#ch: aragorn

[daeneryssansa]

THE LORD OF THE RINGS The Two Towers

[darkst4lker]

taste. // thranduil

thranduil oropherion x fem!reader

plot: two weeks and a half ago, thranduil and (y/n) had a messy break up. now, he appears at your friend arwen's birthday party with his ex girlfriend by his side and you decide that if he wants to play that game, you would play it too.

tw: (mdni) modern!au, it's mainly lovers to enemies to lovers but there will be mentions of smut, angst, thranduil behaves like an asshole, misogyny, use of drugs and and alcohol, good ending (?, i changed a lot of things from the lore!!, everyone is like 20-27 here but legolas wasn't even born yet here. YES there's a moment where starts playing lover you should've come over by jeff buckley!!. low caps on purpose.

notes: english is NOT my first language. i'm sorry if there's any mistake. also this is the first time i publish something i write here!!

“(y/n)” tauriel spoke. you and her were helping arwen to decorate her house for her birthday party that same night, yet you were visibly sad for your break up with thranduil. “(y/n), are you okay?”

you weren't okay.

it was the middle of winter. arwen's living room was one of the most comfortables and warm places on earth, in fact all of her house was like that. it was one of the places where you felt more safe than anywhere in the world but today her house felt deadly cold to you.

maybe the problem wasn't arwen's home itself but the fact that your soul was freezing since the day thranduil's deadly words stabbed your heart like a poisoned knife.

“i don't love you anymore, (y/n).”

fucker. you had spent two years together.

in fact, you and thranduil never fought, never argued, never insulted each other while you were together. yet, the day he left you like that, completely out of the blue, you insulted him so much he probably thought that all his family line would be cursed forever.

he said horrible things too, it wasn't just you. but you may had gone too far when you threw an antique vase that belonged to his family for years through the window of his apartment.

in your defense, he was the last person you thought that would leave you.

of course arwen's house felt cold, the whole world felt cold actually. how could anything feel good in this earth when you weren't in thranduil's arms?

you took a deep breath.

it took you a moment to answer to tauriel's question because the vestiges of the last discussion you had with thranduil were fresh in your mind like if it had happened a second ago. you tried to dismiss the storm of memories flooding your mind and you looked at tauriel.

“yeah, im sorry i went blank for a minute.” you answered while hanging up some balloons in the wall. you tried to fake a smile but your tired eyes revealed your sorrows.

“that's it. im tired of seeing her like this, im going to kill him” aragorn said, leaving his spot next to arwen in the kitchen where they were preparing all the food for the party to get his coat, but arwen stopped him right away.

“stop, you're not helping her. we need to stay here by her side.” arwen came out of the kitchen, after aragorn. her calm voice sent chills down your spine.

aragorn crossed his arms and left his coat alone while he sat in a chair facing you.

you sat on the sofa and arwen sat besides you. the decorations were ready and now you didn't had anything else to distract you from the heartbreak im your chest.

“everything is going to be okay, sweetie. i'm sorry you'll have to see him tonight, bard insisted a lot for me to invite him.” arwen words comforted you and then she hugged you softly. aragorn looked annoyed while he leant against the wall and tauriel stood beside him. “sooner or later he will realize what he's missing.”

“better be sooner because i can't believe he hurted (y/n) like this when a month ago he was talking about fucking marrying her.” aragorn said clearly angry. “i know he's my friend and all but... i can't believe that he really did that.”

“well love can be like that sometimes, i guess.” you answered, trying to keep yourself together. “it comes and it goes.”

“yeah right, but is never just like that (y/n).” tauriel voice was calm but she did seem irritated. “i don't understand why on earth he would do that. it doesn't even makes sense.”

“it doesn't matter if it makes sense or not, guys.” you were clearly about to cry but you held it. “what is done is done and we can't go back in time, and neither can thranduil. i will survive this shit.” everyone tried to smile at you while you spoke but you didn't sounded as convinced as you wanted.

yet, you were true. you couldn't go back in time and in fact, the hours passed swiftly and now the night welcomed the birthday party everyone was waiting for.

you got showered and prepared directly in arwen's home. you had brought your outfit and now your body was inside a stunning and tight scarlet dress.

the black heels that you were in made your outfit more mysterious and in your neck there was a lovely silver necklace with a ruby pendant that arwen had let you borrow for the night.

with a little bit of perfume and red lipstick on, you left arwen's room and joined tauriel's side on the party. there wasn't much people yet, a couple university friends from years ago, the boy tauriel always spoke about: kili and his brother fili, gimli, aragorn of course and like five more people.

it wasn't full yet but arwen's home was quite big so the amount of people wasn't going to be a problem.

thranduil by the other hand, he surely was going to be one.

tauriel and you talked for a while, spending time together before she went to dance with her almost-boyfriend, kili.

you really liked kili for your friend, he seemed like a sweet guy. you really hoped they would end up being together and you wished in the deepest places of your heart that he didn't ended up breaking your friend heart.

like certain person did to you.

you drank a little from the bottle of wine aragorn gave you before rushing to dance with arwen and more people started to appear.

the fear of seeing thranduil that night was disappearing by every sip you gave to the wine and soon you even thought that maybe he wasn't even going to come.

a couple hours later, the house was full of people everywhere, it was 11pm, the party had just started hours ago and when you thought you were free from certain blonde, you saw probably the worst thing you could see with alcohol in your system.

thranduil entered the party with a beautiful blonde girl by his side. they both had their hands enterwined and the girl was giggling while they talked. you instantly felt a rush of rage invade your whole body to the point you believed that your brain was on the verge of exploding.

thranduil had a formal black shirt, leaving two buttons unbottoned and revealing his neck, a little sigh escaped from your lips at the heavenlt sight.

and there it was her.

she looked like a goddes pulled out from a fairytale, making your insecurities corrode your guts like a sickness. the tears threatened to fall off your eyes as you watched their entrance from the another side of the room, and the worst was that you recognized her from old pictures thranduil had in his house. that was his ex girlfriend, now actual (you supposed).

when you thought the horror was over, thranduil looked at you from the distance like if he had some kind of radar attached to him that warned him about everytime you looked at his direction.

his ocean blue eyes met yours. it felt like a boat crashing in the middle of a sea infested with mermaids.

his stare was as intoxicating and addictive as always were. the feelings accumulated in your throat like stones and you got scared for a moment before breaking eye contact with him. it lasted just a second, but it felt like a lifetime passed while your eyes met his.

then you quickly took a sip of your bottle of wine, trying to not give him the pleasure of seeing you rush to the bathroom to cry. for what it felt like hours, you had to see him dance with his new girl and you imagined that you were the one dancing with him, kissing him, touching him.

it was unbelieveable. he literally had replaced you.

how could he? why would he?

those questions pierced your heart like swords, like his words did days ago.

“it was just a pause, a distraction. i needed someone to heal what my past relatonship had broken in me and i already did. you served me well and i will always be grateful.”

you 'served him well'? really? what the fuck does he thinks he is? a king?

his words had melted in your ears like a rotten peach. the sweetness of his low voice mixed with a hint of gall flooding every sentence he said.

you understood now what he meant when he said he healed.

by the other hand, thranduil was breathing heavily.

his hands were on his new girlfriend's waist and sometimes he planted soft kisses on her face. yet, he couldn't fully enjoy anything of it. thranduil regretted all his actions, and much more, how he couldn't save your relationship.

he felt like an idiot. all of his thoughts were on you, every kiss he gave her, every look, every loving gesture, he desired it all went to you instead.

thranduil was deeply conflicted, though. even if he knew how wrong he were when you two broke up, he also was quite offended with the things you said.

it felt like a torture, probably the most horrible one on earth and the weight of his actions were killing him more slowly that he would ever wanted to.

thranduil didn't told you his real motives for leaving you, he thought it would only make it worse for both of you. but after leaving, all of his actions felt meaningless now that he didn't had you.

he was proud, and stubborn though. and watching how you left your seat in wich you were obviously staring at him to sit next to bard made his heart ache terribly.

in your mind, bard seemed like an obvious solution: he was hot, he was your friend and long before you started going out with thranduil he and you had spent a couple of nights together. bard obviously recieved your presence with open arms.

