Chapter 7

The great gates leading to the palace were wide open to welcome their king and his entourage back home. It was usual for Thranduil to feel relieved and content as he made his way through the gates, grateful that nothing had happened along the journey which could have resulted in the loss of more elven blood.

However it was different this time. His mind was set on something else. A most vivid dream which he found impossible to ignore and shove to the back of his mind. An unusual dream which strangely felt so real and tangible that it left him short of breath just thinking about it. It had been so real. He could almost have touched her. Unwillingly he bit his lower lip. It has been centuries since he had felt like that. Whenever his thoughts unwillingly drifted towards her, excruciating pain filled his heart. Yet not this night. This time it was different. Grief had been replaced by a warm feeling which he couldn't comprehend.

"Aegnor! Take care of my horse for it is tired after travelling such a long distance!" he ordered as he dismounted from his white stallion. Then he turned to face Lathron, his most trusted adviser, who had remained in Mirkwood to take care of the realm in his absence. "Have the last few spider nests been destroyed? I want the forest clear of those foul creatures!"

"Yes, My Lord," replied Lathron, following his king up the stairs and along the beautiful corridors leading to his study and private chambers. "Another problem has arisen however."

Thranduil stopped in his tracks and turned to face him, eyebrows raised. He hated it when things didn't go as he had planned. "Speak Lathron, you have all my attention," he stated with a voice that betrayed his displeasure.

"We have seen wargs in the forest My Lord. We have promptly taken care of them yet we fear lest more should come; so we sent patrols to check and cleanse the forest of them if they should meet any across their paths."

"Good," was the king's reply, "yet I want all patrols and watch positions to be doubled along our borders, especially those who cross in search of the filthy creatures."

"And, as always, I want to be informed about all those who enter the kingdom," he continued. By now he had arrived at the huge wooden door that led to his study. Dismissing his adviser, he opened the door and stepped inside, noticing immediately that he was not alone.

His eyes opened wide. "Legolas!" he half whispered, taken completely by surprise.

Legolas turned round from overlooking the forest and came in from the balcony. With just a hint of a grin he replied "Father!" No sooner had this word left his mouth than Thranduil had covered the distance between them in two swift steps to put his hand on the shoulder of his beloved son.

"A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf…" remarked Legolas in mirth.

"And a year without you here seems a thousand…so hold your tongue," was his father's reply as he looked directly at his son's clear blue eyes, checking that he was in no way hurt.

"But tell me son, what brings you here yet again when you had been decidedly set upon leaving a year ago? Has something happened?"

"No father, nothing of the sort. In fact, I'm afraid that my stay is going to be a short one. I received word that the people of Lake Town have settled nicely in Dale and that the city is now flourishing once again. I felt compelled to go and visit the city once more. I also wanted to find out how Bard is faring especially after the rumours that he is to be proclaimed king. I deemed it was the right thing to do since the last time I was there it was almost completely destroyed."

It was an excuse.

Thranduil put his hand down from his son's shoulder. "Is that all? Is that the sole reason why you came back?" He pierced his son's gaze with an intensely sorrowful look which reminded Legolas of the time he was leaving just after the battle.

"No Ada. That is not the only reason," and he embraced him, taking the Elvenking completely by surprise at this sudden show of emotion which rarely took place. Thranduil hugged him back, feeling strangely utterly satisfied and fulfilled for the second time that day.

The road to Dale wasn't long yet it stretched interminably due to the deafening silence that impregnated the air between Prince Legolas and Tauriel. One did not need to be a wizard to realise that it was a matter of love. Gandalf was thinking about this and at the same time looking for the right words to break the silence.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" he exclaimed, in a slightly more high-pitched tone than he had intended. "Ideal for fishing or hunting maybe. What do you think my lord Legolas?" addressing the young prince who was riding by his side.

Legolas blinked, as if he had just been awakened from some deep thought. "What? Excuse my lack of attention Mithradir… my mind was on other matters," he confessed as he inadvertently gave a quick glance towards Tauriel, who was riding some distance ahead.

"Oh! But I understand perfectly my Lord. I am one of the Wise you know?" and he looked at Legolas with a twinkle in his kind blue eyes and a smirk on his face which made the elf realise that he could confide his feelings in the old wizard.

"Have you had a chance to speak to her after the battle?" he asked.

"No," Legolas replied looking straight ahead, "I left as soon as I saw her crying in grief over that dwarf's dead body. She was heartbroken and it was then that I realised that there was no more place for me...so I left, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. But it was to no avail. The further I went the more I thought about her and how she made me feel…" Legolas's eyes were clouded with sadness as he finally got his innermost thoughts off his chest.

"Then." Simply said Gandalf.

"Then what?" asked Legolas puzzled whilst looking at him.

