Author's Note:

I hope the jumping back and forth through the timeline isn't confusing? Anyway, my inspiration for Iree is the wonderful Tony Collette. She just fits the vengeful Witch's character so perfectly! Double chapter upload today.

x

Iree couldn't believe her luck. A real Dwarve of flesh and blood was standing on her doorstep. She looked her up and down, still not quite able to believe that the small being before her was of the type that she had sought to kill for years. But the diminutive size, the large limbs, and bearded face were all too telling.

"Nadi," the she-Dwarve said with a small bow, "At your service."

Such an ugly creature! No woman should have a beard on her face, as light as the Dwarve's was. And why were the clothes so unfeminine and ghastly? Iree realized that she was scowling in disgust and quickly rearranged her face to something more welcoming. She would savor the moment, yes she would. She would take her time to figure out how, exactly, she would do it.

The Dwarve's forearm was bleeding and she clutched it gingerly with her other hand. "Nadi," she said, feigning concern, "you poor little Dwarve, what happened? No matter, let us see what we can do for you."

She ushered the Dwarve in and, glancing about to make sure that they were alone, closed the door behind them. "I'm Iree. I'm delighted that you found me,"

Her mouth positively watered in anticipation of the Dwarve's demise. Would she stab her? Stick her head in the oven? Feed her poisonous food? No - none of it was quite good enough. Nadi stood awkwardly in the kitchen, looking about her with polite interest.

"I don't mean to intrude. It's just...my arm, you see? I was injured by a bear roaming about the woods. If you have anything that I can use to wrap it, I can take care of it and be on my way."

"Oh," she sucked her teeth impatiently. She rummaged about in her cabinets, searching for spare clothes. Should see put stinging nettle in the wrapping and burn the wound? No - that wasn't it. She retrieved an old, grey nightgown and immediately set about cutting it into small pieces.

"You don't have to do that-"

"A bear, you say? Haven't seen one of those in this area for ages."

"Aye," Nadi said. She sat down with a defeated expression and held her arm out. Iree dipped the cloth in a basin of warm water, wrung it out, and ran it along Nadi's wound. "The creatures around my homeland have been acting strange lately. We spotted a pack of trolls roaming about not too long ago."

"Your homeland? And where is your homeland, exactly?"

"Erebor."

Iree's heart leaped with delight and she suddenly squeezed Nadi's arm. The Dwarve startled and pulled her arm back with a suspicious look.

"Sorry, sweetness," Iree said. She gripped the young Dwarve's arm and began to wrap a new, dry cloth around it. "It's just that I have heard of such a place. Tell me, did you come here alone?"

"I am on the trail of my kin," Nadi said carefully. Iree could tell that Nadi was quickly losing trust in her. She had to keep her around, long enough to find a suitable way to kill her. Suddenly Nadi jerked her chin towards a makeshift crib in the corner and asked, "Do you have children?"

"No?" Iree said quickly. The two women regarded each other over the table for a moment in silence. Iree finished wrapping her arm and began to secure it with a knot. "I've put some salve on the wound to make it heal faster. Erebor, was it? Yes, I remember. I've heard many great things."

"Really? Like what?"

"Like…" Iree faltered. She couldn't bring herself to utter a word of praise for the Dwarven scum, so she quickly shifted her focus to the hemp-braided necklace around Nadi's neck. "What a pretty thing. Did you make it?"

"No," Nadi touched it fondly and looked away. "A maiden front the city of Dale made it for me. Name's Ailee-"

"Ailee?!" Iree said suddenly. Why, that was her daughter's name! But it had to be a coincidence. There was no way that her daughter would be residing in Dale, side-by-side with the Dwarves. It was simply impossible.

"My daughter's name is Ailee," she said softly as if to herself. Nadi looked back down at her with a funny look.

"I thought you said that you don't have any children?"

"I don't."

The two women stared at each other once again, the air between them thick with tension.

And then, a moment that could have changed both of their fates passed.

"Ah, well," Nadi said, rising from her seat. "Would you look at that? I must be going, then. My brothers will be expecting me."

