A/N: Here you go!
I hope you'll find this part just as enjoyable as the previous one. This is more of an insight into Tauriel's life, but I think it's pretty interesting, considering all the changes I've made to the canon. You need to basically learn about her from the very beginning and the same goes for Thranduil.
As I've already warned you in tags/summary, this will be a slow burn type of a story, so don't expect kisses and declarations of love straight away. It will take a bit of time before we'll get to it, but I can guarantee that it will be more than worth it ;)
Please, remember to favourite/review!
Enjoy!

PART 2
Tauriel

A sigh of relief escapes her lips as the gate of the Royal Gardens closes behind her with a soft click, leaving her alone for the first time that day. She cautiously looks around to make sure that she is truly on her own before letting out a giggle of delight and breaking into a run amongst the ever-blooming flowers. Her face is still flushed, the only visible sign of her excitement after the unexpected exchange between her and the mysterious warrior she locked eyes with in the corridors barely two hours ago.

She comes to a halt in front of the bench in the middle of the garden and decides to sit down. Her breath comes out in little huffs, but she doesn't care for etiquette in the privacy of her favourite place in the world. In front of the court ladies, in the presence of her parents, and even in the comfort of her chambers, she always needs to maintain a certain level of tranquillity, which can be truly suffocating at times. When the eyes of the kingdom are trained on her, she cannot let herself be natural and open, but instead she is forced to restrain her raging emotions and all the energy coursing through her veins. Sometimes she wonders if anyone else struggles with what is proper and desired, because more often than not she feels terribly alone with her inability to maintain the perfect mask of polite indifference.

In a not so rare moment of weakness, her thoughts turn to that mysterious warrior and she thanks Eru profoundly that her mother was not present to witness her daughter's display of emotions. Unlike the court ladies, the queen is exceptionally perceptive and she would have noticed the quiet moment her daughter shared with the ellon straight away.

As it is, she wasn't there and so Tauriel can enjoy the unblemished memory of his handsome face in peace, without Berelinil's scorn to spoil all the fun.

Of course she has seen him before many times. Her habit of sneaking away and observing soldiers during their training has been a cause for many quarrels between her and her parents. She doesn't think that her father has anything against her desire to pursue archery or even learn a bit about how to properly handle a sword, but her mother's opinion matters more and she thinks it's simply improper for a lady of Tauriel's station to engage in such barbaric activities. Tauriel isn't quite sure if she would've liked to train with those elves she sees during her little escapades, but she still loves to watch them from time to time, especially this one ellon who visibly stands out amongst the rest of the warriors.

When he fights, he is deadly in every sense of the word, but there's also beauty hidden in his fluid movements and quick strikes. Her heart behaves like a caged butterfly every time she sees him on the practice ring and she has to bite her hand to muffle a scream when the sword of his opponent is half a second away from hurting him. Of course every time he does get hurt, he pretends it's nothing, but she can see him wince every now and again, and she just knows that he's not well. She doesn't like seeing him in pain.

She still remembers the day when she has heard his name for the first time, shouted as it was across the training grounds by one of the other warriors.

"Thranduil," she whispers into the quiet garden like a little prayer and then she giggles at the complete ridiculousness of the situation. She doesn't even know him, yet she assumes that she can address him so informally. Her mother would have been appalled!

The thought of her mother's face if she saw and heard her now brings a new wave of laughter to her lips.

When she calms down, she lays down on the stone bench and closes her eyes. Then she brings her hand to rest above her heart and once again utters the warrior's name.

Her heart flutters against her fingers faster than ever.

She smiles to herself as she once again recalls his smile, the intensity of his light eyes, and the subtle flirtation in the nimble bend of his wrist.

-o-o-o-

Not many know that her mother is Silvan, though, in their defence, it isn't very obvious. Berelinil isn't also a type to go around proclaiming her heritage, especially considering the fact that Tauriel is pretty much sure at this point that her mother is ever so slightly ashamed of it, though there is hardly any sound reason for it.

While her father is tall and fair, ever the imposing ruler, her mother is more petite in built and her hair, as well as her eyes, are the soft orange brown of the autumn leaves. Her temper is also shorter than his, though it carefully hidden away, since she has such an immaculate control over herself. Sometimes she reminds Tauriel of a marble statue, though she can also be warm and loving on occasions, as rare and far between as they are.

