Avadis - A legolas story (slow moving!)

Chapter 46 - My two favourite hobbits

"AVADIS!" The door burst open, making the pair jump away in surprise. Her spirits were immediately lifted at the sight of Pippin and Merry running into the room, beaming ear to ear. Quickly wiping whatever remained of her tears from her face, she had just enough time to sit up and catch the two hobbits before they sprung up onto the bed and into her arms. 

"Well well, if it isn't my two favourite hobbits" they sat on either side of her, her arms around each of their shoulders. "What a wonderful surprise" she smiled at Legolas, who had sat back on the corner of the bed watching them with a small smile. 

"We heard from the healers that you had been injured" Pippin piped up.

"They said you had lost your wings!" Merry finished, causing Avadis to laugh even harder.

"I am sure that the healers here are endlessly gifted in the healing of men, but they had no idea what to think of someone like me" she lifted her wings slightly from behind her, enough for them to peek over her shoulders. "However I am pleased to inform you that I do infact have both of my wings completely intact." 

She looked over to Merry and frowned, "oh, you are hurt! What has happened to you?" She asked, carefully resting one hand on the side of his head to examine the bruises and cuts which trailed across his face and down his neck. They had been treated and stitched by the healers, but it was obvious that he had been in a fair bit of pain.

He shook his head and sighed, glancing over to Pippin with a smile, "ah it is nothing much. Just got a bit too close to one of those orcs is all." Avadis frowned at him for a moment more before giving him a small nod, realising he did not wish to worry Pippin with any more details. They could discuss the battle together later. 

Looking next to Pippin, she was relieved to see that he evidently had not collected any injuries from the battle. "And I trust that you have been caring for my old friend well, yes?" She raised his eyebrows at him with a playful smirk. 

"Rather that he has been caring for me I am afraid" he replied with a guilty grin. 

Avadis laughed, "no I do not believe that for a single moment. I am sure you have proven to these good people here that once again you hobbits are full of the most incredible surprises."

He smiled, "I can lay claim to lighting the beacons. And I would tell you that I am a guard of the citadel if it was not for the fact that I had the title denounced from me." He laughed at her confused face, lowering his voice to confess in a whisper "I got into a bit of trouble with the late Steward. But it is not something that bothers me too greatly, he was not the best of people."

Legolas chuckled slightly at the hobbits, "I heard he went up in flames, is this so?" He asked. 

Pippin nodded quickly, "lit himself all on fire! And even wanted to take his son Faramir with him too, which he nearly did had I not jumped into the flames to rescue him."

"Into flames?!" Avadis leant back from him in shock, "Pippin! How on earth..." she was beyond words and only was able to shake her head at him. "After the beacons and now this, do not start thinking of taking up the habit of arson" she scolded him gently with a small smile. 

Merry carefully took her hand, bringing her attention back to him. "Tell us though, are you well? Gandalf seemed to be worried for you." She smiled, she had missed his kindness as a companion on her journey.

Avadis looked quickly to Legolas who frowned slightly at her before turning back to Merry and taking a deep breath, forcing the same smile upon her face that she had been wearing for weeks. "Yes! I feel well rested and energized once again. Infact I was just thinking before you both came to visit that it is about time I get out of this bed and go for an explore. It seems so wonderful this place, so high in the air!" Her eyes trailed outside into the cool air again, thinking of the endless flight opportunities this place offered for her.

Legolas raised his eyebrows, "perhaps we could stick to walking just for a short time longer. Give your wings a rest, they definitely deserve one." She smiled at him, a knowing smile of what he truly meant. He knew how tired she was after such a battle. 

"I could not agree more" she smiled, "however before I go for such an adventure I would appreciate some clothing that does not feel like a child's school project to wear." She carefully scooped the two hobbits from where they sat and slid from the bed, giving her makeshift gown a runway twirl with a smile before remembering that her leg did infact still ache a little. 

"Your bags are just over here" Legolas smiled, walking to the corner of the room and lifting them up for her to see. "We will leave you now." He subtly gestured to the hobbits to come with him, causing them to scramble from the bed and run out the door. 

"I will be out in a minute!" She called after them, throwing Legolas a small smile. Before he completely shut the door behind them, he lent in and whispered carefully "you do not wish for them to know, do you?"

She shook her head, "how could I possibly tell them at such a time? No, it is best that no one else knows unless it becomes a necessity."

Legolas nodded, reaching down to squeeze her hand quickly before closing the door softly behind him and following the hobbits a little way down the corridor to wait for her. 

Finally embracing the silence, Avadis slid her body down the back of the door and onto the cool floor beneath her, bending her knees despite the aching pain into a ball which she rested her head on. She closed her eyes, focussing on the sound of her breath as she relived the past few moments over in her head. So much had happened, and yet now she needed to go on as if nothing was wrong in the first place. After taking a deep sigh, she awkwardly pushed her body from the ground and walked over to her bag, sitting atop a vanity table holding an intricately adorned mirror. 

Her fingers sifted through the few dresses she had packed with her, the ones gifted to her from Eowyn, her beautifully crafted clothes from Lothlorien. But her fingers fell down upon her oldest of dresses, ones she had taken from her home given to her by Gandalf after he crafted them to fit her perfectly all those years ago. Bringing out a slightly crinkled deep brown dress, she held it close to her face, breathing in the smell of the forest. It felt as if it was a thousand years since she had left her Ent friends, and her heart began to yearn to return to her home in her clearning, to spend time sitting by the creek with Treebeard discussing nothing meaningful only to fall asleep resting on his arm with the sounds of the birds settling into their nests. Now she knew that she may never return to them again, if her time draws to a close then her house would grow dust and vines, her gardens grown over with weeds, and her friends would grow old into the ground and fall into their sleep not knowing what had become of her since she had left them in the aftermath of their own battle. 

The dress slipped easily over her shoulders, and she carefully clipped the back to fit tightly around her wings. Taking a step backwards, she extended her wings outwards feeling each muscle complain as she did so. She analysed every inch of herself in the mirror, searching for any part of her that had turned to the monster she had begun to picture herself as being. But her image of herself could not be more different from the girl she saw standing in the mirror infront of her. There was no evil behind her eyes, no malicious thoughts in her mind. Her eyes did not glow with hatred, her face did not scowl. Instead she saw the same girl standing there as had stood at the victorious battle of Isengard, who had left the safety of her home to fight against an evil she had promised to destroy. "Do not forget who you are" she whispered the same words that Gandalf had told to her many moons ago. 

Avadis tucked her hair neatly behind her ears, smoothed the wrinkles of her dress and smiled to herself, before adjusting her shoulders and walking out the door to meet with her friends for the next part of their adventure.