Note: I am sooo sorry that this chapter is late. I got a bit lazy and then I got busy, and in between that I may have fallen into a slight writer's block. But here it is! I haven't forgotten about this story I promise haha. The updates are just going to be a bit scattered depending on how I feel. But please let me know what you think of this chapter in the meantime, enjoy!

Tauriel followed the guard through a vast amount of the kingdom, and she tried to distract her unease by taking in every little detail that was around her. She wanted to remember it in case she never got the chance to see it again.

After what seemed like forever they reached a staircase that went down into the back of the forest. It had an assortment of plants and trees. It was highly secluded, and probably for a reason. Tauriel's heart jumped when she laid her eyes upon it. She remembered the air of the Greenwood before, and this reminded her of it.

"The Lady waits down there for you." The guard said. Afterward he bowed and left abruptly.

Tauriel tentatively walked down the stairs, noticing how much she was shaking. She didn't know why she was so nervous, and she figured the cause might be the fear of no solution. She took in the fresh, beautiful air and tried to calm down.

But the look on Lady Galadriel's wise face as she appeared was one of hope. She stood gracefully in a moonlit area of the forest. In front of her was the mirror which she had heard so much about. She found herself very afraid to look.

"I know your worry, but it's alright." She breathed down into the mirror, and Tauriel saw something in it.

"May I see?" She approached the lady and bowed gracefully.

She looked up to see a nod, followed with a smile. The feeling it gave her was so warm she couldn't help but smile back.

Tauriel wasted no time after that; she stood, and approached the mirror. What Tauriel saw brought her a great deal of relief and tears.

She is standing in front of a mirror in a grand room. Her dress is white and exceptionally ornate. She looks content, but at the same time uncertain.

Then Maein appears, and her stomach is not rounding from the creation of a little elf, like she last saw her. She looks fit and strong. It suits her well. Then she sees the small child that belongs to Maein no doubt. It is a little girl with brown hair and hazel eyes. She looks to be dressed for an event as well.

"Looks like you got to prepare me for my big day as well." Tauriel heard herself say as Maein was working through her long fiery hair.

"My life is mostly complete now. This is a day I am never going to forget…" Maein says happily as the scene fades.

Once it is quiet, Tauriel finds herself on the ground shuddering in tears. Her relief overwhelmed her. She wanted to say a lot of things but she couldn't. Her sobs were all that filled the air for a long time.

Galadriel finally knelt down to her and with one touch on her shoulder, Tauriel was calming down. She looked up with a few tears still in her eyes.

"I am so glad that this is a possibility now." She said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I know you can make it happen. With that, I have good news for you." She kept her face neutral, but Tauriel saw the gleam in her eyes that told her it was going to be exactly what she wanted. She stayed quiet so she could continue.

"You can return to Mirkwood. But I advise you rest up tonight and leave early tomorrow. There will be orcs that you will have to fight before you can relax."

Tauriel happily nodded and bowed. Then without thinking, she hugged the Lady very gently. It may have been not so much allowed, but nothing stopped Tauriel before. Galadriel hugged her back nonetheless.

Going back to her room, she found that things were definitely going to work out.

"I'm coming home Thranduil. Please be patient just a little longer…" She whispered as she peered out on the balcony in her temporary room. She needed sometime before she slept to calm down her nerves. The night sky was mostly covered in clouds, so she couldn't see any of the stars, or a clear view of the moon. It made her kind of sad, because she hadn't seen them in a long time.

But she couldn't wait outside long enough for them to appear; she had to seriously get sleep so her head would be clear for the journey home. So she climbed into her soft bed, and sleep overcame her. The best thing about it was that she did not dream, and she preferred that much more than the nightmares that used to plague her.

Perhaps the knowledge of things going right for once in her life was enough to keep them out for good.

Thranduil woke up sadly the next morning, because he still did not know where Tauriel was, or when she was coming back. His patience was actually growing thin for the first time in his life.

"Fear not Lord Thranduil, you will get happiness soon."

That voice was Lady Galadriel actually reaching out to him. The fact that she was getting in his head, meant something. It had to do with Tauriel, it had to.

But he had no time to ponder on it, as he had many things to do that day. The first and most important thing was the council session that everyone was anticipating. He had considered both sides of the women fighting rule, and he finally made his decision, so that issue was finally going to be resolved after months of consideration. Then there was the worry of orcs, and lastly, who was going to replace Lady Rainil in the council. It couldn't be anyone, and he had made the decision, it was just a matter of executing it. All of that was happening today.

He was thankful about his duties. They kept him away from being too lonely.

He dressed a bit more extravagantly than usual, and put on his spring crown of flowers. It was all just a show of his position, and what he could do. He faintly wished Tauriel were there to see him do this, but he had to quickly shake the thought, as he put on his cold mask for his people.

