How it Should Have Been
Chapter 10 - Gundabad
Hey guys. So for the sake of this story, we are going to allow Tauriel and Kili a little longer until Legolas shows up. Just so that Tauriel gets a chance to say no to Kili which I'm sure you guys will appreciate ;)
Tauriel stood at the edge of the lake, listening to the young dwarf confess his love for her, and feeling terrible, because she knew she had to reject it. Because she did not feel as he did. "I do not know what that means." she told him, hoping he would take her hint.
"I think you do," he said. He reached out and took her hand in his, putting in to it the rune stone. "Keep it." he said, "As a promise." She looked down, and made her descision.
"Kili I cannot keep this." she said. "For I cannot make you such a promise." Kili looked up at her, in that moment realising what she meant. She continued on, "You are very sweet Kili, and I would be honoured to call you my friend, but that is all I could see you as." she told him.
All of a sudden she heard footsteps behind her, but these were not the footsteps of a man, or another dwarf. These were the footsteps of an elf, and there was only one other elf that could be in this area. She caught sight of him from the corner of her eyes, and she straightened. "My Lord Legolas." she said.
"Take your leave of the dwarf." he said, and she picked up on some sadness in his voice. "You are needed elsewhere." he told her, and she knew this was true. She turned back to Kili, placing the stone back into his hand, then bending down to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "Be safe," she said. "Fulfill your promise to your mother." He nodded sadly at her and although she felt sorry for him, her heart was not breaking at the loss of him. No, it was breaking for a different reason, because the one person that could heal her heart, was the person she was banned from giving hope.
She turned around, to face the very person she was ordered to stay away from. In silence, they walked through the make-do camp, until they caught sight of the Bowman, Bard walking in their direction. Legolas stepped forward, "News of the death of Smaug will spread through the lands." he warned.
"Aye," Bard simply said.
Legolas approached him. "Others will now look to the mountain," he paused, "For it's wealth, for its position."
"What is it you know?" Bard questioned.
"Nothing for certain," Legolas replied. "It's what I fear may come."
Bard nodded, and Legolas took his leave, knowing Bard understood his meaning. He returned to where Tauriel stood, and the two of them started walking through the crowds again, this time at a faster pace. "You saw something out there?" she questioned him.
"The orc I pursued out of Laketown," he said and she felt a pang of guilt that she hadn't been there with him, after healing Kili of course. "I know who he is." Legolas continued. "Bolg, spawn of Azog the Defiler.A warg pack was waiting for him on the outskirts of Esgaroth." he told her. "They fled into the north, these orcs were different from the others, they wore a mark I had not seen for a long time. The mark of Gundabad." he said.
She darted in front of him and turned to face him. "Gundabad?" she asked. She had heard of that place.
"An orc stronghold in the far north of the misty mountains." he explained.
At that moment, they were interrupted by an elf messenger, who rode up on a white horse. "My Lord Legolas," he called. "I bring word from your father." Tauriel tensed up at this, Thranduil likely had guessed they were together, what word would he send? Legolas turned to face the messenger. "You are to return to him immediately." the messenger told him, and Tauriel felt dread start to enter her. Legolas nodded.
"Come, Tauriel," he said as he started to walk off.
"My Lord," the messenger interrupted. "Tauriel is banished." he said. Tauriel felt as though she had been stabbed. She was officially banished, with no place to go, and nothing to do. She barely heard Legolas' voice.
"Banished?" he repeated. "You may tell my father," he said and Tauriel's dread increased. What would he say? She started to walk towards him. "If there is no place for Tauriel, there is no place for me." Legolas said.
She gasped. He was willing to give it up, for her? Willing to be banished along with her? He was the Prince, he couldn't. Tauriel didn't want to be banished, and she certainly didn't want him to be banished because of her. "Legolas, it is your King's command." she said sadly. He half turned, towards her, looking her in the eye as he replied.
"Yes he is my King, but he does not command my heart." he said, before lowering his eyes and walking past her. "I ride north, will you come with me?" he asked her. She was still not over his previous words, but she turned and started following him.
"To where?" she asked.
"To Gundabad." he replied and they broke out into a run. They saddled a horse the messenger had bought for the Princes' return, with Legolas at the reigns and Tauriel behind him, one hand around his waist so she didn't fall. If it wasn't for Thranduil, she would have put both arms around him, and held on tightly, snuggling into his back like she used to do, when they took rides together, but now she only allowed herself one.
Not much was said as the horse galloped at full speed to Gundabad, what was there to say? Tauriel was still thinking of his words. "If there is no place for Tauriel, there is no place for me. He does not command my heart." those two phrases, just replayed over and over again in her head, and she allowed them to do so, trying to memorise those moments, how her heart had leapt at his words, because if they survived this, those would be the moments that would keep her going.
The journey seemed to last for days, but finally they reached a large, rocky hill and Legolas commanded the horse to stop. It stood at the bottom of the hill while the two elves bounded up it to the top. Once they reached the top, they took cover behind a large rock that would shield them form view from the tower. They looked out over it at the huge fortress. "Gundabad." Tauriel breathed. She turned her head to face him. "What lies beyond?" she asked.
"An old enemy," Legolas replied and she was instantly curious. There were not many enemies Legolas had that she didn't, they had fought together for nearly all their lives. "The ancient Kingdom of Angmar," he told her. Ah, she understood now, this was not just his enemy, or Mirkwood's enemy, this was an enemy of Middle Earth, if every good thing or person in the world.
