Adessa and Legolas stayed in Rivendell for nearly three weeks and in that time she read everything the library had to offer about Valinor and anything that even hinted at the Faery Race as well as any books regarding memories or loss therein but she was no closer to recovering her memories or learning who and what she was. Additionally she'd started having strange dreams, she dreamed of a tall fair haired youth with blue eyes who stood like a leader and kissed her sweetly. Dreams of a dark haired dark eyed woman wreathed in flame then wearing strange clothes standing beside a very tall man who resembled a bipedal turtle though that was so outlandish she dismissed it as fantasy brought on by the strange books she'd been reading. She had had one nightmare that left her sobbing in terror, a black pool with red viper's eyes that whispered horrible truths and promised horrors beyond her understanding then it had morphed into the dark haired woman with the red viper's eyes setting herself ablaze and she knew with certainty that the woman would be doomed. She'd jolted from that nightmare and it had been three nights before she could bear to sleep again.
She'd also started having dreams about Legolas that made her blush but those were the dreams she looked forward to even as they made her squirm when she found herself in his company. She'd just finished breakfast when an attendant came to her and told her Lord Elrond wished to speak to her. "Thank you." Adessa replied, scooting her chair back from the small table in her room, wiping her lips with a cloth and then folding it neatly to show she was finished.
She didn't want to keep Lord Elrond waiting and so she quickly splashed some water on her face, dabbed her skin dry and ran her brush through her hair. Fitting the diadem to her hair and forehead, Adessa shuffled her wings a bit and nodded her head to show that she was ready to go. The attendant gave her a small bow and lead her from her sleeping chambers and down the halls toward Lord Elrond's private chambers. Adessa wondered what he would want to speak to her about and then hoped that he might have had a solution to her memory problems. She wanted to quicken her pace, but if she did she might have started to fly the rest of the was to his private library and leave her attendant in the dust. They drew up to the doors and Adessa dismissed her guide, who bowed and left her alone in the hallway. "My Lord Elrond? You wished to speak with me?" She asked, knocking softly on the door and waiting for permission to enter.
When he gave her permission to enter she pushed the door open. He was standing at the window a parchment in hand and he smiled when she came in. "Adessa, please have a seat." He motioned gracefully to the chair by the window.
Giving him a small, respectable bow of her head, she did as she was bidden to do and took the seat, sitting on the edge of the chair so her back remained straight and her wings were unruffled. "You look pleased my Lord, have you received good news about something?" Adessa asked curiously, tilting her head to the side and giving him an intrigued look. "What has happened?"
He sat across from her and smiled a little. "I have had word from Galadriel, Lady of Lothlorien. She sometimes has visions and has sent word to me that she wishes you to journey to her. She believes she has had a vision that would explain who you are but she would not write of it in her letter."
"The Lady of The Golden Wood? Wants me to see her? That is truly an honor." Adessa answered, a grin spreading across her lips. "After reading a lot about Middle Earth and the wide landscapes and mountain ranges, I am more confident in myself to step out again."
Adessa had been quite pleased with herself, taking it in her best interest to study all the maps and geographical books she could get her hands on in the library as she could. She would often spend many an hour pouring over scrolls and sheets of parchment that contained information on plants, animals, region's, people, cultures, and things like that. There were often times that she would spend entire nights alone surrounded by books. Going back through all that knowledge she figured it would take up to about two or three weeks to venture all the way to The Golden Wood by foot, perhaps a days less by flying, and about three days even less by riding a good portion of the way.
"When is Lady Galadriel expecting me my Lord?" She asked, tapping a finger to her chin, already starting to think about what supplies she'd need to pack and what the weather would be like."Would Legolas be coming with me as well? I don't foresee there being any trouble on the road."
He chuckled and set the letter down on the windowsill. "She has asked to speak to Legolas as well in regards to a personal matter so he will be going with you. I will be providing you both with horses and supplies and a gift for the Lady. Though all seems tranquil here the world outside this gentle valley is fraught with perils. I must warn you that there are dark forces stirring and you may not find the road so easy. And there is something… strange in the world now. I have felt it, like a pluck on a harpstring, not evil but strange. You must be cautious."
