I Ernil a i Hest - The Prince and the Captain

I aur ir i iell en taur non Hest

The day when the daughter of the forest was Captain

When Tauriel opened her eyes that morning, she had already been awake for what had felt like hours.

As soon as the sky she could see above her through a small opening in the rock of the King's Halls, had begun to lighten, announcing the imminent dawn, the red-haired elleth (she-elf) had no longer been able to sleep. As a child she would surely have gotten up and started walking up and down the room, read a book, or, if she felt particularly brave that night, she would have ventured to sneak into Legolas' rooms without being seen by the tirith (guards) and would have spent the night telling stories of past heroes with her mellon (friend).

However, she was no longer a little elfling and so she made an effort to stay in bed with her eyes closed at least until dawn. When the sun wished good morning to Ennor (Middle-earth), Tauriel could not resist any longer and threw the blanket to a side.

She got up and dressed in her favorite training uniform, then washed her face with fresh water. Before braiding her hair, Tauriel took a few moments to look in the mirror. Had she changed so much in recent years? Her face had definitely become more angular and her cheekbones more defined. Her formes had obviously rounded off, although she had to admit that she did not have much to present. She was probably pretty, but honestly not an outstanding beauty, she thought. But then she smiled, thinking that the other ellith (she-elves) could keep all their charm, she had other talents she was proud of, for example a good dose of skill with daggers or archery.

She finished her little braids and then took one last big breath. Today was the day. Today she would come of age. It was her first day as an adult.

In reality there was nothing in particular to do unless you were part of the nobility and therefore large feasts were held for the occasion. Usually it was celebrated in the family, but since Tauriel was an orphan there were no particular plans, but that did not make her sad.

She left her rooms and having gotten up early, she had time to enjoy a good breakfast calmly, without fear of arriving late for training. That was another thing that would have changed from that day on, once elves came of age there were no more scheduled trainings. Each gaud (warrior) was simply free to go to the training field and practice and as much as Tauriel had looked up to her instructor, she was happy enough not to have to follow his exhaustive training anymore.

When the red-haired elleth (she-elf) arrived at the field she noticed that she was not the only one to be an early riser. It was not very full, but there was already a good number of goed (warriors) training. Legolas was also among them, obviously as Ernil (Prince) he could very well have practiced in some private space reserved for the royal family, but her mellon (friend) preferred to be with the other elves.

In the training camp there were certain rules to be respected for the discipline even for adults, so Tauriel silently made her way to the armory. She was particularly in a good mood and so she decided that she would also have trained with the sword which was not really her favorite weapon. After that she went to Legolas and greeted him, formally bowing her head, since they were not alone. The Ernil (Prince) gave her a warm smile that expressed all his wishes, but he also remained silent. For joyful congratulations there would have been time later.

Tauriel felt a little insecure among adults, until the day before she had trained with her group and was now a little intimidated. Her mellon (friend) pointed to the sword she held in her hand: "Practice a little?", he proposed in a low voice. The elleth (she-elf) was grateful to distract herself from her doubts and nodded happily.