Thranduil had not been aware of exactly how much water was present in his palace until recently, and that is mostly because Tauriel has a bad habit of falling in. It seems like every time he sees the girl, she is either making her way down a hall, soaking wet, or being fished out of some pond or other by a concerned passerby. She never seems to get into much trouble when left to her own devices but for some reason, if there is water pooled in a room or alongside a path, Tauriel will inevitably find herself in it.
For this reason, he is not overly surprised when he hears excess splashing from beneath a low bridge and sees Tauriel clinging to a rock in the river's current when he leans to see what is causing the disturbance.
"I did not know you had such an affinity for swimming, Tauriel," he jokes, crouching at the edge of the bridge and extending a hand toward her. "Reach for me."
She obediently stretches a hand up and he grabs her, pulling her into his arms and setting her soaked figure on the bridge before him. She mumbles her thanks, wringing out her hair and tunic with practiced ease, and he cannot help the fond smile that curls his lips. Thranduil stands, watching her carefully as she runs trembling hands over herself, reaching into a pocket of her tunic before letting out a breath in relief. Tauriel gracefully gets to her feet, hesitating a second as she picks a direction, and Thranduil quickly reaches out to capture her shoulders before she can once again fall in the river when she angles herself a bit too far to the left.
"This way," he murmurs, walking with her until they are on even ground once again. The fleeting thought that perhaps he should look into adding railings to some of the higher bridges in his Kingdom passes his mind and he makes a note of it for later.
Tauriel murmurs her thanks as he lets her go and starts down the hall, confident if not a little hesitant, her fingertips tracing the wall at her side.
"Will you be at dinner tonight?" he calls after her. She hasn't appeared in the dining hall since her punishment, and he is beginning to worry about her closing herself off from others. Tauriel freezes sharply at his question, hesitating for a long second before answering.
"If My Lord wishes me to..."
"Yes. I do."
"Then I will be there."
He watches her until she is out of sight, his eyebrows pinched together. He knows Tauriel well, and can tell that something is bothering her. He debates pursuing whatever is wrong, but decides to let her come to him in her own time. And when she does tell him what worries her, he will fix it.
AN: Since this is kinda short and I have a snow day today, I'll be uploading a second chapter tonight.