In-Between

Summary: A collection of little moments in the life of Tauriel and Kíli from the time they leave everything behind after the battle. There will be kids, old friends and new faces along the way… and the War of the Ring is approaching.

So, it's been a long wait but here we are: my favorite chapter. Yup, it's Mirkwood. I hope you'll like it.

"She is beautiful," Kíli stopped next to Tauriel, looking up at the statue that stood at the entrance of Mirkwood. The statement was true, however, Kíli suspected that the stone did no justice to the grace and beauty of the woman. And coming from a Dwarf, it said a lot.

"She is," his wife agreed with a sad smile. "You would have loved her," she looked at him.

"I would?" he turned to his wife. "You know her?"

"I did… a long time ago."

"Oh," he looked back at the woman and, after a few moments of scrutiny, it downed on him. "Legolas looks a lot like your mother."

"He does. Her eyes were darker and her hair more golden but, yes, he looks just like her."

"Not getting the dashing look from the king then, huh?"

Tauriel smiled.

They'd been traipsing through the dark woods for two days now, careful not to stray from the road, and Kíli could see the longing getting stronger in Tauriel's eyes. She wanted to go home so much and yet she could not.

It was unfair, he thought, getting off his ride as they made camp for the night: here he was, on the way home when he had no desire to go there, not under the circumstances at least. And there was Tauriel, just a stone's throw from her home unable to go there.

"Why do you think the King's Guard hadn't shown up yet?" Angion wondered out aloud. It was a just question. Nothing happens in Thranduil's realm without the king's knowledge.

"They did," Tauriel stated calmly as all eyes turned to her in surprise, except for two pairs.

"They did?" Dís asked alarmed.

"Yes," Mirel grinned. Her ears might be large like those of Dwarves but they were sharp like those of Elves.

"They'd been shadowing us ever since we entered the woods," Thoriel supplied matter-of-factly. "They are good… but not that good."

"Why haven't they took us to Thranduil yet?" Kíli asked.

"Who knows," Tauriel shrugged, staring into the darkness around them, for all intents and purposes, seeming unaffected. "Thranduil had always had a mind of his own."

"Maybe he wants to make sure that we get through safely," Dís tried. Kíli smiled at her lovingly.

"Maybe he wants to make sure we don't get into his way," Angion quipped.

"Maybe he wants to meet us and he is on his way," Mirel's eyes lit up by the prospect.

"I highly doubt that," Tauriel answered, this time allowing her bitterness to seep into her voice.

"You want to meet him," Kíli stated in a sympathetic voice, walking up to her and taking her hand.

"Oh, Kíli, I long to see him so much. But I am afraid of him shunning me."

"I can assure you that he would be most pleased at seeing you," a rich, deep voice contradicted her as a large figure emerged from the shadows. All, except for Tauriel, reached for their weapons at the sound of the intruder.

"Tauriel," Kíli called as they all watched her walk up in front of the impressing figure before bowing in front of him with due respect.

"My King."

"You're the king!" Mirel exclaimed excitedly, lowering her axe.

Thranduil tilted his head towards the small creature. The slightest trace of interest crossed his features before he dismissed Tauriel with a bored look and a roll of his eyes.

"No need for unnecessary formalities," he said turning back to her. "Come, I have had tents set up for you. You can rest for the night then we can return to my halls in the morning. We have much to discuss." And with that he turned and left just as abruptly as he had appeared. It was evident for him they would do as they were told.

"Charming…" Fíli raised an eyebrow as they looked after the retreating king.

"You seemed surprised at the welcome," Thranduil stated the next day as they walked towards the King's Halls, Tauriel besides him.

"Pardon my astonishment, my lord," she looked at him clearly surprised by his remark, "But you banished me. I expected cold looks and a colder cell not open arms and a warm bed."

"Again with the formalities," Thranduil sighed with exaggerated patience as if talking to a child. "And I did no such thing," he waved away her concern regarding her banishment with a bored gesture of his hands, seeming exasperated. "You know my flair for the dramatic."

That she did but she was spared to say so by Angion speaking up behind them.

"There was a struggle here," he observed the disturbed landscape.

"Calling it a struggle would be a gross understatement," Thranduil told them, a troubled look crossing his otherwise blank features. "Many of my men were slain that awful night."

