return

1408 the return of the king
strong and drove back all enemies from the East; and the
Dwarves lived in plenty, and there was feasting and song in the
Halls of Erebor. 1
So the rumour of the wealth of Erebor spread abroad and
reached the ears of the dragons, and at last Smaug the Golden,
greatest of the dragons of his day, arose and without warning
came against King Thrór and descended on the Mountain in
flames. It was not long before all that realm was destroyed, and
the town of Dale nearby was ruined and deserted; but Smaug
entered into the Great Hall and lay there upon a bed of gold.
From the sack and the burning many of Thrór’s kin escaped;
and last of all from the halls by a secret door came Thrór himself
and his son Thráin II. They went away south with their family 2
into long and homeless wandering. With them went also a small
company of their kinsmen and faithful followers.
Years afterwards Thrór, now old, poor, and desperate, gave to
his son Thráin the one great treasure he still possessed, the last
of the Seven Rings, and then he went away with one old companion
only, called Nár. Of the Ring he said to Thráin at their
parting:
‘This may prove the foundation of new fortune for you yet,
though that seems unlikely. But it needs gold to breed gold.’
‘Surely you do not think of returning to Erebor?’ said Thráin.
‘Not at my age,’ said Thrór. ‘Our vengeance on Smaug I
bequeath to you and your sons. But I am tired of poverty and
the scorn of Men. I go to see what I can find.’ He did not say
where.
He was a little crazed perhaps with age and misfortune and
long brooding on the splendour of Moria in his forefathers’ days;
or the Ring, it may be, was turning to evil now that its master
was awake, driving him to folly and destruction. From Dunland,
1 The Hobbit, p.22.
2 Among whom were the children of Thráin II: Thorin (Oakenshield),
Frerin, and Dís. Thorin was then a youngster in the reckoning of the
Dwarves. It was afterwards learned that more of the Folk under the
Mountain had escaped than was at first hoped; but most of these went
to the Iron Hills.