She hadn't meant to shout. She really hadn't.
But the only thing that Tauriel was more notorious for than her fighting skills was her temper, and she had simply lost control over it.
She had wanted to see what was beyond the forest, to visit Laketown where the mortal village of men lived on the icy waters, or the other side of the forest, where a wide grasslands spread for as far as the eye could see and the misty mountains were said to rise into the sky on the horizon. She had lived for almost three hundred years in their woodland kingdom, but had yet to cross the borders, to see the outside world. She longed to be free to explore, but her King would not allow it.
Lord Thranduil was loathe to let anyone wander outside of his realm's immediate borders, and apparently, that rule very specifically applied to her.
"There is naught but ruin and death out there, young Tauriel. Do not be a fool. There is nothing for you in the rest of the world."
"There is no reason to assume that! Do our brethren in Lorien and Rivendell not live out there in peace and prosperity?"
"I have given my answer, and I expect you to heed it. You are not to cross the borders of this kingdom. That order has been given to all of my subjects, and you are not to exclude yourself from it."
"Why keep your people locked away like prisoners? What wrong have we done to be treated as criminals and confined?!"
He had stopped, then, mid-step, and Tauriel felt a chill come over her as he slowly turned to face her. Swallowing thickly, she looked away as his eyes came to rest on her, and hoped that he had perhaps not heard her outburst. But how could he not have, when she could still hear her own voice echoing back mockingly from about the chamber?
"Most of my people are content to live in safety and comfort. The only ones that need to be locked away are the ones that seek their own ruin, and that of the people around them," he hissed. "Guards!"
She knew what was coming, and hung her head, cheeks flushed with embarrassment as footsteps echoed behind her and a pair of golden gauntlets landed roughly on her shoulders.
"Please lock Lady Tauriel in the dungeon overnight. Perhaps," he said, now piercing her with his icy gaze, "this will serve to remind you the extent of the freedom that you have been granted in my kingdom."