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Epilogue Part 3: Legolas' Joy*
Tauriel decided to return to her true home of Mirkwood. Erebor held too many painful memories and without Kili she felt as though she no longer had a place there. King Thorin III assured her she could stay in the Lonely Mountain as long as she liked, and King Bard II invited her to live in Dale, but neither place would do. What she needed was her first home and her own people: the elves. Thus she packed her bags, and after a tearful goodbye to her family and promises to visit often, she made the trek back to Mirkwood Palace, once again called Greenwood.
King Thranduil graciously welcomed her back. "Tauriel! You have returned. Tell me, do you desire your job as one of my guards back?"
"I have been considering it. My Kili was killed several weeks ago and I am ready to move on with my life. But before I consent to my old job, where is my childhood friend Legolas?"
The Elvenking's eyes grew a bit misty and held a far-away look at this question. "You have likely heard he was involved in the War of the Ring. He befriended a dwarf, Gimli. He's the son of Gloin, whom you may remember was one of the dwarves we captured when the hobbit came through. Legolas has left with many of my people to a place called Ithilien in Gondor. You already know my son had and still has no desire to rule my kingdom, so I chose to let him go. I could tell he was no longer happy here and I must allow him to make his own way in the world. I think he has seen much during his adventures and his heart grows restless as he hears the fine old tales of the Sea and Undying Lands. He no longer sees the need to stay, as I do, and perhaps the War affected him more than he let on."
"Thank you, King Thranduil. I am afraid at this time I shall not be able to join your guard again. I must speak to Legolas."
"I understand. I was in love once myself. I always knew the two of you were destined to marry at some point, even though I tried my best to keep you apart. I owe you a great apology, Tauriel. I should not have stood in your way. You likely do not remember, but my wife was actually a kitchen maid before we were wed. I loved her with all of my heart. Yet when she was murdered, my heart felt as though it would break in twine. I suppose I was trying to protect Legolas from losing you as I lost my wife. Please forgive me for not realizing sooner that one must make the most of the time you have with your loved ones. Now I have lost both my wife and my son. I will not keep you from your love. Please, when you find Legolas tell him I love him and I am sorry for all I have done."
Tauriel looked up at her king with admiration in her eyes. "Your highness, I forgive you. In fact, your refusal to allow Legolas to propose to me led me to Kili. I had such a wonderful time with him, even though it was so short. Yet I would not trade it for the world. However, Legolas has always held a special place in my heart, and now I am finally ready to see where it will lead. You see, I had always been afraid of marriage, of making such a commitment, all before I met Kili. Then that changed."
The Elvenking understood. "Thank you, Tauriel. Now go find my son!" He gave her a quick and spontaneous hug before shooing her away, a fond smile on his face as he watched her retreating form.
Tauriel had kept up with her warrior skills and felt prepared enough after the battle to set out on her own as she used to do long ago when she was a guard. It was a lengthy way to Ithilien, but she didn't mind. That left her much time to think and prepare for her meeting with her old friend. She made good time and arrived in the fair city of Ithilien a few weeks later.
Legolas and Gimli had been out for a stroll as they often did nowadays, reminiscing on their adventures and sharing their pasts. Consequently, the two were among the first inhabitants to greet her.
Spying the long blonde locks, quite uncommon in Gondor, Tauriel called out to her friend, "Legolas! It's me, Tauriel! I have come to speak with you."
Yet he still held a grudge against her for marrying a dwarf instead of him, thus he turned his back and started to walk away. A firm and resolute expression came over his face as he strode back to his abode. To his chagrin, Gimli stopped him in his tracks. He was there visiting Minas Tirith and the surrounding areas; he ruled some of his people in the Glittering Caves and they made use of their metal working skills to help his friends in both Gondor and Rohan. However, such a strong friendship as the two shared could not be broken through separation and they often visited each other's homes. "Legolas! The lovely lady is talking to you. And I think she is one elf upon which we can agree: she is indeed a fair maiden!" Turning towards her, he introduced himself, "Good day, Miss Tauriel. I am Gimli, called elf-friend by Legolas here. We were a part of the Fellowship of the Ring and became friends through that journey."
