with being de-powered. In Heart of Ashes, Kathryn is brought back from insanity by Smaug's interference, while Andraya experiences a Villainous Breakdown after Freyja's death.
Freudian Excuse: It's implied that Andraya's misandristic opinions stem from suffering related to the opposite sex.
Andraya: Men have taken everything from me! They took my home, my freedom, my dignity, my pride! And then this serpent took my daughter! I have carved my way in this world with power, the only thing that is truly mine!
Hot Witch: She's noted to be attractive in a mature woman's way.
Hypocrite: She preaches to Freyja that women don't murder, rape or abuse the opposite sex. Several chapters later, she murders King Wilhelm.
Icy Blue Eyes: They compliment her calculating nature.
I Want Grandkids: She plots for Smaug to give Freyja a child, believing that the old magic of the Third Age's greatest Fire-Drake combined with the magic stored in her otherwise normal daughter would make the offspring powerful enough to rival the wizards. She would then use the grandchild in keeping herself and Freyja free of men Andraya hates. The reason she's not planning to mate with Smaug herself is because she sacrificed her fertility to awaken him.
Jerkass Has a Point: During her telepathic argument with Smaug, Andraya claims that he cannot provide Kathryn with a peaceful life as long as he tries to conquer Erebor back, or the joys of an ordinary woman. Through Smaug doesn't admit it to the arrogant witch, he's afterwards bothered by her words. In the epilogue of Heart of Ashes, Kathryn is so tired with all the heartache Smaug's wickedness has caused that she agrees to continue her life with him only if he promises to peacefully settle down with her and forget about his evil goals.
Mama Bear: While an Abusive Parent, she does look after her daughter. Following Freyja's death, Andraya demonstrates the dark side of this trope by giving Kathryn to Fankil (endangering the world to Morgoth's return in the process), just to avenge her daughter and get a resurrection spell to bring Freyja back.
My Significance Sense Is Tingling: When Smaug kills Freyja, Andraya feels like something irreplaceable has been torn from her chest and realizes what has happened.
Never My Fault: When Andraya attempts to get revenge against Smaug for killing her daughter, she never stops to think that it might have been partially her fault. If she hadn't resuscitated Smaug when he was at death's doorstep, he wouldn't have been around to kill Freyja. Also, if Andraya hadn't framed "Cail Agonn" for King Wilhelm's murder, and thus forced Smaug to escape from Vathvael with Kathryn, Freyja wouldn't have accompanied Faervel to Emyn Muil to rescue Kathryn and end up being killed by Smaug.
Older Than They Look: Andraya is the mother of a teenaged daughter and speaks like someone in her fourth decade, but her beauty makes it look like she's in her mid-twenties.
Palm Bloodletting: She slices her palm as part of the ritual to awaken Smaug in the first chapter of Heart of Ashes.
Revenge by Proxy: After Smaug kills Freyja, Andraya takes her revenge by handing Kathryn over to Fankil.
Smug Snake: While cunning, Andraya's ego and temper tend to cause her detriment.
So Beautiful, It's a Curse: She believes that beauty is a curse which lures men to pick up women and do evil things to them.
Telepathy: After Smaug and Kathryn escape from Vathvael, Andraya makes a telepathic contact with Smaug in order to inquire if he knows where Freyja is.
Villainous Breakdown: After Freyja is killed by Smaug, Andraya becomes hell-bent on revenge to the point of willingly making a deal with a demon who wants to release Morgoth. By the time she's caught, she's clearly not far off from completely losing it.
We Can Rule Together: She strongly hints at this towards Smaug when enraged at him and confused at why Smaug values Kathryn more.
Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: Andraya slaps Freyja when the girl expresses her unwillingness to be impregnated by Smaug, turning quickly from furious into self-righteously affectionate.
Andraya: Oh now look what you've done dear. My poor baby… I do not mean to hurt you dear, but you must understand: fear is a weakness that we cannot have.
Wicked Witch: Though she doesn't have the traditional attire, a flying broomstick or a cat, she's a ruthless schemer, a misandrist, and an abusive parent.
Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Andraya frames Smaug (or "Cail Agonn" as he's known in his human form) for King Wilhelm's murder this way. After she has entered the sleeping king's bedchamber in a maid's attire and killed him, she slices her own forehead, sinks the dagger in the king's chest, leaves the door of the servant passage open, and screams for help. Pretending to be a hysteric maid, she tearfully tells the guards that "Cail Agonn" murdered the king and escaped through the servant passage.

Lord Beronor

The head of House Evrine, the most powerful noble house of Dorwinion. He aspires to create a lasting dynasty for his house, and will do anything to achieve that goal. After the resurrected Kathryn is brought to Vathvael in Heart of Ashes, Beronor takes her in his custody to use her in exceeding his influence in the court.

