#Showing a glimpse how faramir really is

[inthiskingdomwewillendure]

Faramir & Sam extended scene 4k

[shantismurf]

I've often wondered why Tolkien felt he needed to kill off all three Durins and no one else. I'm sure there are all kinds of scholarly papers out there on it. I even thought it might have been tragically poetic for Fili to be left to rule after losing his family just as Thorin had been, but nope.

They all lived in the first drafts. What changed so drastically in moving the battle from Dimrill Dale to Erebor that Tolkien felt he had to kill off this whole family and leave the one female Dwarf he ever named all alone in the world?? I really wonder if he ever thought about how horribly he treated Dis. I'm thinking probably not.

So I did some (very minimal) research, and I'm pretty sure the answer all comes down to Dain.

I just got a shiny new copy of The History of the Hobbit for my birthday, so of course I have to look this up. In the chapter with the aftermath of the battle all that's mentioned is that

In the original story neither Fili nor Kili died fighting alongside their uncle but survived to the end of the tale. The idea that the two most likeable of all Bilbo's companions should also die in battle ... first appears in the continuation of the typescript ... 'Of the twelve companions of Thorin ten remained. Fili and Kili had fallen defending him with shield and body, for he was their mother's eldest brother...'

But in the version where Fili and Kili live, Dain still becomes king...wtf? In a later section titled *Dain son of Nain* I found:

That Thorin was to die was a late development, not present at all in the Second Phase: there is no hint of it in any of the Plot Notes, and clear indication to the contrary as late as Bilbo's discussion with Thorin after the battle ... Even when Tolkien concluded that Bilbo would be unable to resolve the crisis and lift the siege without a battle ... the idea of bringing a dwarven army to the scene was one of the last plot-points to emerge ...

Dain himself nowhere appears until the Third Phase. Like Bard (or, later, Arwen in The Lord of the Rings), Dain is a character Tolkien introduces abruptly to fill a specific plot-function, in this case to bring a dwarven army to the fight at the Mountain, but with his usual keen eye to potentialities, once the character is present Tolkien makes good use of him. Nothing in fact anticipates Thorin's death scene in the original manuscript until Gandalf actually ushers Bilbo into the dying dwarvenking's tent, but once Tolkien had made the surprising decision to drive home the cost of victory with the tragic but heroic death of the second most important character in the book, he needed someone else to fill Thorin's role as the new King under the Mountain, dealing out treasure and restoring the lost realm so that the prophecies could come true.

Dain is a Mary Sue. No wonder we hate him so much. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Dain as a solid supporter of Thorin and the proper Line of Durin, but man he is easy to make into a slimy usurper for a good reason.

In a sense, Dain is to Thorin as Faramir is to Boromir in The Lord of the Rings: the close kinsman who avoids the fall from grace of his elder ... It is easy, in retrospect, to forget Thorin's or Boromir's virtues even after their heroic deaths ... but an unprejudiced reading ... shows Thorin as a capable leader, fair in his judgements, determined to leave none behind, and courageous ... Dain is all this and more: Thorin as he is meant to be, who either because of the example of Thorin's fall ... or more likely because of an unshakeable bedrock of good sense ... is able to resist the dragon-sickness. Dain deals out the treasure fairly, keeps his bargains, and establishes good relations with his neighbors - all the things Thorin should have done and that we, like Bilbo, expected him to do based on our experience of him prior to his glimpsing the dragon-gold.

That Thorin's heir proves to be a new character, Dain ... might have surprised some readers among whom Tolkien circulated the original version of the story ... But the two young dwarves' descent is through the female line, being the sons of Thorin's sister, whereas the patriarchal dwarves obviously trace the kingship through the male line; it is indeed possible that the deaths of Fili and Kili were added to the story during the typescript stage precisely to avoid such confusion. ... in the 'heroic' cultures that preceded feudalism a closely-related capable adult male (brother, uncle, nephew) often succeeded instead of a son. As Thorin's first cousin, the battle-hardened Dain, who proved himself a loyal kinsman by coming at once to Thorin's aid and who had already accomplished heroic deeds in killing Bolg's father in the goblin war, is obviously an eminently suitable candidate to re-establish the Kingdom under the Mountain.

There's a lot more Dain fawning in that section that I don't even want to bother with. He also says something rather nasty about the fact that Dain had an army but Thorin could only raise a group of 12 🤮

"Patriarchal Dwarves obviously" 🖕...Yes, it's probably right, but still, 🖕

Oh and I think this is kind of bullshit, imo:

At first Thorin's sudden death – shocking within the traditions of classic British children's fantasy – would seem to reverse Tolkien's theory of eucatastrophe, the sudden unexpected happy ending to the tale, but in fact the eagles' arrival that turns the tide serves as the eucatastrophe that makes The Hobbit a successful fairy-story within Tolkien's own conception of the genre. Thorin's death, and the later addition of those of Fili and Kili, serve rather to ground the eucatastrophe and prevent the book from being 'escapist' in a negative sense: in Tolkien's terms they confirm 'the existence of dyscatastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance; [eucatastrophe] denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat'.

TL;DR - Did Tolkien really need to abruptly kill off a primary character just to give the story the proper gravitas, then invent the perfect character simply to fit the hole he made, then kill off a couple more to avoid any confusion about the new character's legitimacy!? 🙄 I guess so, because that appears to be what he did? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yeah sorry this turned into another Ted Talk. Thanks for sticking it out to the end lol 🥰

Just reread The Hobbit 😩 and I stand by my opinion:

📣 Bilbo would have stayed in Erebor if Thorin didn’t die 📣

[simplytolkien]

Friends, I’m going to say something that might not be popular right now, but I think it has to be said. I love Rings of Power so far. I am frustrated hearing people say already that it’s no good. And my most annoying reason for them saying that so far is that there are too many questions, that things aren’t explained yet. I mean, today is just the third episode. This is a story arc that is planned for five seasons. Do they think everything is going to be explained and all characters introduced in the first two episodes of the first season? If so, they’ve never read Tolkien. Sorry. They’re having to tie in so many races and characters and cultures. It’s going to take some setup.

My second most annoying reason I’ve heard is that there are characters added in. I mean, yeah. It’s a huge world. It’s a huge story. And Tolkien really only included the very main characters. Of course there are going to have to be some to fill things out. But Tolkien’s main characters are there so far, and they are so well done! They are staying much truer to Tolkien’s personalities than Peter Jackson ever did. I mean, Aragorn scared to be king? Pfft, that was his whole motivation in the books! I’m not saying he was arrogant or entitled about it, but he was very determined and enthusiastic. He had to defeat Sauron, become king, and reunite the northern and southern kingdoms for Elrond to allow him to marry Arwen. ‘Break up’ with her? Never. Faramir beating Gollum and taking the ring? Never. Tolkien was probably spinning in his grave. He said Faramir was the character closest to himself, and he loved him. 

Gosh, don’t get me started. I still love the LotR movies. I will not go into how much I hated the Hobbit movies, despite so many of my favourite actors being in them. Anyway, back to the point. Galadriel is well done, I think; her pride and determination are very well portrayed. To me the new characters don’t feel jarring. They fit right in with what’s going on in Middle-Earth and what we know is coming. And the scenery and costumes and music! That scene in the third episode (no spoilers!) of Galadriel riding on the beach was just gorgeous, and I think the fact that they included her joy in the moment was absolutely beautiful. I’ve been really looking forward to that scene after the glimpse in the previews. That dress in the wind! That horse! They have captured Tolkien’s love and gentleness so far! I love love love the fact that they are doing real cosmetics instead of CGI where at all possible. It has the real feeling of the LotR movies, and they throw in so many little things to tie the show to the movies, like words the orcs use or lines Galadriel uses.

But I think what has struck me the most has been how unflinchingly they have portrayed the evilness of the orcs without an ounce of gratuitous violence or ugliness. Yes, orcs would be ugly and scary, and I think they have a perfect balance on necessary vs. gratuitous, which is where the fantasy genre always fails for me but where Tolkien excels. 

After watching the first two episodes last week I started doing a little bit of googling, and I think this show is in the right hands. Their love and respect for Tolkien shines in every second so far. I’m just going to withhold judgment and enjoy the ride with this show. Even if I didn’t care for it, it’s a gorgeous way to spend an hour in Tolkien’s world again without having to rewatch the movies for the 3,764th time. But being able to enjoy it is great!

[growingingreenwood]

Ava and eowyn’s friendship is very important to me, the only thing holding me together tbh. Do you have any specific headcanons about how they met and became friends?

I’m not sure how many of you are aware of this aspect of my personal headcanons, but I believe that Legolas and Eowyn would have become really good friends basically from the moment what was left of the Fellowship got to Rohan. One of the main reasons I think this would happen is because Legolas is from a Kingdom that allows any member of the realm (regardless of gender) to join their military as long as they prove their skill. So when Eowyn figured out that Legolas was EQUALLY confused about her not being able to serve, even though she was more than capable of doing so, it was the literal definition of refreshing. 

When Eowyn pressed him for even the slightest details about why he agreed with her so wholeheartedly, the first two people Legolas brought up were Avaleina and Eloissa. Without revealing him as the Prince of Greenwood the Great, Legolas told her about how Eloissa had served tirelessly as the Prince’s Second In Command and nearly all patrols since he had been put in charge of his own patrols. 

Next he told her about Avaleina, who had against all odds and expectations had climbed both political and military ladders with such raw determination that she was the only other member of the Greenwood Kingdom who could travel as a dignitary with equal power to the King aside from the Prince himself. 

Legolas told her about how both Elleths parted crowds like a boulder cut through a river without even a thought or a glance. He told her about how each of them commanded the battlefield and their people with such precision and accuracy that even the darkest powers of the world had begun to fear their names. 

With every word that he spoke, Eowyn became more and more eager to know and see every inch of this wonderful world. 

On Legolas’s behalf, he had like one single interaction with Eowyn and was like: “Oh yeah, this human… this human I like. This is the one.” And Aragorn just sort of pats her on the shoulder and is like, “If any of us survive this war, you’re going to have one HELL of an adventure in store for you.” 

And Eowyns like, “What how do you know that?” 

And Aragorn says, “Just trust me on this one. No mortal can be chosen by an elf and hope to live a normal life. Just wait. You’ll see.”

Then the second interaction between Legolas and Eowyn he was like: “Yo Aragorn, wait until this war is over and I introduce her to Avaleina.” 

When it comes to the two of them actually meeting….

I think that it would have happened when Thranduil came to Gondor for Arwen and Aragorn large wedding celebration, since Avaleina would have traveled as part of the Kings Escort. Because if they had not let her do so, she would have traveled the distance by herself and showed up anyways. 

I think that Eowyn would have been drawn to Avaleina even before they were formally introduced after just one glimpse of her walking into the courtyard where Aragorn waited. She never would have seen a women at the head of ‘war party’ before, especially not one that was clearly there due to rank and ability rather than born or married power. 

I think that Ava would seek Eowyn out (probably with Aragorns help) and walked up to her and was like, “I heard that you snuck onto a battlefield in disguise as a man because the wouldn’t let you fight and ended up being the one who kill the Witch King.” 

And Eowyn's like “.....y-yes,” while trying not to stare at any of Avalein’s obvious scars even though it seems everywhere she looks there's another one even worse than the last.

