I never thought I would see a dwarf in Mirkwood. I mean, for goodness sake, this is elven land, and not even very many elves even saw me. If they did, they called me a balrog, or a troll, or an orc and whatever else they could come up with, even the Watcher in the Water (which is very inaccurate, the thing has tentacles, and I, for one, do not). It's not my fault I'm the nymph of an enchanted river! I was born to it, as they were to Mirkwood's halls. But they called me evil, and so my company was the water over the rocks and the webs and the spiders.

Yes, the spiders. They bring evil into the land. But I am cursed to do the same. Besides, some of the spiders are okay…if you overlook a few of their morals. Or, most of their morals, really.

Sighing, I looked up from the enchanted river I stood in, the one I guard with my life. If anyone fell into it, drank from it, bathed in it, they would drift off in a deep sleep, only to wake and lose part of their memory. The water was black, deep ebony black, but beautiful and dangerous all the same.

I heard the scrabbling of leaves before I saw the spider. Noisy creatures, they were. I told them to be quieter when searching for prey, but none took heed. I rose out of the water, stepping onto the land. I hadn't talked to anyone in a while. My feet padded softly on the forest floor, dark leather boots made of deer hide worn from age. My black leggings still had stubborn cobwebs clinging to them, as did my skirt and tunic, but after years of living deep in a secluded forest, I was used to it. The one thing I protected from the webs was a belt, which had a host of mismatching sheaths, each one with another knife.

The spider was utterly hideous. It was huge, covered in bristling, greasy hair, soulless eyes and gnashing fangs. It dragged an off-colored bundle of webs with it.

"Who'd you catch this time?" I asked.

The spider swung around, hissing and snarling, but I'd stepped out of the shadows and into the dim light. She dropped back onto the ground beside the bundle. "Lorelei. I told you not to sneak up on us." She hissed.

I smiled. "Spite, I told you the quieter you were, the stealthier, you might catch more prey."

"You'll never believe what we've caught this time." Spite started dragging the bundle again. "Dwarves."

I laughed. "Nice try. I'm not as gullible as I used to be."

Spite gave a horrible, hacking chuckle. "Seriously. There's thirteen of them, wandering aimlessly around. They strayed far from the path. You should have heard them. 'Look out!' 'Move!' 'They're everywhere!' 'Shoot it! Shoot it!' 'Hold your ground!'"

"Still don't believe you."

Spite sighed. "Do I really have to undo the webs to show you?"

"Shouldn't the dwarf be unconscious from the poison?" I replied. I've known Spite for a long time. She loved showing off her prey…before she ate it, that is. She had a thing for upper-class elves. Spite always took an alternate path to the nest, just to show me what she's caught.

Spite undid the meticulous wrappings around the 'dwarf'. She's tricked me before, in my childhood, into believing she'd caught anything from a hobbit to a wizard. But a dwarf? Like I would ever believe that. I've learned from my mistakes and gullibility.

For once, I was so wrong.

"And how many of you did it take to catch them?" I asked, staring at the young blond dwarf. I could almost feel the poison circulating…I shook my head. A glitter of metal caught my eye. I stooped down and picked up a knife. One of many, from the looks of it.

"Many spiders died. But it's a good catch, is it not?"

"Fully armed, wandering in Mirkwood….What on earth are they doing here?" I asked, tucking the knife into my belt. I had quite the collection, from elfish blades and human knives. And now a dwarven one.

Spite replaced the woven webs over the dwarf. "You know, I almost don't care now that I finally get a taste of dwarf. It used to be my grandfather's favorite." She pulled the unfortunate dwarf behind her.

We reached the spider nest. The creatures clambered up and down the webs, almost no light got in, and the stench was horrible. It was my home away from home.

I winced as I stepped towards the nest. I hated the webs. They stuck to everything that came in reach. I almost felt bad for the dwarves, if it wasn't for the fact that they were stupid enough to come in here anyway.

Other spiders were gathering, clicking and hissing. One scrambled over. "Spite! Lorelei! Just hang that one over there, by the fat one."

"I haven't seen you in a while." I greeted as Spite's siblings crept over to help her. "I heard you had a good catch. Spite told me you caught dwarves, and I didn't believe it until I saw it."

"There will be a feast tonight. Would you like to join us?" The Elder asked. One of his eyes was milky white from blindness.

I learned a long time ago not to come to a spider's feast. Not because of the food they serve, but the manner in which they serve it. They randomly throw pieces of their prey into a crowd and they fight for it, venom and fang.

"Thank you, but I think I should stay by the river tonight. Dwarves in Mirkwood? Something's off, Elder, even you know that."

The spider hissed in agreement. "I could send some spiders' home with you, if you'd like."

"It's okay. You know I can protect myself. Besides, your spiders will want the prey tonight. They lost many of their kin, from the sound of it. Give them a moment to relish their triumph."

He sighed, in that terrible grating sound spiders sigh. "I don't like this feeling that something is going to happen. Why is it that these dwarves, small creatures they are, unsettling me so much?"

"Dwarves are stubborn." I said. "Watch out tonight. I fear that they bring something with them."

Later that day, I stood once again in the enchanted river. Black water folded over my hands like silk. Leaves from the trees fell into the water, ruining its beauty. Webs covered some of the rocks in off white. Shadows shifted, trees groaned, and something crept around me. I couldn't see it, but I could sense it. It shuffled the leaves, stumbling in the uneven terrain.

"Whoever you are," I called out, moving into the middle of the stream, "Don't come near. The river is enchanted; you will fall asleep if you touch the water." Usually, I gave a more inspiring speech, begging, seducing, luring elves into the inky blackness and leaving them on the doorstep of Thranduil's home just to annoy him. He's long since learned sending more elves just made manners worse. Just meant more elves on the doorstep.

But I was used to seeing my enemy. Now I couldn't. I refused to be defeated by an invisible advisory in my home, my river, the thing I protected with my life because it protected mine. I was the only one who could step in without feeling its effects; I was the only one who saw what it really was: a thing of beauty.

The scuffling got quicker. A pile of leaves was disturbed, knocking them into the stream. I rose from the water, throwing one of my knives at the tree behind the disturbed leaves. I hit nothing. There was no sickening thunk of metal and flesh, just a hollow thud of metal and wood as my knife sunk into a tree.

I had to scare whatever it was away. I am a nymph, nymphs can and will die like humans. It didn't take much. I screeched my frustration for all Mirkwood to hear, and sank beneath the surface, swimming to a safer place downstream.

I willed myself not to quake in fear. First Dwarves, now an invisible…thing. What was next?

And not more than a second after I thought that, an elf came into my sight, walking along my river, all fiery red hair and attitude. I smiled, spirits renewed, slinking into the water.

Time to have some fun, shall we?