Work Text:
[TA 2942]
The wind was cold and wet that night and all the Eldar of Greenwood had long sensed that something powerful and dark was creeping between the trees of the woods, making their shadows long and dark.
Giant spiders, descendants of Ungoliant, were no longer monsters of horror stories, but an almost daily recurrence that unleashed terror and concern in the hearts of the Wood Elves.
The Aran (King) had opened the doors of his great Halls, who needed it could find refuge there, without having to give anything in return. And many did so, gradually emptying the forest.
Inside the King's Halls one could almost forget the horror outside, had it not been for the constant noise of the gates being opened to send patrols outside and the growing worried look on Aran (King) Thranduil’s face.
He felt a great deal of responsibility towards his people and suffered from their worried faces. To improve the atmosphere, feasts open to everyone were often organized, during which everyone brought a dish to share and the Aran (King) provided the wine and music.
At those parties Ernil (Prince) Legolas felt closer to the people than he ever had. Even though it wasn't his duty, he went out with the Royal Guard almost every day, and almost every day they encountered large creatures, daughters of Ungoliant or even orc packs. He could only imagine the constant terror of the families who had lived out there and understood the concern of his adar (father).
That evening he had arrived at the Halls tired after the patrol, but after a quick refreshment he still wanted to join the people in the great Hall of Feasts to calm his mind and heart.
He did not want to eat, but he took a cup of wine that a servant offered on a tray. He noted that many drank at will, the wine was free and beyond that clouded the mind and made one forget fears and worries. Legolas had always been cautious enough with liquors, but that cold and wet evening he felt just like everyone else: he wanted for a few hours not to have to think about anything but the sweet taste of the wine and the music.
His Adar (father) also drank cup after cup of wine, but he had always drunk a lot after the death of his Rîs (Queen) and was infinitely better at disguising drunkenness, as well as his tolerance was definitely higher than that of Legolas.
The room began to spin slightly and the Ernil (Prince) saw a lock of long red hair towards one of the exits. He thus decided it was time to retire, before he could no longer maintain a decent and appropriate behavior for a prince.
He moved towards the exit where he had seen the red lock disappear. He felt like he was walking on clouds, it was definitely time to leave the hall.
Tauriel was going down the stairs when he called her and she turned a little too fast for the amount of wine she had consumed. She made a false step and lost her balance, Legolas ran towards her to catch her as fast as the alcohol let him. He only managed to grab her waist badly and so they both nearly fell. Eventually they found themselves half slumped on top of each other in the middle of the stairs, at least the goblet of wine that Tauriel held in her hand hadn’t been spilled. They chuckled softly.
"You are particularly graceful tonight, mellon nin (my friend).", she laughed. He pushed her playfully: "Is this how the damsel in distress I just heroically tried to save thanks me?" The red-haired elleth (she-elf) let out a false offended gasp: "Oh, shut up you! You're way too drunk to talk.", she giggled.
Holding on to each other, they stood up. "True", Legolas admitted. "Drunk and tired.", then he hurried to add: "Not tired enough to sleep though. I would like to spend some time with you, would you like to go somewhere to chat? ". "How about the library?" she said and picked up her goblet of wine.
The King’s Halls had a rich library and some volumes even came from the ancient Doriath. During the day it was frequented by all kinds of people, from songwriters to healers, from studious young elves to anyone looking for a book. At night, however, it was dark and silent, but it maintained the sense of welcome it emanated even during the hours of daylight.
Legolas and Tauriel had often gone there as elflings to study or read a book about the valiant exploits of the Valar or ancient heroes together. It remained a loved place for the two, full of good memories even if now they almost never found time to go there. Their days were spent on patrols and talking about how to better protect the borders.
Legolas took a candlestick that was in the corridor and so they entered the library together, enveloping themselves in the warm light of the candles.
Towards the end of the long room there were some couches and rugs where people could read in peace and it was there that the two elves headed. But rather than sitting down on the cream-colored couch in front of them, Tauriel placed her cup of wine on the floor and let herself fall on the large carpet, pulling the Ernil (Prince) with her. They lay like that for a while, side by side, looking at the ceiling and feeling the effect of the alcohol.