"(y/n), sweetheart." bard calm voice welcomed you as you approached the couch where he was drinking a beer. you noticed he had a blunt on the other hand. "you look beautiful as always."

"hi, bard. long time no-see" you took the seat next to him, everyone were dancing and the fact that he was also a very close friend of thranduil made the whole idea of making out with him so much better.

there was a brief moment of silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. the music was peaceful now, tempting every couple to slow dance.

"do yo want some?" he offered you the pot, and you took it while nodding.

as you smoke, bard looks at you with his classic lovely and reassuring smile, only this time he seemed quite drunk and clearly high.

you were a little drunk yourself too.

"i think i needed that, thank you." you give him back the blunt, and he leaves it in the ashtray. after, he looks at you with curiousity.

"are you-" he started to say but you interrupt him.

"yes i am in fact okay, thank you for asking though." the question had you completely exhausted. you rolled your eyes and stared at him right at his, starting to feel the mix of pot and the alcohol making you a little dizzy. "i came to see if we could make out for a while, i don't care if it's your fault he is here, i don't care about him, i don't care about anything. please, help me forget everything for a second like in the old times. please." your voice sounded a little desperate but the truth it was that you were.

the pain in your heart was begging and pleading to be released, to be cured even if it was for a brief moment. it felt like a bomb ticking on your chest that could explode at any moment and bard seemed to notice it.

a soft smile appeared on his face as he spoke. "you do seem to care, sweetie." the nickname made your heart ache a little, all his nicknames did. thranduil used to call you loving names all the time but the last time you two spoke he called you plainly by your name.

you asked yourself if he also was calling her those sweet names too.

your mouth opened to answer bard but the words didn't came out as the heart ache was ripping apart your body from the insides. bard saw your change of expression, knowing you needed help to get the words out of your chest. you did care after all.

bard puffed, trying not to sound melancholic and grabbed your hand softly. “im sorry, love. i know why you're asking me this and you can be sure i understand it, but thranduil made me promise i wouldn't touch you and i don't want to be in the middle of this break up.” as always, he was a pacifist. bard put his hand on your shoulder and pulled you into a hug. your sight started to get blurry from tears. “it will pass.”

his words echoed in your mind calming every part of you like a balm.

“it will pass.”

you spent what it felt like hours in bard's arms, cying silently. he held you, proving that even if he was thranduil's friend, he was still your friend also. it was a beautiful gesture, and made your soul heal for a while.

yet, an specific sentence of his words lingered in your mind leaving a poison trail on your thoughts: “thranduil made me promise i wouldn't touch you.” why on earth thranduil would care if you fucked bard? what was his problem?

after a moment, you broke the hug and faced bard a little bit ashamed by the way you tried to approach him at first and how you broke down instantly at him reading your feelings like a book. after wiping your tears, you looked at him. your face was swollen from crying but your expression tried to remain calm.

“im sorry i tried to-...” you started, but he cutted you off.

“it doesn't matter, love. it's okay.” bard said, giving you a reassuring stroke on your hand.

a sigh escaped from your lips and then you felt hungry, as you hadn't eat anything in the whole night.

“i will go to the kitchen to get something to eat, i'll be back in a sec.” your voice was trembling at every word but bard smiled at you and nodded, giving you a soft pat on the head before you stood up.

he surely knew how to treat a heartbroken person.

the way to the kitchen was silent, at least for you. the music was still loud but your head was even louder.

your hands placed themselves on the refrigerator door and the familiar soft cold wind welcomed you.

arwen never cared if you took food from her fridge, so you guessed that she probably wouldn't mind if you took an apple. then you closed it, not wanting to be tempted to eat something more and empty the whole refrigerator, leaving your friend having to buy more things tomorrow.

as you ate the apple you remembered how thranduil had cooked you an apple cake one time. it was probably one of the few times he ever baked anything sweet yet the cake resulted to be absolutely perfect.

then you cursed yourself, if you wanted to forget why did he keep coming back in every single little thing you did?

it was like every detail of him was craved deeply onto your heart with no intention of leaving you soon and it hurted more than you could stand.

“you must be (y/n)” a sweet voice called you from behind, and when you turned you saw her.

it was probably one of the most beautiful women you'd ever seen. blue eyes, blonde hair and soft lips.

you fully understood why thranduil would ever leave you for her. she was surely beautiful like if she were some kind of angel.

“yes, i am.” the words left your mouth with shyness. she had a smirk on her face, and looked at you while your teeth catched another bite from the apple.

“it's surely nice to meet you.” she answered, but her voice was almost cynical. there was a weird tone of passive aggressiveness behind it but you were probably too high to catch up.

then it became so obvious you couldn't avoid it.

“thran spoke a lot about you.” she continued, getting closer to you. “but i'm sure that he will soon stop.” then she walked some more steps to your direction and you placed the apple on the counter, swallowing hard.

you didn't realized that you probably had a sad look on your face until she spoke again.

“oh, don't put on that face.” she said, chuckling. there was a mocking subtone on her words. “thran will forget you quickly.” her words felt like a sting through your chest. “you surely don't seem as beautiful nor interesting as everyone said, and i will clearly erase you from his heart.”

you were about to answer, but then you saw thranduil appear behind her like if he were searching for her, and it was too much for you to handle. it was too humilliating to see him watching how his girlfriend completely destroyed you.

your steps were fast as you left the kitchen clearly at the verge of tears. the bathroom was the first door you saw as you almost ran out of the room.

the door felt heavy against your hands but it was nothing you couldn't handle. the first instinct you had was sit on the floor, knees against your chest and finally letting it all out.

you didn't cared if anyone heard you. the heartbreak was a weight in your chest that you needed to purge the fastest way possible, even if thranduil mocked you with his girlfriend outside, even of everyone only felt pity for you, even if the world ended tomorrow.

the pain needed to come out.

and as you finally gave yourself permission to cry, the bathroom door started to open.

you almost didn't noticed, as the sounds were minimum but what you did noticed was the cologne thranduil always wore.

your stare didn't raised to face him, and he closed the door.

“what on earth are you doing?” his voice sounded like a dagger through your heart, and then you looked at him from the ground.

“i didn't asked you to come here.” your answer was harsh. “you're clearly having a lot of fun with all of this.”

“i don't care about what you think, (y/n).” you felt like your name was cursed on his lips. thranduil's voice was serious. “i asked you a question.”

you got angry instantly. how dared he to even ask something like that?

as you stood up to face him properly, your face swollen from tears and by looking him in the eyes you noticed he was probably high too. yet the weed nor the alcohol were clouding his senses that much.

his eyes were like an ocean, and you were drowning in it. quickly and deeply.

“i don't know what on earth do you want me to answer. i literally don't know.” you said, clearly irritated with his attitude and your voice trembling with fury. “what the fuck do you want me to say?”

“don't talk to me like that” he answered harshly. memories of your last fight came to you like a storm. “i asked you why are you crying in the bathroom like a pathetic little girl” thranduil said. “you were clearly capable of defending yourself two weeks ago”

instantly, you understood he was talking about the fight.

