~One Captain to Another~


Captains of the elven guard. Warriors, fierce and bold
In separate realms, their duties lie. And different lords, they uphold
The morals of their lords and kings may be different, that's true
But these captains share an understanding, and a common view


~Meanwhile, in Mirkwood~

"I do not understand why you feel the need to be silent, my friend." Thranduil said. "We have no intentions of hurting you. All we want to know is why you were following the dwarves and of what importance they are to you."

Thranduil turned and looked at Meraell as he stood before him in the throne room. Tauriel and Legolas stood to the side and observed as their king interrogated the young captain, who had been stripped of his weapons and his cloak.

In response to Thranduil's remark, Meraell simply looked straight ahead with a straight face. "As I have told your son, your highness, that is not your business."

"It is my business!" Thranduil hissed, getting really close to Meraell's face. Meraell did not flinch, however, nor did his eyes cease looking forward. "Your actions interfered with the capture of my prisoners." Thranduil said. "And it took place in my kingdom. Therefore, it is certainly my business! And I want to know why you were following them." Meraell did not answer. "Did Lord Elrond send you?"

For the first time, Meraell turned and looked Thranduil right in the eyes. "No." He said. "I can assure you, my Lord Elrond has nothing to do with this. He knows not of my venture; I came here on my own accord."

"Again, why?" Thranduil asked. "Why were you following the dwarves?"

Meraell let out a sigh. "Let's just say that Thorin Oakenshield and his company are carrying something with them that is very precious to me." He replied.

"And what does Thorin Oakenshield have of yours that you would go to such great lengths to retrieve?" Thranduil asked.

Meraell looked at him again. "I never said it was mine. It's just very precious to me."

"Is that so?" The Elvenking asked. "If this thing is so precious to you, why did you help Oakenshield and his company escape with it?"

"Because I would do anything to make sure that it is safe." Meraell replied. "Even if it means letting it go." As he spoke, Tauriel watched and listened with intrigue.

"And what is this thing that you value so much?" Thranduil asked. "A priceless treasure of gold, silver or jewels? Or something much more valuable?"

"Now that, your highness, is my business, not yours." Meraell said. "And I will say no more."

"Father." Legolas said. "He is not going to talk. We will get more information out of the orc than him."

Thranduil looked at Legolas then at Meraell. "Very well." He said. "Perhaps some time in the dungeons will encourage you to talk." He spoke in elvish. "I am patient; I have an eternity to wait."

Meraell smirked. "As do I, your highness."

Thranduil's eyes narrowed and he gave a flick of his wrist, signaling the guards to escort Meraell out. As Meraell was led out, he made brief eye contact with Tauriel, who watched him leave with curiosity at everything he had just said. Once Meraell was out of the throne room, the orc that Tauriel and Legolas had captured before was brought forward for questioning. Tauriel stood back and observed as Thranduil interrogated the orc.


"I do not care for one dead dwarf."

Thranduil's words echoed in Tauriel's ears, making her blood boil as she exited the throne room. She didn't even turn around and look at him as she descended the stairs and paused for a minute in one of the hallways that led away from the throne room. The king's lack of regard for the lives of those who were of other races upset her immensely. How could he not care? How could he be so cold? The more she thought about it, the more her anger seethed within her.

And the orc's words repeating over and over again in her head wasn't helping either. Oh, how she wanted to kill that filth! If Thranduil hadn't stopped her, she wouldn't have hesitated to slice his throat! In fact, it would have been a pleasure. His mocking laughter, snarls and gnashing teeth were still imprinted in her memory. As were his sadistic words.

She remembered what he had said about that young brunette dwarf, Kili, his name was. If what he said about the arrow was true, then Kili was in grave danger. Her heart sank at the thought. She did not know what it was about that dwarf that she found so endearing and charming. In the little time she had known him, he had stirred something inside her. Whether it was friendship or something more, she did not know right now. It was too soon to tell. But, somehow, she felt the need to protect him. A part of her wanted to run out the door and go after him, and another part of her was preventing her from doing so.