After a while the elleth (she-elf) sat up and took a few sips of her wine. "I thought you were drunk enough already." Legolas teased her and turned sideways towards her. She shrugged: "I am, so I see no reason not to enjoy a little more of this delicious wine, since I'm anything but sober by now.", she said and he chuckled. Then he reached out and stole the cup from her hands to drink some wine. He really was too drunk.
"You know, you actually really saved me before. More or less. Because if you had not saved me, someone would have had to go and save Tarlangwe from my fury." Tauriel said with a half smile. Legolas frowned: "What do you mean?" he asked her. She made an annoyed sound, "Ugh, he has been hanging on to me for a while and talks to me in such a ridiculously sugary way that he makes me sick. Tonight I managed to escape just in time before he asked me to dance. ".
A hint of jealousy made its way into the heart of the Ernil (Prince): "He did not bother you, I hope" he told her. She gave a mocking laugh: "Do not worry, he is afraid that if he gets too close to me, he will get too close to my daggers as well.". They laughed together, but Legolas told himself that he would keep an eye on Tarlangwe anyway. He was one of the tirith (guards), brown-haired and always ready for action and perhaps a little bold, but otherwise he hadn’t noticed him that much.
Meanwhile, Tauriel fought with a lock of her hair that had gotten stuck in a button on the dress on her back. "These clothes!" she complained tugging at her hair with an annoyed expression.
It was strange to see Tauriel in a dress, she wore them exclusively for feasts and so she wasn't used to it. The tugs she gave to her hair were getting a little too frustrated though, so he stopped her hand, "It is all right. Leave it to me." Gently and careful not to pull her hair, he took it off her button and smoothed it between her fingers. Tauriel sighed.
"Is it really only Tarlangwe that is bothering you?" he asked, continuing to twirl the lock of her hair in his fingers. The elleth (she-elf) pursed her lips lightly and dropped her head on Legolas' lap: "It is just that ... all these feasts and the wine ... they serve to forget what is going on out there for a while, but every day when we go to patrol I see the shadow grow and I wish I could do more to help the people. ". She sighed: "Ah, I know it sounds incredibly foolish and it is probably just the wine that makes me talk like this, but ...".
As she spoke Legolas had started to braid the lock he was holding in his hand and then he slipped it behind her ear. Her face was wrinkled with anguish, but she was still beautiful. He strokes her hair: "I feel the same way, but we do what we can.".
She lifted herself up a little and hugged him: " Hannon le, mellon nin (thank you, my friend), for always trying to put me in a good mood." she whispered in his ear. Legolas pulled her close and stroked her back and her hair: "Thank you for doing the same thing for me." he answered her.
For a while they stayed like that: sitting and embracing each other on a candlelit carpet wrapped in night. His heart was beating fast, he could feel hers too and her lips in the hollow of his neck. He kissed her fiery hair, then hid his face in it and inhaled her sweet scent. By the Valar, how much he would have liked to swap places with Tarlangwe! He had noticed that his adar (father) was keeping an eye on him and wished that as Ernil (Prince) of the Greenwood he would start thinking of a future wife of adequate rank. But the elleth (she-elf) he held in his arms was already occupying his heart and in his mind was her flaming hair.
"Who knows ..." Legolas murmured after a while, "Maybe you will go down in history as the valiant Hest en Tirith (Captain of the Guard) who saves the Greenwood and ends up in one of these books." he said because he did not want her to be so worried.
She lifted her head, but they were still so close. "You should stop talking, you are really way too drunk." she said again. He looked at her into her big green eyes, then his gaze fell to her full, half-open lips and then her eyes again. Tauriel did not move.
"I really should stop talking." he whispered. Then he kissed her.
In the first few seconds he was almost sure she would pull away, but she did not move. Her peachy lips tasted of sweet wine and they were soft on his. They got completely lost. There was only them, the taste of wine on their lips and all the problems in the world seemed to weigh nothing.
He realized that he loved her and that knowledge scared him so much that he broke away from her and I looked at her sure to find regret on her face, but they were too drunk and she kissed him again and he pulled her close, savoring her lips.