The first part of the council session was not open to the public, and here he and his members talked about what has happened since the last session, and what they hope to address in the current one.

The most painful thing they mentioned was the battle, and how many they lost. Thranduil cared about that a lot, and it hit him too just then what he might have been ignoring for a while. But this was his chance to address and fix the problem about losing so many.

That came when the session was now open to the public, and people made various suggestions that were all very intriguing, but were put under consideration.

Then an elf with amber hair and green eyes stood before the council. Thranduil faintly thought of Tauriel as he looked at her, but he knew this woman was not her. Her face was too gentle, but her eyes held a strange determination.

She bowed before them all. "Hello, my name is Naradeth, and I am one of the main healers of the kingdom. I have come to deliver a big proposition for this kingdom. Everyone knows what it is, but I am going to say it anyway; would this council, and king, consider allowing female elves to fight and defend our home alongside the men?"

There it was. All the council members looked at Thranduil, who was a bit confused. He thought that Maein was going to give this proposition. And then he felt something pang in his heart.

"Before I answer your proposition, may I inquire the whereabouts of Maein?" His face showed no emotion, even though inside he was worried.

"She has fallen into a state of sleep my lord; I have done my best to keep her at bay. Her condition started yesterday and has kept up today. Nothing is better or worse, but I fear for the baby."

Thranduil's face dropped for a second. He didn't want this to be happening, and he told himself to go see her. But for now, he nodded.

"Your proposition has been considered, and the majority has voted in favor of it, including myself."

His heart jumped around when he saw the happiness in her eyes. While there were some really intense stares around the rest of the room, hers was one of joy. Eventually, some of the stares went into accepting nods, and maybe for once, the Mirkwood elves were all on the same page. Thranduil could only hope.

"Thank you so much for voting in favor. The women, including myself, are all willing to work hard for what we earned, and surely there will be a difference."

Thranduil remembered the name Naradeth now. Merenor had told him that she was the one who saved Tauriel. He made a note to thank her personally later.

With that, the council session ended. But the members were all looking at him in an expectant way. It took him a while to realize why, so he just decided to state it simply.

"I have given a fair amount of thought as to who would replace Lady Rainil, and I decided it would go to Maein. But with her current state I am not sure who will take it if she does not survive."

He leaves the council shortly after that, and goes straight to her quarters. There he sees her resting; she looks peaceful, with her white nightgown smoothly fitted on her, and her golden hair falling to her right in an elven braid. He feels bittersweet.

Thranduil takes a seat on the chair next to her bed, and he lightly touches her hand. With that he can sense why this happened. It was due to loneliness, and he shook his head at that.

"Why is it you and I are so tied to her? That when she is gone, our lives are rendered because it is without her fiery light."

He stays with her until Merenor comes back, and his face is one of big concern. He quickly stands and gets serious, knowing what this means. He just waits for Merenor to say it.

"There are orcs on the other side of the forest my lord, it looks as if they are going to attack us. We did not engage with them, our party was too small for that."

Thranduil quickly strode past him and gestured for him to follow. They went to Feren's office, and Merenor told him the news. Immediately following that was full preparation for defense. Thranduil excused himself to get ready too, but he was not planning on engaging with the orcs until it was absolutely necessary.

With more fighting at their doorstep, Thranduil desperately wanted Tauriel there with him. For now though, their memories together are enough to keep his momentum, especially through a tough time such as this.

Tauriel got up early the next morning, and she was treated to a very big meal with the Lord and Lady. All throughout her mind was preparing itself for the journey home and fighting. She knows she can be a good fighter now. There are fewer emotions in the way than any of the other times she's had to fight since Laketown.

As she is preparing to leave with a horse, she sees two men from Mirkwood, along with a familiar face that she does not want to deal with.

That would be Lady Rainil.

Her face goes from shock to pure anger as she quickly jumps off the horse to approach Tauriel. Before she could say anything though, Tauriel quickly pulls out a bow and aims it at her.

"I am absolutely done with you. I don't care if it's any sort of apology, I will never forgive you for the things you've done. You are rotten to the core, and yet I still want you to have peace. Knowing that you are here now, makes me that much happier to return home. So give it up. You have lost. There's nothing to gain from hateful words anymore."

To her surprise, Lady Rainil nods, and then walks away. She looked truly defeated. She faintly wondered about what happened to have her be here. But soon the two guards filled her in. She did feel a bit sorry for that woman, but she didn't have room to ponder on it anymore.

With the two guards at her side, she finally started to make the journey back home after a heartfelt goodbye from Galadriel.