Adessa saw that his usually calm and fatherly brown eyes had a glint of worry and this caused her to be concerned too. If this great Elven Lord and skilled warrior was worried then there was cause for her to worry too. After all, he had seen far more of this world than she had and he had lived countless years which gave him the experience to read the signs. She stood and nodded, giving him another curtsy, her wings fluttering open and closed behind her. "Thank you for all of your assistance my Lord, your generosity knows no limits and if there's anything I can do to repay your kindness please don't hesitate. You have but to ask and I shall do what needs to be done." Adessa said kindly, straightening her posture. "When shall we be leaving, my Lord?"
"Tomorrow at first light. It is several weeks to Lothlorien and there is the possibility of poor weather. I will have supplies readied and traveling attire brought to your rooms. You will have the rest of today to make your goodbyes to my daughter." He smiled broadly, he was pleased that Arwen and Adessa had become friends.
"Thank you again my Lord Elrond, by your leave." She said, turning on her heel and leaving the chambers, shutting the door behind her. 'I'm so happy that Legolas is coming with me.'
With this thought filling her with happiness, Adessa couldn't help but add a little skip in her step and a flutter of her wings. Her joy couldn't be anymore obvious as she wandered through the gardens, running her fingers over the flowers, plucking a few here and there, and humming a nonsense tune that she put together on her own. She didn't know if it had any meaning of it's own but since she couldn't put any words to it, she was satisfied to hum it to herself. Finding Arwen in her favorite section of garden, Adessa leapt up and flew the rest of the way to her, touching back to the ground a foot from her and smiling.
"Arwen, tomorrow Legolas and I are going to Lothlorien." She said, handing her a few of the snow lilies she had gathered and sat down on the stone bench in the circlet of rose bushes. "I wanted to let you know before we left and I will miss you, but if everything goes well we should be returning soon, perhaps even three weeks or so."
Arwen laughed and stood up a bundle of flowers and other plants in her arms. "Adessa is it near three weeks just to reach the river Anduin. From there is is likely a month to Lothlorien. Mother lives in Lothlorien and I visit her often, like as not you and I will not meet until the end of Summer again if fortune is kind."
"Perhaps I need to study my maps again." She asked, slightly confused at how her geography could have been so far off. "I'll get it soon enough, perhaps later this afternoon I will look at the maps again and make sure I don't mess up again. Some navigator I would be if I couldn't do my job the right way." She gave a small laugh at this and hid another fit of giggles behind her hand while shifting her own bundle of flowers in her arms.
"Let's put these pretties in some vases and brighten up some rooms with them. I find their colors to be lightening and refreshing. Perhaps your father you enjoy a flower arrangement in his study?"
Arwen chuckled. "If you are using the maps in the library then it is little wonder you are mistaken. Those are many hundreds of years old and the Anduin changed its course not 400 years ago when an Earthquake brought a mountain down. So many things have changed but so few elves leave Rivendell that we've not updated any of the maps." She led Adessa inside and started sorting through the flowers.
"Ah, my mistake then." She laughed, laying out her flowers before her on the table and carefully cut the ends of the stems before arranging them into three separate vases.
She figured that one would go to her room, another she'd deliver to the library and the last she thought about taking to Legolas's room to brighten it up with their beauty and fragrance, but didn't know if he'd go for something like that, but she'd try anyway, if only to make him smile. As an afterthought, Adessa couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Legolas, she had spent so much time with Arwen and her studies in the library that she had nearly pushed him to the edge of her mind. Having wanted to learn all she could of Middle Earth could anyone really blame her? She hoped he didn't and took up the vases she had designated for the library, her room and his.
"I must leave you for now Arwen... I think the library could use a few of these." She said with a smile and made her way out of the room.
Stepping out quickly, Adessa went to the library first and set the first vase of flowers on the table, only having to clear away a few pieces of parchment to make room for them. That took only a moment and then she went to her own room and placed her vase on the small table she had eaten breakfast on a few hours before. Lastly she closed the door behind her and took a deep breath before knocking on the carved door to Legolas's room. "Legolas? Are you here?" She asked softly, hoping that if he was resting that she wouldn't be bothering him.
He opened the door with a smile and she felt herself flush. He was wearing a pair of light leather trousers and his usual green tunic but it was open at the neck showing a pale expanse of chest and he was barefoot, it was as close to undressed as she'd seen him and his hair was loose. "Good morning Adessa." He said quietly and stepped back so she could enter. "I received a message from Lord Elrond that we've been invited to Lothlorien."
