Note: So for starters, this is a sequel to a story I previously wrote so if you haven't read We Will Endure yet, do not continue reading until you have read that one. Now for those of you who have, hello again! I know this is a little late but I got caught up with school and stuff so I was really busy and when I wasn't busy I was too tired. But now that I have this up, I should be uploading regularly again ^^. This chapter is kinda short so sorry about that. But nonetheless I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think :3 alright I'll let you get to reading now. Enjoy :)

Spring was approaching Mirkwood, but so was the thickness in its forest threatening to take over the woodland kingdom. That wasn't Thranduil's concern at the moment though.

He woke up alone for the first time in months, and worry washed over him. This was not normal for him anymore.

He quickly threw off his blankets and slipped out of bed. He put on a robe that covered him decently, and walked out of his personal chamber to find Tauriel sitting on the couch in his study. Relief washed over his face shortly afterward. He took a moment to watch her as she braided her hair intricately, with a face full of focus.

He took a step further and she looked up at him. Her sleepy yet focused face was a sight he came to love in these past few months. It helped him keep his sanity with everything that had happened when their relationship went beyond professional.

He took a deep breath, and it hit him hard to realize just how much he needed her now.

But doing all of this was risky, since his people did not know of his private affairs. For he is tied to another but he cannot explain why he has felt all of these strong urges again, many years after his wife had been deceased. It feels almost as if the bond between them was broken somehow, and he does not see any joy in remembering her face.

All of those thoughts fade away when he is with Tauriel though. Her touch alone brings him a sense of peace. He even feels young again when they share secret moments in his throne room. She never spends much time in there with him anymore because they both know that they would be unable to be professional in front of his guards.

Right now though, he is alone with Tauriel in his private study. No one dares enter unless it is extremely urgent.

Tauriel finally brings him out of his thoughts by placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth. His heart flutters with just the simple act. He finds it adorable that she has to tiptoe up to him to do so.

His response is putting his arms around her waist and hoisting her up to plant a deep full kiss to her lips, which are warm and inviting. She puts her arms around him, as well as her legs. These movements send him into frenzy.

He staggers back to find the couch in his study, and he almost trips as he falls back into it. Their lips are still locked together as this happens.

Once on the couch, Tauriel repositions herself to be more comfortable, and then starts placing kisses everywhere on his face and neck. The sighs that come from her mouth drive him mad.

But as quickly as the moment starts, it ends. Tauriel slows down her kisses, and eventually pulls away to look at him. The way she does so indicates that she doesn't want to, but she knows she has to. He frowns and sighs.

"You could stay. Today we have a feast and there aren't many things to do until midday." He tried to reason.

She shook her head and slightly smiled. "But I have things to do today, and I need to be up early to do them. I know this is hard for you… It's hard for me too." He knew that her situation was more difficult. It still didn't make anything less painful though.

After a moment of silence, Tauriel stood up and straightened her dress. "For now we must have comfort knowing we will see each other tonight." She leaned down to give him a deep, but short, kiss.

When she finally left, Thranduil took the moment to bury his secrets away, so he could face the day. Then he got ready, all the while he was wearing a cold mask that could be described as frightening. Inside though, he was smiling because he knew he would see Tauriel again tonight, and that was enough to make going through the day bearable.

Tauriel sighed when she made it back to her room and hurriedly got ready for her day. She hated having to get ready there still. It had been months, and Thranduil made no mention of how he was going to tell his people about them.

Her worry grew even worse, when there was a knock on the door.

Lady Rainil's plastered smile was on the other side of it when she opened the door, and Tauriel's heart dropped. It didn't show on her face though, she was good at that.

"Good morning my lady, what brings you here this morning?"

"Let's skip the formalities. Why did I see you retreating from the area near the king's personal spaces this morning?"

Tauriel was prepared for this moment should it ever happen, but she dearly hoped it wouldn't. All of her hesitations hit her in the face yet again, as she realized that things were about to get complicated.

"I was wandering around this morning a bit aimlessly, and when daylight hit I realized where I was and I knew I needed to get back here as soon as possible."

"You weren't with our dear king this morning at all?"

"I do not go into his personal chambers anymore my lady, those days are long over."

Lady Rainil made a face that said she knew more, but Tauriel knows in her heart that she doesn't. This whole visit was going to be just a waste of time, though necessary.

