So when I saw Battle of the Five Armies I was actually really disappointed with the way her character was handled in the film. The Desolation of Smaug presented us with this tough, independent female elf, capable of being both a love interest but also a hero. So in the battle of the five armies it was disappointing to see she didn't really do a lot of hero-ing - the script instead brushing that aside and making her more of just the love interest. So here is my version of how it could have happened :)
In case you can't remember how the movie fight goes - I tried my best to describe the events of the movie fight up until Tauriel and the orc fall from the cliff for the first time onto the stairs. From there I modified it. In the movie Legolas does some super cool stunt thing crashing a tower to get to her and Tauriel doesn't really do any fighting from then on, just lays on the ground. So all fighting after that was my writing (I'm not good at writing action sorry!)
NOTE - This story contains character death - it's not very gory I don't think but if you as a general rule avoid character death stories for whatever reason - just a warning this story doesn't end very happily
Tauriel
Tauriel felt tears fill her eyes and her vision blurred and she watched the life fade from Kili's body. She cried out, not knowing what to say, something resembling a scream and a squeek was all that came out. Kili, the young dwarf, her friend. He had inspired her, reminded her there was innocence and good in this world and she had a duty to that world, not just her Kingdom. She glared at the orc standing, triumphantly over the dwarf, and another emotion entered her. Rage blinded her, overtaking the pain she felt, both physically and mentally and she staggered to her knees, eyeing the orc as it moved towards her.
The orc swung it's club, aiming to smash the pointed end directly into her face. She lept up, pushing off the ground and wrapping her legs around the orc's neck, spinning and using her weight to send the orc staggering towards the edge of the cliff. The orc was smart, he grabbed her legs and spun her out over the edge but she still had a lot of momentum and she held on to his hand, spinning over the edge, right round back to the cliff, and with her foot, pushed off the rock, sending them both falling through the air. She landed with a thump, tumbling down some stairs, vaguely aware that the orc hand't fallen the same way as her, but she assumed he had fallen further down to a lower level, and she allowed herself to believe he was dead. She moaned with pain, and as she opened her eyes she looked up towards a tower to see a lone firgure, staring down at her. Her eyesight was blurry but she could see the look of horror on his face.
Legolas
Legolas looked down and gasped as he watched Tauriel and the orc tumble off the cliff, watching as Tauriel fell down the stairs and the orc tumbled off to the side. For a brief second he allowed himself to believe the orc was dead, but then to his dismay he saw it climbing back up to the side of the cliff. He reached behind for and arrow but his hands closed around empty air. He suddenly realised he was out of arrows, at the moment he needed arrows the most. He was horrified, there was nothing he could do, he had trusted her to handle herself, knowing her to be a fierce and capable warrior, but he should have known better, he himself had faced that orc and found it to be a tough opponent. He looked around him, searching for a way to get to her, but the tower he stood at the top of was isolated from her section of the castle. He didn't think twice about jumping from the tower, landing with a roll on the snow, and stone. He set off running, eyes mapping out the quickest route to her.
Tauriel
Tauriel watched as he jumped from the tower and ran. Her mind was slowed and it didn't hit her straight away what he was doing. Then it hit her, he was coming for her. But why did he seem so alarmed? She turned her head and the reason for his alarm became quickly apparent. The orc hadn't perished as she hoped it had, and it stood at the top of the stairs. She reached for her weapons, before realising she had lost them in the fight before. Despair hit her then, she was going to die here, on this cliff. Suddenly she heard a sharp whistle through the air and the next thing she knew two daggers were embedded in the snow beside her. She looked in the direction they had come from to see Legolas running once more along the edge of the ruins, but she knew it would be some time before he could reach her. She picked up his daggers, and ignored the pain as she stood. She could finish this fight herself.
