Elves didn't require sleep anywhere near as much as humans or dwarves, so Tauriel stayed awake through the entire night, watching over the others as they slept. In her hands, she held the star Kíli had made her. She wasn't entirely sure how she was to react to such a thing. Among the elves, gifts were not entirely uncommon. However, a gift made with your own hands was far more precious and far more rare. Such things were normally only shared among those who were close, be they family or dear friends. Tauriel didn't know what the significance was among dwarves, but considering Kíli had made gifts for Brigit and Dominic, and she had seen that Bard's children also had woodcarvings, she wasn't sure that handmade gifts had the same meaning for them.
Tauriel looked down at her gift again. The star was beautiful, hewn in a fairly simple shape but covered in tiny engravings of vines and leaves and flowers of the forest that Tauriel so loved. She found the star nearly as precious to her as the one who had made it.
It wasn't until dawn that Tauriel had reason to wake any of the others. But as the sun began to rise above the horizon, she noticed a group moving across the Desolation, coming towards them. Silently, she stood and moved to the highest point around the camp, peering towards the group. She recognized the two in the front, one of them riding an unmistakable elk.
Thranduil and Legolas were leading an army of elves towards them.
Swiftly, Tauriel returned to the dwarves and Bard, all of whom she shook awake gently. "My king is approaching, and he brings with him many elves. Legolas rides by his side."
"Why would King Thranduil come here?" Bofur asked, immediately awake. Fíli and Kíli were equally aware and the three of them crept out from where the others were sleeping. Bard was the last and the least awake, which was understandable; he was not so trained as the others were at waking instantly.
"I know not," Tauriel replied. "Perhaps he comes to help. News of Smaug's death must have traveled, and I would not doubt that he knows of the destruction of Esgaroth. Perhaps he wishes to give us aid."
"How far are they from us?" Fíli demanded.
"I believe it will take them near to an hour to reach us," Tauriel replied. Kíli frowned.
"Should we meet them halfway?" he suggested. "We can ascertain their purpose and negotiate with the Elvenking without all of the town watching us."
"Without the Master, you mean," Bard put in dryly. "I agree with Kíli. We ought to travel to them even as they travel to us."
"You should dress," Tauriel suggested. All four men were half dressed, as they wished to be prepared, but they weren't fit to go before a king.
"Don't you think Thranduil will prefer us as we are?" Kíli teased, striking a pose with his untied shirt hanging open across his chest. Tauriel arched an eyebrow, to which his only reply was a wink. Fíli cuffed him on the head as they went to dress. Tauriel had to admit to herself that she was completely out of her depth when it came to the younger prince of the Durin line. While Tauriel excelled at her job and at destroying evil things, she was aware of her limitations when it came to relating to others and having normal conversations about things that weren't related to weaponry, archery, and slaughtering the aforesaid evil things. The exception to that was Legolas, her oldest and dearest friend, who was as a brother to her. With him, Tauriel could speak freely, with no worry about what Legolas might think. But with most people, she didn't know what to say or do. Especially with Kíli; dwarf customs were so different from elvish ones, and she sometimes felt that their friendship was teetering on the edge of ruin due to their differences.
And yet, Kíli had become dear to Tauriel, too dear for her to lose him. If she had to, Tauriel was determined to fight to keep their friendship. She would do whatever it took, but she would not let him slip away.
Before too long, Kíli and the others were dressed and ready to go before Thranduil and Legolas. Tauriel led the way, followed by Fíli and Kíli. She had heard their hissed argument about whether or not Kíli would take his staff with him; Kíli wanted to go without it, so as not to show weakness, but Fíli insisted that Kíli was being an idiot and ought to put his physical wellbeing before his pride. Fíli won the argument, so Kíli limped along with his staff. Tauriel absentmindedly wondered if he would actually carve images onto it, or if that had merely been more of his teasing. She admitted that she wasn't very skilled at discerning jests from truth. Behind Fíli and Kíli were Bard and Bofur, engaged in some murmured conversation. Tauriel wondered if they should have gotten Óin, but he was still engaged in healing. The medical area was his place, whereas negotiations with Thranduil was theirs.
"My king," Tauriel murmured as they approached, immediately dropping into a low bow. Thranduil did not move, a stern expression on his face. He didn't dismount from his elk.
"Tauriel," Thranduil stated coldly. "I am surprised that you have come before me again, after what you did." Next to him, Legolas looked down, avoiding both Tauriel's gaze and his father's.
"My king," Tauriel murmured. "I apologize for my actions, but-"
"Elvenking," Fíli interrupted, stepping up. "What is your intention here on the Desolation?"
"Ah, one of the young dwarves," Thranduil drawled. Tauriel knew that he was as aware as she that the proper term, and the one which the dwarves preferred, was dwarrows. She supposed he didn't use it in a petty attempt to insult them. "Why are you not with your King-Who-Is-Not, in Erebor?"
