Okay, okay. I know I am probably the worst person ever for not updating. Ugh, I had tons of homework and life was getting in the way but I will try and update much faster now since winter break is coming up! Yay!

Note: All elvish, flashbacks, and thoughts are in italics.

Chapter 6

Tauriel woke up the next morning slightly fatigued; she remembered receiving the wound inflicted on her arm though she did not recall being brought here. The other thing she recollected was that the injury was brought by Legolas. That almost shattered her heart. She was not mad at him though she had no idea why he was so angry. Tauriel could only wonder what he was feeling right now. She raised up in her bed, oh how she hated being in the Halls of Healing. It was unsettling and gave her the sense of death and sadness. All she wanted to do was go back to her room upstairs but the Healers probably would prohibit that from happening. She sighed and looked over at the bench to see none other than Legolas laying there. He looked worried and Tauriel tried to get up from her bed but she was startled by his voice.

"Where are you going?" He asked. There was no teasing tone or any happiness laced within his voice, only guilt.

"You know I can't stand the Halls of Healing, it's unnerving and the sense of death lurks everything." She said quitely as she turned back around to see him.

Legolas nodded but started to speak slowly, "Tauriel, I- I'm sorry. I do not know why I did this-"

"It is fine, Legolas. There is no harm done."

"But there is, you could have died if I had sliced any deeper and I could not live with myself if I did that."

Tauriel saw the seriousness in his eyes and looked away, "Why were you so angry yesterday anyway?"

She turned back around and looked into his eyes, he looked hurt. Like his heart had been broken into a million pieces.

"It was nothing only something that my father said," Legolas explained to Tauriel but she did not buy it at all.

But she decided to not probe him for anymore answers. She felt that this was for the greater good but she would find out the full reason someday.

She simply nodded and slid out of her bed and began to walk towards the door as she supported her arm.

"Do you need help?" She heard his smooth voice from behind and was almost startled.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Legolas," She said in a teasing tone of voice. She was eager to get past this rough spot so they could go back to their normal friendship.

Legolas nodded and Tauriel started to walk away and through the large doors of the Healing ward. Her arm was still sore and hurt slightly but she toughed it out as she rushed up the steps to her quarters. When she entered her room she stripped her clothes off and ran a bath too soothe her aching muscles. This always calmed her and right now she could use some time to herself. She slipped in the hot water and warmth spread through her as she brought her knees up to her chest. Tauriel closed her eyes as she listened to the drip of the water. She was sinking down deep into thought and then she heard a voice outside of her door. It was Aradan what was he doing out there? She raised up in the water so she could hear better. Tauriel recognized another voice outside, Legolas.

"Is she okay?" Aradan asked, "How is she?"

"She is fine she left the Halls of Healing this morning, I am guessing that she went to the training fields to think." Legolas said, though his voice did not sound the same; it was a rather droning tone that was nothing like his usual cheerful voice.

"I heard about her little rendezvous with that Herion guy," Aradan said in a low whisper.

When Tauriel heard this she almost ran outside to prove him wrong, that was entirely false. Herion had started the whole thing by dragging her outside but wait; she agreed to it. She bit her lip; this was confusing now she would probably be labeled by the kingdom. She shook her head and decided to listen again.

"I know and it grieves me that she would bond to such an ellon. He will mistreat her and I hope that everything will be alright for her." Legolas said this and his voice seemed packed full of an anger; kind of like when he was so furious yesterday.

That was when Tauriel realized his reason for being enraged, he thought she had bonded to Herion. She let out a sigh of frustration and slumped back into the small bathtub. How would she explain to him that she was not bonded to him? This was all too confusing for her and she had no idea how she would figure this out. Would she tell him? No that would be, well too awkward. She almost laughed at that thought but was too concerned on the fact that Legolas thought she was going to be married to that, that malevolent ellon. He had tried to take advantage of her and she would never want to marry someone like that; her heart would belong to someone who cared for her and knew how she felt. Someone she could connect with easily and would love her for who she was not how she looked.

"She really bound herself to him?" Aradan asked in amazement, he was stunned that she would go for such an ellon. He was far too predictable in his mind.

"From what I saw, he was, well," Legolas said in an awkward tone of voice. Tauriel could tell that this was a very touchy subject to him.

"I know, mellon. I am still surprised that she has bonded this young, usually elves do not bind themselves to someone until they have reached maturity."

"I only hope she does not get her heart broken," Legolas said as he envisioned the crushing scene, "I would never want her to sail away due to grief."

"As do I, mellon nin. But she is smart, I think that she will figure this out on her own."

Legolas nodded and decided that he would go try and take a walk; just to clear himself of the horrid thoughts that provoked him so eagerly.

"I hope so."

Tauriel heard the two step away and she sat there wondering how their next meeting would be. Would anything ever be the same? Could her friendship with Legolas ever go back to the way it was? It was all because of her stupid decision to go to that feast. Now everything was ruined and she knew now that even the smallest of things could break one's life apart.

