The air outside is like nothing Tauriel has ever experienced before.
Birds sing overhead, too many for even her sharp ears to pinpoint the location of any one in particular, and Tauriel slows her pace for a moment in wonder as the smell of fresh greenery hits her.
Thranduil had told her early that morning that the Lady Galadriel of Lorien had come with a convoy to help him chase the lingering darkness from the forest, but even that knowledge could not have prepared her for the changes that she feels around her now that the shadows have gone.
The forest is alive.
There are more sounds and smells and soft, leafy brushes than she's ever experienced in one place before, and it's a little difficult to soak it in when darkness and gloom is all she's ever known from the trees that surround their kingdom.
There is almost a sense of deja vu as she trails in Thranduil's footsteps, the familiar paths and walkways feeling completely foreign to her now.
But not in a bad way.
Tauriel actually stops dead in her tracks when the sweet scent of flowers hits her, shocked at being able to catch the smell anywhere outside of the king's carefully tended garden.
"Come, Tauriel," the King chuckles from up ahead of her. "There will be plenty of time for you to explore later. We have a guest to meet, and do not want to keep her waiting on us."
She is quick to dart to her King's side, catching a handful of his robe to keep herself paced with him as she focuses her attention on the sounds and smells of the forest around her.
It's a little overwhelming, if she's being honest. From underbrush to canopy, little creatures of all sort dart about in the trees and shrubs, chittering and chirping and crying out to one another in joy and tranquility now that they no longer have to fear the spiders. She can smell a million different things, from the pale heat of sunshine-warmed air to the heady bite of tree bark, and her fingers brush through a million different leaves as she holds one arm out to the side, letting her fingertips trace the plants they pass.
The dirt path beneath her feet seems to be cushioned with something that feels far too spongy to be fallen leaves, and she realizes after a long second that it must be moss that she feels climbing up through the scattered stones and beaten earth.
It's stunning.
She follows her King through the forest, realizing a long few moments into the trip that they are headed for the training glen where she used to practice with the other members of the guard, and her attention is piqued by unfamiliar voices echoing from up ahead.
She can hear soft, light laughter - it rather reminds her of snow falling across bells - and Tauriel tilts her head a little in wonder as she tries to determine who this might be.
"Lady Galadriel," Thranduil calls. "Well met, dear friend."
"Lord Thranduil," the unknown voice replies, and Tauriel feels her breath catch in her throat as the situation fully registers to her.
The fabled Lady of Lorien is here. In her forest.
And they are about to meet one another.
She can only hope that her appearance is somewhat presentable...
Tauriel keeps her mouth shut and her head bowed demurely as she follows her King the rest of the way into the clearing, pinpointing the location of the others by the shift and rustle of their clothing.
The Lady Galadriel is standing in the center, her robes a similar texture and weight to Thranduil's, and she has a guard standing on either side of her, their leather armor creaking ever so slightly as they move.
Thranduil paces up to the trio, Tauriel right on his heels, and she feels him stop to offer the other royal a little half-bow.
"Well met, old friend," the Lady says, and Tauriel swallows hard as she feels Thranduil shift so she is no longer behind him.
"It has been many years, but is always a pleasure," Thranduil replies.
"Ah, and this must be your dear Tauriel," the Lady says, a smile in her voice, and Tauriel feels her face flush sharply.
"M-My Lady," she manages, dipping sharply into a deep bow that almost makes her check her balance with her rush.
"Rise, child," the Lady of Lorien bids her, warm amusement in her tone. "There is no need for that - you are among friends."
Tauriel is quick to straighten up again, hoping that her cheeks are not flared as red as they feel.
"Well, my dear Galadriel, I see that you have wasted no time with your work," Thranduil observes, his voice fading slightly as he turns his head to look around.
The Lady of Lorien simply chuckles.
"No, I have not. So tell me, what do you think, Thranduil?" she asks slowly. "Everything as it should be? Just like you remembered it?"
Her King is silent for a moment, his robes shifting as he takes another look around.
"I'd say it looks pretty close," Thranduil chuckles at length, something almost awestruck in his tone. "I'm finding it a bit hard to believe, to be completely honest with you."
Tauriel frowns a little when he says it is merely "close," glancing around with her sensed piqued. She can feel no trace of darkness in the forest, no matter how hard she tries... has the Lady not yet cleared it all?
The two older elves lapse into a comfortable silence over the next few seconds, and Tauriel feels her prickling curiosity starting to get the better of her. It isn't long before she dares to reach a hand out, her fingers tracing Thranduil's arm in the barest of touches.
"Yes, little one?" her King asks softly.
"What is close?" Tauriel asks softly, feeling verymuch like a child that is interrupting the conversation of two adults, but Thranduil doesn't hesitate to turn back to her and take her hands into his.
