Chapter 14: Elements

Thranduil became aware that something else other than the two of them existed as well when a thin blade of a knife was placed under his chin. It had golden, curvy motives on its hilt, giving its owner away. Thranduil didn't have to look up to know with absolute certainty that it was his son who held his throat at the knife's edge, so close it would have been dangerous to try to speak. "How dare you take advantage of Tauriel like this!" Legolas sounded outraged, his voice shaking with his twisting heart, "she is no common whore!"

The elleth in question rolled off of Thranduil's side where she had been enjoying their post-coital bliss, rolling her naked body into a cover that was to serve as clothing for the time being as she reached for her own blade with the same motion before repeating the move backwards to block Legolas' weapon, stop it from advancing further. "Have you told Legolas nothing!" She complained to her husband, "and you," she addressed the younger royal, "why would you think I would let anyone take advantage of me!"

"He just agreed to uphold the revoking of your banishment and as he is your King, you are bound to fulfil his wishes, unbecoming or not. I knew there was something up when he said he had plans for you but I didn't think they would be so ill considered! How foolish of me," he appeared to scorn himself for the moment.

"My King?" Tauriel's forehead creased with discombobulation, "I do not consider myself a subject of Mirkwood at the moment, and even if I was, aren't you my King, My Lord Legolas?"

It was the younger blond's turn to look surprised and stare, but he did not move his blade one tad. "Not anymore. Not when he's coming back."

"He's coming back?" Tauriel scrutinised her elf non-too chuffed, "when were you planning on telling me?" She loosened her holding off Legolas' knife, contemplative and rather aggravated.

"You don't know he's your King and yet you lie with him? The elf you rarely don't see eye to eye with?" They were both baffled by different things.

"I would not lie with anyone I do not want to lie with, King or not! If you don't know that, you don't know me at all!"

"Of course I know you. It's not even an Elvish custom to take lovers, but some are known to indulge in the matter with individuals from the lineage of Men, my party King father for example. You were lost when I last encountered you in the battle, not rational, not undeviating. Sorrow, that longstanding emotion that can overtake our kind for a lengthy time, as well as the emotional numbness stemming from it can bring anyone to unhinged deeds and I want to protect you from doing things you will regret later. Stand down and come with me. My father can rule over Mirkwood, and the two of us can leave together, in whatever way and set up you feel comfortable with. But I can promise you that unlike my father, I would never take advantage of your misfortune."

"Legolas. I'm no damsel in distress! I know what I'm doing and I know what I want! And right now, I want you to leave this room so I can talk to Thranduil! Legolas?" She repeated pointedly as he hesitated. "Please remove your knife. You are acting like I have been acting on the battlefield. Believe me, it's not a good place to come from."

"Alright," the younger blond scoffed and drew a deep breath to calm himself somewhat and keep from attacking again, "I will give you a few minutes to gather yourself together, and then expect you outside," he nodded at her, then gave his father a disdainful look before departing, banging the door intentionally loudly closed behind him.

Tauriel looked for her clothes they've thrown to various parts of the room, collecting them indignantly, "what the orvelethron, Thranduil! You didn't just omit to ease Legolas into the thought of the two of us, but you also somehow overlooked telling me you're the Elvenking!"

"That doesn't matter, I love you all the same," the blond attempted to get out of bed to reach her, forcing back a wave of nausea. He did not have time for such physical matters, he could push it back, shelve it for later, centre himself.

"It doesn't matter? Just tell me, how does it not matter? Wait. Were you intending to keep our union cloak-and-dagger all along? Am I to be your wife only in secret? I am not suitable for the ruling family, you said so yourself."

"Another life, meleth nin," he reached out for her hand from the edge of the bed he propped himself against, "how do you imagine any Eldar going back on wedding vows, hm," Thanduil pulled her against him, "hush, muin nin, estelio enni. I love you and I will always treat you with the place my love deserves."

"The place your love deserves." Tauriel was still confused, but let him hold her even if she didn't look into his eyes for her ire, "and what is that place. What can my place be in your royal court," she huffed, "me, a common, lowly Silvan elf."

"Why, My Queen, of course," he cupped her jaw so he could direct her face towards him, though she still avoided his eyes.

"Oh Elbereth, you jest I hope."

It was Thranduil's turn to shrink back a little and blanch, startled, "it's the greatest honour I can give you, the most suitable apology I can think of for not respecting your station enough in the past. Not to mention that our subjects would surely love it if I married a Silvan."

"Our subjects? Aran Thranduil. I married a vagrant, a traveller, a healer, a common elf who's greatest wish was to explore faraway lands where nobody would recognise him. I did not marry a King!"

"But Tauriel, that is who I am. The only reason I wasn't more lost during the last couple of years was that I was hoping you would return my love. But I do not know how to be anything else, I was a King a lot longer than I haven't been. What I know, what I learnt is how to lead, how to make sure our people have what they need and wish for, how to defend our land. I am not saying that Legolas doesn't know, and what he doesn't, it will come with experience, but don't you know him? He's too much of a free spirit to be bound by the burden of reigning, too much like a bird to be caged to one land."

"Don't you know me? Guess what. Like Legolas, I am too much of a free spirit to be bound by the burden of reigning, too much like a bird to be caged to one land," Tauriel pulled away from him and did the last straps of her clothing. "I love you Thranduil, but I can't be a queen," she gravitated towards the door, but then remembered Legolas would be waiting for her out there and she didn't even know what to tell him.

"Then don't be," Thranduil was desperate enough to throw all tradition out the window now that most of them had been disregarded anyway, "we will never crown you. Just be with me, stay with me, simply just be my wife. Can you do that, meleth nin?" He finally caught up with her, lightheaded and panting, tunic barely in place, but his death grip wasn't going to let her away.

"Yes. Yes, I can do that," Tauriel grabbed onto him, afraid he would fall in his feebleness. Her first reaction had been dread in regards to fitting into a role she never thought suitable for herself, but her love was stronger, wasn't it. "Let's get you back to bed," she turned to coaxing as that handling method was sometimes successful with him when she employed it, "you can barely stand. Shall we say that today's activities were a tad bit more exhausting than you were ready for?"

"See?" He grinned relieved, "it's not like I didn't think I had plenty of time to tell you about new developments. It could be a while till I make it to Mirkwood's Halls. Especially if you stay with me in bed."

tbc

Glossary:

Orvelethron – Orc lover, Elvish cussing word

Estelio enni – trust me

Elbereth – vala (god) Varda