Within a moment everything became clear. Tauriel gasped, turning her head to the side, looking in the direction from which the arrow had come. To her immense surprise, she realised she was staring at a bunch of familiar faces; the eyes she knew so well were full of terror once they saw her. She tried not to think of what she probably looked like after living in the dungeons for so long, without cleaning herself properly, living with orcs...

Her heart began beating fast, however she was not convinced it was a pleasant feeling, even though she had been dreaming of it since she had been captured. There they were, her folk, ready to free her from the grasp of the orc she had always thought she had hated... and yet, even after all he had done to her, she realised she was afraid they would hurt him. Of course, it made no sense. The orc had killed Kili, the only one she had ever loved, and she wanted her revenge – at least until now. For some reason it had just begun to change; what could be the cause of it, she could not be sure, maybe the fact she was probably carrying Bolg's child under her heart. Or maybe that she had just started understanding him...

But as she turned to look at him, she noticed the expression upon his face had changed; the rage from before had returned onto his features, distorting them to the point where he became terrifying even to her.

"Come, she-elf," he demanded, reaching his hand out to her, ready to pull her back into the forge. The turmoil had already alarmed other orcs, and within a couple of seconds they emerged from beneath, as if they were always ready for a battle.

Another swish, and an arrow was sunk in one of the orcs' head. It brought an atrocious roar from Bolg's throat.

"Tauriel!"

It was not the orc's voice. The elven captain came to a halt and turned her head to the side, realising it was the elvenking himself calling out to her. Feeling dizzy, she once more glanced at her abductor.

"Stay where you are!" he demanded. Tauriel, having been taught to follow his instructions, could not disobey him, even in a situation such as this. Even though she did not really know what would follow and what would happen to her...

Great forces of the Gundabad orcs had already left the forges, and Tauriel understood she had never actually realised how many of them lived down there. Some of them pushed her onto the ground, and she managed to crawl away so they would not trample her in the chaos of the battle which had just started.

The captain was not the kind of person who would avoid fighting; nevertheless, now, with no weapon she could use, all she could do was avoid being killed – even accidentally. The crowds shielded her eyes from the sight of the orc who had been standing by her side before a moment, but she could hear his voice roaring above the clamour. Even though in this noise she could not make out the words, she knew he was telling his people to fight.

Somehow this awareness made her terrified. After all, despite the fact she had been living with the orcs for a couple of weeks, months even, she was not one of them. Never had she become a part of the countless crowd living under the ground. She belonged with the elven folk... and her heart told her to fight to defend her people.

On the other hand, it would mean she would stand against Bolg, and it was something she had not done for a long time. Not since she had understood it would mean no good to her. But it meant no good when they were surrounded by the orcs only; now, there were elves as well, ones that could bring her back home.

But where was her home now?

"Tauriel!" Thranduil's voice reached her ears once more over the racket, and she forced herself to stand up.

"Get back, she-elf!" roared Bolg at the same moment, and whether she wanted it or not, her body reacted at once. Her parted lips trembled slightly as she turned towards the orc, who was now making his way through the crowds of the fighting throng.

Exactly at the same moment one of the elves managed to shoot right in some orc's head. The shapeless sword landed at her feet. Without thinking much, she reached for it, ready to join in the battle to protect her people.

"Get back!" he repeated impatiently but an elf reached him, following Thranduil's command to protect the former captain. "Get out of my way, you filth!" Bolg's voice, even though he spoke in the Common Speech now, sounded so nasty that Tauriel shivered.

While she could fight against the other orcs, she found herself unable to raise her hand to hurt Bolg, so she wanted to leave this spot and disappear from his sigh; after all, she was not quite sure how she would react if he called her once more.

However, before she managed to do anything, before she got to know what her reaction to Bolg's command would be, she felt a grasp on her wrist. Without a second thought, she attacked the one behind her, but her sword met another blade. In surprise, she realised that it was not an orc but an elf.

"Lady Tauriel," he spoke quietly, "king Thranduil's command is to get you safely out of here. You must go with me."

Her eyes became big and round as she heard Bolg's enraged voice. Glancing back, she noticed that he fought with at least three or four elves, but she did not manage to see much more before she faced the man before her.

"Don't hurt him," she whispered. "I will follow the king's orders, but I beg you, do not hurt the commander... it... it will be better for everyone if you stop this battle –"

The elf, though, silenced her with a short gesture of his hand.

"Just follow me," he told her, pulling her between the trees, into the forest.

That was just enough to make Tauriel worry. Although it was probably not something she would have done before Bolg had captured her, she began protesting. Even if it was the king's command, she could not follow it, not now as she did not have a promise that no-one would hurt the orc.

"You must give me your word!" she demanded, trying to get her hand out of his grasp. "Promise me you won't hurt him!"

The elf stopped and turned to face her. There, between the trees, it was much darker than on the battlefield, and even though they still could hear the noise, it was also much more quiet in there. Nevertheless, even in this darkness, her eyes could distinguish the man's features. She was not sure what his name was, but she could remember him from the halls of the Woodland Realm.

"I assure you, lady Tauriel, that fighting with me right now is not the best idea. The sooner you get out of here, the better for both of us."

His voice was strangely quiet, but Tauriel could recognise a soft note in it that betrayed he was irritated; it reminded her of Legolas and the way he sometimes spoke to her, trying not to show how annoyed or impatient he was. Probably that was why she hesitated for a little one; it was enough for him to tug her with him.

"I just need your promise you won't hurt the commander," she repeated, feeling some strange pressure in her chest. Until now, she had not thought of what she would feel if Bolg got hurt... or even killed.

