Notes- Simple. Short. But one of my favorite chapters that I have ever written for any story.

And in that moment

that I gazed into your eyes

I understood what love is

•

Tauriel opened her eyes and gladly welcomed the silence of the aftermath of a storm. Her throat was dry while her skin was covered with a thin sheet of sweat.

Her gaze lingered on the fire that burned in her hearth. Its small flames danced about and whispered small reassurances. She looked away at once, she was too tired and empty to listen.

A glass jar full of water that sat on her night table stole her attention away from lingering thoughts. Her desperate hands reached forward and dominated the surface of the jar. She hungrily drank from it, thankful for the cold water that ran down her throat. The fire within her suffocated at once. The red of her hair still shone but it did not burn as much.

A small smile finally spread at her lips as she grabbed a few strands of her hair.

She then remembered it all: a child with dark brown eyes and crimson, wild hair. His eyes.

She could not remember her name. But she remembered her, a precious being full of light, kindness and beauty. She had seen her run around in a field of wildflowers underneath a summer sun with bare feet and a free, adventurous spirit. The day had been warm and Tauriel had felt the sun's warmth on her own skin.

Even with the beautiful flowers around her, Tauriel could not remove her eyes from her daughter. With every playful jump, rays of light reflected off her wild curls and set everything on fire. Everything.

Tauriel could still hear her laughter. Her innocence shone in every note of it. She remembered those eyes of hers that saw beauty everywhere she went, even in the possibility of recklessness.

She couldn't forget those eyes even if she tried. She had looked into them and understood what love is.

"Your reckless eyes, my dear, will be the joy of my life. You have your father's eyes. His are also full of love and adventure. Your uncle was certainly surprised to meet you"

Tauriel had seen Fili wake up through the eyes of the Lady of Light. She had felt him rise from the bed of stone. His pain had been present with hers as well.

She felt the sudden sting of her tears. The happiness she felt was making her cry. She knew that he would be overjoyed to know that Fili was awake and well. It took a great sense of effort to make the guilt leave her. It had been for a quick second that she hoped it was Kili who had walked through the threshold of death.

"You will wake" she then whispered with urgent determination. She closed her eyes and repeated her sentence over and over again. "My love, she is beautiful. I hope you see her"

And then the tears that she held onto fell down her cheeks. Her chest heaved with emotion and exhaustion. If Kili did not wake, she hoped in her heart that he would see their child as she had done so. He deserved such a gift before leaving forever.

Tauriel laid on the bed once again. She cried softly as she buried herself underneath the blankets and furs. The cold had finally reached her and she yearned for warmth. She was exhausted and she craved sleep. She needed to feel as if she was floating around the heavy emotions of her heart rather than be swimming against their strong waves.

Tauriel forced her eyes shut and muted all of her thoughts. With great effort, she chose to not think of anything else but her daughter's name. What was it? She knew it but somehow she could not remember it.

With a deep sigh, she gave into defeat and sweet oblivion claimed her as her daughter's joyous laughter carried her away into a field of wildflowers on a summer day.

The world outside of the mountain was bleak. Snow fell in a slow rhythm while a thin blanket of fog made everything blurry. Bodies and debris littered the frozen ground. The snow hid the blood and the gore away from sore and tired eyes. Shovels and pickaxes were tightly held in cold, numb hands. Elven, dwarven and human bodies were slowly uncovered from beneath the fallen snow. Brave souls who had tirelessly fought for on the side of good, deserve a proper burial. This was the common message and all came together under the supervision of Thranduil and Bard, to recover lost brothers and sisters in arms.

Thranduil's eyes had witnessed death before, his hands were covered with it, but it now burned within him with a most painful dread.

He scanned the field with pain in his chest. His kin had suffered an uncountable loss.

"Father"

His son's voice was the only sound, the only phenomenon, that could pull him from the deep void of suffering.

"Yes?"

Legolas looked upon his father. His eyes were exhausted. The familiar and regal manner in which he carried himself was no longer there. He hesitated with his movements and he leaned too much on his right side.

"News from the mountain?"

Legolas nodded swiftly.

"The Heir Apparent has awoken"

He remembered when he had told his father that Oakenshield had rejoined the living. He had been grateful for such news.

"I am aware that he saved your life on a couple of occasions" he had noted. Legolas had agreed with him. "I shall voice my deepest gratitude at a later date, father to father"

Thranduil pulled him out from the memory into the present.

"The youngest? Prince Kili?" he asked. A note of hope rang in his voice.

Legolas shook his head while he felt his blood run cold. The name of his enemy, who he could not hate, brought forth an unknown resentment within him.

"Legolas" Thranduil then said. He looked to the snow covered ground with regret.

