Panic is the first emotion that registers. Her breathing is loud in her own ears as she stumbles back out into the clearing and tries to find something - anything - that is familiar. Nothing comes to her, however, and she feels her heart pound faster with each passing second.
She doesn't know where she is. Even if she could remember her steps to retrace them, her earlier spinning has lost the direction. She is rather far from where she started, and does not dare call for help in fear of what ilk lurks in the forest awaiting easy prey.
And even if she were found...
Tauriel stops up short, her breath catching as the consequences of her actions once again register a moment too late to save her from them.
If she is found, she will be found far out of the palace grounds, blatantly disobeying her King's orders once again. Despite his previous forgiveness, she is surely out of chances by now.
Lord Thranduil will banish her for sure.
She sinks to her knees, feeling sick.
Oh, what has she done?
She can't be on her own. She can barely manage to make her way around the palace without getting herself into trouble, how could she possibly survive in the forest with all its dangers? When the spiders flock out in search of prey at sunset...
Tauriel shudders, feeling cold.
She would not survive the night.
Her hands are trembling to the point of being useless and she clenches them together in her lap, trying to focus because she isn't with a guard and she has to take care of herself-
It strikes her then that Alassé will also be in trouble, for allowing Tauriel to slip her watch, and guilt rolls heavily in her stomach alongside the fright and panic.
A crash from the branches overhead sends Tauriel darting for cover, her heart racing, until the screech of a bird sounds from the source of the noise and she lets herself sink to her knees once more, trembling. She will need cover. There are still orcs that roam these woods in the daylight, and she is helpless as she is.
Making sure her bow is secure on her back, Tauriel feels her way over to a tree and climbs the branches as quickly as her sightlessness will allow, finding a sturdy crook to settle her weight in.
She forces a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Panicking will do her no good, and if she is to be banished she will have to figure out how to survive on her own, at least until she can find someone to take her in and shelter her.
"I'm such a fool," she mutters to herself, running a trembling hand through her hair to smooth it back from her face as she blinks warm tears over her cheeks. "I'm such a fool..."