And Ava’s like, “That's so great, I think that’s the coolest thing any mortal has done next to Beorn intercepting the Silmaril after it had been stolen from Doriath.” 

After the two of them are introduced to one another formally, Eowyns like "HEY WAIT A SECOND-"

Then the most BEAUTIFUL of friendships is born. 

Since Legolas spends so much time with Gimli exploring Middle Earth and just generally making the most of Gimli’s ‘limited’ mortal life, I think that Ava and Eowyn would spend a ridiculous amount of time together since both of them would live in Ilithien after Legolas and Faramir officially settled it. (Their time together definitely including their own fair bit of exploring as the pleased, occiasly joining Gimli and Legolas and their adventures or purposeful planning to meet up with them part way through.) 

I think that they would each teach eachother one major thing through their friendship: 

Eowyn taught Avaleina the power of letting go of past situations and their associated emotions that you really truly could not have done any different or better no matter how much you wish you could have. 

Avaleina taught Eowyn that you can be both powerful and feminie, that the two things can co-exist within the same person without contradicting one another. 

Similarly to how Legolas refuses to leave Middle Earth until Aragorn has passed to the halls, Avaleina won’t leave until long after Eowyn has joined her ancestors beneath the grass and flower covered tombs. 

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

to make this horrible day a bit better I'm once again bringing grima topic. could you please tell us more about his magical abilities? boundaries of the possible, strange/creepy/interesting things?

ahhh I mean, having a day off is great - I'm super burnt out and a three day weekend on the government's dime is perfect. It's just you know, it's technically in celebration of Queen Victoria and like... can we just move it to a different day in May and make it a civic holiday or something? Rename it "summer is almost here, go forth and frolic in parks day" or something?

I just don't like hyping up Canada's colonialism and Victoria Day is one of those days. I think we should have a May holiday, but let's just keep it generic and less "woooo yay fireworks for Queen Vicky"

-

Oh man Grima's magic!

So in canon, it's implied that it exists - more so in the books than the movies. And what is alluded to is very, very traditional Norse (and some Anglo-Saxon) seiðr style stuff where words are powerful and Grima used them, plus potions and poisons, to confuse and befuddle Theoden. Which is so very seiðr in its nature.

And that's stuff only women did. So Grima, in canon, was doing women's magic (or you know, women's magic within our world). And a man doing seiðr is argr, that is, effeminate and you know, a dirty fag or whatever.

Something I find absolutely fascinating! because what is gender? A fool's game.

And, I think it's safe to argue that seiðr was absolutely a practice that occupied the border and liminal spaces of society's mores and practices. Which amplifies Grima's own marginality within Rohan.

(I have a lot of feelings on how Grima is positioned with regards to gender.)

-

For Swimming Through Fire I have it that he can do quite a bit of the seiðr stuff mixed with dashes of trollcraeft and galdorcraeft.

Therefore, in my world, Grima's abilities are as follows:

Can bend a person's will to his own (think Theoden)

Manipulate a person by causing madness, forgetfulness or by making illusions and the person falls for them (really an extension of the first bullet)

General knowledge of potions and poisons (we've only seen one fleeting glimpse of that in My Land is Bare, not much since then)

Channeling the dead and other sundry spirits

Make fire - he's lit candles and started flames with just touch. But that's it. There's no ability to summon like fire tornadoes or anything

Make things grow faster and bigger than normal - this was amplified by the presence of the old god in Helm's Deep. What happened there with the roots is not the norm for Grima. Mostly, he can speed up the growth of small batches of crops. But they taste a little funky.

Can change the weather and cause avalanches through weird trance stuff (possible done on top of a barrow). He doesn't know this is something he can do, as a note.

Recovering lost portions of a person's soul/mind - though like the weather changing skill, it's not something he's aware of.

He's no Gandalf, is what I'm saying.

Most of Grima's stuff is psychological and language focused. (Anglo-Saxon and early medieval Scandinavians had it that words were magic in themselves - you tell a man long enough that he is too old to rule, he will become that very thing etc.)

And for the language focused stuff, like with Theoden, it requires the person to already have their own issues to play off of. Grima taps into pre-existing issues and just amplifies them and makes them real in a way that they may not have been before. But it's a skill that doesn't work on everyone - like it works on Theoden, but it wouldn't on Eomer, it does on Eowyn but not Faramir, it would on Boromir but not Aragorn etc.

Denethor: Get your stupid greasy fingers out of my head.

Grima: How's your relationship with your father?

Denethor: gtfo.

Grima: Have you thought about the fact that you're perpetuating the same trauma he gave you onto your sons?

Denethor: o u t.

/Grima skidaddles down the hallway/

Grima also can do some rune-work but that's all pretty typical protective magic in its nature. Stick a rune on a mead horn and if it's poisoned it won't hurt you kind of thing (this shows up in the eddas and sagas a lot).

His main issue is that no one has sat down with him to figure out what skills were bestowed upon him and then taught him how to use them without utterly fucking up his body (namely his spine. That man's poor fucking back, it's a disaster area).

Grima's had the bad luck that those who are aware of his Skillset use him like a AA battery to amplify their own stuff - his mother, Saruman, the Old God (We Need A Name For Him Christ's Blood I say as the author).

-

For the trilogy we will see one or two more things from him, but the spooky possibilities that his powers hold are really untapped. One day there will be follow up where Eomer and him have to deal with some spooks and more of his range will come out and Eomer will be like PUT HIM IN AN IRON BOX WITH KOSHER SALT. I DON'T TRUST THIS.

Grima: . . . my magic doesn't work on you.

Eomer: DON'T TRUST THIS.

-

Thank you so much for the ask!! 💜💜 I love our spooky snake boy and his stupid magic.

[anghraine]

One of the more interesting ideas about the Dúnedain that I’ve read was the person (Shippey?) who suggested that the Rangers of Ithilien essentially provide a stealth glimpse into the Rangers of the North. 

Obviously the names and Frodo’s ‘whoa, Dúnedain of the South!’ reaction suggest a parallel of some kind, but the idea was that it’s not really possible to see the Rangers of the North in their own environment, living lives that may seem extraordinary but are at least usual for them. OTOH, it’s very possible (almost inevitable) to show the Rangers of Ithilien at work through Frodo’s encounter with them.

We know that the Rangers of Ithilien are deliberately recruited from people whose families lived where they’re operating, we hear about their maneuvers and practices, get a sense of their general conduct, one of the few depictions of religious practice in Middle-earth, and see how they act in relation to their leader, and how their leader acts in relation to them. Faramir serves a triple function here—as himself/Boromir’s brother/Denethor’s son, as (eventually) a respite for both Frodo/Sam and the reader, but also as an Aragorn analogue among the Rangers. We can get an idea of Aragorn as a Ranger through Faramir-as-Ranger. 

They’re explicitly compared later on as similar, though not exactly so—Faramir is explicitly less remote than Aragorn, and obviously he’s tied to Gondor where Aragorn is a wanderer—but everything we hear about Faramir as a leader either also applies to Aragorn, or could apply to Aragorn in that part of his life that we’ll never see.

I mean, it’s not provable that, say, the Rangers of the North call out to the Valar in moments of crisis or commemorate Númenor at every meal or that Aragorn and Faramir are more similar than is stated outright (or that this is the function of the similarity that is stated). But I read the idea probably ten years ago and it still sticks with me—this sense that the Rangers of Ithilien could, at least, illuminate both the Dúnedain of Gondor and the Dúnedain of the North. 

[padfootagain]

Guardians Of Middle-Earth (I)

Chapter 1 : The Council

This is the first chapter for the fanfiction 'Guardians of Middle-Earth'!! This is my first Tolkien fanfic, and you can't imagine how nervous I am...

So, this fanfiction contains OCs and is set after the Lord of the Rings. I will try to be accurate concerning Middle-earth, although I will have to invent things along the way.

I will need some time before releasing the next chapter, but as you will soon find out, the chapters are very long, so I hope it makes up for it.

I hope you all like it. This fic makes me nervous, so please, tell me what you think about it. I'm open to suggestions and remarks and everything you might think of this will be useful, so let me know.

Also, as two different timelines are followed here, I've used these ---- to separate paragraphs for two different timelines, and these **** to separate two paragraphs of the same timeline, so it would be clearer and easier for you all to read.

The very beautiful aesthetic here was made by the wonderful @marvelcapsicle

Word Count : 9500

"Eldarion, Son of Aragorn..."

The young man looked up at the Kings before him, remaining perfectly still, a calm expression on his face.

"...The charges that are held against you are critical. Aldir, Son of Golmas, Prince of the Easterlings, is accusing you of the murder of his uncle, Gryas the Golden."

Eldarion didn't flinch, and merely kept staring at Faramir.

"Prince Aldir has assured us that he could bring forth several witnesses to testify of your crime," Faramir went on. "In the name of Gondor, I would like to reassure all people gathered here today that this trial shall be led fairly, but with extreme severity. There is no man here who desires to threaten the newly found peace between Free Folks and Easterlings. But before hearing any witness, or study any proof Prince Aldir could present before the judges, we wish to hear the accused, who shall speak his own version of the events first."

There was a short silence, and all in the Great Hall of Minas Tirith stared at Eldarion, standing motionless before the Kings and Princes around him. Since he had been brought there, he had not moved a muscle. Around his wrists, the chains were becoming painful, and he was sure they would leave marks on his skin. But he didn't really care.

Eldarion had longed for years to see again the tall columns that surrounded him now, to lay his eyes on the old stones his feet were resting upon once more. He had never imagined he would stand in the large hall with chains around his wrists though.

"As you are the son of our King, he will not sit in the great throne for your trial," Faramir told the young man standing still before him. "King Elessar shall remain only a member of the jury, made of the Kings, Princes and Lords gathered here. The King has appointed me to conduct this trial in his stead."

Eldarion could feel his father's intense stare fixed upon him, but the young man didn't look at the King, and merely kept staring at Faramir.

"The circumstances being extraordinary," the Prince of Ithilien went on again, "we will not lead this trial as it is usually organized. Many things must be learned before we can judge if you are guilty or not. Since you were back here in the White City, you have always fled all the questions that were asked concerning your long travel through Middle-Earth. These facts cannot remain wrapped in mist any longer, and must be brought to light now."

Eldarion clenched his jaw, but didn't interrupt Faramir. He didn't have a choice. He couldn't flee before questions anymore, and though he would have gladly been buried with the secret of his journey, he knew he would have to confess everything that had happened these past five years before this trial was over. He listened again to Faramir as the man was resuming his speech.

"You shall answer our questions, and tell us everything that has happened whilst you were gone. Only when your story is fully told shall your trial begin. You will not be allowed to present any proof for your defence, nor any witness, before you have answered all our questions concerning your past."

Faramir paused for a brief moment, letting his words sink in.

"Even if you are accused of murder, you are still the son of our King. If you give us your word that you will not try to flee, nor leave the City for any reason that may be, you shall be allowed to go back to your personal chambers instead of the dungeons, and your trial from now on shall happen without chains. Do you swear that you will remain in the White City until your trial is ended, and the sentence, whatever it may be, has been imposed?"

Eldarion nodded slowly.

"I swear," he answered. "I shall remain in the White City as long as the members of this trial shall see fit."

