It was almost a year since Tauriel had visited the elvenking's palace. Whispers of winter were already upon the forest, some trees still held onto their dark green leaves, as they always did, but most had relinquished them to but a breeze. A carpet of amber and vermilion was laid thick beneath her feet as she walked. The she-elf took a moment and stood with her arms outstretched as she breathed in the scents of the forest and absorbed the many and varied conversations between the ancient trees.

The red-haired silvan was now well ensconced in her new life with men and dwarves, far away from The Greenwood. But always a part of her longed to be back in the forest and to mingle with old friends, even if it was only as the outsider that she had now become. Some of her initial apprehensions regarding her dealings with the King had been absolved in two previous visits. Her last visit and her negotiations with the King had gone smoothly and surprising well, all things considered. Tauriel had even, dare she say it, enjoyed sparring with the King when it came to matters of trade and commerce. Indeed, she found her herself expectantly looking forward to this visit and to updating King Thranduil on Erebor's and Dale's progress.

However, upon arrival, the guards at the gate had greeted her warily. She had only been able to exchange a few words with Rúion, one of the guards, as his anxiety was almost palpable. Suffice to say that when Rúion had warned her of the King's temper, Tauriel had laughed, before he then asserted that it was like nothing she had have ever seen before. Furthermore, the elvenking had received a letter today that had seemingly pushed him further over the brink into a state of unhinged rage. Tauriel groaned inwardly and wondered whether to turn back, as it was highly unlikely any negotiations could be productive, particularly when Thranduil was in this frame of mind.

She slowly made her way to the throne-room, the halls were deathly quiet and unusually devoid of staff. As Tauriel passed through various passages, she realized that the palace was by all appearance in a state of disrepair. A large tapestry had been rent in two and she noticed that pieces of a shattered mirror still hung on the wall. An ominous foreboding hovered in the air, as Tauriel lightly traced her fingers across deep gouge marks in the surface of a marble column; only tremendous force and elven steel could have made those. She subconsciously brought her hands to rest upon her daggers. As she crossed one of the many causeways, Tauriel could see the king is slumped in his throne, motionless. Clenching her teeth, she shook herself almost imperceptibly and returned her hands to her sides, as she advanced towards him cautiously.

Thranduil barely moved his head, once he became aware of her approach. But Tauriel observed that his cold blue eyes followed her every move, till she stood at the base of the stairs to his throne.

"How delightful. Your presence is just what I needed to improve this foul day." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Tauriel took a breath. "My gracious King Thranduil, an honor as always." She bowed low.

"Save your empty platitudes. I have no need of them." Thranduil said with disdain. Then the King tossed a piece of parchment at her feet, he must have been holding it discretely in his hand prior to her arrival.

"Read it."

Tauriel knew that this was undoubtedly not a request.

Slowly she lent to pick up the parchment, and as she weighed up the king out of the corner of her eye, she began to read the contents of the letter.

The information contained within, was truly astounding and she had to read it several times, all the while she could sense Thranduil's growing impatience. To the point whereby the elvenking could no longer contain himself.

"Hurry up!" His voice was clipped. "Has your mind grown dull with dwarves and men...?"

"There is much to read and even more to absorb..." Tauriel found that Thranduil's insults and commanding presence no longer affected her, like they once might have.

"Indeed, and what say you...? Now you have done both, I hope."

"Have you seen you son since these events?"

"In the first instance, yes. Legolas was gracious enough to tell me of his decision in person."

"And I expect you listened before you unleashed your weighty opinion on him."

"Careful Ambassador. You are guest here." Thranduil's voice was quietly dangerous.

"Permit me Aran nín* to speak freely or else, dismiss me. There is no neutral ground for me here anymore."

Thranduil stood abruptly and glared at her, his stature was imposing enough without being several steps up on the raised platform of the throne.

Tauriel held his gaze, unblinking.

"Fair enough Tauriel. Speak your mind." Thranduil gestured at her with a flourish of his hand, although he remained standing, his posture stiffer than usual.

"How did you respond when Legolas told you that he had pledged himself to one, not of our own kin?"

"How do you think I responded, Ambassador, you seem to know me so well?" Thranduil jeered, his voice sardonic and imperious.

"I assume that you rejected his decision...I presume that you did so with your usual venom..." Tauriel no longer cared to sanitize her choice of words.

"He threw my Kingdom at me, as if it were soiled rag."

Tauriel was curious, was it possible that Thranduil was being defensive...?

"In what spirit did you offer it to him....?" The Silvan elf felt as if she might be gaining ground, albeit incremental.

Then Thranduil paused before he spoke slowly, his voice subdued, "I told him that he was no longer welcome here."

Tauriel was now almost certain that she could hear regret in his voice.

"To what end...?"

"What do you mean?!"

"What have you achieved through your actions, other than cutting yourself off from the one you love most in this world. If he chooses mortality, then all the more reason to spend the few years he has left in Middle Earth together."

"I, but..." Thranduil was seemingly rattled, Tauriel was stunned, never before had she seen the elvenking this way. Except perhaps for a brief moment on Ravenhill almost two years ago. She took the opportunity to continue.

"You of all people should know of the fragility of life, mortal or immortal." She paused before slowly voicing her critical question, "If given the chance, would you choose to have been spared the pain of losing your wife altogether, by never having been given the chance to love her in the first place?"

The King's face became drawn and haggard at the mention of his wife, his eyes grey.

Tauriel was sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, how she would respond to this particular question if asked. In truth, she had wrestled with answer in the midst of her own tragedy, but as she stood here, she now knew that she would never sacrifice the love she had briefly experienced, so as to avoid the agony in the aftermath.

No response from Thranduil was forthcoming, and he did not meet her gaze.

"If you cannot answer yes to this question, how can you deny your son the opportunity to do so. To love without fear of consquences."

The King sat heavily in his throne, all pretext of posturing and omnipotence gone.

He stared into nothingness. Tauriel stood silently watching him, her hands resting behind her back, waiting to see when the cool façade of a King she had always known, would once again return.

Time matters little to an elf, so Tauriel could not be sure how long she waited, but it seemed like hours.

Suddenly Thranduil shifted and stood, his poise returning. But there was something different, a glimmer in his eye, a resolution in his face. And as he spoke to Tauriel, she could have almost sworn the beginnings of a genuine smile quirked around the edge of his lips.

"Please make haste with whatever your propositions or objections brought you on this visit, Ambassador. As I have a letter I wish to write."

-0-0-0-0-0-

*Aran-nín ~ My King

So Thrandy may be one of the loose ends I need to tie up... with help from a surprising source...

I love this fan video made by Gemini1004 – with Hobbit and LOTR footage showing both elven Father and Son at their best, with an artistic narrative to illustrate the complexity of their relationship! Just a warm-up for what is coming...

I would love to receive your comments and please VOTE on this chapter if you enjoyed it. Your votes/comments are the only way I have of finding out who is on this journey with me and are such a great encouragement to keep writing! I really appreciate them!