“and you were the same imbecile you're being now.” the answered came from your lips almost drowning you in venom and thranduil's expression became more cold than before if that was even possible. “it didn't occur to you, that maybe and just maybe, i don't want to fight for a man like you in the middle of my friend birthday party?”

“a man like me?” he sounded almost offended, and took a step closer to you, his head over yours and his serious eyes looking down at you. “you were dying for a man like me not even a month ago”

and you were still dying for him.

as thranduil was much taller than you, after the break up you discovered that arguing with him was one of the most intimidating things you'd ever done.

yet you faced him with bravery, not letting him ruin the last pieces you had from your broken heart.

“well i don't want to anymore.” you said and he got more closer, his chest almost touching yours.

“and what kind of man do you want then? you want a man like bard?” thranduil asked and he sounded annoyed, his face was stoic but the subtone of his words betrayed his feelings.

he sounded jealous, and he clearly was.

“and what is your problem if i do?” you bited back, pushing his buttons. “maybe he'll treat me way much better than you, in fact, i'm pretty sure he wouldn't replace or use me « to heal » in the first place.” you avoided his eyes while you spoke, not wanting your look to give away the fact that you didn't wanted to be with anyone else than thranduil.

thranduil let out an irritated puff, then his hand went straight to your face, grabbing it tightly, forcing you to look at him.

“then go date him, (y/n).” he said, his voice becoming rough. “that's really what you want?” thranduil asked.

you didn't answered, as you became nervous. yet your hands went to his chest, trying to push him out but it was useless.

thranduil was visibly angry and an irritated chuckle left his lips.

“but i don't think you want that, do you love?” he said, not really expecting you to say anything, cause he already knew the answer. “actually, if i remember correctly, less than a month ago you were in my bed whimpering for me.”

thranduil calling you « love » again made your heart skip a beat as the rest of his words burned your skin like a wildfire.

“why are you throwing a tantrum, thranduil?” you asked, annoyed. he was completely delusional if he thought you wouldn't fire back. “isn't your new girlfriend enough for you that you have to come looking for me like a little puppy?” every word you said felt like if you were digging your own grave, but you didn't cared at all. thranduil's grip on your face became harder.

the next thing that happened was probably the last thing you expected.

thranduil kissed you fiercely, like a unleashed beast. it was agressive, but you played along.

it was like drinking from an oasis in the middle of the dessert, and you answered him with the same obsessive hunger. you broke the kiss briefly to push him almost violently against the bathroom door, and then you were the one to attack his mouth to shut him up before he could say anything.

a slow song started to sound loudly in the house, making the contact more passionate.

« maybe i'm too young, to keep good love from going wrong »

thranduil went from kissing you like an animal to kiss you tenderly, his hand releasing your face to caress your head. he subtely guided you to the floor, where he sat with his back against the door and you placed yourself in his lap, straddling him.

minutes passed, his lips tasted like if you were drinking napalm making your loins burn, and your blood rushed quickly to your cheeks. both of his hands placed themselves on your hips, pulling you closer as his tongue asked you permission to enter your mouth.

« so 'll wait for you, love, and I'll burn. will I ever see your sweet return? »

you open your mouth and let him do as he please, and thranduil takes the opportunity, introducing his tongue. then, the kiss abandoned its sweet nature to become an agressive fight between the both of you, again. your hands move to his hair, making it messy.

thranduil wastes no time and one of his hands moves to your neck, making a little bit of pressure, while kissing you.

the kiss is broken up by the need to take a little bit of air, and you both look at eachother in the eyes, his hand not leaving its place.

« it's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter »

“i hate you” you say agitated, your lips swollen from the past interaction.

he chuckled, breathing heavily. “i hate you too.”

« it's never over, she is the tear that hangs inside my soul forever »

and then he pulled you to kiss you again, roughly. his left hand went under your dress, caressing your thigh and the other made presure on your neck and made you sigh in between the kiss. thranduil smiled as you kept kissing eachother hungrily, now moving his hand closer to the sweet spot between your legs.

you made sure to kiss him hard, and bited his lip with delicacy as he moved your underwear to the side, thinking that if you were lucky, his girlfriend would taste you too when she kissed him.

thranduil touched you freely, like he still loved you. you whined against his mouth, and he broke the kiss.

“you still want to go out with bard?” he asked, releasing your neck to make you look at him by grabbing your chin. his other hand was between your legs, playing with you and making you sigh again.

« lover, you should've come over, 'cause it's not too late »

there was a brief silence as you tried to hold yourself together to give him an answer.

“n-no.” you said. “do you love her?” the sudden question came from your lips in an agitated whimper as you looked him in the eyes. for some reason you felt he almost rewarded you by moving his hand faster against you, making you gasp.

“no.” thranduil finally asnwered only for you to kiss him again. you grabbed both sides of his face, and his right hand caressed your hair softly.

and then your little make out session was terribly interrupted by loud and violent knocks on the door. you both stood up quickly, like children being caught doing a mischief.

he made you a sign to keep quiet and spoke.

“yes?” thranduil said, calmly.

“babe, is that you?” you rolled your eyes at the sound of his girlfriend's voice. thranduil noticed and a little mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

“yes, it's me. give me five minutes.” he answered, his voice was too calm for the events that unfolded just moments before.

thranduil then pressed you against the wall, next to the door so the door could cover your presence while he went out. you wondered if his new girlfriend was really that stupid to not notice her, but you quickly thought that if thranduil was doing this he probably believed too that she was indeed stupid.

you admired how he always knew how to manage all the situations, but something in your chest ached when he gave you another kiss before whispering a soft « i love you » and opening the door, leaving you shocked.

he loved you. thranduil really loved you.

“im here, love.” thranduil said to her, covering your presence with the door and showing his girlfriend that no one was in the bathroom with him. at least to her eyes.

“the party is ending, thran. we should go.” she said. oh you loathed her, and a part of you hated thranduil for leaving you for her. you wanted him to say no, to stay with you, but he didn't.

“okay. let's go.” he answered, and exited the bathroom, leaving you alone but forgetting to turn off the light.

you walked to the mirror, saw your messy make up, the frustrated look on your face after being interrupted and your lips subtly swollen from the kisses and you laughed.

you fucking laughed.

you laughed because, no matter what she could say or do to compete with you, you've already won. he didn't loved her, he was yours. and you hoped; no, you knew, that everytime she kissed him, she would have to taste you too.

and to think you didn't intended to fight over him on the first place, but now the game was on.

I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKED THIS!! it was super hard for me to finish this, and i plan to do a part 2 so stay tuned <3

[dunbonnets]

YGRITTE & ARAGORN

[annabthesolitarywriter]

The Royal Family of Gondor: children of Aragorn & Arwen

(L-R)

-Henry Cavill as Eldarion: Crown Prince of Gondor, former husband to Elenna "Enna" and husband to Ilmarë, handmaiden of Varda.

-Kaya Scodelario as Gilraen: first daughter of Aragorn and Arwen, she kind of hates her older brother. Originally betrothed (and possibly married) to Eldarion's scheming tutor, she eventually falls in love with a fisherman from Dol Amroth. She's essentially a tomboy and doesn't really get along with her parents.

-Marina Moschen as Lóthuil: second daughter of Aragorn and Arwen. She's more of a lady compared to her older sister, but far from a proper one. She's a great archer and will enter Elenna's service in Ithilien for a while.

-Mariya Andreeva as Meleril: youngest daughter of Aragorn and Arwen. She will also enter Elenna's service and will eventually marry Elboron. She's shy, retiring and gentle.

