Avadis - A legolas story (slow moving!)

Chapter 23 - Headache

"My lord! Lord Aragorn wishes to speak with you." A voice called from the doorway, and Legolas looked over at Avadis with an apologetic smile. "I am glad to have spent some time here" he said, turning to walk into the hall before stopping to look back at her, "while there are no forests here, I have found there is a small courtyard just past those doors with some shade if you wish to explore." Legolas disappeared into the hall and the giant wooden door closed with a loud creak behind him. 

"Thank you, I will go and find it" Avadis tried to call out, hoping that somehow his elf ears would be able to hear her. Try as she might, she couldn't stop a small smile from appearing on her face as she turned and walked slowly in the opposite direction, looking down at the pebbles below her feet. Deep in her own thoughts, she followed the pebbled path further down and around the hill until she came to the edge of the wall surrounding Rohan. There she stopped, being drawn from her thoughts. 

Where am I? Avadis wondered, peeking around the outside of the wall and out over the plains. The path continued downwards and through a series of small mounds covered with beautiful blossoms of flowers. In the back of her mind, a feeling of pain slowly washed over her, as if from a distant memory. What is this place, she frowned. The feeling stayed in her mind, like an itch that would not go away, making her want to explore more. 

Walking a little way down it, Avadis paused suddenly when a figure emerged from behind one of the small hills. The king. Avadis' eyes widened with surprise, and both figures stood staring at eachother for a moment before her common sense kicked in and she knelt to the ground, spreading her wings out and over the pathway. 

"My lord forgive me, I am lost, I did not know," she said softly, waiting a moment more before making her escape, "I will go." she sprung up quickly, not making any eye contact as she began to turn. Go go go, her brain was screaming at her. 

"Wait" he called, causing Avadis' heart to practically jump out of her body. She turned and faced the king, remaining silent for she did not know what was right or proper to say in such situations. His eyes were difficult to read, but his face was worn and sad, not anymore the angry or fearful man that had brought her here. 

"Do you know what this place is?" he asked her.

"No, my lord" Avadis replied, looking around her. "But the flowers here are beautiful, I have never seen such a bright white as these."

The king paused a moment, before walking a little up the path and standing closer to her, kneeling to the ground and plucking one from the ground and turning it slowly in his hand. "They are called Simbelmyne, which here means Evermind. They have grown for centuries on the graves of my ancestors."

Tombs. Suddenly Avadis understood where she was. Her mind was thrown back to the coversations she had the previous evening with Eowyn and the weight of the king's grief hit her, he was visiting his son. Her eyes must have shown her sadness and sympathy, for the king responded "do not grieve, there are enough here doing that already." He spoke with a low voice, his sadness evident as he looked to the ground. 

"I am truly sorry my lord" Avadis spoke slowly, "the weight of the dead is a heavy burden. Do not feel as though you must carry this alone." 

The king looked at her, tears forming in his eyes before he frowned and sat down on the edge of the pathway, looking out at the mountain ranges beyond the grave site. Avadis also sat a few steps behind him, careful to give him some space. While she did not feel comfortable in such a place, she felt that she was in no position to leave him. An air of sadness descended on them both, and Avadis listened as the king wept quietly, his shoulders rising and falling as he continued to spin the flower in his fingers. Grief and pain swirled within her mind, but Avadis kept her eyes on the horizon until the king was at last silent. After this had passed, she paused a moment more before quietly beginning to speak. 

"Tell me of him" she said. He looked over at her a moment, before nodding slowly and lowering his head as he delved into his memories. 

"Theodred" he sighed, "I have loved no others as I have loved him, and now I will never love the same again." He looked over at her and a small smile appeared on his face though his eyes filled with tears, "as a small boy he had such life around him, such uncontrollable joy. He thought nothing of himself, and fought for what he could not live without. Until the end. Even the days where my spirit was nothing but dust and rubble he fought for the memory of what this place was. And now I am here..." he sobbed, "... I wish nothing more than to tell him how much I love him." 

Cries of pain echoed in the back of Avadis' mind. "He sounds much like his father" she spoke, recalling on the tales she had heard of the king from Eowyn and Gandalf. 

"His father? No. His father is nothing but the old shell of what once was a man" he replied, tossing the flower away down the hill with frustration. 

Saying nothing, Avadis slowly rose and stepped down the path, past the king. She picked up the flower and twirled it in her fingers, holding it up towards the golden light of the sun, making the petals shine. Then, she turned and kelt down, placing it gently upon the top of Theodred's freshly laid tomb, closing her eyes and whispering under her breath in her language "be at peace." And the cries in her mind were silenced. 

The king watched her silently, observing her slow and gentle movements. It was not until this moment, he realised, that he had taken the time to truly see who she was. Up until now his actions had been fuelled by the warnful whisperes of his soldiers, tales of worry, reminders of laws of old. But she was not as they had told him. Through her actions he caught a glimpse of a woman, not evil and malicious, but one much like another whom he loved as dearly as his own. Perhaps, the king thought, it is right not to judge a book by its cover.

"If I may, I will go now" Avadis spoke. She had no idea how to correctly excuse herself from the company of royalty. Gandalf had conveniently left this out of his lessons, but she hoped this was acceptable. However, as she began to walk the steps back towards the city, she could not shake the feeling from within her, the same feeling that had struck her when she had entered this place. It was growing louder again, a strong cry that echoed in her mind, no longer of pain, but of regret. What is wrong with me?  Avadis was frustrated, her mind swirling uncontrollably, why do I feel such a way? Has this place not enough emotions as it is?  

She lifted her hand to her chest in an attempt to numb the pain, before glancing backwards at the king. He watched her go, standing with his same hand placed over his heart. His eyes betrayed him, and Avadis widened hers with a startling realisation. It's him. It's his pain. His regret. In my mind. It had begun to grow in her mind since the moment she saw him, but she did not see it until now. Avadis stared at him with both shock and slight horror, both figures' actions completely mirroring the other. She had never felt such a way before, the strength of the emotions threatening to make her feel sick. 

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. The king gave her a small nod, almost as if he understood, before walking past her and back into the city gates. And so she was left alone, standing over the graves, wondering desperately at what had just taken place. Gandalf will know. I'm sure it's a perfectly normal thing. She reassured herself, the feelings in her mind slowly melting away as she thought of her friend. Taking a big breath, Avadis shook her head, turned, and followed the path back into the city. Nothing to worry about. 

...

Author note: Omg hi to everyone reading this now! I really hope you are enjoying it, sorry that it's been a little while, i've been busy with study, but i'm back now!! I hope Avadis' character is coming to life more for you reading this. Personally I loveeee a good slow moving story but things are going to start moving a little quicker now I promise. 

If you have any comments or questions please let me know! This is my first story ever so any tips would be appreciated. Even if you just wanted to say hi, that would mean the world :)

Have a good morning/afternoon/night!