Her parents've met during one of her father's many journeys and they fell in love instantly. Her mother told her many times that she has always dreamed of returning to the land of her ancestors, but she couldn't do it straight away after her marriage. Tauriel remains highly sceptical if the elleth truly feels at home amongst the merry folk of Greenwood the Great though. It has been centuries since her mother has last set foot in the forest of her birth and the orderly ways of life she got used to in both Doriath and then Lindon simply doesn't apply to Amon Lanc.

"Can you not be still, even for a moment?" Her mother admonishes her as she tugs on Tauriel's hair harder than necessary to get her daughter's attention. "One would think you would like to have this ordeal over with as soon as possible. At the rate it is going now, we will spend the entire morning on a simple updo!"

"I apologize," Tauriel answers with the most innocent smile she can muster. She can see her mother's reflection frowning at her in return.

She has been trying to behave herself for the entire month in preparation for one of the most daring escapes from the watchful eyes of the court she has ever planned. Today is the day, but her thoughts are running rampant with excitement and she has almost revealed herself a moment ago, too focused on the stray thoughts floating freely in her mind to pay proper attention to her surroundings.

"Is it different?" She decides to ask a rather random question to break the uncharacteristic silence in the room. Usually she talks all the time, but the nerves are eating away at her too much. Her mother can't notice anything amiss if it is to work as it should and for the last half an hour Tauriel has been doing nothing but giving her all the hints she needs to discover her daughter's clever scheme.

"Is what different, child?" Berelinil responds with her own question, pulling mercilessly at Tauriel's long tresses to smooth them out before braiding them tightly. "You speak like my mother used to so often these days... Too much time in the wrong company, I would say."

Tauriel grimaces slightly at the comment, trying very hard to suppress the need to defend the kitchen staff with whom she spends her afternoons more often than not. Her mother doesn't approve of it, but allows her this small privilege as long as she dedicates herself to her studies and duties with enough fervour. Any other day she probably would have said something and they would have argued about the matter, as per usual, but today she really wants to stay on her mother's good side. Surprisingly enough, it is more than a ruse to get her mother's mind off any suspicions still floating about, since she is actually interested in the answer. Plus yet another inane argument is the last thing she needs today.

"I was referring to Greenwood," she clarifies. "Is it the same as it was in your youth or has it changed?"

For a minute or two her mother is completely quiet. If she didn't feel her hands in her hair, she would have thought that the elleth has actually left the room. Patience is not one of Tauriel's virtues, but she makes an effort to stay still and wait in silence. The answer she is seeking is not that important, not really, and it certainly won't make her mother's oddities any less puzzling, but she thinks that maybe it will make her understand. Even though she is almost constantly in someone's company, she doesn't have much friends. It stems from the simple fact that she is not sure who she really is. The truth about her mother's past can very well be one of the keys to unlocking something in Tauriel and thus may help her in gaining better footing in life.

"It is like it was back then," her mother finally says. "Lively, vibrant, in a state of constant chaos..."

Tauriel glances up in time to see a small sad smile lifting the corners of Berelinil's mouth.

"I used to love it when I was a child," she discloses next. Her voice is quiet and distant, as if she was reaching into the past to pull her memories out from the corners of her mind. "My mother and father encouraged my curiosity and so I often found myself walking through the forest. It didn't matter if it was night or day; if I was alone or with my friends; if I was lost or if I knew my way around. My heart was bursting with this wonderful, indescribable feeling of utter joy whenever I could experience it. I was free in those days... I was free..."

"Are you not free now, then?" Tauriel probes. "Did something change?"

"I grew out of silly dreams, my child." Her mother's smile turns bitter. "And I would strongly advise you to do the same as soon as you can."

"Why?"

"You cannot survive in this world with your head in the clouds," is the simple answer. "The stars are too far away. It's better to stay on the ground."

-o-o-o-

Sneaking away from the library, where her mother leaves her after the morning meal to study the star charts, is much easier than she has ever thought possible.

As soon as she is away from her mother, she leaves behind the surprising bitterness of their morning conversation. She cannot get distracted, not now, but she promises herself to think it through at a later date.

Moving on her tiptoes, she exits right through the main doors and then turns right before making her way down the wide spiralling staircase that she knows well will take her right to the kitchens, where she is supposed to meet with her young friend, Galion.

