Huh, so its been a while hasn't it. So sorry for my disappearance, but thank you so much to those who commented asking for more, your comments pulled me back into writing :) So, here's the next chapter, hope you all enjoy if anyone is still following this story. Please comment/review cos they will keep me going, I hope to be uploading more soon. Also, please comment with your thoughts on Legolas and Tauriel leaving for the undying land. I know Legolas did in the book but because he has Tauriel in this world, not sure what I should write so I'm asking you guys again :D. Thanks!
Tauriel limped into the clearing, the cut on her arm still stinging, despite the healer's treatment. In fact, her whole body was aching and she marvelled at how she actually found the stamina to make it here. With everything that had happened, she hadn't been able to come here since before she even left for Helm's Deep.
Thranduil had been right, darkness had been coming to Mirkwood, darkness in the form of a great battle. The battle under the trees had only lasted a single day, though the fighting had been long, and resulted in great loss for the elves.
Tauriel spun, her sword piercing through the orc's crude armour at his shoulder, before she pulled it back towards her and sliced at its neck. She felt no satisfaction at the creature's death, she knew there were still many more to come. Another orc charged at her and dealt with it with a quick slash with her sword. She continued fighting, taking the time to survey her surroundings while she attacked. Her eyes lingered on her King, fighting almost by her side, seperated by a few orcs, who continued charging through their ranks, the clank of their armour and their grunts filling the air.
She watched Thranduil slice the head of an orc in a movement similar to hers a few moments ago. He spun, hair spinning behind him through the air as his sword found another mark. His every move was calculated, each one with a specific purpose, a specific target that he never missed. However, the orcs surrounding him were numerous, they had begun charging towards him in groups. She moved towards him, easily despatching the orcs between them.
No words were spoken between the two elves, but their movements adjusted easily, and the group of orcs were quickly dismissed. Thranduil nodded his head to her in thanks, and she nodded slightly back, before turning to look towards the army of orcs still advancing through the forest. Their feet stomped loudy on the forest floor and suddenly anger shot through her veins, this was her forest, not theirs. It belonged to the light, not this force of darkness and despair. She hurled herself at the orcs surging forward, her sword becoming hard to see as it hurtled through the air at such a speed. She pulled her dagger from behind her back, holding it in her other hand, using it occasionally to kill or at least wound orcs that were foolish enough to come too close.
The real battle only lasted a few more hours, but afterwards they still couldn't return home. They piled the orc bodies up, carts would be sent back to collect them so they could burn the bodies at the edge of the forest, an act similar to that of the men of Rohan. Tauriel's muscles ached but she hauled body after body to the pile.
Collecting the bodies of the elves was harder, not physically for both the elves and the armour they wore were lighter than the orcs and their armour, but she couldn't bear to look at their faces, knowing that their families would never see their face again. She tried forcing her mind to lighter subjects, the forest was theirs once more, news had come that a force had tried to take the woods of Lorien as well, but had also been defeated. Sauron's forces had failed. Her mind drifted to Legolas, and she prayed that whatever battle he was destined to join would have a similar outcome. She looked over to Thranduil, who was standing under a tree, looking around at the aftermath of the battle. She guessed his thoughts were along the same line.
She lay the elf she had carried down by his comrade and made her way over to her King. "It is over," she said softly. Receiving only a nod in return.
"You are thinking about him," she said, more of a statement than a question.
"This was surely a far smaller battle than the one he must face." Thranduil said.
Tauriel nodded, "We are almost finished here, we can return home," she said. "We can return home so that we will be waiting for him when he does."
Thranduil looked down at her, meeting her eyes and seeing the look of desperate hope she was clinging to. He nodded, "Make sure you see the healers about that cut on your arm," he said, before moving past her. "Hopefully it will have healed before his return." he said over his shoulder, before moving off, elves starting to walk behind him, through the trees of their forest, back home.
Tauriel stood in the clearing, looking around at its green grass and the darker green shade of the tree. She wondered how, despite everything that had happened in this forest, the darkness and disease that had endevoured to overun the forest, this clearing had stayed green, and pure. She hoped in the years to come, the rest of the forest would return to a similar state, now that the darkness had been repelled. She climbed slowly up the tree, and looked out across the tops of the trees. Somewhere, out there she could only hope Legolas was the same. She hoped that despite the plague of death that had felled many all over the land, he had managed to stay alive so that he would be able to come back here, to their clearing.
Ok, so I hope I still have some ability to write! Also, now that I'm back I was thinking of changing the cover pic for my stories, I have absolutely no skill at art or editing so I was wondering if anyone would like to make one for any of my stories? I don't want to simply get one off the internet for copyright reasons etc., so please PM me if you have anything you would be happy for me to use or would be interested in making something! Appreciate it, thanks xx.