"I thought no Orc comes into this forest and leaves it alive," Mirel quipped recalling the legend that surrounded the home of the Woodelves.

"Except for only when they are after my prisoners, it seems."

"Who did you have here?" Fíli inquired.

"A foul little creature."

"Gollum," Tauriel remembered Elrond's account of the search for the Ring before it turned up at his very doorstep.

"Apparently Mithrandil thought it wise to stow his precious foundling in my dungeons."

"Because you have such a great history of keeping your prisoners, apparently," Kíli laughed out then abruptly stopped when two pairs of elven eyes turned to him. They were not amused. "Sorry."

"You did not send him away," Tauriel turned to the Elven King with a glimpse of hope in her guarded eyes.

"I would like to say that there is no saying 'no' to Mithrandil… or that that ward of Elrond had a gift of speech but… things are not as they used to be. The world is changing," the Elf stated gravely.

"The world is becoming a darker place every day," Tauriel agreed.

"Yet, it is not only the world that is changing." The man looked at her before stopping and turning to the group just in front of the bridge that led to the gates to Thranduil's Halls. "I have spent a lot of time watching the world go by… but I have not bothered to see. My eyes are open now. There are a lot of beautiful things in the world," he said, looking over the family of his old captain. "But I worry."

"Darkness is coming," Fíli observed darkly.

"It is, son," Thranduil nodded. "And this time there is no place in Arda to hide." That made Tauriel and Kíli exchange a worried look. "This time, we shall all stand as one. We all have to fight."

"We're planning to do just that," Angion told the Elven King. He looked ready to take upon an Orc army all alone.

"Yes, you are." Thranduil tilted his head contemplatively. "You are to reclaim a kingdom broken apart. Your kingdom once again shall stand strong and proud." Thranduil addressed the last part to Fíli, then abruptly turned his head to Tauriel. "Yet, I have a favor to ask."

Kíli and Tauriel looked stunned by the king's choice of words. Thranduil does not ask for favors, he issues commands.

"Go on," Kíli told him.

"I gather you heard that a company of nine started from Imladris."

"The fellowship of the ring," Mirel supplied with twinkling eyes. Thranduil regarded her for a moment, almost seeming bemused. But his voice was as stoic as ever when he spoke up again.

"They need help. I do not know what awaits them but the darkness is upon us. They will need all the help they can get. Even more so now that Mithrandil is lost."

"Gandalf?" Kíli looked crushed.

"Words have it," he started bowing his head, "that he had faced a Balrog at Moria. It had pulled him down into the deep. He saved the rest of the group. He saved Legolas," the king added, his voice sounding small among the large trees.

"Legolas is there?" Tauriel asked bewildered.

"Lord Elrond did not tell us about that," Dís voiced what everybody was thinking.

"Elrond always tells you only which is convenient." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Protecting Middle Earth and all… I, on the other hand, am more selfish. Please, they need help. I cannot go."

"I will go," Mirel spoke up without missing a beat. "If uncle needs us, we will be there." There was general agreement among the strange assortment of Elf-Dwarf children and Thranduil felt oddly touched.

"We can't all go," Kíli pointed out uncomfortably.

"I will go either way," Mirel pressed on.

"Then I will go with you," Tauriel reached for her daughter's hand and squeezed it gently. Kíli's heart broke as he looked at his wife. He couldn't go.

"As will I," Thoriel added. The remaining three children looked at their father, a silent agreement passing between Dís and Angion.

"We continue our journey then," Kíli looked at them. "Without the Dwarves the North doesn't stand a chance." To his greatest amazement, Thranduil bowed his head in agreement.

"It is decided then," the king declared. "Please, take your time to rest. There is food in the dining hall. You can continue your journey rested and with all the supplies you need." He made to leave but then, he seemed to hesitate. "You are home here," he finally said before walking away.

"That was…" Tauriel tried to find the right words. "…unexpected."

"I like him," Mirel supplied merrily.

"Come, my love," Tauriel reached out a hand for Kíli to take after the family had finished their meal that awaited them in the dining hall as promised. "I have always wished to wander these halls with you."

Kíli took a quick glance at the children.

"Go," Angion waved them away. "I'm sure we'll find something to do."

"That worries me somewhat," Kíli admitted as he stood up.

