Memories of a Broken Heart
Legolas cursed under his breath, in the forbidden Black Speech of Mordor – something he had not done for a long time, as the soldier closed the kingdom gates firmly shut and turned the key. The soldier handed the key to Legolas who placed it in his pocket. King Thranduil had ordered the people of Mirkwood to stay within the confines of his kingdom until the darkness had past. How could he, Legolas Greenleaf, the son and heir of Thranduil Greenleaf have been so naive? Why had he not seen this coming? Granted, he may not have had powers that matched that of Lady of Lórien, but, he thought he'd known Tauriel. The Tauriel that he'd known would not have abandoned her post as captain of the Elven guard for the mere heart of a Dwarf. For many years, he had considered her to be his friend and would have made her his queen when his Lord father eventually passed, knowing that he would not approve of such a thing. There had always been strife in the kinship between that of the Dwarfs and the Elves dating back to the Second Age – this much of history was true and could be found deep within the halls of Minas Tirith. Could two such stubborn settlements start to build bridges in their kinship in order to protect their homeland? Could Tauriel be the key? Or, would Thranduil have to show more acceptance in the Dwarfs mission to reclaim Erebor?
Legolas had since seen a new twinkle in Tauriel's eyes, already the brightest grey, that had never been there before. He had grown curious about her affections and loyalty since they'd rescued Thorin and his company from the army of Arachnid's that continued to swarm the deepest, darkest part of Mirkwood; and made them their prisoners. She had forced them to hand over their weapons before shoving each of them into a cell within the fortress. Thranduil had called for her to speak about the task at hand. She explained to her king that a new army of spiders continually forced their way into the kingdom after she and the guard had wiped out the others. She then proceeded to offer the idea that an old enemy may be behind the attacks but Thranduil would not see reason and brushed the idea off. Later that evening, Legolas had followed and spied on Tauriel whilst she took the night watch of the captives. Had he not seen her, sat outside the cell of the taller one, Kíli or whatever his name was, before Thorin and his company mysteriously escaped right under her nose?
Yes.
He had certainly noticed a change within her that compromised the safety of Mirkwood. Tauriel had decided to disregard the orders of her king and neglect her position as protector of the kingdom. Legolas found himself, yet again, in the need of Thranduil's council although he'd already made up his mind about his next movements. He was going to go after Tauriel – regardless of the consequences that his actions would bring upon him. She might be an excellent swordsman and handy with a bow, he thought, but she would not be able to survive an attack from a pack of Orcs on her own. She would be dead for certain.
Father!
Thranduil was in deep discussion with members of the Elven council, probably about the Kingdom under the Mountain, when Legolas had taken the final few steps to the throne platform at a jump causing several of the older Elves to start. Legolas allowed himself a smirk. Ever since he'd been a young Elf, he was always running through the halls of the palace, occasionally breaking some sacred treasure or other, much to the dismay and anguish of his Lord father. Legolas looked very much like his king. They both had long blonde hair that flowed past their shoulders, brilliant blue eyes like that of the midday sky on a summer's day, and a long, straight nose. However, the only difference was that Legolas had inherited his mother's square jaw and had tied three strands of hair into braids which Thranduil had become very fond of.
"Father, may I speak with you?"
Thranduil concluded the discussion, apologised for the interruption and dismissed his council. The older members who had jumped at his appearance sneered down their noses at Legolas as they took their leave, and began the long climb down the stairs. Thranduil waited patiently until the head of the last elf disappeared out of sight, all the while observing his son taking notice of the rigidness of his posture, and pushed himself off the throne. Legolas was roughly the same height as his Lord father but the crown of golden elf wood and autumn leaves added another couple of inches.
"Precede," said Thranduil, infuriately, adjusting his robes so that he was more comfortable. "This had better be important, Legolas. You have just interrupted a very important discussion, dating back almost six decades, regarding the Elves participation in the war that will come from the Dwarfs taking back the Kingdom of Erebor from Smaug."
Legolas took a long, deep breath. He knew that the next few words would be like firing an arrow directly into his father's heart. "Erebor has been lost for almost six decades to that monstrosity, who, might I remind you had no right. You could have helped them all those years ago but stood back and watched. Do you not think now's the time that the Dwarfs reclaimed their homeland and took back the Kingdom under the Mountain? Start to rebuild their lives?"
"You may have struck a bargain with the Dwarfs during the Second Age, but, you're blinded to reclaim the diamonds that you think are rightfully yours. You clearly have no other interest in Erebor than what lies beneath that mountain! I don't wish to remind you, but, you seem to have forgotten that a dragon has guarded the treasure for six decades and the greed of a dragon can be poisonous."
Thranduil's face hardened and his eyes flashed and crackled with an electrical current.
"You were only a small child when this bargain was made. Do not tell me what you think I am and am not interested in. These jewels were of great value to me and would have bought Mirkwood wealth beyond that you would not believe," snapped his Lord father, briskly pushing himself up from his throne. Any mortal human would have flinched and taken a step back at this aggressive motion, but, Legolas after years of warrior training stood firm. Unfazed. "If the Dwarfs even make it into that mountain; and Smaug is awoken and killed, then all the Kingdoms of Middle Earth will want to take back what was promised to them almost half a century ago. Will they not? Was this not the reason for the rift between our kind and the Dwarfs?"
No, thought Legolas, bitterly, running his hand across the wood of his bow as his father waffled on. It was your refusal and ignorance to help them when Smaug first took Erebor for himself.
"Enough talk of this, we are not here to discuss our history," finished Thranduil, putting his foot down. "Why do you seek my council? You seem troubled."
Legolas was caught off guard. He was amazed at the abruptness to which his father had bought the conversation to a grinding halt. For a moment, he had forgotten the reason as to why he'd come seeking council from his father in the first instance but then remembered Tauriel and her betrayal. He would need to play the next conversation carefully. Thranduil was already upset about his insolence, and he knew that if he made the wrong move – he might as well have gone into battle without his most faithful weapon. He and Tauriel would be banished and her position as the Captain of the Elven guard would be stripped from her. He would no longer have a queen. He treaded tentatively.
"Why was I not granted the honour of becoming Captain of the Elven guard? Why did you choose Tauriel?"
Thranduil
"What do you mean, Legolas?"
"The night after you had spoken to her about the Dwarfs and my fondness towards her, I made the decision to follow her whilst she took the night watch of our prisoners. I made quite sure that Tauriel didn't see me as she would have thought me unjust. She disregarded the others and took rest outside the cell of the taller one. I warned you that he had taken shine to her in the forest which angered me deeply."
Thranduil walked over to the table in the corner of the platform, poured himself a glass of Elvish mead, whilst listening to his son as he continued, and offered a glass to Legolas who politely declined.
"She started talking to him about stars and lights, and then he presented her with what I can only describe as a pebble. I couldn't see the inscription but he was talking to her about it and its meaning. She tried to refuse him but he insisted that she kept it as a token."
Thranduil finished his mead and put the glass back down on the table. He surveyed his son with piercing blue eyes. "Have you spoken to Tauriel about this?"
"No."
"I don't think it would be wise. She obviously has feelings for this Dwarf that we cannot control. I have tried to convince her that they mean nothing, but, I don't think she really understood."
"Will she be able to remain in Mirkwood if she has fallen for this Dwarf?" asked Legolas. "I wouldn't want to see her homeless."
"I'm afraid not," said Lord Thranduil. "I will not allow Dwarfs to brush shoulders with our kind. They are no more welcome here than a pack of Orcs!"
Legolas turned to leave. "Was there anything else?" his father asked.
"No."
He left with one thing in mind: Save Tauriel.