Starlight is a glistening reminder of what we come from.
We are of the universe.
An infinite existence attempting to understand itself in living creatures.
These creatures; elves, men, dwarves, halflings… even orks were the universe in madness attempting to understand itself.
We are, all of us, starlight… and to that light, we will return.
The words filtered through the trees and fell about the silks she lay in.
The night had passed and a new day dawned.
Tauriel breathed deeply and allowed her body to stretch out on the soft mattress while she recalled… The kiss of a King was not as she might have imagined.
Thranduil had been tender and commanding, somehow timid in asking and bold while driving their passions to ensure her pleasure equalled his. All those feelings and emotions hummed from his body and through his skin as he reached out to gently circle Tauriel in his arms once they were complete.
She lay beside him, watching the starlight above them, not entirely certain that they had done the right thing by allowing this burst of emotion to overwhelm them…
But she knew she wasn't pulling away.
There was a comfort in the feel of another by her side. The empathy of two people learning to live through a world that had taken so much from so many was enticing and held a mystic charm. The heat of another body so close and so in need was tantalising and she let the moment stretch on as her King bent to press closer to her.
It was true that they had both felt loss; they had both been rendered powerless from the heart out. But there was a time when they began to heal. They had to. Didn't they?
In the hazy distance, songs were being sung of starlit lovers and those who still might see their likeness in the night sky. It was the conclusion of the festival of starlight and the Woodland Realm were closing their celebrations.
Gently, she drew herself away from their bed and out to the balcony.
The starlight was especially bright that night, glittering through the pitch velvet sky.
His arms wound their way about her waist and Tauriel leaned back into the warmth of his chest.
Neither spoke, they simply stood in the light of a thousand suns and chose to be still and be together.
Too soon, depth of the sky began to lighten and in the place of the stars came the cheerful call of birdsong as they welcomed the sunrise.
Tauriel felt her Kings arms flex, encouraging her to face him as he smiled with contentment before bending to place his lips on hers.
This kiss seemed to be a gentle reminder that blood still fired through her and air filled her lungs.
They were, the two of them, alive. And in this moment, they felt that surge as the dawn breathed warmth through the kingdom.
Her body thrilled at the heat washing over her skin and she pulled him to her, allowing her hands to move; right downward and to his hip to bring him near and left upward to grip his hair and hold him in place.
Thranduil smiled into their deepening kiss, linking his hands at the base of her back and allowing Tauriel to move her tongue across his lips then into his mouth.
A breath shot out of him and he tightened their embrace as she found his tongue with her own and gently sucked it into her own mouth.
Whoever had moaned didn't seem to matter as they moved and Tauriel found herself braced on the balcony column, Thranduils hands urging her upward to balance her on his hips as her legs locked about him.
The world had gone mad and perhaps they had gone mad along with it.
But it felt so good to have the rush of sensation flow through her and she felt alive again; so much that she didn't want to stop.
Thranduil broke from their kiss and pressed his lips against her neck, inhaling deeply, pressing her into the stone pillar of the balcony as he began to kiss her once more, flicking his tongue across her pulse point and nibbling down to her collar…
As sunlight broke, Thranduil had aligned their bodies and with a breath-taking twist of his hips, buried himself within her to the hilt. The sensation exploded through her as her legs instinctively tightened about him, drawing her upward before she settled back down on him in a natural ebb and flow.
Thranduil's forehead dropped to her shoulder as he moved them both to the building rhythm and Tauriel found herself thinking of the starlit lovers and the songs the Woodland folk had sang only a few hours past…
None of those tales could distract Taureil from her king or how his body held hers, moulded and sure as though they had always meant to be with each other.
And when the final throws of their joining ebbed away and her grip on him loosened, she found him watching her with a mixture of feeling she was almost too scared to acknowledge.
So she kissed him; her King… allowing herself the chance to feel that caress once more and let the certainty of what they shared settle between them.
Still… she cooled.
Rather than breaking their connection, Thranduil moved them both back to the bed and let her lay back so he could lie beside her.
This time though, they were not in one another's embrace.
Perhaps that was for the best.
He was the King, after all, and she was still the Captain of the Guard, a lowly woodland elf.
Gently, moved to stand, feeling a hand tighten on her wrist.
Thranduil's ocean eyes met hers; darkened as they were by desire… He knew.
There was time, after all, to explore the new dynamic to their relationship. But it was not now.
She dressed as quickly as grace would allow, keenly aware of his observation and as she reached the door to the chamber he asked, "Must you go?"
He met her smile with a small, sad nod and Tauriel made her way to her own chamber.
()()()
Early the following afternoon, the Captain of the Guard found herself called to the Great Hall.
As she entered, voices were clearly in debate regarding the fate of Mirkwood and how many of the southern families had now fled to the northern quarter, away from the giant spiders.
Despite the many advisors crowding about the King, Tauriel was surprised to see his eyes on her as she took her station at the end of the room.
"… and while it is true, the Necromancer was driven from these lands… Orc remain and have begun to take residence in the southern-most region."
"Captain," Thranduil cut the air with his voice, "my advisors inform me the infestation grows more bold and hems us into the north of my lands."
She nodded.
"It has long been your opinion we should clear this pest of our border and pursue the Children of Ungoliant back to their main nests in Ered Gorgoroth, has it not?"
All of the advisors turned to her answer.
"My Lord," she nodded.
"Very well," Thranduil said with authority as he stood and walked toward her, "in your estimation, how long should this campaign take?"
Blinking a little at the sudden agreement of a long-rejected plan, Tauriel stuttered a little, "It could take years, perhaps decades to achieve this with certainty."
The light in his eye dimmed a little, "And what would you need?"
"A battalion…" she thought quickly.
"Let's make it five."
"My Lord," an advisor spluttered.
"Do we not have the finest Elvish soldiers in Middle Earth?" The King demanded.
"Well… yes… but…"
"Then, this shall leave a further four battalions to guard the northern quarter."
Silence.
Stunned, perhaps, but silence all the same.
"And send word to Elrond of Rivendell; I want a surety there are no chances to save the trees within the southern wood."
"Yes, My Lord," another advisor bowed to take the message.
"And quickly" he commanded, "I understand both Orc and spider despise the light. And so it makes sense to deprive them of this as soon as possible."
Tauriel nodded, "And, perhaps word to the Wizards to discover what ailment falls on the river."
The King nodded, a hope rising in his chest and granting a greater height to his stance, "Yes. See to it!"
A third advisor bowed to the command.
With a nod of their King, the advisors left the room and Tauriel found her hands gathered in his.
"Had I only known what it would take to have your agreement in this strategy, I may have considered our actions last night sooner."
Thranduil laughed, delighting her, "A joke… now of all times?"
"May I ask what has swayed you to this course of action?"
Thranduil kissed the tips of her fingers and said, "I was content to guard over a withering Kingdom for too long. Perhaps I have been reminded, in recent years, that there are things to live for and things to fight for."
A blush rose on her cheeks and Tauriel felt another laugh bubble, "So you send me away?"
"I can think of no other to command," he looked a little sad. "And I have learned that the closer you attempt to keep those you love then the further you can push them away."
Tauriel nodded, "I am pleased, Mu Lord."
"Then you must prepare… Captain."
It was agreed, so she turned to go, but felt him pull her back.
"I do this, you understand, in the hope you will come back to me?"
She felt a small laugh and stretched upward to place a brief kiss on his lips.
Then Tauriel, Captain of the Guard, left the Great Hall and readied herself for war.