Aiya! Happy New Year and I hope all of you have a great time! We´ve finally arrived to chapter 10! I hope you like it!

CHAPTER 10

Gimli, Legolas and Tarí left the inn early in the morning, but before getting on the horses Gimli made an observation.

"There are only two horses. In fact it's a pony and a horse."

"It's fine." Legolas replied and gave a quick glance to Tarí. "She can come with me."

"I can see in her eyes that she doesn't like that idea." Gimli muttered raising a brow.

"Would you prefer to ride the pony?" Legolas asked to her finally.

"No, thanks. I'm fine going with you." Tarí replied with monotonous tone and took the animals out of the barn.

"Is she alright?" Gimli wanted to know in a low voice.

Legolas tried to smile a little and just raised his shoulders. Gimli rolled his eyes and just muttered "Women...". A second later they were already on their horses. Gimli turned a little to see them. He discovered Legolas taking her hands delicately and putting them around his waist in a quick move. Tarí made a face between indignation and surprise just an instant that only Gimli could see while Legolas smiled and began to ride when the sun was just about to rise in the horizon.

They rode the whole day until Erebor appeared with all its magnificence before the twilight. It was a beautiful city though it had been attacked by orcs recently. They could still see the streets and the fountains with all its beauty trying to survive against the recent catastrophe. Gimli taked of how he and his family would restore the peace and the glory of the city before they arrived to the palace inside the mountain where Gimli's family were waiting for them. The dwarf seemed to be pretty happy and excited when he began to chat with everyone around him that he almost forgot to introduce his friends. Legolas and Tarí were glad to meet everyone and they followed their host inside a big saloon with a great banquet waiting for them, however they didn't talk to each other at any moment.

Legolas was looking for Gandalf when he finally saw him in a corner talking with two old dwarves. He approached quickly and the mage smiled when he discovered him some meters away.

"It's a honor to see you again, Gandalf." Said Legolas happily when the mage approached to him.

"I'm very glad to see you too, Legolas." Gandalf answered. "Gimli told me a minute ago that you wanted to see me. Is anything I could do for you?"

"Yes." Legolas nodded being now more serious. He was about to tell him the story when

Gandalf's eyes stared at someone behind Legolas's shoulder. The mage smiled again.

"This is a great surprise! What is this little trouble maker doing in Erebor?" Gandalf raised a brow.

Legolas turned around and found Tarí behind him. She gave one step further and made a reverence.

"You changed your look, Gandalf. Now you are white like the snow!"

"Do you know each other?" The elf asked quite surprised.

"Of course!" Answered Gandalf happily. "I met this girl hundreds of years ago! It was in the lands of Rohan, right?"

Tarí nodded.

"I saw her killing a group of orcs by her own. I was quite impressed. She stole from the some jewels and ..." Gandalf pointed Legolas's chest raising both brows. "That stone that you are wearing."

Legolas put a hand on his chest and stared at Tarí, but she didn't answer his look.

"I'm also really surprised you know each other." Galdalf kept talking. "Specially because.."

"I already know what my father did." Said Legolas knowing that that silence meant. "And that's why we wanted to see you. I thought that perhaps you knew a way to heal her. But now I see that she had already asked you in the past."

"Indeed." Gandalf said. "But the same as that day, I don't know any cure against that spell."

"Saruman told me a couple of centuries ago that it was dark magic." Tarí added immediately.

"Oh, Saruman! That mage just wanted your stones. Elves like Thranduil can't do dark magic. He lied. In fact, it's a very antique spell the one he used, from the age when this earth was still young. That magic has been forgotten with the time that's why it's not so easy to remove."

"So, there's nothing I can do?" The woman asked with angst.

"Don't worry, Tarí." Gandalf said smiling and caressing her head for a moment. "There's always something we can do. Let me think and tomorrow I will give you an answer. For now, enjoy this celebration. Can you do that for this old friend of yours?"

Tarí nodded kindly and then she joined Gimli who wanted to introduce her with his cousins.

"Come with me, Legolas." Said Gandalf a moment later. "Let's talk in a place with less noise."

