here's chapter 14, enjoy :)
Beneath the Stars
FOURTEEN
The next day, Tauriel woke at midday after a long night's rest. She felt relaxed and alert, fully recovered from running herself into the ground on her journey to Lothlórien.
She dressed quickly, then gathered her belongings and went to find Haldir. Now that her message had been delivered, she ought to be leaving Lothlórien for the Greenwood, but something inside her told her she needed to linger for a little longer.
When she found Haldir, he was sitting talking with his brothers, his eyes wide in seriousness.
"Haldir," she greeted him. He looked up, raising his eyebrows.
"Tauriel." He did not seem happy to see her. He forced a smile on her face and stood, glancing back to his brothers. "Rúmil, Orophin, forgive me a moment. I must speak with Tauriel privately."
They nodded, exchanging worried glances. Haldir led Tauriel away from them and stopped when they were out of earshot. He folded his arms, his smile fading off his face.
"Is something wrong, Haldir?" Tauriel asked, confused. She wasn't sure what she could have done to cause such a chilly response. She had thought he had counted her as a friend.
Haldir bit his lip. "Yes. Though it is not your fault." He sighed, glancing back to his brothers, who watched them curiously from afar. "I am greatly troubled by the news you brought to Galadriel and Celeborn. Orcs leaving the mountains to fight against the free peoples...it could only be caused by Sauron. I knew there was something of grave importance afoot, especially after the Fellowship arrived within our borders, but I am now even more worried."
Tauriel nodded. "It is indeed grave news. We live in dark times." She was eerily reminded of a similar conversation she had had with Orelon, a friend of hers in the guard back in the Greenwood, the day the dwarves had escaped. He had expressed concern regarding all the trespassers in their lands—spiders, dwarves, and orcs. He had been right to worry.
"I don't know what shall come, Tauriel," Orelon had said, "but it is surely nothing good. The Necromancer grows in power, so the rumors say...and now orcs walk free in our lands."
"I only wish we could do something about it," Tauriel remembered protesting. "But Thranduil keeps us here, shutting his borders and staying away. It will not do—the outside world will keep invading. We must strike back."
That was the last conversation she had had with Orelon before she had left the Greenwood, never to return. She had been right. The only way to victory had been to become involved.
She was an older, wiser elf now, but she still felt that staying in the shadows would do nothing. "Do Galadriel and Celeborn plan to do anything? Are they going to send aid to the realms of men as Elrond suggested?"
Haldir nodded. "Yes. I am to lead a force of elves to Rohan two days hence." He paused, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Will you accompany us? We can always use extra fighters, and you are welcome among us."
"I..." Tauriel trailed off. She was not sure. She wished to continue on to the Greenwood, to help her own people against the amassing orc armies, but Haldir's offer was tempting. "I do not know. I came here only to deliver a message, and now that I am recovered, I had thought to return to the Woodland Realm. I wish to return to my homeland before the war and aid my own people."
"We are your people, too, Tauriel," Haldir urged. "We are Silvan, your kin. You have been gone from the Woodland Realm for eighty years. You can stay away for a few days longer. Please—you can always go back after we are finished in Rohan."
"Haldir, I don't know." Tauriel shrugged helplessly. "I want to help you, I really do, but..."
What would she have done eighty years ago? Orelon had not urged to her to abandon her people, but he had sympathized with her desires to fight. If she returned now and met with him and the rest of her friends among the guard now, would he judge her for not helping the elves of Lothlórien? Haldir's people were her kin, and they had their own lands to protect. If she traveled with them to Rohan, that was one more elf they could leave behind to guard over Lothlórien, one more bow and sword to aid the kingdoms of men. If Thranduil really had changed, he would not be so foolish as to ignore the danger signs. There were many more fighting elves in the Greenwood than there were in Lothlórien.
Haldir sighed. "I wish you the blessings of the Valar, whatever you decide, Tauriel. But you have a place in our ranks if you so wish it." He clapped her on the shoulder and turned away.
He had only taken a few paces back to where his brothers sat when he turned around. "Oh, by the way," he said, "Mithrandir has woken. Galadriel told me to tell you that he wishes to see you."
Tauriel stood and watched him walk back, her mind troubled. Mithrandir wanted to see her? What could she tell him that Galadriel could not?
She left, searching for him. He would most likely be in the infirmary.
The healer, Nelwen, directed her to Mithrandir's room. She entered cautiously, remembering all the wild rumors surrounding the wily grey wizard. The few times she had seen him, she had never spoken to him. She remembered him being there that fateful day eighty years ago in Dale.
"Mithrandir," she said respectfully, standing at his bedside. He sat meditating on the mattress, his eyes closed. When she spoke, his eyelids flashed open and he took a deep breath, turning to face her.
"Ah, yes," he said, nodding. "You must be Tauriel."
