Hawk's Flight

Gandalf moved over to Endarine’s side, where he quickly examined her.

“There appears to be naught wrong with her. She is not showing the same signals as one who is unconscious. She appears to simply be sleeping.”

Aragorn nodded, still incredulous at what had happened. He looked at her on the sheet-padded chairs, and thought she might want something a little more comfortable. His mind drifted for a moment and he thought of putting her in the bed with Legolas, but then his mind slapped him and told him he should know better.

“I’ll go arrange for a bed to be brought in.” and he quickly left the room. He soon found one of the Rohirric guards, and asked his and several others’ help in hauling Endarine’s bed from her room to the other. It was rather heavy, and bulky as well, being made from thick oak. When she was finally settled, Aragorn took a step back and breathed clearly for the first time in two days.

Gandalf did another quick examination of the elf. His face was confused when he finished.

“It appears as though there was never a wound at all in the spot.” He stated. Looking back and forth along the prince’s side. “ Even elves have slight scarring from wounds. You would see silvery scar lines. But I see none here at all, and though I have the appearance of an old man, I know that I’ve not the sight of one.”

Aragorn laughed slightly, but got up anyway to go and see what Gandalf had. The wizard was right. The flesh that a half hour before had been raggedly torn and bleeding was now bright and pink and new, as if it had never been wounded at all.

On a hunch, Aragorn looked at Legolas’s shoulder, where he knew a centuries old wound had left a hairline silver scar. It had been before the elf’s extensive archery training. He searched the entire thing, and found no trace of the scar. He pointed it out to Gandalf.

“He had a scar there on his shoulder. It’s gone now!!”

The wizard also extensively examined the shoulder, and then moved to the other one in case Aragorn had looked at the wrong one. He could find no trace of scarring either.

“Were there any other scars that the prince had?”

Aragorn nodded, and pointed out two more, or at least the spots where they should have been. The scar from the broken ankle when Legolas had been only eleven was gone, as well as the scar on his outer calf where, a few years after the ankle, a dive from a water fall had hit a rock in too-shallow water. Both were gone as well. Gandalf stood back, a perplexed looked upon his face.

“Strange.” He said, “Very strange indeed.” Then his mind had another hunch.

“Aragorn, did Endarine have any scars that you knew of?”

The ranger nodded. “One on her shoulder from the Battle of Dagorlad Plain, and another on her palm from when she was young and orcs raided a village she was traveling through.”

The pair went over to the other bed, and looked at both shoulders and palms. Not even a trace of silvery scars remained.

“It seems she performed some kind of healing spell, not only for current wounds, but for past ones as well.”

Aragorn nodded. “Where did she learn such magic?”

“I know not. But I do have an idea. Let me ask you, did she look the same as she did in Moria?”

Aragorn nodded again, “Yes, only then the light came off her into a sphere of light, rather then all the little flittering bits this time.”

Gandalf nodded, in seeming understanding.

“Then perhaps she has a gift that is only now beginning to show.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. Some elves are given gifts by the Valar when they are born, but the powers do not show themselves until many years later, sometimes millennia. It appears to have done so with Endarine.”

“How do you know?” questioned Aragorn in honest curiosity.

“I am Istari. I have lived a long time, and conversed with the Valar. There was an elf many millennia ago who also had such powers, though they seemed to be only for healing, unlike Endarine’s. Hers seem both for healing and defense. But then, each gift given is different.”

“Who was this other elf you speak of?”

“Shaelen. He was a warrior of Gondolin, and fell when the city was betrayed and destroyed by Morgoth. He was injured so gravely that he could not heal himself and have healing powers left for all the other who needed him.. Instead, he gave the last of his powers to heal others who had been wounded lessly. He died a few days after the hidden city fell.”

Aragorn nodded, his present questions answered.

Gandalf went back to the table and sat down, running a hand across his face.

“Now I know what we may be facing. I think I have been looking in the wrong volumes.”

