Chapter 18 - Visitors

"For a dragon will guard his plunder as long as he lives…" – Bilbo, the Hobbit

Kathryn was climbing up a steep mountain through a heavily forested area, the trees surrounding her, the brush thick and pushing against her, she had to move the vines out if her way as she shoved her way through. She was close to reaching the top, she could feel it, though she didn't know why she was climbing this dream-mountain, only that that was her purpose.

And besides, she could feel HIM inside her head with her, watching her, and she felt that if she ignored him and keep moving he might leave her be. For the past day they had been avoiding each other since their fight, and Kathryn was still feeling hurt and resentful over the whole incident, and Smaug hadn't made the situation any better in his stubborn opinion that he believed he had done nothing wrong.

It was midday in the dream world as Kathryn made her way through the trees which began to thin and spread themselves out more as she came to the top. Only a few rocks now stood between her and the summit, and she hastily climbed over them, feeling the rocks bite into the skin of her hands, but she ignored it, pulling herself up as she edged further to the top. Grabbing at what she could for handholds, she finally dragged herself up onto the top stone, and shakily, cautiously, she stood, feeling the wind fly through her curly hair, sending it waving through the sky like a bright red streak of flame. Kathryn looked up at the sky around her, cloudy with mist obscuring some of the landscape far below her, the sun peeking through to shine down upon Kathryn's skin, warming her. From where she stood, Kathryn felt her stomach do a little flip at the dizzying height, knowing that if she just took one step out she would fall for miles. She felt as if she were on the very top of the world, everything was below her, and it only seemed possible for her to reach up and touch the sun she felt so high. There was nothing but her, the wind, and the sun, utter peace reigned on a world that remained silent and devoid of intelligent life.

Well, almost peaceful.

"Kathryn…" she heard the whisper of her name on the winds, and inwardly groaned as she turned to see the gigantic form of the red dragon materialise in front of her from thin air. Smaug was laying against the mountaintop, his talons dug into the rocks to keep him in place, his body pressed against the side, his tail wrapped around it, leaving his neck and head free as he coiled around Kathryn though did not close himself around her.

"Why are you here?" Kathryn murmured in a reserved tone.

"You continue to ignore me," he growled to himself. "I had to use some way of getting through your thick skull,"

"That, coming from you?" Kathryn remarked.

Smaug watched her, his ember orbs boring into her as he waited for a proper response from her. But Kathryn merely folded her arms across her chest and turned her back on him to look out over the landscape bellow. She had nothing more to say to him; she had imagined this argument a thousand times over, and it never ended well. She didn't want to cause herself more grief then was necessary. However, Smaug was not too keen on this heavy silence that surrounded them, broken only by the wind that whistled softly around them like a commentator on the events happening between them.

"You cannot hide from me in your own mind," Smaug growled out impatiently. "I am always with you, Kathryn… when you wake, when you sleep, there is no running from me. So tell me, why do you continue with this brooding silence?"

"You used me," Kathryn whispered fiercely, hurt slicing through her anew as she said the words out loud.

"Everyone uses everyone else, it is the way of the world," Smaug said dismissively.

"But why?!" Kathryn whirled around to face him, unable to contain the emotions that swirled within her like a restless sea. "Why do that when you could have spoken with me!"

"It is my want to do with what I own as I please," Smaug's lip curled to reveal his teeth in a slight measure of anger.

"I am not your possession!"

"You are mine," the dragon growled as he leaned his face towards her, eyes blazing as they locked onto hers and Kathryn found that she couldn't look away from the hypnotising stare. He pressed the end of his muzzle closer to her, and Kathryn edged back, trying to give herself some space. But she felt her foot slide as she came to the edge, and she shrieked as her body jerked towards the –

The end of Smaug's tail was there to catch her, pressing against her back so that she was leant against it as it held her up, Smaug's face still only an inch or two away from her body, trapping her. She stared into his eyes, unable to tear her gaze away as her heart began to beat like a bird's wings inside her chest. She felt the bond connecting her to the mighty dragon become alive, and she felt a rush flow between them as she stared at the dragon she loved.