She charged the orc, daggers clutched in each hand, leaping off the ground and aiming to dig the daggers in either side of his head. The orc managed to block her with his arms, catching her in the stomach and she tumbled to the left, her left dagger still making a scratch across the orc's neck though. He growled, and she rolled to the side, regaining her balance and preparing for the orc's next move. It lunged at her, and she dodged to the side, the orc rushed past her and as it passed her she reached out her arm and stabbed the orc in the back, dagger digging in deep. The orc stumbled, falling to its knees, and she jumped towards it. It roared as she pulled the dagger out of its back and blood started pouring from the wound. She reached around it's neck and held a dagger to the orc's throat, the other one pressed to another spot at the orc's back. The orc growled and she readied herself, about to plunge the daggers in to his neck and back, when the orc reached over his shoulders and pulled her over his head, letting go and sending her tumbling off the stairs. She reached out her arm, desperate to claim her kill and as she passed the orc's face she thrust out her arm, the dagger finding its place in the orcs skull, and as she tumbled over the edge, she watched as the life left his body just as it had left Kili's.
She fell, not bothering to fight it, knowing there was nothing she could do. She looked up as she fell, seeing the orc's body slump to the ground, seconds before hitting the ground herself. She grunted as her body crashed into the ground, adding even more pain to her already bruised and bleeding body. Her vision blurred again as the adreneline of the fight left her, replaced with pure emotional and physical pain. The corners of her vision started turning to black and she felt time slow. She heard a scream, her name being called from high above her and saw a blonde haired elf staring over the edge at her.
Legolas
Legolas had finally reached the bridge to the stairs when he got his next glimpse of her, she had the orc on his knees, daggers at his back and neck. He stopped running for a second, believing the fight to be over, before the orc reached behind him and heaved her over his head. Tauriel stuck the dagger in his face but she was already too far over the edge to stop herself falling. He watched as she dissapeared from sight, the stairs blocking his view of her. He sprinted over the bridge to the stairs, to see her lying on the ground, red her splayed around her head and arms and legs spread out. "TAURIEL!" he shouted, before he started running down the stairs. There seemed to be an endless amount of stairs, flight after flight he descended before reaching her, dropping to his knees by her side.
"Tauriel." he whispered. "Please, you can't do this to me." he said, hands stroking her face. Her eyelids fluttered, as she stared up at him. "Legolas," she started, but it hurt to talk and she felt herself fading. Legolas felt a tear roll down his cheek and before he could wipe it away, Tauriel reached up and did it herself, fingers lingering at his cheek. He reached up and took her hand in his. "I love you Tauriel, I will never stop." he told her sincerely, but not wanting to look at her eyes. She had his love but he doubted he had hers. But Tauriel surprised him, "Legolas, I love you too," she told him and he looked, meeting her eyes, hardly believing her words. "The dwarf...?" Legolas said, leaving the end of his sentence open. "I didn't love him Legolas. You were the only one I wanted." she said, and coughed slightly. She knew she was dying, and she knew she didn't have a lot of time left. "I'm sorry I never told you, I'm sorry I left it until it is too late."
"It is not too late," Legolas told her desperatly, but trying to convince himself as well.
"Legolas, my time has come," Tauriel said, her head started swimming and her vision blurred more than ever. "We may meet again Legolas, but until then, promise me you'll remember I always did and always will love you." she said.
"Always." Legolas promised, and a smile spread over her face as she surrendered to death. Legolas gasped. She was gone. No longer would he hear her laughter or voice. No longer would she be beside him, fighting with him in battles. Tears spilt freely from his eyes, sliding down his cheeks and landing on her face as he bent to kiss her lips. He lifted his head and looked over her body, although now covered in bruises, still perfect, with her hair framing her face beautifully. He rested his head on her stomach, not wanting to leave her. He would never break his promise, he couldn't - he could never forget her.
Ta da! That was pure torture to write! I should point out - I hate writing stories when people die but I think if this was how the movie went, it would actually set the story up better for Lord of the Rings, and give Legolas a better reason to leave and not really return to Mirkwood.
Also I might write an altered version of this chapter with kind of the same-ish fighting where Tauriel survives but still gets the opportunity (she deserves) to actually save herself. Should I? Good or bad idea?
Reviews etc are always welcome.