"'Tis a pleasure to meet you, Master Gimli. King Thranduil told me a bit about your adventures, although I have yet to hear the entire tale. I see you already know who I am. Legolas and I have been friends since childhood."
"If you have been friends so long, why will he not even speak with you? I have never seen him act this way before…"
"It is a rather unique situation and a long tale. You see, he expected to marry me, even though his father did not approve of such a relationship. Then I fell in love with a dwarf. Did you ever know my Kili?"
"Yes, he was a few years my senior and a distant cousin of mine. And he married you? Now that is a sight I would love to see!"
"Indeed, he was my husband. I regret to inform you that he passed away last month. Some rogue men had attacked our fortress, so he and his brother Fili both died in the attempt to fight them back. King Dain was killed during the attack as well."
Gimli's face fell; there had been too many lives lost in the long war against the Dark Lord Sauron. "I am sorry, Tauriel, for your sake and mine."
"Our side was victorious in the end, but we had our losses. I loved Kili so much and miss him greatly, yet I am grateful for the few years I was able to spend with him. Gimli, are you married?"
"No, I never could bring myself to wed. I enjoy the life of a bachelor too much. Now let me see if Legolas can get this chip off his shoulder and take care of whatever business you have with him."
Legolas had been eavesdropping – after all, Gimli had halted him in his tracks and he felt obliged to stay nearby. Upon hearing that Tauriel was now a widow, he perked up considerably. All these years he had been trying to forget her, knowing she was in the arms of another man and there was nothing he could do about it, yet a small spark remained in his heart where the lovely elf was concerned. He decided he could risk his feelings once again and speak to his former best friend.
"Tauriel! It has been a long time."
"Yes, it has," she smiled. "I have missed you."
"And I you. I truly am sorry about Kili. I know he was a good man and loved you with all his heart."
"Thank you. Look, Legolas, I am sorry about suddenly marrying Kili. I realize I should have better explained my feelings to you instead of just marrying him like I did. I know King Thranduil worried extensively about your pining away for me. Which reminds me, he sends his love to you. His misses you greatly. Will you at least write to him? He seems lonely in the palace; many elves have left and so few remain."
The fair elf's face softened as he began to see things through Tauriel's eyes. For the first time, he realized that waiting for her had been good for both of them and her marriage to Kili was what she had needed, not him. "I forgive you, Tauriel. I know now from listening to your conversation that you truly loved Kili in a way that you could not love me. I was quite immature to sulk the way I did. And yes, I should write my Ada. You know I have never wanted to inherit the throne; ruling is such hard work and I have no skills at it. Besides, Elrond has said that 'the time of the elves is over'* and most of us have left to the Grey Havens. I should like to go there myself in the next few years."
Tauriel could see her friend had definitely matured, and she liked what she saw. "Thank you. I would love to join our kin in the Undying Lands as well, eventually. So now that we have gotten all this cleared up, can we be friends again?"
"I'd like that!" This time it was Legolas's turn to smile. "As long as you befriend Gimli as well!"
"Of course! He has already found a place in my heart."
The two elves had much catching up to do, some of which they did while taking a tour of the city and its surroundings. Tauriel saw many of the elves she knew and with whom she worked in Mirkwood, and it proved to be a joyous reunion. Thus she made the decision to remain there as well.
-A Year Later-
The heartbreak Tauriel experienced after losing Kili slowly died down to a dull ache, which she knew would always remain. After all, death was not a thing elves were used to, although in the years leading up to the War of the Ring it had become all too common an occurrence. However, during this time she and Legolas had grown close again, in a new and deeper sort of way. Gimli soon became a fast friend as well, and the trio spent as much time together as they could.
One day when he was visiting, Gimli packed a special lunch for the two. "Here," he said as he handed the basket to Tauriel, "I want you two to have a little picnic outside of the city. Go and enjoy yourselves!" He smiled and slowly closed on eye as he glanced towards Legolas.
The elf returned the grin as she took the basket. "Thank you! What do you say, Legolas? Shall we humour our friend?"
Winking back at her, he simply took her arm and strolled away, leaving behind the dwarf with his teeth flashing in merriment. The elves walked silently out of the city and found a mountain overlook area. Here they ate their meal, chatting and enjoying being together. When they were finished, Legolas had something important to say. He'd done much pondering in the time he'd had with his friend this past year and had finally decided what he must do.
