Chapter Seven - Not Kidnapping

Tauriel was still with Bellsulion. They were talking, more openly then ever. Legolas sensed a private conversation. He would have let them be, but he was wildly curious about what they were talking about. So he climbed a tree about three hundred yards away. Unseen, he moved above them. Their talk became clearer.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Tauriel was speaking.

"Yes, it'll be fine. It's a really special place. Please come."

"Well... "

"Please."

"I guess, maybe it wouldn't hurt."

"You won't regret this decision. It's a beautiful place. Especially this late in the afternoon." He led her off towards the forest. Legolas followed.

He had no idea where they were going. Legolas had been in this part of the forest before, of course, but could not think of any particularly wonderful place here. Yet still he followed, unwilling to let Tauriel far away with a stranger all alone.

They walked for another half hour before anything happened. "Where are we going?"

"It's a secret. We're almost there."

From above, Legolas saw what Tauriel couldn't. He could see Bellsulion fall slightly behind her. He could see the knife press against her throat. He could see her petrified, furious eyes as she put the pieces together. He could see her arm held behind her back. He saw Bellsulion hiss, "Keep still," in her ear. He could see her hands itching to find a knife of her own. "Do you remember when I told you I had no hidden talents?" She had surrendered them at the end of the lesson. "I have only hidden talents." She was completely unarmed. "I lied to you and you believed me!" Not to say she was defenseless, she was a fighter, after all, but there was little she could do without her throat getting slit. "And I got you to trust me so soon after our first meeting." She was looking everywhere she could see without moving her head for options. "And here you are."

So she did not see behind them when Legolas dropped from his tree. She did not see him drawing one of his own knives. She did not see him place it under Bellsulion's chin. But she heard his voice, saying, "Drop you weapon."

"Legolas," she called, "is that you?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Are you sure you don't have better things to do than follow me constantly?"

"I had a task from my father. I was supposed to find the traitor among our ranks. The Huine's spy. He thought it was you."

Bellsulion was not going to let them chat all day. "I believe we have a stalemate."

"Oh do we now? And whatever happened to my lord?"

"You're not the lord I serve," he practically spat.

"I gathered as much. Seeing as you were trying to kidnap Tauriel."

"She will see the glory in our work. It's not a kidnapping if the kidnapped party is willing to come."

"There is no glory in your war, you disgusting piece of filth," said Tauriel. Right before she shoved the arm holding the knife away from her, while stomping on Bellsulion's foot. This made him release the arm he was grasping behind her back. She did some strange twirl thing that Legolas didn't catch, and ended up holding a knife pointed at Bellsulion's chest. Completely free.

"Now march," she ordered him, with no little pleasure in her voice. He started to walk with an insane grin on his face. Legolas just shook his head. "I still don't believe how you thought you had no talent."

"I can't believe ever was attracted to this creep." She kicked their prisoner in the shins in the shins. "Faster."

Legolas was thinking. "You know, now I've -we've, I mean we've- caught the spy, I've got nothing to do."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll learn another skill at the field. Hey," he rounded on her. "Get this. If you duel with me, I'll teach you archery."

"I can't do archery."

"That's what you said about twin daggers."

"But, unlike knives, I've actually attempted archery before. And I failed."

"Point taken. But that's what lessons are for."

"Why do you want to duel me? You'll lose."

"So one day I can win."

"That day will never come."

"Do you accept?"

"Archery lessons for dagger lessons? Of course."

"I said duel."

"But you were asking for lessons."

"You're right."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

Both were feeling content as they walked back into the palace. Thranduil met them part way on their way to the throne room. He eyed Bellsulion with distaste. "The spy?"

"Yes," Legolas responded.

"What proof is there?" Now he was looking at Tauriel.

"He tried to kidnap me, Sire."

"Did he now?"

"Yes." Another single word answer from Legolas.

"I told you it's not kidnapping!" he shouted, lunging towards Tauriel. She blocked his weak blow easily. He glowered at her, and she pressed her knife tighter against his throat.

"And how did you manage to escape this time?"

"Legolas saved me again." Tauriel smiled at him.

"But you would have managed it anyway."

"Possibly, but maybe not."

"We need to interrogate him," Thranduil interrupted.

"Of course."

"Do you know his name?"

"He called himself Bellsulion."

"Well, Bellsulion, are you in the order of the Huine?" He was still at knife-point.

"Yes," he growled.

"Were you passing information about us on to them?"

"Yes! It's not fair if you have all the knowledge." The insane smile was coming back.

"Were you trying to kidnap Tauriel?"

"It's not kidnapping!"

"Were you trying to take her to the Huine?"

"Yes. It would have been perfect. Everyone would have just thought she escaped back to the forest. You would have realized her determination to stay unknown, and let her go. No one would have known shed joined us."

"I would never have joined you. No matter how attractive you are. Do you have any dying wishes?"

"Tauriel!" Thranduil almost shouted at her. She shut her eyes, taking deep breaths. "I think you should leave. Now." She bowed and left to go find her temper.

A/N - Chapter Seven! Yay! Bellsulion, how could you? Well, maybe I just created him to be the spy and a crush for Tauriel... But let's ignore that, shall we? Excellent. I know a bunch of writers are taking breaks because of finals, so guess what? I'm #Homeschooled, and don't have finals! Yayyyyy! No breaks for me. But I may be uploading less than I have been recently because we are going on vacation soon, and packing and cleaning, blah blah blah. But I should get lots of writing done at the beach! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

- xoxo Eth