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On to chapter two!
"And finally, rounding out our class of new initiates…Niera and Tauriel!"
The words still echoed in Tauriel's head pleasantly, even though the ceremony had concluded almost two hours ago. She still couldn't believe it, really. Not only had she passed the test that enabled her to become a member of the Woodland Guard, but she'd graduated with the top honors in her class of ten other initiates. Almost ten centuries of practice, sweat, and even a few tears, had finally paid off.
Now, it was time to celebrate.
One of her friends, Riendel, tapped his fork against his water glass. "Attention, attention everyone! May I have everyone's attention?"
The chatter taking place around the large table gradually tapered off as all the guests turned to hear what the usually eloquent elf had to say.
"I propose a toast," he started, "to Tauriel, for defying expectations, becoming part of the Guard, and-most importantly of all-giving us a reason to celebrate!" The other elves Tauriel had invited to her celebration party toasted appreciatively. Tauriel couldn't suppress a small smile as she nodded to each of them in turn.
Closest to her was her best friend and closest confidante in all things, Raena. Raena had been one of her first roommates when she was rescued from the spider a thousand years previously. Having been orphaned when she was so young she could barely remember her parents, Raena had grown up in the Guard program. No elf their age knew more about it than she did and she had taken it upon herself to show Tauriel the ropes those first few harrowing months. They'd been roommates on and off for years, until Raena had passed her own induction ceremony the previous year, as she was a year and a half Tauriel's elder. Tauriel had always looked up to her as an older sister, and she was looking forward to having more time to spend with her now that she had finished her formal schooling.
Next to Raena was one of their previous roommates Leirial. Leirial had her own horror story to tell, as she'd had her tongue ripped out by a tribe of orcs. Other than that, no one really knew anything about her past. She had just appeared one day and never spoke of her previous life. Tauriel spent more time with her than anyone else did and she was also most fluent in the sign language Leirial had invented in order to communicate. Even Raena took more time to spell out what she wanted to say, whereas signing had become as natural as breathing to Tauriel.
After Leirial came a few other past roommates: Lyeina, Nenila, and twins Rowan and Raven. Seated next to them were her two cousins Niena and Nienal. She saw them every other weekend, for three weeks in the summer, and most major holidays.
Next to them sat Riendel, her sometimes-kind of-boyfriend. They had never done anything intimate beyond the usual goodbye kisses, but they often went out for dinner or to see a play on the weekends. Tauriel had to smile as she remembered the first time she'd been paired with Riendel in a familial life class-they'd argued about every little thing. True, they still did that now, but at least they knew they could get along together well enough.
And finally there was Legolas, seated at the head of the table and surveying the party guests as a king surveys his realm. He was Tauriel's other best friend, as they'd known each other for a full millennium-longer than she'd known any of the others there. They tried to spend every other weekend hiking because their schedules were so busy, and they didn't get to see each other as often as Tauriel would have liked. Legolas had been the one constant in her life; she knew she could always count on him being there for her, no matter what happened. He'd given her extra Guard lessons when she needed them and had been with her when she killed her first spider. He had never once forgotten her name day. Now that she'd passed her Guard test, he would be not just her friend but her high captain and would oversee most of her training exercises and patrols. In short, she would get to see him often-which she was very excited about.
A tap on her water glass jolted her out of her reverie. Riendel was looking at her from across the table, head cocked in both a curious and cute manner. "What are you thinking about so deeply?"
"Nothing, really."
"This is your party. You shouldn't be thinking deeply at all."
She smirked. "This coming from someone who has never had a deep thought in his life." Riendel pretended to be offended and she laughed happily. It still hadn't sunk in yet: she was a member of the Guard as she'd always wanted to be. Tomorrow, she would go on her first patrol.
"I'll have you know that I have plenty of deep thoughts!" Riendel cried. "Why, just yesterday I was thinking that-"
Raena nudged her shoulder, giving her an excuse to not listen to his mindless chatter. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" she whispered.
"Thank you. I can't wait to go on patrol tomorrow."
"I know. There haven't been any spider sightings all week. Maybe they've given up."
Tauriel didn't believe that, even for a second. Sure, there hadn't been many orc or spider sightings lately, but that was anything but reassuring. The more likely cause of their disappearance was that they were preparing an even more crippling attack on the wood elves.
Just then, Legolas stood up and motioned for Tauriel to follow him outside. "We will only be a minute." Tauriel followed him, somewhat confused. Leirial stopped her before she got too far away from the table and signed something quickly. Tauriel was easily able to translate it as I'll save you a piece of cake.
Thank you, she signed back. Although Leirial still possessed top notch hearing, they tended to sign to each other if they wanted to have a private conversation. Tauriel knew that she could always use the practice. She followed Legolas out of the dining room and onto a small balcony overlooking a rocky bluff. The training center was visible through the trees and she could see small fires coming from other balconies as her fellow initiates held their own celebrations. "What is it?" she asked.
"Brignir asked for my final say on where you should be placed in the Guard." Brignir was the Captain of the Guard, which meant he would be assigning the new recruits to their posts. Tauriel had tried to be extra nice to him during the past few weeks, as she didn't relish being assigned to clean the Guard barracks. It wasn't exactly a memorable first job.
