Sigrid climbed higher on the narrow stone staircase, crossing her fingers she wouldn't stumble onto a dead end and find herself trapped in a corner if Bolli came this way. It was gloomy up here away from the main sentry room – there were no candles to light the way, but as the staircase reached a narrow stone corridor, Sigrid could see a metallic door to her right.

This must lead outside, to the watchtower above the gates...

She tried the handle, but the door was locked tight.

Cursing again under her breath, she eyed the rest of the corridor. There was a cold gust blowing into her face from the gaping black hole in front of her, and she took a cautious step towards it, not wanting to lose her footing, until she stumbled and nearly fell down another step.

Stopping dead, she braced herself against the narrow walls and felt forward with her left foot. There were more stairs ahead, but she had no idea where they led. The draft was strong, suggesting the stairwell might lead deep into the mountain, but the way was pitch black and the steps were invisible, and she had a sudden fear of falling off the staircase completely and disappearing forever into the dark heart of the Lonely Mountain.

Was your father afraid of sailing out on the lake tonight? Was Fili? No, and I'm not going to let my family down either!

Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself to begin the climb down to the lower levels, but stopped dead as a bloodcurdling scream came echoing down the walls behind her.

What was that? Who was that?

Her heart beating very fast in the darkness, she suddenly wanted nothing more than to run headlong down the black steps, but she forced herself to stay still, trying to regain some composure.

It sounded like it came from the sentry room... What if Fergis is hurt? What if that creep Bolli has set upon him?

She didn't really want to go back and look – but she had to. She didn't want to be alone in the dark, imagining all kinds of horrors were coming after her, when really, there was probably nothing to be afraid of...

Probably.

She forced herself forward, her legs feeling light and unsteady as she tiptoed back down the corridor, listening hard for sounds of anyone coming. But there was nothing.

She made it to the narrow stone staircase that led to the gates, and stopped, her heart beating faster. Something inside her was telling her to leave now, and get away now, but she had to know, she had to know whether there was any danger or not, otherwise how could she keep Tilda and Bain safe from it when she found them...

She started walking down the stairs, one at a time, slowly and quietly.

And she began to hear a curious noise.

It sounded like someone coughing, or gasping, but the noise didn't have the dry quality of normal coughing. It was a wet, frothy sound, one that at once intrigued and sickened her.

She reached the bottom of the stairs. Only a few metres lay between her and the sentry room... she just had to look round the wall.

Instinctively dropping to her knees, close to the floor where it was darker, she crawled to the far wall and peered round to look for the source of the strange noise.

And she was glad that she was already on her knees, otherwise she probably would have fallen and screamed. As it was, she clamped both hands over her mouth as she watched, worried of making a single noise that would alert anyone to her presence at the scene.

Rose was standing in the sentry room, a red silhouette against the wild, black sky. She was watching the dwarf Bolli, a bloody knife in her hands, smiling cruelly as he squirmed on his knees at her feet, clutching at a deep gash across his throat.

"This is for insulting me at dinner last night, dwarf."

And as she spoke, the woman grabbed at Bolli's throat, hauling him to his feet in a second, and twisted and pulled at something round his neck, causing the dwarf to writhe in pain.

Sigrid tried to close her ears to the stifled, muffled screams, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from it. Every part of her body was frozen still in fear, hoping to not be seen by the terrible woman in the doorway.

Rose narrowed her eyes as the dwarf's dying shudders grew weaker, and let the body drop from her bloody hands with a heavy thud. Sigrid stared at the dwarf's corpse, and trembled. The woman had pulled the dwarf's tongue out through his throat.

Without missing a beat, Rose turned to the boy who stood pale and white by the wall, watching in terrified silence from the gate mechanism. She strode over to him, and wiped the blood from her hands on his shirt, while he closed his eyes to her in fear.

"And you, my friend, shall come with me." The woman smiled sweetly at him. "My associates shall be here in a moment, and they will want to know all about who has been coming and going through this gate, do you understand? They want especially to know all about Thorin Oakenshield, and Bard of Laketown, and the whereabouts of all their friends and family. Do you happen to have this information?"

