I'm still alive and presenting you with chapter 16!I cannot express how sorry I am for the long wait! Truly, I feel awful, but now it's here!
A big 'thank you' to all of you who have reviewed, followed, added the story as a favourite and all of you readers (I hope I still have some left!) I really appreciate your support! :)
I do not own any characters (except a couple of OCs) or places: J.R.R. Tolkien or Peter Jackson and Co do.
The italics in the beginning and the end of a chapter come from either one of the Lord of the Rings movies/book or from one of The Hobbit movies/book. All of them will have some connection to the Elves, so I don't own them as well!
Enjoy!
Chapter 16: Of feelings and duties
"Where will you go?"
They managed to find their way out of the Mountains. The tunnels and caves echoed with the high-pitched shrieks the Goblins made when they found their Master dead. Though it was difficult to tell if they were shrieks of joy or anger.
Tauriel was hurt worse than Legolas. She still stood tall, but her arm was broken and the gash on her forehead made Legolas uneasy. He hoovered anxiously around her like a hummingbird as they fought their way through stone and darkness. Not many words were uttered between the two of them, because no words were needed. Legolas felt as if something had changed between them, creating a bond not unbreakable, but with the possibility of turning into something great.
Tauriel had refused his help when they were still inside the Mountains, but as soon as they reached the tunnel from whence they came, she let out a relieved sigh and sank down on her knees in the grass. In the morning light she looked deathly pale and Legolas hurried to find some torn piece of cloth she could wipe away the blood on her forehead with. He then began to tend to her arm. He was no healer, but his hands were no strangers to tend to battle wounds. He talked as he bound her broken arm, trying to distract her from the pain she must have felt.
"It is a miracle that you survived. Such a fall could have killed you."
"The fall wouldn't", replied Tauriel, "but the darkness would have." She grimaced as Legolas moved her arm in the right position. "There was no light, no sun or moon." She swallowed. "No stars. I felt lost."
"Yet you found me even then."
"It wasn't that hard. The Troll's stench led me straight and that you happened to be there was a happy coincidence."
The right corner of Legolas' mouth turned upwards in reluctant amusement. He admired her for being able to seem so cheerful despite the pain she must have been feeling.
"I was impressed", he admitted. "You tend to have me feeling that way."
When Tauriel did not grace him with a reply, Legolas wished he had kept his mouth shut. He fixed his gaze firmly on the bandage he was wrapping around her arm and shoulder. The task was done in silence. When he dared glance at her from beneath dark lashes, she wore an expression as if she had some other wound ailing her. Legolas felt his heart drop and the remaining thrill of the battle under the Mountains vanished.
"There", he said and took a step back. "I'm afraid it will have to do for the time being. When we get back to Bendaenorod, you should let someone more skilled than I take a look at it."
"The House of Green has many great healers", said Tauriel softly, looking carefully in his direction. "Thank you, Legolas."
His heart dared to flutter with hope, but his stony mind squashed it before it could make its nest there. It was a foolish feeling to have now. They sat quiet together for another moment, enjoying the feeling of the forest again and not the hard, unforgiving rocks and stones that were the Mountains. Eventually, Tauriel broke their silence with a question.
"What do we do now?"
Legolas did not immediately respond.
"Now", said Legolas, a whispering sigh. "Now, I have to return home."
. . . .
The journey back to Bendaenorod was uneventful. They had decided to take the longer road, not crossing the swamp again. It bought them some more time to spend together and it was something Legolas secretly begrudged himself, though he had sworn that nothing good would ever come of him pursuing this sudden fancy into something more. He knew he had a duty towards the realm and its people and any feelings he had for Tauriel was not a part of that duty. He dreaded to think of what it would be said if he ever brought her to the castle. The thought of his father's expression if he returned to court with a Silvan Elf on his arm made Legolas tense and feel slightly ill. And while he struggled with his conflicted feelings, Tauriel was at his side and guided him through the great Greenwood, unaware of what was going on in the Prince's head.
. . . .
When they returned to Bendaenorod, the settlement was buzzing with more life than Legolas had previously seen. Elves were walking and running about, talking excitedly and laughed loudly and freely. Legolas could not recall ever having heard such wild, pure sounds before. Tauriel explained to him that they were preparing for the annual welcoming feast of autumn.
"It is always a joyous event", she told him. "Not quite as solemn and sacred as Mereth-en-Gilith, but much amusement is to be had."
"I wish I could stay and see for myself", said Legolas truthfully, but did not allow his heart to soften.
Tauriel looked at him.
"Perhaps you can."
Many of the villagers seemed to recognize Tauriel, who returned their greetings with waves of her healthy arm and smiled reassuringly when their gazes fell on the arm still donning bandages by Legolas. Neither Prince nor guide seemed to know where they were going, but eventually they ended up outside the House of Green. The building looked almost exactly as it had done nearly a month before. The vines had turned a shade darker and more crooked, and the moss now had a tint of brown to it, but otherwise it was the same.
"You should have someone take a look at your arm", said Legolas and broke the silence between them. He nodded towards the doors. "There's no need for you to endure the pain any longer than necessary."
"If I go, will you still be here when I return?"
Legolas found that he could not look at her and provide her with an adequate answer at the same time.
"I have to return to the castle. There is much to tell, though not perhaps what I wanted to be able to tell. Either way, the King must know."
"Do you think he will care?"
Legolas could not help but look in Tauriel's direction, surprised by her boldness, though he knew he should not be. She met his gaze with a levelheaded stare.
"Of course", said Legolas. "He is the Guardian of the Realm. It is his duty to care and protect."
"As it one day will be your duty?"
The air between them changed at the question. Tauriel wore a peculiar smile and Legolas' expression was solemn, heart guarded.
"Yes."
"Do you sometimes wish it could be different?"
Legolas did not grace her with an immediate answer. He had thought of how different his life would have been had he not been who he was. He would not deny it. After spending time with Tauriel, travelling the Greenwood, he had come to realize that true freedom was never something he would get. And there were choices he could never make, choices that would ease some of the burden resting upon his slender shoulders. Though he would never run away from the task that lay before him, the task of one day ruling a kingdom and protect its people. He could not, not even for a formidable Elf maid with hair like fire and eyes like the greenest of Greenwood's leaves.
"Sometimes", he confessed softly. "But wishing does us little good."
"True, but I still despair to hear you say it."
He watched her shoulders slouch a bit, still wearing a most peculiar look upon her face. He did not know what feeling it was supposed to convey or if it was a myriad of many. Silence reigned between them with a firm hand, holding back words that might have been spoken otherwise.
Tauriel put two fingers to her lips. Then she gently pressed them to Legolas' cheek. Her touch sent sparks flying across his skin and dance through his veins. The tips of his ears turned warm as did his heart.
"Have a safe journey back, ernil-nín", she said, bowing her head.
"Take care of yourself, Tauriel. Mellon-nín."
The word slipped from his tongue easily, with only a slight ache to his heart, barely noticeable. The smile she gave him was worth all that he could not put into words. She turned to the House of Green and opened the doors with her healthy arm. She glanced over her shoulder one more time; as if to make sure he had actually been real, before entering. The doors closed behind her.
"Go to the North."
Ernil-nín - my Prince
Mellon-nín - my friend
So, that was chapter 16. A bit short perhaps, but feel free to share your thoughts! Only 4 chapters left, though neither of them is complete yet. My goal is still to have the story finished by the end of the year, but I sadly cannot promise when the next update will be. I hope you can bear with me.
Thanks for reading!