*It was the anniversary of Tauriel's birth. Today, she had turned fifty. When an Elf reached fifty, it was considered a fully mature Elf. Tauriel would agree with that more or less, but it depended on the personal growth the Elf went through during his or her first fifty years.
During Tauriel's first fifty years, she had been separated by her parents, adopted by the Woodland Realm, had been trained by both Legolas and Alagos, and had learned that there was something more about her than meets the eye.
On top of all that, three weeks ago, her dear friend Meleth had passed away into the Undying Lands after having her life force drained out by a Barrow-Wight spirit. Being that she was only fifty, and that there was no natural death to look forward to, she felt like she had been through so much already. How many more people around her will suffer and die before Tauriel dies herself in battle?
"You have been through much stress. I understand," the voice of Meleth spoke in her head. Almost immediately after Meleth's funeral, Tauriel began to hear her friend's voice inside her head. She knew it wasn't really Meleth speaking to her from the Undying Lands. It was just a falsehood developed from Tauriel's mental state after the event. Yet despite this, Tauriel always welcomed the voice. Once in a while, she would even briefly see Meleth as though she was really there in the woods watching her.
Being that it was Tauriel's fiftieth year, there was a celebration to honor that. A great feast had been made to celebrate this landmark in the Elfling's life. Tauriel however wasn't delighted. She was worn out. She was exhausted. She hadn't visited Radagast since the battle with the Barrow-Wights.
Tauriel sat next to Alagos, looking down at her food but not touching it. For some reason, the sight of the rich food made her face pale.
"Not enjoying yourself?" Alagos asked. Tauriel silently shook her head. Alagos touched Tauriel's shoulder.
"Meleth?" He asked. Tauriel nodded.
"You are only fifty, and yet you have been through much."
"Yes, my lord."
"Please. Do not call me 'my lord'," Alagos warned, but in a gentle, joking manner. "You will see Meleth again one day. But for now, you must continue and enjoy this moment while it lasts. As Middle-Earth grows darker, our time to enjoy something like this grows smaller."
Alagos was right, and Tauriel knew it. She had been burdening herself for too long. The time of grieving had to end now. The question was, how was she to move on from something like this?
"How could you stop thinking about me? You were my dearest friend."
Tauriel grimaced and shook her head. She heard Alagos sigh, and his hand left her shoulder.
"Perhaps, this will help. To honor the arrival of your fiftieth year, I have a gift for you."
Tauriel looked up, delighted at the idea of something taking her mind off the illusion of Meleth.
Alagos took up something that was sitting on his lap all this time. It was a beautiful, green dress that caught Tauriel's attention right away.
"This was given to my mother when she turned fifty. She gave it to me before she died," Alagos explained. Tauriel was stunned.
"Why not give it to your daughter when you get one?" She asked. Alagos sadly shook his head.
"I will not have a daughter. Not at this time at least. I want you to have it."
Tauriel reluctantly took the dress and pressed it against her. It felt soft like a blanket, but was tough enough for her to wear in battle. With some armor to add to it, it was the perfect uniform to wear in a fight.
"I will not lose this," Tauriel promised. Alagos chuckled.
"Pray you do not."
It was then that all sounds of the feast died out. Everyone fell silent. Tauriel looked up and gasped when she saw the Lady Galadriel standing before them, encased in a bright white light. Her expression was urgent and nervous. Thranduil stood up from his seat and bowed.
"My Lady, what brings you here?" He asked.
"I must speak to you alone. Do not halt this feast however," Galadriel replied.
"Of course," Thranduil said. Then both he and Galadriel walked away from the stunned crowd. From then on, mostly everyone was silent. Whispers filled the air, mostly asking the same question: What is the Lady Galadriel doing here? What could she possibly want with us?
All of it killed Tauriel. She remembered the vision of looking into Galadriel's mirror, and being transported to a place where Alagos had been. Tauriel had never told Alagos what happened inside Radagast's home. She felt as though it needed to be kept secret. She was playing with fire, and it was a fire monitored by Alagos. There was something that Alagos did not want Tauriel to know about.**
*Alagos was having a difficult time standing. Galadriel and Thranduil were discussing Tauriel, and he felt powerless being a part of the discussion.
"The deal was that I would protect Tauriel and help her find a new life within this kingdom."
Discussing her behind her back was certainly not part of the plan. It made him feel like he was hiding too many secrets from her and deceiving her all too often. There were already things he was hiding from her as it was.
"The power within her is a concern, Alagos. This is for her own safety that we are talking about this now," Thranduil pointed out.
"I feel she needs to be let in on this," Alagos argued.
"It would be too much for her. She may at fifty years of age now, but she is still rebellious and sometimes reckless."
"So I keep from her what you keep from your son?"
Thranduil and Galadriel both frowned, almost shocked.
"You know of what I speak. You have never told your son about your role in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. The battle against him and his dark forces…"
"We will not talk of that!" Thranduil yelled. His voice echoed as he did. Several guards standing close by him uncomfortably shifted. Alagos didn't plan on backing down.
