A Little Nudge
A/N: Dedicated to the Lady Melkor and her ever-motivating whip, :p!
Prologue: Watching Mortals
"Olorin, just watch! Watch them!"
Olorin shook his head and almost rolled his eyes at the Lady who was, not only his wife, but his companion in life. But then again, even he could hardly roll his eyes at the proud and mighty Nienna, the Lady of Tears, so he just smiled.
"My darling Lady Nienna, really, isn't spying on mortals a little below your standards?"
Immediately, her head snapped up from the cloud her chin had been resting on. Her grey eyes shot fire as she muttered
"I was not spying!"
Olorin smiled and put an arm around her.
"Then what were you doing, Milady?"
Nienna's big, misty eyes held a very serious expression as she explained
"I was merely complaining about the stupidity of those two people down there. I've been watching them all day..."
"Yes, I realized that much!"
"... and they are so obviously meant for each other, don't you see?"
A small, dreamy smile crept on her slightly parted lips as she allowed her gaze to drop once more. Olorin's blue eyes followed her grey ones, and all of a sudden, he saw them too. There, down below, on a large lawn next to a rather majestic-looking castle, they walked side to side, two mortal people, a man and a woman.
They were talking rather animatedly, occasionally exchanging faint, hidden glances at each other, and when the shortest of them- a tall, slender woman with black hair pulled back into a bun- smiled at her white-haired, bearded companion, Olorin turned towards his Lady again.
"Yes, they are. And?"
Now it was her turn to roll her eyes- and roll her eyes she did.
"They don't know, Olorin! They don't realize it is mutual!'
Olorin sighed. He loved his wife, above all other creatures of Eru, but she was damn stubborn at times. Of course they knew- how could they not know... the Balrog of Moria was nothing compared to the sparkles that flew between those two!
"Nienna, my love, of course they do. How could it be otherwise- it is so extremely obvious!"
But when his eyes locked with hers again, he knew he's said the wrong thing. A small, half-hearted smile graced her lips as the mighty Lady Nienna quite graciously flung her arms around her husband's neck.
"My dear Olorin, how long did it take us to find out what we felt for each other?"
He sheepishly grinned under her questioning glare.
"Well, I'd say... about two thousand years?"
She vigorously nodded.
"Indeed! And they don't have two thousand years still to go, have they? I mean, they will both live on for many decades- they are witch and wizard, and rather powerful too. But not long enough to see what is right before there eyes! I just cannot stand it!"
That was, for her usual, calm behaviour a whole torrent of words, and Olorin soothingly stroked her back. She was rather upset, he could see it. Her usually so pale cheeks were flustered, her eyes narrowed and teary.
"They'll never see it, Olorin, we have to do something about it, that's just... our duty!"
He almost chuckled, but could restrain himself right in time, as he said
"Oh my, the Lady Nienna isn't going to play... how do they mortals call it again... matchmaker, is she? Because if she is, I fear her beloved husband may all of a sudden prefer the peace and quiet of Valinor above her, delightful as ever, company!"
She rolled her grey eyes once more as she gently slapped his cheek.
"Olorin, I am rather serious about this. I pity them- I mean, for example look at her. She's so brave all day, she's strong... but she cries at night, you know? She cries every night, simply because he isn't there! And he does the same, he sits there, eating some kind of sweets- like Hobbits do!- and he talks to this bird he has, he tells him all about his love for her, and she craves it and they will never know!"
Hot tears lay on her cheeks now, tears for the world, tears for those two people whom she hardly knew, but whom she pitied already, and Olorin quietly pulled her closer.
"Darling Nienna, don't cry, I understand what you mean. But how can we help them, I mean, we are here, they are there- we cannot change that!"
But the ever-dangerous twinkle in the normally so quiet Lady Nienna's eyes, proved exactly what Olorin feared... oh damn yes, they could change that...