They rode on horseback until they got to the entrance of the woods. It was there that Tauriel set her horse back to its rightful place. She took a deep breath, and listened to the action miles in front of her. The fighting was definitely in motion, and she had a good feeling that the elves were handling themselves well.

The drawing of a bow made her snap into action and quickly pull out her own new one and turn around. The face she saw brought hers to shock.

Legolas was smiling as he put his bow away. As Tauriel ran up to him he hopped off his horse and gave her a big hug. She was crying again, but it didn't distract her from what she had to do.

"Why are you back so soon?" She asked after they drew apart.

"I have seen what is in this world, and it is nothing but death and depression. It made me want to come home. Now may I ask why I find you here instead of with the army defending our home?"

"I had to leave… It's a long story." She summed it up for him as they walked through the forest, preparing to jump into battle.

The orcs were nearby at last, and Tauriel was ready. She didn't want to be seen just yet, so she jumped off the horse and climbed a tree swiftly.

"I am going to remain hidden for now. Do not tell your father that you have seen me until tonight." She said as she did all of that. Legolas nodded. "Be careful." He added afterward.

She didn't need to be, she was in a very good spot to start shooting orcs down from above the trees. She was careful to avoid being seen by both elves and orcs though. If they knew she was there, it would give her element of surprise away.

Soon she ran out of arrows though, and she had no choice but to jump down and start slaying the foul creatures left and right.

Mid-battle, she ran into Merenor, and they both fell away from the action to converse.

"Where have you been?" He asked. His face was filled with both relief and concern. She understood why.

"I had to leave for a while."

"Maein has fallen ill."

At this Tauriel's heart was filled with worry, and she wanted to cry. But instead of doing that, she knew she had to be useful. The vision came to her mind, and in order to keep it, she needed her head clear of emotion.

"I will go find her. Do not tell Thranduil I am back. I want to surprise him."

She left him, and stealthily made her way back to the kingdom, and entered through the tree she had escaped out of so many times. She immediately went to Maein's quarters, where she saw Thranduil retreating to go somewhere. He had his usual cold mask on, and the sight was slightly frightening to Tauriel. She hoped it was just a mask, and not how he truly felt.

She hid until he was completely out of sight. He had a knack for sensing her presence with just the slightest of foot taps, and she didn't want to risk being seen now.

When he was gone, she slipped into Maein's room, where Naradeth was treating and looking after her. The moment she approached them, Maein actually moved.

"It seems the world does revolve around you Tauriel." Naradeth joked. Tauriel couldn't bring herself to laugh though. Maein was in danger, and she wanted to be the one who saved her.

She took her hands, and began chanting with enthusiasm. Soon Naradeth joined in, and they watched as warmth returned to Maein; her slowing breath went normal, and her paleness faded into color. This progress relieved Tauriel immensely.

Finally, Maein opened her eyes, and she smiled at Tauriel, whose heart melted at the sight.

"Naradeth's right you know, the world does revolve around you."

Tauriel started crying again, and she hugged her friend. She was still careful not to be harsh on her stomach though.

"I wish it didn't. But I am so glad you're alright."

"You just missed the king though. He left to go see Legolas who has just returned." Naradeth added. Surprisingly Legolas turned out to be a good distraction for her to slip in unnoticed. She just smiled.

"I am going to surprise him. Though I'm glad Legolas is back. I think we both have to be here for a balance to be maintained in this kingdom."

After that was said, Tauriel was filled in by Naradeth on the events. She was happy to hear that Thranduil accepted the proposition they had all been working for, and that was going to motion. It was also a relief to know that he wasn't going to be angry with her when she showed up randomly. She just hoped that Legolas didn't tell him right away that she was here.

A long time had passed, and finally Merenor returned. His reunion with Maein was touching to Tauriel. It made her remember she had to go. So she said goodbye to them, and quickly made her way to Thranduil's chambers. Her necklace still had the charm on it so it was easy to get there unseen.

Once there, she thought of all the things she did in her years of living in Mirkwood. The memories ranged from running around the room with Legolas as children, to sharing a bed with the king every night. In between that, she grew from a child to a woman. Throughout all of the memories though, she preferred the recent ones she shared with him, because they were the ones that mattered most and dearly to her.

The fighting and return home had surprisingly exhausted her, so she changed out of her guard clothes into one of the gowns Galadriel gifted her. Then she spread her body across the couch of his study, and closed her eyes. She didn't expect to fall asleep, but she did. Gone were all of the worries and anxiousness. She was at peace again. It was quite enjoyable, she realized.

Thranduil stayed by Maein while the fighting was going on, and she made no show of improving or getting worse. His nerves were on high.

Naradeth soon came to join them, and he nodded to her in respect.