"Oh, you didn't say that they were your brothers," Iree said, rising at the same.

"They're no- well, I suppose it makes no difference. We Dwarves are particularly close to each other. Good day, Iree."

"Wait!" Iree called, for a sudden delicious thought had dawned upon her. "Oh, poor thing, your face is splattered with dirt and mud. And your pretty, pretty hair. Positively caked!"

Nadi touched a lock of her hair subconsciously and found that it was indeed quite dirty.

"Here, let me give you a bowl to wash your face before you go. Shouldn't take more than a minute."

Nadi stood hesitantly by the door. Despite her distrust of the woman, she didn't see anything wrong with her offer. Her hand played impatiently at the door as the woman stepped through her backdoor, stone bowl in hand.

Iree cackled to herself as soon as she was in her garden. Oh, it was an exciting plan. She wouldn't kill the Dwarve, no, that was too easy. She would do something much more entertaining. She soon reached the riverbed. She knelt upon her knees and dug up a few stems of a very special plant that she had been learning to cultivate. It was still young, as it had only just sprouted last year, but she would use extra to increase its potency. She covered her fingers with her apron and crushed the stem between her finger. Its scentless and colorless juice dripped into the bowl and rested at the bottom. Next, she washed her hands in the river and, palmful by palmful, filled the bowl.

The plant itself was very dangerous and very hard to grow. It would take her years to grow another one to maturation. Oh, but it would be so worth it. Its imbibement put the unfortunate victim in a highly suggestible state. A person could taste just a single drop and cut off their ear at the slightest provocation. She would have Nadi wash her face in the tainted water. But she'd do much more than have her cut her ear off.

She walked back into her home with a wide smile on her face. The Dwarve was still there, frowning slightly by her door.

"Here," she said and set the stone bowl upon the table. "Fresh spring water."

Nadi moved forward and leaned over the bowl. She surveyed the surface of the water with a concentration that made Iree feel quite nervous.

"There's something in here," Nadi said in a dark voice and Iree froze. As she watched, Nadi dipped her finger in the water and pulled it back up. "Ah. Bug," Nadi said and crushed the unfortunate creature between her fingers. Iree laughed uncomfortably and Nadi looked up at her. "Do you have a towel?"

"Of course," Iree said and turned around. As she did so, she heard the sound of Nadi plunging her head in the bowl. She turned back around and watched the Dwarve with a disgusted scowl. Right as Nadi began to raise her head from the bowl, Iree grabbed a fistful of her hair and pushed her back down. The Dwarve's body gave a jolt but Iree was using both hands to hold her down now.

"Listen here, you Dwarven bitch," she said menacingly. She raised Nadi's head and the Dwarve gasped. "Nod if you can hear me."

Nadi nodded against her own will and before she could reach for her weapon Iree commanded, "Be still. Do not raise your dagger against me. Do not attempt to harm me."

Nadi's arm fell limp and she could do nothing but stare ahead in shock, her hair clutched in Iree's hand. Her face trembled as she seemed to struggle with something within herself. Good, Iree thought to herself, it's working. Due to the nectar of the herbs mixed in the water, Nadi was completely under her control. Although it wasn't necessary, she shoved Nadi's head back into the water and held her there until she was on the verge of drowning. She lifted her head and Nadi coughed.

"You-"

"Be silent."

She dragged Nadi by her hair to a wooden chair and pushed her into it. The Dwarve's arms gripped her momentarily and then fell slack, as she had been commanded to do no harm. Iree took a seat across from her and crossed her legs comfortably beneath her.

"Do not attempt to run. Do nothing but listen as I speak to you," she said, holding Nadi's eye. The Dwarve said nothing, she did nothing. What could she do? Her body was no longer her own. "You're filthy. And I hate your kind," Iree spat at her feet and Nadi flinched. "At first I meant to kill you as soon as I saw your bearded face. But then I realized that death, to you, would be nothing more than an everlasting sleep. I could torture you or, better yet, make you torture yourself. But wounds of the flesh heal over time. Physical pain is an all too common side-effect of life. It's your mind that can really destroy you in the end." Iree grinned wickedly and tapped her fingers against her pale hair. "Your kind took something from me. And every day my mind has tortured me with thoughts of my loss. So I will do the same to you. I will turn your mind against you. Now tell me, Nadi, what do you fear the most at this moment?"

