Smaug lifted a winged forearm and motioned towards the city of Dale. "Why do you reside with them... fight with them? Fight for them?" He nodded towards the city, now alive with the flickering of lights and faint movement. "They despise us. Curse us. Hunt us like animals. Why do you call them your kin, when you are afraid of them?" He tilted his head as he circled you. "I can tell. You have not shown them this side of you before; I can smell their fear... their hate... their disgust." He shook his head with a snort. "What could possess you to side with them?"

You suddenly surged into flight, positioning yourself between Smaug and Mirkwood, your wings sweeping through the air. "I fight for them because they are more than just humans or elves who believe that dragons are nothing but a sin." Your voice boomed loud enough to still the advancing orcs and goblins, even making the elves pause in their charge. "I know the King has experienced things similar to my own. I regret not showing him my true form. But like you said, I was afraid. Afraid of the disapproval. I've been afraid all my life. I've been shot down, controlled, and nearly torn to pieces just for being of a beast's bloodline." You paused, the air around you crackling. "But if I were any beast like you, I would have razed Mirkwood and the elves would know that."

You took a breath, gathering your strength. "And yet here I stand, facing Mirkwood and the very kind that despises me. As Knight's Blaze, Queen of the Predacon race, I will not allow you to harm this city or its people." Your voice shook the air with a powerful resolve. "You may try, but I will perish before I let you land a single blow." You spread your wings wide, casting a formidable shadow. "My scales, though not as impenetrable as yours, are as tough as they come. My fire burns like that of a thousand suns. My wings and spines crack like lightning. So I ask you, Smaug... Can you take me?"

Smaug's dark laughter rumbled across the sky as he met you in the air. "You might be a force to be reckoned with, but I doubt you have faced Death itself!" His wings spread wide, flaring his nostrils in anticipation. "Well, here I am."

He dove at you, his massive jaws snapping as they scraped against your neck. "You are a fool to believe they will change their ways! Humankind, mankind, whether Elf, Dwarf, human or otherwise—they are stubborn, prideful, foolish! You think this will change their minds?" His laughter rang out. "You are nothing but a naive child. They have fought dozens of dragons, all of whom have destroyed their homes, their lands, their families, their lives. One good dragon cannot undo the harm of many."