Author's Note: The next chapter is kind of short, and really needed to be separate from this one, so I'm going to post it later today as a bonus.
"It is only for a short while. I wish to clear my head," Tauriel lies sweetly, offering a small shrug as she walks with Alassé through the trees. She can hear the guard fidgeting beside her, debating, but stronger than that she can smell the forest air, feel the sunlight on her skin, hear the rustling of the leaves in the light breeze that tugs at the loose strands of her hair, and she wants it.
She hadn't dared to go outside after her King had last caught her in the practice yard, staying indoors instead, flitting between her room and the halls of the palace. But she had begun to feel it - that twitchy, cramped feeling of being stuck inside for far too long, the need to run and be somewhere wide open... The need to be able to take more than fifteen steps in any direction before running into a wall.
Her plan had been simple.
Her guard today, Alassé, is the only one willing to bend Thranduil's rules as she once had, being only a few centuries older than Tauriel and still a touch rebellious, so Tauriel had decided to try her luck. She asked to walk in the forest, and after a few moments of gentle refusals, Alassé had relented.
She had been allowed a short walk outdoors, accompanied by her guard, and now Tauriel puts the last bit into play. She asks for a moment to herself. Alassé will be nearby, and she accompanied her out here, so technically they are only bending Thranduil's orders and not outright breaking them. And for a brief while, Tauriel will be free.
Her guard lets out a long-suffering sigh, her steps slowing to a stop as she releases Tauriel's arm from her lead.
"Promise me you will not go far?" Alassé asks, her voice hesitant, and Tauriel nods, flashing her what she hopes is a sweet smile. Another sigh. "Very well. I will return shortly."
The hand leaves her arm and Tauriel finds herself standing on her own in the forest as Alassé backtracks.
The rustling of leaves rolls overhead with the wind and she lets out a breath that shudders with anticipation. She is so close she can taste it. At last, freedom.
Alassé's footsteps recede into the background, and Tauriel forces herself to move slowly, leisurely, though she wants nothing more than to run.
The forest sings to her as she wanders, hands stretched out before her to feel her path as she places her feet carefully. Her bow is slung comfortably across her shoulders, a full quiver at her side and her daggers strapped across her back. Tauriel feels almost like a Captain again.
She picks up speed as she becomes more confident - she can hear the trees calling to her, her feet sing as they touch the ground, the scent of the forest swirls around her and makes her giddy with joy. It does not take long until she can tell where the trees are by the hiss of wind through their leaves, and the ground has thus far been flat before her, so she runs. Her long hair is tugged back in the breeze, smaller branches catching at her red locks and clothing, but she ignores this, racing deeper into the forest.
Her heart is pounding in her chest, the exhilaration thrumming in her pulse, and Tauriel feels herself smile - truly smile - for the first time in what feels like ages.
The heat of the sun blazes on her face as the sounds from the trees pull back from her and she knows she's found a clearing. Slowing to a walk, Tauriel spins in a circle, arms out and head tilted back with her eyes closed to protect them from the sun - the healers had warned her that its brightness could still hurt her whether or not she could see it.
Freedom feels wonderful.
She spins until she can barely stand straight, feeling like an elfling again, and then lets her momentum carry her to the ground in a tangle of her hair and long grass.
Laughing quietly, Tauriel plucks the leaves from her hair, but hesitates when she feels their shape. The leaf she holds is a willow leaf, not an oak. There are no willows along the path that she knows. The only willow trees are down by the water, but she cannot hear the river.
Eyebrows pinching, she feels for nearby trees, and finds that she recognizes none of them. The texture of the bark is unfamiliar, as are the shapes of the leaves, and the scent is something she has not found in her forest before. She could not have wandered that far in so little time, could she?
She hesitates, turning around with outstretched arms, and worry starts to coil unpleasantly in her stomach as she comes to one horrible realization.
She is lost.