Nadi's lips twisted and she clutched the seat of the chair. She shook her head violently and then spat back at the Witch. It wasn't technically considered harm, which was why she was able to get away with it. Iree's face twisted in disgust as she wiped the phlegm from her eye.

"Strike yourself. Hard." She commanded and without hesitation, Nadi hit herself so hard that her head flew back.

"Now speak!"

"I fear that I may lose him!" Nadi cried out and then quickly shut her mouth. Iree's eyebrows raised as she regarded the Dwarve quivering in anger before her.

"Who? Answer the question."

"The one that I love more than anything in this world."

"Ah! So you, too, are well acquainted with loss. Excellent. Why do you think that you may lose him? Answer the question."

"He was a part of the hunting party that went after the Trolls! He's an excellent archer and an amazing swordsman but he's only a Dwarve going against Trolls! Anything can happen and my heart beats so loudly for him that I can not help but think upon his demise!"

"Does he know that you love him so?"

Nadi's mouth twisted.

"Answer the question!"

"I do not...I do not know."

"Pathetic. Strike yourself."

Nadi did as she was commanded and groaned in pain. Iree leaned over, savoring the moment. "You're plagued with images of his demise, you say? How awful!" She began to mutter strange words beneath her breath. The air in the room became ice cold and Nadi's eyes rolled up into her head and her body began to radiate a soft, pulsing light. The space around Iree became darker as she chanted her opening spell. Eventually, the herb was bound to wear off. But she was casting a spell over its immediate effects, assuring that her next suggestion would last a lifetime. It was difficult work that made her dizzy but she pressed on, her eyes never leaving the Dwarve's rigid face.

"For the rest of your miserable life, you will be plagued by the images of his demise. Night after night you will dream that he dies in awful manners. But he will not die simply, oh no, he will die by your hand! Behold, images terrible and inescapable as this! The worst is yet to come!"

X

Nadi opened her eyes. She was in a garden of some sort. Her head whipped back and forth in a frenzy but the old witch was nowhere to be seen. There was movement below her and she glanced down in surprise. Kili lay below her in a flowing silver shirt, his eyes alight with love as she straddled his waist. His large hands slid along her sides as if to comfort her.

"The worst is yet to come?" she repeated breathlessly, looking down upon him. She hadn't meant to say it, and the desperation behind her words shocked her. He smiled

"What is it?" He asked as if it all were nothing but a joke. His hands found her belly and she recoiled. There was only one thing to be said at the moment, and that was the truth.

"I was thinking...I couldn't bear to be without you..." She said, but that had not been what she wanted to say. What was going on? He laughed heartily as if she was a foolish child reaching her hand in a cookie jar.

"Then don't do it."

A dagger appeared suddenly in her hand then. It was a heavy and malicious thing and she wielded it with a confidence that frightened her. As she watched in horror, her hand moved to trace the dagger's edge against his throat. Then, suddenly, the blade found its mark against the side of his neck.

"Noooooo!" She cried in anguish as her hand moved of its own accord. Blood spurted from his neck and he choked, the joy in his eyes replaced by a black surprise -

X

She opened her eyes again.

"You will never be able to speak of your curse to your Dwarven brethren," Iree was saying in a voice nastier and deeper than before. "Every time you try to speak of it, your throat will close as if my very hand was squeezing the life out of you!"

Nadi's body rocked with a sudden spasm but still, her eyes remained turned towards her skull.

"You will come to fear my presence upon this earth. You will fear it whenever you draw near me. Now, you will leave my home and never seek me out again. Enjoy your torture and remember my face. But before you go," Iree picked up a kitchen knife laying on her shelf. She placed it in the Dwarve's hand with a wicked smile upon her face. "Cut yourself."