"A dragon will never fully surrender his treasure to anyone." Smaug said, his voice thick with some emotion Kathryn couldn't place, it was soft and heavy, and it rung in her ears like a song that called to her very soul, making her insides turn warm with just the power of his voice. "We hold it close to ourselves and guard it with our lives. I have owned the very greatest of all treasures in Arda, my wealth was the envy of all. And yet, the most precious treasure I possess, is the only one that could leave me at any moment…"

"You tried to tie me to you with a reinforced chain you knew I wouldn't break… but had you not realised that my heart was already yours?" Kathryn whispered, his words had made her suddenly uncertain of her own conviction. Had he done it to use her? Or was he so afraid of losing her again that he was prepared to do anything to keep her to him, even if he wouldn't admit such a fear openly. She felt oddly sympathetic and confused to the source of her current torment, and it made her want to huddle into his warmth and never leave, just to prove that he had nothing to fear.

"I have had many females in my time, but none have ever wanted to keep more desperately then you. You are an addiction that I cannot shake; a paranoia grips me that you might leave at any moment, and it drives me mad with fury. I would destroy this world if only to keep you, burn it all to the ground; you have become the one string that holds together my sanity, and I won't let you leave me again,"

Kathryn felt a thrill of fear and excitement race through her at the same time. She was so confused by Smaug's words, they soaked into her head and made her doubt her resolve. But how could she be so angry with him when he was just trying to hold onto her, as if she were a bird that would fly away if he opened his claws even the slightest bit. But at the same time, she had been hurt by him, and she wouldn't be so ready to forgive… but she could at least begin to allow them to make amends.

"I will only go if you push me away," she whispered.

She reached out and gently placed her hand on his snout between his nostrils, her palm against the sensitive pours that made him shiver as he took in every fibre of her body. He hummed at the contact of her skin, and pressed himself against her. They stayed that way for a long time, simply holding one another on the top of the mountain, trying to get across to the other what broken words could not.

Slowly, Smaug allowed her to stand on her own, and Kathryn gave him a small smile. As he took his tail away from her, Kathryn turned bac to the wilderness below and the sky above, and breathed it all in. She wished there could be a place like this, where she could stand in the open air with the sun on her face, with no threats, nothing for Smaug to worry over, just them two in an empty world.

With a deep breath, before she could think, Kathryn jumped over the edge of the mountain and fell through the air, allowing herself to relish the feel of the wind as it roared in her ears and the feel of being weightless as she fell. Then with but a single thought, her dream body changed completely and she was suddenly much larger, with wings spread, long neck and tail stretched out, and golden scales that gleamed in the light of the sun. She twirled through the air, and a moment later, she felt Smaug join her, the rush from beneath his wings buffeting her slightly, but she stayed aloft, looking at him with the same purple eyes as she pumped her wings to ascend into the heavens. As they spiralled and soared together, Kathryn's wings brushed Smaug's as they flew together through the sky.

They came upon the crags of Emyn Muil, the natural labyrinth of stone rising high into the sky and casting foreboding shadows onto the world below. Freyja looked up with wide, fearful eyes, her knees trembling as she took in the impressive sight before her. Kathryn was somewhere in there, and Freyja knew she had to find her, had to make sure she was safe, and had to know if Kathryn knew what Smaug had been doing. As well as the party of Merchants that had been attacked, Freyja and Faervel had come across two nearby farms that had been massacred and burned to the ground, the animals either torn to shreds or missing – the only reason they knew that was when they found a barn filled with cow dung but no cows amongst the bodies of the dead. Smaug was killing a lot of people, innocent people, and Freyja wasn't entirely sure why or if Kathryn was fully aware.

The young girl looked to the elf beside her, swallowing hard to try and bite back her noticeable fear. Faervel tried to give her comforting smile, though he did not touch her, which Freyja was silently grateful for. Taking a steadying breath, Freyja brought out the crystal ball, and focused her mind so that it was not a shaking, frightened mess – or, as best she could. She tried to conjure a picture of Kathryn in her mind's eye, and silently sent her question of finding her. Freyja hoped that her dormant magic would be enough to make the crystal work, otherwise Faervel would have to navigate, and he was already focused on keeping watch for any sign of incoming attack, an arrow already notched on his bow, his boot straps, belt and the inside of his coat lined with blades that he could use at any given moment.

