Kili grew more and more worried as the minutes dragged on. He needed to know what was happening, no matter how much he feared it. More than anything, he hated feeling so utterly helpless. This wasn't the first time that Kili realized all he was good for was fighting, but this was the first time it had consequences. If only Oin were here, maybe Tauriel would have stood a better chance. He trusted Sigrid, but he was still a child. Tauriel needed a miracle.
Kili rose from his seat as Sigrid entered. She was shaking and her hands were covered in blood. Tauriel's blood. Kili's stomach churned at the sight of it.
"How is she?" Legolas asked nervously.
"I don't know," Sigrid replied as she shook her head.
"You don't know?" Kili asked incredulously.
"I was able to sew the wound shut and she hadn't lost as much blood as I thought she had," Sigrid explained, "But she isn't responding to anything. I've don't all I can do, but it seems like she doesn't have the will to fight."
Kilo glanced over at Legolas, who looked troubled. He wanted to ask the Elf, but he could tell it wouldn't be wise to ask in front of Sigrid.
"Like a piece of her is missing?" Legolas muttered. It sounded like he was mostly talking to himself, but Sigrid nodded her head anyways.
"Exactly," she said, "I suppose it's out of my hands now."
"Thank you, Sigrid," Kili said as he gave her a deep bow.
"You saved our lives. It was the least I could do."
"Sigrid?" Bard said as he entered from the kitchen, "You look like you need sleep."
"Yes," she agreed wearily.
"It would be nice if we hadn't filled your beds with children," Kili commented.
"She can sleep in my bed," Bard said, "I'd rather have the children here than on the streets."
"Goodnight," Sigrid said as she followed her father, "Wake me if anything happens."
It wasn't until he was certain that Sigrid was out of earshot that he turned to Legolas. He was about to say something, but stopped when he saw the look on the Elf's face. He looked angry. Angrier than he had ever looked before.
"Legolas?" Kili asked carefully.
Legolas whipped his head around to glare at Kili. "You" he hissed.
Kili instinctively took a step back even though Legolas hadn't stepped toward him, "Me?"
"This is your fault," he spat.
"It is my fault she remained here," Kili admitted.
"I'm not talking about her fighting," Legolas replied, "It is your fault she is incomplete."
"What?" Kili asked in confusion. Kili could be blamed for a lot of things, but he didn't understand what Legolas was accusing him of. Kili attempted to jump out of the way as Legolas lunged at him, but the Elf was too fast and he soon had Kili pinned against the bedroom wall.
"You should be dead. I thought Tauriel was just an exceptional healer to have cured you of Orc poison and stabbing in the same day, but that wasn't it."
"I don't understand," Kili replied as he tried to break Legolas' grasp, but the Elf was too blind with rage to let go.
"There is a very dangerous brand of Elvish healing where the healer gives a piece of themselves to another. I didn't know she practiced it." Legolas said.
"I…no," Kili replied. Legolas finally let him go. He let out a shaky breath and held onto a table to keep from collapsing. Tauriel giving him a piece of herself? It was unthinkable.
"You took a part of her," Legolas replied, "And now you will give it back."
"I don't know how!" Kili yelled, but Legolas was already gone.
Tauriel was back in Mirkwood in her rooms. She hadn't been there in weeks, how had she returned? A moment ago… what had she been doing a moment ago? She couldn't remember, but she knew she hadn't been home.
No, she remembered suddenly. This wasn't her home. She didn't have a home anymore. Thranduil had banished her for her disobedience and she had nowhere to go. The rest of her memories came flooding back. She had been fighting when she saw Legolas, then she had been stabbed.
Was she dead? She couldn't imagine that her heaven would include someplace where she had so many bad memories. Her heaven wasn't really a place anymore, it was a person. A person she'd probably never see again.
She sat down on her bed and put her head in her hands. They had only just come back together, and now they were being torn apart.
She had feared that she would outlive him and be forced to spend the rest of her life alone. She'd never even considered the possibility that she'd die first. Of course, Tauriel knew that Elves could be killed, but she'd always secretly thought she was too good a warrior to be defeated. That Orc had certainly showed her where pride could get you.
Well, the Orc and the fact that she had used so much energy on Kili. She didn't regret it. She didn't regret it even a little bit. Kili was a prince. He had responsibilities to his people. She was only a Silvan Elf. There were no consequences to her death a no one to miss her. Tauriel would give her life for Kili's a million times over. It was a shame she only had one life to give. She knew her Dwarf would put himself in danger again, and now she wouldn't be there to save him.
Tauriel laid back and rested on the numerous pillows that decorated it. Legolas had never understood her obsession with pillows. Who needs more than one or two? He had argued. It wasn't that she needed them, she wanted them. They were comforting and soft and it felt so good to be enveloped by clouds after a long day.
Maybe Kili had been right when he'd said she walked in starlight. Maybe she was never meant to be here. Maybe that was why she had died so young.
Tauriel nearly screamed as she felt a sharp pain in her side. She looked down, but she couldn't see any blood. She took deep breaths and try not to yell, but the pain intensified until it engulfed her entire body.
Her last thought before she lost consciousness was of how you weren't supposed to feel any pain in death
A.N. So I have no idea what the Elvish afterlife it supposed to be, so I just made something up. I also have no idea if the magic Tauriel used to heal Kili really exists or not. Review please!