Light and Shadows (Thranduil's story post BOTFA)

Feast in the woods

Note: The poem used here belongs to Tolkien and the wood elves sang it when sending the wine barrels down the river.

Tauriel was changed out of her tunic and into a plain dress with a thick leather belt. She was wearing Thranduil's gifted bracelet on her left wrist and had her hair loose with a few small braids across it. She was not wearing any hair ornamentation and no tiara. She did not want to look too out of the ordinary especially since Legolas was there. She was not Queen and she wanted to keep some of her old identity and looks as she felt a large part of herself would have perished if she completely changed. Still, she was the King's consort, and seeing how many of the wood elves were now bowing their heads as she walked by was still something she had to get used to. Luckily, her brothers-in-arms were still talking to her, laughing with her and treating her as before and she was grateful for it. With them, she felt like the old captain of the guard, Tauriel, a little too impulsive and a little too reckless - she felt like herself. 

She found Legolas chatting with Feren near the throne halls. It was time to talk to him and she could no longer delay it. Legolas turned her head towards her and she gave him a little smile hoping it would hide her nervousness. Feren also looked at her for a few moments with a smile from the corner of his lips, then he told Legolas 'I will talk with you later, my lord'.  Clearly he knew how awkward this was for her, Tauriel thought, as she looked at him walking away. Now she was left only with Legolas standing a few feet away. He then walked towards her.

Legolas scanned her with a smile for only a couple of moments before saying:

'You look beautiful.'

His words were neither flattery nor flirtatious, they were honest in the way he spoke them yet Tauriel could not help but feel slightly flustered.

'Thank you.', she replied. 'I can see you have also changed.'

Legolas was indeed wearing now a velvet tunic, looking more elegant and noble than when he had arrived in his travel clothes. 

'I heard we're having a feast in the woods tonight. It is a good occasion to put on my old festive clothes.'

'It seems so long since we've both been at a feast under the moonlight. Almost a lifetime away.', she said, remembering the beautiful feasts in the forest even while there was darkness lurking within it.

The warm fires and elven chants always had the power to keep the darkness away. They used to place enchantments so that the giant spiders as well as no unwanted visitors in the forest would find them. The last such feast they held was when Thorin Oakenshield's company came into Mirkwood and interrupted their celebration. Of course, that was when she met Kili. She swallowed nervously trying to push those memories away.

'Yes, too long.', Legolas replied, looking around and then placing her gaze back on her. 'So much has changed.'

Tauriel looked at him a little confused, not knowing what to say. She opened her lips, thinking of where to direct the conversation but then Legolas started:

'So you and my father... Who would have thought?' 

So he knew everything, Tauriel thought to herself. Thranduil told him already, just as she had suspected. If not, he surely heard it from their old comrades. Her heart started beating faster as it was all finally out in the open. She smiled nervously, looking away, and replied:

'I certainly would not have. Not in my wildest dreams.'

'I doubt that very much.'

Tauriel turned her head towards him again, her lips slightly parted, and looked at him taken aback by his cheeky, sarcastic reply. Legolas was looking at her with a smirk.