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Chapter 1 – The Queen

Tauriel was agitated.

Something was afoot. Every sound - every creepy little sound - was disturbing her that night. Just as she thought she could fall asleep, she would jump up out of bed, startled by the sound of rustling leaves. Could it be the spiders? Are they here already?

When the Elvenking first chose her – Tauriel, a lowly Silvan elf – to be the Captain of the Guard, she had felt honored, beloved, treasured, important. Now, she felt tired, hopeless, and beaten down by the darkness she perceived, closing in around them. She lit a lantern and sat up in bed, hugging her knees and staring into the flame. This was pure agitation, and the fact that she was experiencing it made her feel so, so sorry for herself.

She decided to get up and go for a walk around the King's grounds. She was about to leave her room when she noticed her bow and arrow in the firelight. Just in case, she thought to herself, before snatching them up and heading out the door.

With unheard footsteps and unseen movements, she approached the palace gates, where two guards stood on watch. A mischievous plan began to brew in her mind. Yes, she'd creep up silently behind them and scare them. The guards had, after all, teased her as a child.

A pool of moonlight collected on the bridge leading out from the main gate, casting shadows on the guards. Only their dark silhouettes were visible, standing to the attention of the many dangers beyond the palace borders and into the forest.

Just as she was aiming her arrow – targeting a point slightly above the head of the left guard – the guards moved to face each other, and one began opening the gate.

Shocked, Tauriel jumped back into the shadows, hiding behind a pillar. She was immediately very curious as to who would be returning home at this hour. Legolas, she knew, was sleeping. She had walked past his room not moments before, and her keen sense of hearing picked up even the slightest breath.

Now there was only the sound of heavy footsteps. Someone was approaching the gate. By the formality of it all, it didn't take long for Tauriel to deduce that it was the King. She heard no words exchanged. He merely walked in, on foot. Tauriel imagined him nod silently, as if acknowledging that the guards were also in on the secret. What does he have to hide, she wondered. Tauriel, still in her mischievous mood, decided it couldn't hurt to make her presence known. She strategically placed herself in the hallway she knew he'd use to reach his private chamber. She would pretend she had been patrolling the halls, which was a likely story; after all, she had her bow and arrow by her side.

"Good evening, Tauriel," the King said politely. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"My King," she said, with her head bowed. "I heard strange noises afoot. It struck me to ensure that the prince and King were safe."

"Ah," he said, almost sarcastically. "And are they?"

"The prince is accounted for, but the King was not in his bedchamber. Nonetheless, there seems to be nothing to worry about this night. Only the sound of falling leaves, as autumn descends on our realm."

An awkward silence fell between them. He looked at her inquisitively, waiting for a confession that never came. "Well then, Captain, good night," said the King, as he bowed his head ever so slightly. He proceeded to walk past Taurial, showing no interest. She knew he knew that she had no reason to be there.

Without hesitating, she continued in the opposite direction, heading back to the guards. She had to find out what the King was up to. After all, his security – and that of Prince Legolas – depended on her.

"Guards," she said sternly. Disciplined, they turned to face her, raising their arms to their chests and letting them fall gracefully. "As your Captain, I expect you will have no serious doubts about telling me why the King was out alone tonight," she ventured. "I have no interest in his personal matters, but know that it is not safe. Did he mention what it was that compelled him to wander out alone?"

"Captain," the younger guard, Galion, said, shifting his gaze downward nervously. "We are only guards. The King would not divulge such—"

"Do you or do you not know?" Tauriel asked firmly.

"Alas, my lady," the older guard whispered, as if the walls were listening. "Are you not aware of this night's importance to the King?"

Tauriel, with eyebrows raised, turned to look at Galion, and then back at the elder guard, Feren. "I am not," she said. "Enlighten me."

"At this very hour, many years ago, the King's wife passed on," Galion said softly. "I advise you not to dwell on the subject."

Tauriel spent the remaining hours of the night dwelling on the subject. Yes, she was new to the King's inner circle. Yes, she had only been Captain of the Guard for a few seasons, and yes, she had never spoken to the King about private matters. Yes, she also admitted to herself, she had been born centuries after the Queen died. But how did she miss this?

"I am so foolish," she mumbled to herself, lying awake in bed.

"Yes, you are," said a voice at the door, with a hint of laughter.

"Legolas," Tauriel said, relieved. They had once been best friends; Legolas, son of the King, never really acted like a price as a child, and the two played together for many summers outdoors, or many long hours indoors in the winter. As they grew older, however, they also grew apart – Legolas now bore the weight of his father's often scornful approach to parenting and the death of his mother on his shoulders, and the responsibilities of adulthood had changed him. Nevertheless, Tauriel fought by his side in many battles, and it was he who had recommended her for the position when the previous Captain was slain. She rose to the challenge and in past years, had tried to narrow the gap that had separated them.

"You should try knocking next time."

"I noticed light spilling out from your room. I was worried."

"Come in," Tauriel said, softening her tone. He was like a brother to her.

"So, what troubles you, Tauriel?"

She decided to tell the truth – well, half of it. "Your father, actually. I awoke upon hearing strange noises in the wood; when I went to the gate to check on our guards, your father was just returning. He seemed weary," she explained.

"I see," Legolas said. "It must be…"

"Because…"

"Your mother—"

"My mother—"

They fell silent. "I am sorry, Legolas."

"Do not be," he replied. "I did not know her."

"You never talked about her. It never occurred to me to wonder," she said, hesitating. "Has the King ever spoken to you of her?"

"What I know of her comes to me from literature. As a child, I used to try and listen for any information I could grasp, especially when Lady Galadriel or Lord Elrond came to pay respects. There was never anything..."

"Then there must have been no words worthy enough to describe her."