Chapter 7, everyone!

I'm sorry for the terrible delay. I had the chapter planned out, but it turned out to be more difficult to write than I thought. I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I hope you'll like it anyway! :) And it's the longest chapter I've written for this story so far, almost three pages longer!

On another note; the second trailer for Battle of the Five Armies... Incredible, amazing and awesome, right? What do you think? :D

Thanks to all readers, followers, favourites and reviewers! Your lovely reviews are greatly appreciated and in time, all shall be revealed...

I do not own any characters (just some OCs) or places (except the village named Bendaeenorod, though it lies in Mirkwood which is not mine); J.R.R Tolkien or Peter Jackson and Co do.

The italics in the beginning and the end of a chapter comes from either one of the Lord of the Rings-books/movies or from any of The Hobbit-movies/book. All of them will have some sort of connection to Elves. So I do not own them as well.

Enjoy!

Chapter 7: The third time

"I've heard tell of the wonders of Elvish medicine."

"I shall speak plainly with you. Did you steal the ivor galas?"

Legolas had to ask the question, despite the other two Elves looking insulted.

"We have not", protested Haernor, his shoulders tensing and eyes narrowing. "I stand by my word. I had not even known about the theft – or thefts for that matter – before you told me today."

Legolas leaned forward and drummed his fingers on the table, starting to lose his patience. He tried to keep himself from doing something he would later regret, something rash. But he was getting tired of not getting anywhere with the thief. While he had gotten the furthest of all that had tried to locate the thief, he was still not close enough.

"Did you notice anything odd then, when you were to collect your share of ivor galas?" Legolas continued patiently. "And how many did you take? Who was with you?"

Haernor looked annoyed at all the questions coming at once. He exchanged another glance with his wife. Amabres's eyes were enchanting, imploring and intelligent. Legolas got an odd feeling in his stomach as he watched the two of them interact. They had had hundreds of years to practice communication, ways to behave and Legolas felt like he was missing something between them. Haernor spoke and while his eyes held no less intelligence than his wife's, there was still something wild lurking in them.

"No, everything seemed as usual. The Groundkeeper was his usual charming self, informing us on the latest harvest. We took some flowers with us when we left and two of them were ivor galas. As always, Glingaerwen was with me. She is my niece by marriage", Haernor explained at Legolas questioning look. "A sweet girl, who loves to travel and see the kingdom."

"Niece…. Is that your sister's daughter?" asked Legolas Amabres.

The woman shook her head, a sad look in her eyes.

"No. She is the daughter to my brother who perished when the King went to fight in the Last Alliance. We have been raising her ever since. She was only a babe then and her mother could not stand the grief so she sailed West."

There was a tense silent after that and Legolas lowered his eyes in a gesture of condolence. He understood the grief of having someone sail to Valinor and leave the land of the living behind. His mother had sailed many years ago and he thought that the sadness would never go away completely, especially not his father's.

After a quiet moment of paying respect to the ones gone, Legolas continued his inquiry, though even more gentle than before.

"Are you certain that you didn't see or hear anything suspicious or that something was amiss?"

"I am certain", answered Haernor with impatience coloring his tone and flashing across his face. "Everything was as it should've been…."

Legolas was disappointed. He had thought that he would've gotten something valuable out of this trip and search of the village. It had seemed like a good lead and he thought that he would have found something by now, something he could've returned to the castle with and made his father proud. The whole situation reminded him of fighting his way through a swamp, how it had been as if the forest was against him. The same applied to the Elves he had been talking to. Secretive they were and appeared to be fighting him as well with their quiet ways and calculating eyes.

Some of his frustration must have shown, because Amabres's eyes softened a bit.

"My husband speaks the truth", she said slowly and Haernor stiffened beside her. "But something odd happened, though not before they had arrived back here last week."

"Don't", muttered Haernor sharply as Legolas had leaned forward, eager to hear. The old Elf looked the Prince over with bottomless, wild eyes. "He will arrest us and have us thrown before the King before we could blink."