Faramir nodded towards the two guards of the Citadel that were standing next to Eldarion, and they released him from his heavy chains. The young prince massaged his painful wrists, still staring at Faramir.

"Unless anyone has one last word to speak, the trial will begin now," Faramir told the crowd gathered in the Hall of stone.

There was a heavy silence, as no one had anything to add. Faramir turned towards Eldarion again.

"Eldarion, Son of Aragorn," Faramir spoke loudly, his stern voice echoing between the tall pillars of stone, "do you swear on your sacred honour, that you shall speak no lies in those halls, and that all that you may say before these judges is only the truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I swear, on my sacred honour," the young man answered in a clear and calm voice.

"The trial has thus begun."

All in the Hall sat down, and a wooden stool was brought to Eldarion so that he could sit as well.

"Let's start with the beginning," Faramir proposed, and all the judges around him nodded in approbation. "Tell us how your journey began."

Eldarion cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. There were so many things he wanted to keep for himself... But he didn't have a choice. He had to tell his story, or he would be found guilty before his trial had even begun. And death was the sentence required for murder in his Kingdom.

"It was five years ago," Eldarion began, his voice slow and steady, clear and loud so that everyone in the Hall could hear his words. "There had been unrest in the East, Orcs had been seen near our lands, and in the lands of many other Kings and Lords. And so the Council began..."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Five years earlier

Minas Tirith

Darkness was creeping back into the world again. The Dark Lord Sauron had been defeated 35 years before, and yet evil was still looming in the shadows, invisible threat over a reborn land. Peace had spread through every corner of Middle-earth under the reign of King Elessar and, leaderless, the Orcs and Goblins and other dark creatures had fled, hiding in the deepest holes and the most secret tunnels. But a whisper had been heard in Middle-earth, coming from the East, ghost of a new war. Villages burnt, crops destroyed, roads suffering of raids, pillages, thefts... the list was long and the Kings and Lords of the Free Folks of Middle-earth grew worried again, for many of them had fought against the Enemy, and none could forget the desolation of war. But in front of this new threat, nothing could be done without the agreement of all, and so the Council began. To this great gathering came all the Lords of the free lands from the Dwarf Lords of the Iron Hills to the Wooden Elves of Mirkwood, and the King Elessar of Gondor. They all met in the Great Halls of Minas Tirith, where they spoke for a long time of what they had heard in their homelands.

"Orcs have been seen at night at the borders of the Brown Lands, near South Undeep," said King Eomer of Rohan, "the Rohirrims have destroyed them before they could flee eastward. But I doubt it is the only pack of Orcs we will see near our lands in those darkening days..."

"And yet, with only a few Goblins or Orcs, we can hardly speak of an invasion," said Thorin III Stonehelm, "especially when they are seen unorganized and wandering."

"We are not talking about an invasion yet," answered calmly the King of Gondor, "but we must not act as if nothing had happened either. Something is stirring in the distance, and we must be ready for it when it comes and shows itself in its true form. For now, only glimpses can be distinguished from afar, it is true. And yet, in my heart, I feel a great fear of what could come to us if our enemies were more than 'unorganized and wandering' Orcs and Goblins."

"I am not advising that we should remain idle. I am only saying that we must not overreact."

"Clearly it is not your farms that have been burnt, King Dwarf," replied bitterly Eomer.

"We have met Goblins too, Horse Master. Do not think we are not concerned," snapped the King Under the Mountain, suddenly straightening in his chair.

"Then you may stop acting as if this council was only an 'overreaction'," warned Eomer.

"My Lords, please," Elessar calmed the two Kings.

They glowered at each other, but spoke no more of it. Peregrin Took cleared his voice.

"I may not be aware of all the details," said the Hobbit, "but it seems to me that our biggest problem is that we do not know what we are up against."

"Pippin's right," added Master Samwise Gamgee, "we should take first measures to discover what exactly is going on in the East, that ought to be a good start. Like my old Gaffer used to say 'you can't step in water before you know the depth of it, or you might drown in a swamp'."

The Lords couldn't help but laugh.

"Hobbits always have funny words and images for everything," joked Faramir, Prince of Ithilien. "But none can ever deny their wisdom."

"The Hobbits are right," said the Master of Lake-Town. "We cannot fight an enemy we do not know."

"Perhaps we could organize expeditions in the East," proposed the Lord Gilrael, his elven voice melodious and warm.

"With whose troops? And who would lead them?" asked Thorin III.

"We cannot send heavy troops far in the East anyway," said Eomer. "The Men of Rhûn live there, and I doubt they will grant us safe passage through their lands."

"They could take it as a gesture of war," added Faramir, nodding slowly as he was lost in thought.

"It can only be something we do in secret," said Elessar. "If it is indeed more than just a few Orcs, if they are gathering in a clear purpose, they must not learn that we are getting organized as well. The less our enemies will know of our plan, the better."

"We should send some kind of Fellowship," proposed Meriadoc Brandybuck. "Like we did to destroy the One Ring."

"Unless this time I don't volunteer, that's for sure," said Pippin. "I'm way too old for this kind of thing!"

Laughs echoed in the great Hall of stone.

"Again the Hobbits show more wisdom than many chiefs of Men," laughed Legolas Greenleaf. "A Fellowship seems to be the best option to me."

All nodded, and Gimli the Dwarf patted affectionately Merry's shoulder, blowing out a cloud of blue smoke.

"All should be represented," said the Dwarf, still releasing fumes from his lungs, "Men, Dwarves and Elves alike."

"A Wizard would be of great help too," said Samwise. "Gandalf saved us all many times!"

"But the White Wizard has left these shores," replied sadly Legolas.

"Many Wizards and Witches have remained though," said Gilrael.

"But most are now idle, living like hermits," protested Bard II.

"There are some who are still fighting for Middle-earth."

"I have called to this meeting Ana the Green," said the King of Gondor. "She is very important in the circle of Wizards, and is very wise and powerful despite her relatively young age. She had accepted the invitation, but could not arrive today, for she was deep in the Misty Mountains and could not delay her dealings there. She should arrive here in the White City in two days. I shall speak of this matter with her then."

Silence filled up the room. Outside the night had already fallen, covering the sky with strong lights shining like memories of a long forgotten past, whilst the streets were now alit with many fires, and the whisper of life flowing through the stone walls of Minas Tirith could be heard from afar. In the hearth, the fire was dying.

"It is quite late my friends," said Aragorn. "I am sure you will all agree that we need rest more than words now. Let's eat first, and then spend a good night of sleep. Tomorrow, we shall decide what we ought to do."

************************

He swung again his sword through the air. For hours he had been training, repeating again and again the same movements until it would come to him naturally. His father always said that a good warrior could fight without thinking about the movements of his weapon, it was the only way of being fast enough to survive. Out of breath, his arm aching, the young man put down his sword and chased away his dark hair from his eyes. He drank up some water, and swept the sweat away from his forehead. He turned around as the door was being opened behind him.

"You are training again, my son? Is it not a bit late for sword-fighting?"

Eldarion smiled at the sight of his father's lips curving up mischievously.

"I could not sleep," he answered.

The King sat down in an old chair near the fire, extending his long legs before the warm hearth.

"It is a good way of getting tired, of course," he said, smiling frankly now.

"That is precisely what I thought," his son answered.

"I am sure you are not training to try to beat your old father again..."

Eldarion let out a laugh, taking a seat by the fire too.

"First of all, you are not old yet, for proof your way of fighting..."

"I have already strode upon this earth longer than a man should."

"But you are from Númenor, blessed with long life. And for our people, you are not old."

Aragorn let out a small laugh. Silence filled up the space between them, only broken by the shy whisper of the cracking wood burning into red blazes.

"Why could you not sleep, my son?" Elessar asked bluntly.

"I don't know. I was simply not tired."

The King smiled tenderly at his son.

"You are an awful liar Eldarion, just like your mother."

The young prince looked into his father's grey eyes.

"I was worried about the Council," he answered, earnestly this time. "I was worried about what you could decide, and what news the other Kings and Lords could bring from their own lands. I was afraid it might be a greater threat for our people than we had expected."

"We already knew what has been brought to us from afar," Aragorn reassured his son. "And we have not decided anything yet. We have simply talked, but nothing is settled for now."

"I would like to come with you..."

But his father interrupted him with a gesture of his strong hand.

"It is not your place yet. You are still young, and unwise. Besides," he added, rising from his chair, "you know I always tell you everything, or almost everything."

He put a hand on his son's shoulder, who had stood up as well. They were so much alike, and one could think they were only images of the same man in a mirror, only coming from two different periods of time. Eldarion had inherited his father's tall and strong stature, his face both proud and gentle, his gaze burning with a hidden fire, keen and wild, and yet full of mercy and kindness. Although Eldarion's eyes did not have the shade of dark clouds like his father's, they wore a dark brown shade, that turned almost black with the fading lights. He had the noble posture of the people of the North, from long defeated and forgotten, and yet from whose knowledge had passed from a generation to another, and was used in those days to heal the wounds of the world. But some traces of his Elfish mother could also be seen in his graceful silhouette, his smooth form of face, his dark hair... If he had like his father the stern power of the elder people in his charisma, he also had the grace of the Elves in his movements. The balance between his heritage from both his parents made the most wonderful melting possible. He smiled at his father, their eyes meeting in laughter.

"It is late, and I am tired," Aragorn said. "Let's go to sleep."

Eldarion nodded, and closed the door behind them, leaving his sword upon the floor as the fire was dying, letting darkness spread through the room.

*******************************

The rain was biting into her face like cold arrows flung through the wind. She hurried through the Courtyard, and followed the soldier who was leading her inside the Halls of the White City. In the distance, down the Hall, was sitting the King in his high throne of stone. He was talking with several of his Captains, who were nodding and listening closely to their King's commands. She advanced quickly, shaking away the raindrops on her robes and sweeping the cold water away from her eyes. When he saw her approaching, the King dismissed kindly his Captains, and welcomed the witch warmly.

"Ana the Green, it is a pleasure to see you. Thank you for coming," Aragorn smiled.

"Thank you for inviting me, your Highness."

"We have known each other for too long for you to call me that way."

He stood up, and guided her in an adjacent room. They sat near the fire, so that the witch could get warmer.

"How was your journey?" Elessar asked her.

"Wet at the end!"

They both laughed. She pushed her long brown hair away from her face.

"How did the Council go?" she asked, diving into the subject.

"Not bad," Aragorn answered. "We have all agreed about the threat we are facing, and we all think measures must be taken. Now, an idea has arisen, that we should send people investigate in the East."

"I could not agree more," nodded the witch. "And who would you like to send?"

"That still remains in question. But we were thinking of a fellowship more than an army..."

Ana looked at him, narrowing her eyes.

"A fellowship?"

"It worked quite well the last time we did."

"It was in a different times though. But I must agree with the fact that you cannot send an army in the East, it would be considered as an act of war."

"And we do not need a war with the Easterlings nor any peoples living in deserted lands."

"I do not think our enemies are hiding very far into their territories though. They must be very near the Edge of Rhovanion."

"Still, we must send some of our best people, and figure out what is happening there. We must know what the Orcs and Goblins are up to, we must know their plans."

"I agree."

"Will you help us then?"

The witch turned her gaze to the fire, and remained deep in thought for a few minutes. When she spoke again, her voice was calm and distant, as if she was talking to herself.

