The Lost Hope

Chapter VI

Tauriel's pov

By the time me and Thranduil were done talking, it was time for dinner.

I followed Thranduil's orders to follow him. Not wanting to disappoint him, I became his little shadow as he led me to the dining room.

I was beyond shocked at the size of the dining hall. There were almost endless amounts of tables, about half of the clustered with elves. There are some elves walking back and forth, bringing food and setting them down on the table.

My stomach growls with the presence of food flowing into my senses. My excitement continues to grow as Thranduil leads me to a seat at the table know guess he always sits at. Chandria sits next to me, and I realize she must've followed us here. She looks at me and smiles.

"Marisa is way far from Tauriel." She says.

I chuckle. "I was just getting used to accepting the name Marisa, now I have to deal with being called Tauriel."

Chandria laughs. "Well... I like Tauriel much better than Marisa."

I smile back. "Thank you."

We sit in silence as Thranduil stands up. Most elves finish their conversations then look at Thranduil in patience. He scans the room as it continues to get quieter. When it was silent, he finally speaks in a loud, crisp tone of voice.

"As many of you have heard, we have been in conflict with orcs in midst of the Mirkwood forest. I am here to say that we are increasing the guard as well as receiving foreign troops from Rivendell."

Whispers erupt in the room. The I don't hear many complaints, but I felt like that was all there was.

"We are looking for people to join the guard. Those who are willing to join, you can talk to the leaders: Serion, Nedieth, or Chandria." I see the three elves stand up, before sitting down. "That is all." Thranduil concludes.

The chatting returns as Chandria looks to me. "So fun to have to do that." She says sarcastically.

I smile. "I would find myself feeling the same way."

She nods before turning to her food. We sit a little before a question forms in my mind.

"What does it take to be in the guard?" I ask Chandria, who coughs before answering.

"You just got here and already want to give your time to the guard?"

I nod. "I apparently used to be a part of it, according to Thranduil, so I don't see a point in not going back into it."

Chandria smiles. "Well okay then." She pauses, trying to collect her thoughts. "There is a little bit of training you have to do, then... you can just join." She shrugs her shoulders. "It isn't that hard."

I nod. "Okay. When does the training start?"