"Come on, Adad," Mirel smiled at her mischievously. "You know we can behave."

"That you can behave that I know… That you will, well…"

"Anyway," Thoriel shrugged. "We are in the halls of Thranduil. What fun can we find here?"

This time it was Tauriel who looked slightly worried but she nudged her husband nonetheless and left the children to their own devices.

"Everything went so well so far," Kíli lamented as they left the children. "Do you suspect that they know the king has a wine cellar? I hope they won't end up in the dungeons."

"Don't worry, melleth," Tauriel pulled him closer. "I have a feeling that everything will be fine."

"Well, I have a feeling that everything's just screwed up," Kíli added bitterly, though he knew that they were talking about two different things.

"Hush." The content smile didn't leave Tauriel's lips. "Let's just enjoy this evening."

"Tauriel, please," Kíli pleaded, coming to a stop and pulling the Elf to look at him. "Before we started, you told me you'd follow me no matter where my path would take me. And here I am, unable to follow you."

"Like I am unable to keep my promise," Tauriel countered. "Let neither of us take the blame for that. We go where we are needed. You do not need me."

"I always need you."

Tauriel gave him a loving smile. "Not for what you are about to embark on on your journey to Erebor. If it were so, I would stay by your side."

"And what about you?"

"Are you fishing for a compliment, my love?" Tauriel gave him a mischievous smile.

"Don't go cheeky on me, that's my special thing."

"Don't I know that?"

"I am serious here, Tauriel. Everything became so uncertain. I do not want for you to be so as well."

"There is nothing uncertain about my love, Kíli. You must know that." Kíli took her hands in his and squeezed them. "Take that with you and fight with the knowledge of that. And remember my promise that I will return to you."

"As I shall return to you."

Thranduil was wandering his halls when some noise reached his keen ears in the eerie silence of the evening. Following the noise that slowly morphed into a playful argument, the Elven King arrived to the dining halls where he happened upon the five children of Tauriel.

First he wasn't quite sure what the argument was about and really, he was just about to leave unnoticed, when he heard a voice speak up.

"I will gladly do you hair."

Five pairs of eyes turned to him and only after that did he realize that he was the one doing the talking. He cleared his throat and instinctively straightened. "I mean…" he started looking for a way out from the embarrassing and highly unnerving situation. "If you do not mind me doing so," he found himself finishing and simultaneously wondering what was wrong with him.

However, when the girl's eyes lit up – Mirel, that was her name, the apprehension about his predicament lessened somewhat, and it was with less trepidation that he sat down on the floor of the dining hall. He really hoped nobody would happen on him!

"Why are we braiding hair sitting in a line?" he finally asked what had bothered him ever since he sat down. He could not see the point in it.

"Dís and Fíli are afraid that we would end up in trouble if our hands are not busy," Mirel explained merrily.

"Would you?"

He could hear some snicker from down the row. Of course, they would.

"We were on our way to that famous wine cellar of yours when Dís sat us down," the taller of the two boys offered off-handedly. That boy was cheeky. And his sister really wise.

"Then I am merely saving my wine-stock at the moment," Thranduil mused as he braided on with a stoic expression.

After so many years, it felt strange to be so close to somebody… to make an effort to put a smile on a child's face. It felt good. And the happy chatter that ensued while the children's hands were busy almost made him smile.

"Now, it's your turn," Mirel declared to the king when they all stood up.

"I do not think so," Thranduil stated, feeling strangely trapped again in his own home. That family was running havoc with his life.

"Please…"

"Mirel," Dís warned her sister and Thranduil was grateful for that. "He said no. Respect that."

"No, but really," the girl insisted. "I can do it. I can make awesome braids, right?" She turned to her siblings. "Tell him! I would really like to do it."

"Mirel." Fíli's warning voice was more forceful than that of his sister's and as Mirel quickly clamped up, it was evident that it was not a tone the silent boy usually used.

The sullen face of the girl touched his heart, though, and he found himself wishing for her to smile again.

"All right," he drawled. "You can braid my hair."

Thranduil sat back down with apprehension. Nobody touched his hair ever since… Nobody dared to offer to braid it. But he set his jaw and let the girl get to work. The conversation was more careful after that. He suspected that except for Mirel, the children felt his unease so they treaded accordingly.