"Only a few people would dare to go so far from their homes."

"And you are one of them," Aragorn told her, leaning closer to her. "We must act now, while there is still time."

She looked at him again, frowning with worry.

"The situation is worse than we thought," she said, her voice quite hoarse. "Goblins and Trolls are back in the Misty Mountains, they have tried to steal Eagles' eggs. That's why I was delayed in the North, and could not come earlier. They are getting further than we thought into our lands."

"What do the Wooden Elves say about it?"

She shook her head.

"All wooden elves are not as clear-minded and trustworthy as the Lord Legolas. His father is a stubborn King, and he cares more about his own boundaries than any of his neighbours'. I have friends there, but many of the Elves have departed long ago. I only know that they have fought some groups of Orcs coming from the East, nothing more."

"We must act Ana."

"I know, and I will help you if I can. But it will not be easy."

"I know, and I thank you for your help. Would you agree to be a part of the Fellowship then?"

She smiled, her eyes shining.

"As long as we do not have to be called 'the fellowship'."

They laughed.

"And how would you have yourself called then?" the King asked her merrily.

She thought for a moment, before smiling at Aragorn.

"We are sent away to keep the boundaries of our Kingdoms safe. What about 'The Guard'?"

Elessar smiled at her.

"It would be perfect."

***************************************

In the afternoon, when the Council resumed, Ana the Green sat near the King of Gondor, and the news of her help in the creation of a group sent away in the East was welcomed enthusiastically.

"Our best soldiers should join you in your journey," said Legolas. "One of each Kingdom shall go with you, and with them the blessing of all the Free Folks."

"There is no need to send a very large group though," the witch replied. "All should be represented, you are right, but I think one of each race is enough to be brought along."

"Shall we send a Hobbit too?" asked Samwise.

"No Sam, there is no need," Elessar answered. "Your people is peaceful, and it is good for us all that they remain that way. I do not wish to send any of your kind away from your homes and peaceful fields again. You have already proved yourselves the last time war was upon us."

"Thank you, it would have been a weight for us all to see any of us go away again," said Merry.

"Now, how will we choose who we are going to send?" asked Thorin III Stonehelm.

"I wish to choose with you," said the witch. "We will have to go through many perils together, and we need to get along."

"Have you already some names in mind?" asked Faramir.

Ana turned towards the King Eomer.

"I thought of Eoden in Rohan. He is a very good man, and a great fighter. He knows perfectly the Lands near the borders of your kingdom, for he has been defending them for a long time now. Both his knowledge and his strength shall prove themselves a great advantage to us."

Eomer thought for a while.

"He is my best Captain, and a man I value very highly."

"We must send our best men Eomer, if it comes that far, they will have to defend themselves against many enemies," said Aragorn to his old friend. "We must send the best we have."

The King of Rohan nodded reluctantly.

"So be it then."

An elf cleared her voice. She was sitting next to Legolas, and had not spoken yet that day.

"I volunteer to represent the Elves in this mission."

Legolas Greenleaf frowned at her.

"Are you certain?"

She nodded, her blond curls brushing her shoulders.

"I am. My knowledge in medicine should be very useful. And more importantly, Ana and I have been friends for many years now," she added, smiling at the witch. "I shall fight by your side my friend."

"Thank you Adhalan," Ana answered, smiling.

"What about the Dwarves?" asked Gimli.

"Urin is a good friend of mine, and a very good smith. I thought he might agree to join us, if I ask him to."

"Goin will never agree to let his brother go without him," Gimli replied, shaking his head.

"Then, I guess he shall come with us too," answered Ana.

"So two Dwarves will go, but only one man?" protested Bard II.

"And only one Elf, and yet we do not ask for more," replied Legolas.

"We can accept another man if it eases your mind," answered Ana.

"It would indeed, thank you."

"Gondor should be represented too," said Pippin. "Someone from the Citadel should go."

The Hobbit turned towards Elessar.

"I know you will choose the right person Strider, and everyone in the Shire will feel better if someone you trust is sent too."

Aragorn nodded.

"I shall choose someone myself to represent my Kingdom then."

"And how are we going to call you? You need a name!" said Master Gamgee.

"Ana thought about 'The Guard'."

Gilrael laughed.

"I recognise you here Ana. It would suit this fellowship quite well I reckon."

All agreed, smiling. The King Elessar stood up, calling the meeting to an end.

"I will choose someone from Gondor. You should send words to the ones we have appointed to this task. They must come here as fast as they can. The sooner the Guard will depart, the better. I only hope it will not be too late."

***********************************************

Aragorn closed his eyes. Against his eyelids, the dying sun was shedding a warmth that was shaking his whole body. He breathed deeply the smell of wet leaves. Without opening his eyes, he recognised the steps of his son approaching behind him.

"Mother told me what happened at the Council. I am glad you have taken a decision."

The King looked at his son, diving into his brown eyes.

"We have indeed.".

Eldarion leaned against the banister, next to his father. In the distance, the Mountains of Mordor were like a dark wall enclosing the horizon. The sky above the black peaks was on fire, as if the flames were coming from the desolated land itself, igniting the cloudless skies with fierce sparks. For a while, nor father nor son spoke a word.

"Have you already chosen someone to represent Gondor?" Eldarion finally asked.

"I have not set my choice upon anyone yet, no. It is a difficult decision to take, and the lives of many will depend on it. Perhaps I should send one of our Captains... Though in my soul I wish I could go myself."

"Have you ever been in Rhun?"

"I have. But it was a long time ago, when the Dark Lord was still a whisper from afar. It was before the War, before I became who I was meant to be, when I was still a Ranger."

"How was it?"

Elessar lost his gaze in the golden shades of the snowy Mountains on his right.

"Desolated, lonely, dry. These are no lands you want to go unless you have to. I wonder if it has changed, now that Sauron is defeated, and that no man in these lands can swear him allegiance anymore. The wars against the Easterlings have been long, I'm afraid our peace with them could be endangered."

Eldarion took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Father, an idea has been in my mind since I learnt about the choice you have to make."

"What is it, my son?"

He looked at his father, whose gaze was still fixed upon the horizon.

"I want to go."

Aragorn turned his attention towards him, frowning.

"I want to go with the Guard," the young man repeated. "I want to be a part of it."

The King shook his head.

"It is too dangerous."

"You always say a good King is a King who has seen enough of the world to know about the perils he must protect his people from. You always say I am not wise enough. I know you are right, I have not enough experience in life yet to take decisions as a King. So let me go in Rhun, let me have a chance to learn."

"You are my heir, the heir to the throne of Gondor and Arnor. We cannot take this risk," the King replied.

"How am I supposed to learn about the world if you shield me from it?"

"There is a difference between showing you the world, and sending you to Rhun."

"Sooner or later, you will have to let me face the world beyond the boundaries of Gondor and Arnor. I must see war too, you said it yourself."

"You are not ready."

"I am never ready with you!"

Eldarion breathed deeply, calming down, trying to control the shakiness in his voice.

"I want to do something, something important for once."

"I will not take the risk to leave our people without an heir," Aragorn coldly answered.

He put a hand on his son's shoulder, looking at him in the eyes.

"I will not take the risk to lose my only son."

"If war comes upon us, will I be more ready to fight? Will I be ready because war is upon my home?"

Aragorn didn't answer, and so Eldarion went on.

"I can fight. You have taught me all there is to know about ancient medicine, Mother has taught me elfish medicine as well. I know how to find the safest path with the sun and the stars. I am as ready as I will ever be. You simply refuse to see it."

But Aragorn shook his head again.

"You are too young..."

"I am a grown man, I am no child anymore!" replied Eldarion, his voice shaking with anger.

Despite his best efforts to remain calm, he had raised his voice.

"A man would accept the commands of his King!" said Aragorn, raising his voice as well. "And you, Child, should learn your place!"

Eldarion clenched his jaw.

"I do accept the commands of my King. But I am not forced to agree with my father. For we both know the one who is refusing me this mission now, is not my King."

It was Aragorn's turn to clench his jaw.

"You are not refusing to send me because I am not ready, or because I am not a good fighter. You know I am the best warrior in this Kingdom. You know I have the skills and knowledge for this mission. You are simply afraid to let me be a man too."

Eldarion turned on his heels and strode out of the balcony and into his father's private office, before walking into the corridor. Aragorn remained standing there for a while, lost in thought. When he moved away from the banister, it was night already, and the dark Mountains of Mordor had disappeared in the shadows.

***************************************

Arwen looked at her husband for a while. He was leaning against the wall near their bed, by the window, staring at the flickering lights that the fireflies were igniting in the shadows. She stood up, and walked by his side and he started when she touched his arm.

"Why are you so worried, Estel?"

He took her in his arms, and held her tightly against him.

"I was merely thinking," he answered, his voice sounding like it came from far away.

"About the soldier you will send with the witch?"

Aragorn sighed.

"Eldarion came to see me this evening. He wants to go."

Arwen looked at him, horrified.

"You cannot send him! You cannot send our son!"

"He is not a child anymore, my love."

"He is still our son! He is my baby, our baby!"

"He is a man, and one day he will be King. He must know about what the world has in store against us."

"There are other ways."

"He is ready."

She narrowed her eyes.

"What words did he speak to convince you?"

"Words of my own."

"He is so young still!"

"He is twenty-six, many who have died in battle were much younger."

"He does not realize what it means, what he will have to face."

"Maybe it is precisely the reason why he must depart for the East."

He took her hands in his. Her long, graceful fingers had turned cold with fear.

"We cannot protect him forever," Aragorn said in a whisper. "He is my son too, and I love him with all my heart. But keeping him here, unspoiled, is not doing him a favour. He must grow, and learn, if we want him to be a good and wise guide for our people."

"Your words sound like wisdom, and yet my heart is breaking in my chest already."

He caressed her soft cheek.

"Mine is breaking as well, but it also tells me to let him live the life he wants for himself. The decision is also his to take."

Arwen nodded slowly, defeated.

"If you think it is what is meant to be done."

He took her in his arms again.

"I am afraid... I do not know what is meant to be done anymore."

************************************************

Eldarion entered his father's office, a lump in his throat. The previous night, he had spoken his heart, but he knew it was not what his father wanted to hear. He found the King standing by the window, looking outside, though Eldarion knew he was seeing nothing of the cloudless morning, he was staring at the world while lost in thought.

"You asked to see me," the young man said softly.

Aragorn turned around slowly.

"I did."

He remained there, standing still, and didn't propose his son to take a seat. Eldarion knew for experience that is was not a good sign. Suddenly, he felt like a young boy who had been caught exploring the castle in the middle of the night again. He forced himself to stand straighter.

"I have thought about who should represent Gondor in the Guard," Elessar spoke slowly.

Eldarion's heart skipped a beat.

"Have you come to a decision then?"

"I have indeed."

Aragorn took several steps towards his son, and looked straight into his eyes.

"You shall depart as soon as the other members have arrived. It should not take very long. Two, maybe three weeks at the most."

Eldarion raised an eyebrow.

"Me?"

"You were right last night," Aragorn answered. "You are ready, and you are probably the best warrior I could send."

He paused briefly, before speaking again, even more slowly.

"You must understand that I did not refuse at first because I doubt you, but because you are my son."

"I understand, I have responsibilities towards our people."

Aragorn smiled sadly.

