Hello. Sorry. I'm just really, really, lazy. Excuse me, I'll try and update more often.
On the day Tauriel and Legolas decided to compare the pies, a call came from the kitchen.
"Tauriel, I made the apple pie!"
Tauriel immediately abandoned playing with the daggers, and dashed into the kitchen. There, from the oven, came a steaming apple pie.
"Grandmother, it looks delicious!" Tauriel exclaimed as she jumped up and down, clapping her hands. She then ran to give her grandmother to give her a hug.
"Wait for a while, so it can cool. You don't want to get burned."
"Yes, Grandmother."
Legolas wandered through the Golden Forest, a slice of pie in hand. Amras had finished the pie just early this morning. Now to prove to Tauriel that the pies made by the palace are the best. After all, wasn't everything in the palace better?
"Legolas! I brought it!"
Unlike the times he came into the forest, Tauriel was sitting at the base of the tree trunk, her slice in hand. Legolas smirked, and placed himself beside her.
"Father's getting suspicious."
Tauriel frowned.
"With my recent "disappearances" and the "mysterious elf" he saw in the trees five days ago, he is going to put find out soon."
Tauriel paled.
"That could've been any elf."
"Tauriel, he described the elf "with hair as red as the leaves on my crown". There is only one elf in all of Mirkwood that fits that description."
Tauriel stared at the leafy ground.
"Just hope he doesn't see another glimpse of your hair. His suspicions will prove to be true."
"And now, my suspicions will prove to be correct."
Tauriel threw him a confused glance.
"That this is the most delicious apple pie."
Tauriel's frown turned into a smirk.
"You. Wish."
Legolas handed her a silver fork.
"Then let the competition begin!"
Tauriel and Legolas switched the pies and taking their forks, dipped it into the pie and ate. There was a pause, as they both exchanged looks.
'I thought we exchanged the pies..." Legolas trailed off.
"It tastes the same as Grandmother's..."
They exchanged looks and once more and switched the pies once more. Taking another bite, while placing the plates on the ground, they chewed slowly, both with thoughtful looks on their face. Finally they simultaneously dropped their forks on the plates, leaned back and crossed their arms and leaned against the large trunks.
There was a moment of silence.
"Excuse me, while I question Amras about that recipe." Legolas said finally getting up, and collecting his plate.
"Yeah. Don't forget your fork." Tauriel said tossing the silver thing to her friend. Though she didn't say it, that piece of the silverware was probably the most expensive thing that had ever laid her hands on. She didn't care though. She never liked very fancy items. She was a simple elf with simple tastes.
With that, they both went the opposite directions.
"Grandmother?" Tauriel asked, as they were sitting by the fire that night.
"Yes, darling?"
"That recipe...can you tell me about it?"
"What about it?"
"Did you make that recipe, or did you get it from...somewhere else."
Nienna eyes her granddaughter curiously. This was the first time she'd ever taken interest in any of Nienna's recipes. She was under the impression that cooking wasn't Tauriel's cup of tea.
"Well, it was created during the time I served as the Head Cook in the king's palace."
Tauriel's green eyes widened.
"You served for the king?!"
"That's right. I lived there and raised my son there; your father. He grew up and became a member of the Guard. The woman he met, your mother, served as a healer for the Guard. You were born and raised there, until you were an infant of seven. When your mother and father were out in the forests, they left you in the nursery. Rumor has it that you, and the prince got along very well."
"The prince...?"
"Oh, yes. King Thranduil's wife died giving birth to the young prince, and most of his time was spent at the nursery, while his father was ruling the land. Even as an infant, the elf maids in the nursery, said that every time your parents brought you in, the prince always broke into a wide grin, even if he was crying."
"..."
Tauriel hadn't had the faintest idea on how to respond to that.
"When your parents were slain by orcs though...I quit my job and went to raise you out of the palace. It was best to raise you in a place that didn't constantly treat you like you were inferior to everyone around you.
"While I worked there...I developed the recipe. Though the king despised apple pie, and only ordered it when he had guests over. But they all said it was the best pie they ever tasted."
"...Wow..."
"When I left, I left the recipe there, so other cooks could use it."
"I still can't believe that you actually served the king!"
"It was an interesting experience."
"...Grandmother...?"
"Yes, darling?"
"...When I get older, I want to join the Guard. I've been practicing with my father's daggers, and I'm saving my money for a bow and sword. I'm going to teach myself how to handle the weapons."
Nienna gave her a look.
"Really Tauriel? King Thranduil doesn't usually accept elleths for combat members."
"Then I shall be one of the first, Grandmother."
Meanwhile...
It was rare that Amras ever got a day-off, and it was rarer still that he wasn't spending it Eärendil, Legolas' servant. So taking advantage of this moment, he ran up beside the young cook.
"My, prince. I hope you enjoyed the pie?" Amras asked, upon noticing blonde hair, dashing up to him."
"Yes, but tell me. Is that an old recipe? Father tells me that all of the good recipes are the old ones."
"Well," Amras began. "I don't think the recipe is old, but the elf that developed it was rumored to be older than the king."
Legolas's blue eyes widened.
"Nienna was the Head Cook before many others. She was the one that helped me get started, teaching me the king's likes and dislikes. She had a son that worked in the Guard, and her daughter-in-law was part of the Healing Corpse in the Guard. They met when she was treating wounds. They fell in love, got married and had a beautiful baby girl, with the reddest hair ever seen in Mirkwood. They however,"
Amras' voice took a sad turn.
"Were slain by orcs in a sudden attack against the realm. Nienna was devastated, and decided to take her granddaughter to live outside the palace, so she could give the child around-the-clock care. There were apparently other reasons, but I never heard of such. I can't remember the child's name though…"
"Tauriel…!" Legolas whispered.
"T-actually….that is correct, my prince but…how did you know that?"
Amras had eyed the young prince curiously; almost suspiciously.
"I-I simply heard it from my father..." Legolas trailed off. He quickly leapt to his feet and ran, when Amras sent him a skeptical glance.