The Odyssey of the daughter of the forest

Chapter 6 : Unexpected Meetings

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.

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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.

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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.