Fergis nodded his head, miserably.

"That's good," the woman crooned, "I like people who are useful." She stroked his face, wiping more of the blood onto his pale cheek. "People who are useful tend to live longer."

Fergis opened his eyes, and nodded at her desperately.

"That's settled then, let's go. Let's go and see what sort of welcome this place is going to give its new queen under the mountain!" Grabbing his shirt, Rose tore the boy away from the wall, and half marched, half-dragged him across the floor, making for the other side of Sigrid's corridor.

She's going to see me, shit, she's going to find me.

Without another thought, Sigrid launched herself onto her feet and scuttled back down her corridor, turning the corner to her staircase and waiting to hear for signs of pursuit. But the woman's light footsteps and Fergis's stumbling gait died away down the far end of the corridor – and instead Sigrid heard something else.

There was a noise approaching the gate. A loud noise. Like many feet, marching in time. And there was a stench – a terrible, overpoweringly awful smell, like wet dirt and carrion.

Orcs! – she's brought an army of orcs with her! They're coming here!

She couldn't quite fully understand what this meant, but she understood it was bad. Extremely bad. Like dragon in the sky kind of bad – and maybe even a bit worse than that.

And she understood that she had to escape. Right now.

Sigrid turned and ran back up the stairs, desperate to find the hidden black stairs that would lead her far away from the open gates and whatever was about to let itself inside...

Another gust of wind blew strong through the wide window of the crumbling tower, and the elf shivered despite feeling her dwarven lover's arms at her back.

Kili felt her discomfort, and kissed her cold cheek gently. "My love, don't leave my side again. Stay with me – whatever happens tonight. I don't want to lose you again."

She snuck her hand around his waist and sighed. She could hear the hurt and worry in his voice, and it made her feel a hundred times worse than hanging out of the window had done. How could she have trusted Rose? How could she have been so wrong about her? She should have listened to Kili, but instead she'd allowed herself to be used as bait in a trap designed to hurt him and his family.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight, Kili. Not tonight, not ever. Not with all those orcs on the loose." She scanned around the upper chamber, as the crazy candlelight flickered round the stone and shadows in the wind. "Has your uncle decided to march back to Erebor? We must go soon – she had hundreds of orcs with her!"

Kili eyed his uncle, wondering what his plans would be. He was conferring furiously with Gandalf and Balin, but Kili wanted no part in it. His place was with Tauriel, whatever happened.

"I don't know what he plans to do – but we can't stay here forever." He studied the weather through the window, trying to assess whether the storm might soon quieten, and frowned. It was just as bad as it had been when they left Erebor. He turned to his lover, his eyes gentle. "Do you think you can walk back, Tauriel? I will stay with you whatever you want to do."

She gave him a smile. "We elves are made of stronger stuff than perhaps you think, Prince Kili. My wrists both hurt – but as long as I can hold my bow still enough to put an arrow through Rose's neck, then it is a pain I will relish."

Kili grinned, and made to kiss her, right in front of all of them – he didn't care – but then he saw his uncle approaching, and hesitated.

"My lady Tauriel," the dwarf king stormed over and sat himself low on the floor near to the elf, watching her pointedly. "I need to know why you think Rose is to blame? Tell me everything."

The elf swallowed, wondering where to begin. "My lord, I left Erebor early this afternoon, not long after your meeting had ended – I wanted to catch up with Rose myself and talk to her. And I did – I found her on a beach by the lake, and she invited me to walk out with her further along the shore..." She glanced up at Kili's hazel eyes, full of concern for her – and Thorin's steely blue eyes as they watched her every move with suspicion. She closed her eyes, trying to recall everything.