Honor Before Reason: He tries to use this trope when he objects to Queen Lalemwen's decision to ask Erebor's dwarves to create any Black Arrows they can for whatever price they ask. The Queen immediately shoots the argument down.
Is That a Threat?: He gets to both receive and deliver this line in his last conversation with Kathryn.
Lord Beronor: Do not stand in my way, witch… life will become very unpleasant for you if you do.
Kathryn: Is that a threat?
Lord Beronor: No, that was truth. A threat would be if I proposed something I had a chance of completing; when I say truth, I mean it with utter certainty.
[…]
Kathryn: Do you believe me to be a little puppet for you to pull the strings?! Do not think that because I am a woman, I am feeble! I too can command the winds sir! I have a hurricane in me so great it will strip the leaves of your Noble House bare if you dare to try me!
Lord Beronor: You dare to threaten me?!
Kathryn: I do!
Plot-Irrelevant Villain: His role is just to be the noble who brings Kathryn to Vathvael's court as entertainment. As soon as Kathryn's taken from Vathvael by Smaug and Queen Lalemwen puts a stop to Beronor's malarkey, he disappears from the story.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: He's twice on the receiving end of this in his last appearance; first from General Victis, and then from Queen Lalemwen.
Underestimating Badassery: Following Smaug's first appearance as a dragon in Vathvael, Beronor tries to assure Queen Lalemwen that the city's garrison and ballista can shoot Smaug down from the sky. He's called out of his overconfidence by General Victis, and Queen Lalemwen decides to seek outside aid in dealing with Smaug.
Would Hit a Girl: He backhands Kathryn in the face when she refuses to kowtow before him anymore.
You Have No Idea Who You're Dealing With: When Kathryn gives Beronor this line, his reaction is to backhand her and throw the line back to her.

King Wilhelm

Dorwinion's ruler and Queen Lalemwen's husband. He makes Kathryn a singer in his court, believing that her beautiful voice should only be heard singing in the finest court.

Asshole Victim: The jerk of a king gets the throat cut by Andraya while he's in bed.
Can't Take Criticism: When Smaug openly demeans Wilhelm, the King's reaction is to order a guard to cut out the tongue of "Cail Agonn" until Lalemwen puts a stop to it.
Disproportionate Retribution: Even if Smaug's "The Reason You Suck" Speech toward Wilhelm was disrespectful and increasingly threatening, ordering Smaug's tongue to be cut right there was excessive. Lalemwen won't let blood to be shed in her father's throne room and instead orders Smaug to be thrown into a dungeon.
Foil: To Smaug. They're both greedy and controlling tyrants, both have a kind-hearted but fierce wife who becomes pregnant with their child/ren, and both consider themselves kings (Smaug became the self-proclaimed King under the Mountain after driving the dwarves of Erebor away, while Wilhelm was a distant royal relative who became Dorwinion's king by marrying the previous king's female heir). Both expect flattery and sucking up from others, are driven to rage by being insulted, and consider themselves in some way better than nearly (if not utterly) everyone else they encounter. However, Smaug is an intellectually and physically superb dragon who kinda has a right to have such a huge ego, while Wilhelm is an unintelligent and weak-willed human (think of an older Joffrey Baratheon with less interest in mutilating animals). Furthermore, Smaug gained everything he had by conquest, and is revealed in Heart of the Inferno to have been a Rebel Prince before that, whereas Wilhelm married into his distant relatives' seat of royal power and is a Spoiled Brat. Smaug has a select few redeeming qualities, whereas Wilhelm is presented as little more than a small wild dog that's easily controlled by those better than him. In a way, Wilhelm is a reflection of what Smaug was like towards Kathryn when they first met (albeit more petty than truly scary).
Heir-In-Law: Wilhelm became Dorwinion's king by marrying his distant cousin Lalemwen, the previous king's daughter who was inexperienced when she assumed the throne at the age of sixteen.
Jerkass: He forcibly makes Kathryn his court bard and treats her like she were his possession.
Lack of Empathy: He never takes into consideration Kathryn's feelings and whatever or not she really wants to be a part of his court.
Kissing Cousins: Downplayed; Wilhelm and Lalemwen are distant cousins and expecting a child.
Manchild: The King's in his fourth decade, but he comes off as an insensitive child living in his own royal bubble.
Pitiful Worms: He compares Smaug to a worm as he tries to assert his authority to the dragon-in-human-skin. Smaug turns the comparison around in the following "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
King Wilhelm: I am a king, and you are nothing more than a worm beneath my boot!
Smaug: A worm… What lovely titles you give both to yourself and to me. But I have seen kings and empires fall in just one day, all gone in a cloud of smoke… And just now, as your narrow-minded advisors tell you, self-proclaimed kings are falling day by day, to die in the dirt, and be nothing but food for the crows and the worms.
Royal Brat: This selfish king acts like he can cast aside basic decency and expect everyone to suck up to him.
Shadow Archetype: Like Smaug in Heart of Fire, Wilhelm keeps Kathryn in his domain against her will because he wants no-one else to have the Seer whose singing voice is heavenly. He arrogantly treats Kathryn as if she were his possession that he can punish severely should she disobey, much like Smaug did before the dragon learned to love and respect Kathryn as a person. Neither of them also take it well when they believe someone tries to steal Kathryn from them (like they both accuse Faervel of doing in the 12th chapter of Heart of Ashes). Wilhelm is in a way Smaug if the dragon had never undergone his Character Development in regards to Kathryn. Notably, when Wilhelm calls Kathryn a songbird, Smaug gets angry because he himself called Kathryn that when he took her captive.
Slain in Their Sleep: Subverted because Andraya wakes Wilhelm up by letting into his bedchamber cold night air and allows him to see her right before she slices his throat before he can fully awaken and call out an alarm.
Spoiled Brat: He thinks himself better than everyone around him due to his kingship, and he behaves like a petulant child when he doesn't get his own way.