The mist in the ball dissipated for a brief moment, and Freyja was relieved to see it working as it showed her a winding path through the crags until suddenly, Freyja saw a stone fortress built into the side of a cliff, with a broken bridge leading to it, and a single long tower overlooking the top.

"I've found them," she murmured softly. "She's in a fortress, hidden by the crags."

"Is the dragon with her?" Faervel asked, his voice not demanding, just a simple question that helped to deal with Freyja's flash of panic. Trying to sooth herself again, the girl imagined the huge red dragon in all his beastly glory, feeling herself tremble at the mere thought of him. The mist in the ball changed to show the great dragon flying out over the vast plains, seeming to be hunting.

"Far away, for now," she said.

Hey made their way through the horrid stone maze, Freyja flinching at every sound, casting her worried eyes on every rock and ledge above them as if a band of orcs would leap out of nowhere. She lead them through the maze, holding the crystal ball in her hand to remind her of the path that they should take. Faervel stayed close behind her, his eyes trained on every shadow and watching the sky, even as his keen ears strained to hear every slight sound. It took them almost the whole day, it was almost sunset when they finally found the fortress, built from the rock around it, it was hidden on three sides and only open from one, a bridge lying broken so that there was almost no way to cross to the keep on the other side. The front wall of the keep was smashed where the main entrance doors should have been, the whole big enough for something very large to squeeze through. With a quick glance at the crystal ball, Freyja checked to make sure that Smaug was still out, and he was, and Freyja felt sick as she saw him tearing apart a house and snatching up the people inside in his jaws, pinning three pigs beneath his foot for him to take back later. He was occupied, but Freyja knew that he wouldn't be long.

"Now's our chance," she whispered to Faervel. The elf nodded, and retrieved from his pack a length of rope and tied it to the end of one arrow. He shot it across the space in the bridge were it stuck to a half dead tree that had grown twisted out from between the bricks. Faervel then tied the other end to a boulder and made sure that the line was secure. He and Freyja then slowly made their way across – Freyja squeezing her eyes shut the entire time as she whimpered and struggled not to lose her sanity to the yawning abyss below. But eventually they reached the other side.

Freyja collapsed when they reached the opposite side of the bridge, thanking all the Valar she could name for having solid ground beneath her feet. She tried to take steadying breaths, even as Faervel picked himself up and scouted ahead to the entrance to the fortress. He was only gone for a moment, disappearing into the black on the interior of the keep, and when he came back, he came to kneel close to Freyja, though he still gave her a respectful distance.

"There is a large tunnel leading down into the depths, to where I suppose the vault is. There is a door leading to a staircase that goes to the rest of the upper levels of the keep." He told her in a soft and soothing yet serious voice, his eyes constantly scanning the sky for any sign of dragon wings. "I suggest we split up, it will make finding her faster. I'll take the lower levels, for that is most likely where the beast would have taken her. You search the upper levels of the Keep. Should the dragon return, he will not be able to reach you there, the doorways are too small for him."

"V-very well," Freyja stuttered as she shakily got to her feet, and hesitantly followed her companion inside.

Kathryn sat in the library once again, reading through any and all scrolls for mentions of the Path of Dreams, even though she couldn't read the words, just a mention of something she recognised would be enough. She pondered briefly on the notion of trying to teach herself how to read elvish… though disappointedly dismissed the idea. Smaug had left earlier in the day because he was concerned over the fact that there was a group of people too close to the crags, he said, and he's been gone almost the entire day, leaving Kathryn to occupy herself.

It was whilst in the middle of reading a scroll, her eyes drooping as her mind began to slip with boredom and fatigue, that she heard something rather strange… It was a familiar "pat-pat" sound, in an even rhythm, and oddly getting closer. Kathryn swallowed nervously as she stood and edged closer to the door, she could hear the noise come closer, and recognised it as the tapping of feet climbing the stairs towards her. So Smaug's paranoia had some base in truth? Had they been found by enemies? Kathryn tried to keep her heart steady as one hand came up to her chest, holding the scale necklace tightly in her grip, as if it were a holy idol to give her strength. She took a deep breath, and shot herself out of the library, hand raised to strike the invader of her home –

A little angel face looked up at Kathryn and screamed. Kathryn screamed in response, quickly ducking back instinctively away from the noise –

And then she got a good look at the supposed "invader", a lovely childish face not quite immature but not a woman either. Lovely blonde straight hair, ice blue eyes and petite little figure that shook with fear. Kathryn's jaw instantly dropped as she recognised the girl before her.

