I Will Always Come Back

Chapter 14

I sat there, crying my eyes out, for what seemed like an eternity. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, I had kissed Tauriel, the one I loved. She was gone. She was dead. I couldn't believe it. Tauriel, a seasoned fighter, captain of the guard, had finally been killed.

I cried until my sobbed turned to gasps, and from gasps to nothing at all, just tears streaming down my face. Then, when I thought I couldn't stand it any longer, I felt a delicate hand places on my shoulder. I looked up, my tear stained face shining in the sunset. I saw Míreth, standing over me, the tears in her eyes spilling down her face. I stood up, grabbing her hand with one of mine and wiping the tears from her face with the other. I dried my tears, then pulled her close to me.

We stood there for seemingly forever, when the sun had finally set. Then, we heard the voice of Gandalf. "We should rest for the night," he said.

"We can't just leave her here," I said, my voice hoarse. I was too stubborn. I wouldn't leave Tauriel.

Sighing, he said, "How about we bury her?" I nodded my head silently after thinking for a few seconds, not trusting my voice. I collected some rocks and positioned them around Tauriel, careful not to let any drop on her. Then, I took out a small dagger, and scratched the worlds, 'Here lies Tauriel, a great fighter and a wonderful elleth.' Then, I stepped back, admiring my work.

"Thank you, Gandalf," I said, my voice a little stronger. Then,I put my arm around Míreth, who had started crying again. Then, as I gazed at the grave we made, I started crying again, too. I pulled her closer, both knowing she needed the comfort, as did I. We stayed like that for a few minutes more. We finally ran out of tears, and sat by the fire Gandalf had created. I dint want to eat. I didn't want to sleep. I wanted to see Tauriel. But I knew that wouldn't happen. Instead, I laid my blanket down and lay upon it.

I barely noticed Míreth lying beside me, silent tears spilling down her face as she laid down her blankets. I pulled her near for a moment, then gently kissed her forehead. That seemed to cheer her up a bit, so I rolled back to my side of the bed and tried to fall asleep. Eventually, I heard the soft snores of Míreth sleeping beside me. I felt as she rolled over, and was laying pressed up against me. I felt the heat of her body, and finally drifted to sleep.

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I woke to the sound and smell of the crackling campfire and Míreth nudging me gently. I got up slowly and kissed Míreth on the forehead. I saw her smile and blush, and then she turned away. I looked around at the scenery around me, as it was so beautiful to wake up in these planes. Then, I saw the bodies of the dead Orcs and Wargs, and Tauriel's grave. Tauriel's grave. All of a sudden, the events of the night before rushed into my head all at once, and I staggered back. Quickly regaining my composure, I smiled sadly at Míreth.

I went to sit by the campfire. It was starting to get cold. Autumn was going to arrive any day now. I stared into the fire, then started as I felt Míreth lay her head on my shoulder beside me. I didn't realize she was there. I leaned my head over hers, and placed an arm around her shoulder.

"I can't believe she's gone," came Míreth's almost inaudible whisper.

"Me neither," I replied, equally as quiet. As I felt her sadness, I squeezed her shoulders gently, reassuring her. She looked up at me as I lifted my head, a small smile on her face. I smiled back. Then, I stood up and walked to Tauriel's grave, kneeling beside it and mourning for a few moments. I heard Míreth walk over and do the same, her head bowed low, her beautiful golden hair tumbling in front of her. I whispered to Tauriel's grave, "Goodbye."

"We should get going soon," I told Míreth, who snapped back to the real world. I saw the sadness in her face as we stood up, and I ran over to her, holding her in my arms. She buried her face in my chest and started sobbing. I held her tighter, burying my face in her hair. I had started crying, too.

"I can't believe she's gone," she sobbed, "I can't believe she's gone!" I can't believe she's gone. That summed up what I was thinking, too.

"It's alright. She's in the Halls of Mandos now," I said, my voice hoarse from crying, even though I had tried to make it as calming as I could. I held her tightly until both of us had stopped crying. Then, I felt a feeling come over me. As if I wanted to kiss her. No, I thought, it would be an insult to Tauriel's memory. I let go, and mumbled something about wanting to pack up. I stuffed my blankets into my bag, not even bothering to fold them. Then, I ate a bite of Lembas bread. Only two more for each of us. I passed the bread to Gandalf, who passed it to Míreth, who passed it to me. I wrapped it in its leaf packaging, then put it in my bag. Then, we set off again.

I walked on, my heart heavy as we left Tauriel's grave. I thought about her the whole time I walked. She was so funny, and I had fallen so deeply in love with her. I missed her with all my heart, even though another was trying to take it. The offer was tempting, but I knew I couldn't take it. We were too close to Rivendell, and it would be an insult to Tauriel's memory.

"Legolas?" Míreth questioned, waving a hand in front of my face. I started, blinking as my thoughts returned to the real world.

"Yes?" I said, "I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts."

"Look," she said, pointing toward something in the distance. A man would not have been able to see it. Luckily, my Elven eyes did. There was a city. An Elven city, with white pillars and fall trees. Rivendell. It was so beautiful. I gaped at it in awe. Míreth laughed at me. I probably looked so stupid. I felt the urge to either strangle her and laugh along with her. Thinking the other one wouldn't be a good idea, I chose the latter.

I laughed out loud, not paying attention to anything else other than Míreth. Actually, I didn't even watch where I was going, and tripped on a rock that was jutting out. I fell flat on my face, and just lay there in shock for a second. Elves don't usually fall. In fact, that was one of the first times I had fallen that wasn't due to injury. After a moment, though, I started laughing hysterically. I thought Míreth would think I had gone mad, but she just laughed along with me. We laughed for a few more moments until our sides hurt. Then, I stood up, clutching my side. "We should probably get going. Gandalf's waiting," I said, "Sorry to ruin the fun."

Nodding, we started walking again, this time our hands clasped together. I thought about wether liking Míreth would dishonor Tauriel's memory, then realized it wouldn't. We never were in any serious relationship, and we weren't official, anyways. I looked at Míreth for a second, then looked back to the sunset. Rivendell was so close. I couldn't wait to get there. Then, nothing would matter until we had to leave again.

Gandalf called a stop for the night. I said I'd keep watch tonight. I wanted to see if the stars were different here. And I wanted to see if I could talk to Míreth. Gandalf started a fire, and I pulled out my blankets to sit on. Gandalf went straight to bed, but Míreth sat beside me. "The stars are so beautiful here," I said, gazing at the sky.

"Yes, they are," she said, but I realized she was looking at me when she said it. I looked over to her. Her hair was reflecting the firelight again, making it look light starlight. She looked beautiful. She started leaning forward.

I wasn't ready yet. "You should go to sleep. We have a long day of walking tomorrow." Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Míreth looked hurt, but recovered quickly.

"Alright," she said, "See you in the morning. Goodnight." She walked over to where she had laid out her blankets.

"Goodnight," I told her. I was so insensitive. Why? We were so close to Rivendell. Our goal. Why was I starting to get into an even worse mood?

Oh well. I guess I'll make it up to Míreth in the morning.