A/N: So, yea. I kind of feel like writing a new chapter. Enjoy!
The morning sun streamed into the dark room as the maiden opened the chamber door to fulfill her morning duty. "Good morning, young elfling. The king wishes to speak with you" Tauriel groggily got out of her bed, stumbling and almost losing her footing. "Come along, let's get you into your daytime garments." She followed the older elf to the closet that was at the opposite side of the room. She gazed, mesmerized at the beautiful dresses which occupied the large closet. They all seemed her size. The maiden, with a graceful hand, reached and picked a light green colored dress, like the color of spring grass. She looked into the mirror. It complimented her hair quite nicely.
Once Tauriel was dressed properly, and her hair was braided in typical Sindarin elf style, she was led by the maid down the hall and into a large room, most likely the throne chamber. The place was breathtaking. With the light streaming in through the skylight and other windows, the room looked like heaven to the little elf. She strode over to the throne. There sat the great king of Mirkwood, Thranduil, who had rescued her. "Ah. Greetings, young elfling. How was your night here in the palace.?" "Very pleasant. Thank you, my Lord.", she managed to say, remembering to use good manners. She noticed a small figure peeking out from the king's robes. "Please, let me introduce to you my dear son, Legolas." Seeing his cue, the young blonde-haired elf walked out into the open, where Tauriel could fully see him. "Legolas, son of Thranduil. At your service.", he said, bowing down before her. "T-tauriel, at yours." He smiled, gingerly, but she avoided his gaze. "So that's your name...Tauriel.", said the king. "That means 'Maiden of the Forest', Doesn't it, Ada?", piped the young elf. "Yes, son.. Well, as I was going to ask, Legolas. Would you please show Tauriel around the palace?" "Yes, Ada." With that, the blonde elfling gently grabbed Tauriel's shoulder, and led her out the door.
"So, what do you think the palace?",said the princeling. "It's quite beautiful, my Lord.", replied Tauriel. "Oh, you don't need to call me 'My Lord'! I'm actually not too fond of that. Seeing that you'll be living here, you can just call me Legolas." "Alright..Legolas." He smiled again. That was what really made him different from his father. The blonde elfling may have the appearance of a miniature Thranduil, but he was so much more easy-going. She decided that he was a good fellow. "So, where is your mother?", the she-elf finally said, trying to strike a conversation. Legolas stopped dead in his tracks, and his smile faded. "I…mustn't speak of that." The red haired elfling noticed his change of mood. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to offend you in any way.I-" "No, it's all right. Say how about we go to the stables?" His mood-brightening smile showed again, and Tauriel nodded nervously.
They walked to the large barn-like building. It smelled like hay and horse feed. Some of the horses seemed to recognize the prince, and nickered happily. "Hello!", he said cheerfully, as if they were human, as well. At the end of the large room, there was a particularly big stall, which must have housed a large creature. Tauriel soon realized that it was king Thranduil's elk! He whined knowingly when he spotted the red-haired she-elf. "Hey, I remember you!" the beast grunted as he got to his feet..or hooves, to be exact. Legolas got on his tippy-toes to reach the latch to the stall. Once he successfully opened the door, both elves entered the pen. "Hello, boy!", greeted Legolas. The large animal snorted and began to sniff at the elf's pockets. "Oh, you think you're so clever, don't you?" He gave in and presented the elk with the treats which were hidden in his pocket. "Can I... pet him?" "Of course." Legolas got on one knee and gave Tauriel a boost up. The large animal did look intimidating, but in reality was really gentle… Almost like Thranduil! The elflings finally said goodbye to the elk, and exited the stable. "Would you like to see my room?", asked the prince. "Sure"
They walked down the great hall, side by side. "Wait here.", he said as they halted in front of the kitchens. Tauriel was a bit confused, but obeyed him. He quickly strode in, silently. The she-elf heard a bit of rustling in there, and a huge commotion. As she was about to step in to investigate, the young Legolas dashed out the room, arms carrying a large bag, bulging with items. "Quick! Follow me, before they catch us!" So she did so. Her dress flowed behind her almost tripping her as she tried to keep up with the princeling. The elflings sprinted down the hallway, and up the stairs, like mice running from a cat. After what seemed like an eternity of running to the she-elf, they finally reached the male-elf's room. The he-elf plopped the sack down on the floor, and threw himself on his large bed, exhausted. Tauriel did the same, landing next to him, with a soft thud.