"Freyja?" Kathryn gaped.

"K-K-Kathryn?" the girl stuttered.

"Freyja!" Kathryn launched herself at the girl, who yelped in surprise as Kathryn folded her arms around her and tugged the girl into her embrace, pressing her close as she was filled with joy at seeing her friend again. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?" she asked as she held the girl at arm's length to look into those lovely blue eyes.

"The dragon took you," Freyja replied in a stronger voice, though it still quaked with fear as if she feared the sudden appearance of said beast. "I feared for you, and Faervel and I came to find you,"

"Faervel's here?" Kathryn gaped.

"Yes, Valar above, we were so worried. He needs to see that you're safe, but I needed to make sure that nothing had…" she trailed off with a fearful expression.

"Freyja, it's alright," Kathryn murmured soothingly. "I've not been harmed, he has been taking care of me," Speaking of which, Kathryn saw that it was almost sunset outside through a doorway that led to a balcony at the top of the tower, the light fading and shifting colour with the sky. Kathryn knew that Smaug would not be long, and should he return to find an intruder, no matter how well Kathryn knew her, he would be so angry… "But you need to leave, now. Go find Faervel and leave as fast as you can, and don't let yourselves be seen,"

Katrhyn took the girl's hand in hers and began to lead her back towards the stairs, but suddenly the girl dug in her heels and pulled her hand out of the red-head's grip. Kathryn stopped and turned to see Freyja standing with the most determined look the seer had ever seen on her.

"No," the girl said. "Tell me why you would stay here with him?"

"Freyja… he is the only one safe enough to be around me," Kathryn told her in a soft voice.

"A dragon?!"

"Yes, I know, but… Freyja look at my eyes!" Kathryn said, pointing to her own face as she felt a sadness well up inside of her at having to be forced to explain this to such an innocent soul. "I am a Seer, I am connected to Raw Magic, and I can't control it! I've killed a man before because I couldn't hold myself together; I let my emotions control me. If I become too emotional, who knows what I might do next?! And the dragon considers me to belong to him," she added with only an undertone of bitterness in her voice at the statement. "If I don't go with him, then he will take me by force, and many people could die. Don't you see I'm doing this to protect everyone else? From me, from him!"

"But Kathryn, you don't have to protect me," Freyja stressed, her eyes shining as she came forward and boldly grasped Kathryn's hands in hers. "You said we were friends, aren't we?"

"Of course we are –"

"Then I won't let you live with this burden alone, you can't live in fear of yourself or for others all your life," the girl pressed. "You helped me once, you told me that this is what friends do – we help each other. So I will do the same for you. If you want to, we can leave this fortress with Faervel and you will never be imprisoned again!"

"Freyja –"

"Or if you want, we will leave you hear, but not till I know that this is absolutely what you want, when you know everything. I am your friend, I will help you, I promise."

"Freyja," Kathryn said, grasping the girl's hands back, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze as their eyes held contact for a long moment. "I know what you're trying to do. And as hard as it is to believe… but I want this. I love him. Please, go back to Vathvael and live your life,"

"I can't," she whispered.

"It's not worth you throwing your life away. I know you mean well, but leave." Kathryn pressed. "I'm fine, and here I can be free to be myself without hurting anyone around me. Just stay away and you'll be safe from us, no one will ever be bothered by the dragon-dread again, I promise."

Kathryn was confused to see Freyja's eyes suddenly fill with tears as she shook her head.

"That's a promise you've already broken," she whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Kathryn asked, frowning as an icy feeling of dread filled her stomach.

"Do you really not know?" the girl's eyes widened.

"What is it? Freyja tell me!" Kathryn demanded, the dread turning to fear inside of her.

"Oh Kathryn…" Freyja whispered as she began to shake almost uncontrollably as she looked up at the older woman with apologetic and pleading eyes. "Smaug has already attacked others,"

"What?" Kathryn breathed, denial striking through her as she let go of Freyja and faced her.