"My job may be to protect her, but she is also my sister. I promised my parents that I would do what it takes to keep her safe, and that means letting her in on some of the things that are going on."
"What do you propose to do then?" Galadriel asked, her voice soft and rhythmic as usual.
"Yes, how are you going to take care of this?" Thranduil pushed. Alagos sighed, sadness welled up in his throat.
"I must leave the Woodland Realm. I will not tell Tauriel. I must leave and learn as much as I can about this power inside Tauriel and the darkness that may come."
"You fear that the Dark Lord is coming?" Thranduil asked. Alagos didn't answer. He didn't have to.
"If Sauron is still out there, the darkness that has infected this kingdom will draw his attention. The Barrow-Wights were more than enough of a beacon. We might as well put up banners to salute a welcome."
"You don't mean that," Thranduil muttered. Alagos stayed silent again.
"Leave the woodland if you must. Chase these fruitless investigations. But what of Tauriel's training?" Thranduil asked.
"Legolas can try again. I know that they can get along. Legolas was a good comforter to Tauriel when Meleth passed. She must look up to him like she looked up to me," Alagos said. Thranduil wearily sighed and sat back down on his throne. For a moment, he didn't look like a confident king. He looked like a tired old man that has seen too much war and violence, which is what Thranduil probably exactly was behind his confidence mask.
"No matter what you discover out there, Alagos, it will not be a danger to us. We as a kingdom will endure as long as I am king."
"Do not underestimate the Dark Lord. He may not have his true shape any longer, but he still lives. You of all people should know that. You know what you saw at Dagorlad," Alagos warned. He then turned around and walked away. He would not see Thranduil again for a long time.**
*Tauriel loved the dress. She felt completely comfortable in it, but at the same time, with some armor attachments, it would be a perfect wear in battle. She still thought it a bit odd that Alagos had given her something that once belonged to his mother. Was Tauriel that special to him?
"Tauriel, where is Alagos?" Legolas asked behind her.
"I do not know."
"Where was he the last time you saw him?"
"I haven't seen him since the feast," Tauriel admitted. Legolas's face color drained. He began to look frantic, which made Tauriel feel nervous.
"I cannot find him anywhere else. It's as if he has disappeared."**
*"Where is Alagos?" Tauriel asked Thranduil. Thranduil sat on his throne, trying to look as calm as possible, but failing to do so. Tauriel had had enough of this. Heat exploded across her cheeks until it was almost at a burning point.
"Where is Alagos?" Tauriel screamed. She would've launched herself at the king had Legolas not held her back by gripping her shoulders.
"Restrain yourself. Do not disrespect my father," he pleaded. Thranduil suddenly stood up.
"Alagos is not here! He left. He did not say why."
Tauriel felt her heart sink to the lower depths of her stomach. Alagos wasn't here?
"You mean, he's not in the kingdom anymore?"
Thranduil silently nodded, and it felt worse than if he had said something. Tears filled Tauriel's eyes, and her feet lost their strength to keep her up. Legolas kept her from falling by keeping his arms around her.
"I had nothing to do with his leave. He made that decision himself."
"Why didn't he tell me then?" Tauriel sobbed.
"Because he does not want to involve you in his business."
"What business? What are you not telling me?" Tauriel asked. Thranduil sat back down and regained his calm.
"I am not hiding anything from you. I have sworn to protect you and provide for you. This kingdom is your home and we will treat you as a member of the family, but Alagos has chosen to leave. I know not if he will return," he said.
Tauriel didn't have any more words. She was shocked beyond words. Nothing felt right. Meleth was gone and Alagos had left. They were two of her closest companions now out of her life.
"Legolas, you are now responsible to train her. Train her well, and she may become a great asset for the protection of this great kingdom," Thranduil said.
"Yes, my lord. I will not fail you," Legolas answered. The young Elf helped Tauriel away from the king and led her outside. The air felt colder than normal. Leaves blew into Tauriel's hair as the wind grew harsher. She looked up at the night sky. There were no visible stars.
"Will you really train me? After I have failed you time and time again?" Tauriel asked. Legolas nodded.
"I will. Alagos is gone. Who else will do it?" He replied. Tauriel intensified her stare at the king's son.
"Are you just doing this out of pity, or because you really want to give me another chance?" She asked. There was a brief silence besides the singing birds. Legolas seemed to be thinking very deeply about this. Finally, he nodded.
"I want to give you another chance. Do you trust me?" He asked. Tauriel thought back to when Legolas chose not to kill Meleth when he had her at his mercy. He had chosen mercy, and had not chosen to kill one of his kind again. He had proven that he was not like his father. He was different. Past conflicts had not hardened his heart to the point of selfishness. Tauriel's answer was obvious.
"I trust you."**
*Alagos knelt down and felt the ground. There were clear footprints stamped into the stained grass. The prints were still fairly fresh, meaning that the group of Men he was stalking was not too far away. A few prints looked larger than others. These resembled Orc prints.
A sense of dark urgency shot through Alagos's body, compelling him back onto his white horse. What he had long suspected may yet be true. This was part of the job his parents had assigned him with. Tauriel will be safe in the Woodland Realm for now. He needed to find the Disciples of Mairon.
