Chapter 1

The smoke was still heavy in the air and the smell of sulfur and death clung to it. The cries of pain and anguish filled the air as the survivors of Laketown flooded the beach. Some came out with little more than a scratch, others were not so lucky. Villagers on the shore rushed to help those struggling in the water, the smoldering ruins of their city on the lake still visible in the distance, while the bodies of those who had not made it were washed gently up on shore as if the lake was trying to help the people of its town. I stood protectively near the bowman's daughters as they anxiously called out for him. I carefully guided them away from the shore to where they would be safe and dry, away from blank, unseeing eyes of the dead.

Making sure they were safe with their own people, I headed back down to the lakeshore where the dwarves were readying a boat. Why had I risked everything for these dwarves? All I had been taught my whole life was they were jealous, greedy, and cared nothing for the troubles of others. But what I had learned in the short time I had been with them had changed my heart. They were compassionate, loyal, and did not shy away from a fight to defend those that they loved. And my mind had been opened to all of this because of one dwarf in particular.

I heard him approach, the gravel on the shore crunching beneath his heavy boots, and turned to face him "Tauriel." My heart skipped a beat when I looked at his face. It was sharp, angled, strong, nothing like the soft faces of the elves. The ghost of a beard traced his face and his unruly hair falling out of his braid, threatened to fall into his eyes, eyes that conveyed so much feeling. Kili. I had followed because I knew in my heart it had been the right thing to do. That night in the dungeon, listening to all of the stories that he told me, of the fire moon, and of his time guarding caravans, and of the adventures he had been on, I began to see something new. Not only did I long to see the world as he had, instead of spending my life hidden from the stars beneath the ever growing darkness of the forest, I began to respect the dwarves, to have gone through such struggles and to still go on in the world seeing the wonder and the beauty.

"Kili!" his brother called out, "Come on, we're leaving." I felt a tug on my heart, but hid my emotions behind a mask on my face as I had been trained to over the years. "They are you're people, you must go." I said to him, turning away before my composure could crack. I was determined to walk away to not look back, to hide these emotions that threatened to spill over inside of me. "Come with me. I know how I feel, I'm not afraid. You make me feel alive." His words shocked me and stopped me in my tracks. It was like an electric shock had gone through me, I yearned to follow him so badly, but a million doubts sprung up in my mind. The world would never accept us. "I can't." I whispered, pained, trying to turn away again, but this time he gently grabbed my arm. "Tauriel." Kili said softly "Amrâlimê."

I looked at him, shocked by his words. I recognized the harsh deep touches of the word as Khuzdul, the secret language of the dwarves. I had heard a few whispers of the words when the dwarves thought no one was around. My heart accelerated at the possibly meaning behind his words. The way he had said it to me, so earnestly, so gently, so….. lovingly… No. It could not be. I took a step back, hesitant. "I don't know what that means." He grinned at me, a smile who's sparkling reached all the way up to his eyes, and sent my heart racing even faster. "I think you do." I stepped towards him, a smile slowly threatening to show on my face. "And if I come with you? What then? I do not think your brethren will welcome and Elf with open arms."

He took my hand and gently pressed it to his lips, the hair on his face gently tickling the back of my hand. "We will show them all how wrong they are." He looked at the dwarves by the boat, watching them. "Come, you have already won over four dwarves."

"And the others?" I asked.

"We'll worry about them when we get there." He said gently tugging on my hand. And for the second time in my life, I followed my heart instead of my head, letting Kili lead me to the boat. For a long time the forests of Mirkwood had no longer held my heart. I went about my duties, and did not question the orders of my superiors. I had gone through each day as I had the one before, never changing. But had always felt in my heart that something was missing. The moments I felt the most alive where those where I quietly slipped away into the tree tops to look out on the world I could not explore, the Lonely Mountain looming in the distance, and the vast sky of starlight stretching out in the heavens.

I realized the moment I had followed the dwarves out of the forest, set on rescuing Kili before the mogul blade took him beyond my reach, that it no longer was my home. I left the forest and did not look back, I felt no attachment to the place I had spent the last six hundred years of my life. My eyes had been set forward, and that was the first time in my life that I had not only defied orders, but allowed myself to chose my own path in life, and followed what my heart told me was the right thing to do.

The dwarves on the boat said nothing as Kili helped me on, but the hatted dwarf, Bofur, smiled gently at me as Kili clambered into the boat after me. Fili pushed the boat off and then jumped on board, grabbing an oar, looking over at Kili and myself. "I can't say that I don't think this is foolish, but foolishness and rashness is in Kili's blood," He said with a small smile, "And I am forever in your debt for saving the life of my brother. Without you, he would not be sitting on this boat right now. Because of this, I will stand beside you." Kili grinned at his brother, launching himself into a hug, which rocked the boat, threatening to flip it. I laughed as Fili pushed Kili off of him. "Watch it brother, I still don't trust the other elves, but this one is okay with me. Plus you'll need all the help you can get convincing uncle."

I smiled nervously. Thorin had been very forthcoming about his distrust and hatred of the elves during his time in Mirkwood. I knew that convincing the King to let me stay in the mountain would be the greatest obstacle ahead of us, and I began to muse as to what I could say to prove where the loyalties of my heart lay when Kili gently took my hand. "Do not worry, he will let you stay."

"And if not?" I whisper my worry to him.

"Then we go elsewhere, to the Blue Mountains, the halls of Rivendell, wherever your heart desires."

I smiled at him, my heart temporarily at ease, content to have him by my side, in this moment, knowing that I would face the trials of the days to come with him by my side. With Kili's hand grasped in mine, I turned my face towards the mountain, towards the path of my fate I had chosen, and for the first time in my life I truly felt free.

Legolas stood on the lakeshore and watched the boat disappear into the distance, his heart constricted. "Aa' menle nauva calen ar' ta hwesta e' ale'quenle" (May thy paths be green and the breeze on thy back) he whispered to the breeze. He turned as an elf on horseback approached him.

"My lord, Legolas. I bring news from your father. You are to return to him immediately. And the elf maid Tauriel is not to return with you. She has been… banished." Legolas regarded the elf "You may tell my father, if there is no place for Tauriel, there is no place for me." Legolas looked back out to the lake, maybe she would be better this way, and with a heavy heart, turned north to pursue the orc pack.

AN: So I just couldn't leave the what-if with these two alone in my mind. So here is my take on what would have happened if Tauriel had followed Kili to Erebor. Let me know what you think! More chapters to come soon! (I did a rough read over but I'm sure I missed some things).