Chapter ten.
"My Lord Legolas," said an elf in Elvish, riding up to Legolas and Tauriel, "I bring word from your father. You are to return to him immediately."
"Come, Tauriel." Legolas said as he walked forward.
Tauriel stayed where she was, she knew what was coming.
"My Lord, "The elf replied in Elvish, "Tauriel has been banished."
"Banished?" Legolas replied confused.
Even though she knew it was coming, it still hurt. She knew that this was what was to happen, she betrayed King Thranduil-who took her in, and now she must pay.
"You may tell my father, if there is no place for Tauriel then there is no place for me." Legolas replied.
"Legolas, it is your king's command." Tauriel said with her head slightly bowed. She could not let him suffer for her crimes.
"Yes, he is my King," Legolas replied in Elvish, "but he does not command my heart."
Then Legolas started to walk away, she followed him.
"I ride north, will you come with me?" He asked.
She nodded and they went over to his horse Gael. Legolas made sure the saddle was secure while Tauriel petted the horse's neck.
"How did he get here?" Tauriel asked, shocked.
"I do not know, he must have sensed danger when we left and followed us." Legolas replied.
"You know you did not have to do what you did." Tauriel looked down at her feet. She could never be with Legolas even if she wanted to.
"Tauriel," Legolas said in a soft tone that he used when he talked about something he cared about, He lifted her chin up, "I have known you for a very long time, and I will not abandon you as your family has."
She said nothing about how her family was alive. He thought they were dead, so she left it at that.
"Also, we have important work elsewhere." He said as he got onto Gael. He held out his hand for Tauriel and when she gave it to him he pulled her onto his horse and they rode away.
As they sat in the rocks outside of the fortress, waiting for the cover of night, Tauriel thought about what Legolas had said about Gundabad being the place where his mother died. She never told him about her mother, she did not think it important.
"I watched orcs kill my mother in cold blood." She said aloud silently. Legolas looked at her, she kept her gaze on the fortress. "I was with my brother and sister in the family room. Then someone started banging the door down. My mother took them and ran down in the cellar to hide them, and grabbed my bow and arrows my father made for me. My mother came up from the cellar with her bow and arrows. People were screaming outside.
"Suddenly, orcs streamed into our home and my mother and I fought hard. My mother saw three orcs heading into the cellar and told me to stay where I was and to make sure no more orcs entered. Then after what seemed like an eternity I went down to the cellar.
"My mother was fighting two orcs at once and had already killed one. Then one of them drove his sword through her. I shot him in the throat and when the other turned around I shot him in the heart.
"I ran to her side, I held her, and she told me to take my brother and sister and to flee to Mirkwood and to find her brother and father. She told me to never forget who I was before she died in my arms."
Tauriel hated to cry in front of anyone, but her mother's memory was too strong.
"Who is her father and brother? What was her name?" Legolas asked thinking he could help somehow.
"Her name was Almirthara. Her brother's name was Dyffros. Once I came to Mirkwood I tried looking for them, Dyffros was killed in battle alongside his father and my grandmother died giving birth to my mother." Tauriel replied shaking her head.
"Almirthara was well known, she-"
He stopped. She knew what he was going to say.
"-She fell in love with a dwarf and disappeared one day. Is that why you care about the dwarves of Erebor?"
She nodded, "Since I can never return to Mirkwood I suppose it does not matter if I tell you…Lyra is my sister."
"Why would it matter if an elf is your sister? I remember her, she was the daughter…"
He couldn't finish his sentence, he didn't have to, Tauriel knew what he would say.
"The king of Erebor is you father. You told me he was dead." Legolas said in disbelief.
"When you told me that your father was Thranduil I knew I couldn't. Not even King Thranduil knows of my dwarf history."
They sat in silence for a while. Tauriel soon caught herself starting to drift. She shook her head and tried to stay awake. Next thing she knew, she was asleep.