"Yes, my lord," she said. He seemed...different somehow. He wore different clothes, but that was not everything. As she stared at him she noticed in surprise that his hair was no longer a mess of grey, but finely groomed strands of purest white.
"I was told you wished to see me," she said. "How may I be of service?"
"You spoke with an orc in the Misty Mountains?" he questioned.
"Yes," she confirmed.
"What did he say?" he asked. "Word for word, if you can remember."
Tauriel furrowed her brows, concentrating. Elves had very good memories. She recalled the encounter, and began to speak, being as accurate as she could remember.
"I captured it after killing its comrades," she began. "First, I asked it how it found me."
"Exactly those words?" Mithrandir pressed.
"Well, no," she admitted. "I said, 'How did you find me, filth?' Then it said, 'Don't hurt me!' I didn't, but I felt like it. I just wanted information."
"Very wise of you to interrogate it," Mithrandir said approvingly.
Tauriel shrugged. "It is always useful to learn from the enemy, in more ways than one." She remembered that it was a conversation with an orc that had first made her realize that she loved Kíli, and thus spurred her to disobey Thranduil and go after the dwarves, saving Kíli's life.
"Continue," the wizard said.
"I said, 'Tell me!' I threatened it a little more, showing off my knives, and it cracked. It said, 'My leader saw a fire in the distance. We came to investigate.' I asked if there were any more of them, and it responded, 'A squadron sent out scouting the mountains. We have been ordered to infiltrate the lands of men after the disaster in the mines. We are preparing for war.' That was all the usefulness it had, after that it just kept babbling about sparing its life. I couldn't let it escape, obviously, so I killed it."
Mithrandir stroked his beard, clearly troubled. "The disaster in the mines...that is not good. It must have been referring to the Fellowship's journey through Moria... And it is exactly as you said, word for word?"
"As best I could remember," Tauriel answered.
"Thank you, Tauriel," he said. "You may go."
"I am glad to have helped in any way, Mithrandir." She bowed, then left.
Tauriel lingered in Lothlórien for a few more days. She avoided Haldir, not wishing to be pressured any more, but her mind was doing its own pressuring. She was very tempted to stay, to aid Rohan and Lothlórien, repaying the favors those lands had done to her in the past.
At last, on the day Haldir's warriors were to set out, she made up her mind. She packed all her things and went to find Haldir.
All of his elves were gathered together, wearing identical uniforms. Tauriel searched the crowd, looking for Haldir himself. She found his brother Rúmil and went toward him.
"Rúmil!" she called. "Have you seen Haldir?"
"He is over there," Rúmil said, pointing. Haldir stood at the front of the army, speaking with Galadriel, Celeborn, and Mithrandir.
She went up to him, respectfully keeping her distance as he spoke with his leaders.
"...careful. There may be orcs patrolling the distance between here and Edoras," Celeborn was saying.
"And if, by some chance, the Rohirrim are not in Edoras, go to Helm's Deep," Galadriel added. "They may already be preparing for war. We are not the only ones who are aware of the enemy's movements."
"Yes, my lady," Haldir said, nodding.
Mithrandir raised his white hood over his head, clutching his staff with wrinkled hands. He spoke directly to Galadriel, saying, "I will leave these lands now, though not with Captain Haldir. I must search for the remnants of the Fellowship, and guide Frodo and the Ring to Mordor now that I have recovered."
Tauriel's eyes widened. Mordor? The Ring? That was the business of the Fellowship? A chill settled over her. This truly was to be a war of the ages.
Mithrandir left, striding purposefully away, vanishing into the woods. Galadriel and Celeborn exchanged a long look, then turned again to Haldir.
"May the Valar be with you in this war, Captain," Celeborn said gravely.
"We will protect our homeland. Go, lead your warriors, and may your actions reunite the Eldar with our cousins among men," Galadriel said.
"I will, my lady," Haldir said. "Thank you."
They left. Haldir watched them go, before turning back to face his warriors. He caught sight of Tauriel and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Haldir," she said. "I have decided."
"And?" he asked.
"I will come with you to Rohan," she proclaimed.
He broke into a smile. "I knew you would!"
She smiled in return. "I am glad to fight alongside my brethren."
"Good, for we will such much fighting in the days to come." Haldir beckoned his brother Orophin forward. "Orophin, could you give Tauriel a cloak?"
Orophin nodded, running over to where some other elves stood—healers, Tauriel suspected, for she saw Nelwen among them. He came back bearing a dark blue cloak, which he gave to Tauriel.
She put it on, feeling strange wearing this garb. In the Greenwood, they had not had a uniform for the Guard, though she supposed this was different.
"I will find you a spot in our ranks," Orophin said. "Welcome."
She followed him, settling in with her new comrades. As soon as she was comfortable, she heard Haldir shout, "March!" at the head of the warriors. The army began to move, and they started their journey to war.