Karst's mercenaries

A small band of mercenaries who capture Kathryn after she briefly manages to escape from Smaug in Heart of Fire. The leader's name is Karst. The group also consists of three men named Bensen, Cutter and Lesk as well as an unnamed Olog-Hai.

Attempted Rape: Karst tries to force himself on Kathryn, but Smaug's roar at her screaming puts a stop to that.
Asshole Victim: The would-be rapist Karst is scorched by Smaug's fire. The others probably qualify as well, given that they're all mercenaries and do nothing to stop Karst from raping Kathryn.
Bald of Evil: Karst is a bald and crude mercenary.
BFS: The Olog-Hai fights with a massive two-handed sword.
Blatant Lies: Lesk brags to Kathryn that the Olog-Hai swore him Undying Loyalty after he saved him from Elves. Kathryn sees through that immediately.
Brats with Slingshots: Lesk, the youngest member of the group, arms himself with a slingshot.
Evil Redhead: Cutter has greasy red hair.
Half the Man He Used to Be: Lesk is killed when Smaug bites his body in half.
Hope Spot: Lesk is send to check the entrance of their hideout when Smaug is silent. When he nervously looks outside, he finds nothing and is relieved… only to be snatched by the dragon's jaws.
Jerkass: Even without the entire Attempted Rape from Karst's part, the entire group is of crude sort.
Only Sane Man: Bensen is the only one who thinks bringing Kathryn with them might be a bad idea.
Pet the Dog: When Lesk is killed by Smaug, Karst screams his name and charges outside to battle Smaug with the others.
Too Dumb to Live: They're traveling east to the Iron Hills… to the direction of Erebor just as Smaug is flying in the area in search of Kathryn.
Would Hit a Girl: Karst starts battering Kathryn after she spits his face.

Morgoth

The first Dark Lord and former master of both Sauron and Fankil. He becomes the trilogy's Greater-Scope Villain because Fankil plans to bring him back from the void by using Kathryn's visions to find the void's entrance, the Door of Night.

Early-Bird Cameo: He appears in a couple of Kathryn's visions before it's revealed he's the reason Fankil is after Kathryn.
Eviler than Thou: Gandalf explicitly states that if Morgoth were ever to return from the void, even the current Dark Lord Sauron would bow before his old master.
Evil Is Bigger: Kathryn's visions show him to be gigantic and more malicious than Sauron.
Evil Is Sterile: Galadriel states that Morgoth is unable to create life that's original and intelligent. He can only create mockeries of living creatures or corrupt those that already live. He created Orcs that way, and ever since he first extended his tainted influence onto the dragons, all of them have been born with a shackle tying them to him.
God of Evil: Fankil explicitly calls him the Dark God.
Greater-Scope Villain: He's the source of dragons' Always Chaotic Evil tendencies, is enough of a threat that if he were ever brought back to Arda Sauron would bow to him, and releasing him is Fankil's objective. But he doesn't even appear until Heart of Ashes, and Sauron is considered the more direct threat (at least by the rest of the world) during Heart of the Inferno.
Sealed Evil in a Can: He's chained in the void, and the entrance called the Door of Night is hidden and protected by an immortal guardian.

Durin's Bane

A Balrog that dwells in the ancient kingdom of Moria which it stole from dwarves. While it duels with Gandalf on the peaks of the Misty Mountains, Kathryn and Smaug come to save the Grey Wizard.