"I didn't expect to see you here my lord." She said, bowing quickly. It felt strange to him for the first time in a long time that people bowed to him regularly. He didn't feel like a king in that moment. It startled him immensely.

"I want to thank you for saving Tauriel's life the other day. Not everyone knows, but she has been my lover since the last battle." He mentally cursed himself for realizing yet again how easy it was to confess. Not only was it that, but it felt great as well. He wanted to shout it to the world.

Naradeth smiled, and began tending to Maein. "It's funny, I always thought you two would be an odd pair, and here you are now, telling me that you two are indeed connected."

Thranduil found himself nearly smiling. But he caught himself. He couldn't truly smile until he knew Tauriel was okay.

Some time had passed, and another guard walked in on the small party. "My lord, Legolas has returned."

The king didn't realize how abruptly he stood up until he heard the chair fall to the floor behind him. He quickly walked over to the guard. "Where is he?" He asked with wide eyes.

"In the throne room with an orc. He's already started to interrogate him."

Thranduil didn't need to hear anymore. They both marched out together. His heart was pounding and his head felt woozy, but he managed to keep himself up.

He reached the throne room quickly since he had long legs and was definitely using them. What he found was a slain orc, and Legolas standing above it. When he looked up, Thranduil's eyes started to water.

"Leave us." He said to the guard with the last of his seriousness. And once they were alone, he ran up to his son and threw his arms around him. Legolas reciprocated his affections.

When they pulled away to look at each other, Thranduil spoke first. "What brings you home so soon?"

Legolas smiled. "The man you had me meet was wonderful, and I have seen the world in all of its forms. The good, the bad, and the plain. The good made me want to explore more, but the bad and plain made me realize my place is here for now. With you and Tauriel."

"Have you seen her?" Thranduil didn't know if he could take her absence any longer, and he searched Legolas' eyes to make sure he wasn't lying for Tauriel's sake.

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "She left?"

Thranduil nodded, and then summed up what happened in his absence, and then at the end mentioned how foolish he was for not doing what she wished right away. He felt truly miserable for driving her out of the kingdom.

"She must have had a reason for leaving. I do not think that she would do it without a strong purpose."

"But I don't even know if she is alive. That's what I'm worried about the most." His emotions were starting to get out of control and he was losing his patience. Legolas saw that.

"Rest father. We've both had a long day, and if you wish tomorrow I will go and find her."

Thranduil reluctantly agreed. It was his only choice he thought.

They walked together to their separate rooms and bid each other goodnight.

He let out a big sigh once he slipped behind the door to his study, and he was just about to let his emotions drop. But he saw her.

Tauriel was sleeping on his couch. Her dress was a lilac silk from Lothlorien. For once she looked peaceful, and he felt selfish as he ran up to her and dropped so he could shake her.

It had been too long since they've been like this, and he wanted to remember, and feel her again.

Tauriel felt a warm hand touch her, and she opened her eyes. Thranduil was kneeling next to her with frantic eyes. She quickly sat up and cupped his face with her hands. His eyes were red, and he looked younger than when she last saw him.

"How long have you been waiting here?" He asked quietly, rising a little.

"Not as long as you've had to wait for me."

In the next moment they were kissing. The feeling of his lips was better than what she remembered. It was real once again, and she didn't want to be anywhere else.

He rose, and took her hands so she could too.

"I have to show you something." He said, and then he took her hand and opened a door that she had seen but never noticed before, and inside was a dark tunnel.

They walked through it, and for a while it was really dark, until she saw faint moonlight. Then it was full moonlight, until they were outside in an open field with nothing but trees around them. The moon and stars were in full view. Tauriel gasped.

"My wife used to love coming here on nights like this. Even when the world seemed like it was falling." He said sincerely.

Tauriel looked at the sky for a long while, and then finally at him. She couldn't believe it. He was there next to her. She was home.

Thranduil turned to her, and took her other hand. The light of the moon and stars shone in his eyes, and she didn't need to look at the sky anymore for memories. They were right in front of her.

"I saw her. She helped me back to my body… She explained why we love each other…" Tauriel said slowly.

"I don't need to know why I love you. I need you to know it, and feel the same for me." He kissed her nose, and she was on fire.

It didn't stop there; soon all sense was lost, as he kissed her lips again. She responded hungrily, and threw her arms around him.

They found themselves falling on the soft ground. Tauriel was taking off his armor as he kissed her neck feverishly. Soon he was just shirtless and her dress was bunched up at the bottom due to him running his hands all over her legs to create friction.

"Now my dear Tauriel," he started, his hips slowly moving back and forth while he spread her legs. "You shall experience me out in the open air, where I can make you sing for me as loud as you want." He was grinning, and it made her heart flutter.

"Don't hold back. I've missed you, and this. Remind me what it feels like."