Aragorn went over and sat between the two beds, which had been arranged side by side. He tried to stay awake as long as possible, but soon fell asleep sitting up in his chair. Gandalf remained ever vigilant at the table, pouring over a new batch of manuscripts and papers he had taken from the archives of the Keep.

The next morning, Gandalf thought he had had it. The description of the spell was in Sindarin, a tongue he spoke, read and wrote well, but the actual spell was an ancient one that even his old ears had never had chance to cross. They were written in Tengwar, easy enough to understand. The spell itself was rather short, but would still be lengthy due to its unfamiliarity. He wanted to try it, but not until the two in the beds were healed more, at least strengthwise.

The two had alternatively awoken and fallen asleep throughout the night. Neither had ever awake at the same time though. They were either both sleeping, or one or the other was awake. The strangeness of the spell’s aftereffects made him wonder. Once, when Legolas had been awake, he walked around at Aragorn’s urging, only to have Gandalf burst back in from the annals of the Keep and order him back into bed.

Just as the sun was rising, a messenger of Theoden’s came to the door. Aragorn, who had awoken at the knock, answered it.

“Excuse me, my lord, but the king has sent me to tell you of our departure. He says he plans to leave just after midday tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” Aragorn replied, and shut the door.

Gandalf had heard it all. “So we’ll be leaving tomorrow, eh?”

“Ay, we will be.”

“Then I must get to work without further delay. Those two need to be up and awake before then.”

“Have you found anything?”

“I have, but it is in a tongue unfamiliar to me. I only hope that it will work correctly when I use it.”

“You don’t know if it will work?”

“I believe it will. And if I annunciate them wrong, I don’t think any harm will come of it. Other spells that I have mispronounced have simply not worked. This should do the same, I hope.”

“Then Hurry up!! I want to see him out of his bed and back on his feet!!”

Gandalf chuckled, the deep raspy laugh that was uniquely his. Then he got up, and went over to Legolas. Endarine had been the last to wake, and he knew the prince would be the next to rise. He shook the elf gently. He woke, opening his eyes.

“Good morning.”

“Quel re, Gandalf (good day, Gandalf)” came the reply.

“I wanted to question you on something. Last night, I found an old spell that will hopefully restore both you and Endarine. I wanted to ask your permission before using it.”

“I’ve no problem with it. I want to get out of this bed!!” At this, Aragorn, who was standing just behind the wizard, laughed. So did Gandalf.

“As does everyone else. Now, would you please try to go back to sleep? I must rouse Endarine to ask her as well.”

Legolas nodded, and turned over. Within a few minutes, his eyes glassed over, and his breathing evened. Gandalf turned to the other bed. Already the elleth under the covers had begun to stir. When the deep blue eyes opened, he leaned in and smiled at her.

“Good day, Endarine. I have just asked Legolas and am now asking you. Might I have permission to attempt a spell I found last night? I believe it will help the both of you to recover.”

She nodded, still half asleep. “It is fine by me.”

Gandalf nodded, turning back round to gather up the spell parchment form the table. He looked at it, memorizing the few lines that were written upon it. Then he grabbed his staff and stood between the two beds. Endarine stared wide eyes at him from underneath the covers.

He grasped the staff firmly, and closed his eyes to calm himself. When he felt sufficient, he began uttering the ancient words.

They rolled off his tongue with easiness. The relatively few words from the adage were quickly said and done. The twirled end of the staff began to glow, a bright silvery light. It emitted from a single spot within the woven strands, a pinpoint of light behind the white wood.

Gandalf stood perfectly still, as the spell had instructed him to do. The glow grew brighter. It began to swirl out from the openings of the staff, and with a quick zip! Shot out in two directions, one to either bed.

The beds suddenly became hidden in cloud of smoke. From Endarine’s bed came a high shriek, and Gandalf broke his meditation and ran to the smoke filled bed. With a quick muttering, he banished the smoke, and in the bed, he saw that Endarine had vanished!! No, not vanished. There was a lump underneath the covers. Soon, it began to hop about, and strange squawking noises came from within it. With a worried look upon his face, Gandalf ripped the covers back.

