"Do you remember the day we met?" Tauriel asked him one day, years and years after Kili and the one-day banishment.
"Yes. I do," Legolas looked towards her.
"You found me in the forest. I was sobbing because the orcs killed my parents. And you didn't ask questions. You didn't try to tell me everything would be alright. You didn't even try to talk to me. You just sat down next to me and held me. You had no idea who I was. Yet you knew I needed comfort. You knew I didn't need anything else. And you were willing to offer that before you knew my name. Because you've known pain. You've known loss. You know the best comfort is just having someone there."
"I guess..."
"I think I fell asleep there."
"You did. I carried you back. And I was waiting with you until you woke up."
"I woke up from a nightmare. Right?"
"Yes. You were screaming hysterically. When you finally woke up, you just looked at me. Your breath settled. Then you were asleep again."
"I woke up again to your voice. The people were asking you about me. I think you told them that you just found me in the woods, and I had been weeping."
"Then you said, 'I was crying because my parents were murdered by orcs. I saw them die.' And everyone was so shocked you were even awake. And I asked your name."
"And I told you it was Tauriel. Then you said yours was Legolas. And that I didn't have to tell you anything about what happened. You were the only one who understood about grief."