After another half an hour they reached the art gallery, which was way up high on one of the taller trees. They climbed the steps and walked on various wooden platforms until they reached their destination, high up just under the branches.
"Not many elves come here," Haldir said with a grin. "Some of the more superstitious think that if they see a painting of Mithlond they will develop sea longing."
"Has it ever happened?" Legolas asked, wide eyed.
"Not to my knowledge."
The room was crammed with paintings. The higher levels contained fine art. The lower levels displayed art of a much lower quality. When Legolas asked about them, Haldir replied that the elflings in the realm were encouraged to display their paintings. They would stay up for a week and then be replaced by other elflings' paintings. "It is thought that elflings cannot experience sea longing so their teachers bring them here all the time. Our Lord and Lady come here once a week to view the paintings and they give small prizes for the ones they like the most."
"That's a lovely custom. We could do that at home. It would be some light relief for the elflings."
"How would it be light relief?"
"We are a military society. Learning how to handle a weapon at an early age is more important than fun pursuits, although we do try to include them." Legolas stood before a painting of Círdan's castle. Swags of flowers hung from the windows of the tall stone keep and brightly coloured pennants streamed from the turrets. Anor's beams shone brightly over the surface of the blue-grey sea and the golden sands, leading the eye to the harbour where three swan ships waited to depart. The dock looked busy with departing elves. Up above, huge gulls flew in the sky. Towards the headland, a ridge of brown rocks stood upright like needles. The beach curved around forming a bay, where elves played ball, dug for crabs, and made sandcastles. Legolas was transfixed.
"It really does look like that," Haldir said softly. "It's the most wonderful last memory of Middle-earth for those who sail."
"I never knew anywhere could be so beautiful."
"You have never seen paintings of Círdan's castle?"
"Unfortunately my father thinks that if elves see how good it is elsewhere they will want to leave the realm. We need every elf we can keep, otherwise we will go under."
"Things must be dire indeed in Mirkwood."
Legolas said nothing, instead he turned to another painting. He looked at the title and was stricken. "Amon Lanc. Another place we are not allowed to see in paintings, lest we lose heart." He held himself and turned away. "Can we see the gardens now?"
"Of course." Haldir led the way.
They stepped back out into the light and Legolas' mood lifted. They ascended the steps further up the tree and walked along the wooden platforms.
"Doesn't it get slippery in spring when the leaves fall?"
"The fall of leaves is rapid but they quickly grow back" Haldir replied. "Outside the realm the snow can be coming down but we will experience milder weather. The temperature never drops too low, but it can be rather cool sometimes, especially when it rains."
"I suspect that is due to Lady Galadriel's influence on nature?"
"I believe so," Haldir replied. "We profit immensely from her protection."
They climbed a few more steps and looked over the gardens. Haldir was pleased at Legolas' intake of breath; the gardens were indeed beautiful and unique.
"I have never seen anything like this." Legolas' eager eyes scanned huge swags of plants cultivated to thread along the tree branches. Blossoms hung heavy from the stems and bees worked busily, visiting each one. In the middle, as if floating between the branches, was a grass lawn, with foot sized stepping stones making a path through the centre. Plump peaches and pears hung from intertwining branches fixed to the mallorn trunk. Below them grew raspberry and gooseberry canes.
"Look, those strawberries are hanging upside down and they still grow," Legolas said excitedly as he pointed to several earth filled wire balls from which issued long trails heavily laden with strawberries.
"I know you cannot use the trees as we do, but do you not have hanging balls of plants where you live?" Haldir walked over to the strawberry plants and picked the reddest fruit he could find. "Here, it tastes how I would imagine a ruby to taste if it was a fruit."
Legolas bit into the luscious strawberry and grinned. A small collection of juice formed at the corner of his mouth as he chewed. Haldir wiped it away with his finger before picking a strawberry for himself.
"We grow crops in the caves. They are fed nutrients by an underground stream. Plus there are many racks of vegetables fed by water showering from a series of pipes running along the roof of each cave. They siphon water from the stream." Legolas picked another strawberry and ate it greedily. "These taste so much better for having been kissed by the sun."
"I cannot imagine a fruit thriving where there is no light."
"Just like elves, they grow because they have to," Legolas replied, picking another strawberry.
"Come with me. I think you will like this." Haldir led Legolas to a set of steps near the back of the garden. They wound around the main trunk in a spiral before deviating to smaller upwards thrusting branches. Eventually they reached a small platform.
Legolas poked his head through the tree canopy first, quickly followed by Haldir. Two heads surrounded by a sea of green and silver leaves. Far beyond the forest were the bare lands beyond the haven of the Golden Wood. Haldir knew them well and he knew what creatures lurked there. He smiled at Legolas' look of awe.
"I can see for miles! This is what I wanted to do." Legolas turned to look at Haldir. "Thank you so much! Look, we can see forever!"
Haldir laughed, filled with happiness because he had brought such a simple joy to one who would appreciate it the most. "I am glad you are happy."
"I am more than happy." His eyes sparkled with joy. "I could stay here all day. Look at the view!"
"I can bring you here every day if you want." Haldir was impressed by Legolas' joy, but he also felt some envy at not sharing a similar level of enthusiasm simply because he had seen the view so many times. He wished he was seeing it for the first time so he could be just as excited.
Legolas turned swiftly. "Yes, I would love that. Thank you so much."
