After watching as long as possible her impossible love ride away, Tauriel turned away. So she took sadly the way to the tent, where Bethril was waiting for her. They kept healing the injured, until a red sun rised behind the mountain.
All the injured had been evacuated, but it remained the deads in the plain. It was a long task. They had to carry them, to burry them, one after one. The elves could not respect their funeral rites for so many people, so they just buried their friend in a fetal position.
They will never forget those who gave their life for them. Those who gave their life for their freedom. For the freedom of all the Middle-Earth. They will stay for ever in their heart, to lead them in their life until they join the Caves of Mandos too.
'' Goodbye, my friend.''
Tauriel put her sword near Merilin, before she stepped back. The elf in front of her began to throw dirt on her body. The red-hair elf did not cry. Because she will never cry again. She will do it for Merilin, for all the people who died that day. Yes, she will be strong.
She left the place that had been chosen to burry the deads and headed to the little headland with the big oak, nearby. She watched the sun rised and rised again in the blue sky for a long time. All the creatures had disappeared, magically. The celestial body shining in the skies was giving hope to the survivors. So, yes, she will come back to Mirkwood, and she will be captain, like once.
**********
Tauriel finally arrived where she wanted to. From there, she could see everything. Absolutely everything. She could see, in front of her, the lake. And, at her left, the lonely mountain. Behind her, she knew it without seeing it, there was the Anduin. After, came the misty mountains, then Rivendell, the house of lord Elrond. Then, it was the Shire of the little hobbits.
She had climbed many trees to stand there, but she succeeded. Indeed, she loved to be under the trees, but sometimes, she needed to be really free. Just the skies above her head.
Soon, she will have to come back to the ground and take back her post, but for the moment, she was profiteering. Spiders had decreased in number and became more discreet, so she could stay there and admire the vue for a few more minutes.
Everybody had been surprised after their first attack when they returned from the battle of the five armies. But the beasts were yet there. So, their enemy had not yet disappeared. He was waiting, in the shadow, for the good moment. The elves knew he was still there.
The battle of the five armies had just stopped for a while the spiders attacks. But they were still alive after all.
Tauriel breathed deeply one last time before she began her way back to the ground. She looked away from the mountain to be more concentrated on where she was walking, on the branches of the big tree.
She will have to hurry if she wanted to arrive before the gates get close. Since the battle, they were closed every night. Thranduil allowed her to come back and he forgave her, but he will not allow her to make a slip-up. Not a second one.
**********
Legolas encouraged his horse to walk in the high grass by a calf pressure. The animal obeyed and advanced faster, watching carefully where he was walking.
They were both in the big plains of the north of the Middle-Earth, looking for the rangers, as his father asked him to, after the battle. Until then, he had no troubles, except the fact that he was ill-equipped. He could easily make a detour by Rivendell, where lord Elrond would have welcomed him, but he did not want to. He wanted to be alone for a while. Until he will find the rangers, of course.
He did not know a lot of things about them. Lord Elrond twins, Elladan and Elrohir, talked to him about them, without giving many details. The two brothers used to spend few months with the rangers in the north. The other months, they stayed at Rivendell, or they traveled all around the Middle-Earth.
It had been few weeks since he had left his people. He, cowardly, ran off from the battle field. And he was ashamed. He had failed to answer to his actions. He had turned his back, abandoning his people. In particular one person.
He could not look her in the eye and tell her what he was feeling. Even a dwarf had this courage. The elf grimaced in distaste at that thought. Or, maybe it was something else ? Him, great prince of Mirkwood, could he be jealous ? He immediately frowned and tried to think about something else. Something else that a beautiful she-elf with fire hair.
The distraction he was waiting for came : steps noises, in front of him, under the trees. He chose to get down of the horse, because he had not his bow anymore, so it will be easier for him to fight. He slowly took his sword. Then, carefully, he came closer from the noise, as quietly as possible.
'' Show yourself '', he ordered, coldly.
Steps noises were heard again and he could see a man shape, a few meters from there.
'' I mean you no harm'', the stranger said, in elvish, to his great surprise.
'' Who are you ? '' he asked him.
''I am one of the rangers'' answered the foreigner.
His surprise became much bigger. Undoubtedly, he was lucky !
'' Maybe you could help me. I am looking for a ranger called Strider. ''
The man came out of the forest and entered into the light. Legolas could see him, now. He was as tall as the blond elf, he had blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was around twenty years, no more. He was wearing grey clothes.
'' You are lucky, stranger. I am the one called Strider'', he told him , smiling.
**********
'' Crack ! ''
Tauriel immediately turned when she heard this noise. Discreet, yes, but perfectly identifiable. Her arrow arrived precisely where she wanted to, between the beast's eyes.