"I know" Legolas whispered. He held his head high.

Thranduil rose a curious brow. A small piece of him returned then as he demanded an explanation with just a slight movement of his eyes.

"I only had to look at her to know. She carries a light within her"

"She has someone to live for if the father of her child does not come back"

Legolas shook his head. "Tauriel deserves a happy ending, father"

At this, Thranduil gazed at him with a saddened look. He found something hidden in his son's eyes.

"You are to leave?"

His silence answered his question.

"The moment that he fades or wakes? That is when you will leave?" Thranduil asked.

Legolas met his eyes and shared nothing. He simply walked forward and placed his hand on his father's shoulder. Thranduil could not meet his gaze. Legolas dropped his arm after a few moments of silence.

The knowing of his son's departure hurt beyond words. But he understood. He understood the yearning to get away, to escape the pain.

"Go north" he then instructed. "Find the Dunedain. There is a young ranger amongst them, you should meet him. His father Arathorn was a good man. His son might grow to be a great one"

"What is his name?" Legolas asked. A soft breeze passed then and white, long hair danced against the cold.

"He is known in the wild as Strider. His true name you must discover for yourself"

Legolas gave him a nod. He looked to the mountain and then to his father. Before he could speak, Thranduil embraced him and left him speechless. It had been centuries since he had felt his father's affection. It had died along with his mother.

"Son, your mother loved you, more than anyone, more than life itself. You were the joy of her life. Her everlasting summer"

Those words echoed around. They froze the snow in mid air and every noise seized its path.

Legolas closed his eyes to prevent any tears from spilling over his cheeks. He had not realized that he wanted to hear such words until they were spoken. He appreciated the warmth that they brought into his heart.

They both separated from each other and it felt as if the world was not as cold as it had been seconds before.

"And I also love you, Legolas. No matter how many eternities pass by, I will always love you, son"

Legolas placed his hand at his own chest and smiled.

"Thank you, Father. It has been an honor. Do not worry, I will see you again. Perhaps in a summer far away from this winter, I shall see you again"

And with that, he bowed to the king before him and walked away. Thranduil did not turn around and instead chose to keep his eyes forward. It was the last time he would see his son. He was to leave as soon as any news of the dwarven prince came to light and he would not say a goodbye, not even to Tauriel. They would never see him again. That was as true as the cold that surrounded him.

Thranduil gazed around the vastness of the world and then to the mountain that stood before him, proud and tall.

The dwarven prince would either fade away into nothing but memory or wake soon. It was just a matter of time.

Kili was never still. He was always moving about causing trouble everywhere he went. He was full of recklessness and a great yearning for adventure. His kindness and compassion made him different. He did everything with all of his heart and he never gave less than what he could. Death could not drag him so easily. It couldn't.

"Kili" Thorin began, looking down at his nephew. "You have to come back… you have to, lad"

He drew in a deep breath to try and force away the tears that surfaced in his eyes. He felt the sting of them, the emotion in his throat. He missed his laugh and his playful banter that could have everyone laughing within seconds. He brought forth a meaning to life that no one else possessed. And yet there he was, stuck in the middle of life and death. If anyone was undeserving of such fate, it was him.

"We need you" Thorin whispered. "Fight"

He had never felt such pain before. He felt like screaming with rage but his body was too exhausted. Kili had an entire life before him and he was losing on the opportunity to live it.

Guilt began to seep into his mind and heart. He had put his nephews in danger. It had been him.

"Forgive me, Kili"

The tears that he had been holding back finally rained down his face. He grabbed onto Kili's cold hand, leaned his forehead on it, and allowed his cries to leave him.

"I am so sorry that I was not there to save you!"

The darkness within began to surround him but then a thought crossed his mind. Kili needed light. He needed positive thoughts if he was to escape death.

Thorin sniffed away his tears and nodded with determination. He rose away from the stone bed and away from Kili's grey body and took a deep breath of renewed hope. It was extremely difficult to do this but even then Kili was worth everything.

"You are the strongest out of all of us. You can do this, Kili! You are brave and the most honorable soul I have ever met"

Thorin's breaths came in quick gasps. "You have to come back. She needs you. They both do"

He closed his eyes as he slowly extended his arms outwards and leaned on the edge of the stone bed. He exhaled a few times and allowed his heartbeat to return to a normal speed.

"They need you" he repeated. "We all do"

Thorin took one final breath and turned around. His feet carried him to the double door exit but he could not feel himself moving. He turned around one last time.

He would not say goodbye even though he knew that time was running thin. He shook his head. Kili was strong and everything good in the world deserved to be his. He would make it out. He was certain of this as he opened the door to step into the hallway.

