Author's Note: HELLO MY LOVES! Long time no see :) My dearest, beloved readers, I missed you all terribly. So here are the facts: I have seen BotFA, but only once. For that reason this chapter is kind of filler, just to tide you over until some of the interesting bits happen. As you know I'm trying to stick super close to the movie canon and make this storyline work within it, so it will be hard for me to continue on without a few more viewings. Muuuuch muuuuch more to come in the next few weeks. Hang tight! xx / UPDATE (12-24-14): I made changes to the dialogues here to suit the movie!canon better. Sorry for that :) I got excited with publishing it :D

Chapter 11 - Hearts Revealed

Thranduil perceived the coming of the dragon as would any other King of Elves; Smaug was a swift and precise attacker, and although the dragon's target was not clear in the King's mind, he could feel its fire and smell the ash and smoke as if the serpent was on his doorstep. And as quickly as the vision came, it went out, and a great pressure fell from Thranduil's shoulders. A veil was lifted, and the King sighed.

"Feren!" the King cried out suddenly, his booming voice echoing through the halls of his palace and stirring all who heard it. It was the dead of night, but Thranduil had not been able to rest since Legolas and Tauriel departed without permission, deliberately disobeying his command. It was time for them to come home, and he would administer one final warning.

At his command, Feren arrived in the throne room and bowed sharply. "Yes, my lord?"

"The dragon is dead," he said emphatically. "Please, retrieve my son."

Feren nodded solemnly, hesitating before turning to go. He took a step forward, but stopped.

"You wonder about Tauriel," Thranduil said. "But there is no need. She is henceforth retired from her post."


In a matter of hours, everything Tauriel thought she knew about Middle Earth was shattered. Fell creatures had grown much more powerful than she'd imagined, but more than that, Dwarves had proven to be both thoughtful and interesting beings, and true courage was indeed present in the hearts of Men.

She had seen much after leaving the borders of the Woodland Realm and trekking further to the settlement of Laketown. She and Legolas chased the orc pack into the heart of the town, unsurprised to find them hunting the dwarves. It was Legolas who realized first that the leader of the dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield, was no longer among them. Without skipping a beat, he set out to follow the orc pack onward, out of Laketown, and toward the Lonely Mountain. His mission was to gather information.

But Tauriel could not so easily leave the few who had been affected by the orc attack. She discovered that Kili, the dwarf she had met in the Elvenking's halls, was mortally wounded, and would not survive without her aid. There were children, too, who were hanging on for their lives even as the walls of their home were collapsing around them. Legolas beckoned her to press on, and her allegiance to the house of Thranduil was tested, but in that moment, her heart told her to stay with them and help them survive. In either case, it was too late for her to follow Legolas; a dragon was coming, and she had wasted too much time already.

Under the cover of night and a little intuition on her part, Tauriel had managed to escape the assault of a dragon with nothing more than a rickety boat and the few lucky dwarves and human children. Together, they washed up on the shores of the Long Lake, where she immediately began searching for Legolas. In her mind, what she had witnessed was still so fresh and terrifying. But in the end, the dragon had been slain; her priority now was identifying what evil plans the enemy would enact next.

When Kili approached her, her mind was elsewhere; she desperately searched the ranks of Laketown survivors for Legolas. Kili was not exactly someone she wanted to see, but she was glad he was alive. She hadn't been able to protect many, but she saved the life of at least one dwarf. Her heart sank when she saw the love in his eyes; Kili was so young, and so naive somehow. Tauriel could sense his feelings, and although she could not return them, she tried her best to comfort him in what ways she could.

She was relieved when Legolas finally approached from the refugee camp, despite the fact that he, too, bore a look of pain on his face.

"My lord. The dragon," Tauriel said breathlessly. "So much was destroyed. So many were lost."

"I am so happy to see you are not among them," Legolas replied, placing a hand on her cheek. "Although it was unwise of you not to leave Laketown with me. I have followed you to help keep you safe from harm, Tauriel, but your stubbornness has no end."