"I never think about our people when it comes to you, or any of your sisters."

He took his son's face in both his hands.

"You are my son. I would never forgive myself if any harm was coming to you. One day, you will have children of your own, and you will understand how it feels to be ready to do anything to keep them safe. You will understand then, how it feels to value the life of someone above all things, above your own life, even above your kingdom."

He let go of his son, who remained speechless.

"But you are a man now, and it is time for you to choose your own path. And it is time for me to let go. Though, it does not mean I will let you go away from home like this."

Eldarion narrowed his eyes, smiling by now. Elessar reached for something behind his desk. When he faced his son again, he was holding an old, but royal sheath in his hands.

"I want you to have it. It protected me during the War, and allowed me to vanquish many perils. The power within this blade has kept darkness away from our lands for many generations. And since the days of Elendil, it has been the guardian of peace, in our lands and afar. May it protect you from all evil and harm that may come across your path."

Eldarion wrapped his shaking fingers around Anduril, Flame of the West, the sword of the Kings. The young man felt tears blurring his vision.

"I shall do my best to be worthy of such a blade. I will make you proud."

Aragorn smiled, tears also in his eyes. He touched his son's cheek, making him look at him.

"I am already proud of you, son."

***************************************

Words had been sent away to call for the ones who had been chosen to go in the East. Ana was already beginning to prepare their departure, organizing their provisions, their weapons... For now she was in one of the oldest chambers of the White City, where the knowledge of the kingdoms of the West of Middle-earth was safely kept and protected. She was surrounded by all the maps of the Eastern lands she had been able to gather, trying to find the best paths for her and her companions to take. She turned on her chair when she heard footsteps echoing upon the floor of polished stone. She smiled at the sight of the King of Gondor.

"Already getting ready to run away?" he asked, the ghost of a smile curving his lips.

"You know how much I hate politics. I will soon have to run for my life."

A silence fell between them. The torches were enlightening the dark room with a soft shade of red and gold, the fading roar of the blazes breaking the stillness of the old memories that haunted the dusty air. Finally, the witch spoke again, her low voice sounding like a cry in the deep silence.

"Have you taken a decision?" she asked the King.

"I have indeed," he answered slowly.

He looked at a map that had been thrown away on another table, examining the fading lines of black ink that traced the roads and the boundaries of their world. Just a few drops of dark ink, that had led them to so many wars and deaths and desolations in the past, so many sacrifices for a line on a piece of parchment... And now he was sending his son to defend these same lines too. He sighed heavily, letting the map fall back on the table.

"Eldarion shall go with you."

The witch frowned hard.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Eldarion, my son, shall accompany you and your companions to the East."

She could not believe her ears.

"But, if I may..."

"The decision has been taken, and shall not change."

"You cannot send your son."

"Why could I not?"

"Because I cannot assure you that he will come back. Because I need a warrior, not a Prince..."

"Eldarion is an excellent fighter. He is the best Captain I have. And he must go, he must see what is out there."

"He has never killed anyone," she protested. "He has merely arrested a few criminals, that doesn't make a warrior of him. There has not been any fighting in Gondor for years."

"It is precisely why he must depart by your side."

"This mission is everything but an educative expedition."

"I would be grateful if you could watch your tone."

She bit her tongue.

"We have known each other for many years," she said more softly. "We have known each other before the War, when you were only a Ranger in exile, and we have always been friends. You have always trusted me, all those years..."

"And you have always respected my judgement as well."

"I cannot promise he will come back."

"Noted."

"And if he does come back, he will not be the same."

"It is one of the purpose actually, my old friend. He needs to live what he may have to face in his own lands one day. The meeting has shown one thing: many think we are overreacting. If they keep thinking this way, we may have to fight for the protection of our people. Eldarion needs to remember that. He needs to learn from others too, he needs to open his mind to the world."

He leaned towards the witch, looking intensely in her green eyes.

"I trust you, Ana. If there is one person in Middle-earth to show him, and to bring him home safely, it is you."

He stood up, striding through the room.

"I guess there are no words I can say to make you change your mind?" she called.

"None my friend."

"And I guess my point of view does not count at all, and that I should consider this as a command from my King."

On the threshold, Aragorn turned around again. The light of the torches was igniting Ana's eyes, already burning with anger.

"You may do so, if it eases your mind."

He walked away, leaving the witch alone to fight her anger. She regretted so much the days of Strider the Ranger...

*****************************

"So your father accepted after all?"

Eldarion nodded, a bright smile on his face. He looked at his best friend for a while, but didn't  answer. He knew he didn't need to speak for Eren to understand his thoughts. After all, they had been friends since childhood. Eren's father being one of the King's advisers, and a very respected General, Eren had spent most of his childhood in the Halls of stones of the Citadel. Eldarion and him had learned to read, and write, and fight together. They were like brothers.

"When are you leaving?" Eren asked.

"I don't know yet. As soon as they have all arrived I guess," Eldarion answered.

"I'm happy for you. But I have to admit that I shall miss your company."

Eldarion smiled once again, patting his friend's shoulder.

"I won't be gone for such a long time I'm sure."

"I wish I could come with you."

"And how could Minas Tirith survive without one of its best soldier?"

"I am merely a Guard of the Citadel..."

"Your father is a commander in our army, I doubt that you will remain a soldier for long. Who knows... perhaps you shall be a Captain when I come back."

"I hope you will not be gone so long."

Eldarion didn't say a word, and merely set his brown gaze on the city before him. From the tower, they could see the city and the long blade of grass of the Pelennor splayed under the sun.

"I think I will miss this view," the Prince finally whispered.

"I would miss it as well," Eren admitted. "It is home."

Eldarion suddenly turned to his friend, setting his intense brown glance upon him.

"I need you to do me a favour."

"You know you can ask anything from me," Eren earnestly answered.

"Could you look after my sisters while I'm gone?"

Eldarion ran a nervous hand through his jet black hair.

"I mean..." he went on. "I would feel better if I knew that someone in the city was taking care of them. I have always been the one who made sure that they would be safe..."

"You can count on me."

The two men exchanged a smile, before setting their glances back upon the golden fields bathed with the red light of a dying sun.

Both their hearts were heavier than they would admit.

*********************************

During the three days that followed, the witch did her best to avoid Eldarion. She did not like the fact that the decision had been taken without her, and more importantly, she believed the Prince was not the best choice possible. He was known to be skilled with a bow and arrow as well as a blade, but it was not enough for the witch. She was looking for people fully trained, but more importantly, kind hearted. She was going in the East under the will and the blessing of all kingdoms in Middle-Earth because she was leaving in order to investigate on the Orcs' movements, but she was secretly hoping to do some good too along the way. She was known to help populations wherever she was going, and again her will to help the ones in need was the strongest. She was not only travelling in the Eastern Lands to spy, she was going there to help people on the road too. She had chosen people who had the same will of defending the weakest and helping the poorest, except for Eldarion. He was not altogether evil, and she knew it, but still compared to the others, he could destroy everything. All her efforts were going to crumble down if the Prince could not see how important it was to help the people they were meeting as they were progressing eastward. What if he refused and pushed them onwards without a look behind? She did not know him enough to be sure that he was not narrow-minded. And for as long as she was in the Castle, she could not betray herself, and the Prince was a risk she could not take, and so she took great care in remaining as far from him as possible.

Adhalan spent some time with the Prince however, advising him on how he could organize their departure. The Elf had never been in the Eastern Lands either, but she did her best to help him getting prepared. She had a kind nature, and found the young man friendly. They were getting along quite well, and soon her first apprehensions were dissipated. He was an excellent fighter, and seemed strong enough to endure long journeys. She was quite satisfied by the choice of the King by the end of the first week.

The first warrior to arrive was Eoden, Captain of the Rohirrim. He bent gracefully before all Lords and Kings and Ladies and Queens who had gathered to welcome him. His hair was long and blond as corn bathed in the summer sun. His beard covered his strong jaw, and his blue eyes were like two drops of azure sky. He was tall and strong, in his early thirties, and though all his being let transpire strength and let guess his skills in combat, he had a gentle way of talking, and moving, and behaving in general. He looked like the most powerful Rohirrim, feared by his foes, and yet his touch was softer than rain. He felt awkwardly uneasy in official circumstances, and for as long as he was forced to meet important people, his face was tensed.

But at last he arrived at the level of the witch, and a smile curved up his lips.

"Ana! How long it has been my friend!"

He took her in his big arms and crushed her against him, and she laughed, hugging him as well.

"It has been far too long indeed!" she laughed.

 The King Eomer put a hand on his captain's shoulder.

"We have much to discuss," he said.

Eoden nodded and followed his King to the Council Chamber, and there they all discussed of the mission they were planning. At the end of the meeting, Eldarion guided the Rohirrim to his room.

"This will be your furthest journey from home yet then?" Eoden asked the young man.

"It will be indeed," he answered.

"And why did Ana choose you, if I may ask? After all, it seems to me that you are not friends."

"My father appointed me to represent our Kingdom in this mission."

"Oh, I see..."

Eldarion looked at the warrior.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well... Ana did not seem particularly fond of you, and it was hard for me to see the reason why she had chosen you. But it is clear now."

"I believe she is avoiding me," Eldarion confessed.

Eoden let out a laugh.

"As we are going to spend a lot of time together, let me give you an advice concerning Ana. She is the most generous and the bravest person I know, but it always takes her some time to trust anyone."

They arrived before the door of the Rohirrim's bedroom. Eoden put a hand on the doorknob, but turned towards the prince again.

"Do not judge her by the way she behaves with you for now. She will need some time to decide if she should trust you or not, but once you have earned her friendship, it will be granted to you forever, and you will see that there is no more loyal friend than her."

"Thank you for your advice, I shall remember it."

"One more thing if I may," the man of Rohan added. "I hope you will agree to abandon the titles between us. It shall be quite annoying if we cannot even call each other by our names."

Eldarion smiled at him.

"I hoped you would agree to it myself, Eoden."

"Thank you again for showing me the way."

Eoden closed the door behind him, leaving the Prince alone in the corridor, a satisfied feeling brightening his face. He liked the warrior, and he felt he would be a great ally if the Prince wanted to bring down the witch's defences.

******************************************

Eoden and Eldarion were closer every day. They spent hours fighting, enjoying such a competitor to fight, and they would pass entire afternoons in the old room where Eldarion used to train alone. They would come out in the early evening, sweating, their muscles aching, but laughing all the same. Eoden was an honourable and kind man, and Eldarion liked the simplicity of his being, while the man of Rohan appreciated the merry mood of the Prince and his sharpness of mind. The Rohirrim insisted on Ana getting to know Eldarion better, but despite the fact that he himself was becoming friend with the young man, the witch was still keeping her distance. When she spoke with the Prince, she was courteous, but always distant, a cool tone in her voice. Her green eyes grew worried when he entered the room, and her beautiful and graceful face, full of kindness, was suddenly tensed when she heard his name. But at the arrival of the two Dwarves, she was forced to change her attitude, for the two brothers were merry and wanted the whole group to gather and discuss their journey. They were both stout, with dark hair and long beards decorated with elaborated rings of silver. After he had finished his second beer, Urin finally spoke, his cavernous voice rolling through the gardens in full bloom.

"I believe you have already set up a course for us to follow, my dear Ana."

The witch winked at him.

