Welcome back! Just wanted to let ya'll know that all the neat little tidbits of Middle Earth Lore are gleaned from the books including the Silmarillion and from sources online! Hope you enjoy and please feel free to review!
When she woke the next morning she was still couldn't remember anything about herself or how she'd come to be in the cave but she had to admit it was pleasant. A closer inspection of her living space revealed a chest with another dress this time in a dark green and laying on top of the dress was a diadem with a tiny bird in flight that would rest over the center of her forehead. It was wrought in silver with some kind of dark blue stone along the edges of the wings and the breast. Sitting up still higher, Adessa blinked the sleep from her eyes and pushed her hair back, combing her fingers through her black hair to untangle it a little but to no avail. She stood up, dusting off her clothes from the night before, and walked on her bare feet to the carved chest. "Hm, that is pretty." Adessa said softly, running her fingers gently over fabric of the dress and nodding, loving how soft the fabric was. "Nargis? Why did I think of that name and who is he to me?"
Adessa shrugged her shoulders and quickly changed her clothes, fanning out her wings a little to settle them in place now that she had the new garments on. Tightening the lighter green sash around her waist and then the laces up the front of the corset with silver embroidery, Adessa smiled as her attire and gave herself an experimental twirl, the fabric of her dress spinning out around her and making her flutter her wings until she was a few inches off the ground. She took the diadem and put it in her lap before looking at the chest again and opening it. Inside she found a beautiful comb and delicately drew it out to run it through her hair, instantly untangling it perfectly. Returning it to the chest, she placed the beautiful jewelry piece in her hair and crouched by the water to make sure the tiny bird was in the middle of her forehead. "Perfect." Adessa grinned, cupping some water in her hands and splashing her face to rid herself of any final traces of sleep.
Her stomach rumbled a little and she realized there was no food in the cavern. "Hm well I guess now is as good a time as any to do a little exploring." Adessa mused with a smile and she turned to the entrance of the cave, her wings folded down behind her back.
She decided to walk for a while and upon coming to the entrance she slowed as she extended a hand to the vines to push them out of her way. Sunlight started to stream through the creepers and she shielded her eyes until they adjusted to the light. A smile lit up her facial features at the beautiful morning upon her and she stepped out, passing through a few trees until a thought struck her... the man from last night.
'I wonder if he's still here... I doubt it, but I should be careful anyway.'
Adessa moved carefully, but still enjoyed the soft grass beneath her feet, the warm sunlight on her face, and the cool breeze blowing through her hair. She came to a large leafed plant and plucked one of the leaves, holding it up in front of her to study it and grinned. Taking a few more of the leaves, she figured they would be perfect for gathering and storing berries and anything else she passed that could be edible for later. Adessa passed several bushes with bright, succulent berries and before too long she had a good stash going, so much so that she used the stem part the leaf to tie up the edges and continued to pick two more leaf pouches before looking around to see how far she had explored.
"Perhaps this is far enough for now." She figured, tying up the last of her leaf pouches. "Time to wash these and feast back at the cave."
She had just settled down to a sweet meal of the berries she'd picked when she heard the vines outside her cave rustle and shift. Hesitantly she shifted in her sitting position, pointed ears wiggling with worry and fear completely overcoming her. Adessa suddenly jumped up from her sitting position in front of the clear water and spilled her fruit across the ground as she made a B-line for the nearest stalagmite. She crouched down low to avoid being seen and covered her mouth with her hand to soften her breathing so they wouldn't find her. 'Oh please, don't stick around.' Adessa thought, starting to shake nervously. 'Just go away.'
The vines parted and the man from the night before peered in before walking in looking around in stunned wonder at the crystal cavern. "A wonder from the First Age." He breathed his hand gently resting on the crystal.
The crystal seemed to pulse with fresh light under his touch. Adessa heard the voice before she opened her eyes and blinked. The male voice was the same one from the night before, but she still didn't know if he meant her harm or if he even meant to find her. Slowly Adessa chanced a glance around the stalagmite and drew in a low breath, making little noise and covering her mouth again. 'Why is he here?'