Once they were removed, something white winged past him. It flew round and round the room, screeching it head off. Soon, the streak flew back to the bed and perched on the headboard. Gandalf saw that it was a snow-white hawk, black speckles all around it’s wings and back, and the tail was a deep, silvery grey. The eyes, when he looked, were the same deep shade of ocean blue of Endarine.

**What in the Valar’s name have you done to me, Gandalf?!?!?**

The words blasted into his mind. Mindspeech?

“Endarine?” he questioned slowly

**Yes, it’s me!!! Who else would I be you stupid wizard?**

Gandalf sighed.

“I do not know, Endarine. I believe the spell has gone awry.”

**Damned right it went awry!!!! What in hells did you do to me?? Look at me!! I’m a bloody bird!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Gandalf chuckled, and it seemed to put Endarine into an even worse mood than before. She hopped up from her spot and landed on his shoulder, pecking him right in the ear. He flinched back.

“Aiya!!! There was no need for that!!”

**Then fix it!!!!!** She roared.

At that moment, Legolas jumped up from the other bed. His eyes were wide-awake.

“What happened? What’s going on?” then he glanced a sight at the hawk sitting upon Gandalf’s shoulder. He caught the color of its eyes.

“What have you done to Endarine!?!”

“It was entirely accidental, let me assure you. Do you think I wanted to turn her into a ruddy bird??”

Legolas shook his head, then began looking at his hands. “Is it only her that is effected?”

“So far, she is. Mayhaps because she is female, or the one least injured, or any other number of reasons, but I do not truly know.”

Endarine gave Gandalf another peck.

“Ow!! Endarine, must you?”

**YES!!!!!!!!!!!!** she screeched into everyone’s minds. Aragorn was standing over in the corner, a look of utter confusion upon his face.

Legolas’s face, too, had succumbed to confusion. He looked back and forth from Gandalf to Aragorn to the bird perched on the Istari’s shoulder.

Endarine pecked once more at the wizard, then took wing and flew to Legolas’s shoulder. She landed as light as a cloud, which surprised the elf. He turned to look at her.

“Well, mela, what do we do now?”

“I could attempt the spell again…” Gandalf began to say

“NO!!!!!!!!” Legolas yelled, just as at the same time Endarine silently screamed **NO!!!** into everyone’s heads. Aragorn, still in the corner, began to laugh.

Later that afternoon, just as the sun was going down, the group sat in the room. Legolas had packed both his and Endarine’s bags, since her wings and feathers could do little to help. Gandalf, in between packing his own few meager belongings, was pouring through the spell book trying to find out what he had done wrong. He could find nothing, and to show her dislike at still being a bird, every few moments Endarine would swoop over and steal he was trying to pack, flying high about the room with him chasing behind her screaming apologies.

Still later, they were all sitting, or perched, near the hearth. Gimli had actually bathed at the insistence of the rest of them, and was sitting nearer the fire than the rest, trying to run a comb through his curly, matted hair and beard. He succeeded only in breaking half the wooden teeth off into the tangles.

Legolas was sitting in a chair, dressed for the first time in three days. His shirt, to Aragorn's relief, had been salvageable. The ranger, after washing it free of blood and dirt, had taken it to one of the seamstresses of the Keep. She had gladly taken it, and had repaired the cut seems in a couple of hours.

Now it was wearing cleanly upon the elf’s shoulders. Endarine was perched upon his shoulder nearer the fire, every once in a while sending a vehement glare in Gandalf direction. Gandalf was sitting, quite demurely, looking through the book, still trying to figure out what he had done wrong. The sun had dipped lower, and everyone turned to watch. It touched the horizon.

As soon as the glowing orb had touched the earth, both Legolas and Endarine let out a shriek. Endarine hopped down from his shoulder just as Legolas jumped up from his chair. She began flapping her wings, and the elf held his hand across his stomach as if he were in horrible pain. Gandalf and Aragorn both jumped up to help them but found themselves unable to do anything.

