Dear Readers,

It's been a while since I last updated and thought that it was well over due. Since receiving some reviews recently, I decided to whip something up. Hope you enjoy it!

Anariel RR

Dearest Book,

What follows is a faithful account of what occurred following the joining of Laerorn and Ninimmien…

When I finally came to, I saw only darkness. It was apparent by the bit of darkness that I wore some sort of cloth over my eyes. Yet again, I was damsel in distress, perpetually engaged in some sort of unpleasant encounter. The fetid stench of rotting made it clear to me that I was with either Orcs or Goblins. Whatever my attackers, they smelled horrid – worse than words can describe. It would be a paltry effort to attempt to do so.

Struggling a little in my bonds, I was able to quickly discern that I was bound by rope of all things. Since I was unarmed, there were no weapons for my attackers to have taken. However, I make it a habit of always carrying something on my person for such cases. The week before Ninimmien's wedding, she and I were embroiled in an argument regarding what footwear I would sport. She insisted on silken slippers and, of course, I was forced to acquiesce. I did not acquiesce without first making a couple alterations. One of them namely, a small compartment in which to hide a dagger. In the distance, I heard two voices engaged in conversation.

"Globûrz…" I heard one of the abductors mutter in the Dark Speech but he quickly switched over to Common Tongue. "I don't wants to eat a She-Elf. It smells…" He hissed. From the sounds of it, he was sulking.

"Too bad…I eats her then…you can eats nothing. I'ms is throquûrz…" The other one hissed.

"It's is too thin." The first one whined.

"Too bad…what…you wants a mans? If what we got is a She-Elf…we eats the She-Elf…" The other one added with finality. Finally I heard the two of them begin to attack each other or at least that's what I assumed.

"Lorz!" The complaining assailant screeched, his voice sounding more high-pitched than that of his "friend".

"I is stupid? You is…if I didn't haves to keeps you alive…I'd eats you." The other creature boomed in his baritone, clearly not taking anything from the other one. While hearing two creatures, assumedly Orcs or Goblins, fighting over who was to eat me, I felt an icy shiver down my spine. Whatever I had to do, I had to do it quick. Sitting there, I thought to myself, 'Come on Tauriel. You are not going to die here. Apply yourself. Think of a way when there is none…' That was when I scrambled, rearranging my body, which felt like it was slumped against some sort of rock, to more of a seated position. My legs were previously strewn out before me. Taking advantage of this situation, I felt around for my foot in a frantic frenzy, eventually locating my slipper. Cursing, I realized it was the slipper to the right foot when I needed the slipper to the left foot. I maneuvered as best as I could to bring the left foot towards my hands, which were still bound tightly as ever together. Much to my horror, when I felt for the slipper, I heard it skitter away downwards.

'Holy Stars…' I thought as I turned my body around, trying to feel for the slipper. The only thing I succeeded in doing was falling downwards, face first into what felt like dirt floor. In the background, I could hear the assailants battling each other. It now seemed like one was choking the other as I heard a great deal of choking sounds as well as a flurry of smacks and thwacks.

'Well it at least seems that they are having a good time…' I thought sarcastically. I moved my body around as best as I could despite the fact that my ankles were bound as well. Cursing again under my breath, I felt my hand and my stockinged feet around for the slipper but to no avail.

"I'mes will eats you…" The high-pitched assailant cried out, following by a loud THWACK! "You won't eats me!" One of them cried out in pain followed by some more "good-natured" choking. Finally I was able to grab hold of the slipper after rolling around in dirt for another few moments. When I had it by my feet, I kicked it up towards my hands and gripped it with my clumsy left hand. Opening the small compartment that I created, I thought to myself how lucky it was that I thought of such a thing. I could finally feel the sharp metal dagger, drawing it back to cut hastily at the rope binding my hands. At first it seemed like the rope would not budge but eventually it fell away and my hands were free. I wanted to sing with joy at this. Just as quickly, I removed the blindfold before cutting quickly at the rope on my ankles. Eventually, I was able to stand up and felt somewhat pained due to the fact that I was in that position for a few hours. When the moment of joy had passed, I nearly screeched in shock when I realized that I had fallen into a ditch full of skeletons and dirt. Odd bits of skulls and fragments of bones protruded from the ground. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and a wave of nausea swept over me quickly. I scrambled quickly to get out of the ditch and fortunately it was no problem. I began to sway a little but was able to maintain my strength, gnawing on my bottom lip.

