Tauriel's pov

I was emotionally beat.

By the time Legolas and I decided to head back to Mirkwood, the sun has begun to set. We were able to bury all of our fallen companions, and create a small memorial made of leaves and twigs nearby.

Legolas didn't speak at all, and it began to worry me. He had a deep connection with Cindor, and having to bury him was certainly the cause of his silence. I didn't make any attempts to start a conversation either. I had lost my newest friend, Chandra, and I wasn't in the mood to talk.

The two of us rode on separate horses, letting the third one free because we had no use for her. We were able to salvage enough supplies for our trip back, and kept them on a pack on the horse saddle.

We rode until it became dark, and I knew from Legolas's persistence that he didn't want to stop. He had recovered most of the way, so he was able to lead me in the right direction.

"Legolas, we need to rest up." I reply. He hesitates, but slows down his horse and dismounts. I hop off my horse and pull out a bedroll. I lay it out, then grab a small roll and munch on it. Legolas also followed suit, but he was slower. When his was set up he didn't bother to eat, instead he climbed into his bedroll.

I stare at him, thinking about the entire day. It was the craziest day I could think of. Legolas died and was able to be brought back, we lost all of our companions, and we now were heading back to Mirkwood when we weren't planning on heading back until a few days. Legolas closes his eyes, and I could barely see a glistening tear run down his cheek. I feel bad seeing him in such pain.

"I am sorry." I tell him.

His eyes open and he looks to me. "Why?"

"If I was there for them, maybe they would've survived."

Legolas shakes his head, closing his eyes again. "If you had stayed behind, you would've been killed, and I would've died from the curse if not from an orc. This isn't either of our faults, and I hope to find this wizard and make him regret messing with us."

I was surprised by his sudden coldness. I had retrieved all of my memories, and I have never remembered a time he had such hatred. It almost scared me.

"I want to help you then." I reply. "Chandra was like a sister to me." I started getting teary-eyed. "I just wish I could've been there to help her."

Legolas nods. "Cindor has been with me for years. He helped me on many quests I went on and also kept me company after the fellowship disbanded. He always protected what mattered most to him, and he did until his last breath."

I shake my head. "He loved Chandra, didn't he?"

Legolas nods, closing his eyes. "He told me when we left that she had reminded him of his past wife. Later in the trip said he was going to propose to her when we returned."

My eyes widen, then filled with more tears. She had no clue, though she could tell by the way Chandra and Cindor looked at each other that they loved each other. It crushed me that they never got to be together.

"I wish he could've done that." I say, sniffling. I then snuggle deeper in my bedroll. I wipe the tears away and try to thing of something happier. It was extremely hard, and it took me forever to finally find sleep.

—

I woke up to a bright light. I hated sleeping outside because of the light, but I had also become accustomed to it on this trip. I sit up and rub my sore eyes. It didn't make it much better and I sat blinking for minutes. When I finally have clear vision again I look over to Legolas. I was surprised to see him fast asleep still. Normally Legolas was the first to wake, and he would be either shooting a nearby tree or preparing for the days journey.

I decided to get up and pack up. I tried to not disturb the sleeping beauty nearby. I ran out of things to do quickly, as there wasn't as many people and stuff to worry about. I just sat down on the ground looking around. I recognized the area from our journey a few days ago, however I didn't know how far it was from Mirkwood.

The area was still covered with dead grass like the area we had camped on and gotten attacked the day before. I wanted to be away from the grass and back in the thick woods. I felt safer having places to hide instead of being out in the open. Even now I felt vulnerable.

I wait for a while longer, doing everything I could think of to keep myself occupied. The sun begins to rise higher when I decide we needed to keep going. I walk over to Legolas, kneeling down besides him. His face was calm and relaxed, which relieved me because he had such a difficult day yesterday. His breathing was slow and soft, not snoring at all. His hair was cascading around the bedroll pillow and seemed to add to his calm demeanor.

I gently shake his shoulder, not getting any response. I then shake slightly harder.

"Hey, sleepy head." I say. It was the second time that got some reaction from him. He groans, turning his head to face me. He squints from the light, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. I back away and he stretches. He looks around before giving me a confused look.

"Was I seriously out cold for that long?" He asks me.

I laugh. "I honestly wasn't sure you were ever going to wake up."

He smiles and gets out of his bedroll. He packs everything in a fast manner and then gets ready to leave. I just watched him, which was probably odd for him, but I did it anyway. He moved quicker this morning than last night, and seemed to have more motivation than before. After finishing up he looks at me, giving me a weird look.

"Were you watching me?" He asks me.

I blush. "Maybe for a short time."

Legolas shakes his head, coming over to lend me a hand with standing up. When we were both standing we were close. We were almost touching, and it made my whole body warm. I never felt this way before, especially not with Legolas, and it made me blush. I could also tell Legolas was blushing, staring at me with a kind, yet embarrassed face.

"Tauriel." He says softly. "I have always loved you. The moment I met you I knew that I would never love anyone else more. My friends in the fellowship were close, but I always felt as close to them as I was to you. When you went after the dwarf I wanted to protect you." He pauses. "I was jealous for sure, but I still wanted to be with you. That's why I went with you."

He answered the question that has lingered in my mind for years. I had wondered why Legolas went with me to save the dwarf, even when he hated them all. Knowing that now gave me more respect towards him, and it also made me love him more, if that was even possible.

"I didn't know how much it meant to me until now." I admitted. "I was too fascinated by the dwarf to realize, but after everything we have gone through, I realized it was the kindest thing you have ever done for me." I smile to him.

We stood there still for a few seconds before we leaned closer together and kiss. His lips were just as soft as his hair, which slid down and touched my face. I find myself wrapping my arms around him, and he did likewise. We stayed there, letting our lips move in rhythm. When we decided to split, we just gazed into each others eyes.

"I love you Legolas." I say softly. "And I want to be by your side forever."

Legolas was slightly taken back, but was happy none of the less. "And I feel the same."

We hug again, this time we didn't kiss, but just felt the warmth of each other instead.