"That was *huff* the most outrageous *huff* thing *huff* that I have ever done in my life.", said Tauriel, who was probably more exhausted than the other elf. "My father will most likely have my head for this.", responded the elf, with a slight laugh. "Well, let's make it worth the while." He got up and brought the bag to the bed. To Tauriel's amazement, it was filled with Elvish desserts, pastries, and even a medium-sized jug of warm milk. "Sorry. Not to impressive, I guess. Ada would never let me have wine at this age.", said the prince, with a slight tone of disappointment in his voice. "Says the elf who just raided the king's kitchens!", she replied giggling. They both laughed for a while, then began to eat the delicious goodies. "Oh my goodness, these are amazing.", said the red-headed elf, her mouth full of one of the jelly-filled sugary breads. Legolas chuckled. " I guess it pays to be the king's son..Hey, you have something on your face!" He leaned over and with a gentle brush of his thumb, wiped a small spot of berry jelly off of the corner of Tauriel's mouth, which he soon licked off. "Did they ever have these kinds of sweets in your town?" "Oh, yes, there was a small bakery near my dwelling, before.." The memory of what had happened hit her like a stone. She had been having so much fun with Thranduil's son, that she had forgotten why she was there. The bright hue of her face seemed to fade, and turn pale, and she felt a lump form on her throat.
"Oh, Tauriel! My dearest apologies, I didn't mean to bring back memories.." The blonde-haired elf's words didn't seem to affect Tauriel at all, so the princeling decided to attempt a different strategy to comfort her. He hot to his feet, and stood in front of her, offering his hand.
"Wh-what..?", she said sniffling, as she looked up at him. "Take my hand." She did so, and he led her to the center of the spacious room. He held both of her pale-ish hands and began to sing a simple melody. Tauriel recognized it as Sindarin. As he sang, he guided her body to the song, like a dance. She could only understand it partly, for she didn't know the language entirely. Something about sadness becoming joy. The she-elf soon got the hang of the dance, and started to keep up with the other elf. Oh, how she noticed how clear and handsome his voice was! There was a slight change in the tempo of the song, which caused Legolas to twirl Tauriel around. The female elfling giggled at the sudden movement, in which she had almost stumbled over. He began to sing a bit faster, making them both move their feet quicker with shorter steps. He finished up the song with dramatically lifting Tauriel in the air, a move which he miscalculated, sending them tumbling down into a heap on the prince's bed. They both giggled hysterically, trying their best to compose themselves.
"Well, that was..different.", concluded Tauriel, still laughing softly. She looked over to him. "Thank you, Legolas, for…today. It was absolutely wonderful." She smiled gingerly. Not a fake smile to make herself seem happy. A real smile. To show her gratitude, the she-elf pulled the prince into an embrace, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. That practically made the elf boy a blushing mess, but he still accepted the hug, gladly. Then, he noticed something odd about her hair. "Oh, your braid has come undone." She reached to fix it, quickly, obviously embarrassed. "Here, let me." He began to braid her hair in the most professional fashion, his hands working swiftly. "I see you don't have a hair adornment.." "Yes, I know. Silvan elves don't normally wear those. Only on special occasions. But I must note that yours is quite beautiful." "Really? Here,", he replied, taking the elegant hair clip off, undoing his hair as he did. "Oh, you really don't have to-" "Consider it a gift." The princeling attached the spring-green gem-centered adornment to the base of Tauriel's braid. "There. Look, it even matches your dress. She blushed at his compliment. "Well, looks like the sun is setting.", he said, looking out the window. "Let's clean up the mess." And so the two elflings did. They cleaned the room, until it looked just as it had when they walked in.
"Hey,", said Tauriel when they finished. "You never re-braided your hair." "Oh..", his face turned slightly red. "Can I..?" , she asked hopefully. "Of course." The red-haired elf braided his hair. Not like how he had braided hers, but still nicely. She did it a completely different style than how Sindarin elves braid their hair. She had combed his hair into one, single, blonde braid. "Nice!", he said, smiling as he admired the work. "I like it."
Tauriel noticed it had become completely dark outside. "Oh, my..It's already night time.." "You could stay here tonight.", offered Legolas. "Are you sure?", she asked nervously. "Yes! The bed has plenty of room. I'm always alone, anyways." "Alright." The she elf looked down at her dress. "Umm..I don't really have any pajamas." "Oh, you can borrow one of mine." The prince went into one of his drawers, and retrieved a pair of silk, white night trousers and a night shirt. "Sorry, they're not too feminine." "Oh, that's quite alright. Er.. where might I be able to change?" He pointed over to a tall, foldable screen at the corner of the room, which provided a perfect private changing area. She was thankful for that, for she wouldn't be too happy changing in front of Legolas. The shirt was a little loose on her, but comfortable. Once she got out, Legolas was dressed in his pajamas, in bed. Tauriel slipped into the spot next to him, quite comfortably. To her surprise, Legolas pulled her into a warm hug, which relaxed her a bit. "Good night, Tauriel." "Good night, Legolas." And they fell asleep like that, in each other's embrace.
A/N: I decided to make this chapter a little bit fluffy. Sorry if it was a bit long, but yea. I hope you enjoyed. Please favorite, follow, and review!
