Playing with Fire [Legolas/Tauriel]

2: Will you be my teacher?

Chapter 2

They finished the watch together, chatting mildly in the forest and occasionally teasing. It had been this way for many years. Their friendship stretched back to over 600 years ago.

Legolas had met Tauriel when his father had been fighting the great dragons of the North. They met, or rather crashed into each other in the hallway near Legolas's bedroom, whilst Tauriel was following her mother, a healing Silvan elf.

[Flashback]

Tauriel bounded after her mother, her auburn hair flying behind her like a kite. She was going to see the queen! She was going to see a real healing! She-

"Oomph!" Her thin body collided with a blonde elfling, and they both fell to the ground.

"Tauriel!" Her mother looked horrified. "Apologize to Prince Legolas at once."

She stood up, dusting herself off, and then took a better look at her victim. Prince? The elf looked down at her with startling ice blue eyes, much like his father, King Thranduil. His white blonde hair was down; it reached his waist. A quiver of arrows was slung across his shoulders and he held an engraved bow in one arm. A large blue-green bruise throbbed at his neck. He didn't look frightened or hurt, Tauriel observed, just amused.

"My apologies, your Highness," she bowed deeply, just as her mother had taught her to.

The young prince smiled gently. "It's no problem, really. I was just on my way to archery practice." He turned to Feya. "Are you on your way to my mother?"

"Yes, your Highness." Tauriel's mother showed him a vial of herbs. "These are to help her sleep."

Prince Legolas's eyes softened, as if a burden had suddenly been lifted from his tiny shoulders. "Thank you, Lady Feya. My father will be so grateful." He started down the hallway, and waved goodbye. "Well, I really ought to be heading to practice. Nice to meet you, Miss Tauriel."

He sounded so kind, Tauriel couldn't help but wave after him. Her mother nudged her with her leg.

"Be more careful next time, Tauriel. Prince Legolas has been injured recently, and is not in a state to be bumped into by lowly elves like us."

"Yes, mother." So that explains the bruise on his neck.

Tauriel had not seen the queen that day. Her mother had made her wait outside. But she did not forget the prince, and the next day...

"Miss Tauriel." Legolas had the same amused look in his blue eyes as he greeted her. They were outside his bedroom door.

"Erm, hello, your Highness." She started to bow, but Legolas took her by the shoulders and shook his head.

"No," he said. "Just Legolas, please. And no need to bow."

Tauriel took a step back. "But I am lower than you! I am a Silvan elf, and you-"

"In archery, there is no such thing as a High Elf, a Sindarin elf, or a Silvan elf. There is only the bow, the arrow, and the target." He watched her reactions carefully, and smiled when her mouth dropped open.

"But-"

"That's what you want, isn't that right? To learn archery from me?"

"Yes, but..." Tauriel frowned. "How did you know?"

"I saw that you were staring at my bow and quiver with a fascination. And not a fascination of someone who has already seen it before, but rather with a curiosity of an elf who has never used a bow and arrow in her life." He spoke matter-of-factly, like this was common knowledge.