"I want to help them, mellon nin."

"Then let us go to the source of the evil, and see to it that no more harm comes to these people," Legolas persuaded. Tauriel shot a glance at him, surprised at his interest in the affairs of others. Or was he saying this simply because he knew what she wanted him to say?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Feren of the Woodland Realm, one of Thranduil's most trusted emissaries, who came riding into the camp on horseback, bearing tidings from the King.

"Mae govannen, my lord Legolas," he said, bowing his head slightly. "I will be brief: the King would have you return to the Realm immediately."

"Not this time," Legolas said mockingly. "Rather, Feren, tell my father that he is needed here. These people will not survive two days without supplies."

Feren smiled, but there was fear in his voice. "I do not believe the King will come for such a purpose."

Legolas insisted, "I know my father will come, albeit with an ulterior motive. The dragon is dead, Feren."

Feren, wide-eyed, raised his eyebrows. "The mountain," he said suddenly, as ages upon ages of grief and sorrow came back to him, and he began to realize that the Elvenking had cause to come, either way. Pondering that for a moment, Feren also dreaded the King's reaction when his emissary returned empty-handed to Mirkwood.

"So be it," he finally said, nodding.

"Tauriel and I will continue our hunt for the source of the orcs. We bid you farewell."

"Tauriel is no longer your Captain," Feren said abruptly. "She is banished."

She knew the words were coming before they were even spoken, and the ex-Captain had dreaded their coming. And thus she did not share the surprise splayed on Legolas' face.

"Banished?" Legolas asked in disbelief. "Tell my father this: if there is no place for Tauriel in the King's Realm, there is no place for me. We ride to Gundabad."

Tauriel turned to Legolas, confused and excited all at once. They were in serious trouble, no doubt, but in her heart she felt they were doing the right thing. Still, something beyond her was at play here, and she knew that Legolas was not telling her everything there was to know about the King's intentions. More than ever, she realized she knew so very little about King Thranduil, and her trust in his judgement and feelings was ever fragile.

"The orcs we fought bore the markings of an evil fortress of old. Will you come with me to Gundabad, Tauriel?"

"Of course," she replied, hardly thinking about it. She would do anything to avoid being there at the King's arrival - the disappointment that would be evident on his face was too much for her to bear. Instead, she'd decided, she still had a chance at showing her quality by gathering information about the enemy and protecting the prince if she could. Yes, she concluded. No harm must come to the prince of Mirkwood. Regardless of whether or not I am his Captain. He is my friend.

As they mounted Legolas' horse, a pang of regret stabbed her heart. The face of the dwarf, Kili, speaking his strange language and attempting to hold her hand - the love spelled plainly there in his words - had she caused this feeling in him? She had only meant to use the poor dwarf, he who seemed closest to the leader of the company and yet open-minded and young. Now she felt a guilt creeping in her mind, a guilt for letting him get closer to her. Was this what Thranduil had alluded to when he spoke of the perils of the outside world and getting involved in the affairs of other peoples in Middle Earth? That some might need you, and possibly need more from you than what you could ever give?

Can we Elves do anything? she wondered, leaning her head against Legolas and closing her eyes. Or are we only making things worse?


Thranduil was already readying his troops when Feren returned. The white gems would be his again, by force if necessary, and his mission was clear. He would march on the mountain if need be, and would not leave without the heirloom he desired. Things would be clearer to him once the necklace was in his possession.

"My King Thranduil," Feren shouted, riding into the armory in a flurry. "I bring word from Legolas. Laketown is destroyed, and the survivors in Dale need supplies."

Thranduil looked up, narrowing his eyes. "Yes. And."

"He would not return with me," Feren said. "Ere the source of the orcs is found."

Thranduil crossed his arms, pursing his lips.

"Prepare to leave," he said, marching past his lead officer and toward the stables. "We march to Dale tonight."