"The forest has been restored, little one," the King murmurs, something bittersweet in his voice. "Back to what it was before the evil crept into it. The Greenwood is once again thriving at its former glory, and all of the dark things have all been chased out...just as you have bade me allow you to do for years."
"We just finished this morning," the Lady of Lorien says, her tone soft with a smile.
Tauriel tilts her head in wonder, the abundance of life she'd heard suddenly making sense. The darkness hadn't simply been chased off, but the entire forest had been restored as if the spiders had never been there at all.
It is little wonder that she hardly recognized it.
"I can feel it, although I wish I could see it," Tauriel sighs, unable to disguise the longing in her voice as she tries to better hear the birds overhead. "It truly sounds magnificent."
Lady Galadriel hums a small sound from over by Thranduil, and Tauriel tilts her head in question as she hears the older elf move.
"Perhaps you can," Galadriel murmurs.
Tauriel hears the Lady of Lorien move to stand before her, and can't help but fidget slightly at the feel of the great presence so near.
Warm fingers trace along her temples in the barest of touches, before she feels a pair of hands cup her head and tilt it forward. Her forehead is pressed to something warm, long hair brushing her forearms and cheeks as soft breath tickles her face, and Tauriel realizes with a jolt that the Lady of Lorien has leaned their heads together.
Before she can question, the Lady takes a slow breath, and Tauriel can suddenly feel a presence in her mind.
It is an unusual feeling, to be sure. Unusual, but not threatening, and so Tauriel takes a breath of her own, trying not to squirm restlessly as her nerves jitter.
And then the images come.
Flooding her mind with a color and brilliance that she has not known for years save for in her dreams, images of a forest - her forest, returned to its full glory - play through her head. Towering trees in bright greens and deep browns, the air clear of the staleness that had lingered there for centuries, little plants and flowers pushing their way up from the rich soil on the forest floor. Birds sing in the lush canopies and deer graze in between the towering oaks, the sun filtering golden between the leaves as tiny insects dart about in bright flashes.
The ground is a carpet of soft, feathery grass, dappled into patches of cool , inviting shade and sparkling, bright warmth by the rays of light scattering through the canopy. A slight breeze sends all the fronds rippling and dancing in emerald waves, like she is looking at the lapping of water against the lake shore, or swirling around massive tree trunks like a stream.
Overhead the trees shoot into the sky for as far as she can see, fading into a green haze before ending in brilliant sunlight that fills the area with a gentle warmth and light.
Squirrels chase each other around the canopies, chittering in excitement as all manner of small animals rustle through the undergrowth, digging new burrows as they prepare to begin their families, now that the weather is finally warming into summer.
The river that splashes through the trees runs clean and clear, sparkling water dancing upon bright stone with trailing flowers and vines being tugged along in its current. Fish laze in the water and frogs hop along the banks as dragonflies dart about the surface, flying from one cattail perch to the next.
The rapids send sprays of water droplets into the air like handfuls of jewels, glistening in the sunlight and forming a myriad of rainbows in the hanging mist. And for once, Tauriel actually wants to be in the water, playing in the clear pools that lie in between the rocks with the tadpoles and water skippers.
Where before the forest had held a foreboding, heavy presence that towered overhead and pressed in from all sides, there is now something bright and airy about the wood that makes her heart thrum with the longing to run right in and roll in the grass like an elfling.
It is an absolute dream - beautiful like nothing she's imagined before, much less anything she's ever actually seen.
And in the middle of all this, she sees them.
Thranduil, standing a pace away, is radiant in his silver armor with his hair flowing like silk to his waist. Atop his head is his spring crown, decorated with young leaves and fresh blooms, and disrupting the flawless curtain of his hair is the little braid with tiny flowers woven through it that she'd put in that morning as they waited for word from Feren. His cape trails to his feet, the bottom dark with the morning dew it has collected from the grass. He is looking to the side with a fond smile, his ice blue eyes misted ever so slightly.
Lady Galadriel stands beside him, and Tauriel's breath catches at her beauty. She is indeed as lovely as the stories have described her, with golden hair and delicate features that in no way imply frailty. Her bearing is nothing short of regal, and her appearance is nothing less than stunning, lit as she is by the sunlight filtering through the canopy overhead. She is dressed in simple enough attire, a white dress flowing to her feet with only a silver coronet about her fair head, but it is impossible to mistake her for anything but royalty.
Tauriel feels amusement from the Lady's presence in her mind, and tries not to flush when she realizes that Galadriel can hear her thoughts.
The Lady of Lorien is leaned over a smaller figure dressed in the greens and browns of the forest, and Tauriel realizes with a start that it is her.
Her hair is as bright a copper shade as she remembers, although a bit more wild than she usually kept it before she was blind. Her clothing is plain and functional, only just barely formal enough to pass as Thranduil's personal assistant when accompanied by the silver clip that the king had fixed in her hair. The top of her head only just comes up past the Lady's shoulder, her pale eyes wide with wonder as she stares into nothing. Her boots are covered with dust and plastered with damp leaves from the forest floor, and a bramble is caught on her sleeve.