"I was talking to her – talking to her about you, Kili." She opened her eyes to smile at her lover briefly, then shut them closer and thought. "I was stood talking to her from a few yards away, and she was smiling at me with this wide grin – I thought it was strange... but then something hit me from behind, on the back of the head, and I must have passed out. And the next thing I can remember, is being tied up near an orc campfire – tied to a tree by the lake!" She rubbed her wrists absentmindedly as she spoke, and Kili reached out to her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"I managed to work the bounds loose, and stole back my bow, and sword - but the orcs saw me and caught me again before I got far." She opened her eyes and spoke to them both, determined that they would believe her. "I didn't see Rose that time, not before they knocked me out again – but when I woke up in the tower – as they were hanging me up – she was here. She was laughing at me. She said if I tried to move, and free myself, the pole would snap and I would fall..." She saw Thorin's eyes meet hers, checking her sincerity, and she stared back at him defiantly.

"She stood at the window watching me, and told me she was heading to Erebor with her army, to take over the city – and that her victory over your family would all be thanks to me..." Tauriel let her gaze drop, ashamed of her part in the woman's deceptions. "And then she left with the orcs, riding straight for your kingdom, Thorin. I expect she will be arriving there very soon."

Thorin and Kili shared a look, and Kili shook his head firmly. "There's no way Fili will let her through the gates, uncle. He doesn't trust her. They'll all be waiting in Dale for us – to ambush us as we try to get back home."

Tauriel saw the dwarf king consider. "You might be right, Kili – but where was Fili? Where is he now? How do we know he's in Erebor?" Thorin frowned, as if an unpleasant thought was taking shape in his mind. "What if the orcs have got him too?"

But Kili shook his head. "No, I don't think that's it, uncle... I think, earlier, he was... talking to someone– that's why we couldn't find him." Tauriel saw the colour rush to the dwarf's face, as if he was feeling guilty for betraying his brother's secrets. She wondered whether Thorin would even notice.

But the dwarf king was still frowning. "We must all return to Erebor immediately. I know the march back will be long and slow, and in the bad weather, but we can't allow our enemies a whole night outside our mountain. We did not just evict that cursed worm to have its place taken by another wretched enemy!"

Tauriel looked and saw that Thorin's face was red with anger, and wondered if he himself was feeling a little foolish for being taken in by Rose too. She couldn't blame him for it.

Kili met his uncle's eyes, and nodded. "You're right, Thorin. We should get everyone together and begin the march back straight away. We can make camp for the night when we see their position, close to Erebor, and engage them in battle come the morning."

The young dwarf took his elf's hand tighter in his own, and smiled to her. "At least we shall have the wind at our backs this time."

In the dark passageway, Sigrid stumbled and fell. The floor was rough and uneven here – the stone floor slabs had long since disappeared – and she had the impression the narrow passage she was in was little used and little known.

The feeling gave her some comfort, despite the stinging in her knees, and she stood up stiffly, continuing her steady progress down the passageway, her blinded eyes trying to seek out some small glow of light up ahead that might signal the presence of other living people.

As she moved forward, her hands felt a sudden void in the passageway to her left, and she realised she was at a junction, with some decision to take. She cocked her head in the darkness, trying to remember the layout of the Erebor halls from what little she'd seen of them. She was sure they lay off to her left somewhere, but who could say which branch of this passage might lead there? It was entirely possible that neither of them would take her close, and she could well spend days wandering around in the darkness, looking for a way back into the light...

Stop thinking like a child! What would my father do? What would Fili do? They wouldn't just stumble around in the darkness and hope for the best!

An idea came to her, and she crouched down on her bleeding knees and lowered her ears to the ground, trying to pick up any sounds that might travel through the cold, hard earth. She didn't know what to listen for exactly, but surely where there were people, there should be some noise?

And right enough, she could detect something – some deep rumbling in the ground – perhaps reminiscent of voices, and movement.

But she had no idea where it was coming from. It could be from any direction at all, and it would sound the same to her.

I'll just keep going straight on, and see if the noise gets louder as I go...

Feeling better now she had a plan, Sigrid stepped on through the passage, wondering how far she should wait before she tried to listen for the noise again. But what her eyes could now see told her she might have made the right choice after all.

Ahead of her, she could just begin to discern a small scrap of yellow light glimmering distantly far off down the passageway, and she felt herself breaking to a jog, eager to get there and reach the warm glow.

And she could hear voices now too – far off and distant – telling her there were people up ahead, maybe even her people...

