Disclaimers: Unfortunately I don't have a Lee Pace. Not the original, and not any of his characters. Written for enjoyment only.
Genre: Hurt/Comfort. Sickfic.
Pairing: Thranduil/Tauriel friendship.

Chapter 1: Bucket to Pail

Tauriel found that doing nothing was torture. Weeks have passed since the remains of the sorely decimated elvish army has returnaed from the battle under the mountain and the redhead was still to hear from the king in regards to what he wanted to do with her as a result of her latest and gravest insubordinancies. At first, not having been dealt with didn't bother her. It was convenient that everybody left her alone and she didn't have to trouble herself with explaining her deeds or talk to anyone, that she could get on with her grief. It's not as if anyone there could understand her love for a dwarf and pardon her previous rebellious behaviour. But at some stage, the pain got so unbearable that Tauriel felt like she had to do something to escape it. Yet it took her another few days to start venturing out her room and discover that indeed, she had been prohibited from leaving the Elvenking's Halls and not just from resuming her guard duties. At a loss as to what to do with herself, the elleth would've rather preferred to be treated as a prisoner and made to work for her lembas and keep. Maybe this exactly was her punishment, to sit idle, Thranduil would've known it would be agony for someone with her usually active lifestyle and the exact situation she was in. But weeks turned into months and eventually, she couldn't take the isolation and her own melancholy driving her to questionable thoughts and marched up to the Elvenking's rooms, having not found Thranduil or anyone for that matter in the throne room.

Galion was sited on a stone seat just outside his master's bed chambers, polishing the king's silver coloured boots and looked up rather probingly at her, "what's the rush, elleth?" He raised quizzical eyebrows at her, pointedly obvious he didn't address her by the title she had been used to in the guard. That probably didn't belong to her anymore now either, she contemplated.

"I would like to request an audience with His Majesty, if I am allowed," Tauriel started courteously, keen to keep in the good books.

The servant shrugged, "there's nothing to suggest you're not allowed," he established, then dipped the cloth he was polishing with in some liniment that helped make footwear shinier, going back to his work, dismissive of her presence.

"May I go in then?" She probed, "shouldn't you ask him or let him know I'm here first?"

"If I go in there, he'll demand I refill his carafes with more wine and we wouldn't want that, would we? I'm under strict instructions from the healers to limit his consumption as much as it's elvishly possible." Galion announced glibly as if it would've been common knowledge and it had been foolish of her to ask.

"The healers are trying to have the king drink less?" Tauriel cogitated the information. It was a lot to take in, other elves attempting to make their king do different than how he pleases. In general, it wasn't done or accepted. "Why?" The question became inevitable, "is he unwell?" It sounded like the only logical explanation.

"You could say that," the brunet provided unhelpfully.

"Had he been injured?" The elleth guessed. Elves didn't get sick, not unless it was poison causing it or they became susceptible to illness due to being close to fading away.

"I drink a lot." Galion announced. "But I drink for merriment and elation. He drinks for sadness."

Tauriel stood motionless, puzzled. It wasn't very clear what was going on with Thranduil, but it didn't seem like Galion would be much likely to reveal any more. "So you don't mind if I step in?"

The long time personal servant looked her up and down, "your swords were taken, no? You're not permitted any," he looked like he was checking, "well, I don't recommend going in there without anything to defend yourself with."

The warning sent a chill down her spine, "is he still that angry with me?" She wondered.

"That, I don't know. What I have is working experience on how to get out the way of his mood swings, which you don't," Galion held.

Tauriel took a deep breath, "I will take the risk," she reached for the door handle. Anything would be better than her current situation of going slowly insane.

Tbc