Avadis - A legolas story (slow moving!)

Chapter 29 - Mellon

... A week later

"Suilad... mellon" (hello friend) Avadis said as she walked up beside Aragorn. He sat on the highest steps of a watch tower, looking over towards the mountain pass separating them from Gondor, nibbling on a loaf of bread with his sword resting next to him. 

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Ech gelia avorn, Legolas heria na ma istonor." (You learn fast, Legolas must be a good teacher)

Avadis frowned, trying to remember back to the very limited amount of lessons she had managed to take with the elf. They had got through some of the basic words, some phrases, but there was still much more to learn. It had been surprisingly difficult to learn a third language, she had discovered. The words seemed to become muddled in her mind, and many times she had caught herself speaking in her own native tongue as she tried to learn his language, something which puzzled him greatly. 

Aragorn chucked and looked up at her confused face, "I am sorry, I see he has not taught you all you need to know yet. Suilad mellon." (hello friend) 

She sat next to him, "it is difficult, but I am getting there. Slowly." She returned the smile before shifting her gaze over the edges of the mountains. The clouds had begun to roll away from the snow capped peaks, letting the sun shine through. The snow would soon be melted and the rivers would begin to overflow. However, they both silently agreed that this change in the season would be all the better if it brought along with it a sign from Gondor. 

She could feel Aragorn growing increasingly restless, and yet Theoden showed little care or interest in discussing the growing threat Mordor poses on Minas Tirith and Osgiliath. She had been growing restless too, it had been over two months since her battle at Isengard, and she thought often about her friends back home, wondering how Treebeard was managing the Ents now that the land had been returned to them. But she knew that if she went back, even to visit, it would be only harder to leave again, partially for the fact that recounting the recent events to Treebeard would take a few years, but mostly because deep inside she craved the comfort of being somewhere she knew. But being here was where she should be, though it would make it better if she had atleast something meaningful to do rather than sit in council meetings all day. She missed the company of Gandalf, and the laughter of Pippin, and she had seen that Aragorn and Merry especially felt the same.

"Should I have gone with them to Gondor?" she asked with a sigh, half to Aragorn and half to herself. 

"I would not trust the armies of Gondor within a hundred miles of you Avadis, not with the Steward in charge" Aragorn replied, "it was right of Gandalf to go without you. Taking the hobbit was enough of a risk as it is."

She knew only stories of the current Steward of Gondor, and yet she appreciated Aragorn's warning. "Then I am to stay with you" she concluded slowly. 

Aragorn looked at her a moment, before resting his hand onto her shoulder. "I cannot promise you what will happen, or tell you where we will go. But I can promise you this, if we live, then we will live in peace, and if we die, then we will die as friends."

She saw his heart was genuine, and his character was good and loyal. Avadis placed her hand on his opposite shoulder, "where you go, I will go, where you fight, I will fight. Your people are my people, and their king is my king. I will follow you, Aragorn, to whatever end you lead us." 

He gripped her shoulder tighter and smiled at her. Then, instead of letting her go he pulled her in for a very brief but heartfelt hug. "Hannad, mellon" (thank you friend) he whispered as he let go.

They pulled away and Avadis smiled at him. "You will do well, have courage and be patient. If the enemy was planning on moving swiftly, we would be also. We are given time to rest, so take it" she said.