A thrill of finally getting somewhere rushed through him and his eyes gleamed with an almost hungry gleam. Legolas thought that now he would get some sort of confession, some other clue to the big mystery that was the thief and the thefts. Amabres smiled slyly and kept her eyes locked on Legolas, though it was to her husband she spoke:

"It is almost a crime not to answer to the Prince, especially when all he wants to know is for the sake of the Realm."

"The Prince?"

Haernor frowned, glancing between his wife and Legolas. His lips were pursed and eyes surprised. Legolas felt the same weariness as he had before towards her.

"How did you know?" he wondered and the beautiful lady just smiled.

"I was raised at court", she told him. "Alongside the King. You do look a lot like him, but there's something of your mother in you as well. Difficult to forget, faces and authorities like that."

Her words sparked curiosity, but Legolas knew better than to ask and be distracted from his task. Instead, he begged the two of them to explain what had happened when Haernor and Glingaerwen had returned. They obeyed, though now Haernor was regarding him with a mixture of both respect and distrust.

Apparently, the number of ivor galas had increased with two after they had been locked away in a room overnight, a room only Haernor, Amabres and her sister had the key to. Legolas found the whole thing rather odd and definitely fishy. He narrowed his eyes a bit and tried not to seem suspicious.

"So you are telling me that you, Master Haernor, locked the flowers – the two ivor galas – in your storage room when you came back. You did not return that day; neither did your wife or your sister by marriage. Then the next day you, Lady Amabres, find four ivor galas instead of two?"

"Yes", said Amabres calmly, but her eyes were eerie once again. "That is the truth."

"I can see that you are skeptical, my Prince, but we've spoken the truth." Haernor crossed his arms over his chest. "I would swear it in front of the King and the Valar should I have to."

It was a steely note in the Master's voice while his wife now was quiet again and only watching. Legolas almost felt as if he was about to have a headache which was ridiculous. He resisted the urge to massage his temples and how he wished they could have been in a place that was more open and not so small and dim. The candles were starting to burn low.

"Very well", he eventually said. "I thank you for your help."

He did not mention how much quicker everything would've been if they had spoken the truth from the beginning instead of keeping important things from him. Legolas stood up, straightened out his body that was not pleased with having sitting still for so long. The other two Elves followed his example.

"Now, how many knew that you kept the ivor galas in there and how many of them it would be?"

"Glingaerwen did", admitted Haernor reluctantly. "But she was by my side constantly during our stay up in the north, at the castle."

Amabres's eyes blazed as if she dared Legolas to accuse her niece of stealing and her brows knitted together made her fair face frightening. Shadows danced upon the walls and across the faces of the two older Elves, making them look a bit predatory. For a moment, Legolas felt as if he was in a cage with two wild things he did not quite know how to handle.

"Before I go I wish to speak with Glingaerwen", he said, making his way to the door. "Do you know where she is?"

"Of course", said Amabres and she were smiling now. Legolas could not decide if she looked scarier when she did so or not. "She's working with me at the moment. We are trying to find out if the leaves of the dandelion can cure the disease of worms in ones guts. I can take you there."

Hesitating for a brief second, Legolas nodded. Amabres eyes glittered in response. Haernor cleared his throat and with his head held high asked if he could return to his work. As Legolas gave him the permission, the Master left the room in prideful strides after giving the Prince a bow. He moved soundlessly down the corridor and Legolas was left with Lady Amabres.

"Lead the way", he said and after locking the door, that was what she did.

They walked down the same corridor as before, but continuing even further underground. They passed the doors to where Haernor did his experiments and Legolas thought that he could distinguish the Master of Herbs' voice through the buzzing noise on the other side of the door. He and Amabres walked in silence. Legolas did not know what to say and she didn't seem interested in having a conversation. It was not long before they arrived at a new door, carved with patterns of leaves from the trees that grew above them.

Amabres opened the door to a brighter room, light making its way through glass that was stuck in between thick roots in the center of the ceiling, which made their way down the walls. Legolas let out a small, grateful sigh at the light. This room was clean and mostly made of stones that seemed to glow with a soft shine to them. There was a bookcase of oak that stood tall against one of the walls, scrolls very neatly organized on the shelves. There was a round table in the middle of the room covered in red fabric and with pots of ink, parchment and bowls with sweet smelling powders.