Adaptational Badass: The canonical Durin's Bane engaged with Gandalf the Grey in a long and intense duel that resulted in a Mutual Kill. In this fic, the Balrog is able to knock Gandalf unconscious before it engages in a brutal Behemoth Battle with Smaug, a dragon twice its size. It takes the combined efforts of Smaug and Gandalf (whom Kathryn resuscitates for a brief moment) to kill Durin's Bane.
Behemoth Battle: When Smaug, a dragon twice the Balrog's size, shows up to rescue Gandalf, Durin's Bane engages in a brutal fight against him.
The Dreaded: So much that Smaug himself, despite being an arrogant Blood Knight, is reluctant to engage with the Balrog in a duel.
Foil: To Smaug. They're both members of a powerful, fire-themed race that served Morgoth during the First Age, yet neither is allied with Sauron, Morgoth's successor. Both conquered a kingdom from dwarves and made it their own domain in the Third Age. Unless disturbed, they were content to remain in their respective domains and let the world pass by. However, Durin's Bane took part in the War of the Wrath and afterwards slumbered under the Misty Mountains until Moria's dwarves woke it up, prompting it to drive them out of Moria. It afterwards allowed Orcs to reside in Moria. Smaug is the great-great-grandson of Ancalagon the Black who was slain during the War of the Wrath, and he conquered Erebor at an early age because he desired King Thrór's treasure for himself. Kathryn became the only creature he ever allowed to live with him in Erebor, and after he set her free, he slumbered for six decades until the arrival of Thorin's Company. Gandalf formed the Company in an effort to neutralize the dangers of Smaug's residence in Erebor, but he ends up facing off Durin's Bane unintentionally. Smaug ends up reluctantly taking the side of the Free Peoples in the War of the Ring, while Durin's Bane remains on its own side until its death.
Jawbreaker: Durin's Bane tries to kill Smaug by forcing the latter's jaws apart at one point. It fails when Smaug forces the Balrog back with a blast of fire in the head.
Neck Snap: After Gandalf stabs Durin's Bane with his electrified sword, the Balrog stumbles back in pain, and Smaug finishes the demon off by breaking its neck.

Other characters

Company of Thorin Oakenshield

A company of thirteen dwarves and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, brought together by Gandalf and their leader Thorin Oakenshield, who aim to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug sixty years after Kathryn's departure.

In General

Adaptational Villainy: Or Adaptational Anti-Hero in this case. They serve a Hero Antagonist role against Kathryn, but true to the dwarf members' somewhat less-than-noble motives for reclaiming Erebor in canon, their actions and reasons for agreeing to Gandalf's wish for them to reclaim Erebor are presented as a lot less just than Bard or Faervel's Hero Antagonist actions. Thorin is arguably the most anti-heroic example, while Dwalin acts like a Jerkass due to Kathryn's relationship with Smaug. The rest of the dwarves don't do individually anything not-so-nice that they didn't do in movie canon from what little we see of them.
Apologetic Attacker: Though they don't exactly "assault" Kathryn, most of the Company dwarves (except Thorin and Dwalin) at least have the sense to be shamefaced about imprisoning her when they tie her up.
Crowd Surfing: They do a variation of this when they catch Kathryn who's falling from a great height.
The Hermit: Thorin brings up theirs and the dwarves of Erebor's past as this as a justification for killing Smaug.
Hero Antagonist: They count as a somewhat more anti-heroic example than most of the other heroes from The Hobbit canon for the same reasons they're somewhat anti-heroic in canon.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Kathryn points out how selfish their quest is during the argument at the inn:
"What matters is that you would risk the dragon's wrath and put innocent lives at risk. And for what? For gold!"

Bilbo Baggins

The only hobbit member of the Company and their hired burglar who is tasked with entering the Lonely Mountain while Smaug is inactive. He's also (unbeknownst to most for a long time) the bearer of the One Ring until it passes to Frodo. He's one of the Company members who survives the Battle of Five Armies, and is still alive in Rivendell by the time of the War of the Ring.