They could never have talked about what happened that night.
The first rays of sunlight tickled his face, Legolas sat up. He was in the library on a carpet, he realized slightly bewildered; he had really drunk too much last night.
Then suddenly the awareness of what had happened came so quickly it was like a slap in the face. The Ernil (Prince) leapt to his feet and automatically looked frantically around, Tauriel was gone.
Legolas put his head in his hands, had it just been a dream? On the one hand he hoped it was so, on the other the taste of the elleth’s (she-self) lips on his seemed all too real. He groaned.
He had been lucky, it was just dawn and the King's Halls were still empty and silent. He did not even want to imagine his adar’s (father) face if he were found by someone asleep in the library.
He had less than half an hour before he and the Tirith Arn (Royal Guard) were due to go out on patrol and he was still wearing his feast clothes. He was relieved that the only person he met was one of the Palace Guards at the entrance to the library, but they were used to maintaining the confidentiality of the members of the royal house.
Arriving at his rooms he quickly changed and rebraided his hair, which he had to do twice as the image of him and Tauriel huddling in darkness was fixed in his mind all the time. Since she was the Hest en Tirith (Captain of the Guard) he would have seen her in a few moments and he could only pray to the Valar that it was truly a dream or that the alcohol had made her forget everything.
He took his long daggers, bow and quiver and walked out of his quarters to the gate with his heart pounding.
He arrived at the gates with his heart beating so hard that it seemed to him to be back on the day he first went out with the Royal Guard.
He saw her. Tauriel was talking to Rovalneth, a young raven-haired elleth (she-elf) who had recently become a tirith (guard). She was young, about the same age as the Hest en Tirith (Captain of the Guard) and they got along very well. Whatever doubts Rovalneth had, Tauriel was ready to answer and supported her in any way she could.
As Ernil (Prince) he could have simply interrupted the conversation and demanded greetings, but he was almost relieved not to have been noticed immediately by the elleth (she-elf), so that he did not have to face her gaze right away.
Tauriel immediately sensed when Legolas arrived and wondered if her cheeks were blushing or if only she could feel how hot they were, her heart was pounding.
What had happened last night, the sweet kisses they had stolen from each other, how they hugged in the candlelight ... she wished it all would be swallowed up in the dark as they had been in the library.
Finally he could not wait any longer without making his attitude seem too strange and out of place for a prince, so he walked over to Tauriel and greeted her, hoping his voice would sound as it did every morning. She turned around and for a moment he feared the worst, but she just answered him with a smile like every day. Then the rest of the Guard also greeted their Ernil (Prince) respectfully and their Captain explained the details of the patrol to them.
Legolas was relieved, but at the same time he had no idea if the wine had completely erased the memories of the previous night from the red-haired elleth (she-elf), or if she, too, like him, just pretended so.
They left the gates behind them and crossed the bridge over the Enchanted River, slowly moving away from the protection of the King's Halls. As always, the Prince and the Captain walked side by side at the head of the group.
Everything was as usual, but Tauriel could feel the Tirith’s (guards) gaze on them, especially Tarlangwë's. She knew that she and Legolas were talked about when they weren't there to hear them, always with respectful tones, but some wondered why the Ernil (Prince) and the Hest (Captain) were so close. For now she had not paid any attention to those murmurs; she and her mellon (friend) had grown up together, they had supported each other in any situation, it was obvious that they were close. Thinking about what had happened the previous night, however, she was a little more worried about those tales circulating about them.
She returned to reality and forced herself to let go of those thoughts and focus on the patrol.
As they moved through the thickening forest, the shadows of the trees lengthened and the air became heavy and humid. If the previous night had been wet and cold, that late summer day was hot and muggy.
The eldar (elves) clearly sensed that something evil haunted the woods that had once been their home and looked around suspiciously, hands ready on the pommels of their swords with their quivers full of arrows ready to be fired.
Legolas and Tauriel stopped suddenly; a thin silky thread was stretched before their faces. The Tirith Arn (Royal Guard) continued to advance among the tall trees, where the vegetation became more dense and full of brambles. It was as they had feared: a nest of spiders.