"That does not concern you," Fíli replied in a tight voice. Legolas looked up, catching sight of Kíli next to him.
"You saved the black-haired archer," he remarked quietly to Tauriel, still not looking her in the eye. She nodded.
"Did the orc not promise that he would die?" Thranduil asked.
"He nearly did," Tauriel replied quietly. "I was able to save him."
"How wonderful, that you saved a dwarf and abandoned your prince," Thranduil remarked sarcastically. Legolas shifted next to him.
"She did not abandon me, Father," he mumbled, even though Tauriel was fairly certain she had. "We decided that she would remain to save the dwarrow, and she would rejoin me when able." Tauriel schooled her expressions furiously; she could not allow her surprise at Legolas' fabricated story to show on her face.
"And yet she never did," Thranduil remarked.
"Smaug attacked Esgaroth," Tauriel interjected. "I had to flee, along with the others. And my help has been needed in tending to the wounded."
"You should have gone after Legolas, as you told him you would," Thranduil hissed. Tauriel couldn't meet his eyes. This confrontation was all she feared it would be, and she hated it.
"Father, she was helping those who were injured," Legolas protested. "And I was already on my way back to Mirkwood. She would not have found me."
"I am displeased with you as well, son," Thranduil said coldly, making Legolas shrink back immediately. "Do not test my temper now."
"King Thranduil." This time, it was Bard who had spoken, stepping in front of Tauriel and the others. "I am Bard of Lake-town, Slayer of Smaug. What business do you have with us?"
"Do you speak for your people now?" Thranduil asked, a derisive look on his face. "I must have been mistaken in my belief that you were a simple bargeman."
"I am descended from Lord Gideon, of Dale," Bard stated firmly. "I slew the dragon who threatened all of Middle Earth. I have the authority to speak for the people of Lake-town."
"Very well," Thranduil replied dismissively. "I have come to aid the people of Esgaroth, who are surely suffering from a lack of supplies. Am I incorrect in that assumption?"
"And what would you expect in return?" Bard demanded. Thranduil raised an eyebrow.
"What makes you think I would expect any recompense?" he asked. Bard didn't bat an eyelid. "I would only ask that we remain the friends we have always been. And, as the dwarves who entered the mountain were surely killed, I would ask that you come with me to recover the treasure left in the mountain."
"You have no right to that treasure!" Kíli shouted. Thranduil arched an eyebrow.
"The only one with a right to that treasure, however slim it may have been, would be that dratted Thorin Oakenshield, who is undoubtedly dead."
"We have no evidence that he is dead," Fíli countered. "And, even if he were, I am his nephew and his heir. The right to the mountain passes to me."
"And, in return for our gracious help, you surely would not begrudge my right to a few gems," Thranduil replied, recovering from the surprise with barely a hint of his emotions on his face. "I believe you know of the ones of which I speak."
"The white gems which look like starlight," Fíli replied grimly, evidently remembering the conversation he had held with Tauriel the day before. "I know of your desires, Elvenking, but I do not know why I should give them any heed."
"Your uncle is surely dead," Thranduil hissed, his anger finally showing on his face. "If you are the new King Under the Mountain, you must learn how to rule. You will need to make allies in your time as king, not drive them away. And mark my words, boy, you would prefer me as your ally to your enemy."
"King Thranduil, I believe all of us need time to consider our options," Bard interjected quickly. "Perhaps we could have some time to discuss, and you could think over matters."
"Return to your camp," Thranduil replied imperiously. "My army and I will camp here, and I will visit you in an hour's time."
"Do not bestir yourself," Bard replied. "We will come to you instead. An hour's time?"
"An hour's time," Thranduil confirmed, inclining his head the tiniest bit. "Your generosity is…appreciated. I hope you have chosen the most reasonable course of action when you return."
"Of course," Bard replied. He turned to go, prompting the others to do so as well.
"Oh, I had nearly forgotten," Thranduil called as they began to leave. "Legolas, did you not wish to tell the dwarves and Tauriel what you discovered?"
"Legolas?" Tauriel asked curiously, a bit worried about what Legolas had apparently found. Legolas looked up, finally meeting her eyes.
"I found-" he began in Sindarin, but Thranduil cut him off.
"I believe the dwarves would like to know as well," he remarked offhandedly. Legolas swallowed hard.
"I found an orc camp on the Desolation," he told Tauriel quietly, his eyes focused on her. "I believe they planned to march on Erebor."
Tauriel set her jaw, nodding sharply. Kíli opened his mouth to say something, but Fíli put his hand on his shoulder, apparently digging his fingers in, from the little yelp Kíli let out. "Thank you for telling us," Fíli stated in a steady voice, manhandling his brother into facing forwards. The group returned to the camp, quietly slipping back to their little spot. The children hadn't yet awoken.