Legolas followed the mage to another saloon. There was a fire and a comfortable table where they could talk. Gandalf sat down in front of him and began to smoke his long pipe.

"How did you met her?" The mage asked quite interested in the story and Legolas told him the best he could the whole story. At the end both remained in silence for some minutes, then Legolas stood up and approached to the fire.

"I still don't understand how my father could do something like that to her. I mean, she was her friend. He had to look for her family. It's horrible to think that he wanted her to suffer seeing her beloved ones dead." Legolas said watching the flames consuming the wood.

"Maybe those weren't his real thoughts." Gandalf replied calmly. Legolas stared at him again quite confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You've just told me some minutes ago that you couldn't understand why your father, having that power over her, hides in his palace..."

"Yeah, but..."

"It's not fear, young Legolas. The feelings that torture your father are sorrow and shame." Gandalf explained to the elf. "How would you feel after thousands of years knowing that the woman you love hates you for ruining her life?"

"No. My father doesn't..." Legolas couldn't believe those words.

"He is a cold man. Ambitious. Maybe selfish. But he doesn't have a heart full of darkness. I don't believe his idea was to see her suffering that much. All the opposite he wanted her to realize how much did he really care for her and to go back home someday. The only problem that he found was that she didn't have all the eternity like him and also being outside his lands, far away from his protection she was more vulnerable. He had to do something in order to give time and safety to her beloved one. He desired, and I'm sure that still hopes, to see her returning home, but he is afraid of hearing a reproach instead of an apology."

Legolas didn't say anything for a while. He though seriously about Gandalf's words. Now that everything made more sense he felt even more worried and somehow unhappy. Finally Gandalf spoke again staring at him steadily.

"Your heart has started to feel something for her, hasn't it? Your eyes can't lie, Legolas. And hers neither."

"I want her to be fine." He replied with honesty. "She deserves to live with plenitude and happiness. To open her eyes each morning and feel excited of a new day, to feel the water refreshing her lips and the warmth in her heart of loving again... That's why I don't want her to die."

"I see." Gandalf whispered smoking the last piece of tobacco of his pipe.

"Do you think is wise to tell her about my feelings?" Legolas asked a little worried.

"That's a question your own soul must answer, Legolas." The mage stood up and left the pipe away. "However, I wanted to ask you to join the dwarves for one last battle. We'll go to the mountains to end with the last group of orcs that are still loitering the lands of the north. I will send Tarí to another place with her own mission, so if you want to tell her anything. Tomorrow is the day to do it."

"Where will she go?"

"You'll know in the right moment. But don't worry, Legolas. She is clever and strong. She will be fine."

Legolas nodded and Gandalf put a hand on his shoulder before leaving the room. Legolas waited a couple of minutes to get some courage. Finally he opened the door again and went to the great party. Tarí was sitting down with other dwarves watching some of them singing and dancing. Suddenly their eyes found. He approached to the table and she stood up.

"Are you having fun?" He asked to her getting close to her ear because of the noise.

"Like never in ages." She replied without being cold with him like before.

"Do you dance?" Legolas asked again.

"I used to... But now I don't think I'm able." She smiled. "You?"

"It doesn't look so difficult." Legolas answered blushing a little.

They stayed watching the dwarves around having fun untill Legolas suddenly took her hand and took her in to join the reel. He did his best but at the end she took him out. Tarí couldn't tell him anything for a minute because she was still laughing. He felt so blissful because it was the first time she ever laughed, perhaps in centuries. He laughed too and later she took him again inside the reel.

By the end of the night they went together to their rooms. Tarí laid on her bed and he sat down in the edge of the next bed.

"I'm so tired." She said closing her eyes and smiling. "So tired that I wish to sleep for hours."

"How long has it been since you wished to sleep like this?" Legolas wanted to know.

"I can't even remember..."

"Then, sleep for hours and hours."

Tarí opened her eyes still smiling and caressed Legolas's hand just a moment.

"Good night, Lord Legolas."

"Good night, milady."

Then she closed her eyes and fall asleep. Legolas couldn't sleep that night, however he was so glad that he didn't care a lot. Instead he looked after her deep dreams while he thought about beautiful things staring at the clear stars.

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