As they looked around, however, they noticed something strange: scattered on the ground were carcasses of spiders and the nest itself seemed deserted.
" Man hídant si ? (What happened here?)" Tauriel murmured with a frown. " Im sinnin ú . (I do not know)". Legolas was also on the alert, there was something grotesque in those carcasses scattered on the ground.
The group split up to better control the area and have a better view over the surroundings. Tauriel, as it was her duty as Hest (Captain), stayed with the Ernil (Prince) and together they checked among the scrub and the intertwined branches. "Do you think the creatures killed each other? It never happened before." she said. He too was perplexed: "I do not think it went like that, there is something wrong here.".
The attack was sudden.
Tauriel reacted quickly, as her years and years of training had taught her: "Orc ambush!" she screamed, firing her first arrow and instinctively putting herself back to back with Legolas. Both were among the best warriors in the Woodland Realm, but they had never seen such a large pack of orcs within their borders.
Then there was a scream. "Rovalneth!" the red-haired elleth (she-elf) recognized the voice. Also the Ernil (Prince) had heard: " Tolo ! (Come!)" He told her. Together they fought their way to the source of the scream as quickly as possible. Not quick enough though.
Legolas flashed an arrow that pierced the skull of the orc that overlooked the young tirith (guard), but in vain.
Rovalneth lay surrounded by orc bodies in a pool of her own blood, her sword still in her hand and a frightened look on her face masked by the valor of a warrior fighting for her homeland.
Tauriel was immediately beside her, heedless of her blood soaking her clothes and hands. She let out a sound full of anger and frustration: "No ..." she sighed: " Manan ? (Why?)" she then raised her embittered voice.
Especially in recent years, the Ernil (Prince) had seen far too many elves die, but he was nevertheless deeply troubled by the sight of Rovalneth that a few seconds earlier had still been alive and well.
The red-haired elleth (she-elf) stroked her young friend's whitening face and closed her eyelids. Legolas was sure she was desperate and close to tears, but she still remained in her place as Hest en Tirith (Captain of the Guard) and stood up with dignity.
He was by her side quickly and helping her to keep her role, he put a hand on his heart followed by all the others: " Hiro est hîdh ab 'wannath . (May she find peace after death)" he whispered and so the others did too.
Bringing back their fallen companion was painful beyond imaginable for the group of Tirith (Guards) who returned to the King's Halls with downcast eyes and hearts full of sadness and anguish.
Tauriel walked fast in front of the others, with an absent look and empty mind, she didn't have to think about anything, she told himself, only about the report she would have had to make to the Aran (King) in a few moments. If she got sentimental at that moment, she would not be able to do it; there would be time for a few tears later.
Legolas walked beside her with his brow furrowed with concern and occasionally glanced at the elleth (she-elf) beside him, he knew that she and Rovalneth had become quite good friends lately and could only imagine how Tauriel was feeling. The back of his hand casually brushed hers and without realizing she came a little closer, so that from time to time their fingers brushed.
As soon as they walked through the gates, everyone knew that something had happened and so Legolas called some healers as quickly as possible to have the young woman's body removed from the sight of bystanders.
Their watch was not over yet, but Tauriel took responsibility and dismissed all of her Guards so that they could retire and calm their troubled hearts at least a little.
Usually she and Legolas would part there at the entrance after patrols and she would go to Aran (King) Thranduil to do her report, but that day the Prince did not move: "I will go with you." he said and without another word they headed for the Throne Room.
Thranduil was not seated on the throne, he had descended the steps and was now in the center of the Throne Hall, standing straight showing his full stature and with a troubled face. He knew that something bad had happened even before his ion (son) and Tauriel entered the Hall with eyes dark with pain and hands stained by blood .
"What happened?" he immediately asked. He knew the news was going to be bad, it made no sense to delay it any further.
The Hest (the captain) bowed his head: "There was a victim on our patrol, Aran nin (my king)", she said. Thranduil sighed, lowering his eyelids slightly, as a king he felt responsible for protecting his people and every loss weighed on him: “ I ? (Who?) ”, he asked.
