Adessa woke at dawn with pale winter sunlight bathing the bed and a pleasant soreness making every muscle ache. Blinking slowly from the soft light that peeked into there room from between the curtains, Adessa slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, her muscles screaming in protest at the movements. The covers she held close to her chest with one hand and the other pushed hair out from her face. Looking to her right and the sleeping Legolas beside her, she couldn't help but sigh and admire how peaceful and at ease he was. He had not one care in the world right now and this made her happy. Adessa's wings fluttered a bit and she yawned quietly, not wishing to disturb Legolas's sleep. "I need a bath..." She muttered to herself, looking again at the window and the sunlight. "The ferry is probably going to be leaving today and we need to be ready for it."
Letting the covers fall back onto the bed where Legolas lay, Adessa's feet barely made a sound when she walked to the woven reed screen and draw herself a warm bath. She dipped a cloth into the steaming water she sat in and ran it over her shoulders, arms, torso and legs. Her back was a bit tricky since she had to be careful of her wings, but that was easily overcome. Once she was finished with her body and her hair, she stepped from the tub and grabbed her towel to dry off. Looking around for clothes, Adessa kicked herself for not grabbing some from her saddle bags before drawing her bath and wrapped the towel around her before moving to them and digging through for the proper clothes, warm and durable for travel if they were to leave that day. Tying the sash around her waist and lacing up her boots, Adessa walked back to the bed and she traced Legolas's high cheekbone with a gentle finger and brushed some hair from his face.
"My love... it is morning and the sun is shining." She cooed softly to him, leaning down and kissing him lips.
He opened blue eyes the color of spring skies and smiled pulling her down for a more thorough kiss. "She is indeed." He murmured.
Giving into his soft lips, Adessa returned his kiss and pulled back before they could get too carried away. "What I mean is the ferry might be running today." She responded quickly, placing a finger over his lips and giving him a direct look. "We still have a ways to go to Lothlorien and I don't know how long this lucky break in the weather will last."
She kissed him one last time before straightening again and going to fold her night attire up to pack it away again. "We should see about the ferry and get the horses ready for travel if it's running today."
He sat up and watched her with a smile before getting up and heading into the bathroom himself to clean up. While he was in there a maid brought breakfast and informed Adessa that the Ferry would be traveling at noon and they might want to resupply before getting on the ferry. Thanking her graciously, Adessa took the tray of food and brought it back into the room and closed the door behind her. Setting down the tray on the small table she poured tea for herself and Legolas and picked at her food with a satisfied smile. She spoke softly to Legolas about what supplies they may require and went through the saddlebags to see what items they had left over.
"If we get a few more things for ourselves like some bread and dried fruit and perhaps a few handfuls of grain for the horses then I think we'll be fine." Adessa mused quietly, tapping her chin with a thoughtful expression on her face. "I'd like to check their shoes to make sure they're fine too... the last thing we need is a lame horse, on this journey and that's the last thing I want."
He came out of the bath area securing the laces on his shirt and gave her a quick kiss before picking up a pastry and sitting down to put on his boots. "I will leave the provisioning to you while I see to the horses." He handed her a small pouch of silver coins before he stood up pastry in hand and left with a light step even for an elf.
Adessa sighed with the utmost content and smiled. She had the most amazing lover, whom she never thought would go for someone like her and he made her feel like the most important thing in his world. Finishing her food quickly, Adessa pulled on her own boots with a smile and laced them up. She grabbed her gray cloak and tied it loosely about her shoulders after folding her wings and tucking them close to her back. Oh how she wanted to fly again, but since that night she got captured by the filthy slavers she seldom flew when they camped now. Absently she ran her fingers over her wrists and shook her head to block the images and memories from her mind. Taking up the small pouch of coins that Legolas had given her, Adessa securely tied it around her neck and tucked it into the front of her shirt for safety. She also grabbed an empty saddlebag so she could carry anything she brought back with her to the inn. "I should make this little shopping trip quickly and then come back to make sure we have everything." She mused to herself, stepping out from the inn and browsing up the main roads.
