Legolas weaves between bushes, constantly glancing back to be sure that Tauriel is not having trouble following him. She is doggedly tracing his steps, however, one hand caught up in the trailing end of his shirt.
Her bow is slung over an arm, her hair still wet at the bottom and sticking together from where he accidentally soaked her instead of Galion, and he can't help a fond smile.
His father is in the lead, making his way toward some unannounced destination. The king will occasionally stop to glance back at them with a raised eyebrow, waiting patiently until they have caught up before turning once more and leading them into the woods.
Legolas ducks around a branch, holding it out of the way for Tauriel to pass before letting it swing back in a hiss of leaves. She steps up alongside him, tilting her head as a bird calls from the bushes nearby, and Legolas pauses with her to listen. The birds in Rivendell are different from the ones at home, and it is a bit surprising how used to the different whistling songs he has become in such a relatively short period of time.
The lack of sky is another thing that he notices most sharply. What used to be a sheltered green haven for the archer now feels near claustrophobic with the way that the trees close in overtop of them. The towering oaks feel too close together, crowded and stuffy and tangled as they fight each other for every scrap of light that filters down from the canopy. But now is not the time to dwell on that.
Legolas shakes his head and sets off after his father again, trailing Tauriel behind him.
He keeps his eyes sharp as they walk, looking for roots or fallen branches that Tauriel might stumble upon as he guides her carefully around a briar patch, making sure to give enough room so that her clothing will not catch on the thorns.
She continues to pause as they walk, he notices, glancing off into the woods or up into the rustling canopy, and occasionally he can hear the sound that caught her attention, but for the most part she seems to be noticing sounds that he cannot distinguish from the forest's peaceful lull.
"Legolas, what was it like in Ilmadris?" Tauriel asks him at length, taking him by surprise. "Was it as beautiful as we imagined as children?"
"Even more so, mellon. The city practically shines," he replies, letting his thoughts dart back to Lord Elrond's kingdom fondly. "The water is so clear that you can see the bottom no matter how deep the stream runs, and the forces of evil dare not rear their heads near that grand kingdom."
Legolas hesitates a second when he sees a slight flinch from his father.
It dawns on him then that the Greenwood had once been as beautiful as the other elven city, perhaps even more so, but it has been darkened over the years by the encroaching evil that they cannot seem to drive away. Legolas swallows, wondering if his excited praise of Rivendell's beauty has upset his father, whose own kingdom seems to be falling apart around them.
He is not paying attention to where he is going, however, and is taken by surprise when his next step takes him into a stray line of thick cobweb, which strains taught across his throat for a second before snapping. Legolas' startled yelp quickly turns into a cough from the sudden pressure, his hands scrambling in disgust to remove the sticky trail from his skin, and he feels Tauriel leaning close in concern.
"Legolas?"
"I'm fine," he chokes out. "Walked into a cobweb."
Tauriel's lips pull up into a smirk, and Legolas doesn't get the chance to preemptively shut her up before she comments "goodness, and here I thought that I was the blind one," and he is forced to retaliate in order to save what little of his pride remains.
Their brief scuffle ends with her holding two fistfuls of his hair in a near-painful grip and him tormenting her sides with his fingers where he knows she is most ticklish until she is gasping for breath.
"Come along, children," Thranduil calls back to them, and Legolas lets out a breathy chuckle as he turns to follow, brushing his fingers along Tauriel's shoulder to guide her. He feels her touch trace down his arm to latch onto the edge of his tunic once more, and sets off after his father.
She is muttering from behind him, just loud enough for him to make out a few choice words likening him to an orc's backside, but she can't keep the smile from her face.
"Ada," he calls instead of dignifying her comment with a reply. "Where are we going?"
His father slows his pace, allowing the two younger elves to catch up to him before falling into step a pace in front of Legolas.
"We are simply circling the palace. Getting you two out of poor Galion's hair for a while."
"What, you didn't have anything interesting to show us?" Legolas pouts.
"Aren't you both a bit old for nature walks?" the king asks dryly, rolling his eyes when Legolas and Tauriel reply "no" in sync.
"Perhaps I will show you both out to the stream," he quips. "Let you walk Tauriel along the edge and see how long it takes the pair of you to wind up in the water."
"I've already been soaked once today, I've hit my quota," Tauriel says, shaking her head with a grin. "Feel free to push Legolas in, however."
"I could walk you into a tree," he threatens.
She replies with a big grin, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment affectionately.
They continue in silence from there, Tauriel falling back to trail in his footsteps once more as his father carefully picks his way through the trees up front, seeking out the easiest path for her.
He is only just starting to let himself relax when he feels Tauriel stop up short.
Her hand leaves his shirt, startling him out of his thoughts, and there is a sharp rustle of movement behind him.
"My Lord!"
Legolas turns to see Tauriel with her bow drawn, aiming at something out in the forest. To his surprise, Thranduil stops, walks back to where she stands, and leans down until his cheek is all but pressed to hers, sighting along her arrow. He reaches up, two fingers extended, and angles her shot a bit further to the left.
"There."
The word has barely left his mouth when Tauriel releases her arrow. It whistles through the trees and Legolas is shocked when not half a second later the dying squeal of a spider breaks the evening calm.
His mind can't quite seem to process words properly, so Legolas simply stands and watches as Thranduil offers brief congratulations to Tauriel for noticing the spider, followed by near twenty corrections on her stance. Tauriel takes the corrections with a bowed head that hides her broad grin from his view, but if the smile his father has on is any indication, then he is quite pleased with her.
Thranduil moves to take point once more, and Legolas catches the hand that Tauriel reaches out toward him, falling into step at her side.
"That was quite impressive," he tells her once he can find his voice, and she smiles up at him.
"Your father has been a most patient tutor."
"Has he really?"
She stifles a laugh, pressing the back of her hand to her lips until she regains her composure.
"Well, he did threaten to throw pinecones at me until I could shoot them out of the air before they hit..."
"You were being especially difficult that day," his father's voice drifts back to them, though he does not turn around. "You had already put three holes in my best robe."
"Serves you right for wearing it to the practice field," Tauriel grouses from behind him, and Legolas cannot help but burst out laughing.
His father tries to hold his scowl but ultimately fails, and Legolas smiles to see an easy grin spread across the older elf's face.
"I'll have you know you have also managed to destroy the hem on my court robe."
"I cannot be blamed for that," Tauriel says with a poorly hidden smirk. "You could see the candle, and I could not."
"Surely even you could smell it burning."
"I was too busy trying to figure out why you were screaming."
"I did not scream," his father sniffs in disdain. "I shouted in surprise."
"He definitely screamed," Tauriel whispers to Legolas conspiringly, nodding, and he has to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at the expression that crosses his father's face.
"You know...I could tell my son why exactly his practice bow has that crack in it..." Thranduil hums.
"Is it getting dark? I think it's getting dark," Tauriel says quickly. "We should go back inside before nightfall."
Legolas snorts at that, taking her hand once more, and tugs her along after him.
The tension that had been present between the three of them for so many centuries is gone, and it is like when they were children again - the pair of them following at his father's heels on a walk through the forest, Tauriel trailing in his footsteps with her hand in his.
Legolas wishes idly that it will never end.
Author's Note: I totally know what day of the week it is. Herp-a-derp. Sorry for being late!