At the scene were Thraduil and Legolas interrogate the orc, the latter says "Your world will burn" and then "the flames of war". It's pretty clear that the orc meant that there was an alliance between Smaug and Sauron, and that the dragon was the Dark Lord's main weapon against the free peoples of Middle-earth.
shareThat is true! Moreover in the Extended Edition of the film, Thrain clearly mentions to Gandalf that Sauron and Smaug are in league :)
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It's also obvious that Thranduil completely understands what the Orc is saying and slays him before Legolas catches on. Probably because he suspects that his son might challenge his policies if he realized the truth.
"If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" - The Joker
^^ this for sure. Even to the end of the trilogy, even with his slight change of heart, Thranduil says nothing of what he knows and shows no intent on doing anything about it (hence why the Woodland Elves don't show up in LOTR save for Legolas).
shareThat seems very likely.
shareWell I thought that was meant for the future battle under the trees.
Though that scene irked me to no end. The king wouldn't made a promise to free the orc and then to slay him in front of his son whilst Legolas looked amusingly on.. It is just another stupid way to villianize the king. I hate that they ruined his character for me. Such piss poor writing!