The Lost Hope

Chapter XXVIII

Tauriel pov

I wake up, thinking about the adventure I am about to go on.

I turn over to look at the window. The sun's rays shining through the curtains gave me a good sense of time.

It was almost afternoon.

I spring to life, rapidly throwing my adventure clothes on. I run over to the closet and grab the bag I prepared yesterday. I strap that and my bow and quiver onto my back, rushing out the door. I was halfway down the hall before pausing.

I forgot my hairbrush.

I hurry back and grab it, quickly shoving it into my bag and running out the room, again.

I make it to the castle entrance, happy to see only a few elves from the group gathered together. I saw the three messenger elves, and I couldn't remember any of their names for the life of me. I also noticed Elgund, an elf I often got paired with for guard when orc activity increased. Seeing him made me cringe a little.

He was a shorter elf, with brown hair running down to his mid-back. He always joked when I was around, but many other elves say that he is quiet. I knew he had fallen in love with me, and I didn't feel the same way.

"Tauriel, I was excited when I heard you were coming too."

I sigh quietly, walking over to him. "Hi Elgund."

"I was thinking how nice it will be to fight side by side on this trip. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

I roll my eyes. "So much fun." I say sarcastically.

He doesn't catch it, and instead continues. "I can't believe this is happening! A trip to one of the ancient war-scenes with the Prince of Mirkwood and the most beautiful elf in all the land."

I dismiss the compliment, already growing annoyed with him. "Remember Elgund, this is an important mission, not a date in the forest. I am on this mission to aid Legolas and nothing else." I say, turning away from him. I was mentally begging that he would get the hint and leave me alone.

I didn't have any luck, for he circles me and stops in front of me. "Come on Tauriel, we can have fun while on this trip. Think of it this way, the trees would be shedding off small rays of sun, hitting perfectly on your hair. We would ride horses and feel the air hitting our faces."

He continues to talk, but I choose to ignore him. I was looking back at the castle doors, wondering where the rest of the party was. I was specifically searching for Chandra or Legolas.

"Elgund, leave the poor girl alone." A female elf walks up to us. She also had brown hair, more wavy than most elves. She was taller than Elgund, and around the same height as me.

Elgund sighs in defeat. "Why Valanorn? We were just having fun."

Valanorn smacks him over the head, surprising me. He backs off, glaring at her.

"What was that for?" He asks, irritated by her hostility.

"If a girl looks away from you, you don't continue to annoy her." Valanorn scolds. She turns to me and waves. "Sorry about my brother's attitude. The name is Valanorn." She holds her hand out for a shake.

I shake her hand, grateful for her intervention. "My name is Tauriel."

"Nice to meet you. I am guessing from your appearance here at this hour that you are part  of the group accompanying Prince Legolas to Gundabad."

I nod. She looks at her brother, who had folded his arms in frustration. "I was called along with my brother. I believe the two of us are charged to protect the company, correct?"

"Yes." Elgund replies. "Tauriel has the same role as us."

Valanorn nods, looking back at me. "I guess we will be speaking more often on this trip."

"I believe so." I say as I see Chandra exit the castle with Cindor, Legolas, and Thranduil trailing behind.

The two elves noticed that my attention was diverted, and they both looked at the descending group.

"Time to gather up." Valanorn says, walking over to the messenger elves that were starting to gather around Thranduil. I walk over, Elgund following behind me.

We reach the group and Thranduil begins to speak.

"I believe everyone is here." Thranduil speaks in Elvish. "You were all briefed yesterday about your journey. Now your journey will begin." He waves over to the horse stables. "Everyone will get their own horse, if any of you already have a horse, you may use that one. Please keep in mind your task, don't get distracted from your main goal. You are to return once you have finished your task in Gundabad."

All of the elves nod in understanding. Thranduil then continues. "Then let the journey begin, and good luck."

I walk over to Chandra, who wasn't as excited as she normally was. She did greet me with a smile and wave. "You ready for the adventure?" I ask her.

"You know I am." She continues to smile, walking with me over to the stables. "Are you ready to travel far away from Mirkwood?"

I shrug. "I am not so sure. Part of me is excited, but I also have a fear of the dangers lurking out there."

"You have the right to be slightly afraid." Chandra says. "I am honestly hoping to not run into many fights. I know most of our group are skilled fighters, but I don't think it would be good to increase the chance of Legolas fighting."

I nod, agreeing with her. "That is Elgund's and my main concern."

Chandra chuckles as we reach her horse. Her horse was a light tan with black hooves and hair. He happily greeted Chandra with a head tilt.

"I am not excited for him to be on this trip, for your sake." Chandra says. "However, he will probably make a fool of himself to try and impress you."

I smile, thinking about the time he nearly fell of the wall trying to balance on the edge. He has almost shot himself in the foot once, and he has also done more things to embarrass himself. Despite that I didn't like him. He was too careless. He reflected more of a little kid, instead of the grown elf he supposedly was.

Plus, he didn't make my heart flutter like Legolas did.

"Are you going to grab your horse?" Chandra asks, drawing my attention away from my thoughts.

"I probably should." I reply, heading over to my horse. Mine was a brown horse, white spots running along it's body. His hair was white. As I approach him, I rub my hand on his nose. "How are you Argo?" I ask, smiling at him. "You ready for an adventure?"

The horse seemed to perk up when I said adventure. I walk into the stall, grabbing the saddle and placing it onto Argo. I then strap some bags onto the saddle, filling them with food for the horse. I then strap the bridle onto his head, and was pleased to be ready. I lead my horse out of the stables, joining the group of elves gathered at our original location.

The last two messenger elves joined the group shortly after me. Legolas scans the group, nodding when he realized everyone was ready. He hopped onto his horse, which was a pure white horse, and looks back at Thranduil. I had a hard time reading the emotions on Thranduil's face. He seemed his normal self, but I was guessing that he was pained to see his son go.

Legolas's voice carries through the fairly quiet area. "Are we ready?"

Most of the elves cheered, which I always thought was bizarre. I always pictured elves as quiet, not cheering loudly. I mount my horse, and the other elves do likewise. When we were all mounted, Legolas turns his horse towards the gates that led to the forest. He then galloped towards the forest, the rest of us trailing behind him.