Cowardly Lion: Like in canon. He gets extra points in Heart of Ashes when he secretly accompanies Gandalf and Elrond to help Dorwinion's people against Smaug, even though his nightmares are plagued by his first encounter with the dragon.
Cruel Mercy: He's (supposedly) on the receiving end in Heart of the Inferno. When Smaug discovers that Bilbo lives in Rivendell, he sneaks into the aged hobbit's room to kill him. However, Bilbo has a fit induced by the One Ring and searches for his "precious". Deeming that killing a deranged enemy isn't satisfying, Smaug decides to let Bilbo live with this "insanity" for the rest of his life.
Smaug: Be left with the prison of your own design, with the poison of your own making, thief-in-the-shadows. Once again, you've denied me the satisfaction of killing an enemy. But I know death will come for you. It comes for all of us. Especially the insane. Enjoy your tormented world, Bilbo Baggins. I shall certainly enjoy watching you slowly die.
Disabled in the Adaptation: Played with in the first two stories. In Heart of Fire, Smaug nicks Bilbo's side with his teeth, leaving there a wound that's still healing in Heart of Ashes.
It's All My Fault: In Heart of Ashes, Bilbo holds himself responsible over the people of Lake-town suffering Smaug's wrath.
Little Stowaway: When Gandalf and Elrond set out to Vathvael, Bilbo tags along with this trick.
Must Make Amends: Bilbo secretly tags along with Gandalf and Elrond to help Vathvael's people against Smaug because he feels that it's his fault the people of Lake-town suffered because of Smaug's attack.
Numerological Motif: When Bilbo calls himself the Lucky Number, Smaug deduces it to mean that the hobbit is a member of a group of fourteen individuals.
Oh, Crap!: He understandably freaks out in the third story when he finally realizes that the strange unfamiliar man threatening him is none other than Smaug.
See the Invisible: When re-encountering Bilbo who's wearing the One Ring at Vathvael, Smaug finds the invisible hobbit by throwing dirt all over him.
Something Only They Would Say: When Bilbo meets Smaug in his human form for the first time, Smaug makes blatant references to their first meeting, yet Bilbo recognizes him only after Smaug calls him "thief in the shadows".
Spanner in the Works: Bilbo choosing to secretly follow Gandalf and Elrond to a meeting with Smaug leads to the hobbit saving the wizard's life by shouting Gandalf's name and causing Smaug to forget about killing the wizard (which would have been advantageous to Sauron in the long run) in favor of the "Barrel-rider". And when Smaug sees the One Ring in Bilbo's hands, Sauron ceases trying to subtly direct Smaug's actions and attempts to force him under his control. As Smaug fights back, Gandalf is able to knock him unconscious and contain the worst of Sauron's corruption, putting on hold Sauron's plans to have the Third Age's greatest fire drake on his side.
Token Good Teammate: Bilbo is the only member of the Company who respects Kathryn's wish to try neutralizing Smaug without any violence when he converses with the dragon, and he's not in the room when Thorin has Kathryn tied up.
What the Hell, Hero?: When Smaug decides to destroy Lake-town, Bilbo tells him he's glad that Kathryn isn't there to witness how Smaug's behavior doesn't deserve her high opinion of him or her wish to keep him alive.
"You!" Exclamation: Makes one upon recognizing Smaug in the latter's human form.

Thorin Oakenshield

The leader of the Company and the rightful heir to the throne of Erebor. He dies shortly after the Mountain's reclamation during the Battle of the Five Armies.

Adaptational Villainy: While being faithful to the movie characterization of Thorin, Heart of Fire doesn't cover up or shy away from his more unsavoury character traits when he encounters Kathryn in a later phase of his Sanity Slippage, highlighting his Fatal Flaws.
Both Sides Have a Point: Subverted during his clash with Kathryn at the inn. She makes numerous compelling points — Genocide Dilemma, Enemy Mine in light of the Greater-Scope Villain, and the unjustly huge threat to thousands of lives that would be posed by attacking Smaug for rather self-centred rewards — about why she should try getting them to a nonviolent solution with Smaug. Apart from a logical point about the world being better with Smaug gone, Thorin's only counterarguments are Revenge Before Reason, questioning of why it isn't worth risking the deaths of the people of Lake-town (definite sign of Dragon Sickness here), and deeming Kathryn untrustworthy despite the fact that Gandalf trusted her.
Fatal Flaw: Pride and Greed, plus unlike Smaug, he doesn't acknowledge these faults in himself when Kathryn points them out.
"This is about our home," Thorin corrected her, but Kathryn saw right through him; his eyes practically lit up at the sound of the word 'gold'.
Foil: On top of Smaug and Thorin's canonical Foil parallels, Smaug's relationship with Kathryn adds a new dimension to it in this series. Smaug and Thorin are both presented as uncaring about causing harm (indirectly in Thorin's case, either way in Smaug's case) to people they don't hold emotionally close. They both also get to see themselves outlive their loved ones — Kathryn for Smaug, Fíli and Kíli for Thorin — by a short time before dying with them, and in both cases, this happens indirectly due to Smaug and Thorin respectively putting their own Greed first. Smaug and Kathryn come back from this, whereas Thorin and his nephews stay dead. Smaug and Thorin both have a lot of Pride and Greed (worsened in Thorin's case by Gold Fever), but Smaug is presented as being rather well-aware of and unashamed by his own wickedness, whereas Thorin ignores and denies his Fatal Flaws.
I Have Your Wife: As an anti-heroic example, Thorin threatens to have Kathryn harmed unless Smaug leaves Erebor to never return. It backfires.
Ironic Echo: "May your greed be your doom!" This is the last thing Kathryn says to Thorin when he imprisons her. Later, Thorin takes the exact same line word-for-word when he attempts to kill Smaug, and it's the last thing he ever gets to say to the dragon's face.
Irony: In the second story, Smaug has lost the Lonely Mountain and his treasure, and he later winds up with a permanent nasty affliction that will enslave him to Sauron's will if he ever caves to his darkest urges, so he reluctantly promises at the book's end not to go back to his old ways. He's still fighting those fights sixty years later in the third story. Anyone familiar with The Hobbit canon can guess Thorin's fate in Heart of Ashes. The person Kathryn cursed with this line first is now six feet under alongside both of his nephews (whom he outlived by a short time), whilst Thorin's hated enemy — whom he somewhat hypocritically cursed with the same line — is alive and kicking sixty years on, and on top of that, is with the woman he loves and their newborn twins. Boy, somebody must be turning in their grave…
Karmic Death: Whereas in Hobbit canon it's somewhat open to interpretation whether Thorin's death is a Heroic Sacrifice or something he brought down on himself, Heart of Fire leaves little room for argument that he had it coming.
Killed Offscreen: In Heart of Ashes, his death is about the same as in book canon.
Revenge Before Reason: Part of the reason Thorin refuses to consider letting Kathryn reason with Smaug, descending into a Motive Rant about Smaug's crimes against the dwarves the moment Kathryn begins to talk about putting his grudge against Smaug aside.
Sanity Slippage: He's in the mid-stages of his canon one due to Gold Fever in Heart of Fire.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Due to Gold Fever, like in canon. He's rude and demanding towards Kathryn from the moment she wakes up in his custody because of the dragon-scale necklace he discovers her to have, but he takes the Jerkassery up to eleven when he and Kathryn subvert a Both Sides Have a Point argument (see above). If that isn't bad enough; though it might appear as if some part of him under the Gold Fever is honoring Kathryn's wish to spare Smaug when he pulls his I Have Your Wife gambit, it's implied Thorin was merely using the gambit to get Smaug into the right spot to trap him, and would've tried to kill Smaug anyway even if the dragon had somehow folded.
With Us or Against Us: Thorin refuses to trust Kathryn when it becomes clear that she wants Smaug to live, so he has her imprisoned in the inn at the Long Lake's shore, intending to judge her for "treason against his people" after Erebor's taken back.

