Author's Note: Yes, the time has come to end the "The King's Guard." I just want to extend a huge thank you and a hug to everyone who followed this fic over the past two years and gave feedback. I learned a lot about my writing from my reviewers and I'm looking forward to starting another fic soon (with longer chapters?). I'm open to ideas and suggestions, so just leave a note if you'd like me to write something in particular. Another Thrandiel fic is not entirely out of the question! =D I hope you feel that all the characters' storylines were resolved and my headcannon wasn't too outlandish for you! All the best, my lovely readers! xx

Epilogue - The King's Heart

Tauriel stood before the Gems of Lasgalen, eyeing them as one would admire a precious painting or sculpture. She tilted her head and lifted a hand to touch them, wondering if perhaps, one day, what Legolas had told her would come true. That the King would present them to her and make her Queen of the Woodland Realm. Despite many romantic encounters and endless nights of pleasure and euphoria, Tauriel's role still remained a mystery to her. She was no longer the applauded captain of the guard, but she had become the secret ward of the King's heart.

Just as her hand was about to graze the surface of a gem, she felt his presence.

"They intrigue you," he said softly. "And yet you do not wish to know."

They were silent for some time, and Tauriel did not turn to him. She looked upward, holding back tears at the sound of his voice. He was always there when she needed him.

"Legolas told me once," she began, "That these gems were worn by the queen."

"Yes."

"He also told me that he believed your desire to reclaim them... was borne from a wish to give them to me."

"Yes."

"That you needed me to be your queen."

"Tauriel, the dream of you as Queen has long hidden itself from view. Now, I want you as you are, no more, no less. I have come to understand that I am meant to rule alone, and alone I will rule, the last Elvenking of Mirkwood."

The heavy silence fell upon them again like a dark cloud. "Thranduil, I…." she spun around to face him, but his glance was shifted downward, with tears falling from his eyes.

"I could not save her," he said, quietly. "I could not save my wife."

"You have saved your people, my King. You have saved your son. You have saved me." She barely eked out the words, saying them in an effort to mask the their latent pain.

"Regardless, this grief would kill me, if not for you, my sweet Tauriel. You are young, and you cannot understand. But it is meaningless. Our time here is ending, and I beg of you to forget the past. Cast aside what has happened to me and my realm, and seek not to repair what is beyond broken. Look to the time we have left, and make it time well spent. Do what you will, and I will love you all the same."

Her purpose was clear.

"I will wear the gems, my lord," Tauriel said, gently picking up the necklace and placing it around her neck. "And I will rule this land beside you, until the end of days."

The King shook his head, whispering softly. "Tauriel…" His hands met hers at the nape of her neck, and he dutifully clasped the chain of the necklace. Tauriel held his wrists and let her head fall back onto his chest. He was so much taller than she. His hands came down around her finally, and he held her tight.

"I will not let your House fade quietly into memory," she said, this time with a new-found conviction. "Let me be your strength to continue on, despite the darkness that has fallen upon these times. Let me rekindle a love of life in you, a love so fierce that it conquers the sadness in your mind. And let me reignite the power that lies dormant in your heart, my King. Let me be Queen."