"Several farms and little houses close to here have been destroyed: all the people killed, the houses burned to the ground, the animals slaughtered or taken, we even found a merchant party heading for Dale… there were no survivors." Freyja whispered brokenly as if she knew the reaction that was waiting for her.

"No…" Kathryn whispered in horror, not wanting to believe it. "No, it can't be true! We're staying here; we're staying away from everyone!"

"Smaug plans to return to the Mountain!" Freyja pressed. "He wants to go back and reclaim Erebor's treasure,"

"How do you know that?" Kathryn pressed.

"My mother worked for him, he told her that was what he wanted to do. To take you back and then go to the mountain with you."

"No… no, no!" Kathryn whispered, her heart breaking inside of her as she had to look away from the girl before her. Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her, and she had to press her shoulder to the wall as she slid down to the floor. How could she have been such a fool? Of course Smaug would never give up the treasure, not for her, not for anyone! His greed had come first all those years ago, and it still came first now! Why had had she listened to his lies?! Why had she fallen for him so badly that now there could be no turning back for her? Perhaps the dragon-spell worked on her after all, or perhaps it had been the bond between them that had completely blinded her to what he was really doing. And now, she was trapped with a monster she couldn't trust, and she would never be free of him!

"Kathryn…" she heard Freyja whisper in concern as the girl knelt beside her, gently reaching out to touch her shoulder in a supposedly comforting gesture. But Kathryn couldn't feel it, she felt cold and numb, and only a hair's breadth away from complete crumbling to dust. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just thought you needed to know."

"How…" Kathryn's voice cracked, and she had to swallow to wet her suddenly parched throat. "How could I have let this happen?"

"It's not your fault –"

"Of course it's my fault!" Kathryn snapped, causing the girl to jump back but the emotional storm that was suddenly raging inside of Kathryn was too ferocious to let her think. "I did this! I loved him! I was the one he came back for! And I didn't see what he was because I didn't want to see! I could have changed this, I could have stopped it, but I didn't!" she smacked her hand against the stone in rage, and was unprepared for when the brick beneath her palm exploded with a blast of magic.

There's no end to this madness, Kathryn thought with a whimper of misery as she curled into herself.

"K-Kathryn," Freyja tried to control her stutter as she edged closer nervously. "What do we do?"

"What do you mean 'what do we do'?" Kathryn muttered bitterly. "I can't escape this, and it's only getting worse…"

"Don't panic, Kathryn. Please. I'm sure we can do something!" Freyja pleaded, tears in her eyes like a child begging her parents for any means of escape. "W-We could go to mother! O-Or maybe Smaug could know… Or maybe…" Freyja continued on but Kathryn was no longer listening.

Smaug.

Not only did Kathryn have a few words to say to him once he returned, but for the first time in sixty years, Kathryn felt deathly afraid of him. She fared what he would do to her once he knew what she had discovered, what would his anger be when she refused him and his plans? And… what would he do if Freyja was still here when she had been the one who told Kathryn the truth…

"Freyja," Kathryn whispered as she stood up suddenly and turned to look at the girl. "You have to leave, you have to get out of here, now!"

"What?!" she squeaked. "No Kathryn! We need to –"

"No! Listen to me! You have to go! You're not safe here!" Kathryn yelled over her as she desperately pulled her towards the stairs. "Go find Faervel and get him out of here! Before Smaug returns! Now, go!"

"But –" she protested.

"Go!" Kathryn shouted before disappearing back into the library.

She needed just a few minutes to gather her energy, she could feel in her bones with a dreadful certainty that the next time she encountered Smaug, it wouldn't be a clean one.

Smaug flew low over the crags as he approached the fortress, a tired yawn escaping him as he rolled his shoulders. It had been a long day, one he would have rather spent asleep in the safety of the fortress with Kathryn – he still didn't like leaving her alone and unprotected – but he had to deal with mortal establishments that had been too close to the crags for comfort. They were mainly rundown stick huts with a few animals kept in pens. It had been good for the food, and the humans had offered good sport, and he now carried a dead sheep in his claws as he came to the broken bridge. He reared back as he prepared to land, flapping his wings to slow his descent as his back legs hit the bridge first, causing it to tremble slightly under his weight; then his front legs came down as well, whilst his wings folded against his back smoothly. Cracking his neck, Smaug made his way inside, ducking his head through the hole in the front of the keep as he –

He froze in place, only half in and half out of the building, as his eyes went wide, his pupils as thin as blade-edges as he scented the air. He drank in all of the scents and felt his spine shudder at what he found.