[tanoraqui]

Theory: Elrond effectively wears headlamps like a Dad(TM)

Proof:

Elrond, at least on semi-formal occasions, wears “a star upon his forehead” (RotK book 6, ch.9)—that is, presumably, a pale glowing gem on some sort of coronet. This comes across as very classically Elvish (light, jewelry, star imagery), and a nigh-explicit reference to his father Eärendil. However…

Elrond’s children don’t see as well as Elves, as cited here. If his children don’t, then Elrond, even less Elvish by blood, certainly doesn’t. Now, I will admit that I forget if “Elves can see in the dark” is canon or very popular, D&D-enabled fanon, but it certainly makes sense considering that Elves flourished for centuries or millennia under just starlight, before daylight even existed…and it’s equally reasonable to assume that half-elven night vision is as relatively “weak” as their cited distance vision.

Elrond is the proud father of three, and exhibits traditional Dadly behaviors such as being a little bit of a nerd (loremaster) but also one of the most reliable guys you know, adopting any child left in his presence for a sufficient amount of time (Aragorn), and telling his daughter’s aspiring bf that he won’t be good enough for her until he has a steady job (also Aragorn).

My dad irl, who I promise is a pretty typical Dad, was positively delighted when he discovered casual-use head-mounted flashlights about a decade ago, and has self-satisfiedly worn them on every camping trip and nighttime dog walk ever since.

CONCLUSION: Elrond regularly wears glowing, star-evocative gems on his brow, especially while traveling or at fancy evening parties, and he looks great and it make people respectfully murmur Eärendilion (whether he likes it or not)… But really, it’s not a fashion statement or implicit political position or whatever; it’s because if he doesn’t have some sort of flashlight, he will trip on torchlit steps or walk into low-hanging tree branches in the dark. And it’s so much easier if it’s hands-free! (Especially when he’s spelunking for lost texts!)

His kids all go through a phase of thinking he’s mortifyingly dorky about this, then begrudgingly come to accept that it is really convenient to have a hands-free light for dark nights, caves, etc, and start wearing one themselves.

[thestarlitmidnight]

🌙Masterlist🌙

Request - Open

Specifics for the requests :

I write for three fandoms - ACOTAr (Specifically for Rhysand and Azriel, but will gladly consider other suggestions), Harry Potter (Slytherin only) and Tolkien (Thranduil, Legolas, Aragorn.)

I appreciate all suggestions, but I cannot guarantee that I will write them, or that I will write them quickly.

I write things, that are close to my heart, that I can feel and connect with.

I do not shy away from heavy topics, deeper meanings and explicit context.

Works:

ACOTAr

Rhysand

Completed:

A Court Beneath the Silent Nightsky :

Ch 1 , Ch 2 , Ch 3 , Ch 4 , Ch 5 , Ch 6 , Ch 7

Words: 13 013

Chapters: 7

Posted on AO3

A Court Under the Mountain :

(Posting in progress. )

Prologue , Ch 1 , Ch 2 , Ch 3 , Ch 4 , CH 5 , Ch 6 , Ch 7 , Ch 8 , Ch 9 , Ch 10, Ch 11 , (so far)

Words: 220 927

Chapters: 55

Posted on Wattpad and AO3

In Progress

A Court of Kindness and Love

(Will post soon.)

Words: Around 200k so far

Chapters: 46/?

Posted on Wattpad and AO3

Rewrite the Stars

Chapter One , Chapter Two , Chapter Three

Words: 5K so far

Chapters: 2/?

Azriel

In progress:

Little Falling Star :

(Will post soon.)

Words: Around 61K so far

Chapters: 10/?

Posted on AO3

Harry Potter

Draco Malfoy

Completed:

Lifeline :

(Will post soon.)

Words: 176 231

Chapters: 71

Posted on Wattpad and AO3

Lifeline - Bonus Chapters :

(Will post soon.)

Words: 6039

Chapters: 15

Posted on AO3

Tolkien

Thranduil

Completed:

His Queen :

(Will post soon.)

Words: 148 575

Chapters: 53

Posted on Wattpad and AO3

[suzannahnatters]

I blazed through the first 25% of my FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING audiobook reread in 3 days whoops

nb this is like the 9th or possibly 10th time lets go wheeee

FOREWORD

it's SO iconic of JRRT to come out swinging with "some people are wrong about my book and I have chosen to make it everyone's problem"

PROLOGUE - CONCERNING HOBBITS

"after the book is over Celeborn is going to go and live at Rivendell, and Sam is going to preserve Bilbo's and Frodo's literary legacy, and Merry Brandybuck is going to become a loremaster in herbology and history and linguistics, and Pippin Took - well, Pippin doesn't do diddleysquat"

CH 1 - A LONG EXPECTED PARTY

Gandalf is the personal emissary of the gods wielding a ring of power crafted thousands of years ago by the legendary elven-smith Celebrimbor under the tutelage of Sauron, Dark Enemy of the World. he uses this artefact, among other things, to create fireworks for children.

CH 2 - THE SHADOW OF THE PAST

this is THE chapter to me. I cracked open LOTR for the first time when I was 10 and noped out somewhere around chapter 3 because it was SO SCARY HELP but chapter 2 had got me, I HAD to find out whether Frodo ever found the Cracks of Doom

instead of One Chosen Hero who Saves the World JRRT gives us the One Dreaded Artefact which Must Be Destroyed, doesn't matter by whom though ideally it'll be a complete nobody - nobody is doing it like him. this might possibly explain why I've always wanted to read fantasy books about the one person in the world with NO magical abilities at all

the way that Gollum gets so humanised in this chapter drives home how this book plays with notions of heroism/protagonism. Aragorn is the classic fantasy hero, the promised king whose main function is to run distraction while the hobbits get the job done. Frodo is the protagonist through whose eyes we see the story but in the end he fails his job. Sam is the true protagonist because in the end he is the one with agency. Gollum is the tragic hero whose fall becomes a vehicle of grace in bringing about the Ring's destruction. and right from the start he's honoured that way by the book bringing us into his perspective.

it's always DELIGHTED me that on a re-read you can track more or less when Sam starts listening in by the fact that his shears stop snicking in the background

our boy Frodo is so relatable for how he reacts to the news that the dark lord of Mordor has probably heard his name and knows where he lives, it's like he's become twitter's main character for the day...but I think the main reason this chapter terrified me so much as a child is because of how strongly as a child you identify with Frodo, being so aware that one is only a small hobbit in the grand scheme of things. it's something I think that as a kid you identify with.

huge drama going down in the sitting room as Gandalf recoils halfway to Gondor at the thought of being asked to take care of the Ring himself. smash cut to Sam outside pretending to be bustling around the garden whistling to disguise the fact that he's been eavesdropping on the whole thing.

love the way that Gandalf is coded as wise and prophetic in this chapter. he takes on a sort of old testament prophetic role, not in terms of being able to look into the future but in terms of being able to look at the present with heightened vision to perceive the workings of divine providence

"THEY'RE MIGHT SUS DOWN IN BUCKLAND" says Gaffer Gamgee to a several thousand year old incorporeal nightmare fuel phantom

CH 3 - THREE IS COMPANY

it will never not be utterly delightful to me that given the strength and terror they later achieve the ringwraiths come into the story getting sassed by hobbits and later, falling off things

never not losing it when Frodo, on leaving the shire, suddenly recites the same poem Bilbo spoke when returning to it. cept that when Bilbo spoke of "wandering" feet Frodo speaks of "weary" feet 😭😭😭 MY BOY