Smiling quickly to ease the onset of a blush to her pleasantly pale skin, Adessa inclined her head a bit and stepped inside, trying her best to get her racing heart to stop beating so quickly. Ever since she had started having those dreams about him, the butterflies in her stomach seemed to come alive every time she saw him and there wasn't any help for that. There was just something about him that made her go weak in the knees. It was unclear if it was his personality, his fair and handsome appearance, or the way he looked at her that made her feel this way, but there was something and she would tenderly and carefully explore it.
"Yes Lord Elrond informed me this morning as well..." She said softly, glancing over her shoulder at him while setting the vase of flowers on the small table and chair set his room, like her's, had had. "I hope I'm not intruding, but Arwen and I picked flowers from the garden and arranged them together. There were so many that we had to divide them into several vases."
She smiled and spruced up a few flowers before stepping back to admire her work with a nod. "I thought you might like a few to brighten up your room a little."
He touched the petals of a flower and smiled. "They are lovely, though it seems a shame to sequester them here when we will be gone in the morning."
Adessa nodded thoughtfully about his statement and then came up with a solution. "I don't know the Faery have the ability to preserve flowers and such, but before we leave perhaps we can take them to the dining hall and allow others to enjoy them." She replied, pushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "That will work, that way their beauty won't go unobserved and can be appreciated."
She looked up at Legolas's face and studied him for a short time, some small extra lines seemed to appear around his perfect blue eyes. This worried her a little and then there might have been a few dark circles under his eyes but she couldn't be sure. 'I wonder if he's sleeping well.' She thought to herself.
"Perhaps you can try to preserve them? To see if you do have that power." Legolas suggested as he swiftly swept his hair back and braided it then set about looking for the left boot which had gone missing somewhere.
Adessa thought about it and then set about staring at the flowers intently. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she focused on the flowers and outstretched her hands to them. It looked like she was almost about to cradle them in her palms, but leaving enough space between her hands and the vase to cushion them with air. Her hands began to slightly glow with a pale light, much like that of the crystals in her sanctuary, and slowly the light grew brighter. A delighted grin was set about her lips as she worked. Drawing her hands up so she could start at the top of the flowers, Adessa slowly lowered them to the table, creating a visible sheet of her energy over them. When she let go of the power, the visible shimmer rippled and then vanished, leaving the beautiful flowers as they were, except slightly brighter and lush. "It worked!" Adessa laughed and let out a rush of air. "Legolas it actually worked!"
He carefully touched one of the flowers and looked surprised. "They are as hard as crystal." He said and tapped the petal with his finger nail making a soft pinging sound.
Gazing at the flowers too, Adessa carefully brushed her fingers over them and blinked. "But they're still beautiful... I wonder how long they'll stay like this." She said softly. "I don't think I've prolonged their life at all, they just won't die as quickly as they might have, still it's a wondrous thing... oh did you find your boot? Some creatures seem to like taking the left boot, or so I've read."
She laughed lightly, her voice sounding like chimes blowing gently in a warm breeze. Folding her wings and letting them drape against her back, Adessa turned to the windows of his room and gaze outside. He was right, the view was even more lovely from his vantage point.
He smiled and held up the boot before sitting down to pull it on. "I'm going to the stables to pick a pair of horses for our journey. Would you like to come with me?
"It would be my pleasure." Adessa replied, turning from the window with a new glow about her. "The whole time we have been here, I had yet to ask Lord Elrond to view his horses, even to take them out for a spell... not that I don't think he wouldn't allow me to, but because I was intrigued by his massive library!"
She giggled softly and walked to the door, opening it and waiting for him to finish lacing up his boots. "I bet they're gorgeous."
"The only horses more beautiful and more prized re the horses of Rohan." He said and led her towards the stables.
Adessa nodded, recalling something about them in the books that she had read about the other Races and their cultures. "Ah yes, the Realm of the Horse Lords." She replied, tapping her chin thoughtfully and matching Legolas's long strides with her own. It didn't take them long to get to the stables and soon enough Adessa's pointed ears wiggled upon hearing the neighs of the horses and clopping of hooves on stone walkways and hay. Stablehands and the Stable Master moved about the stalls, mucking them, bringing in fresh hay and grains to feed the beautiful beasts. Others ran to and fro with brushes and combs to care for the horses. Adessa couldn't stop her head from spinning, looking from each horse with wonder and shaking her head.