Tauriel swallowed as if her throat was dry, so Legolas hurried to speak: "Rovalneth, the young elleth (she-elf) who joined the Tirith Arn (Royal Guard) three moons ago. Adar (father) ... we. .. I have never seen such a large pack of orcs in our borders. ".
The Aran (King) understood his son's frustration and it hurt his heart to hear of a young woman losing her life so early.
" Aran nin (my King), the attack was planned. We found a nest, but the spiders had already been slain, the attack was sudden, we were all divided to control the area." Tauriel said, finding her voice again.
" Naman laew ? (How many)", the King asked again. His son shrugged: "Twenty for sure, if not thirty.".
Thranduil nodded: "Thanks for the report. Go freshen up and try to rest for a while. I will take care of informing the family and organizing the funeral.", he said in a troubled voice. Tauriel hesitated: " Hir nin (my Lord), maybe I should speak directly with the family, after all it is the Captain's job to take care of its Guards.".
The King knew all too well the sense of guilt that the red-haired elleth (she-elf) felt, but remained adamant: "No Tauriel, for today you have done all you could. Rest, you need it."
The Ernil (Prince) and the Hest (Captain) walked out of the Throne Hall silently and avoiding the gaze of those they met and who asked with eager looks what had happened.
When they reached the corridor leading to the south wing, where the royal quarters of the Prince were and where they should have separated, they stopped. Legolas could see the elleth 's (she-elf) red eyes filled with unshed tears and he too felt his heavy heart. They exchanged a hug, she resting her forehead on his shoulder and he resting his chin on her head.
Rest was unthinkable. Tauriel had quickly undressed and washed the dust and sweat off her with cold water, then she lay on her bed with her fiery hair loose and scattered around her head on the sheets.
She had seen various eldar (elves) die in her life; first her odhryn (her parents), of which she sometimes still heard her screams in her darkest dreams. The life of the firstborn of Iluvatar was eternal, which meant that every death was violent and as a warrior and then Captain she had been prepared to relate to those topics. With Rovalneth it was different though, in recent times they had almost become friends, the young elleth (she-elf) was quite skilled, worked hard and always wanted to give her best, yet Tauriel had not been able to bring her safely back to the King's Halls. She knew that she had done nothing wrong and that she had acted correctly as any good Hest (Capitain) would have done, but she could not help but be desperate.
In her room, far away and not visible to everyone else, she allowed herself to shed the tears she had been holding back until that moment. Many years had passed since the last time he had cried, but that morning, in the face of the darkness that grew day by day and that had just snatched the young Rovalneth from Ennor (Middle-earth) and against which he felt helpless, Tauriel wept bitter tears.
A grandiose funeral was organized, worthy of a valiant daug (warrior) who had sacrificed herself for her homeland.
It was not the custom for royal members to attend a funeral of a subject or even take care of the preparations. All this would have been the task of her relatives, but Rovalneth had only had her emel (her mother) left and so Aran (King) Thranduil had decided to take upon himself the responsibilities so to repay the mother at least poorly for what she had lost. These were dark times, exceptions had to be made.
All members of Tirith Arn (Royal Guard) attended and also some others who had known Rovalneth.
Her body had been covered with precious cloth that the Aran (King) had donated and was lying on a pile of fragrant wood and sprinkled with forest flowers.
Aesuithiel, the mother of Rovalneth, who like her had long locks of dark hair, took the torch that was handed to her with tears streaming down her face and then placed it under the pile of wood, sobbing, which began to burn in the golden flames.
Some elves sang a lament which Tauriel and Legolas joined while standing a little apart, so as to leave Aesuithiel a little more privacy.
When they finished singing they watched the high flames dance in the air, Tauriel wanted to cry again. Legolas took her hand and she squeezed it hard regardless of what the others or even the King behind them might have thought; it was not of importance at that moment.
The next day, for the first time in a long time, the sound of the gates opening was not heard in the King's Halls, nor the rattle of the swords being slipped into the sheaths of the Guards.
For the first time in a long time, no patrols were sent out into the dark woods and everyone stayed safe behind the thick rock.
