Obligations and Fluff, a Lauriel Fanfic

Prologue + Author's Note

A/N - Hi, I'm Charley, this is one of my first LOTR fanfics, so we'll see how it turns out, but I hope for the best. Perspectives will alternate primarily between Legolas and Tauriel, with a few other characters narrating every once in a while. This will be split into 4 parts, or timelines, starting with the Mirkwood Timeline, which should be no more than 20 chapters long. It might take me a while to release new chapters with school, and stuff, but I'll do my best. I apologize in advance for my inexcusable lack of talent in the areas of spelling, grammar, originality, and, honestly, creativity in general. As I said, this is my first one so please bear with me and my trashy grammar, as I attempt to write a proper fanfiction; any feedback, fact-checking, or constructive criticism is more than welcome. In the meantime, this is the prologue, from the perspective of His Fabulousness, King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, neither do I own this world; all rights reserved to J.R.R.Tolkein. This is, however, my work, plotline, and writing and it would be deeply frowned upon should any of this original work be plagiarized, stolen, or copied.Thanks :)

 Many like to say that I know nothing about my son. His whereabouts, his interests, his strengths, his weaknesses, but I knew it long before he did, and many ages before the possibility even crossed her mind. I knew it before they even met; I knew it even before I noticed him leave the celebrations just to watch her in that hallway; I knew it long before I caught him staring as she collapsed, sobbing over a dwarf's lifeless body. I knew that it was hopeless and impossible, and I knew that he knew it as well, but as much as it pained me to watch him fall helplessly for her, I remembered what it felt like to love someone. Not to fondly smile at, but to pine for, to slaughter many scores of orcs for, to follow to the ends of the earth, give up your happiness for, I understood, even if I didn't like it. I knew what it felt like to completely lose yourself in someone, but I also what it felt like to find yourself again in them, because as long as they were there with you, everything was perfect, no matter what evil threatened to tear down your walls. I prayed that he too would find love as I did, but with her reckless heart, how could they ever find anything but destruction? The question rang in my ears, but I shoved the thought aside; there were more important matters to discuss in my ageing mind.