And as she finally reached the source of the light, she stopped and stared. There was a window, off to the left of the passage, a single window, overlooking a great hall below where hundreds of people stood murmuring and gesturing. It was her people all right – she had found them – but now she just needed to find a way to get down to them, so she could find her family.

She peered through the little window, seeing nothing but a sheer drop between her corridor and the hall below. It was taller than her house had stood in Laketown, and too far for her to fall.

Cursing her luck, she was about to call down to the people below and ask for their help, when she noticed the hush falling about the room and turned to see Rose striding in through the main doors accompanied by some burly orc guards. The woman in red made straight for a raised podium at the end of the great room, waiting stony-faced for perfect silence.

Sigrid felt a shudder run through her, at the thought of that woman in the same room as her brother and sister, and shrank back into the shadows, taking care to stay hidden from view.

Rose stood commandingly at the head of the room, eyeing up her audience like a snake sizing up its prey.

"My friends, I stand before you as your new queen. My orc army now has complete control of Erebor and the surrounding neighbourhood, and I urge you all to comply fully with the instructions of my guards." She gestured to the grey muscled brutes at the doorway. "I know many of you will have heard of quite alarming stories about orcs, but I can assure you they are a deeply misunderstood race and will not harm you without good cause. They are here for your protection."

The woman surveyed the crowd, making sure her words settled on them all. "They are here for your protection against those who would do you harm – and by this I mean Thorin Oakenshield and his company of liars – those dwarves who came here promising you gold and riches and burned your town down and forced you to sleep in the cold ruins of Dale." She glared around the room, underlining her anger.

"And what would you good people say if I told you that King Thorin was plotting to sell you all into slavery? To let the weak and the old starve to death over winter, and then to sell you and your children to the slaving parties that roam to the east, all for more gold to put in his vaults. For those dwarves love only gold – they have no room in their hearts for mercy, or kindness, or love. But they are arrogant and blind. Thorin himself told me of these plans, and I was so worried that I sent word to some old friends of mine, who promised me they would help me reclaim the mountain and let you people live free and unmolested in Dale."

Rose smiled sweetly at the crowd, her beautiful face a mask of compassion and sympathy.

In the shadows above, Sigrid shook her head angrily, wishing she could get her hands around the woman's throat. It was all lies, everything she said – all transparent, self-serving lies. None of the people would believe it, surely.

The woman continued. "But have no fear, my good people, for very soon those wicked dwarves and their followers shall be destroyed once and for all. Thorin and his followers are on their way to the gates to try and challenge me – but they will not get very far. I suggest you people remain inside the hall for your own safety." She stared around, searching for someone who might defy her, but nobody raised their voice. "I will send you back into Dale when it is safe to do so, and we shall put together our plans for the winter, without those meddling dwarves."

And with a final smug smile of victory, Rose tossed her head and strode out of the main doorway, her guards following her out and bolting the doors behind them.

Sigrid saw the room of people erupt into confusion, as people shouted for their families and elbowed others for space, and wondered how she would ever find Tilda and Bain now. She couldn't see them anywhere. The room was a seething mass of people, and it would do her siblings no good whatsoever for her to be stuck down there with them. They had their aunt to look after them, after all.

I need to find Thorin and Kili – I need to warn them, or find a way to help them, at least.

I need to get out of Erebor and find them!

Sighing resignedly, she turned her back on the hall below, and started back up the cold, dark passageway she'd just returned from, making for the gates once more...

Kili stumbled on up the hill, feeling cold and more tired than he ever had in his life before. All he wanted was to curl up asleep beside a fire with Tauriel, and wake up to find the last twenty-four hours had been a feverish nightmare. But the chafing pain from his soaking clothes, and the thick, nervous silence of his companions as they approached the ruins of Dale assured him otherwise.

The storm seemed to finally be subsiding – the rain had slackened to a drizzle – although given how wet everyone was by now it made little difference. All around him, he could see signs of the violent lashing the wind had meted out to Dale whilst they had been away – their path through the main streets was strewn with stone slabs and rubble from the old buildings that had collapsed even further into ruin, while in the avenues, heading out of town, whole mature trees had been toppled and lay fallen on their sides.