Other than the fact that she had never even been outside the Woodland Realm before (the thought of which terrified her a bit), she also couldn't just disobey Thranduil and leave. He was more than just her king; he was like a father to her. Even though she questioned his reasoning and motives sometimes she couldn't deny that she loved him as a daughter would love a father. He took her in, raised her and loved her like she was his own child when no one else wanted her. In the six centuries since her parents died, he and Legolas had become her family. She loved them and she needed to stay with them. But at the same time she wanted to go help Kili.

She didn't know what she wanted to do! Her heart was being torn in two different directions! She felt conflicted and she knew she had to make a choice soon.

But first, there was someone she had to talk to.


Tauriel made her way down to the dungeons and approached the cell where Meraell was being held.

"Leave us." She said to the guards there. "I wish to speak with this prisoner alone."

The guards did as they were told, not even questioning her. Once the guards were gone and they were alone, Tauriel looked at Meraell through the bars with a slight smile. Meraell was seated on the stone structure that served as a bed, staring down at the ground. He looked up at Tauriel out of the corner of his eye then back at the ground, doing his best to ignore her.

"Bain calan, mellon-nin."* She said.

Meraell turned and looked at her. "Friend?" He said in the Common Tongue. "You call me friend?" He stood up and looked at her, cocking an eyebrow. "Tell me, is this how you treat your 'friends', and others of your own race? By locking them up in cages? Or are you just mocking my current situation by placing that label on me?"

"I did not come down here to mock you." Tauriel said. "I just want to talk."

Meraell tilted his head. "Very well." He said. "What do you wish to talk about?"

"I want to know." Tauriel said. "I want to know why you were following the dwarves, and what they are carrying with them that you hold so dear."

Meraell shook his head slightly in disbelief. "I wasn't even willing to tell King Thranduil the truth. What makes you think I will tell you?"

"Because unlike King Thranduil, I'm not interrogating you." Tauriel replied. "I'm asking nicely."

Meraell nodded. "Well, I appreciate that. Therefore, I will answer in just the same manner." He said. "I am sorry, but I can not tell you. It is a personal matter."

Tauriel cast her eyes downward. "It was her, wasn't it?" She said. Meraell's expression fell a bit. "That young woman that was traveling with them, Edlyn. You were following them because of her. She's the treasure you spoke of, isn't she?"

Meraell sighed and turned his eyes away. He knew that his face and eyes betrayed him. This was one of those moments where he really wished he was better at keeping his emotions hidden. After a few moments, he looked back at Tauriel, who gazed at him expectantly.

"Now why would you ask a question that you already know the answer to?" He asked.

"So it is true?" Tauriel said. "You care about her very much. So much so that you were willing to sacrifice your freedom for her."

"If I had no other option, I would die for her!" Meraell said.

Tauriel gave him a sympathetic smile. "But she doesn't share your feelings, does she?" Meraell sighed again and shook his head. "And yet, you're still willing to risk so much for her? Why?"

"Because…" Meraell said. "…that's what you do when you love someone; you protect them at all costs. But only if it's what your heart is telling you to do."

Tauriel paused and gazed at the ground thoughtfully for a long moment. Meraell raised his eyebrows when he saw the thoughtful look on her face and he smirked when his intuition kicked in.

"Is that all?" He asked.

Tauriel nodded. "Yes, it is. Thank you." Then she turned to leave.

Meraell smirked again. "Mellon!" He called to her. She paused and turned to look at him. "As one captain to another, I highly suggest that you make sure that your blades are sharp and your bow is prepped well if you wish to track the orcs on your own."

Tauriel frowned. "I never said I was planning on tracking the orcs."

"You didn't have to." Meraell said confidently, his smirk never faltering.

Tauriel shifted when she realized that her plans had been figured out.

"However." Meraell said. "It would be a shame if something happened before you left. Say, like if I were to tell everyone what you were planning on doing before you even had a chance to get out the door."

Tauriel looked at him in disbelief. "You wouldn't."

"Well, given the nature of our relationship and the fact that you have locked me in a cage, I really don't owe you any favors so yes, I say I would." Meraell said slyly. "In fact, I think I'll do it right now." He opened his mouth like he was about to start yelling.