"Somehow I don't believe that. The king favors you, so I'd expect you would be in there quite often, am I correct?"

"Why is that important? Who are you to delve into mine or the king's personal business? What do you have to gain?"

Tauriel was getting annoyed by her very presence now, and she just wanted her gone. Even if she didn't have secrets, this was just outright prying.

"You're getting so defensive suddenly. It's almost as if you are hiding something."

"Leave! I have things to do today and you are keeping me from them." If smoke could come out of her nostrils, it definitely would have.

The lady finally turned and left.

Tauriel knew it wouldn't be wise to go and see the king right now, so instead she went to where she needed to go.

She spent her morning helping Maein with random things around her quarters, since Maein was now under the effects of pregnancy. It was also a nice way to stay within the kingdom and away from the battle. The effects of war were definitely overwhelming for Tauriel. Every time she tried to pick up a bow, Thranduil's face appeared before her, and every time she tried to pick up a dagger and twirl it, the dagger would clank to the floor as the orc and Kili would flash through her mind.

Helping Maein was the best thing she could do right now, even though she was a terrible caretaker. She was learning slowly how to be better though. Maein once joked that it was practice for when she would become Thranduil's wife and bearer of more children for him.

That idea both excited and scared her, for a number of reasons.

She reached Maein's quarters, which were a nice walk away from hers. She tried not to look at too many people as she walked. Despite how many months it's been, she was afraid to draw too much attention to herself. It was partly because she was harboring a big secret, and also because she didn't want to be looked down on anymore.

But being at Maein's house put Tauriel at ease. Her friend welcomed her with a smile as she sat in a rocking chair in the corner humming an old elvish lullaby in Sindarin. She stopped when she Tauriel.

"Good morning captain, is something wrong?"

"Sometimes I wish Lady Rainil wasn't your mother, or that she wasn't so adamant about finding out my secrets…" Tauriel didn't mean for her problems to come out right away, it just sort of happened.

Maein sighed, and motioned for Tauriel to sit. Then Tauriel told her everything that happened.

"Doesn't the necklace keep you invisible?" Maein asked once she was finished.

"Not unless someone is actively seeking me out, which is what your mother was doing." Tauriel sighed and looked slightly down, unsure of what to do.

"I suppose you can't risk it by going to the throne room today either right?"

Tauriel nodded.

Maein then said she would have Merenor deliver a message to Merenor once he came back from the patrol. In Tauriel's absence from the guard, Merenor took over as captain, though her patrol missed her a lot. She promised to go back when she was ready, and she wasn't sure when that would be.

After that happened, Tauriel got to work in doing all of Maein's daily things, and once she was done, she went to the healing quarters to meet with Naradeth and all the other elvish women who were interested in fighting. Since she couldn't teach them actual combat yet, she had been training them for months in self-defense, since they were not ready or allowed to have weapons of their own yet.

But by this point in their self-defense, they knew and mastered most of the techniques; it was just a matter of overseeing and making sure that they were implanted and ready for the next step when it would be permitted. The council meeting was soon, and Maein was going to plead her case with Naradeth. Tauriel's only part was convincing the king, which she had already.

When she got to the healing quarters, she could see that everyone there was warming up together, and it was a pleasing sight.

"Hello Captain Tauriel." Naradeth bowed when she saw her, and it made Tauriel think about being a queen where everyone had to bow to her in the way Naradeth did. It was a chilling thought.

"I see you've already got started." Tauriel beamed.

Once they were done warming up, she had them go through the basic techniques, which were perfectly performed in unison. Then they went through the next steps and eventually they practiced more advanced techniques which were starting to take better shape. Tauriel was a good teacher to those willing to learn, and all of the elves that stood before her were willing as she could see.

When they were done practicing, they all dispersed, and Naradeth went up to Tauriel.

"Have we proven ourselves enough?" She asked finally.

"In my eyes you are all amazing, but it's going to be a long battle for this to change." Tauriel didn't really know any other council members other than Lady Rainil, and if they were all like her then there was no hope.

"What is the king's opinion?"

"What he says to me may not be what he says at the meeting. There are a lot of things at risk if I get involved and he says yes. I know it's not the answer you want, but it's the only answer I can give."

Naradeth showed no expression. Tauriel wasn't sure what to make of it.

