Tauriel x Thranduil - They are discussing the spiders in Mirkwood.
Watching The Hobbit again yesterday, extended version (always), I could notice some things in the scene where Tauriel goes to report the Spiders to King Thranduil. This scene has always intrigued me because of some details that I don't know if were intentional. But every time I watch it I see or feel something new or something that reaffirms my liking for the Tauriel X Thranduil ship.
Some interesting points to note:
Thranduil receives her in a more private place than a meeting room or the throne room, the place seems to be part of his private quarters. He seems reserved and vain, I don't think he would welcome any other servant so carefree and into his private quarters.
Another thing I noticed about her trust in Tauriel is that he also receives her without her adornments, especially her crown. He seems quite unconcerned with her presence and she seems to have access to the place without any problems. He waits for her there as if it were common for her to enter like that, something I can't see even Legolas doing. She seems hesitant as if it would never be easy to face him, but he is already used to her presence.
She speaks and questions in a somewhat rude way, Thranduil seems used to Tauriel's stubbornness and impetuosity and drinks wine calmly while she takes off in the restlessness of her youth. Even though he scolds her at some point, he still seems relaxed and even a little mocking in her presence.
She even smiles at him when he talks about how Legolas said she fought well, she seems pleased with her recognition and Legolas's. He is smooth when speaking and begins the private conversation as if he has had this type of interaction before. I absolutely don't think Thranduil would treat any servant like he treats Tauriel. They seem to have some level of intimacy, even if it is that of a guardian.
If you connect this with what Legolas says about his father protecting and favoring her, it even makes sense.
Legolas says that she disappointed and betrayed his father's trust, but that he will forgive her. The question is: does Thranduil look like someone who forgives someone who isn't close to him?
It seems like he talks about Leoglas doing some kind of test on her. His facial expression is somewhat interesting, calm and at the same time waiting for something to happen. He switches from work topics to personal matters in a light way and Tauriel seems more surprised by the subject than by the fact that the king was telling her something personal, as if him asking her something personal wasn't so unusual.
Tauriel has a white gem necklace around stag antlers. Symbols of Thranduil's family!
He never says that he wouldn't let her have some kind of romantic relationship with Legolas because he is a humble Silvestre elf. She puts these words in his mouth herself, which makes it easier to get the message she wants across.
I think Thranduil just realized that she wasn't very open to this type of relationship with Legolas and he wanted to prevent her from breaking his son's heart, but there is also the possibility that he finds Tauriel very active and impetuous, and may have a destiny tragic and leaving Legolas to suffer the same fate as Thranduil, widowhood and sadness.
Among other things, just related to this scene, I can imagine that Tauriel is close to Thranduil and Legolas, having expectations and being held differently than other servants and soldiers. She somehow seems more intimately linked to them, perhaps as Thranduil's tutor. Revealing that he apparently has some level of sympathy/affection for her, but that he doesn't show it much, just as he doesn't show it to his own son, as Thranduil has closed himself in a shell of sadness apparently pushing anyone away and becoming cold. He even confuses Legolas about his affection for his son, I imagine he confuses Tauriel too.
I think it's possible that the affection and sympathy hidden in her ice shell for the red-haired Elleth could turn into something more and that perhaps Tauriel could finally melt Thranduil's ice, which she seems to achieve unintentionally at the end of the third film, with her Pain for Kili, awakened Thranduil's own long-buried feelings.
May a small feeling of affection, after the demonstration of empathy and pain shared between Tauriel and Thranduil, evolve.
That he probably trained her in the art of battle (yes, that's in a discarded scene that mentions something like that) and that he possibly admires her on some levels, which caused him to make her Captain of his Guard, is clear.
There is a lot of material there to prove that they have a relationship of some kind, more intimate than Servant-King. If I mention everything else that isn't directly related to this scene but others, we have a good amount of material proving that their chemistry is undeniable and that it has much more depth than her brief romantic lapse with Kili or their friendship potentially romantic with Legolas.
Let me make it clear that I imagine this is possible because Thranduil's wife is never mentioned and in the films she died. It seems that Thranduil's sadness and his failure to sail may be related to the type of death she died, that if it was by a dragon or Nazgul, or any servant of Sauron from the unseen world, it would greatly damage her fëa. or it would completely eliminate it to the point that she would never leave the Hall of Mandos or even never get there. This would make it possible for Thranduil to have a similar fate to Finwë, making it not impossible for him to fall in love and bond with someone again. Perhaps until now, sadness, loneliness and eventually your tendency to close yourself off have kept you from this possibility.
Want more perfect fanfiction material for this pair than this?! I don't think so.
Tauriel and Thranduil are Shipp with good potential. Once you realize this, it's addictive.