On a chair, leaning closely over the table while writing, was a brown-haired elleth. As they entered, she looked up and Legolas was met by a sweet face and wide, blue eyes that he thought resembled Lady Amabres's a bit. He found her to be a bit familiar, as if he had seen her once or twice before. The girl – for she appeared to be young; Legolas could read that in her eyes – hurried to stand. Her movements were graceful, but her demeanor hinted that she was nervous.

"Aunt", she greeted softly, her eyes shifting around and she wrung her hands. "What can I do for you?"

"Glingaerwen. How is the work going?" wondered Amabres and her eyes softened, was not blazing as much when she looked at her niece.

"Fine", said Glingaerwen timidly. "Tauriel's giving it one last check, but I've started written the process down."

"Good", praised Amabres and gestured to Legolas. "Legolas here has some questions for you, but no need to feel anxious about it. Just tell him the truth. He won't be long."

Glingaerwen bit her lip and nodded, avoiding Legolas's eyes completely. Amabres gave Legolas a warning look and he could tell that she would be most displeased if he upset her niece. Then her expression changed and she patted his cheek, an action that surprised him and made him freeze.

"I have other things to do, but I trust that you can manage without me. Give your father my regards when you see him again."

Then she left after giving the younger woman an encouraging smile. Legolas blinked a couple of times before collecting himself. He smiled at Glingaerwen who returned it nervously.

"Should we sit down?" Legolas suggested and she obeyed without questioning. She reminded him of a flower before the frost settling in. "I was wondering about your trip to the Halls of the King with Master Haernor. I don't know if you have heard about that there have been some thefts around the Realm…."

"I have", interrupted Glingaerwen in barely a whisper. "Rumors, you know? And the trees like to tell what they have heard."

Legolas smiled slightly.

"Yes. Well, then you might've heard about the ivor galas that were stolen around the time you and your kin was there visiting?"

He said it carefully, because he was not sure of how much she could handle. Awfully frail she seemed, both to body and mind. Glingaerwen nodded, her eyes wide.

"Yes…. But I didn't take them!" she exclaimed urgently. "I swear I did not. I was with Master Haernor the whole time or with Tauriel…."

"Tauriel?" interrupted Legolas, being the second time he had heard that name now. "Who is this Tauriel?"

"My friend and colleague", said Glingaerwen and wrung her hands in her lap again. "She travelled with Master Haernor and me."

"He did not mentioned her", said Legolas, annoyed and curious to why.

Glingaerwen shrugged.

"She wasn't with us when we collected the plants; she visited one of the workers there instead."

Legolas thought hard. In the span of a couple of minutes, he had a new suspect, someone to question. It seemed to never end, but he steeled himself for another inquiry. Forcing his muscles to form a smile even through his slight exhaustion, he asked Glingaerwen if she could take him to Tauriel, if she was working. The young elleth hesitated, but then nodded.

"Of course. If you come this way…."

Legolas left the room and followed Glingaerwen further along the labyrinth that was the House of Green. There were no torches on the walls in the new corridor, but it was also very short, barely a distance of a few meters. Glingaerwen knocked twice on the door before opening it and entering.

"Tauriel", she said nervously. "There's someone here who wants to talk with you."

She held up the door wider so that Legolas could properly come inside. The room was horribly small. An Elf was standing with her back towards him and her hair – though the light was dim – he could make out was red. Unconsciously, his lips formed to a smile.

Tauriel.

She was sitting down, her back bent as she seemed to be inspecting something on the desk very carefully. Glingaerwen cleared her throat and Legolas leaned against the wall, waiting. A couple of minutes passed and Tauriel did not make a move that she was aware of their presence. She seemed absorbed in her work. Legolas glanced questioningly at Glingaerwen who looked embarrassed. Deciding that he could not waste more time, Legolas went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, startled.

He had been correct in his assumptions that it was the woman from before. She was wearing a pair of round glasses with thick frames that magnified her eyes and she blinked owlishly at him, surprise coloring her cheeks. He would have laughed had not those ridiculous glasses made the green of her eyes even more pronounced and his inside did a funny flip. For all his trying, he must have stared because she hurriedly removed the glasses and pulled out some wool from her ears and dropped to the desk. Her cheeks were tinged with pink.

