Disclaimer: Not mine, obviously.

The Vigor of Spring, Part Three

Tauriel stilled her movements with her eyes trained at the bushes below and her bow at ready. When the word about a large pack of orcs moving northeast had come, it had been obvious they had planned to ambush the caravans from Dale. However, Tauriel had no intentions of letting them take anything that belonged to the Woodland Realm.

The atmosphere in the Elvenking's halls was solemn. While they would not be left entirely leaderless, the imminent departure of their King and Tauriel's fading were putting the Wood-elves on edge, especially when Prince Legolas was out of reach somewhere in the wilderness of North. It was dangerous to cross their lands uninvited and unexpected nowadays, for the elves shot first and asked questions later.

Her party of archers had set out early in the morning to meet them, and now they were watching the road, their ears twitching and their expressions grim. A pack of orcs was one of the loudest things in the forest; only their smell was worse than the noise they made. "Steady." Her whisper was carried by the warm breeze. It was still spring, so full of life and light that her heart soared, and she felt almost regretful to never be able to see any spring again.

"Steady." Her voice lowered.

"Fire!" She ordered, shooting arrow after arrow, until the quiver was empty. It was a short fight; the orcs had been killed quickly, and only a pair of survivors turned to run. Tauriel jumped down to inspect the nearest corpses and gather her , most of them were not in reusable condition.

"Clean up, I'll follow them." Tauriel briskly ordered her deputy and sprang back into the branches. "Do you have any arrows left?"

"Are you sure, Captain?" The deputy hesitated, his face concerned. It was no secret that the fading of the Captain of the Guard was progressing alarmingly fast, and some commanders were even convinced that she should not partake in patrolling any longer for her own safety. Fortunately none had tried to insinuate that she was incapable of leading the Guard in the time she had left.

"There are only two of them. Go, I'll be right behind you."

"Understood." Nodding, he threw her his quiver and grinned. "Be careful."

"I always am." She smiled and set off.

Tracking two orcs was not a difficult task, though Tauriel took her time. She observed how they carefully covered their tracks and was rather impressed; it was a good job and even elvish trackers could easily overlook their trail. She observed them for another few moments, silently following them through the woods.

The waning of her strength had resulted in a loss of certain quickness of reflexes and swiftness of movement. Not that Tauriel was too much impaired; she simply approached the two pests with caution.

She took aim at the one running in the front. A moment later the arrow pierced his broad back, and he fell down. Tauriel aimed again at the second orc. He stopped and turned, growling.

She fired.

He threw his axe in her direction.

The she-elf quickly jumped from her place and gracefully landed on a branch of an adjacent tree, satisfied with her killing shot. Her smile faltered, though; there was a cracking sound and the branch underneath her broke. Tauriel wasn't quick enough to leap away. She reached for another branch, but the tree had had to be withered from inside. It cracked.

Her body crashed down, falling through the dead roots, and disappeared under the tree trunk.

When Tauriel regained consciousness, she was unable to tell how long she had been lying there, but she caught a few glimpses of night skies; it had to be several hours. She tried to move, but her leg was broken and her left shoulder dislocated. When she touched the back of her head, she found dried blood, and her body hurt from tons of small cuts, scratches and bruises.

Closing her eyes, she sighed. They were searching for her by now, but considering the care the two orcs had taken, she doubted that her men would find her anytime soon. She would have to wait until morning.

Her eyes then snapped open and her ears twitched. Above her, she heard a rustling sound, and a shadow moved over the roots. A clicking of giant spider's fangs followed.

Tauriel was not sure she would last until morning.

She carefully pulled her dagger out, gazed towards the opening and waited, desperately wishing for someone to come. She had been helpless a handful of times, but only once in her life had she been this powerless, hurt and alone, facing a certain and unpleasant death.

Help, please! She pleaded desperately even though she was not used to pleading and forlorn wishes were useless; Kíli hadn't been spared, her family hadn't been saved.

Her father had been one of the blacksmiths in the King's services supplying the Guard with weapons, although Tauriel had never seen the Elvenking or the Prince personally. They had lived in a village where elves from the Elvenking's halls hardly ever appeared. The she-elf had just celebrated one hundred and twenty three years in Middle-earth when their settlement had been attacked one cold winter morning.

Tauriel had been around weapons since she had been able to walk, so she had been capable of holding her own against the orcs long enough to see the houses burning and her family die, long enough to see the arrival of the king's guard.

Leading the fighters had been the Elvenking himself, with the Prince at his side, and Tauriel well remembered the very first time she had seen him. He had resembled a raging blizzard, eyes blazing and swords gleaming, and she had been slightly afraid of his imposing figure, impressed by the lethal grace and perfectly honed skills with which he had been slaying orcs.

A movement above caught her attention.

The spider quickly lowered itself down and Tauriel stabbed it. It fell on her injured arm and the elleth gasped in pain, watching the gap overhead.

Where there was one spider, there were always two. Where there were two, more were soon to come. After a few moments she closed her eyes tiredly, the vision of the Elvenking's wrath still in forefront of her mind. He had saved her life back then, but she knew nothing except of a miracle would save her life now. No one could find her in the darkness, no one but beasts of prey.

Remembering the day six hundred years ago was not painful, not anymore. She understood it all in the end, and it was liberating. Tauriel was at peace now, lying there in her soon-to-be grave. She felt strong and free enough to admit to herself a very simple truth.

