I've seen a lot of posts online that criticise the use of a love triangle between Tauriel, Legolas and Kili. Personally, I think that Tauriel has enough scope to be totally badass and a brilliant character without the love triangle. I think the story works either way. This fanfic will remove the love triangle alltogether, although Tauriel will be close friends with Legolas, and will become good friends with Kili while he's in captivity. It will also use some information from interviews with the actress who played Tauriel about things about Tauriel's character that weren't put into the movie. I hope you enjoy it.
It was the night patrol, and the rangers of Mirkwood were running through the forest. Tauriel worried about the increased number of spiders that were massing in the forest. She felt a sense of unease from the growth in the number of spiders, and years as a Mirkwood Ranger had taught her to trust that feeling. Her acute elven hearing picked up a commotion in the forest, the spiders were massing through the undergrowth, heading towards something. She called to her patrol in elven, and they turned towards the sound of the commotion in the undergrowth. As she made for the sound, she saw another patrol coming from another direction. She grinned, as she saw that it was the patrol led by Legolas, the crown prince of Mirkwood, a close friend.
"Hey Legs," she said, grinning, as the two patrols came alongside each other.
"We're on a mission, Tauriel," said Legolas, seriously, as if lecturing a youngling "Use the proper formalities."
"All right then, my esteemed high prince of Mirkwood," Tauriel said, then turned serious "Spiders are just ahead, seems like they've found a good food source, probably some travellers in the woods."
"We saw," said Legolas "The group is 13 in number, dwarves by the look of them."
"Dwarves?" asked Tauriel, raising her eyebrows "What would 13 dwarves be doing in Mirkwood?"
"I don't know," said Legolas "That's why we're taking them alive."
"We'd better get moving then," said Tauriel, as she drew her daggers "Or there won't be any alive to interrogate."
"We'll go secure the dwarves," said Legolas "You take down the spiders."
Tauriel grinned, and swung down several of the spiders webs that littered the trees, knocking spiders down from their webs to the ground. The spiders died when she dropped on them, stabbing them through the neck. She suddenly heard a cry of "Kili!"
Turning, she saw a dwarf surrounded by spiders. She turned, jumping into the centre of them, fighting several of them off.
"Let me help you, give one here," said Kili
Tauriel felt a dagger under her foot, it must have been dropped by one of the dwarves. She kicked it back to Kili, before finishing off the spider she had been fighting.
She turned, her bow drawn, to see Kili bury the dagger in the head of the spider he had been fighting. She nodded to him. Then, quicker than he could blink, she drew her bow, and shot an arrow at the dagger, causing it to be nailed to a tree.
"You fought well, but I can't allow you to keep that weapon," she said, before escorting Kili back to the other dwarves, where her kin had them surrounded.
"Search them," said Legolas. The elves began searching the dwarves for hidden weapons and, finding several things. After a brief exchange with one of the dwarves, Legolas switched to elvish.
"Are the spiders dead?" asked Legolas
"Yes," said Tauriel, also in elvish "But more will come, they grow bolder, a darkness grows in Mirkwood, I fear there will be a far larger host of spiders before long."
One of the Mirkwood Rangers handed Legolas a blade. Tauriel recognised it. In elvish it was known as Orcrist, the Goblin Cleaver.
Still in Elvish, Legolas said: "This is an ancient Elvish blade, forged by my kin," Then, switching back to common, he spoke directly to the obvious leader of the party "Where did you get this?"
"It was given to me," said the dwarf
Legolas pointed the sword at the dwarf.
"Not just a thief, but a liar as well?" said Legolas, sounding disgusted. Then, gave a command to the rangers in Elvish to move out back to their settlement.
When they arrived, all the dwarves were put into separate cells. Tauriel put Kili into a cell.
"Aren't you going to search me, I could have anything down my trousers," said Kili
"Or nothing," Tauriel replied, closing the cell door before locking it.
Tauriel walked up to where Legolas stood.
"Why does the dwarf stare at you, Tauriel?" asked Legolas, in elvish
"Who can say?" said Tauriel "They do intrigue me, though, these dwarves, I've never been far beyond the borders of Mirkwood for centuries, I must survive and keep the darkness at bay."
"They are ugly and worthless," said Legolas "I do not know why father keeps them, he should just leave them to fend for themselves in the forest."
"You would prefer to let the spiders kill them?" asked Tauriel "No, I could not do that."
Tauriel left, she had to report to the king.
She found him walking, deep in thought. Not wanting to disturb him, she waited, until he noticed her.
"I know you are there," he said "Why do you linger in the shadow?"
She walked forward. "I came to report to you my lord," she said
"I thought I ordered that nest destroyed not two moons passed," said Thranduil
"We cleared the forest, but more spiders keep coming up from the south," said Tauriel "They're spawning in the ruins of Dol Guldur, if we could kill them at their source..."
"That fortress lies beyond our borders, keep focused on your task, keeping the Woodland Realm free of spiders," said Thranduil
"So," said Tauriel "We drive them off, what then? What will happen when they spread to other lands?"
"Other lands are not my concern," said Thranduil
"The spiders are our problem," said Tauriel, shocked at Thranduil's apathy "You would pass our problem on to other lands without a second thought."
"The fortunes of the world will rise and fall, but here in this kingdom, we will endure," said Thranduil
Tauriel was about to argue, but then realised that the council with Thranduil was over. She turned to leave.
"Legolas said you fought well today," said Thranduil "He has grown very fond of you."
"I assure you, my lord, myself and Legolas are just friends," said Tauriel "He thinks of me as no more than a captain of the guard, and a friend."
"Perhaps he did once," said Thranduil "Now, I'm not so sure."
"I'm not interested in joining with Legolas," said Tauriel, her eyes narrowing "He knows that, I know that, nothing will happen."
"Ensure that it does not," said Thranduil "You too far below his station."
Tauriel left, confused at Thranduil's warning to stay away from his son.