He started moving around the cavern looking down at the pool and crouching down to run a gentle finger over the petals of the white flowers. He looked around at the softly glowing crystal pillars and the table and chair. He stood and moved so lightly across the ground that he seemed almost to be floating, he picked up a handful of the berries and looked around. "Now where is the occupant?" He mused softly.
Adessa's eyes slowly widened and she tried to sink further into the stalagmite. Her heart was thumping painfully in her chest and she clutched her hands close to her body to keep herself from shaking too badly. Breathing heavily she tried to think of something she could so the man would leave. 'He doesn't sound like he intends harm, but can I really take that chance?' Adessa asked herself and so the inner conflict began. 'I'll have to test him, if he fails them I'm out of here as fast as these wings can carry me.'
Looking around her bare feet, Adessa gently picked up a stone and took a breath to calm her nerves before she chucked it as far as she could away from her. She waited to see how he react before she would make her move. He stood and listened as the sound of the stone echoed through the cavern. He smiled slightly and backed away ducking behind a stalagmite then carefully leaped up and balanced on the point, he leaped from point to point until he was a few broken pillars away and could see her easily hiding behind her pillar. He crouched and waited to see what she would do.
'Well he didn't immediately attack... but where did he go?' Adessa asked herself, eyes darting around to try to spot him but without success. 'I don't like this... perhaps it's time to go...' With a sigh, Adessa crouched low and looked around one last time before shaking her head. Her heart leapt into her chest, almost as if it were a sign that she should stay. She slowly stood up from behind her hiding spot and initiated the first contact, her pointed ears listening for a reply. If things didn't go favorably she'd flee without a second thought.
"Who are you and what do you want here?"
He slid down the pillar not five feet from her and held up his hands. "I mean you no harm, I was drawn to this cavern and I only wished to meet the occupant of such a wonder."
Turning suddenly on her feet, Adessa was startle and leaped away from the intruder, her wings unfolding from behind her back and carried her across the water. By doing this, she was able to put some distance between her and the man and look him up and down from head to toe from a safe distance. Her bare feet touched the moss again and her wings fluttered a little, opening and closing a little. "You didn't answer my question... who are you?"
He stared at her dumbfounded. "My name is Legolas… Who… what… are you?"
Adessa said his name quietly. It flowed from her lips pretty smoothly and she familiarized herself with it and the face it belonged to. She studied him silently, tilting her head to the side and waiting a moment longer to answer him. "I don't know what or who I am... I have no memory of anything from my past..." She started before taking another breath and speaking again. "I call myself Adessa. What are you?"
"I'm an elf." He replied quietly. "You have the look of an elf but no elf has ever had wings. I've only heard whispers of one such as you but there was never any name I heard. I know of few who would know what you are, or how you came to be but there are a few."
Adessa looked at the Elf called Legolas and considered what he had said and then shook her head, unsure of what she should do. Since he said he didn't mean her harm she would believe him for now, what was the worst thing he could do? Kill her? At least then she wouldn't have so many unanswered questions but on the other hand she didn't get a sour vibe from him so perhaps he was trustworthy. Squinting her eyes closed for a moment, Adessa put a hand to her temple and sighed.
'What should I do?' She asked herself, opening her eyes again and looking at Legolas again. 'He knows someone who might know what I am and they might be able to tell me more... It's more than what I have so I should go with him. Besides he has stealth... limber Elf to be sure, nearly gave me a heart attack... and he has a Sword and Bow, he could protect me.'
She folded her wings against her back when she heard her stomach growl again and sighed. Kneeling down, Adessa began picking up and berries she had dropped just before Legolas came into her sanctuary and returned them to their massive leaf. She watched Legolas for a moment more and nodded.
"I would like to know more about my kind and other things... I don't know this world, would you sit with me and tell me where I am and who this person may be?"
He thought for a moment then shook his head. "There is too much for any one person to tell, But I could take you to Rivendell. Lord Elrond has vast libraries and knows more of Middle Earth than almost any save a few."
Popping a few of the berries passed her lips, she slowly chewed on them and was rewarded with a sweet tangy taste and ate a few more before looking at Legolas across the water still. "Then perhaps you could sit and tell me how you found this place and where exactly are we." She said softly, offering him a place on the moss slightly in front of her. "I don't even know how I got here, let alone where I am."