"Everything is ready. We can go whenever you and your brother are rested enough."

"Just give us a couple of days, and we'll be ready to slain as many Orcs as you can get!" said Goin, laughing loudly.

"That is only if you remain sober enough!" said the She-Elf.

Urin narrowed his eyes, and snorted loudly.

"I could remind you that we Dwarves are excellent drinkers!"

"Good drinkers does not mean you can hold this liquor!" said Eoden, laughing.

"You, Blond-Charmer, should not get involved in that debate!"

"Now that you have called me by this stupid nickname again, I reckon I should, on the contrary."

"Don't mind them," said Goin to the young Prince, leaning towards him. "They're all a bit crazy!"

"You are the craziest of us all!" protested Urin.

"You old maggot, 'course I'm not."

"Yes, you are," agreed Eoden.

The group was laughing, and merry, and Eldarion was glad. He liked the personality of all of

them, and believed that they could all get along fine, and even become great friends. Only Ana remained cold with him. But nonetheless, as the hours were flying away and the afternoon was slowly bringing orange shades to the sky, he could guess another side of her personality. She had laughed, and been merry, and when she smiled it seemed to him that the world was getting brighter, and her eyes were shining with a thousand tickling sparks of joy, that seemed like trembling stars over the treetops of a long forgotten forest. When time came for them to talk about their journey, and their rations, and their weapons, and all the things they had still to plan before their departure to the Eastern Lands, her voice was strong, and command made her tone firm. Her knowledge of the world was great and though her face seemed to belong to a woman in her early twenties, her wisdom betrayed her age and the many lives of men she had already spent travelling and protecting Middle-Earth. Although he had grown quite tired of her distant behaviour towards him, he could hardly help himself from feeling impressed by her. Finally, when the evening was already old and stars were lighting up the infinite sky, the six Guardians finally headed back to their rooms, for everything was now settled and planed. Final preparations would be made the next day, and two days later, they would start their long journey to the East.

************************

"Are you certain that you are taking enough food?"

"Yes, mother, I am."

"And your clothes?"

"Everything is ready."

"Are you sure you have all the herbs your father and I gave you?"

"Yes, mother, in my bag."

"And the maps, what about..."

But Eldarion shushed her, chuckling.

"Mother, I am ready to go. I am not forgetting anything, I am sure."

Arwen took her son in her arms.

"This whole idea is folly!" she said, squeezing him against her.

"Mother..."

He made her look at him.

"I am ready to leave. I have to. I must see by myself all the dangers father and you have taught me to fight, I must see the world as it is beyond the safe walls of our City. I have to go. Do you understand?"

She caressed tenderly his cheek, nodding, her eyes full of tears.

"I do understand. But to me, you are still the baby who used to cry when he could see neither of his parents. To me, you are still my little boy, and you always will be, for it is the doom of parents to worry about their children long after they have stopped needing them."

Eldarion took his mother in his arms again.

"I will always need you, mother," he said softly.

"I love you, Eldarion."

"I love you too."

A knock on the door broke the silence of their embrace, and Aragorn came into the room. Eldarion and Arwen let go of each other.

"It is time," said the King. "Everything is ready. You shall take the path that leads to the Mountains, and nobody will notice your departure, nor know the direction you have taken. Is Anduril by your side?"

Eldarion nodded, holding the pommel of his sword. Elessar got closer to him, resting his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Be careful, my son."

"I will."

Aragorn took his son in his arms, his eyes wet with tears. He knew he had taken the right decision, and yet in his chest his heart was breaking at the sight of his son leaving him.

"Promise me," you whispered in Eldarion's ear, and not even Arwen could hear what Aragorn was telling his son, "promise me to come back safe and sounds. Promise me you will come back to us."

Eldarion tightened his grip on his father, fighting tears.

"I promise," he answered.

A silence endured for a while, before Aragorn spoke again, his voice made shaky by his tears.

"I love you, son."

Eldarion closed his eyes, feeling warm tears flowing down upon his cheeks.

"I love you too, father."

When they looked at each other, both of them were crying.

 They walked out of Eldarion's room, after all three of them had dried their cheeks, and Eldarion bid farewell to his sisters, holding them close to him one by one. Finally, he was ready to leave, and he joined his companions in the Hall of stone, and before the throne of his father, all the Kings and Lords who had come to the Council were gathered to see their departure. As they were about to leave, after the Kings had blessed them with the good will of all the Free Folks, the Hobbits took a step towards the Witch.

"Here, for the road," Pippin told her, handing her some tobacco leaves.

She breathed deeply the scent of Longbottom Leaf, the best pipe weed of the Shire.

"Thank you Pip," she said, kissing the Hobbit's brow.

They shared their goodbyes, and the Hobbits said farewell to Eldarion too.

"You... be careful on the road," said Merry, who was particularly fond of the man.

"Do not worry about me, Merry, I'll be just fine."

"If you listen to what she says, you will be," Samwise advised him.

"I will, Sam."

He stood up and joined the other Guardians. They walked through forgotten tunnels and paths carved deep in the rocks of the Mountains. When they finally came out, a swift breeze was reddening their cheeks, and the light of the stars were shining brightly. Eldarion turned around, taking one last glance at the White City, its walls bathed in Moonlight. He felt his heart tightening in his chest, a weight suddenly bending slightly his shoulders. He knew he missed his home already. But he shook himself, standing straighter again, turning around, and following the others in the deep shadows of the night.

[prettylittlecostumers]

Tolkien Week day 01: My Top Five Wishlist for Amazon’s LOTR Series.

I have written about it back in June, but it’s Tolkien Week so I just HAD to go back to it. There are no news yet. Amazon seems to be planning to film in NZ to keep a visual link with PJ’s oeuvre, and that’s all we know for now. But here’s what I would like to see, just in case they really go with the Young Aragorn idea. And just in case Amazon’s listening to my pining and sighing... After all, it is my favorite fandom, and I still wanna keep my hopes up that after all the talking is done we’ll have a good (and long) series to watch. Just in case you’re wondering, I’ve arranged my wishes chronologically and not according to what I want the most. But I’m a Faramir fan, so I guess you’ll get what I want the most. Here we go:

1 - Aragorn and Arwen fall in love.

Wouldn’t it be nice to follow all the comings and goings on that one? I’d love to see how Arwen telling Aragorn to grow up shaped him into the travel-hardened ranger that eventually became king. And into a man she could actually love, and leave her family and immortality behind for.

2 - Aragorn in Rohan:

Théoden remembered Aragorn even though he was a child at the time. Wouldn’t it be lovely to see that? They could give us some Rohan politics background with the evil times of Fengel King, Morwen and Thengel’s wedding in Gondor and her reception in court in Edoras. Their children. And they could easily develop into the near future with Théoden as an adult before he fell into Gríma’s spell, the doomed love of Éomund of Eastfold and Théodwyn of Rohan, their own children as young children and Théodred as a young man, and maybe, maybe... The Fords of the Isen?

3 - Aragorn as Thorongil:

This is a direct consequence of the one above. In his travels, Aragorn goes to Gondor, which is hinted in the Movie Trilogy.

I’d love to see that, and all that comes from that: a young and not mad yet Denethor, who like his son Faramir strives for his father’s favor. Ecthelion’s stewardship. Finduilas of Dol Amroth, who, in the appendices, seems to have been the one light in Denethor’s life. Her brother Imrahil of Dol Amroth as a young pirate on the Umbarian Campaign. Imrahil’s family. Boromir as a small child. Faramir as a baby in the end. I get all the feels just to imagine all this!

2 - Aragorn in Harad and Khand:

It would take us into unexplored territory, show the growth of Sauron and the circumstances in which it happened in these places, and it’s also a very good chance to show that not everyone in these places was evil or ill-intended or misguided. It adds variety and depth to Middle-Earth as a whole. There’s also the potential danger of a quasi-fascist major screw up in which everybody hates Gondor, so I don’t know if this is a dream or a proto-nightmare. It has potential to be both.

1 - The Hunt for Gollum and the Attack on Osgiliath on T.A. 3018:

These two events lie at the end of the line for a Young Aragorn timeline, as they both border the WOTR. Aragorn pursues across all of Middle-Earth - which is a good chance for all of us to catch a glimpse of “what’s changed” since he was a young man and passed through the first time around. Also, when Aragorn chases Gollum into Ithilien, Faramir would already be there, serving as a Ranger, or - most likely IMO - already as the captain whom his men would follow “under the wings of Shadow”. I wonder at the effects of an anonymous chance meeting in the wild, and their possible relation with “You called, I come, What does the king command?” in the Houses of Healing. It is said Faramir could read into hearts and minds just like his old man. So he would surely grasp much more than anything Aragorn would tell him.

Also, the attack on Osgiliath is related to Aragorn’s chase because after he loses Gollum to the orcs, Sauron gets all the info he needs out of Gollum and sends the Nine to the Shire. And they are only able to pass North after the attack, right after it if memory serves me, while the four survivors of the bridge were swimming for their lives in chainmail. And both happenings would give us all something I terribly wish to see: Faramir as he was in the books. A smart man of swift judgement, as good a captain as his brother, and most of all, fair and not in such need of fatherly approval to the point of throwing his convictions out the window for a pat in the head. The man who would stand up to his liege lord - and father - later on because he did the right thing, and was condemned to a suicide mission for it. The man who’s worthy of Éowyn’s affection, and Aragorn’s trust.

[e-louise-bates]

For the character ask: Boromir (LotR), Teyla (SGA), Steve Rogers (Marvel), and Bunter (Sayers). :)

Boromir: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS

ship with: No one 

friendship them with: Faramir (despite everything, I do appreciate the brotherly love they share) 

general opinions: I used to only mildly dislike Boromir back before the movies came out, and his death redeemed him for me always (the symbolism of the different deaths in Tolkien’s books is fascinating–how Gandalf, Frodo and Sam, Faramir, Eowyn, etc, are all reborn from death, but characters like Thorin and Boromir are redeemed through death). Then the movies came out, and his character was made more heroic while Faramir’s character was diminished, and even Aragorn was made slightly less, and it enraged me so much that I loathe him now. Thanks a lot, Peter Jackson.

Teyla: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS

ship with: Ummm … I would have to rewatch SGA to remember enough about the characters before I can answer that. 

friendship them with: Oh, definitely Sheppard. 

general opinions: Er … it’s been such a long time since I’ve watched this show I really don’t have that many opinions on Teyla anymore, and can’t even really remember the ones I used to have.

Steve Rogers: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS

ship with: Peggy Carter (though I don’t hate him with Sharon Carter) 

friendship them with: Bucky, Sam, Natasha. I would happily watch a Marvel series simply around the four of them (and hey, I haven’t watched Infinity War yet, so if any of them die in it, don’t tell me) 

general opinions: Oh man, Steve is so great. I was honestly a little disappointed in CA:CW–not for any fault of its own, but because it had to follow the directive from on high in bringing in Peter Parker and trying to make Tony’s position sympathetic–because I wanted to see more of Steve struggling with conscience vs. orders, and Bucky trying to reclaim himself, and Sam and Nat rounding out the ranks. I love Steve’s idealism/pragmatism blended together so well, and his determination to do the Right Thing no matter what the cost, and the fact that he does all this without ever coming across as a prig. 

