Legolas and Tauriel: What I Did For Love

9: Trial

A/N: Sorry it's been a while since I updated (okay it wasn't really that long. Just two weeks or so). Anyway just wanted to say that if any injuries in this chapter or in any upcoming chapters are unrealistic, please let me know. Have fun reading this and don't try to kill me because of the way things turn out. ;) :D

[Legolas POV]

We were successful in clearing the spider's nest. I only lost one man and I was back home in three days.

After giving my report to my father, I ran to Tauriel's room. I knocked on the door but nobody answered. I figured she was probably outside or in the 2nd courtyard. Jogging, I headed to the courtyard. She wasn't there. If she was outside I had no chance of finding her until she came back.

Then it hit me. My father would have seen her up and about the day I left. Unless her trial had already taken place, she would be in the dungeon. I made my way to the stairs down to the lower levels. The dungeon being on the lowest level, I would have to go down several flights.

Just as I reached the bottom of the last flight, Neniel ran up to me.

"Legolas!" she cried.

That was one thing I liked about her. Besides Tauriel, she was just about the only person in Mirkwood that didn't call me 'my lord' or 'Prince Legolas'. She still was more reserved than Tauriel was but it was better than having her basically fall flat on her face in reverence every time I so much as looked at her.

"You need to get her out of there," said Neniel. "I've had guard duty in there for the past few days and I've talked to the other guards that took the other shifts in that area of the dungeon. None of us have seen anyone go into her cell since they put in it. She hasn't had food or water for days! I tried to get food to her but they wouldn't let me."

I didn't even answer but ran straight to the guard room. Elves could go for six days without water and a month without food but three days with neither left them extremely weak. I swiped a full set of keys off the sleeping guard and began checking the cells. After ten minutes of fruitless searching, I finally found her. Checking the number on the lock, I slipped the corresponding key into it and turned it. I flung the door open and rushed to her.

She lay on her side, sleeping, her hands tied behind her back.

"Legolas?" she whispered, sleepily.

"It's okay. I'm here," I said.

I pulled out my dagger and began to cut the ropes binding her hands. When she was free, I pulled her to me and hugged her fiercely.

"Are you okay?" I asked and began checking her over for any injuries.

"Stop it. I'm fine. Just starving. You don't happen to have any food do you?" She pushed me away and tried to stand.

"At least let me sit up," she said when I tried to push her back down.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. All they did was tie me up and drag me in here. They were rough but I didn't get hurt."

"I'm sorry this happened. I tried to get my father to pardon you while you were still in bed but he wouldn't." I touched her cheek gently.

"Wait a minute. You knew before you left?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She pushed my hand off her cheek.

"I didn't know what to do."

"Oh, so you decided to let me figure it out on my own when a bunch of soldiers show up at my door with orders to arrest me? You couldn't even say 'oh, by the way, Tauriel, you're being arrested for treason'?" Her eyes flashed.