"And what did you tell him?" They both knew that Tauriel's dream had always been to be a patrol officer.
He looked away. "I told him I would think about it."
"What is there to think about?"
Legolas suddenly seemed to be very interested in examining the polished wooden railing under his fingertips. "I would prefer it if you were to accept a desk job."
"Why? Legolas, we both know that I specialize in hand-to-hand combat." Tauriel despised paperwork. She despised the idea of spending hours in a small office addressing mountain after mountain of paperwork even more.
"You are quite good at it, yes. But the forest is not as safe as it once was. Patrols are sometimes attacked. Maybe just for a year or two, until you're a little bit older-"
"Brignir said that I'd do very well on patrol, even at my current age."
"I just would like to know that you'll be safe."
Tauriel rolled her eyes. She was sick of the constant drills about safety and how important it was. She could easily fight off any creature of the forest. She'd had to do so on many occasions-and Legolas had been with her for most of them. "I can take care of myself, Legolas."
"I understand that."
"Let me go on patrol."
"You have never gone on one before. What if yours is ambushed? What if there are more spiders than your battalion can comfortably fight off? Will you know how to respond? If your comrades die, will you know how to dispose of the bodies and release their spirits properly?"
Tauriel was beginning to feel annoyed. "I've survived in the forest before. I have explored its paths. I know all of its secrets."
Legolas smiled wryly at her, making her even more annoyed than she had been before. "Never presume you know all there is to know about this forest. Besides, what about that time with the spider?"
"I was seven centuries old. I had never even held a knife before. I'm more experienced now. I don't need to be rescued." She tried to keep a calm head, knowing the prince was just trying to infuriate her. "Please don't assign me to a desk job. That would be a unique and cruel form of torture."
She waited in silence for a tense two minutes until Legolas slowly nodded. "Do you promise to stay with your patrol? No wondering off to investigate strange sounds."
"That only happened once."
"And then you ran into a pack of slavers. Do I have your word?"
She sighed. "Fine. Yes, you have my word. So, will you put in a good word to Brignir?"
"I'll see what can be done." They stood in silence for a while, watching the small campfires wink out one by one as the night grew later. "You have a busy day tomorrow. Sensible elves would have ended the party long ago."
"Maybe so, but I have always been different."
He smirked. "Your logic is impeccable. Come-your other guests will begin to wonder if we have been attacked by orcs."
His tone was light but Tauriel could sense the underlying distrust in it as Legolas looked out at the dark forest. In this weather, it was easy to think that a darkness had spread across the land and that the trees, water, even the air itself, were becoming infected. It was easy to believe that the forest deserved its new name: Mirkwood. "Do not fear. There is still light here, for those who wish to find it."
"For now, yes, but for how much longer?"
She didn't have a good answer to that.
Hours later, the partygoers dispersed, each headed for their own destinations: Legolas for the palace; Riendel, Leirial, Rowan, and Raven for the training center; Ilane, Niena, and Nienal for their own home; Lyeina for her room in the House of Scribes; and Nenila for the raft elves' huts. Tauriel walked with Raena as far as the corridor that separated most of the Guard rooms, where she bid her farewell and promised to practice with her in the morning. Then she locked herself in her own bedroom as she still had work to do. Brignir had given her a survey to fill out so he could decide where best to place her. During the next week, she would be touring all of the Guard positions so she could see what they were each like and decide which she liked best. The final decision would be up to Brignir's judgment alone.
Words at the top of the paper read Spell out applicant's full name and age in ink.
She wrote: Tauriel, Daughter of Faedolian, age seventeen centuries.
What are your specialties?
Hand-to-hand combat, including mastery of daggers and swords; archery; and some areas of healing.
Do you have a preconceived post of choice?
Patrol guard.
Why would you like this position?
I have always wanted to deal with threats inside the forest's borders and protect the innocents and travelers in this forest.
What would you bring to this position?
Calm efficiency, lethal tactics, a swift mind, and a developed sense of justice.
What lessons did you excel at?
Writing and Forest Geography.
What lessons were the hardest for you?
Forest History and Economics.
List your current residence and any other information members of the Guard may need in order to contact you.
Room 17C; I spend most of my time exploring the forest but can usually be reached between one hour and four hours after high noon.
Tauriel had to check the plaque on her door to make sure she had gotten the numbers right (she had). Then she folded her survey so it would be ready the next morning and made sure her window was open so she would be able to hear the eagles calling to each other as they came back from their nighttime hunt. They were a favorite clock for the elves of the forest as they usually flew back to their eyrie just before the sun rose. It certainly wouldn't do to be late-especially not on her first day as a member of the Guard.
She wasn't at all nervous for the coming day; in fact, she was nothing but excited. She couldn't wait to show the other Guard members that she deserved to be in the Guard even though she'd taken the test at quite a young age. She was sure she would impress them with the finesse with which she used her daggers and shot her bow with accuracy that was directly on the mark.
To put it simply, Tauriel couldn't wait for the rest of her life to begin.
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