Where is everyone? Why has nobody come out to speak to us?

He was leading at the head of their host, along with Thorin and his company. The other hundred of Dáin's dwarves were following somewhere behind them, at a distance, unable to march as quickly in formation as Kili and his friends. Yet they still should have been visible to anyone manning the Erebor watchtowers.

The silence in the town, save for the dripping of water from the rooftops and the gusting wind, was overwhelming. It was like nobody had ever lived here, and nobody ever would again. Yet there was no sign of their enemies either – all through the night as they had marched back, they'd kept a tense lookout for the orc forces Rose had mustered – but there had been nothing. Not a trace of anything had been seen.

Kili couldn't explain it, and it made him nervous. He hated the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach now, that Rose was playing two steps ahead of them and had so far anticipated their every move. Except this was no game they were playing – the lives of those he loved were at stake here.

Where is Fili? Why hasn't he sent someone down to meet us? And Bard? I'd even welcome the sight of that fool from the Iron Hills right now...

As the company reached the brow of the hill and saw the looming Erebor gates, all set dark and quiet before them, Kili knew that something was wrong. He could feel it in the air around him, and in the restless, nervous gazes his companions stole between themselves. Beside him, Tauriel grabbed onto his arm and drew him closer.

"Stay beside me, Kili," she whispered, looking around at the deserted mountainside, "don't go doing anything heroic without me."

Kili shook his head, grateful for her presence by his side, and squeezed her hand. "I promise not to leave you, amralime. We can be heroic together."

The dwarf watched as his uncle strode upto the gates, standing tall and proud, and hammered on the metal doors with his sword. The noise might have been heard back at Ravenhill.

"This is the King under the Mountain, and I demand that you open the gates to my kingdom right away!"

The company watched, tense and silent, waiting for some signs of life to stir from within. But the moments continued to pass by and still there was nothing.

And then they heard a creaking door swing on its hinges from somewhere above, and a woman's laughter – a hard, brittle sound that echoed down to them like broken glass.

It's Rose, she's already inside the gates...

Kili heard himself gasp, his worst fears confirmed. Who let her in? What had she done?

But his uncle was the first to react.

"Let me into my kingdom now, woman, or I'll have your head for this!"

On the lookout tower over the gate, Rose stepped forward and looked down on her new audience. She smiled brightly, her hair blowing around her perfect face while the torch in her hand lit up her glittering, dark eyes. They sparkled in the firelight, darkly lit with amusement at the predicament of her former friends, and dark with malice.

"The only way you shall gain entry into my kingdom, Thorin Oakenshield, is as my prisoner. Surrender to me now – you and your nephew – and I shall let the people of Laketown live. Otherwise..." She pouted, theatrically biting at her lower lip.

But Kili saw his uncle was unmoved. "Do not think to threaten me, you wretched woman. I have had enough of your lies to last a lifetime! Let me speak to Fili, and let me hear what he says, and I might consider letting you live at the end of this."

But Rose shook her head. "I'm afraid, Thorin, that I cannot grant you an audience with your heir right now. You will just have to listen to me." She raised her arm in some signal, and an orc stepped forward with two children – Kili recognised them as Sigrid's younger siblings – and the woman pushed them forward for all to see, brandishing a knife in the air behind them.

"You wouldn't want me to give you a demonstration of what I can do, would you? Because if I don't have your surrender, Thorin Oakenshield, I will kill every child from Laketown right before your eyes!"

Kili turned to Tauriel, and saw her face was white with disbelief, as she regarded Bard's young children in horror, reaching at the same time for her bow.

And Rose must have seen the movement too. "I do warm you not to try anything clever, any of you. You might feel better by killing me, but I can tell you now that without my instruction, these orcs will kill everyone inside Erebor. And that can hardly be the outcome you want."

Kili felt an uncontrollable rage and disgust welling up inside. This woman was evil – and utterly deranged. "What have you done to my brother?" He called up at her, angrily. "Where is he?"