She slowly raised up from the bathtub and wrapped a towel around herself as she dried her wet body off. In that moment she began to recall all the fun moments that she had with Legolas. One particular one came up to mind when she thought of their young days.

They sat in a group of ellons and elleths; Legolas and Tauriel were receiving their lessons from their teacher whose name was Miss Marilla. She was an elf with dark hair and probably one of the sweetest personalities known. Her pale skin was almost like the moon against the navy sky on a starry night. She regathered her group of elfings in a circle near the training fields. Today had been a special day, the day when all the elflings (of the appropriate age) had received the first glimpse into training with a weapon. Some of her students had already attended some classes on archery and swordsmanship like, the Prince and Tauriel a young girl who had been found by the Queen and accepted forms of special treatment. She was relatively quiet and only communicated with the Prince on ocassions.

The students had done well on their first day and Miss Marilla could see future warriors right in front of her. At the end of each lesson everyday, the instructor would ask them all a question. Sometimes she had asked so many questions the children would usually chastise her for redundantly asking the same one. The question for today was very important though she expected that her students would not take it so urgently. Miss Marilla would ask them what kind of warriors they would want to be. This would be a tough question for some of the elflings that did not like training as well as the others.

"Alright, now everyone sit down, " She said to all the elfings that ran around carelessly chasing each other, "Thalion sit down!" She scolded to one of the elfings who was running after another with a stick.

When she finally got all of them to reluctantly sit down she went over the question of the day.

"Now, you all have done very well with your first peek into training to be warriors,"

"I have no desire to be a fighter, I would much rather become a seamstress and make dresses," One of the young elleths said pompously.

Miss Marilla smiled slightly, she remembered when her only thought was to be a dressmaker much like the young girl. The elleths comment caused a slight uproar in the group and the teacher had to quiet the class down once again.

"Okay, now I have a question for you. Even though some of you have said that you do not like the life of a soldier you will still answer this," She said as she eyed the girl who had talked out earlier, "What kind of warriors would you like to be? Now, I will give you some time to think on this but you will be first, Aradan."

The young ellon looked up with his face as bright as one of the berries that the Greenwood trees bore in the winter. He sat there wide-eyed for a moment until he had finally thought of something.

"I-I, "He stuttered, "I want to be a protecter. I want to keep people safe."

Miss Marilla nodded, "That is a worthy title and I believe someday you will be a wonderful soldier, Aradan."

He smiled and nodded furiously as he sat back down in his spot. Then the teacher looked at the person directly to the right of him, young Prince Legolas. He sat there fiddling with his hands; he knew that he was next and he looked around nervously. He did not usually like to talk and was sometimes just as silent as Tauriel but when anybody tried to hurt his friends in any way, he would stand up for them. He truly was courageous for a young ellon.

"Legolas, do you have your answer?" Miss Marilla asked him.

The young Prince of Greenwood stood up slowly and looked around him and then back at their teacher.

"Now, what kind of warrior would you like to be?"

Legolas swallowed hard and bit his lip in deep though, "I-I want to be a strong fighter, one that will never let any evil people touch their family."

Miss Marilla smiled as the young Prince spoke his heartwarming words, she had predicted that he would say something like that. It was his personality.

"Very good, very good. Okay, Tauriel you are next."

The young elleth looked to her teacher as she spoke her name. Other elleths chuckled as she stood up and when she accidentally fell over their laughter grew into a loud roar. The young girl stood up with her cheeks painted with embarrassment and looked down at her friend.

"It will be okay," Legolas encouraged.

She nodded and looked to her teacher once more, "I want to stand up for those who are getting unfair treatment. The world can push away problems that are not theirs but they will find out that someday," She paused, "they will have to face the same evil."

Miss Marilla was slightly taken back by her answer and smiled brightly, "That was very well said, Tauriel. Now who is-"

She was cut off by one of the young girls whispering in her friends ear; she meant for everyone to hear the words that slipped past her lips, "I'm surprised she even has friends, her personality is so queer."

Miss Marilla barely had any time to react because the young Prince shot up and looked down at the elleth who made the rude remark and spoke harshly.

"You have no knowledge of what she is really like, when you get to know here that is when you can judge her. Not when you have no idea what you are talking about." Legolas said with a raging fury rising up inside of him. That elleth had no right to critisize her.

Tauriel remembered that day and it was the first time that she ever felt accepted, somewhere she belonged and it made her feel special. She smiled as she lay down on her comfortable bed and let herself relax and recollect the events of the past days but before she could she was startled by a knock at her door.

Slowly raising up so she would not hurt her arm, Tauriel made her way towards the door. She opened it slowly to see Herion, her eyes widened and she furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Herion, what-" She was cut off by him hitting her in the face with a strong punch.

She was seeing stars and slowly slipped out of consciousness as Herion dragged her to an unknown place.

Okay so like it? Hate it? Have any sugguestions? Lol, this took me a span of three days to write due to lots of procrastination xD. Well what will happen to Tauriel? And will Legolas find out?

Please review:)