"There was no place for you then. At that moment. A lot of things have happened hence. Do not give up my young prince. Tauriel has grown up with you, she admires and respects you deeply. Remember that although you thought about this in a different manner, she has been brought up convinced that she could not bond herself to a high Sindar elf, the son of the King. This could have made Tauriel repress her deepest feelings for you. Kili's love was also difficult for her to understand at first and finally accept. It is true, she had strong feelings for him but was it pure love or a deep sentiment for that dwarf who showed his love towards her so openly?"

Legolas looked at Gandalf in a different way now. Could it be? Is it possible? He suddenly felt a myriad of questions forming in his head which he found difficult to hold back.

Gandalf understood immediately and stopped him. "Now, I don't want you to raise your hopes too high my dear prince. Be careful. Always. But I just want to add this to what I have already told you…Give her time!"

It was a beautiful day. The skies were clear and not a cloud was in sight. Birds were chirping merrily in the trees and the comforting sound of the bubbling stream not far away could make anyone feel at ease and one with nature.

Still she was confused. All this beauty of nature around her could not succeed in making her heart feel content and at peace as it was supposed to. She felt at home, here in the woods. Of that she had no doubt. Yet the emptiness inside her tainted the incredible beauty of the nature that surrounded her. She had to admit that it wasn't enough to make her feel complete again. She knew that to achieve this she needed to remember what had happened before she fell asleep and she promised herself that she will do everything she can to get her memory back.

There were instances that had taken place these last couple of days which one could describe as giving her a mere hint of a memory, like when she heard a baby crying, when she used her sword or even now, as she was strolling among the trees. During these moments she felt almost as if she was on the verge of remembering something but the door remained closed, all memories shut deep within.

It was only that one time when Arahad kissed her that she was taken by surprise and caught completely off guard. She liked Arahad. He was the one who had found her and brought her back to the world of the living after having been trapped in a dream world for so long. He and the others were trying to protect her as best they could and for this she will be eternally grateful.

She had felt so cheerful and untroubled during the party that she had thought it would do no harm to return Arahad's kiss. But it had been a mistake… or not? She was definitely confused about what had happened. It had been a misjudgement because she realised that what she felt for him was true friendship mixed with gratitude. Yet she was also convinced that if it hadn't been for that kiss, along with the intense emotions that she had felt at the time, she wouldn't have seen the other face…

She caught her breath as she recalled that vivid image which was now imprinted in her mind. Stopping in her wandering path, she rested against a tree. Those clear blue eyes were breathtaking. They pierced hers and seemed to be able to look deep inside her soul and possess it completely. The gaze was stern, yet at the same time kind and loving.

She was confused by all the emotions caused by this single, heart-stopping moment. Who was this elf? Where was he? Will she be able to find him? She knew that answers to her questions will only be found in the kingdom of the elves and that is where she must head to if she wanted some kind of explanation.

"Star! Are you there?" That was Hamar's voice calling out from a distance. "Yes Hamar, I'm coming," and she ran nimbly in his direction.

"We were looking for you. Tor said that he had seen you walking towards the woods."

"Where's Arahad?" she asked. The question didn't betray the concern she was feeling. She knew perfectly well how that moment between them had left him. She understood that it was difficult for him. Arahad was a man with a great strength of character. It mustn't have been easy for him to show his emotions. He must have realised immediately that his feelings weren't reciprocated. He had excused himself as soon as it was over and she had not seen him since. She was worried that his attitude towards her might change now that he knew how she felt.

Yet she shouldn't have felt so concerned for, waiting for them at the gate stood Arahad grinning. She searched his face as soon as they approached for any sign of regret or resentment, but she saw none in those kind, dark eyes and, it was true, she felt relieved for she didn't know how she would have dealt with the situation if it had been otherwise. This was no orc, which she could kill with one swipe of her sword. Dealing with human emotions was much more difficult.

"There are some people we would like you to meet," he gently informed her, "they are waiting for us at Bard's house."

Her curiosity awakened, she wanted to know who they were but both Hamar and Arahad didn't give anything away and kept on teasing her all the way to Bard's dwelling.

Tor opened the door for them and they all went inside the big front room laughing at one of Hamar's jokes. Smiling, she saw that apart from Bard and Odell there were three others.

The first was a very old man dressed in grey, with a long beard and a strange pointed hat. The other two were elves. One was a she-elf with green eyes and long auburn hair. She wasn't wearing a dress like she herself had when they found her. They looked more like travelling clothes, similar yet with less detail than the other blond elf talking to Bard, was wearing.

Star took a step forward to greet them with a warm smile but just at that moment the blond elf turned round. The smile froze on her face as her eyes locked into his…those beautiful clear blue eyes of her vision!