At once, Endarine twitched, and with a poofing noise, there she was, standing fully clothed and elven once more. Then, and instant later, with another poof, Legolas disappeared, and in his place squawked a huge snow-white hawk with silvery speckles on his back, a black tail, and eyes the same shade of ice-blue.

This bird now began flailing about the room as Endarine had done earlier. Endarine, momentarily frozen after being returned to her natural form, ran after him shouting.

“Legolas!! Shut up and get down here!! Squawking and flailing about will do you no good!!!” Aragorn inwardly laughed at this, for her first reaction at being turn avian had been the same.

At once the bird turned, and Endarine held out her arm. The bird landed lightly, and immediately hunched over demurely. He turned his still ice-blue eyes to the wizards.

**What in Valar have you done to me? I thought you said this would effect only her!**

At this, Endarine got a slightly hurt look on her face and tapped a finger on the bird’s beak, which immediately shut.

**I apologize Endarine. Good gods!! How could you stand this form?**

“With time, goodly elf.” She replied. She turned to the wizard.

“Well, it looks like we’ve still got a problem on our hands, Gandalf. What do you plan to do?”

“Nothing, now. Not after what happened last time. I am trying no new spells. This one helped you not, and another unfamiliar one might only upset this particular mishap more.”

“Good idea” Aragorn said from the periphery of the group. He stepped forward and stroked the bird on top of its head. “I do say, Legolas, you look much better in this form.” He began to laugh, then yelped when the bird pecked at his finger, drawing a slight amount of blood. “Aiya!!!”

Endarine giggled and the bird gave its version of a cackling snicker

“How will we explain this to Theoden and the others?” Endarine questioned, suddenly turning serious again.

All four pondered this. Gandalf finally came up with an answer.

“We shall not tell them.” Three pairs of eyes looked questioningly on. “You shall each say, when either time is around, that the other is a pet from home that followed you. During the day, if anyone asks, simply say that the other must be at a different part of the entourage than you. This will simply send some soldier around looking for them, and he will simply think he can’t find them due to the crowd. Worry not. We will figure this predicament out.”

The others nodded agreeably. Then they went to bed. Their things were all packed, so they had only to wait for the call the next noon to depart. They hoped a solution would be found soon.


The next day dawned bright, though none of the fellowship enjoyed it, for they knew what it brought on. Endarine was fitfully asleep in the bed, with Legolas perched, somewhat precariously for he was still unused to his avian form, on the carved headboard.

The sun peeked its way over the horizon, showing in through the window. Almost instantaneously, Legolas gave a screech and rose into the air, and Endarine sat up quickly in the bed, and with twin puffs, she was flying around the room and Legolas landed off-balance on the floor. He caught himself on the bed, then looked up to where Endarine was flying fitfully around in circles. He called her name, and she turned in mid-flight, flying to him and lighting upon his out held arm, which he then pulled close to his chest. The hawk nuzzled her beak against his neck, chirruping quietly.

At that moment, a knock sounded on their door. Aragorn, awoken long before the other two, ran to get it. Standing outside was one of Theoden’s new messengers, as Hama had fallen in the battle. He noticed who was on the room, and continued on with the message that his king and lord had sent him with.

“The king would like an audience with you, as soon as possible, preferably."

Aragorn nodded, bowing slightly to the guardsman. "Tell your lord that we will be there momentarily."

The guard nodded and left, and Aragorn shut the door quietly, turning to the rest of them.

"I guess we are going to see the king."

Gandalf nodded. "Aya, but how will we explain the abscence of Endarine and the presence of the bird?"

Aragorn shrugged. " I know not. But whatever he wants must be important, and so we must go."

All agreed, even Endarine who answered by giving a meek little chirrup. They all dressed appropriately, as well as they could with so few possession on them, and made their way into the hall and towards the chambers of the king.