"cannot imagine what information could be more terrifying than your hints and warnings" MOOD, I think that Gildor's vague alarms are part of the reason I DNF'd the book age 10, I simply could not handle that

a bit difference between the SILMARILLION versus HOBBIT and LOTR is that in the latter we get a look at the elves from an outsider perspective and it's so fun, the Mirkwood Sindar come across as tricksy folklore elves but Gildor's Noldor are coded quite differently, as fair back-of-the-north-wind elves

CH 4 - A SHORT CUT TO MUSHROOMS

we're getting so much character development for the hobbits already - Frodo already isolated by his burden emotionally in a way that foreshadows the severe physical isolation he'll undergo later; Sam manifesting prophetic wisdom and foresight under the Elves' influence; Pippin just being a happy-go-lucky boyy and we even get a strong sense of Merry as the practical, capable one handling logistics in the background (am I still sore at the movies for making them both comic relief? yea verily)

"short cuts make long delays but inns make longer ones" spoken like a man who tried to go on multiple walking tours with CS Lewis

the vibe of these chapters is impeccable, it's like cosycosycosy SPINE MELTING PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR cosycosycosy

but it's also actually super reminiscent of Stevenson and Buchan - this whole sense of being hunted relentlessly through an otherwise beautiful peaceful landscape.

[daenysthedreamer101]

Youngest Original ~ TVDU

Ch 5 - Where are you?

Mikaelson!OC

Warnings: none really, minor description of blood, compulsion

Masterlist

This is the shortest chapter by far, save the prologue and it is kind of filler but I liked it regardless, hope you like it as well

I'm a shoulder you can cry on Your best friend, I'm the one you must rely on

Mystic Falls, September 2010

In the following weeks, the renovations on the mansion Kassandra and Klaus picked out took place. It was mostly over, the only place left was the entrance hall. The bedrooms upstairs were all finished.

Klaus was currently gone, doing God knows what with his hybrids, so she was alone in the house. She was brushing out her hair and listening to music. Many of the artists she loved in the 80s and 90s were now older or passed away. She cried when she found out Michael Jackson passed away.

She was listening to "Chiquitita" by ABBA. As the finishing touch, she sprayed perfume on her wrists and neck - it was vanilla-scented with hints of rose and citrus. Once she was satisfied with herself she made her way downstairs.

Her mind was on her sister. It's been weeks and there was no sign of her. Rebekah was capable of protecting herself, sure, but she would be defenseless with a dagger in her heart. Kassandra sighed as she nervously played with the heart-shaped ring on her hand. 

Stefan Salvatore had stolen the caskets containing her sibling's bodies and he was using that as leverage against Klaus. "I just hope we find them soon..." She thought as she poured herself blood into a wine glass.

~

Kassie was currently on the couch in the living room - she was watching the movie adaptation of one of her favorite novels, The Lord Of the Rings. The movies were filmed and released while she was daggered so she only recently found out about their existence. 

She was currently on the scene where Aragorn and Arwen were talking to each other before the shards of Narsil when all of a sudden Klaus came in bursting through the house, sounding rather annoyed.

"Kassandra!" He yelled, his voice echoing through the large mansion. She sighed and paused the movie. 

"Here." She answered softly, knowing he would hear her. In an instant, he appeared in front of her. She looked up at him, with an annoyed expression on her face. "Yes?"

"Put some shoes on. We're going on a little field trip." He said as he took the remote from her hands and turned off the TV. 

"Hey! I was watching that!" She exclaimed. 

"What do you mean field trip? What are you talking about?" Kassie asked, confused.

"I've found a way to find Bekah." He replied. 

She looked at him suspiciously. "How?" She asked with narrowed eyes. 

"And here I thought Rebekah was the judgy one." He joked. "What do you think I've been doing all this time?" 

Kassie simply shrugged her shoulders. Klaus chuckled and put his arm around her. "Have some faith in me, love." She gave him an unimpressed look.

"So, what is your master plan?" She asked as she got up from the couch, in the process pushing away Klaus's arm.

He chuckled again. "It's fairly simple - a locator spell." 

"Of course! God, how haven't I thought of that!?" Kassie exclaimed. They walked toward the front door where her jacket was. "So that means you found a witch to help you?"

"Naturally."

"Right. But don't you need the blood of a relative to find the missing person?"

"And that's where you come in, dear sister." He said as he held the door open and the two of them walked out of the house.

Kassie furrowed her brows. "But you're her sibling as well. Why didn't you just give your blood?"

"The witch demanded your blood. She said yours would be better since you and Bekah are full-blooded siblings." He replied and Kassie didn't miss the hurt in his voice.

"And the witch said it would work even better because of your matching rings" Klaus added as they got inside his car.

Kassie and Bekah had matching heart-shaped rings. They were fairly simple in design, the only difference was that Rebekah's was made of gold and Kassie's was silver. They bought them from a small jewelry store back in the 1800s. The two sisters never took them off. (xx)

"Right...so where are we going exactly?"

"Thankfully for us, she moved to Richmond a couple of years ago."

~

Two hours later they found themselves in front of a small, shabby-looking apothecary. Klaus entered first and Kassie followed. The inside didn't look any better - dust was visible in the air, cobwebs covered most of the shelves, and an unpleasant smell of something burning was present.

"How...lovely..." Kassandra remarked as she looked around unimpressed.

"Now, now love, we're not here to be judgy," Klaus responded. Soon after, an elderly woman appeared. She was on the shorter side. Her golden hair was tied back into one long braid. Her icy blue eyes bore into Kassandra. 

Even though her youth was fading away, Kassie could see traces of her former beauty. The woman wore a flowy blue dress with long sleeves and had many necklaces covering her neck. On her head, she had a beautiful black headband. 

"Kassandra, this is Natalya. She will help us find Bekah." Klaus introduced the two women. The witch grabs Kassandra's hand and takes off her heart-shaped ring. After a few seconds, she lets her go and goes behind the counter.

She opens up a map of Virginia and puts it on the counter. She also brings out a knife. "Will you do it or shall I?" The witch asks Kassandra. 

Kassie is quiet for a second, then picks up the knife and cuts her left palm. She hissed but endured the pain. Blood dripped from her hand down onto the map. Natalya took the ring, grabbed Kassie's free hand, and started muttering.

As she was muttering, the blood started moving around the map. After a couple of seconds, it stopped right above two words - Mystic Falls. 

"I knew it! I told you, she never left town." Kassie exclaimed. 

Klaus hummed in response. "I think I know where she is." 

After they met with the witch, they returned to their mansion. Klaus poured himself a glass of bourbon while Kassandra watched, waiting for him to reveal his plan. 

He downed the remainder of his drink and turned to his sister. "Here's what you'll do. You'll go to their little Mystic Falls High and compel yourself an enrollment paper." 

"You want me to enroll in their high school? Why?" Kassie asked with furrowed brows.

"Because, little dove, I need you to be my eyes and ears since Rebekah is down at the moment." He explained while one of his hands moved a strand of hair from her face.

"You want me to spy on Elena and her friends." She concluded quickly.

"I knew you were a smart girl." He said with a wicked smile.

"But they'll know it's me. Stefan will recognize me." Kassie pointed out.

"It doesn't matter. What can they do against you? To everyone else, you're just the new girl in town." 

Kassie sighed. "I'll get to it, then." She picked up her purse, took the car keys from the table, and begrudgingly went to do what was expected of her.

~

"This is ridiculous." She thought as she parked the expensive Audi in the school parking lot. She got out of the car and walked inside the building. Her heels clicked against the floor, the sound reverberating off the walls. 