Tauriel had learned of the decision made by the Aran (King) that same morning, Tirith Tham (Hall Guard) had informed her in the corridor leading from her rooms. Initially she had appreciated being able to go and lie back on her bed; she had not slept well, tossing from side to side all night. The Eldar (elves) needed far less rest than men, but that morning Tauriel could not help but want to close her eyes for a few more hours and take refuge in the world of dreams.
Once back in her room she dropped onto her bed dressed as she was, but Lórien did not want to send her sleep and so she remained there with her eyes open looking at the rock ceiling.
After a few moments that seemed like hours to her she could not stay still anymore. Darkness was invading her homeland and she, the Hest en Tirith Arn (Captain of the Royal Guard), was lying on her bed. Determined to do something useful she left her rooms again and headed for the Throne Hall.
She walked quickly through the corridors of the underground palace and crossed the rock bridges, but before she could reach her destination she was stopped at the entrance of the Hall by the Guards who briefly informed her that the Aran (King) was in conversation with the Ernil (Prince), as indeed she could glimpse behind the shields of the Tirith (Guards).
She was about to turn around with the intention of returning later, when King Thranduil probably saw her: "Ah Tauriel, tolo mi, ech polil govano ven mi hen athrabeth . (Come in, you can join us in this conversation)", he called her back and the Guards immediately let her pass.
Father and son were standing in the middle of the room and from the slight wrinkles on Legolas' forehead, Tauriel could imagine the subject of the conversation. He gave her a small smile in greeting, but she could see he was worried. "I think you can imagine what we were talking about. The pack of orcs that attacked us on our last patrol was huge and we cannot risk losing even more of our warriors, but at the same time we must protect our home and people." the Prince explained to her, Tauriel nodded.
"I will not allow so much elvish blood to be shed and I will not send out the sons and daughters of my people to die, yet our borders must be protected and we will only rarely be able to afford to send over some experienced doeg (warriors) beyond them to check the situation." spoke the Aran (King).
The Hest (Captain) began to understand the King's plan: "So you intend to drastically reduce the patrols beyond the mountains of the Greenwood or outside the borders? It would definitely spare our people, but on the other hand we wouldn't know what happens out there." .
"A decision has to be made, albeit not a simple one. I would not want, the next time there is an orc attack, to get the news that my Hest (Captain) or my ion (son) have not been able to return." Thranduil replied in his usual cutting tone, but Tauriel knew he was worried.
" Adar ... (father)" Legolas tried to interrupt , but his father was faster: "And I know, ion nin (my son), that is improbable because you are both among the best warriors this kingdom has to present, but the decision is made and I do not intend to discuss it further. " and after that statement it was clear that they both were dismissed.
But the red-haired elleth (she-elf) still had one thing to ask and so she hastened to speak: " Aran nin (my King), I know there are no patrols planned for today, but I would still like to be helpful. I am willing to guard the boundaries of the Halls or perhaps the entrance bridge ... ". Thranduil stopped her with a wave of his hand: "Tauriel, I know that the flame of youth burns in you and that you are always willing to give your best for this kingdom, but today I don't need your services. If you want to go out into the woods, you are free to do so and in case you see something irregular I will be grateful if you come and tell me, but as I have already said I do not request anything from my Captain today.” he dismissed her.
Legolas exited the Throne Hall with her, he knew that it was useless to contradict his adar (father) once he had put something in his head and so he resigned and promised himself to talk to him later.
They came to a bridge that led to one of the minor gates: "Would you like to go out? I would like to get a breath of fresh air." he proposed to her, who nodded and followed him to the doors.
In reality the air was anything but fresh. The late summer days had settled with all their remaining heat on Greenwood the Great and there was no trace of the cold wind of a few days ago.
" Ech nonog mae ? (Are you well?)" Legolas asked her after a while as they walked in the shade of the trees near the Halls. Tauriel nodded, but then added: "It should not have happened, I wish I could have saved Rovalneth." The ellon (male elf) sighed: "We did what we could, but it saddens me that we came too late." he said and even though Tauriel had told him she was fine, he knew very well that she was deeply upset.