A second one came from her left, which quickly collapsed, an arrow in its throat. Then, came another one, with many others.
The spiders collapsed one after one. Helped by Bethril and his guards, it did not take a lot of time to Tauriel to kill them all. Spiders were more discreet, indeed, but they were, still there.
When they entered the palace, the red-hair elf immediately ordered to the guards to close the gates, king's command. Then, she headed to the throne room. She had to report to the king. He carefully listened to her, until the end, walking dynamically where they were standing. Now, Thranduil seemed to know that there was a threat on them. The battle showed him the truth. The battle showed the truth to all of them.
After she met the king, Tauriel went to the training area. She thought to that day she surprised Merilin at the same place she was now standing. She smiled sadly while her arrow pierced the target's heart.
The days passed slowly, monotonous. Each day was the same that the day before.
Yet, Tauriel was at home, in Mirkwood. What did she want ? She was captain, with friends. Thranduil forgave her, she was not banish anymore. So, why was she not happy, apart from all the losses she had suffered ?
**********
The fire was dancing as it rose to the stars on the dark night. They were talking, laughing, singing. Everybody had got together to share the warmth of a good meal in this cold night of winter.
Legolas accepted the little bowl that Elladan was handing him. They had killed a deer, this morning. Aragorn boiled it. The ranger he had met few months ago had told him his real name. He told him his origins too : he was Isildur's descendant. He was the pretender to the throne of the Gondor.
Elrond's twins had joined this principal camp of the north rangers few days before. They had been surprised when they saw Legolas, but they had quickly jumped for joy.
Legolas told them what happened during the battle of the five armies. Elladan and Elrohir had carefully listened, too shocked to speak. The battle had come so suddenly that their father could not do anything to help Thranduil. They had seen during their journey to the north the survivors running off, running off as far as possible.
After his story, they lay down near the fire, to enjoy its warmth. Legolas preferred to leave them and headed to a little hill he used to stand the night, these last months. To the southwest, he could see the green meadows of the Shire, land of the hobbits. To the southeast, there was Rivendell. And then, a little bit more to the east, he could see the high shape of the misty mountains. And, behind those mountains, there was Mirkwood. He missed the beautiful, great and big Greenwood of once. But it was not the only thing, or person he missed. He missed her. Unfortunately, he had not the courage to come back to Mirkwood. Not yet.
He was so concentrated that he heard belatedly the steps in his back. The young ranger put his hand on his shoulder.
''You look thoughtful, my friend'' he told him.
''I think to my life behind those mountains. The life I left that day '', he explained.
''You had without doubts a good raison to leave. Your homeland is not far, you could come when you will want to. Go to bed, I take first watch. I will wake you later''.
Legolas nodded in his direction, looked away from the beautiful landscape to walk to the little makeshift camp, like the other nights before. At the moment he lay down, near the twins of the lord of Rivendell, his mind left him to go dreaming in the forest of Mirkwood, with a red-hair elf he missed so much.
**********
Years had passed since the battle, and so the depart of Legolas. She missed him so much. Every day, Tauriel hoped that he will enter the palace, smiling. But that day had not arrived yet.
Tauriel loved that day moment, dawn. Even with the big trees, sun's rays were illuminating the forest ground, in yellow, orange, or pink. Leading the morning patrol was a satisfaction for her.
There was no noise in the forest. The guards in her back were calm and were looking carefully where they were walking.
Soon, she heard steps noise in front of her. Her heart immediately beat faster. She came closer, quietly.
Her hopes collapsed when she heard swear words in the common language of the Middle-Earth. The red-hair elf frowned and asked to the guards to hide behind trees, so the stranger could not run off. She noticed, surprised, that there were not just the two noises of a step, but three. She heard a new swear word.
She came closer one more time, while she was taking an arrow in her quiver. Then she bent her bow, and, she put away a tree branch that was hiding the foreigner. She could see him, now.
An old man was standing there, with his back to her, wearing grey clothes and a pointy hat. He had a wizard staff in his right hand. The stranger was Mithrandir himself. The wizard was trying to make his horse move, his left hand on the reins, without success. Tauriel smiled briefly before calling his name, whispering, to not afraid him.
''Mithrandir ? ''
The old wizard immediately turned and he relaxed when he recognized her. A smile lightened his face.
''Tauriel ! Good. Good, good'' he said.
She smiled too, and she ordered to the guards to show themselves. The wizard was so concentrate that he had not heard the elves.
''I am here to talk with your king. I need to have a conversation with Thranduilʼʼ, he said mysteriously.
The red-hair elf nodded in his direction and began to lead him to her king's palace, surprised. Thranduil did not tell her he was waiting for Gandalf, so it was an unexpected visit. What did the wizard want to talk to the elves king about?