Dwalin

One of the surviving members of the Company. He re-encounters Kathryn sixty years later during the War of the Ring when she's imprisoned in Erebor.

The Cameo: In the 15th chapter of Heart of the Inferno.
Jerkass: He repeatedly makes it known to Kathryn how unwelcome he thinks she is in the Lonely Mountain after her arrival. He says this about her and her Half-Human Hybrid children, and he does it directly in front of the latter (did we also mention her children are physically humanoid toddlers?):
"I don't want yer pity! I doubt if it'd be real anyway. That dragon fucked whatever humanity you had left to create those filthy things!"
Misplaced Retribution: He takes his old grudge over Thorin's death out on Kathryn while she's in Erebor, but as he himself says, it was Smaug who cursed the mountain's treasure with the Dragon Sickness that infected Thorin. Furthermore, though he could be excused for not knowing it, Kathryn didn't meet Smaug until more than a century after he'd conquered the Lonely Mountain.
Never My Fault: More like Never My Leader's Fault. When ranting at Kathryn, he seems to be willfully ignorant of the possibility that Thorin's death by Dragon Sickness was partly Thorin's own fault.

Fíli and Kíli

Thorin's nephews, who are present at Lake-town when Smaug attacks it, and who subsequently die during the Battle of Five Armies.

Killed Offscreen: In Heart of Ashes, their deaths are about the same as in The Hobbit book canon.
Love Makes You Dumb: The brave kind of dumb for Kíli. He runs from his cover and demands Smaug to release Tauriel when he grabs and nearly kills the latter.

Bard the Bowman

A descendant of Girion, the last Lord of Dale, who becomes the first king of Dale after he nearly manages to slay Smaug.

Badass Boast: He makes one to Smaug when he challenges the dragon in the burning Lake-town.
Bard: I, Bard, descended son of Girion, Lord of Dale, challenge you great Wyrm! And even if it is with my dying breath, I will fight to the last arrow to save my town!
Disabled in the Adaptation: Smaug nearly bites off Bard's left leg and leaves it crippled, which happens neither in the book or the movies.
Handicapped Badass: Bard gets his left leg crippled by Smaug, yet he's still able to make his way to the dwarven windlance and use it to shoot the Black Arrow at Smaug. He's immediately afterwards knocked into Long Lake, yet he still manages to survive that and the Battle of Five Armies.
Hero Antagonist: He's trying to save his people from Thorin Oakenshield's greed and Smaug's wrath, yet his effort to slay Smaug when the dragon attacks Lake-town interferes with Kathryn's attempts to convince Smaug to leave peacefully, leading to Unwanted Rescue from Bard who doesn't know Kathryn is in no danger from Smaug's part.
Posthumous Character: He's dead by the time of Heart of the Inferno, but his stories to his grandson have apparently led to King Brand believing that Kathryn actually aided Smaug's attack on Vathvael instead of trying to stop it.

