Hi guys - so this chapter is about Tauriel's survival and sorry - the fighting is the same as the last chapter for the first couple of paragraphs. It changes when the orc reaches over his shoulder. :) sorry!
Tauriel
Tauriel felt tears fill her eyes and her vision blurred and she watched the life fade from Kili's body. She cried out, not knowing what to say, something resembling a scream and a squeek was all that came out. Kili, the young dwarf, her friend. He had inspired her, reminded her there was innocence and good in this world and she had a duty to that world, not just her Kingdom. She glared at the orc standing, triumphantly over the dwarf, and another emotion entered her. Rage blinded her, overtaking the pain she felt, both physically and mentally and she staggered to her knees, eyeing the orc as it moved towards her.
The orc swung it's club, aiming to smash the pointed end directly into her face. She lept up, pushing off the ground and wrapping her legs around the orc's neck, spinning and using her weight to send the orc staggering towards the edge of the cliff. The orc was smart, he grabbed her legs and spun her out over the edge but she still had a lot of momentum and she held on to his hand, spinning over the edge, right round back to the cliff, and with her foot, pushed off the rock, sending them both falling through the air. She landed with a thump, tumbling down some stairs, vaguely aware that the orc hand't fallen the same way as her, but she assumed he had fallen further down to a lower level, and she allowed herself to believe he was dead. She moaned with pain, and as she opened her eyes she looked up towards a tower to see a lone firgure, staring down at her. Her eyesight was blurry but she could see the look of horror on his face.
Legolas
Legolas looked down and gasped as he watched Tauriel and the orc tumble off the cliff, watching as Tauriel fell down the stairs and the orc tumbled off to the side. For a brief second he allowed himself to believe the orc was dead, but then to his dismay he saw it climbing back up to the side of the cliff. He reached behind for and arrow but his hands closed around empty air. He suddenly realised he was out of arrows, at the moment he needed arrows the most. He was horrified, there was nothing he could do, he had trusted her to handle herself, knowing her to be a fierce and capable warrior, but he should have known better, he himself had faced that orc and found it to be a tough opponent. He looked around him, searching for a way to get to her, but the tower he stood at the top of was isolated from her section of the castle. He didn't think twice about jumping from the tower, landing with a roll on the snow, and stone. He set off running, eyes mapping out the quickest route to her.
Tauriel
Tauriel watched as he jumped from the tower and ran. Her mind was slowed and it didn't hit her straight away what he was doing. Then it hit her, he was coming for her. But why did he seem so alarmed? She turned her head and the reason for his alarm became quickly apparent. The orc hadn't perished as she hoped it had, and it stood at the top of the stairs. She reached for her weapons, before realising she had lost them in the fight before. Despair hit her then, she was going to die here, on this cliff. Suddenly she heard a sharp whistle through the air and the next thing she knew two daggers were embedded in the snow beside her. She looked in the direction they had come from to see Legolas running once more along the edge of the ruins, but she knew it would be some time before he could reach her. She picked up his daggers, and ignored the pain as she stood. She could finish this fight herself.
She charged the orc, daggers clutched in each hand, leaping off the ground and aiming to dig the daggers in either side of his head. The orc managed to block her with his arms, catching her in the stomach and she tumbled to the left, her left dagger still making a scratch across the orc's neck though. He growled, and she rolled to the side, regaining her balance and preparing for the orc's next move. It lunged at her, and she dodged to the side, the orc rushed past her and as it passed her she reached out her arm and stabbed the orc in the back, dagger digging in deep. The orc stumbled, falling to its knees, and she jumped towards it. It roared as she pulled the dagger out of its back and blood started pouring from the wound. She reached around it's neck and held a dagger to the orc's throat, the other one pressed to another spot at the orc's back. The orc growled and she readied herself, about to plunge the daggers in to his neck and back, when the orc reached over his head. Tauriel reacted just in time, leaning back to avoid the orcs grasp and pushing down on the orc's shoulder so it was pulled back, landing with a thump on the ground in front of her. She looked it right in the eye as she burried the dagger in it's chest, "This is for Kili," she hissed, watching as the life left the orc just as it had the young dwarf. It was after this, that the pain from her injuries returned to her, the adreneline waring off. She groaned, trying to stand up, to get away from here, but her head was spinning and she hadn't taken more than three steps when she fell, and she would have collapsed onto the sharp stone of the stairs had it not been for a pair of arms reaching out to catch her at the last minute.
Legolas
Legolas had finally reached the bridge to the stairs when he got his next glimpse of her, she had the orc on his knees, daggers at his back and neck. He stopped running for a second, believing the fight to be over, before he saw the orc move. There was nothing he could do but watch as the orc reached behind him and he knew immeadiatly what the orc was trying to do. He knew Tauriel wouldn't survive another fall off those stairs, but he could still only watch as it happened. He watched as she reacted, leaning back and pulling the orc back with her. He saw her whisper something to the orc as she killed it, and he saw her try to stand. It was then he realised how badly she had been hurt in a previous fight, he had only seen her tumble from the cliff but evidently, she hadn't had an easy time before that. He sprinted across the stairs to her, reaching her just in time to catch her when she fell.