The Town itself wasn't big and the streets were fairly easy to navigate so it didn't take Adessa long to find the things she was looking for. There was a stall selling a variety of dried fruits and she looked them over with a keen eye before selecting a small handful and getting them wrapped up in clean bags before handing over the correct coins. That was another thing she had studied while in Rivendell, currency. Her last stop was to a feed shop where she briefly conversed with the shopkeeper before agreeing to get a pound of grain for her's and Legolas's horses. He asked if she wanted someone to carry the bag for her but she politely refused and paid him, accepting the bag and throwing her saddlebag of dried fruit over her grain with a smile. On her way back to the inn, she looked up and noted that the sky promised good weather for a time and hurried back to the inn, scraping off mud from her boots to the best of her abilities before going up to their room and entering.
"Now to make sure everything is packed... I do hope there's nothing wrong with the horses." She said, pulling things out onto the bed to make sure she packed everything.
By the time she had everything repacked and had made sure there were no personal items left in odd corners Legolas had come back and was hefting up the saddlebags. "You were right. The horses needed new shoes." He commented as they walked down the stairs.
Adessa shifted her packs in her arms and nodded.
"If we take care of our horses they will in turn take care of us." She replied, following him and smiling politely to the innkeeper as they approached him to conduct their final transactions and thank him for his hospitality. "How soon did the horse farrier say he could have the horses shoed again?"
"They are shod and waiting for us on the ferry which leave in a little under an hour." He replied as the stopped in the common room and caught the Innkeepers attention.
The Innkeeper hustled over and smiled ingratiatingly at them. "I trust you had a pleasant stay Master, Mistress?"
"Yes, thank you for being most accommodating to us Sir." Adessa answered, giving him a kind smile. "May fortune favor you and your house."
She shifted her bundles again and nodded, ready to be off for the ferry and their horses. It wasn't out of anxiety that she wanted to leave the town due to unfavorable suspicions but more so of the want to take up their travels again. Adessa loved traveling with Legolas and of course there was her need to get to Lothlorien with all haste to recover that which she had lost, her memories. "Perhaps we will be coming back to stop here again on our return trip, if all goes well."
The Innkeeper smiled and bowed and then was called away. Legolas led her out of the inn and to the river dock where a long low wide boat was moored. There were maybe a dozen horses and just as many people boarding. "I've already paid the fee." He told her and led her to the horses so they could secure the saddlebags. Several people eyed them both curiously but it was a tiny girl of maybe three or four who approached Adessa and tugged on her cloak. "Are you elves?" She asked her tongue tripping up over the syllables.
Adessa immediately looked down when she felt her cloak being tugged and smiled and the adorable child. Instantly a smile bloomed on her lips and she knelt down until she was slightly above eye level with her. She tucked some of her brown hair behind her ear and nodded. "My traveling companion is an Elf and I may look like one, but I am a little bit different, though I look like one too." Adessa answered quietly, pulling open her cloak just enough so a portion of her wing could flutter softly and could be seen by the child. "I am a Feary... but that's a secret between me and you, cutie." Adessa gave her a wink and another smile.
The child looked awestruck and nodded before rushing back to her mother who didn't look too please with the child. The Ferry lurched and they were on their way across. It was a relatively short trip and within an hour they were on the far side of the Anduin and mounting their horses. Checking her horse's girth strap and finding that it was perfect, Adessa gathered her reins, put her left foot in the stirrup and swung her leg over the horse's rump, sitting gently in the saddle. She patted the horse's neck and let her rein slack a little in her hands until they were ready to go. The landscape before them caught her attention and a satisfying sigh escaped from her lips. It was all beautiful and didn't look like the road was going to be too bad. Making a clicking noise with her mouth, Adessa tapped her heels to her horse's sides and moved him closer to Legolas and his horse. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before righting herself in the saddle again and moving off.
"The wind in your hair and the winding road ahead Legolas!" She called, looking back over her shoulder at him. "What more could you possibly want?!" With a smile growing ever more clear on her lips, she squeezed her heels to her horse's sides again and Summer Breeze took off and a leisurely canter, making Adessa whoop happily. The wind picked up her hair and flung it back behind her. She relished this feeling of freedom forever.