But Rose just smiled at him, and lowered her knife. "You come inside, and you can find out. I promise you that you shall both be unharmed, as long as you cooperate with me."

Kili shook his head helplessly, and turned to his uncle. "What can we do, Thorin? Everything she says is a lie!"

Thorin glared at the woman, hatred on his face. "I will surrender to you, Rose, if that is your desire. But you shall not have Kili. He stays here!"

But the woman shook her head. "I shall have both of you, so my rule on this kingdom is assured." She gripped Sigrid's young sister tightly, the knife just behind the young child's neck. "There shall be no more discussion over this."

Thorin looked around at his group, his face dark. "We have no choice but to surrender, Kili. She holds all the cards. I will not have her harm children on my account."

There was consternation among the rest of the company, and general mutterings of dissent, but nobody could suggest another way.

Tauriel clung to Kili. "But you know you can't trust her. She wants your kingdom for herself – I don't want her to hurt you!"

Kili nodded, feeling torn in half. "I know, my love. But we have no choice. " He took her in his arms, and held her close in the drizzle. "You know that."

Tauriel found his lips with hers, and kissed him desperately, not wanting to let him stop in case he walked away and left her. He kissed her back, in front of all of his friends, not caring what they thought. He broke away from her lips slowly, and reluctantly.

"I love you, Tauriel. I'll... see you soon."

She nodded, feeling a tear trickle down her face. "I will find you, whatever happens, Kili. I love you."

She saw him swallow heavily, and he turned away from her and strode over to the doorway. His uncle was following him, watched nervously by Bilbo, and the two dwarves waited at the front of the gate.

Thorin banged again at the gate. "Let us in, Rose, you have your way!"

Tauriel saw the woman nod her head sagely from the window, and wave her hand again. The gate mechanism ground into gear, and the gate began to swing open, giving the elf a view of the empty, darkened sentry room.

"That is a wise decision, Thorin. I am glad you have decided to be sensible. I shall meet you at the gates." The woman disappeared from view, and Tauriel felt herself tremble as she saw Kili and Thorin step forward into the darkened chamber, and out of her sight as the gates closed immediately behind them.

She felt the urge to bang on the gates herself, and scream and shout until they let her in, so she could tell him he'd made a mistake and drag him back outside into safety, but it was too late now. Instead, she felt the tears flowing freely down her face, as her fear and frustration overwhelmed her.

Behind her, she felt a small arm on her back. She turned to see the hobbit, staring after the gate with a fixed look of determination on his face.

"Let's get away from here and make a plan, Tauriel. We need to get them back somehow, and we need to think how we can do it."

She stared at him numbly through her tears, and nodded. She needed to think – they all needed to think, and find some way to lure the woman out.

I will find you, Kili, I promise. I won't lose you again. Not to her, and not to anyone.

Thorin heard the heavy gate close behind him with a thud, and he scanned the dark room ahead of him, his sword raised in his hand, waiting for any signs of their approaching enemies.

He could see his nephew in the gloom, and called out to him softly. "Stay close to me, Kili."

Thorin was furious. That woman had played him for an absolute fool, in front of everyone. And it had all been lies and pretence – everything she had said to him. She was no merchant's daughter, she was no orc prisoner – she seemed, if anything, to be on very friendly terms with those disgusting creatures – and everyone else had seen through her game and suspected the woman's ill intentions but him.

He would quite happily bury the biggest of his steel axes in the back of her skull, and drop her in a bag into the lake.

But despite the anger he felt, there was something else that stayed his hand for now. He could hear his nephew breathing heavily in the darkness beside him, waiting for the attack, and he knew he must do anything he could to protect Kili from that woman. He loved his nephews – both of them – he loved them like the sons he'd never have – and he would never let any harm come to either one of them. He had no idea where Fili was, but he would find out, and the woman could take what she wanted – she could have all the gold in their vaults – so long as his nephews remained unharmed.