Tauriel

A Wood-elf of Mirkwood who helps Bard the Bowman rescue his family from the burning Lake-town and then stays behind to help slaying Smaug.

Badass Boast: She has this to say when she offers to help Bard by keeping Smaug distracted:
Tauriel: Should your guardsmen fail… I've been told that many stare at me, perhaps I'll draw his eye.
Death by Adaptation: She's killed by Smaug in Lake-town, but she's alive at the end of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. However, the author had no way of knowing of this outcome since the movie hadn't been released by the time Heart of Fire was completed.
Defiant to the End: She uses her last words to tell Smaug in Elvish that he's a king only in his imagination before he kills her.
Handicapped Badass: Deconstructed. After Smaug crushes some of Tauriel's ribs, she still attempts to heroically help Bard against the dragon. Unfortunately, she has lost her stamina and agility to the pain, so it's not long before Smaug catches and kills her.
Hero Antagonist: She's just trying to protect innocent people from Smaug's wrath and is killed for her efforts.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Smaug finishes her off by using the talon of his thumb to pierce her body.

Ancalagon the Black

The great Fire-Drake who served Morgoth in the First Age and the biggest dragon that has ever lived. He was also Smaug's great-great-grandfather.

Blood Knight: When he appears in the vision, he's eager to fight the forces of the Valar and relishes in their terror of seeing him.
The Cameo: He appears in the 15th chapter of Heart of Ashes during the vision Kathryn has of the War of Wrath.
Dark Is Evil: This dragon who served the first Dark Lord had midnight black scales that made him look darker than the shadow of the night.
Famous Ancestor: To Smaug who respects his memory.
Faster Than They Look: Much to Kathryn's astonishment, Ancalagon was not a Mighty Glacier as one would easily assume from a behemoth big enough to block out the sun.
Kaiju: Demonstrated in the vision Kathryn has of him. His claws alone were as big as two-storey houses.
Large and in Charge: The largest of Morgoth's dragons led them against the forces of the Valar so ferociously that they were driven back.
Lightning Bruiser: Kathryn's vision shows that despite his enormous size, Ancalagon was a fast and agile flyer as much as his noticeably smaller brethren.
Posthumous Character: He has been dead since the War of Wrath, but he's remembered for the terror he inspired. In Heart of the Inferno, Smaug is persuaded to use his blood-relation with Ancalagon to convince the remaining dragons to unite against Sauron.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: He had black scales, and he had volcano-colored eyes and produced a red glow from his chest when about to breathe fire.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes are described as being colored like the inside of a volcano.
Related in the Adaptation: He's Smaug's ancestor in this series, whereas they weren't said to be related in the source materials.
Strong Family Resemblance: Kathryn finds Ancalagon's face to look uncomfortably familiar to that of Smaug. Smaug in turn thinks that his dark-scaled son Kolstros looks in a certain light like Ancalagon.
Volcanic Veins: When he's about to breathe fire, just like Smaug.

General Victis

The head of Dorwinion's military forces.

Combat Pragmatist: He's known to have a cold-blooded yet levelheaded strategic mindset, and that he disregards honour and chivalry to win a battle. He demonstrates this mindset when he points out the flaws in Lord Gregorse's proposal to "discreetly" extend their influence over Erebor and Dale, believing that the gold is not worth the trouble. In General's own words, he gambles only when all the cards are in his favor.
Four-Star Badass: He's the seasoned and ruthlessly pragmatic commander of Dorwinion's army. After he's seriously injured by Smaug, Beronor tries to claim him to be too old to defeat the dragon. The feverish General scares Beronor into stopping these accusations by pointing his sword at the arrogant Lord and explaining how wrong he is to blame Victis for being unable to do anything against the dragon.
Honest Advisor: Unlike Beronor, Victis is brutally honest to Queen Lalemwen (who was widowed only days ago) in telling her that Vathvael's garrison is powerless against Smaug.
Old Soldier: This grey-haired and wrinkled general has served in Dorwinion's military since the reign of King Yenric, Queen Lalemwen's father. Though Beronor tries to suggest otherwise, Victis' old age isn't affecting his strategy and leadership skills yet, so he can't be blamed for being unable to beat Smaug when the latter first appears as a dragon.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: When the injured and feverish Victis has had enough of Lord Beronor's unjust accusations regarding his competence, he points his sword at the Lord and verbally scares him not to make any more baseless accusations towards him.
Lord Beronor: Perhaps the general is tired. His mind is fevered from his wounds. Like us all, he is ageing and simply does not want to admit that he lost his battle against the dragon due to his lack of sound judgement due to age —
General Victis: Bastard! [points his sword at Beronor's chest] I may be old and tired, aye. But I had PERFECT judgement when I was out there with my men! It was not my judgement that made the arrows bounce off of the brute's scales! It was not my old age that gave that creature such a deadly ferocity that it tore my men apart with little effort! If you believe that our army is sufficient to take it down Beronor, then you won't mind when I volunteer you to be at the front line leading the men when the thing next comes!
Sword Pointing: He does this to Lord Beronor when he's had enough of the latter's arrogance.
What Happened to the Mouse?: The last time he's mentioned, he has a fever, and his leg — that was nearly severed by Smaug's claw — is in consideration for amputation if the fever doesn't pass.

