Fading Light

Don't Leave Me

It was strange, whenever Tauriel thought of someone being stabbed she imagined them feeling unbearable pain.

Yet to her surprise she felt nothing as the sword went through her, only shock that it had happened.

She tried to focus on something, anything, but all she could see was white, and she could feel nothing.

Not the cold, the wind, or the blood that began to flow out of her.

There was nothing but silence, it was almost peaceful. She wanted to stay in this place, of warmth and light.

Oblivious to everything else around her, where she felt no pain.

Something poked the back of her mind, a sharp jab reminding her of what she would be leaving behind of she stayed.

Legolas....
I cannot leave him....

She forced herself to awake from her daze, pain suddenly spread throughout her body as she became aware of what had truly happened.

She had been stabbed; she was dying. What about Legolas? Where was he?

Tauriel struggled to turn her head, unaware of what was preventing her from doing so.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him. Standing in shock and grief as he watched her life slowly bleed out of her.

She knew she was fading, she couldn't hold on for much longer.

But she couldn't leave him like this, she needed to feel his arms around her one last time.

Hear his calm, strong voice tell her that he loved her, and kiss him so that he knew she loved him back.

She tried to speak, to tell him that she loved him, but she couldn't.

And the realization of it brought tears to her eyes.

She was leaving him, and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

Tauriel felt herself falling, but it seemed as if a decade had passed before she hit the cold ground.

She lay there with her eyes fixed on the sky, grey clouds covered the sun and snow flakes began to fall, landing on her face and hair.

She felt each one as it settled for only a moment, and then disappeared forever.

This was it, she could feel the life leaving her body. Her spirit would abandon her broken body and go to the Halls of Mandos, where she would remain until the breaking of the world.

But Legolas, she would be leaving him without even saying goodbye. She couldn't do that to him, she had to hold on.

Just for a little longer....

»»»»

Legolas had never known it possible for time to slow down, but it did.

The moment Bolg plunged his sword into Tauriel time had seemed to freeze as Legolas saw the bloodied tip of the sword emerge from Tauriel's back.

He couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't move.

He could only watch in horror as the one who meant more to him than anything else began to slowly bleed out in front of him.

Bolg slid the sword out of her, it glistened with blood as he held it up in his direction. Allowing him to see what he had done.