"You are sure you are not making a fool out of me?" Thranduil asked when his patience ran out after a while.

"Yup," Mirel nodded without her fingers pausing.

"That's Thoriel," Angion supplied. "She made me look like a carnival clown more times than I could count."

"That's why she usually starts the row," Mirel supplied.

"I will remember that," Thranduil said in a serious tone then turned his eyes to the snickering woman. "You seemed so nice."

The next morning, Kíli and Tauriel found the dining hall empty and they were told that the children had already left. Nobody could tell where they were at present, though.

"So," Kíli started conversationally when they finished the breakfast. "What do you think? To the dungeons?"

"I am sure we would know about that if they were there," Tauriel pointed out.

"My Lady Tauriel," an Elf appeared in the hall, giving a bow to the pair. "Your children are in the training hall with King Thranduil," he informed them then promptly left.

"You see," Tauriel turned to her husband. Kíli grinned. "What?"

"You are cute when you are embarrassed, my lady Tauriel."

"Nobody called me lady in hundreds of years. Now, come on, let us find the children."

"Yes... my Lady Tauriel."

"Oh, hush."

"Ada," Tauriel couldn't help it, the endearment slipped her lips unchecked as she caught sight of the king with his hair neatly braided. She had almost forgotten how young he looked with his silver locks pulled back in a half pony-tail, some of them lying on the top of his head in beautiful thin braids to meet in the back where they joined the rest falling down his back.

"What is it, my love?"

"That is how Naneth always used to braid his hair," Tauriel told Kíli who looked back at the king sparring with Mirel below in the training hall.

"What made him braid it now?"

"Not what," Tauriel smiled at him before turning her attention back at the sparring king. "Who."

"You are fighting like a true warrior, Little One." Thranduil chuckled impressed from his position on the floor after Mirel had successfully tackled him.

"That is my father, Kíli," Tauriel's voice broke as she looked down at her children and her father. Kíli reached for her hand and squeezed it gently.

"You have to be careful with that one," Fíli advised the tackled down king with a smirk.

"That is a fair warning, son," Thranduil remarked. "But I could have used it a little earlier."

Angion laughed as he pulled the king to his feet.

"She may be small but she has great strength," he told the man. "She plays dirty, too."

"I am impressed either way," Thranduil gave the girl an appreciative nod.

Mirel beamed.

"You're not what the tales tell about you," Mirel informed him with a merry grin, seemingly unaffected by the fact that she was talking to the king of the Woodland Realm.

Thranduil found himself not minding it. That young girl intrigued him from the moment he laid eyes on her. "And what do those tales tell about me?"

"That you are a stuffed up son of a bitch."

"Blunt," the king remarked in a flat tone but his features showed the traces of bemusement.

"Nana always tells me to think before I open my mouth," Mirel agreed with a nod, her eyes twinkling, not at all ashamed.

"A wise advice."

"So… You're… like… my grandfather, right?"

For a long time, Thranduil regarded the girl with a strange expression. She looked so much like her mother, rougher around the edges, though. His heart ached.

He remembered a tiny little girl, once, a long time ago, who had always looked to him whether she was happy or in distress. A little girl who loved him, trusted him... called him 'Ada'. A little girl whose laughter filled his days.

He was so happy back then.

But that was all before his world turned desolate.

He had lost that little girl a long time ago.

He had no right claiming the title this tiny creature was offering him .

He was about to refute the girl's claim when his eyes fell on a figure in the shadows. It was Tauriel, watching their exchange. He expected her to be angry but the expression on her face was not tense.

He must have looked lost for an answer because she nodded to him, giving him her approval to proceed.

Thranduil looked back at the girl in front of him then nodded. "Yes," he finally answered slowly. "I suppose you are right." Hardly had he finished his sentence when the girl pulled him into an enthusiastic embrace. His eyes bulged in surprise and, for a moment, he stood frozen. But he quickly found that Mirel's crushing embrace warmed his heart like nothing in a really long time, so he slowly put his own arms around the small frame of the girl.

When he dared to look at Tauriel, he saw tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. She was happy… and his world seemed so much brighter for it.

He clung to the girl, his eyes not leaving her mother's, which Mirel noticed when she let go of her grandfather.

