Legolas and Tauriel: What I Did For Love

11: I'm going

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've done anything. I've been SUPER busy. Anyway, this one's kinda short but I hope you like it!

[Tauriel POV]

I glanced upwards, wishing I could see through the canopy of trees above me. It smelled like rain and I wanted to see the sky. I heard the low rumble of thunder. It wasn't loud but it announced the arrival of a storm. Something I did not want.

Then I shrugged. There was little I could do about it. And the rain would wash away my tracks, making it virtually impossible for Legolas to trail me. And I had no doubt he would. My letter would do nothing.

I felt bad for leaving the necklace but there was little I could do. I couldn't keep it. Not under the circumstances. Legolas deserved better than that.

So the rain would be a blessing in disguise. Even at my best, I couldn't hope to evade Legolas. He was the best tracker in Mirkwood and there were many, very skilled trackers there. But the rain would take care of that. He couldn't trail me if the was no trail to follow.

Of course, he might decide to try to intercept me on the road since he knew the direction I was heading. But I was not following the road so that wouldn't be a problem. However, he could very easily guess where I was going. There were very few places I could go and, given the direction I was heading, the most logical place was Rivendell.

I crossed my fingers, then laughed at myself. I didn't believe in such superstitions. But I still hoped he wouldn't find me. He might think I was going to the Havens. Or even north. There was a small city and outpost in the northern reaches of the Mist Mountains. Only the elves and the Dunedain knew of it. Had I not had my brother to go to, that's where I would have gone. Maybe, just maybe, Legolas would think I'd gone there.

Plink! A drop of water landed on my nose. And another on my hand. Hurriedly, I raised the cowl on my cloak and made sure my pack and saddle bags were sealed properly. I certainly didn't want my belongings wet.

Soon the rain was coming down in torrents, making it difficult to see. My cloak became nothing more than a soggy garment. But, I reasoned, it would be a lot worse without it.

Just before dark, the rain let up to a steady drizzle. I searched for a spot to stay the night. I wanted it hidden, just in case Legolas happened to be in the area and the rain hadn't thrown him off. It didn't take long to find a place and, to my utter relief, the rain stopped completely.

I curled up inside a tangle of bushes, covering myself with a thick wool blanket. I didn't need to hobble my horse. Annun would stay near me. She was trained that way.

I jerked awake. How long had I been asleep? There was little light but there was just enough to tell me that it was just after dawn. But that wasn't what had awoken me. Something else had. But what? Was it a noise? A feeling?

The firelight flickered gently through the screen of briars. Wait, firelight? I hadn't lit a fire.

Carefully, making almost no noise, I eased out of my blankets and curled my fingers around the hilt of one of my daggers. I crawled on my stomach out of the thorn bushes, inching along, making virtually no sound.

As soon as my head was clear of the bushes I searched for the fire. I could see it only about three meters away from my bushes. Annun snorted and my eyes flickered toward my horse. Then I froze.

There were two horses. Annun and one other. I knew that horse anywhere. My heart sank.

No!

[Legolas POV]

I added another stick of wood to my armload and headed back to the campsite I had made. I had already gathered some wood but only enough to start the fire. After the rain, however, it was difficult to find wood that was dry enough to light. I was able to find just enough for the morning fire but that was it. I'd wanted a fire last night but the rain prevented it.

I emerged into the small clearing where I had built my fire. After depositing my armload of wood off to the side, I busied himself with preparing a breakfast. With a small cooking knife, I chopped up four potatoes. I placed a small iron pan over the coals near the outside edge of the fire and placed the potatoes inside. I stirred them around a bit with a stick and then added a little water and covered them with the lid of the pan.

I wanted fresh meat but there was no time to hunt so I had to content myself with dried strips of venison.

There was a slight crackling noise behind me. As if someone had broken a twig underfoot. The hair on the back of my neck prickled. I was just about to stand up and go for my knives when someone spoke.

"Go home."

I stood up and turned around to face her. "You know I can't."

"Yes, you can. You can get up on your horse and go home, where you belong." Tauriel clenched one of her knives in her hand and she was holding it so tight her knuckles had turned white.

I smiled at her. "You know, they say 'Home is where the heart is'. And my heart's not there anymore."

She simply stared at me. "You need to leave."

I wasn't backing down this easily. "No." I crossed my arms.

Tauriel stepped closer and looked me in the eyes. The pain in hers made me flinch. "Why did you follow me?"

"You know why."

She looked away. "No, I don't."

I smirked. "Yes, you do.  And there are two other reasons as well." She looked at me again, this time, confused.

I held up a finger. "One, I never let a lady travel unescorted." She snorted at the 'lady' part but I went on, holding up a second finger. "Two, you left this behind. I needed to return it to you."

I pulled the necklace out of my tunic. The look in her eyes when she saw it was almost unbearable. There was so much pain.

"I--I can't keep that, Legolas. I told you." Her voice quivered.

"You said you had no right, but that's not true. So, there is no reason why you shouldn't keep it."

"Legolas--," she started. But I stopped her by placing a finger on her lips.

"Hush. Don't talk like that." I fastened the necklace around her neck.

"I didn't even say anything yet," she protested.

"I know what you were gonna say. Legolas, I can't ask you to leave your home for me. "

Tauriel's mouth snapped shut. That was exactly what she was going to say.

"I don't care if I'm leaving my home, Tauriel," I went on. "You mean more to me than any of that."

She looked at the ground. For a long time, she just stood there. I waited silently. Better to let her think about it first. But, no matter what she said, I was going with her.