The halls were quiet and the school was almost empty, save for a few professors and a janitor. There seemed to be no students present. "To be fair it is Friday evening." She told herself.

She finally found her way into the office of the school secretary. "Right. Let's get this over with." Kassie thought as she entered the office. 

The woman seemed surprised by her entrance and asked her what she needed. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I need enrollment papers." Kassie said, trying to be nice before inevitably using her powers. 

"Do you have any documentation with you?"

"No."

"Hun, how do you think to enroll without any documentation?"

"Like this," Kassie said as she leaned over the counter, looked the woman in the eye, and compelled her. 

After 10 minutes of waiting Kassie got her papers. She once again compelled the woman to forget their entire interaction and then left the office. 

~

Sherrif Liz Forbes was in Mystic Falls High, picking up some papers for Caroline. On her way there, she noticed an expensive-looking car parked in front of the school.

Once she entered the school and was walking toward the secretary's office, she saw an unfamiliar young woman walking out of said office.

The girl was tall, with long brown hair, and was dressed affluently. There was something odd about her, Liz thought, she didn't seem like a regular high school girl.

Before she could do anything, the girl was gone. Shaking her head, Liz entered the office and greeted the secretary. 

"Hello, Grace." 

"Oh, Liz! Hello, how are you?"

"I'm good...Grace, who was that girl?" Liz asked.

Grace tilted her head in confusion. "What girl?"

"...The girl that just walked out of your office."

"There was no one here. You're the first person to enter my office since lunch break." 

"Are you sure?" Liz asked again.

Grace chuckled. "I think I would know if someone entered my office, Liz." 

"Of course," Liz said, alarm bells going on in her head. "A vampire..." she thought grimly. 

***

Kassie and Klaus figured out that Bekah was daggered and we see how deep Kassie's care is for Bekah. We see her compel her way into high school lol and at the end, Sheriff Liz almost catches Kassie in the act. Hmmm..

Thank you for reading 💜💜💜

If you have any opinions feel free to comment!

[whovianofmidgard]

Update!

Ch. 12.: War: The Bane of Ungoliant’s Spawn

Mordor was a dark stain upon Middle-earth, like an ink blot spilled over an intricately drawn map. The blackness spread day by day, eating away at the light above the surrounding lands. Eärendil could just barely pierce through the unnatural smoke clouds hanging over Minas Tirith, his and the Silmaril’s light a faint reminder of the hope he symbolised.  

From the vantage point of Vingilot among the stars Eärendil could see far below the happenings of Arda. Nothing was hidden from him as long as the Silmaril shone upon it, and with the help of his spyglass he could observe them in detail. If he wished it, he could see all.  

All except for what was concealed by the poisoned fumes of Mordor.  

The peredhel and his crew had kept watch with growing curiosity over the strange proceedings with the halflings. That four hobbits had left the Shire, venturing well beyond Bree and into the wilds, while unusual, normally wouldn’t have caught their attention immediately, if not for the fact that the Black Riders were after them.  

From then on Eärendil made sure to check on the hobbits’ progress each night. He watched as one of them suffered an injury by the hand of one of the Nazgûl, and how his many-times mortal grandson tried his best to heal the wound. He saw as Glorfindel found their group and carried the injured hobbit to Elrond’s realm. He saw when some two months later the four halflings left the safety of Rivendell in the company of five more allies, a mishmash of representatives of all the races of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.  

While Eärendil lacked the context of these events, he understood that something monumental hinged on the success of their quest. The touch of Fate lingered heavily around their person.  

The star had also seen the company fall apart as time marched on. He saw the nine of them enter Moria and only eight of them emerge. Then the Man of Gondor fell in battle, taking many an arrow before his end, and the whole group began to rapidly dismantle. Two hobbits taken hostage by a new breed of orcs, the other two escaping the battle and continuing their journey on their own, while the Sinda, Dwarf and Aragorn took up pursuit of their stolen companions.  

It had been many weeks since then, and Eärendil could still see most of them, even the grey Maia, now white, whom had recently made his return. Only the two hobbits who had entered Mordor some days ago were missing.  

The halflings had slipped beneath the veil of Darkness, followed by a creeping, pathetic creature of ill intent. Ever since, Eärendil’s sight was cut off from them, and in turn they were cut off from his guiding light.  

Or so he thought. 

Read the rest on Ao3

[frodothefair]

Ch 24 or so of Flowers of Mordor is going to have Sam and Frodo and Mari discussing (and joking) about a hypothetical Mari as a tenth walker scenario.

Though honestly, she would have made a terrible tenth walker -- she is not strong at all, doesn't really have any skills that would help the Fellowship except cooking and maybe healing (though she is nowhere near as good as Aragorn unless someone’s giving birth), and she'd be a distraction to all the others, because they'd be extra worried about her well-being as a woman (because sexism is alive and well, y'all, let's face it). Also, Frodo would have been against it. Had they gotten together before the quest, he probably would have taken her with him as far as Rivendell, but then implored her to stay and keep Bilbo company. Which she would have gladly done. It would have been better than being in the Shire and in the Lockholes, though they would not have known it at the time.

Oh dear goodness, now I want to write a spinoff AU where the above actually happens, and Marigold has fled with the other hobbits to Riverdell during the quest, and she and Frodo are already an item... Help me.

@konartiste (are you getting tired of being tagged yet?)

[dalleyan]

Intersecting Paths (new LOTR story, ch 5 posted, 12-18-24)

Legolas meets a healer of Rohan, and their paths keeping crossing as all of Middle Earth battles for its very existence.  (Romance, Friendship, Adventure)

Chapter 5

Eowyn had recognized Módwyn while she was feeding her horse, and went to invite her to share her tent.  Knowing Eowyn’s reputation for being a less-than-stellar cook, Módwyn offered to prepare the evening meal for them in exchange for her bed.  It didn’t take much effort to convince Eowyn to agree, and a large pot of stew was soon cooking over the fire. 

When Módwyn stepped into the tent, she found Eowyn outfitting the hobbit, Merry, in battle armor that she had somehow found in his size.  Módwyn noticed another pile of armor lying bundled near Eowyn’s bedding, but when she glanced at Eowyn she was given a challenging stare in response to her raised eyebrow.  She lowered her eyes, then shrugged her diffidence and asked the hobbit, “So you ride to battle tomorrow, do you, Master Merry?”

He enthusiastically launched into a discourse on his anticipation of fighting alongside his friends.  Eowyn cast a few questioning glances at Módwyn, but when she did not bring up the subject of the bundle she had seen, Eowyn visibly relaxed.  More than many others, Módwyn had some idea of the life Eowyn had lived the past few years and knew of her frustrations with her position.  Were anyone to learn she had made no effort to stop the lady from whatever she was planning, they would likely be upset with her, but she felt Eowyn had to choose her own path.  She would not take that privilege from her.

Most of the camp turned in early, though Módwyn found herself still awake and thinking of what would happen on the morrow.  Legolas had told her over dinner that Theoden and Aragorn were concerned at how few men they had raised to take to the aid of Gondor.  She knew that when the army departed, many – perhaps even most, or all – would not return.  And if they failed at Minas Tirith...  She tried to turn her thoughts from the fate of Middle Earth if Mordor could not be stopped. 

Casting about for a more pleasant subject to end her evening on, Legolas came to mind, and she was reminded of their journey that day.  A feeling was stirring inside her that worried her.  Despite his attentions in their time together, she realized full well that his superior skills and physical endowments might not be enough to protect him in the great battle that was coming.  If she allowed her heart to continue on its present course, she feared a great deal of heartbreak might be ahead.  Even if he did return from the battle, what were his intentions?  Could things work between them as it had for her friends? 