He heard her sashaying down the stairs off to the side before he could see her, the orange glow of her torch casting her long shadow over them as she glided across the room towards them, flanked by two large orcs who each carried one of Bard's children. The children's faces were frozen in fear, and Thorin felt his blood boiling with rage.

"Drop your weapons, now. Both of you." She stared at them expectantly, waiting for them to comply.

With a scowl, Thorin dropped his sword on the ground in front of him, and nodded to Kili to do the same.

"And everything else. Take all your clothes off." She smiled nastily at Thorin. "You may keep your breeches if you wish."

The woman took a step closer, watching them as they stiffly undressed and piled their clothes up on top of their weapons.

"There, that's better. Now we can have a civil conversation without anyone getting hurt." She eyed Kili up and down, comparing his body against his uncle's. "Yes, that's much better. But there's just one more thing." She clicked her fingers, and another pair of orcs came bursting forth from the shadowy corridors at the back of the sentry room. They carried chains, and Thorin glared back at the woman, raising his eyebrows.

"Is that really necessary, my lady?"

"You must be restrained, obviously. For my own personal safety, Thorin. Consider it a lady's indulgence." And Rose laughed, watching in glee as her orcs chained the dwarf king's arms behind his back, pulling his head up roughly as they fitted an iron collar around his neck and shackled his ankles.

It took all of Thorin's self control not to head-butt the orc and run straight at the woman, and he closed his eyes in disgust at this latest outrage.

"You have us right where you wanted us, my lady. So, I will ask you again. Where is Fili? Let me speak to him now!"

The woman regarded him curiously, tilting her head to the side. "I'm afraid your nephew and heir is dead, Thorin Oakenshield. You probably won't believe me when I say I had nothing to do with it, but it's true."

Thorin felt panic in his chest, and turned to Kili, seeing the same confusion on the young dwarf's face.

"Don't believe anything she says, uncle, it's all lies!" Kili stared angrily at the woman, his face reddening. "Tell me where my brother is!"

But Rose nodded slowly. "I told you, Kili. He's dead. He was found with Bard of Laketown, both of them drowned, on the beach by several of my orcs earlier this evening." She smiled faintly. "Bard's daughter tells me they went fishing in the storm, although personally I find that hard to believe."

Thorin saw Kili trembling in his chains, and felt a blank sense of incomprehension. Was she telling the truth or was this just another one of her lies?

"You're lying! I don't believe you. Not until I see him for myself." Kili's voice broke off quickly, and he shook his head frantically.

The woman crept closer. "I'm afraid, when my orcs found them, they might have been rather hungry." She let the word drop into the room, with a shrug, shaking her head scoldingly. "So there might not be all that much of your brother left to see... But I can show you the remains, if you really want?"

Thorin felt sick to his stomach. What the woman was saying couldn't be true. She was just trying to hurt them, trying to break them down, all for her sick power games. He wanted to reach out to Kili, and tell him that his brother was fine, but the words wouldn't come. Dread lurked just below his rational mind, choking the sure words in his throat.

Kili lowered his head, refusing to look at the woman anymore. She saw she had got to him, and pressed her advantage, sidling up closer to the young dwarf, reaching for him with her small, thin hands...

"You know, Kili, you really are a beautiful creature. It's a shame you only have eyes for that ginger elf – she's not as lovely as you are. Not by a long way. She doesn't deserve someone like you." She reached out and slid her hands across Kili's chest, laughing as he tensed in revulsion.

"Get your hands off me, you witch. I'm not interested. I could see through you from the start – you're nothing but a cheap, gold-filching whore, and though you might have a pretty face, you're the ugliest woman I've ever known!"

Rose removed her hand from him, glaring at him coolly. "You might come to regret your words, Kili, sometime soon... you might realise there are worse people out there than I am." She smiled again, and Thorin felt his stomach twist in a knot of fear. Was she threatening his nephew? What did she mean?

Trying to bring her malicious attention back to himself, Thorin turned his head her way and shouted.

"Tell me again about your merchant father Rose, and how your poor orcs murdered him. Or was that another one of your lies?"