(From both perspectives)
"Tauriel," he whispered, as he caught her in his arms, lowering her gently to the ground.
Tauriel's eyes stared up at him, as he looked down at her face. He smiled at her, although he knew the worried expression on his face gave him away. "You will be fine, Tauriel." he reassured her, but he was also reassuring himself.
Tauriel wanted so badly to close her eyes, to sleep peacefully but she also wasn't ready to move on from this world, so she focused on breathing, in and out. "I need to get you back to some healers." Legolas told her, already moving to pick her up again. She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her head on his chest as he picked her up and started walking quickly away from the ruins.
Legolas knew the journey was far, and he moved as quickly as he could without jostling her, he knew she was in enough pain. She felt limp in his arms and he was terrified he would lose her before he would make it back. "Tauriel," he said, tears forming in his eyes. "You can't do this to me, please don't leave me" Her eyes fluttered closed around half way there and he prayed to the Valar she would make it back. He knew she didn't have a lot of time.
Tauriel also knew she didn't have a lot of time left. She couldn't find the energy to open her eyes, and it hurt to breathe, let alone talk. Her ribs were on fire and her arms and legs hurt so badly she wanted to chop them off. But it wasn't just physical pain that wounded her. She wanted so much to tell him, the elf carrying her in his arms. She wanted to pour her heart out to him, but she physically couldn't, her body was shutting down, she could feel her strength leaving her.
Legolas allowed a little bit of relief to enter his body as he re-entered the city, moving through the streets, ignoring the bodies laying all over the road. The only person he cared about right now was in his arms. He found his way to the other side of the city, to where he knew the elven healers had set themselves up. His father may have redrawn his forces but there had been many elves injured in battle, too injured to leave and so he knew there would be the small camp of healers as per usual. He caught sight of the small tents all pitched closely together with elves hurrying in and out of them. He entered the area and as soon as a healer caught sight of him and Tauriel in his arms, elves were shouting instructions and running towards them, leading them to one of the small tents.
Legolas placed Tauriel on the canvas sheets that had been placed in the tent instead of a bed. Two healers crowded into the tent, bringing with them supplies of bandages as well as a variety of plants and herbs he had no knowledge of. They looked at Legolas and one of them seemed about to ask him to leave before the other one shook their head. Legolas remembered meeting that elf before, when Tauriel had been shot in the arm with an arrow, and he remembered refusing to leave. Obviously the elf didn't want to go through that argument again which he appreciated. Nothing would make him leave Tauriel's side. He did stand back though, allowing the healers to do their work, watching as they rolled up her sleeves, revealing numerous wounds on her body. They attended to the bruises and cuts on her arms and neck, spreading numerous different salves on her limbs. When they finished that, they turned to Legolas. "My Lord, you need to leave for the next part," they told him. "Her injuries spread throughout her body and we need to remove her clothes." He nodded, unhappy at leaving but he knew it wouldn't be appropriate for him to remain in the tent.
Legolas stepped out of the tent, and finding a seat on a tree stump sat down, head filled with concern for Tauriel. Time passed slowly for him, but as it did he couldn't help thinking of recent events, and how much they had altered his life. One of the healers came up to him, "My Lord, we are finished," she reported, before turning and entering another of the tents. Legolas was about to stand when he found himself wondering if she wanted to see him. She had seemed distant and had not said much to him ever since she met the young dwarf, and he sighed. He had caught sight of Kili as he ran to her, and the stillness of his body and chest told him he no longer lived. If Tauriel loved Kili, she wouldn't want to see him he couldn't help thinking and wondered if he should just leave her be. But he let his heart decide, and he returned to her tent, knowing his place was at her side, at least for now.
He entered the tent, eyes taking in her body, laying peacefully on the ground. He knelt beside her, hesitating before picking up her hand, and holding it gently, keeping watch over her as she slept.
Tauriel slept peacefully at first, before the nightmares came. Legolas had just drifted off into a light slumber himself when his heard jerked up at the sound of her voice. At first he thought she had awoken, but her eyes were closed and she didn't respond when he called her name. She was dreaming, and he could tell they weren't pleasent dreams. "No please," was the first thing she screamed, but it didn't end there. "Please, you can't do this. Don't die," she muttered, eyes never once opening. "Please don't leave me, I love you." were the next words and Legolas gulped. This was pure torture. He never left her side, but it was so hard, hearing her announce her love for, he assumed the dwarf. Legolas guessed she was reliving the moment of his death and he longed for her to stop, not just for her sake but for his. But try as he might, he couldn't wake her. She was too far into sleep. Eventually though, the screaming and talking stopped and she lay peacefully again. She slept right through the night and it was in the early hours of the morning when she awoke.