"No, please don't." Tauriel said quickly with a worried look on her face.

Meraell shut his mouth before any noise came out and smiled. "Just as I thought. You're not even supposed to be going after the orcs. It goes against your orders, doesn't it? You'll get in trouble if anyone finds out." Tauriel sighed at Meraell outwitting her. "Well, if you want me to remain silent, you have to do something for me first."

"What?" Tauriel asked suspiciously.

"Wait." Meraell said. "Before I tell you what it is, you have to swear that you'll do it first. Once you do it, I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"I'm not going to regret this, am I?" She asked.

"That depends on you." Meraell said. "But considering the fact that your about to defy the orders of your king anyway, a decision that is usually riddled with regret, I don't see what else you have to lose." Tauriel hesitated. "So, do you swear?"

Tauriel sighed. "Alright, I swear. Now, what is it that you want?"

In response, Meraell simply smiled.


"Close the gate!" Legolas ordered the guards as he approached the gate. "Keep it sealed by order of the King." He then turned to leave.

"What about Tauriel?" One of the guards asked.

Legolas stopped in his tracks. "What about her?"

"She went into the forest armed with her bow and blade." The guard replied. "She has not returned."

He pointed out into the forest in the direction that Tauriel went as Legolas walked up to his side, looking out into the forest anxiously.

"She was accompanied by another elf." The guard continued.

Legolas looked at him with a confused frown. "Who?" He asked.

"I don't know. His face was hidden by his hood."

Legolas looked at him for a moment, and then realization dawned on his face.

"She didn't!" He said, mostly to himself as he turned and quickly made his way to the dungeons. Once he got there, he went to one particular cell and stopped.

"She did." He said with a sigh when he saw that the cell was empty and their newest prisoner was gone.


Meanwhile, Tauriel trekked through the underbrush of the forest as she continued on her hunt for the orcs.

By her side was her mysterious Elven companion, whose emerald green eyes glistened with satisfaction underneath his brown hood.


A/N: This is right around the time when I began to notice that I was putting a bit too much Loki into Meraell's personality. I mean, seriously, his exchange with Tauriel here is so something Loki would say and do. So it seems that Meraell's personality is a combination of Tom Hiddleston's personality with some of Loki's mischievousness and deviousness mixed in. I didn't realize until much later that by writing Meraell that way, I had unintentionally written him as a pure Tolkien elf! In the book, the elves, especially the elves from Rivendell, are described as being clever, playful and mischievous but ultimately friendly creatures, just like Meraell is (we'll see stronger examples of this later). So I ended up keeping his behavior true to Tolkien's work without even realizing it. How cool is that?

Next, I want to point out that the part in the middle when Tauriel is conflicted about what to do and reflects on her relationship with Thranduil and Legolas is something I just recently added to the story. All that stuff was part of the backstory that the writers of the Hobbit movies had created for Tauriel's character, and I always hated how her behavior in the films (especially the third film) was so out of sync with that backstory. The fact that she just up and left Mirkwood and turned her back on Thranduil and Legolas, who she is supposed to love as family, without so much as a hint of hesitation or conflict is something that I was really bothered by. So, I decided to add that hesitation, that conflict, to her decision as another attempt to add more dimensions to her character.

Lastly, the guard at the end who announces Tauriel's departure has a name. His name is Elros, but I never liked him having that name. Because Elros was the name of Elrond's brother in canon! Did PJ seriously think that we wouldn't notice that? I don't know if Elros was a common name among the elves but it still seems kind of lazy for them to borrow the name of an existing character rather than make one up themselves. Even the fans have enough sense not to borrow names for their OCs. Meraell's name wasn't borrowed, uh, kind of. Any similarities between his name and any canon characters' are coincidental. By the way, Meraell's name means Wishing Well (or Lake of Wishes, or Pool of Wishes, if you want to be more literal) in Elvish. I can't remember if it's Sindarin or Quenya, though.

Sindarin translation:

*Bain calan, mellon-nin=Good day, my friend