Their conversation was cut short by Merenor showing up. Tauriel's face changed very obviously at the sight of him. It meant that Thranduil got the news.

"May we have a moment captain?"

They walked to a quieter place to talk where no one could hear them. That was quite hard though, since elves had keen ears.

"The king requests you don't go to his quarters tonight, he will find you instead."

This was relieving yet still unnerving. The only thing on her mind was that she wished he didn't have to risk himself. He was the king though, and maybe it was much easier for him to go by unnoticed. Tauriel nodded.

"What does the forest look like now Merenor?" She asked after some time. Despite the fact that she wasn't fighting, she was still worried about the world around her home. Her desire for going other places had diminished when traveling to Erebor. Legolas had made a good point that she swore an oath to her kingdom, and then later she swore personally to Thranduil that she would never leave him.

"Pick up your weapons and see for yourself captain," he replied. His face showed no hint of what he meant.

Tauriel knew exactly why he said that. It was his way of motivation, and it nearly worked. She only nodded in response, knowing she could say nothing to defend herself any longer. She needed to get over her fears of failing someone again, and Merenor basically said that.

After some time he left, and then she did too. But she didn't go back to her room to dress in something fancy for the spring feast. She went to her tree. It had been ages since she had done this, and she felt it was the right time to do so now.

There was hardly anyone around it, so she quickly climbed it to her branch.

It was comforting to be there after so many months. She took a deep breath and felt the breeze of a spring evening that was flowing through the air. The calmness it gave her did wonders. She wasn't around anyone trying to please them or meet their needs. This was the nicest thing of all.

She imagined the feast to be starting up around this time, and hoped that no one would question her absence. It was hard staying under the radar now, but she was determined to stay sane at the very least.

Though through all this calm and peace she felt, there was a hint of loneliness. She hoped Thranduil would find her here, and something told her he would. So she decided she was going to stay and wait for him until it was late. Hopefully by that time he would already be there, or she would be ready to see him again.

She knew he would find her though, he always does.

It was a long day for Thranduil, and the news of Tauriel being sought out by Lady Rainil didn't help him. He knew it was starting to get crucial when it came to the secret of their relationship, and he needed to find the answer of revealing it soon.

The feast started, and Thranduil took his seat in the dance hall to watch the festivities for a while, and as expected, Tauriel was not there.

To avoid suspicion, he talked to a good number of council members and captains before slipping out to Tauriel's chambers. He laid eyes on Lady Rainil chatting away with someone as he slipped out, so he knew she wouldn't catch him leaving.

He reached Tauriel's quarters to find it empty. It was pure instinct that brought him to the tree right afterward.

Sure enough, when he climbed it there she was, with her eyes closed and looking peaceful. He took her hand in his, and she smiled beautifully. He loved it when she smiled. It meant that there were still things in this dangerous world to be happy about.

"I knew you would find me here." She hummed.

"If I hadn't I would have panicked." He admitted.

At that she opened her eyes, and shifted herself next to him. "You don't have to worry about me leaving again. I have no desire for that."

She confirmed her words by placing a kiss on his cheek, and then slowly making them travel down towards his neck. He felt her shiver, and these movements made him hold her close. He placed a kiss on her head to reciprocate her actions but in a sweeter way.

"Shall we retire?"

They climbed down the tree and snuck back to her quarters. There they fell onto her bed and all of their day's worries were washed away in a sea of kisses. They did not go further than stripping down to their underclothes for fear that their actions would make too much noise. Tauriel did live near quite a lot of elves. Granted they were all at a party, they lost track of time every moment they were entranced in each other. The only time that mattered to them was daylight when they had to break apart.

"The council meeting is soon Thranduil, how are you going to take Maein's plea?" Tauriel said once they were just lying together.

"It's hard to say. I may leave it mostly up to the council to make the decision. We already know that Lady Rainil is going to say no, even if it is Maein's idea." Sometimes he wished he wasn't someone of such high importance. There were too many troubles on his mind, and now even on his personal time he wouldn't get a break from them.

But to his luck, the conversation stopped there, and she fell asleep shortly after. He loved listening to her breath as it rose and fell. The rhythm of her heart soon soothed him to sleep too, and his last thought was a prayer that things would fall into place and they would both be at peace soon.

But Thranduil was always known to have little luck, and something inside him knew that this would be their last night of true peace.