Chapter 2
Thranduil paced among his troops as they prepared to leave the city of Dale. There sill had been no sign of Tauriel. That didn't surprise him though. For one, she was still grieving over her lost love, and secondly, he had banished her when she defied him the first time. The chances were slim that she would show herself here. He knew that if he wanted to see her, he would have to look for her himself. With a final glance around, Thranduil left to find Tauriel. He already had a vague idea of her whereabouts, and was proven correct when he saw her crouching in the shadows of a boulder at the foot of The Lonely Mountain, head in her hands, out of sight from the working dwarves, but still quite close to Kili's grave.
"A mountain with nothing but bare rock is not a place for an elf," Thranduil looked down out the crouching figure, one metre away.
Tauriel had sensed the approaching figure and a sort of fear gripped her heart as she guessed who the figure might be. Her fears were confirmed when the figure spoke. Tauriel tensed slightly as she looked up to see the silver and red robes that reminded her so much of ice and fire. Tauriel then looked up to meet the eyes of her king, "My Lord Thranduil," the silvan elf answered.
Thranduil noticed that Tauriel's eyes were red from tears. He had not yet decided what to do with her, or what next to say to her. He had not seen her since he found her at the watch tower with the lifeless body of Kili cradled in her arms. Before he could decide what to do next, Tauriel was already on one knee before him.
"My lord, I wish to apologise for my disrespectful actions. I will accept whatever punishment you have in mind for me," Tauriel began, her head lowered in resect, "But I do not regret my actions of defending the dwarves and the people of Lake-town." At this, Tauriel looked up to meet Thranduil in the eyes. The Elvenking saw the fire and determination in her eyes.
"Like I said, this is no place for an elf," Thranduil's voice was calm and even, "We leave for home at first light tomorrow. Join us if you wish." With that, he turned away with a flare of his robes.
"And what of my banishment?" Tauriel called after her king as she returned to her crouching position.
"You are pardoned. For now," Thranduil answered without turning around or stopping.
All Tauriel could do was stare at the receding figure. Now that she had the choice of returning home, she did not know what to do. Originally, she had planned to wander around Middle Earth, perhaps visiting Rivendell or Lothlorien. She had originally chosen this, despite the dwarves' and Bard's offer to let her stay in Lake-town, Dale or Erebor. But now, she could return home, to the place she had lived for the past 600 years. All that was stopping her was the punishment she knew would come once she reached Mirkwood. Tauriel came to a decision. She was already prepared to face her punishment.
As she got up, Tauriel noticed that one of the dwarves was coming towards her, and the Halfling slightly behind. Balin, she remembered. He had been one of the last few dwarves to leave after Thorin, Fili and Kili had been buried. She also remembered that he had been among the company of 13 dwarves that had been captured at Mirkwood. At the thought of it, she remembered Kili and a lump rose to her throat. She forced it back down as the dwarf and the hobbit came face to face with her.
"Greetings, friend" Balin started, "I believe we have already met before, but I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Balin, at your service." With that, he gave a short bow.
"Greetings," Tauriel replied, keeping to the dwarvish way of greeting, "My name is Tauriel. At your service," She said the last line with a slight smile.
Bilbo couldn't hold his tongue back any longer, as he, like all hobbits, tended to want to be included in conversations. "And I am Bilbo Baggins," he announce, "At your service," He made a low bow in the direction of the elf.
"We saw King Thranduil come here, so we decided to check out what was happening," Balin explained for their unexpected arrival. He knew how Tauriel felt for his dead comrade, Kili. "Everything will be alright. Your= are always welcome to stay her with us if you wish."
Tauriel gave Balin a sad smile, "I have lost many things in these past few days. My comrade (Legolas, for he had no wish to remain in Mirkwood), my loved one and my king's trust, just to name a few. I do not wish to lose my home as well."
"You are welcome anytime. When do you intend to leave?" Balin asked.
"At first light tomorrow. All of my kin will leave then as well."
"Then I can travel with you! I'm all packed and ready to leave when I will. I can farewell you and the elves then. Besides, I have something I wish to give to your king as a token of friendship and good graces," Bilbo chimed in. His hand fell into his pocket, producing a necklace of silver and pearls: a parting gift from Dain. "I do not believe your king holds kindly to me, after, well, after that incident," Bilbo was talking about the time when he released the dwarves from the elvenking's prison. He had stolen the keys from right under the guard's nose.
"Indeed," Tauriel replied, smiling fondly at the memory, eyes glinting with amusement. It had been a while since she had last smiled a real, joyful smile. She reflected on the way the small hobbit had cheered her up, and not for the first time, realised how remarkable one so small could be.
"Then I shall see you tomorrow," Tauriel smiled, "But before then, I wish to visit Kili's grave one last time, before I return home." At this, a sad look came over her face, and she one again felt hot tears begin to form. She quickly turned and walked away before her two companions could notice.
