Chapter 3

Author's Note: Sorry about the late update. I try to update daily but the weekend did not suit me to update. Read and Review please! I would love to hear what I could do to make this story even better!

Is he really proud of me? Legolas wondered. I didn't think he cared at all.

Thranduil had seen the elf standing in the back corner. Of course, it did not bother him at all that he was there. It was his plan. If Legolas was supposed to be at the meeting, he could hardly have talked about him the way he did without it looking staged. But Legolas was not supposed to be there, so he could say what he wanted. All Thranduil wondered was whether Legolas would show up to talk to him or not.

Legolas had not seen Mainor the rest of the day. In fact, he had never really seen Mainor at all. He had run into him in the halls at times, but he just assumed it was coincidence. Mainor was quite good at making himself scarce if he desired. He had already checked the kitchens, and had gone to sit in his chambers. He heard a knock on the door. Calling him in, Legolas knew exactly who he was. Mainor. He was not wrong.

"Hello, my prince, I am here to tell you that your father requests a meeting with you in his chambers when you find it convenient."

"Thank you sir." Legolas pretended this was new information.

Mainor nodded and exited the room. Legolas stood up and marched determinedly to his father's chambers. He reached the door and stood, waiting. Slowly, he reached his hand up to the door to knock, and just as slowly lowered it again. He could not do it. Not after all these years. He turned and left, sending a silent thanks to Varda that no one saw. Unfortunately for him, Tauriel saw. And on the other side of the room Mainor. And his father.

Thranduil was not surprised, though the rejection did not hurt any less. "Mainor, could you talk to him and find out why he doesn't want to speak to me."

"I would your majesty, but after the events of today, he would hardly trust me." Mainor had a fair point.

"Then ask Tauriel. You told me they talk a good deal." Thranduil suggested, receiving a nod from Mainor, who promised to go find her. Tauriel scooted away and pretended to look busy in the training center.

She did not have long to wait.

"Thought I'd find you here."

She turned and saw Mainor approaching. "I'm always here. What do you want."

"I need you, to talk to Legolas."

She tried her best to look confused, "Talk to him about what?"

He looked at her skeptically. "I have been tracking people for years. You know exactly what I mean. Don't worry, I won't tell the king you were there."

She let her head drop. "I'll ask him."

"Thank you." he gave her a cheeky grin and left the room.

Tauriel picked up her bow and went to work on archery. Shot after shot hit the center. She started to move around a little more, trying to find a challenge. Leaping over a log, she hit the middle. She did a somersault and fired mid air. It split the middle of her last arrow. Several more times she set up various obstacles.

Eventually she put down the bow and picked up her daggers. She fought an imaginary spider as she whirled around the room. A few barrels found that they were about half the size they had previously been. Suddenly her dagger met metal. She froze. The face of Legolas was staring at her with a strange smile.

"Why are you always here?" He asked.

She used her other dagger and made a motion to attack him. "Why aren't you?"

He put up another knife. They had a duel. "I have to oversee the kingdom. You know, make sure everything is working."

"So I am told." Tauriel spun out to come from a new angle.

Legolas was too quick. "Oh yeah, the meeting." He quickly realized what he had said. "Um yeah because I sort of snuck in."

Tauriel knew this, but just said, "So did you go to talk to your Father?"

He let his guard down for a moment. "No. I almost did, but then I turned around. I just couldn't talk to him. It has been a long time."

"How long, Tauriel inquired, putting her daggers down. Legolas followed suit.

"Maybe a decade or two." He didn't look like he regretted it at all.

Tauriel looked at him in shock. "That long?"

"Well yeah. He hasn't done anything in that time. I had to step in to help save the kingdom!"

Tauriel shook her head. "That was not the question."

Stepping back and spreading his arms, Legolas asked, "Then what was it?"

"I asked why you didn't talk to him today." Tauriel was beginning to feel frustrated.

Legolas was too, "I told you. It has been too long."

"That is a horrible reason." Tauriel was really risking herself by talking like this to the prince. But fortunately for her, the two were friends.

"Are we done here?" Legolas made it obvious that he would not tell her any more.

Tauriel nodded, "Yeah."

Legolas exited the room leaving Tauriel to practice archery again. She did so with a renewed intensity, trying to figure out what the relationship between the King and Price was. No one else in the kingdom was aware that the two had not spoken in over a decade. Most citizens believed that the two talked when they needed. The both lived in the royal hall. Very few elves were able to gain access there. Tauriel wondered if the two would ever speak again. Of course they will. They are family. But then she remembered that she had not spoken to her mother in a long time. As she let another arrow fly, she saw the food fight ensue. Bread was everywhere, often hitting precisely who it was made to hit. That was the night that did her in. However different the scenarios, the two still had the same problem. She would have to find a way to bring that up to Legolas. Until then she continued to hit the middle of the target every single time.

A/N: Yeah this one is a little shorter than most. Thanks to wasthatttoday for the review! Can I get some more? Pretty please?