"We are going to have a hard time choosing horses Legolas... they're all perfect." She said with a quiet laugh. "And just one more reason I would stay in Rivendell forever."
Many of the horses neighed as they were handled with the utmost care and Adessa walked up and down several aisles, looking at each one and whispering soft words to the few whose head popped out over their stall doors to greet them. There were a number of gray Arabian horses, Rowan, Bays, Morgans, Friesians... too many to choose from. She shook her head again and couldn't decide.
Legolas seemed to have no such trouble choosing and made a quick examination of two piebald patterned geldings of indeterminate breed. They didn't look as graceful as any of the other beasts in the stables but they frisked and whinnied when he approached showing their spirit and their readiness to be out and about. He nodded as he checked them over and flipped a pair of wooden tags on the doors over to show that these two were spoken for. "We have hard riding ahead and these are the sturdiest. They will manage very well on the journey."
Adessa came forward and held out a hand to each horse, receiving a few snorts and gentle touches of their noses into her palms. A small nod from her showed that she agreed with his statement and she gently rubbed their chins before moving to their cheeks and then to the stars in the middle of their foreheads.
"What luck this is my friends, they will bear us well." She cooed gently before turning to Legolas. "They are twins and are both quite free spirited. I think we have the perfect traveling companions here... Fleet-foot and Summer Breeze, perfect names for the pair."
He chuckled. "We do not name horses Adessa. They are too short lived for that. In anycase they are not ours to name, they belong to Lord Elrond. I've some arrangements to make, I will see you at dinner?"
Adessa smirked and shook her head and patted the horses on their necks. "I didn't name them Legolas, that is their names. Don't ask me how but they told me." She replied quietly. "Yes, I will see you at dinner. After I make sure my things are packed in my knapsacks I will probably make myself scarce in the library or the gardens since it will be a while before I see them again... will you need any help?"
He gave her a smile and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "If you say those are their true names I'll not say it isn't so. I don't need any help. Enjoy your last evening in Rivendell, I do not know when we'll be back."
He turned and started walking away pausing only to leave instructions with the stablehand. Adessa could feel her face heating up from the brush of his fingers across her cheek when he pushed the hair out of her face and she touched her cheek with her own cool fingers to try to cool down her cheeks again.
'Why does he effect so much!?' She nearly screamed at herself, looking back to the horses in front of her and shaking her head when they nickered good naturedly back at her. "You can't tell anyone... it will be our secret."
Taking an apple from a barrel next to the tack room, she cut it in half and fed them to the horses with a smile. She touched a finger to her lips to motion it would be their little secret and then left the stables, going back to her room to pull things together so she wouldn't have to worry about them in the morning. It didn't take her long to collect the few articles of clothing she had arrived in Rivendell with and packed them up in her knapsack. Since she had time to spare, Adessa decided to fly through the gardens at a leisurely pace, greeting the few Elves tending the gardens here and there and helping where she could assist before moving on to the riverside. She sat alongside the water and gazed at her reflection and trails her fingers in the water, poking at the few floating leaves, causing them to ride her ripples down the current.
"Why would I ever leave this place?" She asked no one in particular and taking a deep breath of the fresh air. The weather was warm and thoroughly pleasant, absolutely no reason she would ever leave this place.
As her mind wandered she found herself thinking about the dream she'd had the night before, she'd been in a strange place, sitting in a chair, a wheel in front of her and odd music playing. She could hear a voice singing beside her and when she looked it had been the dark haired woman with a smile on her face singing sweetly. "Oh misty eye of the Mountain below/ keep careful watch of my brothers soul/ and should the sky fill with fire and smoke…" She trailed off when she realized Adessa wasn't singing along and looked over at her, dark eyes worried but she's only poked Adessa in the arm and teased. "What did you forget the words?"
The dream had faded but Adessa had woken with the strange feeling that she had to find the dark haired woman, that it was important though she didn't know who she was or why and the feeling had faded quickly.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Arwen sat down beside her and held out a bundle wrapped in cloth. "Would it be too much trouble to ask you to give this to my mother?"
"Hm?"
Adessa made a noise when the images faded from her mind and she was startled by Arwen's sudden appearance. Usually she was slightly more alert than she had just been, but then again Elves moved gracefully and on silent feet so she wasn't surprised that Arwen had snuck up on her as quietly as she had. Giving her a smile, Adessa took the bundle wrapping up in thin cord and looked at it before back over at her.