Her choice could never have been Legolas; the Prince had never had a chance. It had been the Elvenking who had caught her attention that day, however unwise and utterly foolish it had been, and it had been the Elvenking who had kept Tauriel loyal and humble and alive, who had elevated the blacksmith's daughter to be the Captain of the Guard, who had inspired her and made her strive to do her best. It had been the Elvenking who had her caught up in his spell and who had dulled and tamed her fire.

Her choice had had to be Kíli – the warm and passionate and reckless young dwarf whose fire had matched her own. It had had to be him to love her, to show her that love was not cold and unreachable, and hearts were not made of stone.

The second spider came. She stabbed it again but this time, the blade had gotten stuck and the corpse fell on top of her. Tauriel cried out; it aggravated her wounds, and then she forced herself to stay silent.

She briefly considered trying to reach for her second dagger, but her movement was very restricted. It was pointless anyway. Tauriel tried to breathe deeply and meditate to stop thinking. Her mind was providing her with visions of her own foolishness, and it only served in helping her remember that there was nothing keeping her anchored to this life any longer. No Kíli and no Elvenking.

I am sorry, so sorry. To whom the apology belonged, she didn't know. No one would hear and nobody would ever know. However, this release from bonds of convention she welcomed and embraced wholeheartedly.

Time slowly passed and the pain was muddling her mind; it had to. There was a sparkle of something at the edge of her consciousness, an awareness of a very familiar presence approaching. After few more moments she could swear that she felt…

"Tauriel! Tauriel!"

Suddenly the roots were pushed aside and the King's face appeared in their place. His eyes were blazing and the light in them made Tauriel doubt her own sanity. The fading monarch didn't have much light left in him, and how could he be here? No one knew where to look for her.

"By Eru, Tauriel!" He roared and leaped down. In the blink of an eye the spiders were pushed aside and the Elvenking crouched next to her. He was furious, that was obvious, and he was far from fading. He appeared to be full of vigor and strength.

"You are hurt." His face softened and he looked pained himself. His hands were shaking and he fisted them, gazing down at her intensely. "I thought I would lose the little sanity I had left when you were reported missing."

"I… my lord?" Tauriel blinked at him uncertainly. The expression in the King's face was so very distracting. It resembled Kíli's face when he had been looking at her. It was so open, so full of… admiration? He returned her look and smiled, something soft and vulnerable leaking into his eyes. It was like watching clouds drift away or ice melting.

"I have rethought my decision about sailing." He said hoarsely and gently, so very gently, his hands started to examine her injuries.

"I am glad to hear that." Tauriel answered and let her eyes drop. She felt warm and the pain disappeared in the back of her mind. Would she dare to be hopeful? Was she not to fade, after all? Her life had been linked to the Elvenking's in the moment she had first seen him … Would he stay and live? She didn't know what could possibly change his mind, what could possibly keep him in Middle-earth.

His hands now strayed; he reached for her uninjured arm and intertwined their fingers, his other hand caressing Tauriel's face. "Would you not ask… why is it so?"

"Why is it so?" Tauriel asked and opened her eyes warily. She was inclined to believe this whole situation was nothing more than a pain-induced delusion. The Elvenking could not truly be here with her. He could not behave this way, not towards her. While Tauriel conceded that her assumptions about him had been mostly incorrect, she doubted that the King could have any tender feelings for her.

"I had known you were in danger and then, suddenly, I had felt your presence filling me, here." He raised her hand and put it on his chest where his heart was beating strongly and evenly, and kept it there covered with his own. He wore no armor and Tauriel could feel the steady rhythm underneath her palm. Her own heartbeat slowly aligned to the Elvenking's and she watched their joined hands in wonder.

It felt real.

"And then, I had heard you, here." He moved her hand and placed it on his brow. A silence fell between them. He had felt her, just like she had always felt his nearness, and it was a pleasing thought. Moreover, he had heard her in his mind; it could mean only one thing. Tauriel's eyes widened at the implication and she drew her hand back, gazing up into his face.

His smile was almost painful when he nodded, as if he had fought a long battle and lost at last, torn between sadness and elation. He cupped Tauriel's face and the remains of any doubts disappeared; all the sorrows and all the sufferings were erased.

"How could I possibly leave Middle-earth now, meleth nín?" The Elvenking choked out and rested his forehead against hers, his breathing ragged.

How could I ever leave you behind now, when you are mine and I am yours? The words echoed inside of her very soul. Tauriel hesitatingly reached out with her good hand and slowly stroked his hair. The King shuddered and gently pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth.

Then another spider appeared in the gap above them. The Elvenking turned in a flash and killed it swiftly with a furious growl, very annoyed at the disturbance of their very special and very private moment.

Tauriel watched its body for a moment. The spider served as proof that she hadn't dreamt and that it was real, so very real. Tauriel's mouth twitched when she saw the King's indignation. He turned and raised his eyebrows at her. In that moment the elleth started to laugh and after a few heartbeats, he joined her. First, he snorted, and then a deep laughter erupted from his throat and he knelt next to her.

"I believe it would be best to get out of this pitiful hole. The search party should be appearing soon, they were not falling too far behind me." The Elvenking said smiling and fervently kissed her palm. "May I?"

Tauriel nodded and was quickly gathered into the Elvenking's arms. When she looked up into his twinkling eyes, she was filled with such a wonder and joy that she started to cry for the third time in her life while in the presence of her King.

In the solemn contours of his handsome face Tauriel had glimpsed a promise of eternity.

So... Did you like my little story? ;)