She sighed heavily, lost in thought until she heard movement outside the tent.  At first she believed it was Eowyn, returning to sleep, but then she heard hushed male voices and realized it was not.  She rose and adjusted the lantern as she waited to see if the voices would pass or were coming to her tent.

Legolas stopped outside the tent and called softly to Módwyn.  His ears could detect movement so he knew she was awake.  A moment later she pulled the tent flap aside and stepped out to face him, a smile crinkling her eyes.

He caught her by the hands and told her earnestly, “We must leave, to enter Gondor by another path.  Come with us – Aragorn has agreed to have you join us.  I want to have you with me.”

Módwyn was silent, lost in thought for several minutes, then finally responded as a tear trickled down her cheek, “I should like very much to be with you, Legolas, and Lord Aragorn is most generous to allow this, but we all know that I would be more a hindrance than a help to you.”  She glanced past his shoulder to where Aragorn stood, a look of approval crossing his face at her words. 

She raised a hand to stymie Legolas’ protest, “I know what you would say, but the most I can offer to such a company is my healing skill, and Aragorn is nearly my equal in that regard.  I am unsuited to travelling swift and light, or in battling orcs or other enemies.”  Now her voice began to tremble, “But I will anxiously await your return.  Be well – all of you.”  Her arms slipped up around his neck and she pulled him close. 

Slowly his arms encircled her and he returned the embrace.  When he pulled back to look in her eyes, she saw disappointment with her answer, but also understanding.  Reluctantly, Aragorn called to him, “Legolas, we must be going.”  Legolas stared a moment longer, then quickly kissed her and hurried away, not looking back.  She stood and watched them out of sight, then morosely returned to her tent, knowing sleep would not be her occupation this night.

continue reading on AO3:

               (https://archiveofourown.org/works/61085167/chapters/157072627)

[thescrapwitch]

Writing Patterns

Thank you @starsuncounted for tagging me! Here are the first lines of my last ten fics. I went with the opening lines for first chapter in my longfics ones since I was curious if there was any difference in how I started those compared to how I started my one-shots.

1 For Want of a Crown (ch 1) "Fëanáro did not think that Nerdanel would come." Silmarillion - M - So. Many. Characters!

2 Reforged (ch 1) "Maeglin did not die, though he would not realize it until years and years later." Silmarillion - G - Maeglin, Celebrimbor and others

3 Those That Remain (ch 1) "Novembers could be an awful month when they put their mind to it and this one, thought Daeron, was in the running for being the worst." Silmarillion - G - Daeron, Maglor, Lindir

4 The Price We Pay “One little bird on a roof in Tirion…” Silmarillion - M - Maglor, Maedhros, Fingon

5 A Flame Among the Ice "Before Indis had ruined his childhood, little Fëanáro would sit beside his father and demand stories of the crossing every night before bed." Silmarillion - G - Fëanor and many others

6 Soft-Shelled Soul "At first, Maedhros thought he lingered in Irmo’s realm." Silmarillion - G - Maedhros, Crablor

7 Flickers in the Dark (ch 1) "Being dead felt a lot like floating in water." Silmarillion - G - Gil-Galad and many others

8 The Conditions of Existence "Performing surgery on one’s soul was not a pleasant process." Silmarillion - G - Annatar, Celebrimbor, Sauron

9 Life in Miniature "They’d been drunk when Turgon first suggested the plan, not realizing how such a simple idea would grow and consume his life." Silmarillion - G - Turgon and many others

10 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark "The four of them met by chance at the Prancing Pony." Silmarillion - G - Maglor, Aragorn, and some unlucky OCs

I seem to like setting up the story with shorter exposition lines, getting as quickly as I can to the main focus of the fic. Most of these also come from the main POV character of the story, so that way the readers know who the story will be focusing on. Also, a lot of setting up an expectation a character has only for it to be countered in the following sentences.

This was fun! Tagging: @dreamingthroughthenoise @echo-bleu @lordgrimwing @arofili @aroace-moron @whovianofmidgard @camille-lachenille and whoever else wants to join in. No pressure!

[everybodyhatesrand]

Ch. 38–41 are emotional and climactic but largely flopped for us. Why can't Rand stop ascending to godhood? Why does everyone want Lan to be Aragorn? Why is The Beautiful Shendla here? We have these and other questions. 

[theworldsoftolkein]

Caradhras - by The Headless Girl

Caradhras rose before them, a mighty peak, tipped with snow like silver, but with sheer naked sides, dull red as if stained with blood....

'Winter deepens behind us,' Gandalf said quietly to Aragorn....'Tonight we shall be on our way high up towards the Redhorn Gate. We may well be seen by watchers on that narrow path, and waylaid by some evil; but the weather may prove a more deadly enemy than any.'....

'[It] is no good our delaying the passage of the mountains. Further south there are no passes, till one comes to the Gap of Rohan. I do not trust that way since your news of Saruman.'....

When they returned to the Company Gandalf spoke.... [It] had been decided to face the weather and the high pass....

'From signs that we have seen lately,' said Gandalf, 'I fear that the Redhorn Gate may be watched; and also I have doubts of the weather that is coming up behind. Snow may come. We must go with all the speed that we can. Even so it will take us more than two marches before we reach the top of the pass.'....

The Company set out again with good speed at first; but soon their way became steep and difficult. The twisting and climbing road had in many places almost disappeared, and was blocked with many fallen stones.... By midnight they had climbed to the knees of the great mountains. The narrow path now wound under a sheer wall of cliffs to the left, above which the grim flanks of Caradhras towered up invisible in the gloom; on the right was a gulf of darkness where the land fell suddenly into a deep ravine.

Laboriously they climbed a sharp slope.... But before long the snow was falling fast....

Gandalf halted. Snow was thick on his hood and shoulders; it was already ankle-deep about his boots.

Aragorn said, '... I knew the risk of snow, though it seldom falls heavily so far south, save high up in the mountains. But we are not high yet; we are still far down, where the paths are usually open all the winter.'....

While they were halted, the wind died down, and the snow slackened until it almost ceased. They tramped on again. But they had not gone more than a furlong when the storm returned with fresh fury. The wind whistled and the snow became a blinding blizzard....

The Company halted suddenly.... Stones began to fall from the mountain-side, whistling over their heads, or crashing on the path beside them. Every now and again they heard a dull rumble, as a great boulder rolled down from hidden heights above....

‘It is no good going on. Only a little higher, if I remember rightly, this path leaves the cliff and runs into a wide shallow trough at the bottom of a long hard slope. We should have no shelter there from snow, or stones — or anything else.'

'And it is no good going back while the storm holds,' said Aragorn. 'We have passed no place on the way up that offered more shelter than this cliff-wall we are under now.'....

The Company now gathered together as close to the cliff as they could. It faced southwards, and near the bottom it leaned out a little, so that they hoped it would give them some protection from the northerly wind and from the falling stones. But eddying blasts swirled round them from every side....

The Fellowship of the Ring LOTR Book#2, Ch#3, The Ring Goes South

[esta-elavaris]

🔥HWFG ch. 15 is up!🔥

I don't have a pretty gif, but I do have this very sophisticated diagram I made while writing.