"It won't be any trouble Arwen." She replied, carefully placing the tiny object in her lap and keeping her hand on it while leaning back on her other arm. "I'm sorry, I was distracted by something before you arrived, but it's gone now."
Arwen smiled softly. "I think I can guess what might have been on your mind." She teased.
Raising an eyebrow slightly and giving Arwen a sideways smirk. "Oh do you now, what do you think was preoccupying my thoughts? Let us see if you're right and are as clever as your Elven race." Adessa replied, turning to face Arwen fully. "Perhaps you are only half right."
Arwen arranged her skirts and tapped her chin with one finger. "Well, You told Seadra that you wanted a book about dreams and got very flustered when she told you that Dreams about men could only mean two things and you've been sitting in the gardens sighing at the Ferns. Since there is only one man you have spent any appreciable time with aside from my Father you've got Legolas on your mind."
Adessa started to giggle at her deductions and shook her head a little. "You are very intuitive Arwen, a quality I highly value in the Elves for you see more than others, but you are only half right." She said, running her fingers over a white lily and sighing absently. "I do think a lot about Legolas, to the point that I do see him in my dreams at times, but those are the only things that distract me anymore. There has been a woman in my dreams of late and for some strange reason I feel compelled to find her... but in another nightmare she was shrouded in darkness and had glowing red eyes, whispering such evil that was to come."
Adessa stopped and drew another calming breath before continuing. "Am I really suppose to find someone like that, even if her face was the first thing that came to me when I was trying to recover my memories? Or should I find them to make sure they don't commit such acts of destruction?" She asked, sighing heavily and shaking her head slightly. "It's all so confusing, but I have to know either way."
Arwen had a pensive look on her face and considered the problem carefully. "Fate is a strange thing." She eventually said. "It draws us like water from a well but with an invisible bucket, maybe you and this woman were friends before she was drawn into darkness, or maybe you have been life long foes, you seeking to put an end to her evil and she seeking to snuff out your light. I think the only thing you can do is follow your intuition and take such paths as feel right. And I'm sure Mother can help you regain your memories."
"It is my sincerest hope that she can." Adessa replied after a moment and smiled, trying not to let her frustrations with herself get Arwen down too. "We can only cross that large bridge when we get to it I guess." She laughed at this and pushed a few stray strands out of her face before looking at the sky and nodding. Slowly she stood up and took a long and lasting look at the stream, the flowers and the range of mountains that created many a water falls around Rivendell and sighed.
"I leave tomorrow with the hopes of returning to this beautiful place again in a month. Such beauty and tranquility here should outlast time itself... Well... come on Arwen, the hour is growing late and I would like to finish a few books in the library and clean it up before the evening meal. A bath is also an order, I refuse to start a journey without one." She smiled and held out her hand to help Arwen to her feet, the tied bundle that she wished for her to give to her mother in Lothlorien clutched in her other hand.
Arwen left her to her preparations and it seemed to Adessa that time moved like a whirlwind now that a plan was in motion. She had just gotten to her room where an attendant had left new clothes and toiletries for her journey when Legolas knocked on the door to escort her to dinner.
Adessa hastily packed the things into her knapsack so as not to keep Legolas waiting for her and left them at the foot of her bed, straightening up her hair and brushing invisible dirt from her dress. She opened the door and smiled sweetly at him. "Impeccable timing my Lord." She laughed, shutting the door behind them and gently laying her hand over his. "It looks like everything is in order for tomorrow like Lord Elrond planned and I am prepared to leave as well. Are you ready to begin our travels to Lothlorien in the morning?"
He nodded. "I am. It will be good to be travelling again. As wondrous as Rivendell is I enjoy traveling the lands of Middle Earth."
Elrond had arranged to have a modest feast in honor of their departure and there was lively music. As they ate Elrond inquired as to her studies and she found herself having an enjoyable conversation concerning the history of Rivendell. Their conversation didn't stop there. At key points in their discussions other topics were touched on briefly, including different cultural items, heroes, great leaders and wise figures from both past and present. Adessa was fascinated by everything that she couldn't help but show her enthusiasm. What intrigued her the most was the festivals, music and foods that were consumed with each.