He sat cross legged and cradled his bow in a comfortable fashion that spoke of long habit. "I felt drawn to this cavern. As to where you are you are in Middle Earth in a place not far from the Lonely Mountain. These hills are riddled with caverns and old mines."
"Middle Earth... The Lonely Mountains... " Adessa echoed, studying Legolas closer, now that she wasn't worried about being attacked. "Though my memories are clouded and full of holes, those names sound familiar but I can't place them anywhere, it's too strange for words. Hm, I wonder why this place in particular... could it have been the crystals?"
Slowly she extended the large leaf pouch to him and offered the berries to him, there was no reason to be inhospitable now since he was answering her questions, questions that needed answers anyway. Adessa was still curious about everything new in her world. She looked down at her hands and tried to think of a few more questions she could ask that would benefit her in some way. "What other creatures live in this world?"
"Many others." He replied. "Principally though there a 5 major races. Men, Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits and Orcs. Of the five the Orcs are the most evil and are to be avoided at all costs. They will destroy everything in their paths and will even go out of their way to destroy and kill." He accepted the berries but didn't eat them immediately. There are other beings in the world, as much legend as fact and there are of course the Wizards but no one is really sure what race they belong to."
Nodding in understanding, Adessa nibbled on a few more berries and swallowed before tapping her slim fingers to her chin in contemplation. "Where are their dwellings? I don't wish to trespass on anyone's territory, though I guess this would be easier with a map of sorts." She concluded with a gently laugh that chimed like bells. "What region do you call home? Can you tell me about some of the cities in... what was it called again?... Oh Middle Earth?"
He chuckled and it made her heart flutter. "The Orcs don't have a territory save the part of the world called Mordor but you are in no danger of trespassing there. However they do roam in raiding warbands and many of the caves in the mountains are crawling with them and their cousins the Goblins. I lived in The Greenwood, what some call Mirkwood now, but I have left my home. It would take me an Age to tell you of all the cities in Middle Earth and I don't think we have an Age to spare."
At this statement Adessa looked at Legolas with a new curiosity. His youthful and handsome face showed no lines, no wrinkles of age and worry at all and if she had to put an age to him she wouldn't go over twenty-eight or so. Perhaps about the same age she herself was... if she remembered what her age might have been. His skin, where his clothes revealed it, was a healthy pale and his hands weren't weathered and calloused from hard labor and time so she just blurted out the next question that popped into her head without even thinking about it. "How old do Elves live?"
He looked surprised then a smile crept across his face. "You really do not remember anything do you? Elves do not reckon their years in the human way but I was born in the 87th year of the third age and it is now the year 2854 in the Third Age so that makes me two thousand seven hundred and sixty seven years old by human count. In my Fathers home I am still the youngest."
"I..." Adessa started to protest, her wings fluttered in irritation, but then she fell silent and looked down at the berries in her hand, taking a few and eating them quietly. "I wish I knew what I had forgotten... it would make this process so much easier for the both of us I'm sure."
Wiggling her ears absentmindedly, Adessa heart beat quickened when she looked up at Legolas and found him watching her and pushed back the rising heat to her cheeks.
"My apologies for all the questions, I just want to understand what I'm missing... what I can't remember, I feel like I've lost something very important and it's maddening no knowing what that something was."
Perhaps Lord Elrond can restore your memory, or the Lady Galadriel…" He mused. "We might even request the aid of the Wizards if elven magics can't undo what's been done."
"Then perhaps this was meant to happen." Adessa answered softly, looking at around at her sanctuary and then back at Legolas. "It's difficult to explain but I have a feeling that we were meant to meet and I'm suppose to follow you, but I can't be sure."
Taking her fill of the rest of the berries, Adessa used the stem and tied up the edges of the leaf neatly and placing it with the other three beside her. "Where were you going before you stopped here?"
"I was on my way to Rivendell to speak with Lord Elrond about finding a young human. My father suggested I find him and teach him." Legolas looked unconcerned though with his ageless face and casual bearing it was difficult to tell.
Adessa thought she remembered something when he spoke of Lord Elrond, an image of a dark haired elf with stern features flickered through her mind but as quickly as it had come it was gone again. "Gah." Adessa made a noise and pressed her hands to her forehead as if trying to force the image to come back to the surface again, but it eluded her still. 'You must try to remember what you've forgotten!'
