There he was. Lying on the table in excruciating pain, the orc arrow in his leg. He was dying. I knew I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't say it was love at first sight, but when I first spoke to him, I felt a spark. I could tell he felt it too. I had never felt something like that before, but I knew it was wrong. I knew that the connection we had was something that would lead to my death. I knew I couldn't stop it. I am Tauriel, and this is my story.

It was any other day. Spider patrol, as usual. Same as it had been for hundreds of years, until today. There were dwarves fighting the spiders. This was highly unusual. Unless dwarves had suddenly become our allies in the hours since Legolas, myself, and our patrol had left the Great Hall, these dwarves were enemies. We treated them as such. Thranduil would be curious as to why there were dwarves in Mirkwood, as was I.

They were going to reclaim Erebor. None had been there in centuries, which to we elves was no time at all but to mortals, it was practically forever. They had good reason for it, as in the mountain resided not simply gold and gems of starlight but a dragon as well. That was why Thranduil imprisoned them, so they would not free a dragon's wrath upon the world. I was almost glad for it. I had never seen a dwarf before, and was rather curious. The one called Kili seemed as curious about elves as I was about dwarves. Long into the night, we exchanged tales and stories of the wonders that we had seen, of skies lit aflame with stars and other wonders. We grew to know each other through talk. I almost forgot that he was a prisoner and I a guard. I saw us, living proof that dwarves and elves could be friends, not enemies as Thranduil and many other elves saw them. And indeed, by the end of the night, I would consider us friends. He knew my past, how my village had been destroyed as Legolas and his patrol arrived too late to save anyone but me. He knew I joined the Guard to prevent that from happening to others. I knew his past, how he had had lived in the Blue Mountains, how he grew close with his brother after their father died. I knew he looked up to Fili, how he strived to be like him. In short, we became friends. I knew we could be more then friends.

That was why, when I went to Laketown, why I stayed. Legolas commanded me to come, but I could not force myself to follow his commands. I knew I would never meet another like Kili again, even in the thousands of years that I might live. I had to stay, and save him. That I did.

I was not sure if he felt as I did. That is, until he asked if I could love him. I could love him, and I did. He saw in me what I saw in him, saw that none of us would be content with another. We were married in Laketown, in secret under the stars. We knew none would accept us, accept that we loved each other. We knew this, and so did not ask for acceptance. We loved each other, and that was what mattered. If only it lasted.

That fateful day when waves of goblins, orcs and wargs came to fight for the Lonely Mountain, we stood together. He got swept away from me, in the raging tides of battle. He fought alongside Thorin, defending his fallen uncle. I could not focus on him any more, I had to concentrate on the circle of foul creatures that had surrounded me, and swiftly dispatched them one by one. I looked once more for Kili. I saw where he went. He went where I could not follow, to the depths of the Halls of Mandos. I screamed, a cry of anguish and a broken heart. I knew he was dead. I felt the connection we shared break. We had so short a time together, so short, so short! My whirling spiral of thought was broken by pain. I cried out, and looked up. An orc had taken advantage of my distracted state to cut my left side open. I was a soldier, no stranger to blood, but seeing the white bone of my ribcage disorientated me. The orc prepared to swing again, when suddenly an arrow pierced its skull and it fell. It was Legolas.

He said, his voice urgent. In the course of the battle I had acquired several other various cuts and gashes, and by his expression, I wasn't in the best of health. I attempted to take a step, then nearly collapsed. Legolas merely picked me up, and carried me in his arms to the nearest healer he could find. I do not remember much after that, everything was disorientated by the haze and blur of pain.

A/N

Hi! This is my first ship fic, except it's not really a ship fic, as one person is already dead. Cheery! I generally don't write romance stuff, but this idea popped into my head a few days ago and I couldn't seem to shake it, so I decided to write it, though romance is not really my thing. Let me know what you think by reviewing, favoriting and following! In any case, you'll soon be finding out about the fate of our red-headed friend in the next chapter, which will be coming in a few days! Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I'm doing this for fun and for reviews (hint, hint).

Starship T.A.R.D.I.S. out!