"It's all so wonderful." She said happily, sitting back in her chair a little and taking a sip of water from her cup. "So much history, so much more to learn. I hope that our business is concluded quickly in Lothlorien so that we may return with all possible speed so I may learn more."
For a time she listened to the music and tapped her slippered feet to the drum beats beneath the table and listened to the soft lullaby of the flute, her fingers tapping on the table. It was so lively that she felt at peace, no worries, no fears... complete and utter peace. After the meal the musicians started playing dancing tunes and the elves got up on pairs and even in groups and started a series of dances that looked to Adessa like flowing water and windswept meadows. She watched as they moved flawlessly from one set to the next then Legolas was holding out his hand to her. "Dance with me?"
She didn't know if the resulting heat on her cheeks was from the candles on the table or from the spiraling braziers behind her, but when she looked into his calm and bright blue eyes, the heat was there and she hoped the lights didn't reveal too much of her pale pink blush. Her heart quickened when she laid her hand in his and took to her feet, allowing him to lead her into the dance. Adessa knew Arwen was smiling knowingly at her, she didn't even have to turn to look in her direction to know she was. "I don't know how to dance Legolas, so I will apologize in advance if I step on your toes." She said quietly, watching the light dance across his face as they stepped out together. 'So long as I don't fall or trip on anything, I will call this evening a success.'
He led her through the first dance which was a lively thing that left her breathless and laughing then another dance and halfway through that one she found she was having no trouble at all keeping up with the steps. The third was the fastest yet with spins twirls and the interchange of partners and she was passed from one laughing elf to another then back to Legolas as the song finished and everyone clapped and took a step back off the dance floor to catch their breaths while the band conferred over what to play next. A few moments later a more sedate song began and Legolas led her through that dance as well. It had a more sensual feel to it and the feel of Legolas's arms around her waist as he guided her through the more complicated forms left her breathless. When that song ended he led her back to her seat and a singer stood and began a ballad while Legolas poured her a glass of sweet wine.
Accepting it gratefully, Adessa tried her hardest to breath evenly again through her laughter and the music. She sipped slowly at the wine Legolas had poured for her, not being used to drinking wine, she didn't want to succumb to it's influences. Finding her breath again, Adessa gave him a happy smile, fluttered her wings before folding them against her back, and complimented him on his dancing skills. "You are a superb dance Legolas and an excellent teacher." She said, her breath returning to her more evenly now and her heart racing becoming more steady again. "I don't think I faltered once under your guidance... you truly are skilled in many ways. Where did you learn to dance like that and how long did it take to master?"
He smiled and sipped his wine. "I've been dancing since I could walk. All elves have. Humans are good dancers as well and I've heard tell of Dwarven dancing and I believe the Hobbits must dance as well but the Elves have the mastery of it."
"After what I've experienced tonight, this I have no doubt." She replied, taking another sip of her wine and giving him a wink. "I would like to learn more of these dances if you are willing to teach me, I think I can learn since I haven't stepped on your toes yet, nor anyone else's for that matter." At this she laughed and was joined by her other dance partners whom she had been passed off to in the third dance. Many gave her compliments on her quickness and lightness of her feet, despite the music being at such a rapid pace. She held her wine glass high, accepting their praise with a smile before sipping again.
The singer finished and the musicians started another dancing tune, this one was just for the women though and Arwen joined her guiding her through the steps which wound a linked line of dancers around in looping patterns as they ducked, weaved and spiraled around the dance floor. The tune changed and added a masculine tone to the song and a line of men joined the dance their line weaving in and around the women so they were crossing over and around each other then suddenly the lines broke apart and each woman was paired with a man and the dancing took each pair out towards the edges in a laughing display of grace. Adessa found herself in the arms of a dark haired elf who smiled at her infectiously before she was passed to another, then another until she found herself with Legolas again. His blue eyes sparkled and he curled his arm around her waist as the dance started to wind down, his face was only inches from hers.
Adessa's breath caught in her throat and tightened, making it slightly awkward for herself up until the point she could only smile widely at him. Legolas was so close, close enough to where she could feel his breath on her skin, his scent was sweet like the wind, but an underlying smell of ocean breeze that made her smile even more. She liked how perfectly her hands fit in his, their forms met perfectly and there wasn't anything remotely awkward about them as they danced. It was almost like there was no need for words, their eyes could speak in volumes and right now his were bright, happy, and wild with delight. "I am happiest here..." She stated softly, breathing low while her pointed ears wiggling a little and a pale pink shade appeared there. "...with you."