"Poor prince," Bofur remarked as they all sat around the remains of their fire. "His father can't be easy to live with."
"Do not insult my king," Tauriel cut in sternly. Bofur shrugged.
"Not saying he's a bad king, but his relationship with that prince seemed strained."
"We have other things to worry about," Kíli cut in, eyes narrowed. "An orc camp on the way to Erebor? We have to warn Uncle Thorin."
"Do you think that King Thranduil could be correct in assuming him to be dead?" Bard asked cautiously.
"No," Fíli and Kíli replied in unison. Bard bowed his head apologetically.
"I do not wish it any more than you. But we must be prepared. Fíli, as you are your uncle's heir, you must be ready to take the throne if he cannot. A lapse in leadership, now that the Lonely Mountain has been reclaimed, will not end well."
"If I must, I will take the throne, although I hope I do not have to," Fíli replied quietly.
"You won't have to," Kíli put in firmly. "Uncle Thorin isn't dead. He'll be alive and well when we reach Erebor, I'm sure of it." Even as he proclaimed his surety, Tauriel could see the hint of doubt on his face and hear the edge of it in his words. She was certain Bofur and Fíli knew of it too. She wasn't sure if Bard could sense it, though, and he was the one they needed to convince the most.
"What do we do with Thranduil?" Bofur asked. "He won't help us if we don't promise him something in return. And he's as aware as we are that we need him. We don't have enough food for everyone here. We were thinking about going to ask him for aid anyway. He's offering it now, and we have to accept."
"I can negotiate in Uncle Thorin's stead, with my position as his heir," Fíli put in. "If Erebor is as rich as the stories say, then surely we can afford to give Thranduil some of the white gems he wishes. If he does help us, we will have to give him some sort of recompense."
"I don't like it," Bofur remarked. "Thranduil is manipulating the situation. I wish we could have it end up in a way that's not the way he wants."
"We can't allow pettiness to get in the way of the wellbeing of the people of Lake-town," Fíli instructed firmly.
"Can we talk about the damned orc camp?" Kíli interrupted. "There are orcs on their way to Erebor, to kill the rest of the Company!"
"King Thranduil has no love for orcs," Tauriel put in softly. "He may help, if he is promised something in return."
"And chances are we'll need him, if it's a sizable camp," Fíli groaned. "He's got us cornered."
"Who gives a damn about the stupid gems Thranduil wants?" Kíli half-shouted. Fíli was quick to quiet him. "We can't leave Uncle Thorin and the others to face an orc camp on their own," Kíli hissed furiously.
"Bard, you and I should go back to Thranduil," Fíli declared. "Tauriel, can you speak with the prince and get more information about the orc camp?"
"Gladly," Tauriel replied, happy to do something to help. Kíli looked distinctly unhappy about that, but Tauriel couldn't understand why.
"Kíli, you and Bofur should go to the cooks. Tell them that the food situation is going to be taken care of. We'll have the supplies Thranduil gives us to supplement our own." Kíli nodded at his brother, following his order without a remark. Tauriel stood.
"I shall go find Legolas," she declared. "We had better discover more about this orc camp as soon as possible."
"Good luck," Kíli offered. Tauriel offered him a slight smile in return before turning to return to other elves. It was strange, she reflected, that she felt more at home in the ragtag Lake-town camp, with the dwarves and humans and no other elves, than she felt she would be with the elves of Mirkwood.
Legolas was on the outskirts of the camp when Tauriel arrived, apparently expecting her. "Tauriel," he stated. "You seem friendly with the dwarrows."
"They are not so bad, when you get to know them," Tauriel replied. "Thank you for covering for me, with your father."
"Of course," Legolas replied, although he looked a little hurt. Tauriel put her hand on his.
"You do understand why I did it, do you not? I could not let Kíli die painfully when I could help. I did not mean to choose him over you."
"I understand," Legolas replied, nodding slightly, the hurt melting away from his expression. "I assume you are here to ask about the orc camp?"
"I cannot allow those scum to roam around this world when I can stop them," Tauriel replied. Legolas nodded.
"I understand," he replied. "What do you want to know?"
The theory that elves don't need much sleep is unfounded in the books, as far as I know, but was merely an assumption of mine, due to the other differences between elves and other creatures in the books. The idea of handmade gifts being special among elves is also my own creation.
The idea of Tauriel being awkward in social situations comes from some of her actions in the movie, especially the conversation about the runestone between her and Kíli in the dungeons in Mirkwood.
I personally subscribe to the theory that Thranduil is either blind or at least severely visually impaired due to his encounter with a dragon, so he is subtly written in such a way. If you disagree with this theory, there is never a confirmation on whether or not he is blind within this story, and his character can be read as sighted.
Legolas and Thranduil's tense relationship is based on the differences in their characters in the movies, but is not substantiated by anything in the books, as Tolkien has practically nothing on their relationship in his writings.