Chapter 5

The journey from Lorien back to Mirkwood was uneventful. The elves decided to take the route north along the river Anduin, which Gandalf found quite pleasant. The greenery was lush and beautiful, not as admirable as that found in Lothlorien, yet still remarkable and refreshing. It also gave him the tranquillity he needed to ponder on his thoughts and decide what to do next.

Almost a year had passed since the great Battle of the Five Armies, yet he still had that unsettling feeling that it was not over. Maybe he could speak to Saruman about it? Or better not! The white wizard tends to be a little bit doubtful of what he calls "Gandalf's ravings" but, and he chuckled to himself here, he wouldn't be the first and surely not the last to think this of him! He was thinking about this whilst looking at the back of the regal elf riding in the lead. Thranduil would have a fit if he went up to him with some other incredible news that would jolt his world yet again.

Thranduil was a changed elf after the battle. Although barely discerned by his soldiers, servants and people, those who were close to him and knew him well saw this in some of his actions and the decisions he was taking. Just a year ago, he would never have said those words at the council. He would have never taken that stand. And now he's saying that he's going to fight till the last. Gandalf knew how difficult it had been for the Elvenking to say those words yet he was secretly pleased of his decisions.

The battle itself hadn't been easy for King Thranduil. His obsession with the jewels of Lasgalen had made him blind to what was happening right in front of his eyes. Gandalf recalled the harsh words with which Legolas had addressed his father when the king had decided to leave the battlefield. The wizard also remembered the pained look on his face when he had mentioned his wife. One thing was for sure. His heart hadn't healed. Thranduil was still suffering and fighting the terrible void left by his wife all those years ago.

The change showed mostly in his treatment of Tauriel. He would never have forgiven Tauriel's disobedience and rebellion in another age, but Legolas' deep feelings for her and her broken heart at the end of the battle, showed him the path to forgiveness and he accepted her back to Mirkwood for, after all, this was her home and he still remembered how he had favoured her for so many years. She was young and still had a lot to learn. She was no more a captain of the guard, for one must not forget that she had turned against her king, yet Thranduil kept an ever watchful eye on her for she was still a remarkable warrior.

"A coin for your thoughts Master Gandalf!" Almost as if knowing that she was, in truth, the very subject of his thoughts, Tauriel came riding next to him. Gandalf smiled at this elleth who was so different from the other elf maidens he had met. No silk dresses for this tough warrior. Her dark green travelling garments were the same as those worn by the other soldiers. She sat straight and elegant on her white horse, long red hair falling all the way down her back onto the saddle itself; green eyes sparkling and accompanied by the most radiant of smiles.

"Nothing in particular my Lady," he replied, "I was merely enjoying the tranquillity of the nature around us…and at the same time hoping that it would last a long time," he muttered under his breath.

A shadow crossed her till now serene face. "Why should you say that? Is there anything that we should worry about?" She was no fool and immediately understood the underlying implications behind those words.

"No. Nothing alarming at present, my Lady Tauriel," he said, trying to brush it off, "but one must always keep a watchful eye." She nodded in agreement at these words which she knew held a far deeper meaning than what the grey wizard was implying.

The riders came to a sudden halt. Looking towards the front Gandalf noticed the King with one of his hands raised. He was talking to another elf. Not far away and close to the river there was an open space. Most probably he had decided that they should stop and set camp there for the coming night.

Gandalf followed Tauriel closely, wondering at the same time how all those elves could work so well together in setting up such a huge camp in less than an hour. Fires were lit all around and, whilst many of the Woodland elves preferred to sleep in the open, gazing up at the stars which they loved, there were also many tents which were scattered here and there around the open space, the centre of which was taken up by one enormous tent, the Elvenking's.

Right at that moment Thranduil came out wearing the most beautiful and elegant regal robes which he had changed into from his travelling ones. He walked majestically towards the riverbank and, looking up at the sky littered with stars like sparkling gems scattered on a dark blue blanket, stood there in silence, enveloped in his own thoughts.

"He's changed somehow," said Tauriel, standing right next to Gandalf. "From the battle I mean…I never dared hope he would…forgive…after what I had done." She cast her eyes down, looking at the ground. Gandalf fully understood what she meant to say with this fragmented sentence and he looked comfortingly at her.

"Don't blame yourself my Lady. You are young and you followed your heart, which was also hurt and broken in the process. The king understood this. You and Legolas were the ones who unknowingly made him see what he had in front of his eyes all these years."

"Love is a powerful force my dear Tauriel. It can make one do things which could have seemed impossible some time before. Tell me child," he continued, "had it ever crossed your mind that one day you would experience those deep feelings towards a dwarf?" She looked up and gazed at the lake, her eyes glittering in the moonlight. "And you had only known him for a few days!"

"Could you now imagine what your king must have felt when his wife and the mother of his child was ripped away from him so suddenly? They had already built such a strong bond between them which could never be replaced. It was the intensity of that heartbreak that made Thranduil shut himself behind the walls of his kingdom. This made him appear cold but I can assure you that he only did it to protect his people."

With these sage words, Gandalf sat down on a rock, took out his pipe, lit it and started smoking. Although she usually frowned upon this habit, Tauriel found the particular smell of Gandalf's pipe unusually comforting as were his words.

"I feel as if I need to work harder to regain his trust. It's not that I want my rank back as captain of the guard. That is not my intention. It is not important to me anymore. More than that, I want him to know that I appreciate his kindness and forgiveness."

Removing the pipe from his mouth, Gandalf smiled. "Well said, my Lady! As for myself, I give you my blessing. And now is the right time to make him see this. He's moved away from where he once was and the absence of Legolas is deeply felt. As I said, he has changed…"

Barely had he finished the sentence than he was interrupted by Thranduil's voice. Deep in thought and discussion, they hadn't noticed that the king was approaching them.

"Mithrandir, come forth to my tent. I need a word with you," he demanded in his usual arrogant manner. He then turned a stern look towards Tauriel, "And shouldn't you be helping the other guards with the night watch?" he ordered.

"Yes my Lord!" Tauriel promptly replied, all the time avoiding his piercing gaze. And with those words he turned round and headed towards his tent as regal as ever.

"Well," said Gandalf, winking at Tauriel before following the Elvenking. "Maybe he hasn't changed that much after all!"