"It is war, lady Tauriel," reminded her the elf and before she realised it, he sat her on the back of a horse. "I can only promise you that the commander won't be begging his people not to kill our folk like you are begging me now."

"But you don't understand anything!" she cried out, doing her best to get off of the horse, but by that time the man had sat behind her, trapping her between his arms so she could not escape.

He looked at her, and when she noticed that, she realised his glance had not been that strict until now. However, it was not enough to stop her from her attempts to get away. Bolg could not die. Finally, she understood that it was something she would not be able to accept, even though he had abducted her, taken her against her will so many times...

And now, as she thought of it, she became aware of the fact she had not heard the orc's familiar voice for a while. Did it mean that...

"I may not understand, my lady, yet I understand my king's commands," said the elf, forcing Tauriel to stay put. "And the command was to keep you safe. The rest is not something I would be worried about."

And despite the woman's protests, they set off.

Thranduil's long fingers massaged his forehead. The past several days had been probably the most difficult ones he had ever been through. Even the time of his madness had not been so hard... maybe because he was still not fully aware of what he had felt back then. And now... now, he understood everything way too well.

The steps behind his back grew louder and he took a deep breath, getting ready to face the approaching man.

"I assure you, there is nothing you should be afraid of," he heard a soft, comforting voice. Lord Elrond was someone who could keep his composure even in the worst of times. He could even make Thranduil believe that he was right. On the other hand, why would Elrond lie to him? He was said to be the wisest of all men, and the elvenking had already noticed that his wisdom was in fact much greater than the wisdom of any other person he would know.

"She has been through a lot," continued Elrond standing in front of Thranduil, "that is for sure. Nevertheless, neither her life nor her health is in danger. Right now, she needs some rest and everything should be fine in a couple of days."

Thranduil glanced at the woman lying in the bed in one of the rooms. Right now, she seemed to be even more fragile than he had ever seen her. So pale against the white sheets. Her red hair, once long, was now cut short. Even from this distance he could notice dark shadows under her eyes and several new scars.

What actually had she been through in the forges of the orcs...?

"It will be the best if... if she stays here," he said quietly, licking his lips. So uncertain, as if he was not an elvenking but one of the weak men. However, as he saw Tauriel in such a state, he could not be as calm as Elrond. Even though the latter was so certain she would be alright, he was still concerned about her well-being. "The evil is spreading, and I am afraid she would not be able to stand it much longer. Right now, this is the safest place."

"I cannot assure you that the evil will not reach Imladris." A couple of wrinkles appeared upon Elrond's forehead and around his lips. He had seen enough to realise that the evil was much stronger than he had once assumed. Even now, after Galadriel's help, he could no longer be sure how much longer Rivendell would be able to resist this terrible force.

"Yet I am still sure she is safer here than in Lasgalen. We have defeated the orcs, but there are more... there are spiders and other foul creatures we are not able to get rid of. Right now I can only care about my people. There are way too few to let this war go on forever."

Elrond sighed.

"The real war is yet to come," he replied with immense sorrow in his voice. "But for now... for now Tauriel is safe here."

At that moment Tauriel stirred in the bed and after a while she opened her eyes. This room was so bright... it had been so long since she had seen something so bright. It was not the light cast from the stars... it must have been a day.

"Where am I?" she asked quietly, confusion sounding clearly in her voice.

"In Imladris," replied Elrond. "I assure you nothing bad is going to happen to you. You have been hurt, but I have made sure the danger has been averted."

The woman pulled herself up, half-sitting, half-lying, resting againt the pillows. Even though she wished she would be able to do more, she found herself way too weak to move. Her head ached and there was chaos in her head, as if her thoughts kept rushing across her mind.

"We will let you rest." Thranduil looked at her, then smiled, though it was not a happy smile.

Once they turned back, Elrond frowned slightly once more, leaning a little towards the elvenking.

"There... is something I have not told you about yet," he whispered. "Although it may sound strange, I am afraid Tauriel may be –"

"I need to where Bolg is before I can rest." The woman's voice was stronger than previously, full of determination and the same fire the orc had always admired in her. The men came to a halt and turned towards her. "The commander of the orcs."

"You need not be afraid, my child," reassured her Thranduil. "I personally freed him of his nasty head."

"Just a little bit more, my lady... everything is going to be alright."

Tauriel, with her face wet from tears and sweat, let an elven maid hold her hand while another one gently caressed her hair, trying to dry her forehead. Soft whimpers kept escaping her livid lips. The longer it lasted, the more she was convinced that she would not make through it.

"You are doing just fine," she heard someone's reassuring voice. And while she was so close to giving up, she started pushing again.

And within the next several moments she knew it was all over. A quiet whine of a baby reached her ears and she let out a soft cry as her body fell onto the bed almost completely senseless.

"You have a son, my lady," spoke one of the maids, a smile on her lips. The child in her arms was certainly much bigger than an elven baby should be, and his skin had a greyish hue; nevertheless, it was not much more uncomely than any other infant. Yet Tauriel could not look at him when he lay down on her chest, listening to the beating of his mother's heart. "Congratulations... you have done so well."

"What name will you call him, my lady?" asked another woman, and Tauriel finally opened her eyes to glance at her son.

"Bolg," she whispered. "His name is Bolg."

A/N: This is where I am supposed to write "The End"! I am very thankful to everyone who has stayed by my side until now. To everyone who has read this story - all of it, or just a part. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Once again, I invite you to reading my new story entitled "Leaves on the Wind" with Legolas and Tauriel as the main characters.