Quithyra

A Haradrim woman who acts as a physician for Queen Lalemwen.

Statuesque Stunner: She's nearly six feet tall, curvy, dark-haired and dark-skinned.
Strong Family Resemblance: She has two older brothers who look much like her. One of them, Zanros, was often mistaken for Quithyra's twin when they were younger.

Knight of Gondor

An unnamed knight from Gondor who attempts to kill Smaug in Heart of Fire while Kathryn is still living in Erebor.

Always Accurate Attack: He's armed himself with the Eluvienel Bow against Smaug. He says it's enchanted by the High Elves so that as along as your aim is true, the arrow will never miss its target once fired. He doesn't live long enough to prove if that's true.
Honor Before Reason: The Knight attempts to go through with his quest to free the land from Smaug even though he knows it's a suicide mission even with the Eluvienel Bow he's armed with. Though Kathryn manages to convince Smaug to give the Knight a chance to leave alive, he refuses to turn away from his quest unless Kathryn leaves with him to safety.
No Name Given: His real name is never revealed.

Gimli

The only dwarf member of the Fellowship of the Ring and the son of Glóin, a member of Thorin Oakenshield's Company.

Berserk Button: Before Gimli even realizes that Smaug is attending the Council of Elrond, he becomes infuriated when he hears Kathryn saying the dragon's name.
Is That a Threat?: Gimli uses a variation of this line at the Council of Elrond when Smaug speaks to him insultingly.
Smaug: If I must listen to your drivel as well as remain in your presence, I might very well forget the pact of civility I am currently maintaining for my own amusement.
Gimli: Careful there, laddie. That sounded like a threat…
Oh, Crap!: He and the other dwarves at the meeting of Elrond's Council react with horror when they realize that the arrogant man accompanying Kathryn is Smaug himself.
Would Hit a Girl: Implied with Gimli; when he intends to attack Smaug and Kathryn stands in his way, he seems to be willing to cleave right through her until Gandalf and Elrond put him in his place.
Would Hurt a Child: Gimli seems to be willing to go through the pregnant Kathryn in order to attack Smaug and dismisses the unborn offspring of Smaug to be a dragon-spawn instead of a child, but he thankfully reins in his anger and makes no further threats towards Kathryn.

Urgost

A grey dragon who lives in the Grey Mountains. He appears in Heart of the Inferno as an Easter egg for the game he originates from.

Behemoth Battle: Engages in one against the larger Smaug and loses.
Fingore: He loses one of his fingers when Smaug bites it off.
Know When to Fold 'Em: After Smaug pins down Urgost who realizes that Smaug isn't dead after all, the grey dragon looks at the bitten stump of his finger and surrenders, saying that he doesn't want to make the line of Ancalagon the Black his enemy.
"Not So Different" Remark: Says this about Smaug and himself.
Smaug: I see you have done naught to appease the need of our race. Instead you abandoned what little remains.
Urgost: Perhaps we are more alike than you think, Smaug. You and I have always pursued our own selfish desires. So long as we have our gold, what care have we for the rest of the world?

King Dáin Ironfoot

The King Under the Mountain following Thorin Oakenshield's death.

Reasonable Authority Figure: After Faervel convinces Dáin that Kathryn and Smaug can be trusted (or as much as Smaug can ever be trusted), Dáin states that he's willing to put aside the old grudge against Smaug should the dragon leave his lands in peace. He's also ashamed of how badly his people treat Kathryn and her twins just for their connection to Smaug.
Took a Level in Kindness: He seems to have mellowed out since the events of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, surprising Kathryn who's heard him to be even more stubborn than Thorin was.
What the Hell, Hero?: When Brand decides to keep Kathryn contained to ensure Smaug won't try to attack now or later, Dáin briefly questions his friend's sanity.

Characters / The Heart Trilogy

The Main Pairing

Friends and Allies

Kolstros and Vernenia

Antagonists

Other characters

In General

Bilbo Baggins

Thorin Oakenshield

Dwalin

Fíli and Kíli

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Index

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Characters / The Heart Trilogy

Edit Locked

The Main Pairing

Friends and Allies

Kolstros and Vernenia

Antagonists

Other characters

In General

Bilbo Baggins

Thorin Oakenshield

Dwalin

Fíli and Kíli

Previous

Index

Next