Unspoken ( A Legolas Love Story )

10: An Elven Exile

The branches of the forest rustled, raspy and insistent in the chilly breeze. Nestled between the Misty Mountains to the West and Erebor to the East, the Greenwood was rarely without at least some slight breath of wind, yet these gentle giants needed no leaves to whisper. Always the trees spoke, even on the calmest of days. Their eves grew so long and slender toward the sky, that sunlight still had to struggle to reach the forest floor far below.

With a final glance over her shoulder back toward the Lonely Mountain, Tauriel reluctantly began the decent to the forest road. Ever since the Battle of Five Armies nearly a season ago, life had changed a great deal for her. However, Tauriel supposed that one could not rightfully call the life she led now one of exile.

Although Tauriel and King Thranduil had come to some measure of understanding, over the still-warm body of the young dwarf prince, Tauriel, like Legolas could not go back to the way things had been. Nor did Thranduil want her to, it seemed. Still, Tauriel had never seen her king as fragile as he had appeared in that moment, when he acknowledged the truth of what had existed between herself and Kili.

When Tauriel had moved to join the ranks of her kin, Thranduil had held up a hand to stop her. Shocked, she had felt her broken heart clench with anxiety. She was still banished then, despite all that happened between the king's first pronouncement and now. Not that the Silvan captain was not resourceful; she was sure she could eke out a life for herself somewhere. But as the memory of Kili lingered, Tauriel wondered if she had the heart to endure such an existence. Thranduil's face was once again its customary blank canvas. However, when he spoke, his words were strangely gentle.

"No, Tauriel, you will stay here. This day has seen the dominion of Smaug come to an end, and now two kingdoms shall once again rise in its place. Speak to Bard, or to Dain, whichever is willing to host you."

So, this was to be her fate, Tauriel thought bitterly to herself. She really was to be exiled from the only homeland she had ever known. Her green eyes staring into Thranduil's expressionless ice-blue, she nodded curtly and turned to go.

"I did not give you leave to go." Thranduil said sharply. When Tauriel hesitated, he continued. "Help in the rebuilding of the cities in whichever way seems most fitting. Watch all that goes on, and observe the two kings in all their doings. I will expect your report at the rise of the new spring moon, along with whatever tidings Dain or Bard may wish to send."

It was the briefest of movements, but Tauriel could have sworn she saw Thranduil's mouth quirk in the ghost of a smile. "I trust you are not averse to dealing with dwarves, Ambassador."

Tauriel's heart clenched as she thought of the dark haired son of Durin whose body was even now being borne down the side of Ravenhill by his kin into the stone chambers of Erebor. Turning back to Thranduil, she bowed.

"As you command, Aran-nin."

Watching the Woodland army leave was perhaps easier, knowing that she was not truly sundered from her people. Still it had been harder than Tauriel thought it would be.

That had been back in the early days of winter. Now small remnants of snow still lay in small patches on the lands surrounding the forest, but clumps of spring flowers were already peering through the hard earth. The new moon had begun to grow fat and round in the sky each night. For the first time in many months she was returning to her homeland, to the halls of the Elvenking. It would likely only be a temporary stay, but after weeks spent living amongst humans and dwarves, Tauriel was ready to walk among her own people again.

As she followed the familiar twists and turns of the forest road it seemed her heartbeat began to rise in her ears. For a brief moment Tauriel wondered what she would say if she were to see Legolas. Just as quickly she shook away the thought; the prince had gone, and likely would not be coming back in the near future. Still it seemed everywhere she looked, the Greenwood reminded her of moments spent on patrol along these very paths with Legolas. Tauriel knew well enough the nature of the feelings Legolas had harbored for her. After all, he had openly defied his father for her sake. Feeling a small, familiar weight in the breast pocket of her tunic, Tauriel laid her hand over the runestone that Kili had gifted her. She hoped that Legolas would find peace in his travels, that one day he might return as her friend.

Life was long, especially for an elf. Although Tauriel could not say beyond shade of doubt that she would never heal enough to love another; a pair of soulful brown eyes and the word Amrâlimê still haunted her dreams. Rounding a corner in the road, the gates of the Woodland Realm loomed tall before her. The trickling of the forest river under the bridge, the way the sun broke through the trees to illuminate the guards in their armor, it was all exactly as it had ever been. Swallowing the anxiety building inside of her, Tauriel crossed the bridge and passed through the awaiting doors. For better or for worse, she was home.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Aran-nin ~ My King

Amrâlimê ~ "Love of mine," or "My Love" in Khuzdul (a secret language only spoken among the dwarves)

A little diversion from the North ... are you interested in Tauriel's fate and what of the King...?  I would love to receive your comments and PLEASE vote on this chapter if you enjoyed it. Each vote and comment helps the wider circulation of my story, I really appreciate them!

DEDICATION TheGreenScholar  : This chapter pretty much it its entirety, belongs to  her, with a bit of cheeky editing by yours truly for my story purposes. Thank you for being so magnanimous to let me borrow it!