Unsatisfied with the Wizards' work, the Valar send another Istar to Middle-earth, Nerwen the Green, with the specific task to find the Ents, apparently vanished form the face of the world. During her mission, Nerwen will meet old friends and acquain...
(This chapter has not yet been edited, pls forgive mistakes and oddities)
Chapter XXI: Strolling Through Lothlórien
Later, Nerwen descended the long stair of the tree palace and, like the day before, she found Beriadir waiting for her.
Seeing her, the Silvan Elf couldn't help but notice how the cut of the water-green dress she was wearing hugged her beautiful shape; under the smouldering gaze of those dark blue eyes, Nerwen felt suddenly very hot.
"Good afternoon," Beriadir greeted her, bowing slightly; she reciprocated with a nod, hoping it would look sufficiently casual.
The Elf offered her his arm; she accepted it, and so they strolled down the main avenue of Caras Galadhon, to the opposite side of the city gates, until they reached a clearing ending against the protective walls. Small paths covered with white gravel winded among colourful flowerbeds, interposed with low green shrubs; tiny fountains in marble, white, pink, grey and pale green, and benches in pale wood decorated the paths. Songbirds such as thrushes, chaffinches, blackbirds, nightingales and goldfinches sang in a cheerful concert, and a number of peacocks with magnificent white plumage walked around in the carefully trimmed lawn.
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"Wonderful!" Nerwen cried, sincerely, and Beriadir smiled, pleased by her appreciation.
They strolled down the paths in the light of the afternoon sun; now it was mid-May, and in this southern land it was already quite warm; Nerwen was therefore glad to have heeded Arwen's suggestion that morning and changed the cloth sleeves of her gown with veil sleeves, similar to the ones of the blue dress her niece had borrowed her the day before.
The movement of something white drew Nerwen's attention to the left: near a lilac rhododendron bush, an albino peacock was laying. She was impressed: never, in all the long life, had she seen one, even if she knew of their existence.
"It's amazing!" she cried, careful not to raise her voice too much in order not to frighten it. Beriadir smiled of her evident awe; he inhaled and produced the cry of the female peacock in heat; immediately the male stood up and deployed the feathers of its long, snow white tail, puffing out its chest and looking anxiously around in search of the female, which of course he didn't find. Nerwen watched him, charmed, one hand covering her half-open mouth and wide-eyed like a child. Her expression was so heart-melting, that Beriadir felt the strong impulse to take her into his arms and pepper her face with kisses; but he held back.
Disappointed, the peacock folded its tail and scampered stiffly away.
"He's offended," Nerwen laughed.
"So it seems," Beriadir confirmed, laughing in turn, "Maybe he felt mocked..."
They continued to walk lazily, Nerwen watching closely plants and flowers; she knew them all, of course, but noticing the differences among the varieties growing in Lothlórien, Rivendell, the Grey Havens and Valinor was for her a perennial source of enthusiasm.