Giving her head a slight shake, Adessa blinked for a moment and then nodded. She hoped that if she concentrated on the image again that it might come back to her. But unfortunately she wasn't successful the second time, let alone the first time she had tried to bring the image up again and sighed heavily. She looked up at Legolas and smiled kindly at him so he wouldn't think she was in pain. "I don't know how much help I would be, but if you don't mind the company I would like to go with you to Rivendell. Perhaps Lord Elrond would be able to help me regain what I've lost."
He smiled and her heart fluttered again. "I would gladly take you to Rivendell with me. I was hoping you would anyway. Traveling is alway more enjoyable in the company of others."
Adessa smiled at Legolas again and rose from her seated position, brushing off small, clinging pieces of moss that decided to stick the soft fabric of her dress. She couldn't figure out what about this Elf made her feel so at ease. Was it his calm personality, his soft and comforting voice, his demeanor? 'Why does he make my heart skip a beat every time he smiles at me?' She asked herself, glancing at the Elf from the corner of her eye. 'We just met for crying out loud and it's far too soon to be having these feelings.'
Hoping to find something in the beautifully carved chest again, Adessa knelt down to it and pushed up the lid to scan the inside for items that she might need. She pulled out a gray cloak, folded it up carefully and put it off to her side before going into the chest again. A knapsack was nestled next to another set of clothes, this time a pair of pants, a loose off-shoulder shirt, and a silvery blue sash, and two beautifully sheathed daggers. Carefully picking up the daggers, Adessa unsheathed them and watched as they glowed with the light from the crystals before sheathing them again and tucking them into the sash around her waist so she could get at them if needed. The other set of clothes and and the gray cloak she put at the bottom of the knapsack and put the leaf pouches on top.
"When you are ready Master Elf." She said with another smile, tying the bag closed and looping the tether over her head, her wings fluttering and shifting as needed to accommodate the new weight.
He motioned for her to follow him as they left the cavern. The bright morning sun filtered through bare tree limbs and bird sang in the trees. She was surprised at just how quiet it was and a faint memory of a place of loud sounds and the voices of many people all speaking at once. It was gone almost as soon as she thought about it and she was back in the enjoyable silence. Legolas was headed east along a trail only he seemed to know of and she realized his seps made no sound at all. For that matter neither did hers. Adessa was surprised at this, but she was glad nonetheless for if any unwanted creatures were around then they had a good chance of sneaking up on them or getting away without causing any confrontations. Despite her feet being bare now she did pack the boots she had woken up in just in case they came to a town or a city. Adessa surprised at herself that she was so eager to leave her sanctuary now that she had Legolas with her and did look back over her shoulder until the vines and rocks vanished from her sight.
"Are all of your kind as light on their feet as you Legolas?" She asked casually, the wind gently blowing stray strand of her black hair behind her as they walked. "It's slightly unsettling, but it does have its advantages I guess."
"All elf kind is light of foot, most of the time we don't wear armor and when we do it is Mithril which is as light as wool." He leaped up onto a branch and walked along it as lithe as a cat.
Adessa looked up to watch him in the trees for a moment, head tilted to the side as she marked his progress. Her delicately folded wings twitched, the rays of the sun catching them in its light, making them look almost transparent and throwing alternating hues of blue and shimmering silver behind her. When Adessa saw this she gave them an experimental flutter and made the colors dance. She giggled quietly and then beat them until they carried her up and she serpentine through the trees for a ways, sticking close by but moving at her own pace. "How long do you think it will take us to get to Rivendell, Legolas?" She asked, looking back over her shoulder to see if he was still in sight.
"It is a journey of several days." He replied. "But the weather is mild and the terrain easy so it won't be an arduous journey."
"I'm not worried about that at all..." Adessa started, hovering a bit in place before alighted on a thicker branch and flitting her wings every once in awhile when she felt slightly off balance. "I don't mind the outdoors so much, but my only real concern is the Orcs and Goblins you mentioned... what do they look like? Is there a possibility that we may cross paths with them?" She waited on the branch for a moment until he caught up with her and looked at him with her concerned blue eyes.