All of a sudden, I felt warm hands clap quickly over my mouth. At that moment, I wanted to scream because it had already happened that night. How many times would I be a damsel in distress? Thinking quickly, I gripped the dagger and, clearly not thinking, I nicked my new assailant in the arm with a forward thrust.

"Tauriel… odulen an edraith anden…" Legolas's silky voice, akin to the soft breezes of spring after the harshness of a long winter, was a welcome relief. I then remembered with horror that I stabbed him in the arm then became ashen-faced at this. His hand dropped from my mouth. Immediately I spun around to face him and threw my arms around him quickly, embracing him warmly. Again, my regal protector, ernil nín, mellon nín saved me.

"You bleed…" I whispered, my eyes widening as I regarded his arm. "Díheno nin. Nínion an sereg dhîn." As I regarded his arm, I saw that some blood was beginning to stain his tunic sleeve but it seemed to have not affected him very much.

"Fear not, I am well." He gave me a reassuring smile as he caressed my cheek gently then allowed his hand to drop.

"Daro sí…" He ordered as he extracted his sword silently from its scabbard. Normally I would be one to obey Ernil nín but I was stubborn and I, too thirsted for blood.

"Antho magol enni…maetha ídhron." I declared hastily, eager to make myself heard before he made his way over to my two assailants. Regardless as to if he would take issue with my desire to take up a sword, I was stubborn and unrelenting. Legolas slid a second sword out of a scabbard on his left hip, offering it to me with a nod.

"Very well, apho nin." He whispered before raising a single finger to his lips. The two assailants turned out unsurprisingly to be two Orcs who were still stuck in the middle of this tussle. One was short and meaty, possessing a gray skin – reminiscent of the color of decaying flesh, whereas the second was taller but just as corpulent with a mop of gray hair on his head. They were both hideous looking, as Orcs often are. Prince Legolas led the pursuit, tiptoeing carefully, something we of Elvenkind are quite adept at doing. The Orcs did not at all detect that we were beside them. Legolas offered a smile as he dealt the first blow to the taller Orc, even when the two of them were still rolling around on the floor together. His strike managed to affect both of them, causing one to bleed whereas the other squealed like a piglet. I raised the sword and attacked as well, assuming an offensive stance. Between the two of us, the Orcs were dead within minutes. It was more like a slaughter than anything else but they were Orcs. We Elves of Taur-e-Ndaedelos are rather merciful when it comes to other beings but when Orcs are in the picture, we have the tendency to be less so.

As Legolas was disposing of the Orcs by, I felt drawn over to that ditch filled with bones. Again, I felt a ripple of fear. Placing my hands upon my hips, I peered once more into the ditch and looked at the poor, countless souls who lost their lives to the Orcs. From the looks of it, most of them were Human but several were Elves as well as Dwarves or at least Halflings, from the size of their bones. I hastened over to the fire and placed a stick within the blaze, waiting for it to enkindle before I returned to the ditch. I felt this immeasurable sadness for some reason but could not quite shake the feeling. I saw, all of a sudden, a sword that lay obscured by a good bit of dirt. I felt largely nauseous as I stood there. One would imagine that the years in the healing rooms would strengthen me to the ideas of bones and death, but if anything, I felt worse. I slowly, albeit reluctantly descended into the depths of the pit, careful to sidestep bones and skulls, almost stepping on a femur in the process. Reaching out for the sword, I gripped it and removed it from the pit. With horror, it finally dawned on me that this was my Father's own sword, the one he called "Dol-grithor."

"Ada…" I whispered, once again that little girl, the one who witnessed her parents die in the woods so many centuries ago. I stared for a long while at the pit but eventually, I passed out.