For a while they simply enjoyed each other's company and the apparent calm that surrounded them, listening to the chirping of birds here and there even though they had become increasingly rare lately.
They came to the Enchanted River that flowed between the gray rocks that had been patiently smoothed by the element of Ulmo over time. Following the course of the water they came to a point where the river branched out briefly, before rejoining in a single course, creating almost a small lake half hidden by the rock that protruded above it.
A small smile made its way to the lips of the two elves and their minds filled with sweet memories of how as young elflings they had spent entire afternoons on that stretch of the Enchanted River splashing and taking refuge from the scorching sun in the cool water.
It was madness, but suddenly Tauriel thought that that was just what she needed: to refresh her mind. She glanced at Legolas who answered her with a questioning look and then, red in her face, she began to undress until she was left with only her linen undergarments. Without thinking for a second more she jumped off the rock and was greeted by the crystal clear water.
When she emerged, she took a deep breath that filled her lungs and felt that the weight she had carried on her shoulders had already dropped a little.
"Tauriel!" Legolas called her from the top of the rock: "Are you mad?", but she could see that he was smiling.
As a boy he would have followed her without hesitation, but over the years Legolas had become more and more of the Ernil (Prince) that his father expected of him and he rarely allowed himself an exception to a proper behavior. However Tauriel did not care at that moment, she just wanted to go back to being a child and forget the darkness that was engulfing her homeland, she wanted to be able to be reckless again. "Oh you spoiled princeling, come!" she therefore called him, as she dipped her face in the cold water.
Legolas hesitated and one could see the young elf that he still had inside argue with the proper prince behavior he had been taught. But then he returned her smile and took off his shirt and boots and jumped to join her.
The river was cold, the current strong and their soaked clothes clung to their bodies. Tauriel turned in the water, her long hair of fire sending a trail of splashes around her. For the first time in a long time he saw her really laugh and she was beautiful, like fire meeting its opposite.
Legolas lost himself observing her, but was brought back to reality by a squirt straight in the face as when they were elflings and then he laughed too and realized how much he needed it. He took a breath and immersed himself completely in the water which washed away all her thoughts and worries for a moment.
He resurfaced and Tauriel splashed him again and that day the Ernil (Prince) of the Greenwood allowed himself to become a child again. It would have been one of the last times.
He threw himself in pursuit of her who was laughing at her and trying to escape, then he reached her, took her by the waist and made her spin around him. Tauriel squirmed and laughed until Manwë stole all her breath.
When they stopped laughing, the two elves looked into each other's eyes and saw reflected the same concerns of the other. They could ignore it for a few moments, but at the end of the day they had to face reality, the looming darkness and their duties.
Legolas remembered the sweet taste of Tauriel's soft lips on his and she could feel his heartbeat beneath her hands resting on his chest. For some reason she longed to have a goblet of wine in her hands and to be terribly drunk, because if that were the case, she realized with her heart pounding, she would have kissed him.
By the Valar, they were so close! Her lips were half open, her breathing still labored from laughter. And so he pulled her close, because otherwise he would have kissed her.
Tauriel rested her head in the hollow of his neck as she always did when she hugged him, but her heart was beating hard on his chest as his on hers. They remained like that, with the water smoothing them like stones.
Then a noise. The Enchanted River roared around them, and no mortal could have sensed the silent footsteps of someone above them. They looked up quickly. Tarlangwe stood on the protruding rock and stared down, his gaze unfazed upon them. Legolas could easily have told him to mind his business and leave, he was his Prince, but he knew what the prideful Tirith (Guard) was thinking. He could not find suitable words and he and Tauriel hastily broke away from each other, but Tarlangue was already gone and Legolas could only imagine where.
[TA 2943]
“Legolas said you fought well today. He's grown very fond of you.”
“ I assure you, my Lord, Legolas thinks of me as not more than a captain of the guard.”
“ Perhaps he did once. Now I'm not so sure.”
“ I do not think that you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf.”
“ No... You are right, I would not. Still, he cares about you. Do not give him hope where there is none.”