He laughed then, a sound as bright as sunlight and with the sound of a pattering stream. "None for now." He assured her. "They were rounded beaten at the Battle of the Five Armies not a month ago, they'll be off licking their wounds and regrouping." He started explaining to her how the battle had come about regaling her with the story as they traveled until night fell and he finally concluded while they sat beside a small campfire though neither of them felt the need for sleep.
Adessa had been fascinated with the story the entire day and didn't once divert her attention away from Legolas as he explained in great details, allowing her to picture everything clearly. Her worries about being ambushed subsided for a time so she could enjoy the rest of the day and evening. She sat on the ground with her legs tucked under her body and the rest of her leaning back against a fallen log, close enough to the fire to keep warm, but far enough to where if she did fall asleep she would accidentally get burned. The stars twinkled above their heads and Adessa watched them for a long time, wondering in awe at just how beautiful they were.
"Hey Legolas..." She started, looking over at him. "Would you tell me more about your people? Where did you come from and what do you like to do in your free time?"
"Well like I said earlier my people live in Mirkwood but the elves live in many places, wherever great beauty is found in the world." He spoke at length on the history of the Elves and described some of the beautiful places they lived and what they had built in those wondrous places. The night waxed and waned with neither of them feeling the least bit tired and when dawn came again he helped her to their feet and they continued.
"I want you to think of a word and see what comes to your mind when you think of it." He said as they stopped for a simple meal of bread and cheese. "Perhaps be can prompt your memory before we even reach Rivendell.
"I guess I could attempt it, there's no harm in trying." She answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "A word to focus on to jog my memories... hm." Chewing slowly on her food, Adessa looked thoughtful before glancing at Legolas and then at their surroundings.
Nature surrounded them on all sides and a steady flowing stream could be heard a ways off to her right. The water bubbled and churned and slowly Adessa's mind started to wander and she felt like she was drifting away into nothingness, her mind clear of everything but the trickling sound of water. All of a sudden there was a rumble of thunder, a flash of lightning and she was blinded by colors and shifting images, always constant however was the water. Whether it was flowing, dripping or stagnant, the water was present.
"Water!" She gasped, blinking rapidly and looking in the direction the river lay. "There was always water... It looked like I was around water a lot. There were other things I tried to see, but they were gone before I could see anything else."
He nodded and handed her the water skin. "Perhaps try thinking of a face. Imagine a face and see what comes to you?"
Adessa took the water skin from him and gently unstopped it, setting it to her lips and taking a small drink before putting the stopper back and placing it beside her. She contemplated and then closed her eyes, hoping that would help her to focus. It did and what her mind brought forth was a blurry image of a woman in strange clothes, she knew it was a woman for no man was graced with such curves as the figure in her mind. No name was brought forth and so the woman went on nameless. "A woman... I think... with dark hair?" She said, touching her fingers to her forehead. "I can't see anything clearly yet, I don't know who she is or what she is..."
He nodded. "That's enough for now. It was worth a try but let's not strain you too hard."
While they walked on he continued his tales of the world and of the now completed quest of the dwarves. "Alas that it ended so badly for them, they regained their mountain but the cost was so great that I fear it might not have been worth the losses."
"I guess we can all be stubborn as Dwarves sometimes, especially when we think our cause is just." Adessa stated quietly, letting the sun pour down on her face and smiling at its warmth. "It's sad they suffered such a loss and that their war couldn't have been avoided."
She didn't feel like she could condone war and violence unless it was for survival purposes. The Dwarves in general, she thought, were interesting and wish to see what their crafts entailed, their treasure hoards and craftsmanship seemed to be their pride and joy. From what Legolas had described to her, Adessa imagined beautiful and elegant metals and stones being shaped and set in jewelry by creative minds and visionaries.
"I have no doubt they were enthusiastic about their metals and refined arts in crafting."
She smiled and let her mind wander, trying to imagine what a Dwarf mine would look like and what could be found there. For the race of men she didn't have to imagine so hard what they would be like, buildings, roads and markets came to mind, but the Elven race was something else. Try as she might, Adessa could see the magnificent buildings in her mind and the beauty the could possess, but it would be a whole other experience when they got to Rivendell and she could see for herself the splendors Legolas was talking about.