It wasn't hard to find them. They wanted to be found. The air smelled like burnt corpses and smoke that closely resembled dragon fire. Alagos found the Disciples circling around a large pyre, where a tall, buff Orc held a screaming, struggling man down. Alagos looked at the other Disciples. He recognized some of them as Easterlings, and others were iron-clad men, including one that had a symbol painted on his breastplate. The symbol was that of a red eye, its pupil seeming to stare on at the pyre and the struggling man. The man with the symbol had a long, black beard, with dark hair that rested around the shoulders.
"I would not struggle against Takhbork here. He will bite your head clean off if you do not cooperate," the man said.
"I am already considering it, Anton. Will we proceed with the sacrifice or not?" Takhbork asked. Anton grinned, revealing shattered teeth.
"We shall. For Mairon," he declared. He removed a long dagger, which was stained with dry blood at its tip. He licked the blade where it was stained and turned to the others.
"With this sacrifice, we will continue to bring our lord Mairon back to his home. With every sacrifice, we strengthen our lord!" Anton yelled. The group cheered and hooted, hungry to see blood and sickly delighted in what was about to happen. Alagos began to feel sick to his stomach. He turned around and fell back against the large boulder he hid behind. He spat vomit and struggled to his feet. Reaching for his quiver, he got an arrow ready and aimed directly at Takhbork. This had to end, and it was his purpose to do just that.
Takhbork however noticed him. "Intruder!" He screamed. Anton and everyone else with him turned and spotted Alagos. Without wasting another second, Alagos released his arrow. It flew and struck Takhbork in the shoulder. The tip protruded out from his back. For a moment there was silence as everyone looked at the Orc. Takhbork grabbed the arrow and yanked it out, tearing flesh and tissue. He grinned and snapped the arrow in two with his hands. The crowd cheered and raised whatever weapons they had in their hands. Swords and spears shot up in the night sky. The moonlight glinted off of the blades of their swords and a single cheer rose up in unison. They chanted in the Black Speech.
"Bring home Mairon! Bring home Mairon!"
"Kill the Elf! He will make a worthy sacrifice to the Creator of the Rings!" Anton commanded. Several Easterlings charged towards Alagos. Alagos unsheathed his sword and braced himself. He can end this group right here and now.
The Easterlings were fierce, but they weren't very skilled in combat. Alagos stabbed one Easterling in the lower torso, then slashed the throat of another. His blade clashed against another Easterling's spear, the loud ring from the clash exploded through Alagos's ears.
"The Dark Lord will not infect these lands again!" Alagos declared out of desperation.
"He is more than that! He will establish order like he once did!" Anton yelled. Alagos sliced another Easterling's abdomen. Anton lashed out at Alagos with a black blade.
"Submit to Mairon, or die!" Anton ordered. Alagos shook his head and pushed against Anton, driving him several steps back. He circled around, taking Anton around with him. Their blades remained locked. Alagos was about to disengage, until an excruciating pain ignited through his leg. The leg that had gotten poisoned long ago. He looked down to see the tip of a black arrow protruding out from the front of the leg. Blood dripped down from the tip. His vision blurred and he lost his footing, slipping on his own blood. His head hit the ground. Above him, he saw the towering figure of Takhbork blocking out the moonlight.
"We will not sacrifice this one. He may be of some use to us," Anton's voice echoed. That was the last thing Alagos heard before everything went black.**
*Tauriel woke up from the same nightmare. It was the one where she saw Alagos get overrun by Orcs while attempting to save her in the Greenwood.
Where are you Alagos? Where are you?
Return to me, Alagos. Return to me.**
AUTHOR'S NOTE: That concludes Series One of the Silvan Elf series. I'm so happy that I got this far. My personal life has been very busy, so its been a struggle to stay on top of this, but I'm so glad to have this 'volume', I like to call it, completed shortly before the release of a 2014 movie I'm anticipating more than any other: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. As I'm typing this, I'm listening to the end credits song of the movie which is The Last Goodbye by BILLY BOYD! The Middle-Earth saga is so, so good, and it'll always have a special place in my heart for it. Just because Peter Jackson's Middle Earth saga is ending, doesn't mean this particular series is ending just yet. Finding out what will happen to Tauriel in BOTFA will actually strengthen the ending of this series. I still have more story to tell, but I would love it if you let me know if you want more. Even if it's just one person, I would love to hear if you guys want more. If you do, I still have some more great stories to tell that I've been planning for a while now. Not a lot of this is being made up as I go along. In the meantime, I just want to sincerely thank the people who have supported me so far, including Gartabro (my continuity consultant), and Elfin Maid, a dedicated reader of this series, and Fictitious Fan who worked on grammar mistakes for the first story and has been a major support in my life. To conclude, the first story of Series Two will be posted on December 18, to welcome the release of the new film. I'll be in the theater eating up every minute of the movie. Because that's still a little ways off, I will be posting a Star Wars fanfic that I wrote a while ago but have never shared with anyone. So if you really love Star Wars, boy do I have a treat for you guys! Anyway, for now, I bid you all a very fond farewell!