Bunter: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS

ship with:  No one in particular–I like the idea of the lady he fell in with in Thrones, Dominations, but found the execution unconvincing.

friendship them with: Peter, naturally, but I also love the way he and Harriet found their way to mutual respect and appreciation. 

general opinions: Bunter, like Lord Peter himself, could so easily have become a caricature, a Jeeves-type perfect valet, but instead we were allowed to get glimpses into his personality and interests, and the way he and Peter met, and the reason Bunter came to work for him, and overall he is just a lovely character in his own right.

[garden-ghoul]

two blogs, part 9

“I haven’t actually checked so I don’t know if it’s part 9 or not. but I swear fellowship was shorter.”

THE FORBIDDEN POOL

Frodo woke to find Faramir bending over him. For a second old fears seized him and he sat up and shrank away.

`There is nothing to fear,' said Faramir.

'Is it morning already? ' said Frodo yawning.

In my head this looks like a really badly acted thing where every time the camera cuts back to Frodo he has an expression totally unrelated to the one he had last time you saw him. Like [shot of Frodo, terrified] “no it’s okay” [shot of Frodo nonchalantly yawning, sitting up again for some reason even though he sat up in the last shot] What I’m saying is that this weird disjointed narration is great. Urgh I did a whole paragraph and we’re four sentences in.

Yeah anyway Faramir just wants to show Frodo how pretty the moon is. And ask him something. Frodo’s dating sim experience is BACK with a vengeance. There’s a bunch of weirdly romantic shots of Frodo and Faramir standing silently next to each other in the moonlight above the secret waterfall, which I want you to imagine rendered in the style of Revolutionary Girl Utena. After that Faramir points down at Gollum and is like “look Frodo who is that guy?”

“Well,” says Frodo, “he’s fishing.”

Nevertheless if he ever tells anyone where the secret base is dudes could die, so Frodo, to stop Gollum from getting shot, goes down to talk to him. Smeagol is singing a cute song about how eating lots of fish will make him strong enough to throttle everyone.

Only one true shot, and Frodo would be rid of the miserable voice for ever. But no, Gollum had a claim on him now. The servant has a claim on the master for service, even service in fear.

Sorry but “the servant has claim on the master” is Really Good and I got gay. This is probably an unethical thing to be gay about, but, like, whatever. Anyway Smeagol doesn’t want to come with, he wants to finish eating his fish even after Frodo tells him he is about to get murdered. Frodo has to threaten him to get him to come ::( And he also understands that Gollum will think he’s being betrayed, and there’s no way around it. But things seem to get mostly sorted out. Gollum has safe passage in Gondor as long as he’s with Frodo. Faramir’s heart breaks for Frodo, though. He wishes, as we all do, that he could spare Frodo this awful errand and his awful travelling companion.

‘Would you have me come to Gondor with this Thing,’ said Frodo, ‘the Thing that drove your brother mad with desire? What spell would it work in Minas Tirith? Shall there be two cities of Minas Morgul, grinning at each other across a dead land filled with rottenness?’

YO. And Faramir’s parting words... “If ever beyond hope you return to the lands of the living and we retell our tales, sitting by a wall in the sun, laughing at old grief, you shall tell me then.” Wargh. He’s so gentle and gay. But now it’s time for Frodo to make the

JOURNEY TO THE CROSSROADS

Faramir gives our hobbits some food and also... enchanted walking sticks?? Cool as hell. “A virtue has been set upon them,” he says, which I assume means they’re enchanted. I didn’t know Gondor still knew magic.

So they go on their way for a couple days and have a rest due west of Minas Morgul. My favorite thing about this passage is that Gollum can smell what time of day it is. We rest in a holly forest for a while, which is just an image I love. But it must be very uncomfortable, because even fallen holly leaves are very sharp. ALSO we see the very last hopeful thing on this journey: a headless (defiled) statue of some Gondorian king... but with flowers growing on the severed head like a crown.

'They cannot conquer for ever!' said Frodo. And then suddenly the brief glimpse was gone. The Sun dipped and vanished, and as if at the shuttering of a lamp, black night fell.

Since that was a short one, I still have time tonight to take you up

THE STAIRS OF CIRITH UNGOL

All was dark about it, earth and sky, but it was lit with light. Not the imprisoned moonlight welling through the marble walls of Minas Ithil long ago, Tower of the Moon, fair and radiant in the hollow of the hills. Paler indeed than the moon ailing in some slow eclipse was the light of it now, wavering and blowing like a noisome exhalation of decay, a corpse-light, a light that illuminated nothing. In the walls and tower windows showed, like countless black holes looking inward into emptiness...

Windows like a thousand eyes turned inward! Doors that hinge on time itself! The fourth tower of Inverness!!! Honestly please reply if you’ve listened to that, it was probably extremely formative for me. I love ZBS it’s so fucking weird. Anyway there’s some more description of how gross Minas Morgul is, and Frodo gets enchanted by the Fourth Tower and has to be pulled away. Then they start up the stairway. Okay so... who made this? No way someone carved a stairway into the mountain to visit Shelob. So what was up there before she was?

Frodo is so tired, so very tired. This is largely the Ring’s doing. It’s trying to stall him out in the open so he’ll be seen by the Nazgul. Indeed, the witch-king rides out of Minas Morgul with an army in response to a hilariously over-the-top five-hundred-foot-high signal, possibly meant for intimidation. I feel like I remember Pippin and Gandalf seeing this from the upper storeys of Minas Tirith and being like “aw fuck.”

'The storm has burst at last,' Frodo thought. `This great array of spears and swords is going to Osgiliath. Will Faramir get across in time? And who can now hold the fords when the King of the Nine Riders comes? And other armies will come. I am too late. All is lost. I tarried on the way. All is lost. Even if my errand is performed, no one will ever know. There will be no one I can tell. It will be in vain.' Overcome with weakness he wept. And still the host of Morgul crossed the bridge.

Sammmmee. Faramir is Going To Die at Osgiliath. AND STILL THE HOST OF MORGUL CROSSED THE BRIDGE. Ugh this imagery is SUPER GOOD. Frodo is strengthened a little once the army passes; he shoves Galadriel’s star-vial under his shirt. C-cute. Now we climb the stairs. Yes, and now more stairs. The path to Minas Morgul, the “wraith-road” glows like a glow-worm. Yesss. The hobbits have what they are secretly thinking of as their Last Meal, just a little before the tunnel. Sam wonders if they’ll be able to find water; orcs drink, don’t they? Frodo replies that what they drink is “not for us.” Implying that the water in Mordor is unsafe and it’s only safe to drink alcohol! And then Sam delivers some superb story-telling meta:

‘The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo, I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting. But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually - their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn't. And if they had, we shouldn't know, because they'd have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on - and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end.’

Hell. Makes me want to write epic quests. Doesn’t that make you want to write epic quests? Sam also notes that the tale of Beren and Luthien continues with them now, as they still have the light with them of the Silmaril she stole. Same story, same light, different darkness. Ain’t that just the way. Also still fuck dark = bad, light = good, that’s bad meta. Sam and Frodo keep talking about the stories people will tell about them. A little protected space in Cirith Ungol. This is the part of the story kids won’t want to hear, says Frodo.

Frodo goes to sleep with his head in Sam’s lap. Smeagol comes back from whatever errand he’s been on and sees them together, and remembers long ago when he had people who would touch him like that. He reaches out to softly touch Frodo’s knee... and Sam wakes up and starts shouting at him. I am so fucking sad, you guys. Sam and Smeagol are the WORST for each other, Frodo needs both of them but together they just.. destroy everything... let Smeagol get hugs... [weeping] please let him hug

[musicislife1396]

Series rating: 5/5

Genre: Fantasy, grimdark

Author: Mark Lawrence

Synopsis: At the Convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices’ skills to deadly effect: it takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist.

But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don’t truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder: guilty of worse.

Stolen from the shadow of the noose, Nona is sought by powerful enemies, and for good reason. Despite the security and isolation of the convent her secret and violent past will find her out. Beneath a dying sun that shines upon a crumbling empire, Nona Grey must come to terms with her demons and learn to become a deadly assassin if she is to survive

I just finished Holy Sister  today and this is hands down one of the best series I have ever read. There is not one thing that I didn’t love about this. Straight up, 5/5 stars for each book on the series. Also, for those of you who like audiobooks, the narration for this series is top notch. I audiobooked all of them and it was just a great experience.

I’m going to try to insert some structure into this review so, first I’ll talk about the writing style. The whole series is kind of a frame story. Each book gives a glimpse into the present, or rather to the climax that the entire series is leading to as a prologue and epilogue. And then the rest of the book fills in some of the details. And that progresses with each book, with a little more making sense. I hope that makes sense. Each book then in turn is usually told in two different timelines. It sounds confusing when I try to explain it, but it’s actually very well done. It creates this suspenseful atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. The writing is also very evocative and this is just all around such a well written series.

The world is really cool. The books are fairly short and heavily plot and character oriented, so the world is not very thoroughly explored. At the end of the series, there are still things that I have no explanation for. But it’s done well. We learn progressively about the world as the characters learn about it and that serves as much to drive the plot and characters forward as it does to flesh out the world. It’s just masterfully written. It might be a bit frustrating if you like very clearly defined magic systems such as Brandon Sanderson’s. This series definitely has a soft magic system, though it’s not as vague as say, A Song of Ice and Fire. I personally like both soft and hard magic systems and I really loved the magic in this series. There are multiple branches or aspects of the magic and I thought they’re all really cool. I thought the world was really cool.

I read Prince of Thorns by Lawrence as well and I didn’t like it as much for one main reason. Both this series and the Broken Empire series are set in a past-apocalyptic world where the people have kind of reverted to medieval-ish levels of technology, but they live in a world that used to be inhabited by technologically advanced people and there are vestiges of that. Which is a trope seen in many fantasies and one that I really enjoy, with one caveat. I don’t like it when that world is made out to be a future of Earth. At least not if there’s magic involved. It’s for some reason very jarring for me when that happens and it takes me out of the story and I just don’t enjoy it as much. And that’s what The Broken Empire series did, and I am so glad that this series was just set on some planet called Abeth. It’s all I needed for it to not be ruined for me. Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent.

The characters in this series are the best and Nona Grey is the best of the best. I don’t remember the last time I loved a main character as much as I love Nona. She is the most precious murderous nun in the world. She’s just so loyal and values friendship, which are two things I value so much and I feel like they’re so under-explored in books. So this story was just a balm for my soul. It’s so great to see Nona grow and the relationships that she forms and how those shape her and how she shapes others and ugh! It’s really hard to talk about the characters without spoiling anything, but just… amazing! Every single character is so amazing.

The story itself is fast paced and as I said before, keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s dark. I mean it gets super dark sometimes, but it’s also ultimately such a hopeful story. And those are my favourites. I classed it as a grimdark fantasy, but I’d say it fits better with the more recently coined subgenre of ‘hopepunk’. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can google it. But just to give you a feel of what I mean, you know that scene in The Two Towers, where Sam and Frodo were captured by Faramir and on their way to Gondor, but the Nazgul attacked and Frodo almost put on the ring and then almost killed Sam when he tried to help? And then Sam talks about “the great stories of old” and what made them stick with you? And Faramir hears and Gollum hears and Frodo hears and they’re all in the middle of a battle terrified and hopeless, but Sam somehow gives them hope and it’s a super powerful scene? Yeah, it’s that feeling. That’s hopepunk. And that’s exactly what this whole series feels like.

