Legolas and Tauriel: What I Did For Love

28: Heartbreak

[Tauriel POV]

The days following my talk with Thranduil were a mix of joy and sadness. Sadness, because Legolas seemed never to change, only to continue, the ever present fever keeping his face flushed and disturbing his sleep. Joy, because during the long hours spent by his son's bedside, I got to know Thranduil better than I had since I was very young.

He told me of the crushing guilt he felt after Legolas and I had left. He even told me the true reason he banished me. Not because he hated me or my rank, but because he thought he was saving his son from a life of pain.

"Now, I see that I was wrong," he said. "I caused him far more pain than you ever could have."

I tried to comfort him, saying that he never meant to be cruel, but he knew better, and I suppose I did too. The motives did not excuse the actions. But I could not find it in my heart to tell him that Legolas had never forgiven him. It was hard enough for him to bear without that added to his burden.

But there was one person whom I had yet to confront, and I knew I could not put it off much longer. He would surely have heard by now. However, he half-solved the problem by finding me in the hall one afternoon.

"Tauriel," he called, striding towards me.

I held up a hand. "Taurwe, before you say anything, I want you to know that he asked me not to say a word about his being the prince."

"You should have told me! I'm your brother! And it makes all the difference in the world."

I crossed my arms. "I hope you're not such a prig as that. Whether he's a prince or the dishwasher in the kitchens shouldn't make a bit of difference."

"That's not what I meant. A prince wouldn't just marry a girl he didn't actually care about unless she was pretty or cause she had money--"

"I don't have money."

"--If you had told me, I wouldn't have been so wary of him."

"And downright rude?"

"I wasn't rude."

I sighed. "You were. But, Taurwe, I am sorry for not telling you, but I couldn't without breaking my word."

"I suppose it doesn't matter now."

I looked down. "No."

He shifted from one foot to the other. "Any news?"

"Nothing. He's just the same as always."

And he was until the next morning. Thranduil had taken the night watch and when I entered to take my turn, his fever was so low, I could hardly tell it was there. Elrond examined him later that day.

"Tauriel," he said, smiling. "I do believe he's going to recover."

I put a hand over my mouth to keep from squealing aloud but later, as soon as Thranduil entered the room, I threw myself on him.

"He's gonna be okay!" I shouted.

He said nothing but hugged me tight and moved to his son's bedside.

By nightfall, the fever was gone. Legolas' sleep was peaceful, now. There was no tossing and turning and no muttering. But I was concerned when he didn't wake immediately. The remembrance of what Elrond had said, "there may be lingering after-effects," loitered in my mind.

What would they be?

The uneasiness grew in my mind until early the next morning, just as the sun streamed through the windows, while both Thranduil and I sat with him. He stirred, I gasped, Thranduil clutched at his son's hand. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open.

"Ada," he whispered.

Eagerly, I leaned forward, but he did not see me, at first.

"Where am I?" he asked. His voice was very faint, hardly more than a whisper.

"Rivendell," answered Thranduil, stroking Legolas's hand.

He tried to sit up. "There were orcs. The people..."

"They're fine. The orcs are gone." Thranduil gently pushed him back down.

He glanced down at me. "Who is she?"

Thranduil frowned. "That's Tauriel."

"Tauriel? Who?"

The worm of doubt that had been gnawing on my heart ever since the fever broke began to surface.

"You know Tauriel," answered Thranduil. He glanced at me in alarm.

Even more puzzled than his father, Legolas shook his head. "No. No, I don't. Is she a nurse?"

The air left my lungs as the horrible truth hit me with a force that nearly knocked me down. The horrible side effects Elrond had spoken of. Amnesia.

Legolas had completely and utterly forgotten me.

[A/N:] Surprise, surprise!!!!!!!!!!! *evil laughing*   

I bet you weren't expecting that!

It was part sad and part fun to write. Let me know what you guys think of this new turn of events in the comments!