"This fortress was once its stronghold. It was where they kept their great armories and forged their weapons of war" Legolas explained and she found herself wondering why he knew so much about it. She knew Mirkwood had been involved in an attack here, as Captain she had been required to learn military history, but she wondered why Legolas knew so much about this area and fortress.
Suddenly, a glowing patch caught her keen eye. "A light," she warned. "I saw a movement"
Legolas followed her gaze and caught sight of said light before it moved away from the window and the entire wall was black again. "We wait for the cover of night." Legolas announced. She nodded, looking at the fortress further. Legolas noticed her looking over it. "It is a foul place Tauriel," he warned. "In another age, our people waged war on it."
He looked away, and down, as if not sure whether to continue or not. She looked at him, and he seemed to feel her gaze, his eyes snapped up to meet hers, searching, and somehow he seemed to find trust and comfort in her eyes. "My mother died there." he confided and Tauriel was slightly shocked. He never talked about his mother. Legolas' mother had died befeore Tauriel had met him and so she had never met the Queen. Tauriel continued to stare at him, almost encouraging him to go on. "My father does not speak of it." Legolas said, "There is no grave, no memory," he paused, "Nothing," he said, still looking into her eyes. She looked back at him, she had never seen him like this, perhaps it was the fact that they were both tired, both physically and emotionally, or maybe it had more to do with the fact that they were right next to the place, but he seemed so vulnerable.
"Legolas, why are you telling me this?" she asked.
"I don't know." he replied, looking back at her. "Perhaps, I just wanted someone else to know." he said. "There is a great battle coming Tauriel. The elves and men, both want their share of the mountain's treasure. But that is not the worst, the Orcs here will also soon know of the mountain's vulnerability." Tauriel nodded, she had realised this already.
"It seems a battle is unescapable." she agreed.
"Tauriel," Legolas whispered. "I have to tell you."
Tauriel gasped and slapped a hand over his mouth. "No! No you don't have to say it." She pleaded, but she desperatly wanted him to say it. Oh how she longed to hear those words from his lips. How she longed to be able to tell him her feelings for him. She slowly lowered her hand.
"There is a chance we may die today, and if today my time should come, I want to die knowing that I told you, just once." He whispered.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn? Why did you have to follow me, and then why couldn't you just leave me? And why do you have to have the worst father in history?" she whispered it, but whispered very angrily.
He looked at her strangely. And she gasped, she had let that last bit out without thinking.
"What does my father have to do with this?" Legolas asked, cautiously.
"Nothing," she said quietly, turning her head.
Legolas put his hand under her chin and gently turned her head back to him. "Tauriel, do not lie to me. What does my father have to do with this?" He repeated.
"Everything" she said.
"That is still not explaining anything." Legolas pointed out.
She sighed, "Well, I'm already banished and we might die tonight anyway," she said. "Thranduil told me he would never permit our love, he would never allow his son to marry a common Silvan elf." she whispered.
Legolas' eyes widened in shock. "He did what?" he gasped.
Tauriel stayed quiet, letting Legolas process this information. "When?" Legolas demanded.
"After we bought the dwarves back to the forest, I had to report to him." She told him.
"Why couldn't you have just told me?" He asked.
"I..." she paused. Why didn't she just tell him? She had just followed Thranduil's orders as she had always done. "I don't know." she admitted. "I allowed Thranduil to scare me, but I don't want to live like that anymore." She told him, remembering his words. "He is my King, but I have come to realise he does not control my heart." she told him with a smile.
Legolas raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you saying Tauriel?" he asked.
She took a deep breath. "I'm saying that you are the only one I will ever love." she whispered. "And I'm saying that if we survive this battle, I promise you I will never try and hide my love again."
Legolas searched her eyes, finding no hint of a lie in her eyes. "Can I say it now?" He asked her.
Tauriel laughed quietly, nodding as she did.
"I love you, Tauriel." he whispered and she knew she would never get tired of him saying that.
It was an odd place to share their first kiss. Hiding out on a rocky hill, watching over an Orc stronghold, but neither of them doubted or regretted it, as they kissed pationatly, letting out all the years of desire and pouring their love into the kiss.
Neither elf wanted the kiss to end, and when they broke away, neither wanted to stop, but the sun had set and they knew they would soon have to make a move.
"If we are going in, we should move now." Tauriel whispered, although every part of her body wanted to stay where they were, with him.
No sooner had she spoken this than a swarm of bat like creatures seemed to appear out of nowhere, flying around the stronghold.
"They are swarming." She pointed out.
"These bats are bred for one purpose." Legolas said, eyes not leaving the bats.
"For what?" she asked him.
"For war."
They both caught sight of the orc at the same time, Bolg halted his warg on top of another hill, and they wondered what he was doing. They did not wonder for long. Orcs started marching out of Gundabad, in great numbers.
"We must warn the others." Tauriel gasped.
"We may be too late." Legolas said. "Hurry."
Both elves sprinted back to the horse, leaping up on it. As they rode back, Tauriel's heart and mind were full of worry for the people of Lake Town and the dwarves. However, there was aspect of her life she was no longer worried about. As they rode back, she wrapped both her arms around Legolas' chest, snuggling in to his back. Both elves knew there was a very real chance of death for both of them, but both were slightly happier, knowing they returned each other's love, and both knew they would not go down without a fight.
So yea, that wasn't the most romantic fanfic I've written but I recently re-watched the movie at the cinemas with a friend and I just started wondering what they would have talked about while they waited, and of course I immediately decided it would be romantic ;) Comment with feedback/suggestions - as you might be able to tell I'm running out of ideas!