That’s all I can really say without any spoilers, so I will close by saying that I wholeheartedly recommend this series.

Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence – Series Review Series rating: 5/5 Genre: Fantasy, grimdark Author: Mark Lawrence Synopsis: At the Convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers.

[drink-n-watch]

Zwischenzug

: An “in between move”, where a player, instead of playing the expected move, first inserts a move which the opponent must answer, before making the expected move..

I finished episode 11 of The Promised Neverland about 12 minutes ago It’s taken me this long to start writing the post because I had to sort through the unreasonable amount of screencaps I took. It’s like I wanted to hold onto the moment. I was anxious, scared, angry and then… But I guess I’m getting ahead of myself.

First once again, all my thanks to Crow for agreeing to take this strange and powerful trip with me. This is a series I’m sure glad I had a friend to watch with! A BOLD friend at that! I always have a mix of dread and excitement when Thursday comes around as you never quite know what The Promised Neverland will put you through next, but I always love talking it over with Crow.

The feeling’s mutual! Even more than usual, I was dying to read what you’d come up with for this episode! It’s no exaggeration to say that I spent half the episode with my jaw hanging open. I’m pretty sure my cat’s questioning my sanity!

I’ll be bold… but you already told everyone that! So let’s see where this leads!

this episode was entirely dark blue or blazing orange yellow. The rare full colour scenes really stood out

It’s been a tough couple of months for Emma and Ray but this week was a non nonsense, take no prisoners, leap forward in the narrative.

First we got the confirmation that neither Ray nor Emma had given up or changed their plans in any way after Norman’s…*departure*. Did you have any doubts Crow?

After the end of the the last episode? No. I trusted completely in Emma and Ray’s resolve. Looking back, though, I realize that I gave them too little credit. And I’d given them a lot!

yeah!

I liked how they used Ray’s tactical recap and explanation to Emma as a nice little cover to bring the audience all back on the same page before the final sequence begins. Once again we are truly reminded who Ray is and why he is such a great character. Ray has been planning this escape for years. And it was always meant for someone other than him. Once again, he calmly tries to talk some reason into Emma, but he gives up quickly. He does love her and his siblings, he just wants what’s truly best in a difficult situation.

We also get a glimpse of the petty childish Ray. Of the kid who’s been living in fear and oppression his entire life. Who’s buried countless brothers and sisters in his heart and carried it all by himself. The child who had to grow up way too fast so he held onto his resentment until the bitter end. Even his paltry lashing out is tactical and carefully planned!

we wouldn’t dare!

  Ray who is lazy and uninterested in studies. Worked, studied and exercised all his life just so he could get this moment of tiny vengeance. Just so he could buy himself more time to plan out his siblings’ escape. It was simultaneously naive, silly and grand!

Seeing Ray’s will crushed by hopelessness put me in mind of Denethor, Steward of Gondor, broken by despair yet still powerful among mortals, as he stood in Rath Dínen, Faramir dying of fever behind him, and said, “‘Better to burn sooner than late, for burn we must. … And I? I will go now to my pyre. To my pyre! No tomb for Denethor and Faramir. No tomb! No long slow sleep of death embalmed. We will burn like heathen kings before ever a ship sailed hither from the West. The West has failed. Go back and burn!’

Yeah, last week I compared The Promised Neverland to Dune. This week, I’m comparing it to Tolkien’s The Return of the King. I really don’t have any higher praise to offer! Don’t forget Buffy! We did Buffy as well!!! Excellent point! Buffy for Emma, Lord of the Rings for Ray, and Dune for Norman. Solid combination!

wait…no…

I was devastated for Emma here. Watchin Ray stoically readying to sacrifice himself for the greater good, after giving her a picture of herself and Norman. How many friends does she have to lose?  What was your read on it, Crow?

It was only in retrospect that I was able to think enough to realize what I was feeling. I realized I was saying “No no no no no” on Emma’s behalf, for exactly the reason you just said. She’s suffered enough; she can’t witness one of her best friends burn right in front of her!

And she acted just as Emma would act. But we didn’t know until later. This show…

Emma, I…I don’t know what to say…

It’s night time at the farm, we see Mother watching over the little ones before going to bed herself. We once again see the smallest child and I’m reminded how much she looks like Emma. I figure there aren’t that many breeders out there, maybe this kid is genetically related to Emma. The children all look rather different but a few could be blood siblings. Not that it changes anything but it still makes me wonder.

And she was so gentle to the kids! Just as a mother should be! Talk about feeling conflicted! Me, that is. She seemed completely at peace!

So the clock chimes in midnight and Ray bids his final goodbye as the orphanage is set ablaze. A devastated Emma is screaming her guts out for Mom who comes rushing in. Just as Ray had planned, she sends the children out while she tries to figure out a way to salvage Ray’s brain. Se yells for Emma to get out as well but Emma i already gone. What did you think of this scene Crow?

This is another scene that I can talk about only in retrospect. In that moment, all I could hear was Emma’s agonized scream. All I could see were the flames. Yet when Isabella turned to tell Emma to evacuate as well and Emma wasn’t there — that’s when I started to become aware of myself again. There was hope! There was yet some plan that I didn’t know. I hoped something would be all right, because right then, things looked really dark.

RRAAAYYYYY!!!!

Like you my brain was too engrossed in the moment to properly think. I sort of thought something was odd. It’s unlike Emma maybe or…something was off. I was morbidly staring at the screen fascinated and disgusted. But something felt uncanny. Obviously there’s more to the story. They can’t just kill all the kids here (although, respect if they have the guts for that downer!).

Respect, yes! But everlasting fury…

Well, maybe not everlasting, but I’d be quite cross for days.

I couldn’t put my finger on it right away. Mom’s tracking device showed Ray in the fire and Emma just around the corner but no one was there. Of course Mom soon found Emma’s ear in a bucket. But why do that, they have the device to disable the emitters. Why bother???

Talk about guts! Emma’s a kid! And yet driven by need, following a plan we only dimly perceived at the time, she freaking sliced off her own ear!

who cares about one ear – you have two!

When a smiling Emma reached the kids, short one ear, I felt the edges of my mouth strain a little from smiling. Of course, and then I saw Ray flabbergasted. For his plan to work, Mom had to believe he was in that fire, his emitter had to keep sending a signal from right there. Emma could probably have disabled hers but we are also reminded that who Emma is. She wouldn’t let a friend suffer alone and she would not hesitate to lose an ear to buy them a few extra seconds. And then the clock chimed midnight. I loved that audio cue for the flashback transition!

Even more, if Isabella saw a tracker disabled, she’d know instantly that they were escaping. Now, she had to spend the time to find the ear — minutes only, but precious minutes!

we didn’t see you much but good job Gilda!

Emma was at her most Emmaest this week. Catching the match mid flight with a quippy line at that. Calmly explaining to Ray that neither he, nor anyone else was getting left behind. Emma was a paragon of joyful strength and indomable hope. Even cynics like Ray and me couldn’t help but believe! I like this Emma!

“Emmaest?” I love that! She was definitely in Momma Bear mode.

Of course Ray was shaken, but a nice sharp slap brought him to his senses and then we got one of the best lines I’ve ever heard in response to a death seeker: Norman’s final message for Ray: – “You can die anywhere, it doesn’t have to be here. I’ll show you something cool so shut up and come with me!”

Remember in our last review when you said “Why do I ever doubt this kid?” No lie — that’s the first thing I thought of.

look how focused they are!

This is when The Promised Neverland played a particularly dirty trick by reminding us how awesome Norman is. Ray is strategic and determined. He learned and probably knows more than any of them. Emma is quick witted and flexible, she can adjust to any situation and seize it up in an instant. But the smartest had to be Norman. He had seen right through Ray months ago and just like I thought, he left something: Answers to most of my questions!!! I miss you Norman!!!

Norman is a genius, even compared to Ray. Not only that, he didn’t despair. Even after learning of the cliffs, even after foreseeing that he had to go to the gate to buy them time, he stayed in the game, thinking of their next moves, staying ahead of all of them. That’s what heroes do!

So we learn that not only had Norman figured out pretty much exactly what Ray was planning, but also how to play off that to make their escape plan work. We found out the kids DID KNOW the secret of the house and that’s why they were so incredibly sad to see Norman go. And he knew that they knew so… way to play it cool!

Remember back in episode 6 when you pointed out Emma, Norman, and Ray’s hubris for keeping the secret from Don and Gilda? Looks like the writers agreed with you! Finding out the other kids were in on the secret was an amazing moment!

and then?

Yay me! Norman left Emma some pretty detailed instructions, including faking her depression and staying away from Ray which allowed her to get everything ready completely under the radar. He even showed us what was in Krone’s box. A key (it looked exactly like Isabella’s, but I wonder whether it might unlock the side room Norman was led into) and a scalpel pen. She did find it in the hospital after all.

I have to say, Norman’s god-like intellect is straining credulity here. I was left as slacked jawed as Ray but I also didn’t care. I was happy to see him again, even if it was just a memory.

In the words of the immortal Miles Lane, “I’ll allow it!”

So the kids make i to the wall. We get a nice scene of Emma feeling Norman’s presence at her side and then I was sobbing a bit too much so I went to get some water which somehow ended up being wine…

Samuel Adams for me. Purely medicinal.

how?

All along, Ray is still in shock. And in this shock he suddenly notices that someone is missing.

PHIL!!!!! Was I right, wrong? Did he stay with Mom out of loyalty? Did Emma not notice him missing, cause you know she wouldn’t have left him behind no matter what…. What is going on here Crow? I miss Norman and I want Ray to be o.k. and I’m so proud of Emma!

Emma ruled this episode.

Of all of the astonishing moments in this episode, the instant that Ray realized someone was missing was probably the most impactful. My guard went up instantly when Ray asked who wasn’t there. Then we see Isabella maniacally deciding she would save her children, and just as she’s about to dash off, there’s little Phil. Grabbing her skirt. Effectively pinning her in place.

And my mind immediately went back to The Lord of the Rings, when Sam faced Shelob in Cirith Ungol, alone except for the still figure of Frodo. Armed only with a tiny sword, Elvish thought it may have been, against an ancient and dreadful power.

How much time can Phil buy for them? And at what cost?

I don’t know!?!

And how can there only be one episode left??? We just barely got out of the orphanage!

I’m half afraid to look forward to next week! Okay, more like 3/4s afraid…

For all the anxiety and grief his show has put me through, this episode left me with cold, raw and sharp hope. I’ve rarely felt this aggressively optimistic! And yeah, I’m scared too!

The Promised Neverland Episode 1

The Promised Neverland Episode 2

The Promised Neverland Episode 3

The Promised Neverland Episode 4

The Promised Neverland Episode 5

The Promised Neverland Episode 6

The Promised Neverland Episode 7

The Promised Neverland Episode 8

The Promised Neverland Episode 9

The Promised Neverland Episode 10

You know how I start taking unreasonable amounts of screenshots when I get really wrapped into a story?

The Promised Neverland Episode 11 – Zwischenzug Zwischenzug : An "in between move", where a player, instead of playing the expected move, first inserts a move which the opponent must answer, before making the expected move..