"Tauriel?"
"Yes?" She looked at him, a bit confused at the change in his tone of voice. It sounded more loving and tender than she had heard yet, which made her heart beat faster.
"You know I have loved you for such a long time now. As we have become reacquainted, my love has grown stronger still. I know it has only been a year since Kili died, yet I must ask this question. Will you marry me?"
"Oh Legolas! Yes, I will marry you. I have grown to love you as well. You know I enjoyed my time with Kili and would never have traded it for anything, yet it is time to move on with my life. I would love to spend the rest of my days with you. You do not mind that Kili and I had five children together, who will become your step-children?"
"Tauriel!" he cried, ecstatic that his love could at last bloom into what it was meant to be. He closed the gap between them, and they shared their very first kiss. Legolas had actually never had this experience before and found himself enjoying the feeling. He was the one to deepen the kiss into something so sparkling with love that the air seemed to arc with romance. They at last broke contact and sat back, panting a bit yet very pleased. "I realize now that you and Kili truly loved each other and that your marrying him was the best thing you could do; I was so immature! Yes, I will love your children like they were my own. Tell me, what are they like?"
The elf lady told him all about her beloved kids and grandchildren. Especially touched about the twin daughters, Legolas commented, "You named your daughter after my mother, Arabesque?"
"Yes. Kili and I talked it over, and I explained how kind and compassionate she always was. Where your father sometimes held me with a bit of disdain, the Elvenqueen accepted me for who I was. Believe me, I mourned her tragic loss almost as much as you and your father. I felt, and Kili agreed, that she deserved some recognition and remembrance. The only thing I could give her in return for her years of kindness to me seemed to be having my child live on with her nomenclature."
"Thank you, Tauriel. This means so much to me. Have you told my Ada?"
"No, not directly, but he may have heard about my sweet little girl from someone in Dale."
Tauriel realized she had a second wedding to plan, unsure if Mirkwood was a possibility due to the rift between the Elvenking and his son, as well as being the location of her first wedding.
"Where would you like to get married?" she inquired, knowing that in her former home was the perfect opportunity for father and son to reunite, perhaps with the bond of them remembering the Elvenqueen through talking about her daughter.
"Wherever you want is fine! And I say the sooner the better!"
"You know I would prefer Mirkwood, since it is where we met and grew up together. However, I understand if you want me to choose elsewhere."
"It is a rather far trip, yet I also know Ada would never forgive me if he was unable to see me marry at last. However, at the same time I am concerned of what he will think of the two of us being together. He was extremely hostile about our relationship in the past that maybe it would be better for us to elope and let him know after the fact."
Tauriel looked deeply into her new love's eyes. "King Thranduil loves you, Legolas, and I know he would enjoy watching our wedding. He told me how deeply he regrets keeping us apart, but I assured him that it worked out for good. As I keep saying, I would never trade my time with Kili for anything and I know if I had married you instead our relationship would not be as good as it will be now. So I think we need to marry in Mirkwood, or at least somewhere nearby. Besides, while we are there you can have the pleasure of telling your father about your new children, especially Arabesque; I think this information would come from you better than me."
Legolas was surprised to learn of his father's change in heart and became stuck on that train of thought rather than his soon to be daughter. "My Ada told you that?" He recalled when Thranduil revealed some of that information to him before the War and was shocked he would freely tell someone else. The Elvenking truly had a change of heart for the better.
"Yes! He was trying to protect you from losing me, just as he lost his wife. I never realized how heartbroken he was; he hid it through his anger. Yet now he regrets his actions. Since you moved away, he hardly has anyone left with him."
Legolas had much thinking to do. "Tauriel, I know we just got engaged; would you mind if I just wander out here alone? I am finding it hard to believe that Ada feels this way. I didn't take him that seriously when he told me before, yet now I am not sure what to think."
His fiancé smiled and kissed him gently. "Take all the time you need, Meleth." With that she returned to the city, telling Gimli of their engagement and wedding plans. He was thrilled.
*The article "The Ruling Family of Mirkwood" by sepdet proved most helpful in writing this chapter. You can find it on the Council of Elrond website.