Tauriel's eyes flickered open, her vision blurry at first but it soon cleared to take in the blonde haired elf by her side, head drooped onto his chest and eyes closed. It took her a moment to remember what happened before everything came rushing back, Gundabad, the orcs, Thranduil, Kili, her fight, collapsing into his arms, and lastly, she remembered her dreams. They had seemed so realistic and she had been sure they were real, but now as she lay there collecting her thoughts she found herself realising they were only dreams, and she felt relief course through her body. She moved to sit up, but groaned when she felt a sharp jab of pain from her stomach. Legolas' eyes flew open, taking in her own open eyes, realising she was awake. He smiled at her, "Welcome back," he said. She opened her mouth to say something but her throat was dry and still very sore. He seemed to realise this and gently put a hand on her shoulder, motioning for her to stay laying down as he left the tent. He returned moments later with a flask of water and some lembas. "Can you sit up?" he asked her, and she tried again, placing her hands at her sides and pushing, fighting through the pain. She winced as her body complained but managed to sit, and gratefully accepted the food and water Legolas held out for her. She drunk first, then swallowed the rationing of bread, feeling a little better with something in her stomach. She looked at the elf beside her. He seemed like he wanted to say something but was hesitating for some reason. He caught her eye and sighed. "Tauriel," he said. "I have to leave. I can't return to Mirkwood. I," he stopped, unsure whether to say the next bit. "I will always love you and you need to know that, even if you don't want to hear it, and I can't see your face everyday, knowing that your love lies with another." he stood. "I just wanted to say goodbye," he told her, before turning slowly to leave the tent.
Tauriel gasped, he couldn't leave her. She couldn't deal with it. "Wait!" she cried. Leaning forward and just catching his hand, pulling him back. He turned, and she took a breath. "My love doesn't lie with another." she said, and saw the confusion in Legolas' eyes.
"Tauriel, you cried out for him in your sleep." he whispered to her. "Nothing could wake you, and you screamed for him, telling him you loved him."
She shook her head. "You don't understand. Those weren't memories and it wasn't Kili in those dreams. It was you. I cried for you Legolas, I watched you die in those dreams and that was horrible enough. Don't leave me now. Please, Legolas I love you too." She blurted out. All that was going through her head was that she couldn't let him leave. She watched as Legolas' eyes widened slightly in surprise, before he knelt down beside her again. "Why didn't you say something before?" he asked her. She opened her mouth to reply when she was stopped by another elf entering the tent, and suddenly a feeling of dread entered her.
Legolas turned to see his father entering the tent. "I can explain that," Thranduil said, and Legolas saw a strange expression on his father's face. It was a mixture of relief and guilt and Legolas realised that maybe his father had been worried for him. He approached his father, unsure what to expect from him.
Thranduil looked at his son, and knew what he had to do. He remembered Tauriel's words "There is no love in you." Ever since she had said those words he had been hearing them, over and over in his head. At first they had made him angry, angry enough to lash out and cut her bow. But as he watched his son leave with her, he realised she had spoken the truth. And that was not how he wanted to be. "Legolas, there is something I have to tell you," he said slowly. "You remember when your hunting party bought the dwarves back?" he asked. Legolas nodded - of course he remembered, how could he forget what had started it all? Thranduil continued. "You reported to me and when you told me Tauriel fought well, I saw something in your eyes, and I knew then what you felt for her. So then I did something I regret deeply now Legolas, you have to believe me, I am sorry." Thranduil said. Legolas looked up at his father, wondering what he could have done. "When Tauriel reported to me, I told her I would never allow you two to wed, and I threatened her not to give you any hope." Legolas felt a surge of anger pulse through his veins, and yet he saw in his father's eyes his words were true, he did regret his actions.
"I apologise to both of you, and I will leave you two to talk," Thranduil said, noticing his son half turning to the injured elf. Thranduil turned to exit the tent. "Ada," Legolas said, and his father turned. "Thankyou," Legolas simply said, knowing that admitting fault was perhaps the hardest thing for his father. Thranduil inclined his head before leaving the two elves be.
Legolas knelt down at Tauriel's side, "You loved me, this whole time?" he asked, needing to hear it again. Tauriel didn't bother with words to reply, instead she pulled his face to her own and poured out all her emotions in a kiss. It was gentle and loving and she never wanted it to end. When it did end, Legolas smiled down at her. He longed to keep talking and kissing but he knew she still needed sleep. "Rest now Tauriel, I will still be here when you wake." She nodded, laying back down slowly. Legolas took her hand again, but she wanted more. "Lay with me." she whispered, and sighed contentedly as he settled beside her, face inches away from hers. He leant forward and kissed her forhead and she snuggled in closer to him. She gave into sleep quickly, the feel of his body keeping the nightmares at bay.
Ta da! So how was it? Leave a review/criticism/comment/suggestion that would be great! Also I'm just going to point out I have gone back and re-edited chapters 2 and 6 to give Thranduil a bit more detail. Doesn't change anything and its only minor but just letting you know :)
Bye!