She perched on her tiptoes then, and pressed a kiss on the man's cheek. "She loves you," she winked at him, then passing her mother, she left to join the others.

Tauriel gave Mirel a proud smile as the girl passed by, giving her and Thranduil some space. Slowly she walked up to the man and turned her head to follow his gaze that rested on the children as they merrily bantered while packing up and leaving the dining hall.

"They are a merry folk."

"That is the dwarf blood in them."

"It is a blessing in times like these. The merriment… the warmness of family." Tauriel looked at the man surprised. "There was a time when you called me father."

"It seems so long ago," she observed, running her fingers over his messy braids. She knew what it meant for him to let his hair be braided like that… like her mother used to braid it. At that moment he looked so much like the father she remembered.

"I know my actions were inexcusable," he reached for her hand and she watched as he cradled it in his larger ones, "but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive to a bitter man."

He sounded so much like her father, too.

She didn't know what to say. She didn't even trust her voice to work. But she was spared the answer.

"Aphado nin," Thranduil told her in a law voice as, still holding her hand, he started to move. His hold was sure but Tauriel knew she could free her hand if she wished so. She did not. She was not sure where all that was going but she was sure to cherish the moment with her father as long as it lasted.

They moved swiftly through the halls, ignoring the looks they got. Tauriel was fairly sure that Thranduil hadn't even noticed them. There was a look on his face she hadn't seen in a long time and she was transported back to times long gone when she and Legolas were stealing these same halls, clinging to their father, being up to no good.

She smiled, having realized their destination.

They came to a stop by a large tree. Their tree.

Thranduil tossed his heavy robe unceremoniously on the ground then, with a ghost of a smile, he looked at Tauriel. "I hope you still remember how to climb a tree." And with that he was gone. Tauriel was frozen for a moment, a flash of memory of her, Legolas and Thranduil climbing the highest trees appearing before her eyes. But then she followed him, smiling all the way up.

The air was crisp on the top and the view breathtaking.

"Your mother always chided me for letting you two run wild," Thranduil said with a stoic expression, looking in front of him before sparing a look at the woman next to him and giving her a rare, almost playful smile. "I would not have had it any other way."

"Neither would she," Tauriel remembered. Although the queen seemed to be the stern one when it came to the children, she would have never denied them the freedom they so enjoyed. For the queen and the king, it was the carefree laughter of their children that lit up the always darkening woods. "I miss you… both of you."

Thranduil's features became solemn once again as he brought up his hand and caressed Tauriel's cheek. "Even if you are not bonded by blood, you are so much like her in spirit." His hand fell away and he turned to look out at the waste expanse of forest. "When I lost her, I lost my way, too. All I could see was the darkness descending on our world and I was terrified. There had been so much loss already and I vowed to her memory to protect our people from it… to protect our children. My greatest fear was losing you two… my most valued treasures. But all I achieved was to lose both of you. I was so blind." He turned back to her then with an unguarded look. "I was such a fool to shun your light from my life. But even if I have to work for thousands of years, I will endeavor to regain it. I need your light… yours and Legolas'… your family's… now more than ever."

"And you shall have it," Tauriel told him, taking his hand into hers. "I will bring Legolas back, I promise."

"May the stars guide you on your journey and return you to us safely," Thranduil said farewell to the little group ready to depart only five days after their arrival into Mirkwood.

"Don't worry, grandpa," Mirel grinned up at the large man whose features considerably softened in the last couple of days. "I will sure return."

"And I will wait for you, Little One." And, once again, the little girl now familiar embrace enveloped his midriff. Thoriel gave him a warm smile and a nod over Mirel's head, which Thranduil returned.

When it was Tauriel's turn to say goodbye to the Elven King, it was the man who pulled her into a hug.

"I love you, my dear daughter," he breathed into her hair and let a small smile grace his lips when he felt Tauriel tightening her hold on him. There were no more words exchanged between the two of them but, with a simple parting look, there were millions of promises exchanged.

"You seem awfully accepting of Tauriel's choice of life…" Kíli stopped by Thranduil as Tauriel and his daughters disappeared from sight.

He shifted awkwardly.

Truth was, he had no idea what he was talking about. Dís and the boys had already left and he was left standing with the stoic king with whom he'd never been left alone before. It seemed a good idea to strike up a conversation. That was, after all, way better than standing in awkward silence.