[Boromir/OC] 5,584 words for this chapter

AO3 - FF.net

When she arrived, the table was set for ten with five at each side – although thus far, only Aragorn and Prince Legolas were present. Their conversation ended as they noticed her arrival, and they quickly rose to their feet in greeting. “Please don’t,” she said quickly, offering a shy smile. “Your legs will grow very tired before all is done, should you keep that up.” Her joke, weak as it was, appeared to break the ice – for they chuckled, and Prince Legolas gestured to the chair to his right in offering. It saved her from dithering, at least.

[suzannahnatters]

TTT Re-read: Book 3, Chs 1-4: Trees Hijack the Plot, And We're Not Even Mad

Ch 1 - THE DEPARTURE OF BOROMIR

so much of TTT is about choices - from Aragorn pulled in three directions at the start to The Choices of Master Samwise at the end. and I think the point is what Gimli says - sometimes no choice is much better than the other and you just have to do what seems right to you. and I've been thinking a lot lately about how resonant that is with the whole task of exercising Christian liberty. it's so hard because how can you know what to choose!!! but then again the choice is very much yours to make, and you have the right to make it.

cannot think of many fantasy books that would spend this much time on a funeral. notably Gandalf doesn't get one.

the dirge for Boromir is beautiful, another top 10 LOTR poetry moment for me, and this time I'm struck that it's very much sung not from the POV of those who were at the battle with him, but the POV of those waiting at home who loved him best. something something Tolkien once again subordinating military exploits and comradeship to the greater end of peace and home.

"forth the three hunters" aaaahhhh I love this chase so much. used to go back and reread this section just because I loved it so much

love Aragorn's choice here - to honour Frodo's agency in taking the initiative himself in going off alone, and to prioritise rescuing the captives. exactly what he should decide.

Ch 2 - The Riders of Rohan

this depiction of the sun rising over Rohan is so beautiful; it also has subtle allusions to the creation account in Genesis 1. you have a world that is formless and void, and then light comes in and performs a sort of creative work on it. the imagery of green rushing across the plains is also reminiscent of the creation passages of THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW as well.

regarding Aragorn's ode to Gondor, it strikes me that in a lot of fantasy novels of this sort, there's some kind of prize awaiting the kingly hero, which gets raved up as incredibly desirable and beautiful. in most fantasy stories that prize would be a love interest- but in this book it's a city, a home; not a person; I like that.

this is the only time in the whole legendarium that we get a look at an Elf who is just. very young and very ordinary and constantly just doing Normal Elf Things, like seeing stars far beyond mortal sight. instead of, like...fighting Satan. it's so fun.

not sure I ever fully appreciated it before but the way the Rohirrim enter the narrative is such a flex. they're just showing off consummate skill not only at horsemanship but also at cavalry tactics.

Gimli and Éomer getting into a fight over Galadriel would Too Silly. except that it's also commenting on courtly love tropes in a really fun way so I actually love it.

"a mighty matter of legend" - I know the "good and ill have not changed since yesteryear" is an ageless banger but the "mighty matter of legend" line is also an all time fave.

ahahahaha I had forgotten that it is CANON that Theoden's beef with Gandalf started SPECIFICALLY because Gandalf ran away with the kingdom's shiniest horse

"folks speak with the Lady of the Golden Wood and yet live" - I would LOVE to see RINGS OF POWER Galadriel become terrifying sorceress Galadriel

having a lot of feelings about Éomer right now. have always loved this character dearly and it's because he's so utterly unreserved. he just puts his life in Aragorn's hands, as an act of faith, because he believes that providence has sent these people to Rohan to help them in their hour of need. what a darling.

Ch 3 - The Uruk-Hai

please someone draw Pippin sitting forlornly on a bag carousel at the airport because that's what I'm thinking about now (not you Kelsi you have OTHER THINGS TO DRAW)

TTT CH 3, Or, Everything I Hated About My Time in the Army, by JRR Tolkien

hmmmm this "white-skins" /"swart-skinned" language is worse than I remember, I think Tolkien should have known better than that

military tactics win, #1: instead of charging in with lances, the Riders begin their battle with ranged arrow attacks to soften up the enemy!

military tactics win, #2: the Orcs take up position on a knoll, specifically to take the edge off any cavalry charge from the Riders!

military tactics win, #3: the Riders sneaking up to kill some orcs in the middle of the night just to keep them from getting any sleep or recovering morale!

it is really a trip listening to Andy Serkis playing Pippin playing Gollum oh my goodness

"brush up my toes" your honour: I love these hobbits

Ch 4 - Treebeard

"almost felt you liked the Forest" clapping my little hands

of course Treebeard INSTANTLY roasts them "I almost feel that I dislike you both" because this is a Tolkien book and he loved roast hobbit

oooh so here's another super medieval thing: Treebeard's lore song. what's so medieval about this, you ask? well one of the reigning passions of the middle ages was taking the sum total of all human knowledge and trying to put it all into a list, or a book. see also: the Etymologies of MY GUY Isidore of Seville

Treebeard wintering in Dorthonion 😭😭😭 do you think he met Beren's family

not sure I ever noticed this before but!!! Treebeard's two bowls of mingling gold and silver light??? Are like an Ent version of the Two Trees???? EAT YOUR HEART OUT FEANOR

"I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side" Treebeard just enunciating my entire political ideology right there

the story about the Entwives is so fascinating. this time I feel I'm reading between the lines a lot better - like, first of all, it's obvious that the reason for their disappearance, whether through death or displacement or likely a combination of both, stems very much from things Tolkien would have heard about, living through the two world wars. second, it strikes me that the Ents themselves bear some responsibility for not working with the Entwives to resist Sauron. if I recall correctly there's a place in the Letters where Tolkien says outright that Merry and Pippin's big contribution to the narrative in TTT is to shake the Ents out of their complacence and into action. one is tempted to add: the way they should have stirred themselves sooner, before they lost the Entwives.

also the Old English word for "woman", whether married or single, was wyf (as opposed to maegden which meant a younger woman). and the word Ent was also a very obscure Old English word which Tolkien was here creating a history for. so while Treebeard and Fimbrethil definitely had a thing, and the Entings definitely came from somewhere - the word "Entwife" could arguably be said to apply to any Ent woman regardless of marital status. tl;dr I'm going to headcanon that like a bunch of the Entwives were happy old maid gardeners who missed their bros but got on with their work.

Serkis' Ent trumptetings are delightful 10/10 no notes

sooooooooo...the Ents must have been fighting on the side of the Last Alliance, after the Entwives disappeared? that's what I'm getting from this chapter? o.0

the War Song of the Ents: another top 10 LOTR poetry moment, maybe THE top LOTR poetry moment of all? think I'm going to have to run a poll when this reread is over

anyway Tolkien once more the GOAT "ah yes I will now pull the book to a halt for a chapter twice the length of all the others, comprised entirely of Tree People loredumps and some BANGIN' poetry"

anyway this chapter has me thinking because I have always had trouble loving secondary fantasy worlds, and Treebeard is probably the character in this book most alien from the rest of the legendarium AND any real-world context. and the keyword here I think IS "context". Tolkien spends a lot of this chapter giving the Ents context, not so much in terms of real world history (again, he was trying to create an etymology to a very obscure Anglo-Saxon word here) - but in terms of both Middle-Earth history (here's what they've been doing throughout the ages of the world, here's how Sauron has injured them, here are the songs the Elves made about them), emotional connection (the story of their long estrangement from the Entwives and their sorrow at having been parted from them is something mythic and instantly relatable), and real-world environmentalist themes (they are the guardians of the trees, exploited and traumatised by evil lords and their wars). my big sticking-point with a lot of secondary-world fantasy is "why should I care about your made-up people in your made-up world", and I think Tolkien manages it the only way possible: by giving them emotional depth and relevance both within and outside his story world.