When I came to, it seemed that it was daylight, the early morning sun floating above the treetops as I moved from branch to branch. Blinking slowly, I realized that I myself was not moving but rather the person I was resting against was moving. Again it was Prince Legolas. I saw the silky silvery-gold of his hair, the elegant plait that wove his strands of hair together.

"Man…" I breathed quietly, blinking slowly. The birds chirped softly in a thicket above us as Legolas gripped the edge of a branch and propelled us upwards into a pine tree where we could be better obscured. He gently set me down against the trunk of the pine tree and linking his arm about my waist in case I suddenly felt. I still felt rather dizzy, as if I drank a bottle of strong Dorwinion wine.

"Ci fêl…" I uttered in a hollow voice, only staring out into space. A couple of the stars of the night had not yet retreated into the darkness of the night sky and I settled my gaze upon them. The sky was a soft rosy pink tinged with a deeper cranberry hue, reminding me of the autumnal colors. All around us, the trees so heavily laden with foliage were a sea ablaze with color. In the distance somewhere, I heard a squirrel chattering to others squirrels who offered other incomprehensible replies.

"Steady there…don't fall." His voice was gentle, just as gentle and intimate as his caresses. I leaned against him before I began to weep a little, tears streaming down my cheeks. He wrapped his arms around me, directing me to rest my head upon his shoulders.

"I recognize this sword, Tauriel. It belonged to your late father." He spoke once more, pausing for a moment to plant a kiss upon the crown of my head. "If I remember correctly, he called it Dol-grithor." His words only caused me to cry even harder, burying my face in his chest as he pulled me to him, his fingers working slowly through my hair.

"Yes…my Father fell captive to those Orcs, it seems." My voice became choked in my throat. I felt his chest heave as he held me tighter to him.

"Your Father was a brave man and died as such, Tauriel. He was one of greatest warriors that served Adar nín. A hunter unlike no other." My darling Legolas had said, as if he was giving an eulogy for my Father. I wept harder. To feel Legolas's hair brushing against my face, to hear his heart beating, and to smell the aroma of pine needles around us, it felt comforting. I felt like this was the life that I wanted to live. I could imagine no other life. At that moment, Galhanar meant nothing to me. He was an echo in the back of my mind, something with little if any power whatsoever. But, like all things, the moment had to end. We were due to return to the King's Hall because we had a week of hunting great spiders ahead of us. The King had charged us with the task and it was Prince Legolas who was to lead it all.

"Anthon 'ûr nîn angin…" I uttered the words that often hold so much meaning but this time I meant it with all of my being. Lifting my head to regard him, I spoke those sacred, binding words. Following that, I took his hand and placed it upon my heart.

"For you…and only for you…" I whispered, my own emerald eyes unable to break with his stunning gray eyes. The expression on his face became rather serious as he regarded me and he exhibited surprise at the intensity of my words. I was making a love vow to him.

"And I you…" He recited the words ceremoniously, placing my hand on his heart as he, too declared. "Anthon 'ûr nîn angin, n'uir." The last part caused my eyes to widen and I stared at him.

"But I am not worthy…I am only…" I breathed, my eyes still wide.

"I do not care…what you are…I love you, Tauriel. What you are has no bearing on me." He smiled warmly as he held me to him still. We stood there for quite some time in the tree together. Eventually, we made our way back to the King's Hall and we prepared for the Hunt.

Tauriel

Black Speech Translation:

Globûrz – Foolish/Filthy [Insult]

Lorz – Stupid

Throquûrz – Hungry

Sindarin Translation:

Antho magol enni – Give me a sword.

Anthon 'ûr nîn angina. – I give you my heart.

Ci fêl – Thank you.

Daro sí – Stay here

Díheno nin – Forgive me

Dol-grithor – Head Reaper

Ernil nín – My Prince

Maetha ídhron – I want to fight.

Man? – What?

Mellon nín – My friend

N'uir – For eternity

Nínion an sereg dhîn – I am so sorry that you are bleeding [Literally: I weep for your blood]

Odulen an edraith anden – I am here to save you.