Author's Notes: Hi, all! Just to address a lot of the questions from the reviews: I do answer just about everything that has been asked in the next few chapters, so bear with me! A few (especially those concerning Legolas) are a bit further in. Still posting an update once a week on Friday.
Thank you all so much for reading, and especially for leaving reviews! It means a lot to me to get feedback!
Tauriel swings her feet absently as Meldirion reads to her, head tilted back slightly as she listens to his strong, deep voice glide over the words. It had been his rather genius idea to poke around the library, and she is grateful that he had not been put off by her laughter when he first suggested it.
Tauriel has not given much time to reading since she joined the guard, but now it is part of her weekly routine, and Meldirion is happy to read aloud to her for a few hours, or until his voice gives out. (It is usually the latter.)
The book they are currently working their way through is an old human tale, about a man and his son who get lost at sea and are rescued by eagles. The style is a bit amateur, however the story itself is enthralling. They have both been ignoring the growls of their stomachs for the better part of an hour, agreeing that they will go eat after "one more chapter."
The hiss of friction followed by the dry crinkle of old paper tells her that Meldirion has turned the page.
"...only so many ways to travel to the land in the western ocean. Alas, our wings are not strong enough to carry you the distance, but perhaps-"
Meldirion is interrupted by his stomach protesting loudly, and Tauriel's follows suit as if agreeing. She scrunches up her face, glancing in the direction that Meldirion's voice last came from.
"Perhaps we should finish reading on the way there?" Tauriel says with a shrug.
"Or we could wait until after dinner," he suggests, but the lack of conviction in his voice is telling. He is just as reluctant to leave the book as she.
"They will not mind if we take the book, as long as we take care of it," she argues, getting to her feet and stretching. She hears him stand beside her.
"And how am I to guide you if I am reading?" he asks, and Tauriel pauses a moment, considering.
"Here, place your hand on my shoulder. I will guide you," she says with a grin, and the older elf snorts in amusement. He does as she asks, however, and Tauriel turns to lead the way down the hall, her arms outstretched to feel for obstacles as Meldirion follows in her footsteps with his fingertips curled around her shoulder, continuing the chapter.
She feels her way through the familiar darkness, her mind picturing the walls where her fingertips brush stone, a path where her feet shuffle and crunch beneath her, doorways where air currents change and sound echoes. Meldirion is behind her, the tale from the book trying to drag her into a vivid realm all its own while she makes her way through her blank world.
Perhaps that is the part of reading that calls her to it, the use of words to build a scene. She only needs to hear in order to see through the character's eyes, and it is comforting to know that she is not always as blind as she thinks she is.
The ground beneath her feet changes texture, and the walls curl away from Tauriel's fingers. A walkway. The river gurgles about a level below her, the sound echoing up through the cavern in a hiss of white noise and Tauriel grits her teeth when she takes her first step onto the open bridge.
The first few paces are without incident, and Meldirion's voice doesn't so much as waver, so Tauriel takes the next few steps with confidence.
A strangled yelp catches in her throat as her next step lands on air and her body jerks forward in a headlong plunge, but Meldirion's voice stops just as sharply and something strong and warm locks around her waist before she can fall, hauling her back onto even ground. She clings to him for a moment, until her heartbeat slows and the adrenaline spike has worked its way through her legs in tremors. Meldirion's breath is quick against the back of her neck, his heart pounding as loud as hers.
"You and water," he mutters once they have both caught their breath, and she can practically hear him shaking his head.
"Thought we'd take a shortcut," she replies, smiling over a shoulder at him innocently. The older elf chuckles, navigating her safely to the far end of the walkway before daring to release her, and Tauriel once again takes the lead as he clears his throat.
They finish the chapter as Tauriel steps through the entryway of the dining hall, and Meldirion closes the book with a dull thump to offer her an arm.
"I suppose the final chapters will have to wait until after dinner," he says, and she can feel him shrug.
"I certainly hope that you don't have morning patrol tomorrow," Tauriel says with a grin, nudging him, "because we are not sleeping until we finish the book."
"You are cruel, Captain, to deprive a man of his sleep," he says with mock hurt, and Tauriel cannot hold back a laugh.
"You will see 'cruel' if I have to go to bed on a suspenseful ending and wait until you next are assigned to guard me to hear the rest."
"Well, when you put it that way," he admits, a smile in his voice.
The smells of warm bread and stewed vegetables waft over to the pair of them and Tauriel takes a deep breath, her mouth watering.
"Come," she says, giving a small tug to Meldirion's arm, "I am generously offering you ten minutes to consume as much food as you can, and then I expect you to continue."
The older elf laughs aloud, and Tauriel squeaks in protest when his hand lands atop her head to ruffle her hair.
"Whatever you command of me, Captain, it shall be done."