She couldn't believe what she had said, but she spoke from her heart. Perhaps it was too early to have told him she wondered? But how else could she explain why he made her heart light as a feather, how he made her feel weak at a simple and gentle touch, and how her pulse race every time he looked in her direction or pushed hair from her face? She couldn't explain it, but now he knew and whatever happened from there the fates would have their fun.
He looked a little surprised but not unhappy. "We won't be here much longer." He said simply. "And we'll see how happy you are with me after several weeks journey." He chuckled and touched the tip of her nose before escorting her off the dance floor.
When he touched her nose a memory floated through her mind of the countless times she'd done that with the dark haired woman to make her laugh. She heard the delighted laughs and smokey chuckles as the woman tossed her hair out of her face and tried to touch Adessa's nose, then the memory was gone and she felt something hard in the pit of her stomach as another memory, one from the nightmare she'd had the night before floated p, of the dark haired woman dressed in clothing made of flames, red eyes glowing as she laughed high and cruel. Legolas had a hand on her shoulder, the other around her waist holding her up. "Adessa, are you alright?" He asked his voice concerned, she felt him holding her up and realized her knees had gone to jelly.
"I think I need to sit down... please." She said, her voice quivering a little, breathing uneven, and the rest of her body shaking. "And a cool towel too please." She held onto Legolas's hand as he carefully led her back to her seat and slipped carefully into it.
Placing a hand to her forehead, she first tried to get her breathing back under control and pushed a few strands of hair out of her face. A few of the Elves stopped to observe but Adessa tried to smile and wave away their concerns, trying to play of her sudden fatigue as too much excitement. A servant brought forth a tray of cool towels and she took one, dabbing at her face, and neck gently and taking calming breaths. After a few moments and sips of water from a cup that was brought to her, Adessa was starting to feel better, but she was slightly disturbed by the memory she had seen and her brief zoning out from the party. 'What was that all about?' She wondered.
Elrond came to sit beside her and offered her a cup with some sweet smelling liquid in it. "Not wine." He assured her.
When she sipped it a wash of soothing calm filled her, relaxing her muscles and even making the anxious fluttering of her wings still. "What did you see just then?" He asked quietly and though the memories were frightening they didn't fill her with the dread they had before.
Taking a deep breath, Adessa recalled what she had seen. "I saw the dark haired woman again, but her eyes were red and her laughter was sharp and cruel. She was wore strange clothes, all of it writhed in flames, but they didn't burn her. The woman was the same I had seen in my dreams and in several memories before now, but I don't understand them." She shook her head, feeling a little more confused than before. "My instincts are telling me to find this woman, but not what I'm suppose to do when I do find her."
Elrond steepled his fingers and considered her for a moment. "What other memories have you had of this woman?"
Closing her eyes to better remember what she had remembered. Adessa let out a small sigh and then something popped into her head. "I remember singing with her, as if we were friends, but then everything goes black and she's not normal as she once was. Certain things have triggered my memories... things that I have done or that we have done together, but I can't piece it all together." She answered, shaking her head and rubbing her temples slightly. "It's all too confusing, I have trouble putting any of it together because it's too unclear."
Elrond rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "All will come clear in time. Lothlorien is a place of peace and healing, no evil may enter save what humans bring with them in their own hearts. If the woman is evil she'll not be able to enter and you will be safe. The night wanes though and you must rise early. Best to get some sleep now."
"Spoken with true wisdom, my Lord Elrond." Adessa said quietly, nodding knowingly. "You are right, we should get some rest now... thank you for the sending off feast, I did enjoy myself. Goodnight all..."
She looked at Legolas and gave him a soft smile before nodding her head and wishing him pleasant dreams. Standing up from her chair slowly and fanning out her wings a bit, Adessa found that she could move with a little more strength than she had before and motioned for Arwen, taking her into a quick hug, whispering softly in her ear her own farewell and then let her go again. She bid the rest of the Elves a good night and goodbyes before starting down the stairs, if she did get a little weak in the legs again she had no doubt that her wings would help her back to her room again.
'I can only hope that everything will be cleared up in Lothlorien...' Adessa mused to herself, holding onto a pillar for a moment and looking out to the moon as it's rays of light peeked through and splashed the hallway with illumination.