[Iarhen]

I think youre overrating Smaug’s power. Yes, he was a dragon, could incinerate great bodies of land, etc. But you’re forgetting the strength of his enemies. For instance, as it has been said before. If Smaug attacked Rivendell, not only would he have to deal with the difficulty of the strategic position that Rivendell has. Second, the power of Vilya protecting the land (if it was a ring made to stop decay, then my guess is that even though Smaug’s fires would make grievous harm on the valley and the citadel, Vilya would end up repairing it). Plus, dealing with Glorfindel, Elrond, etc., and all of the elven lords that lived there. And if he attacked the Woodland Realm, Smaug would have to deal with the terribly accurate elven archers. Lothlórien? Well… not only having to deal with the White Witch (and Nenya and the “fences guarding Lorien&#8221 [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] a strong opponent also in mental matters (imagine, if Galadriel can see what Sauron thinks, what can the woman do against the weaker mind of Smaug???), but with the armies of Lorien and the archers. A piece of cake? Not at all. He could make griveous harás on all these lands. BUT he would die assuredly.