A Shadow Unseen: A Hobbit Fanfiction

Prolouge

Tauriel tore her dagger from an orc's chest with all the strength she could summon. The feeling of warm, sticky blood on her hand sent shivers up her spine. Her dagger hit the ground with a loud thud, and she closed her eyes, trying to get the terrible sight out of her mind. She had not yet become comfortable with killing all of these orcs.

"Not used to it yet, are you?" , shouted a smooth voice from cross the clearing. It was Legolas. The Elven Prince flashed Tauriel a teasing look.

Tauriel rolled her eyes, feeling slightly annoyed. She knew that she wasn't the best at slaying orcs quite yet, but soon enough, she would be a mighty Silvan Warrior. Silvan Elves were often underestimated by the royal people of Mirkwood. Well, all the royal people of Middle-Earth seemed more like it.

Grabbing the orc by the collar, she dragged the ugly creature across the dusty ground. Leaves littered the forest floor, signifying that autumn would soon come. The air was crisp, and flocks of geese were flying south to vacation for the winter.

"What should we do with these mongrels?"

"Throw them over the edge," commanded Legolas, pointing to a rocky cliff.

Tauriel obeyed and trotted to the cliff with the orc still being dragged close behind her. Peering over the edge, Tauriel gasped as she saw a fast-flowing river thundering beneath the cliffside. She splayed the orc in front of her, staring at its lifeless eyes. She had wondered what his life was like. Was he really as evil as she thought? Did he deserve to live? No, she told herself. He had claimed the lives of many innocent people, he no longer deserved to breathe fresh air.

With a mighty shove she pushed the orc off the cliff, and watched him tumble into the rushing waters below. With a loud crack, the orc hit a jagged rock, and lingered there for a while. Moments later, the orc was washed away by an immense blue-green wave, never to be seen again.

"The deed is done," said Legolas. "Lets head home."

"What about the ones you killed?" Tauriel asked.

"I disposed of them, dont worry." Legolas crouched down and patted her on the shoulder, his blue eyes looking into her green ones. "They are at peace now," he whispered. He sat up and looked into the woods and past all of the trees. Legolas coaxed Tauriel to rise onto her feet, and she did so.

They walked side by side back to the palace. Tauriel looked at Legolas and a smile tugged at her lips. His blonde hair rested upon his shoulders, he was a silhouette against the sky.

Tauriel turned away, embarrased to look at him any longer. She had made a fool out of herself, and almost failed to kill the orc. Pity tugged at her hart as the image of the orc falling into the raging river flashed through her mind. She could not deny that she felt guilty. She should feel proud that she had slayed the creature, but that was not the case.

Tauriel noticed she was falling behing Legolas, and she quickended her pace. Her brown boots nipped at the firm forest floor as she sprang lightly after her good friend. Elves were known for being very aerodynamic and light on their feet. They spring from cliff side down do watery shores without beeing seen.

Tauriel and Legolas approached the gate to the palace. A narrow bridge crossed a blue stream, and trees of gold and scarlet lined the shore. The brindge was a sandy brown color that ended in front of a wooded palace. The entrance to the domain was sky blue, and cream-colored pillars entwined with carved tree branches and vines stood at each side of the door.

"Mae govannen mellon," Legolas greeted the gatekeepers as the let the pair into the palace. They nodded their masked heads in acknowledgment and returned to their duty.

Tauriel's heart skipped a beat as she gazed upon the great halls of the Woodland Realm. Though she had seen them many times, the sight still seemed new every day. High ceilings with great pillars and stone-tiled floors made up the palace. The stone on the ground was a marble black, grey and white. The great windows had stained glass, swirled together to make a magnificent masterpiece.

A beautiful winding staircase with intricately carved railings led to a landing when the king's throne resided. Tauriel began to spring lightly up the stair case, looking forward to speaking with the king. The king's name was Thranduil, the father of Legolas. Thranduil was a noble king, always putting his people first. Much like Legolas, he had a kind heart, but didn't always know how to show it the right way.

"Ah, Tauriel," he greeted her with a slight raise of his lips. "How was hunting?"

"Fine," she replied calmly.

"Where is Legolas?"

"He is in the wine cellar, he'll be here any moment."

"Lovely. Were you very succsessful today?"

"You could say that. I slayed four of those foul creatures."

"Not bad for such a young elf." Tauriel thought she heard him add 'Silvan Elf' under his breath.

Tauriel felt her face slowly turn a shade of pink. Feeling a bit warm, she sat down on a bench beside the king's throne. He sat with his staff in hand, legs crossed and his head held high. He wore a silver tunic with a matching silver cape that flowed behing him. His crown woven out of tree branches and with small berries and flowers scattered about it.

Tauriel jerked her head to the opposite side as she heard the light pattering of footsteps coming up the stairs. Legolas gazed into his father's eyes and nodded, nothing else. He eyed Tauriel and looked quickly back to his father.

"We have done what you asked of us," said Legolas "We killed all of the orcs we could find, and ridded them from our sight."

"Give me the details," replied Thranduil, his pupils dialating.

Legolas gulped, feeling slightly nervous. "We killed a total of... eight-teen."

Thranduil slouched in his throne after the word 'eight-teen' escaped his son's lips.

"Eight-teen. You found no more of them?"

"No, father. If we did, surely, we would have killed them."

The king nodded his head in understanding, and Legolas suppressed a sigh of relief. The prince's shoulders fell lower, and he turned his gaze to Tauriel.

"She helped. She killed four of the eight-teen."

"I know. I am proud."

Tauriel knew that was partly true. She knew that compared to all of the orcs other elves had slayed, that was just a spec among an entire universe. As long as she improved, the king was happy with her. She knew that she must train harder, and improve immensley if she wanted to become a real Silvan warrior, and some day she would reach her shining goal.

**Hey guys! This is my first ever fanfic that i have written/am writing and I'm super excited to share it with you. This prolouge takes place about 100 years before the actual storyline. I will begin writing chapter one very soon, and I look forward to sharing my story with you (I do not own the characters used in this story. This is a spin off of J. R. R. Tolkien's beautiful story of Middle-Earth that I have come to deeply admire) Please give feedback in the comments and thank you for reading**