Rose turned back to him, and prowled over to his side slowly. "Did I really say it was the orcs who murdered my father?" She rolled her eyes. "Silly me. Although the rest of my story is true – we did happen to fall on their camp, just as they were leaving. And I suppose, I had no choice but to sink that rusty old sword we carried in the back of our wagon straight through my father's heart." She shrugged her shoulders, and widened her eyes. "I had to get their attention somehow!"

Thorin looked at this woman, and realised she was utterly crazy. There was not a person alive she wouldn't hurt if it furthered her own interests. How could he ever have been taken in by her? How could he ever have found her attractive? How did he ever think she was a better match for himself than Bilbo?

He shook his head, appalled. "You mean you killed your own father?"

Rose strode away from them both, circling the room. "He was a dead man anyway. I just did what I could to impress those who needed a demonstration of my capabilities." She smiled to herself darkly. "For it turns out there are those who are very interested in you, Thorin Oakenshield, and your family." She stopped walking and turned to him, and Thorin felt a chill creeping through his bones. "The line of Durin, isn't that what it's called?"

Thorin turned to Kili, wondering how he could free his nephew before it was too late. The woman saw his sudden concern, and nodded.

"That's right. I think it's time I introduced you to my chief associate, Thorin Oakenshield. I think you already know of whom I speak – although I think your nephew hasn't had the pleasure yet." She smiled cruelly at Kili. "You'll soon realise that your brother was the lucky one, believe me."

Thorin felt fear blossom like a wound across his chest, and time slowed down until the world felt thick and still all around him. Then from the back of the chamber he heard heavy footsteps – heavy footsteps coming closer, round the corner, until he came face to face with the worst of his nightmares, made solid right before his eyes...

Rose smiled as the huge, pale orc strode into the room, his evil looking face leering down at the two dwarves in hatred.

"May I introduce to you, Thorin and Kili, my good friend – Azog the Defiler."

The pale orc strode right up to Thorin's nephew, inhaling the air around him in big huffing breaths, and Thorin saw his nephew flinch in fear as the orc rolled out a large grey tongue and licked at his cheek.

"Young and fresh." He grunted. "Just like your brother. Maybe you will taste as good as him too."

Thorin gave a cry of rage, and shook with all his might at the chains on his back, trying to free his hands so he could pull the monster away from his youngest nephew.

"Get away from him! You have no quarrel with him! It's me you want, and you can have me. Do what you want to me, Azog, just let him go!"

But the pale orc laughed, and prowled slowly to where Thorin stood, shaking in fear and rage, and stared at him grimly.

"Thorin Oakenshield." His voice was a rasp, like dry leaves scuttling across a grave. "I have you at last. You and your filthy family are mine."

He raise his huge, muscular hands, and the two burly orcs appeared by his side. They looked like toy dolls in comparison to the great, white monster.

"Take them away to the cells. Keep them together. It's more fun that way." He smiled cruelly at Thorin, and snarled. "Enjoy your last night in the world of the living, Oakenshield. Tomorrow I will send you both into a whole new world of pain."

And Thorin heard himself shouting out, begging them to spare Kili, offering them anything, but he was bundled away by the big grey orcs, bundled away down the stairs, with Kili close behind him, still shouting himself hoarse, but never receiving a single reply from the huge pale orc that followed close behind, watching him at a distance...

Sigrid clutched at her chest, feeling her heart breaking. She could feel hot tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, but she didn't want to let them fall, not yet – if she started crying now, she would never stop – and then she could never get justice for Fili or her father, and they would have died in vain...

She'd heard the whole of Rose and Thorin's exchange, from the dark corridor above the sentry room. It had been dangerous getting so close to those stinking, foul orcs, but when she'd heard Thorin and Kili's voices she'd had to come and listen in, in case she could help them escape somehow... but all she'd heard had filled her with horror and grief.

I will free them. I don't care if I get caught anymore. I won't let Fili's brother and uncle die by that woman's hand, I swear it!

Trying to catch her breath, Sigrid brushed the threatening tears away from her eyes and started making her way back down the stairs. There must be a corridor that led to the dungeons somewhere, and she would find it, even if it was the last thing she ever did.