Human. Female. Elf. Male.

There were intruders in his den.

Smaug bared his teeth, a fury settling in him that made his chest shine with golden light as his fire burned within him. He continued to scent the air, a growl rising through his chest as he tried to find where the intruders had gone. He felt every bone in him quiver with rage and worry, for what if they were here for his gold? Or what if they had discovered Kathryn? He couldn't allow this to happen!

Smaug's head snapped to look around when he heard a faint scuffle of feet against the stone, and he saw a figure emerge from the stairs leading to the higher points of the keep. A young girl, with blonde hair, her face stained with tears. She didn't seem to be aware of him as she stumbled through the doorway, her head bowed as she wiped at her face with a sniff. But she froze when she heard the faint growl that Smaug couldn't keep hidden, and her head slowly turned upwards to look at him her mouth opening in frozen horror, her eyes wide – ice blue eyes. Smaug recognised her, Andraya's feeble little female offspring. He could help the sadistic grin that spread across his face as a dark chuckle escaped him, a sound without mirth and one that made the girl shiver.

"So, the witch couldn't leave alone, and too much of a coward to face me herself," he growled out as he fixed the girl with his eyes, pinning her in place as the dragon-spell easily made her submit to his will. "But I warned her what would happen, and I keep my promises…"

He lunged for her, and the girl had just enough time to scream so loud and so shrilly that Smaug felt his sensitive ears complain under the sound. But then, his jaws were closing over her, and he felt the extreme satisfaction as his teeth punctured through her body, tearing flesh, smashing her body and crushing her bones. Her scream became a bubbling gurgle as he lifted her into the air and shook his head, feeling her body rip and tear apart, spraying her blood over the stones around him, until he heard the snap of her spine and felt her go lifeless in his jaws.

He dropped the body on the stone, a pulpy mess with only a few blood splattered strands of blonde hair, and half a face intact to recognise her by. Smaug snorted disdainfully, and turned away –

He suddenly heard the beat of two running pairs of footsteps, one coming from the tunnel, and the other coming from the stairs where the girl had appeared.

Smaug turned his head in time to see the elf boy come first up from the tunnel, his eyes going wide as he beheld the scene before him, too horrified to even be able to draw his bow as he stared brokenly at the body of the girl. Smaug felt his grin return, this was just too good to be true! Oh, he would enjoy tearing this one apart limb from limb, drawing it out, he had a good revenge to –

But then, the second person appeared, and Smaug turned to see Kathryn standing there in the archway leading to the stairs, her hands bracing her against the stone where it looked like she might collapse at any point. Her face was pale, all the blood drained from her as she stared wide-eyed at the body on the floor, her breathing coming in quick gasps, and he could practically hear her heart stop for a fraction of a second.

And then, Kathryn screamed.

Andraya gasped, feeling her knees give out beneath her as she felt something be ripped from her chest, something that could never be replaced…

Freyja…

Andraya felt a wave of grief and anger sweep through her with such a force she thought she might break under the pressure. He had taken her baby from her… her little girl…

The anger turned to rage as she knew exactly how to play such a game.

An eye for an eye.

Author's Note: So, I hope you all enjoyed the Chapter! :) I have received loads of messages and reviews with names for babies, and I must say a huge thank you to everyone! They all sound absolutely wonderful, and I will hopefully pick one or two soon.

I apologise for those of you who wanted the pairing of Freyja and Faervel, but I knew I wanted to kill her off, so I apologise for the feels you guys have had for her! I'm so sorry, it broke my heart to see her go, she was so sweet. :'( I apologise also for any and all mistakes in this chapter as I am so tired, my head is literally pounding where I need sleep -_-

Now review time! Please tell me what you thought of: Smaug and Kathryn making up? Dragon Kathryn ;)? Faervel and Freyja finding the fortress? Kathryn and Freyja's conversation? Smaug killing Freyja? Andraya's want for revenge?

Until next time! x