She is embarrassed to appear so small and scruffy in the company of the two dignified elves beside her.
A little Silvan of no title or consequence has no place among such royal grace and beauty, and she wishes for a brief second that she could hide. As she thinks this, however, she feels something warm and comforting from the presence in her mind, assuring her that neither Thranduil nor Galadriel thinks her less in any way for her appearance. She feels for a flash how precious she is to Thranduil, sees it reflected in his gaze as he watches the Lady gift her with a vision of the forest. She feels Galadriel's approval and praise, how brave the Lady of Lorien thinks she is, and how grateful she is for Tauriel's affect on the lives of both Thranduil and his son - the two of them left cold by the passing of Legolas' mother, but brought back to warmth and compassion by her entrance into their lives.
She sees a memory, then, of when they had been escorted outside a short while ago. Feren's gentle grin as he had offered her a hand up. Galion's fond glance after her as she left. The care and love from the other elves, reflected in their gaze when they reached to help her or called a greeting as they passed. The bright smiles of her friends, and the joy in their expressions when she smiles in return.
And then the scenery has shifted and it is Legolas she sees, a stranger's memory from a far-off kingdom. The prince is speaking with Lady Galadriel, his eyes soft with affection as he gazes off into the distance, and the warmth and comfort that surges from him as he speaks her name is enough to make Tauriel tear up.
Her friend looks almost as she remembers, although there is something different in the way he stands. Something more calm...more regal.
She is rather surprised to find that it suits him.
"Tauriel is my best friend," the memory of Legolas is telling Lady Galadriel. "She's the younger sister I've always wanted. And she is more dear to me than she could possibly know."
Tauriel can feel herself smiling, wishing that somehow she could reassure him that he holds a similar place in her own life: her best friend, and the older brother she'd always wanted; more precious to her than he could possibly know.
And perhaps one of the only reasons she did not fade after losing Kili.
The scenery shifts once more, and to her surprise Tauriel finds herself in Laketown.
Young Bain - now a fully grown man, a touch of salt-and-pepper starting to speckle his crowned head - smiles up at Lady Galadriel as he sees the envoy from Lorien on their way to Thranduil's forest.
"And Miss," he starts, a soft smile crossing his age-weathered face as something sparks in his eye. "If you happen upon a Lady Tauriel while you are in the Greenwood...please tell her that my sisters and I send our regard."
Tauriel's heart throbs a little to see the boy so old. What has only been a fleeting few decades for her has taken far more of a toll on the mortal child, and he is already looking well on in years.
Lady Galadriel's presence brushes against her, pitying and comforting all at once as she feels Tauriel's sadness at the shortness of human life - and she tenderly reassures her that while the lives of the bowman's children seem short, they have all been able to enjoy them to their full extent, thanks in no small part to her actions almost half a century ago.
Actions that the children have not forgotten over the years.
Tauriel feels her eyes brim a little, the glassiness of the tears that she feels balanced along her lashes doing nothing to hamper what she sees through the Lady's eyes.
Galadriel draws her back to the forest once more, giving Tauriel a final, long look around at her home - restored to a glory unlike anything she's ever seen - before she slowly withdraws the touch of her forehead from Tauriel's brow.
The vision fades away until Tauriel's world is dark one more, and a small part of her is devastated to lose the sight, but in the end she is content. She has been given a wondrous gift indeed, and her heart swells at the memory of it, still clear in her mind's eye. The forest's beauty and peace, the looks of love and smiles of her friends, Thranduil's adoring gaze upon her. They are all things she can call back to memory and cherish. They are how she will remember those around her.
Living in true peace, at last.
Lady Galadriel steps a pace back but does not let her go, and it is a good thing too, for Tauriel's head is reeling at the shift and for a long second she fears she may fall.
Once she is steady, Tauriel breathes a barely audible "thank you" and feels the Lady trace her cheek with her fingertips.
"You're quite welcome, child."
Tauriel takes a trembling little breath, still trying to process everything through the shock and the pure, radiant joy.
She feels a large, warm hand come to rest on her shoulder, the touch gentle and familiar, and she turns around to face her King as he slides his fingers down her arm to catch her hand.
"What do you think of the forest, dear one?" Thranduil asks, scooping her fingers into his grip, and she can hear the emotion that is choking him despite the fact that his words do not waver.
"It's more beautiful than I have ever seen it before," Tauriel whispers when she can at last find her voice, and she can taste the salt of her own joyful tears on her lips as she smiles up at him. "It's perfect."
Author's Note: I figure that by this point, the damage to Tauriel's eyes would be basically scars, which is why Galadriel cannot simply heal her outright.