Legolas and Tauriel- Starlight

Legolas's Dream

Five months passed. Legolas had not yet returned to Mirkwood. Every day, Tauriel would wake and look out of the window, hoping, wishing that her husband would be riding out of the trees towards the palace. The children, of course, asked when he would come back almost every day.

Today was a day like every other since Legolas had left. Tauriel woke up, pushed aside the silken hangings and walked slowly towards the window. But suddenly, her heart began to beat faster. Was it her imagination, or was there something moving, weaving between the trees.
Could it possibly be him?
Was Legolas finally back?

The figure came suddenly out of the trees, and the early morning sunlight fell across it. It wasn't Legolas. It was a man. Tauriel did not recognize him. He had short, dark brown hair, and a deep gray cloak. His tunic was dark blue, and bore the emblem of a white tree and he rode a glossy black horse. This was a man of Minas Tirith, probably a messenger.

Tauriel opened her bedroom door and ran down the stairs. Perhaps this man was bringing news of Legolas! If so, she had to know immediately. She reached the great front doors in a matter of minutes, and ran out to meet the stranger. He dismounted and bowed low to her.

"Who are you?" Tauriel asked him.
"My name is Cohnal, my Lady. I bring a message from Minas Tirith" he replied.
"Who sent you?"
"The Lord Aragorn. He will shortly be crowned king. He sent me on behalf of Lord Legolas. I have a message for Lady Tauriel of Mirkwood, who I believe is Lord Legolas's wife"

"A message from Legolas? For me?" Tauriel whispered.
"Yes. You are Lady Tauriel, then?" Replied Cohnal.
" I am. Follow me, I will take you to king Thranduil. He will want to hear this message too"

They walked along the corridor to the throne room, Cohnal looking around with wonder. Tauriel guessed that he had never been inside a dwelling place of elves before. They stopped outside the great wooden doors. Tauriel knocked, and Thranduil's voice answered:
"Enter"

Tauriel opened the doors and bowed her head respectfully.
"Tauriel? What is it?" Asked Thranduil.
"A message from Minas Tirith" Tauriel answered.
Thranduil turned to look at Cohnal, who bowed and said:
"I was sent by your son, Legolas, my Lord. He bade me tell you that the king of Gondor has returned, and has invited yourself, Lady Tauriel and Legolas's daughters to his coronation"

"The king has returned?" Thranduil looked very surprised.
"Can we go? Please!" Tauriel begged. She was desperate to see her husband again, and she also loved the idea of going to Gondor, as she had hardly ever been outside Mirkwood before.
Thranduil considered her for a moment.
"Yes, I suppose we can go. I do wish to meet with Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and to see the great city of Minas Tirith"

"Really? That's great!" Cried Tauriel.
"The children will be so excited!"
She ran out of the door and up the stairs to her daughters' bedroom. Mylaela looked up from the book she was reading as her mother burst into the room. Lilith was sitting on the rug, brushing her doll's hair.

"Hello ammê" said Mylaela "we saw a strange man ride out of the trees on a black horse, didn't we, Lilith? And he didn't look much like an elf, did he?"
Lilith nodded.
"He was a messenger from Minas Tirith!" Tauriel told them.
"I knew it! He was a mortal man! I told you, Lilith! Can we go and see him?" Mylaela looked very excited. They had never seen any other race before, having never left Mirkwood.

"You can, but I have something to tell you first" replied Tauriel. "He brought us a message from Lord Aragorn, who will shortly become king. Legolas is in Minas Tirith, and we are all invited to Lord Aragorn's coronation!"
For a moment, they both looked stunned.

"Yeyyyyy!" Was the first reaction. It came from Lilith. She had heard story of the great kingdom of Gondor, and had always longed to see other races and other lands. Mylaela looked a little unsure, but still excited.
"Will the palace be ok, with Thranduil gone?" She asked.
Tauriel laughed.
"Don't worry, sweetie, the Guard can protect Mirkwood without him."

A long way from Mirkwood, Legolas stood at the citadel wall. He gazed over the Pelennor fields, towards the horizon. Though it had been several days since they had finished their quest, he was still taking in the importance of what they had done. They had saved the whole of middle earth! It had been hard, and terrifying at times, but now everything was going perfectly. Except one thing. Tauriel had not yet arrived, and though he knew that Mirkwood was many hundreds of miles from Gondor, and it would take at least a week to get there, Legolas was worried.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, and found himself looking at Aragorn.
"Hello, my friend" Legolas greeted him.
"You are worried for your wife?" Aragorn asked him.
Legolas nodded, then sighed.
"I don't know why I'm worried. I only sent the message a few days ago. It will be at least a week before they arrive" he said.
Aragorn looked at him thoughtfully.
"Tell me about her again. Tell me of all the things you did in Mirkwood. Tell me about the battle of five armies!" He said.
Legolas stared at him.
"It will take your mind off things, trust me" Aragorn told him.

Later that evening, Legolas lay awake in his bed, his hands folded across his chest, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts were, once again, on his family. Every day since he left, he had missed them so much that it hurt like physical pain. More so, In fact, as he rarely got hurt at all. He gradually fell asleep, imagining that he was back in Mirkwood, Tauriel lying beside him, his daughters asleep in their bedroom nextdoor.

He found himself standing in darkness.
"Legolas?"
A voice was calling to him.
"Legolas?"
It called again, soft and slightly musical.
"Tauriel?" He murmured. It certainly sounded female.
"Legolas!" It called once more, slightly louder.

"Tauriel? Is that you?" He called back. Now he was walking towards were he thought the voice was coming from.
Suddenly, he saw a woman, tall, slim and beautiful. She had white blonde hair, like him and his father. In fact, she looked a little like him too. Her eyes were the same bright ice blue. They were also full of tears.

Was this... Could she possibly be...?
"Ammê?" He whispered.
She nodded, smiling at him.
"My little Greenleaf" she murmured.
"Ammê... I've never seen you before... I could never remember you! I'm so happy!" He said, smiling too, despite the tears now leaking from his own eyes. His mother walked forward and hugged his tightly. He held onto her, not wanting to ever let her go.

"I'm so proud of you, little Greenleaf. Because of you and the company, Sauron is gone, and he will never return" she whispered.
"I wish I could have saved you too, ammê. I wish I could have known you" he replied.
She laughed softly, and stroked his hair.
"It's not your fault. You were only very young when it happened. You couldn't have done anything"
But she was beginning to fade.
"Ammê! No don't go! Please!" He begged, tears running down his cheeks.
"I have to go. I love you, little Greenleaf"
"Please don't leave me" he repeated.
"I have never left you. I am always with you. Goodbye, little Greenleaf. I love you"