"I've loved you since you entered this world and I will always love you until I leave it"

With that he allowed the doors to close shut. The echo of the sound bounced off the stone walls and disturbed the silence. It was too quiet without Kili. Too still.

Pain is impossible to ignore. It demands attention. It demands action.

Even as he tried to think of red hair and green eyes, Kili could not make the pain disappear. Everyone around him was preoccupied with crossing a lake with the help of a stranger, while he was dealing with the suffocating pain of his leg which was making even the mighty cold feel as nothing.

But then her name crossed his mind. He heard Balin counting coins and he could sense Fili looking at him with his permanent worried expression, but he ignored everything.

"Tauriel" he thought. He leaned back on the wall of the boat that swayed here and there and closed his eyes. He floated to one of his favorite places. A place where her name existed with deep meaning.

Tauriel.

The most beautiful name that he had ever heard in his short time of being alive. Such a beautiful name to accompany a beautiful being, an earthbound goddess.

A smile danced on his lips as he remembered her talks of starlight. Her smile had lit up the dungeons around them. It had rendered him completely speechless. He also wanted to get lost in her eyes. He wouldn't mind at all.

His leg burned with searing pain but he was more preoccupied on whether or not he'd see her again. He yearned to hear her voice.

He opened his eyes to the world that laid around him. Thick fog surrounded the boat and giant boulders brushed against them tempting them with a drowning death. He once again ignored the conversation around him when the sharp pain started to attack him again. He winced out loud.

"Kili" his brother called as he approached him. His worried blue eyes gazed into him.

But Kili only gave him a shake of his head as a reply.

"I'm fine" he hissed. But Fili gave him a glare as any older brother would.

"And I have three arms" he remarked. "I know you are in pain. I can see it"

"This pain does not compare" Kili then assured.

The look in his eyes made Fili curious . He had an idea of what or rather, whom he spoke of.

He got closer to his reckless brother and demanded his full attention.

"The elven lass?" he asked. His voice was a mere whisper. He looked up to their companions who were arguing amongst each other. Kili did not reply but he pressed on.

"Red hair?"

Kili sighed and ignored his brother's questions.

"Kili. I saw her at the river. Her eyes… she looked at you with fire in them. Her arrows saved your life and I know she was running towards you. She wanted to save you. Do not even try to lie to me by taking me for a fool"

Kili swallowed heavily with ache. His heart was full of deep pain.

"Her name is Tauriel" he then murmured with a soft smile. "Fili, do you remember what mother told us about love?"

Fili smiled at the mention of their mother.

"Aye. She said that love makes you forget how to breathe. But you rather forget how to breathe than to never feel that love"

Kili nodded as he took his hand to his chest. "I would rather stop breathing than to never see her again. It feels as if I have known her for an eternity but even then that wouldn't be enough time to be with her. She took a part of me, Fili. And I don't want to get it back"

Fili's mind raced with different thoughts, but most importantly, his heart ached for his brother. He could see that he had fallen in love and to wonder if he'd ever see the elven lass again was hurting him more than the open wound on his thigh. He did not need his scolding or warnings, he needed warmth and advice.

"If you really love her and she loves you, destiny will not keep you apart, Kili. Keep hope as that is the only course of action that you can take"

Kili smiled and shook his head. "I was sure that you would want to throw me overboard"

Fili chuckled and looked at the icy water below them. "Do not tempt me"

They both laughed but soon they fell quiet as the strange bowman began to speak.

"We are close" Fili then said as he looked down at Kili's leg. The bandage was soaked with blood. "Tell me, truthfully, how is it?"

"It feels as if my leg is getting stabbed repeatedly"

"That's alright. That's good practice for when you tell Thorin about your… Ta… ril?"

Kili chuckled darkly and playfully pushed Fili off to the side.

"If you must say her name, then say it correctly!"

At this, Thorin glared at them but his expression told more than his words. He had only heard the end of their conversation.

"Stop being foolish and ready yourselves. We are close to our destination"

Both brothers quickly nodded and waited until Thorin looked away to continue their conversation.

Fili looked over to his reckless brother and patted his shoulder.

"Defending her honor, I see. Little brother, you really are far gone"

Kili grinned and with all of his effort, he stood on his feet. He winced in pain but he quickly denied any aid. Fili rolled his eyes and stood back.

He was out of breath but still spoke with reverence.

"She doesn't need defending, Fili. She can shoot you with an arrow at any distance before you have time to run. She is absolutely perfect"

Fili saw the manner in which Kili looked off to the horizon. His eyes yearned for something that was not there. He drew in a deep breath and determination settled in his voice.

"I will see her again. I must"