"Tauriel", Legolas tried the name out and the woman's eyes flashed in what could be annoyance or defeat.

"Yes. You found me I see."

"I did." His smile lessened considerably. "And now I will probably accuse you of stealing again."

Tauriel let out a sigh and leaned against the desk. She looked in Glingaerwen's direction and the other woman wore an apologetic expression. Tauriel sighed again.

"I did not steal anything."

"But you were there", Legolas pointed out. "And I saw you the day after the theft. I told you then that it was suspicious and I stand my ground."

"If you were to ask Cerenil, who works at the harvests, she would vouch for me. I spent my time with her, discussing healing plants."

She sounded certain, her chin stuck out in defiance and her eyebrows raised in a gestured that dared him to speak against her and call her a liar. Legolas thought the name Cerenil was familiar and he remembered that he had been told that she was a worker near the castle, just as Tauriel had claimed. His patience was starting to wear thin. Tauriel offered him a slight smile that did nothing to help. Glingaerwen was silent, but Legolas felt that she would do best with sitting and calm down. Something was a bit strange about her; he had never met an Elf that showed so much emotion, like a mortal who had everything to lose.

"You doubt me", Tauriel stated, her lips curling upwards in an almost bitter smile. "Of course you do; hiding behind the castle walls is a sign of weariness, distrust of others.

"You have not made an effort to make me think otherwise", Legolas replied stonily, not impressed by her tone.

Taurel let out a small snort, shaking her head in amusement and turned her back to him to organize something on the desk. Probably the result of one of the queer experiments they were doing there. She handed a jar in which a dandelion leaf was floating to Glingaerwen. The leaf had lost its usual color and had thread-like, dark green veins now. Legolas did not understand why anyone would want to treat nature like that.

"It should be ready to try out", said Tauriel. "But it would be for the best if you talked to Lady Amabres first."

"Yes."

Glingaerwen nodded in agreement and looked relieved to have a reason for leaving. Tauriel regarded her with a friendly look, a soft curl to her lips, but there was sadness in her eyes. Legolas was struck at how many mysteries one small village could contain.

Glingaerwen left them, holding the jar in a tender grip as she made her way out. Legolas and Tauriel were left alone and silence was between them. He stood rather rigid, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Tauriel glanced at the floor, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeves, which were brown like the uniforms Legolas had seen others wear earlier. He thought of what to say next, what to ask, but she beat him to it:

"What must I do to get you not to doubt me?"

Her eyes pierced his blue ones with a determined stare. Legolas let out a frustrated sigh, the events of the day catching up with him; the clues that seemed to go around in a circle, the dark tunnels that made him feel like a prisoner and the peculiar behavior of the other Elves. And then there was her, the red-haired woman. Tauriel. He didn't know what to feel about her, only that she was different and mysterious in a way that made him weary and curious, drawn.

"Tell me the truth", he replied gravely, a sign of vulnerability shadowing his face for a moment. "That's all I want."

Tauriel bit her lip, drawing her brows together in troubled thoughts. Then she broke out into a smile, her smile, and Legolas felt the tension in his shoulders ease, but the beatings of his heart did not.

"I think I know something that would help", said Tauriel and there was a wild gleam in her eyes now as well.

"What?"

Her smile got next to lethal.

"You will have to trust me", she said and Legolas resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"How can I do that when you have not given me a good reason to?" he asked.

Tauriel smiled secretively and reached out, patted his arm. He froze. Her eyes were daring.

"I guess this is a good way to begin. Especially if you give me your name", she added amiably.

It was Legolas turn to grin now despite himself and his training to always be in control of his expressions, his emotions.

"That will be my secret for now. You can't have them all by yourself."

Tauriel showed her pearly teeth in a most beautiful, deadly smile and the 'challenge accepted' was clearly written in the depths of her forest-green eyes.

"Tauriel."

So, that was that! What did you think? New guesses or theories or is it just a mess?

Next chapter should have a slightly romantic note to it and hopefully should be up sometime next week.

Thanks for reading!