"Somehow I always imagined if you were ever to forgive her, you'd make your forgiveness dependent on… you know… forsaking the Dwarf she married." He shrugged with a sheepish look.

Thranduil arched an elegant eyebrow.

Or maybe not such a good idea.

But Thranduil surprised him.

"She had made her own choice as so many times in her life. And, as so many times before, it was not to my liking. But even I have to admit, she had never made a wrong choice, foolish maybe, but never wrong."

"You sound terribly contemplative… even for an Elf."

"I had a lot of time to think," Thranduil admitted, clapping his hands behind his back but not offering any more.

Silence stretched between the two men.

"You came to any revelations?" Kíli chanced the question.

"I did." Thranduil nodded then long silence settled on the couple once again.

"Care to share?" Kíli couldn't help it. He was a curious person by nature. And he'd never really known when to stop, either.

Thranduil arched an eyebrow but did not deny his request.

"I have become the king I swore never to be. I had been always aware of my father's faults… and I fell for all of them. I stood for everything I had blamed him for and I criticized my children for everything I had been once. There was a time, Master Dwarf, when I would not have stood for isolating my people from the world and when the strife between our kin would not have diminished my love for the one my heart had chosen."

Kíli watched as he bowed his head as if facing the past had been difficult.

"I was there… on Ravenhill," Thranduil continued, lifting his head and looking at Kíli. "I saw what had transpired. Tauriel had been granted the greatest gift: the gift of being able to save the one you love. So many are praying for that gift… and yet, so few prayers are answered."

"You couldn't save your wife," Kíli realized and watched as Thranduil's features darkened with grief that was as fresh as ever.

"I could not." He bowed his head as if in shame. "It seems true love is not always enough. Maybe I was not strong enough… Tauriel, however," he suddenly raised his head and directed his cold blue eyes at the Dwarf, "She was strong. She always had been. And if the Valar had validated her love for you, I had no right to oppose it. And truly, as a father which I had not been for a very long time, I might have lost her but I, at least, knew that she would be happy."

"You've never lost her… not for a moment."

Thranduil nodded in gratitude then they were enveloped in silence once again. By Mahal, Kíli thought exasperated, the man was not an easy one to have a conversation with.

"I was never meant to be a king, you know." Kíli's thoughts were just about to wander when Thranduil spoke up abruptly. "I had three older brothers… all of them more fit to succeed my father than me. But the future is uncertain. My father was not a king among his people, yet, he had found a realm to rule. As an Elf, he had lived many a century but in dark times, even my kind perishes. He had lost three sons before he died and there was none but his youngest to take on his responsibilities."

"I always lived my life without the burden of responsibility," Kíli admitted. "I'd never thought that one day I would be king… and even now, I can't help but feel that this is not my path. Can you imagine me as a king?"

"My opinion does not matter in this question. The Dwarves need a king they recognize. If you are that king then so be it. I have only one concern: my daughter. She may have chosen a Dwarf for a husband but she does not belong in that mountain."

"Don't you think I know that? She'd never be happy there," Kíli voiced what he'd already known. "And neither would I... not anymore. But I do not know what other choice we have. Unlike last time, we are out of options here."

"There are always other options, Master Dwarf. However, it is true that they may very well be just as unpleasant as the most obvious one. In any case, whatever the future holds, you have the support of the Woodland Realm."

"Thanks... I guess."

The corners of the king's mouth turned slightly upward as he turned to leave.

"For whatever it is worth..." he started when he was facing the Dwarf. "I am sure you would be a just king."

Kíli nodded at the unexpected compliment.

"A just king," he murmured as Thranduil left. "And an unhappy one."

"Options, Master Dwarf. Options." The king's words echoed in the waste halls.

Options... Kíli pondered. There was another option, that was true. But Kíli only let himself go there once. It was not an option he was willing to consider and he was sure Tauriel wouldn't like it, either.

He would rather bear the burden of a kingdom he had left behind so long ago.

He would do it... for his people... for his children... for Middle Earth.

TBC

So that was it... A long chapter and, yet, I didn't get to address so many things. Maybe elsewhere...

Thanks for reading! I'm so glad that you are still with me.