Tauriel had not quite been the same since Erebor. She was still a young Captain - her post and rank was ensured as long as Legolas remained in the favour of his father - but the Tauriel that Thranduil had known was no longer the Tauriel who had sauntered through his Halls day by day, her flaming hair echoing the flaming grin on her lips.

Tauriel herself had been taken aback by the events of the last few months. How easily and quickly she had found herself swallowed up by emotions for the dwarf - Kili - so easily and quickly that she had often found herself questioning whether it was real or not. But the anguish that had flowed through her veins when he had died in her arms, and the fervour and passion she had felt as she had raced toward him - how could that have not been real?

She was sitting on a rock which jutted out over a small coursing stream. Sometimes Tauriel liked to sit in certain parts of Mirkwood on sunny days, and let the nostalgia take her. Mirkwood had been a haven for elves for centuries, and sometimes if she closed her eyes - she could almost hear the patter of feet or excited calls of elves of the olden days who ran past where she sat now.

'Tauriel?'

A male voice shook her from her daydream, and she turned.

It was a guard who served within the Hall of the King. Rennyn.

'Hello, Rennyn.'

'Quel re,' he responded. Good day. He opened his mouth to continue.

'Our King Thranduil has requested an audience with you tonight, when the moon rises in the sky.'

Tauriel's pleasant smile faded. She had not forgotten how he had snapped her bow with a curve of his sword during the Battle, nor how he had accused her love for Kili as being a falsity - regardless of how he had eaten his words afterward. She thought about that moment sometimes. Rocking Kili's head in her arms, glancing up at Thranduil through tear-splashed lashes - and for a quick second, she had almost thought she had seen the smallest flicker of vulnerability flash through his eyes.

She remembered accusing him of being loveless, and a pained half-smile played on her lips again.

'Thank you, Rennyn.'

He nodded his head and turned on his heel, heading back toward the Hall.

Tauriel stretched her legs across as far as they could go, dipping the tips of her boots into the stream. The water eased over them with a gentle wet sound, and she let out a sigh.

Nothing Thranduil could want from her now could be good news.

The moon was amost in the sky, she thought - back in her quarters. She was brushing through her fiery red hair, taming it down. She felt a bit sheepish - she had not really been in contact with the King since her emotional meltdown before him in the Battle. After giving it some weeks to stew, she felt more and more idiotic about ever having heated exchanges with her King about love.

So she tamed her red waves, put on a long-sleeved, long green dress that fitted her frame and kissed her toes - elves were not in the fashion of puffy, pointless dresses - and sat for a second to set her mind to keeping herself as distant and cordial as possible. She was aware if it had not been for her friendship with Legolas, Thranduil would have had her out of his kingdom by now - even if he had been wrong about her and Kili.

When the first rays of the moonlight washed through her window she got up, and slid through the door. She walked across the grass toward the King's Halls, nodding at the Guards who stood down to let her pass.

She entered the Halls gingerly, stopping a few feet before the throne. It was empty.

'Tauriel.'

His voice preceded his entrance into the room, but he didn't even look at her as he stepped up toward his throne, settling himself on it.

'Quel undome, heru en amin.' Good evening, my Lord.

'You have been distant since the battle.'

'I have been keeping busy, my King.'

'Have I offended you, Tauriel?'

The bluntness of the question threw her off - and now he was looking at her - really looking at her. Not a passing gaze, or an unseeing stare. She could feel the gray eyes boring into her own. The eye contact was so sudden but unsettlingly strong. She felt that looking away would be admitting defeat to some sort of fight she had to win.

He was beautiful, she thought. Beautiful, but so dangerous. So unpredictable.

'You have not, my King.'

'So why do you no longer bless these halls with your laughter and merriments like you used to?'

His voice carried a note of sarcasm and dry humor, and Tauriel knew he had had a little too much to drink.

'I did not realize you counted it as a blessing.'

He laughed, breaking the eye contact. Tauriel felt herself let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. He kicked one leg over an arm of the throne, pressing one hand to his temples.

'I have been thinking, Tauriel. Thinking to invade dwarf lands to expand the Elven dominion.'

Tauriel heard the guttural laugh rip from her lips before she could stop herself.

'Of course you would think that. Another absolutely ridiculous idea, very befitting of yourself.'

Thranduil's head snapped back in her direction, his gaze white hot at her insult.

'What did you just say?'

Tauriel had always been in the favour of the King - allowed to make remarks and pardoned for comments that others would have paid a hefty price for - but she had never directly insulted his rule. He rose from the throne and descended to her, and she felt the atmosphere in the room pressing down on her from all sides. Her ears felt hot.

'Your wretched love for that dwarf has clouded your judgement,' he spat, venom hot around the word 'love', as if it were something so misplaced and laughable - he may have well been talking about a dove in an army of Orcs. 'In case you have not remembered - your duties lie with your kind. Any remote affections you have nursed for the Dwarves should have died with him.'

Tauriel's ears were burning even more now. She stepped toward him, her brows set in a scornful frown.

'You do not know what I felt for Kili,' she said, in a quiet, seething voice. 'You, yourself - you said it was real.'

'I say many things,' he said, dismissing her words with a hand. 'A word of comfort here and there - it seems it went amiss. My priority has been - and always will be - my people. Not them.'

'I'm leaving,' Tauriel snapped, turning on her heel. Thranduil threw forward his arm, grabbing her by the elbow, pulling her back.

'I have not bid you leave.'

'I'm not asking your permission!'

Tauriel felt the anger burning through her skin, and she hoped for a surreal second that her skin would be hot enough to burn his fingers on her. She resented his touch - she resented all of him, as she had never resented anything before.

'Amin fueya ten 'lle.' You disgust me.

His eyes bore straight into hers again. 'Rine sinome, Tauriel!' Be careful Tauriel!

She glared at him defiantly, pressing her thumb into her palm to force herself to keep staring directly at him. The aggressive set of his mouth eased off into its more familiar set of arrogant displeasure, and his shoulders relaxed.

'Perhaps I am a little overindulged,' he said, his voice soft now. 'Perhaps there has been too much wine in me tonight.'

Tauriel was aware that he was closer to her than any male had ever been - save for the time she had kissed Kili's dead mouth.

'I resent them, Tauriel,' he said, enunciating each word clearly, as if to fend off the drunkenness. 'I resent them so much.'

'They left on good terms,' Tauriel managed, through gritted teeth. 'They did not harm you. They worked with your people.'

'History cannot be changed for the good of one or two,' Thranduil almost whispered. He was still holding her by her elbow - and he reached out another hand to tug a lock of her hair between his fingers.

'Red,' he murmured. 'So red. Just like your temper.. your fire..'

'I must leave,' Tauriel said sharply, pulling herself away from him. 'We may discuss strategic measures when the wine has left your head.'

She saw his head cock to the left as he looked at her from head to toe - noticing his eyes lingering on the curve of her hips in the dress, and her exposed collarbones.

She turned away. 'I bid you farewell, King.'

'Yes, lirimaerea.'

Tauriel's eyes widened as she left, his final word echoing in her head.

Lirimaerea.

Lovely one.

Let me know what you have thought of it thus far! Chapter 2 should be up by tomorrow night. All constructive criticism and comments mean the absolute world! x