She met the elfling a month after her arrival in Amon Lanc. Though she has interacted and played with children quite often when she still resided in Lindon, being naturally maternal and caring, she had never encountered a child of such a sunny disposition or one that smiled so brightly each and every day. They became friends instantly, even though Tauriel is much older than him. Since he was the youngest child of five and came from a big, loud family, he needed a lot of guidance and warmth in the palace, where he now lived permanently. He visited with his family occasionally, but work usually kept them apart. Tauriel was more than happy to fill the role of an older sister for him and he seemed to appreciate it in his own way.

A smile pulls at her lips as she takes another turn to the right, just a moment after jumping off the last step. It stays firmly in place when she skips quietly down the long empty corridor, fighting the urge to hum or even sing. She is so absorbed in her own thoughts that she almost misses the sound of approaching footsteps and a murmur of an engaging conversation. Thankfully, she manages to duck behind a tapestry and into a little alcove just in time to avoid running into a group of maids carrying baskets full of freshly-washed laundry. With both hands covering her mouth to muffle her laboured breathing, she waits until the echo of their voices fades and then she quickly leaves her hiding spot behind.

Two more staircases and a few turns later, she reaches her destination. Galion is already waiting for her with a duffle bag slung over his bony shoulders. He is visibly fidgeting, as if waiting for someone to pull him away from where he is standing. The heavy wooden doors leading to the kitchen, which have been left ajar, obscure him from view though and he is safe there for now. She walks right in front of the kitchen entrance without waiting for an opportunity to do so completely unnoticed. The longer she stands there and lurks, the bigger the risk of being discovered.

"Come on," she mouths to Galion, who immediately follows her silent order.

They are quiet for a long time as they make their way through a maze of secret passageways.

"This is such a bad, bad, bad idea..." Little Galion murmurs over and over again as if saying it out loud is going to make it any better.

"So you keep reminding me," she shots back in a whisper at one point while rolling her eyes at his theatrics.

He is obviously afraid that they will run into a servant. Such an unfortunate occurrence would likely result in a memorable punishment for him, since he is supposed to be chopping up vegetables for the midday meal instead of showing the princess the only unguarded way out of the palace.

"I mean it." He gives her a hard look over his shoulder. "You're safe here, m'lady. Outside of these walls it will be much different."

She snorts.

"And what shall befall me outside, Galion?" She asks. "Do you suppose there is a dark beast lurking around, just waiting to snatch me away? Because I think you just have a very vivid imagination, little one."

"I do not!" He puffs out his cheeks, which are slowly turning red in embarrassment. "I'm just worried, that's all."

"I know," she says with a small smile. "And I appreciate it, mellon."

Even though he has his back to her once again, she knows he is smiling as well.

It takes another few minutes of walking, but when they finally stop in the small and rather unkempt foyer, full of spider webs and dust as it is, she suddenly feels less sure of herself. Galion's words have awoken her own worries and now she hesitates with her hand seconds away from touching the door handle.

"Here you go, m'lady." Galion pushes the bag into her arms, blissfully unaware of her growing doubt. "I've managed to nick some arrows for you as well. The clothes are not much. Some odd pieces I found in the laundry room. They're clean and all, of course."

"And the bow?" She asks, her voice shaking just a little bit at the end.

He grins at her mischievously before taking a few steps into the corner right beside the door. From there he pulls the most beautiful bow she has ever laid her eyes on. It's smaller and more slender than the ones customary used by the guard, but when she wraps her fingers around it a moment later, she just knows it must be just as powerful. It is still quite heavy and feels strange in her inexperienced hands. Yet there's also something oddly right about holding it that she cannot possibly deny or ignore.

"Thank you," she whispers in awe, tearing her eyes away from the bow to look at Galion.

He just nods at her, still sporting a wide grin.

Her gaze shifts to the door once again and suddenly the world outside doesn't seem as daunting as it did just a moment ago.

With a deep breath she pulls the door open. A rush of chilly autumn air fills her nostrils. It smells like apples, moist leaves, and something distinctively spicy that she can't quite put her finger on.

"I shall be back before the evening meal is served," she tells Galion before swinging the bag over her shoulder and walking out of the palace, leaving its safety behind for the excitement of an adventure.

A/N2: In Elvish, Berelinil means "a woman with a fiery gleam in the eyes" and Tinnor is a combo of the words "spark" and "male". I try to find names that suit the personalities of my characters the most, though Tauriel's mother was very difficult to pin down. She is a very complicated character, as you will learn later on. For now, I've given you a little glimpse, but rest reassured that all will be revealed in due time.
Just a side note: I will probably be able to finish Part 3 before Monday, but we shall see :)