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| Fragments of a love story by Nesta | 38 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 3/23/2009 |
| What a heartbreak. Eowyn's daughter condemned to the cage that Eowyn escaped; bound to a place, a life and a man she cannot love. I don't understand why Firiel couldn't just turn down Eldarion; or why Aragorn let his son so fiercely pursue and then marry a woman who didn't love him. Firiel is in a living hell here; and Eldarion is sharing it, or at least much of it, because he knows she's just going through the motions. I can only hope that Firiel will have a child or two that she can love. If she doesn't, I could see her dwindling into a cold, sad shadow of herself, losing her real self forever. Author Reply: Very forcible objections; I wrestled with them for a long time! However, I think if Eldarion had been finally sent packing, he'd have been the one to become a shadow of himself, even if he'd married many years later purely to carry on the dynasty. I think Fíriel will eventually come round, indeed through having children. She'd love her children very fiercely and that will eventually work back to their father. She's too passionate by nature to remain cold for ever. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 3/23/2009 |
| I loved Firiel's telling Elboron how proud their father is of him; poor fellow doesn't seem to realize. Nice bits of moon-magic in Firiel's supposed bringing of prosperity to the harvests. Author Reply: Elboron is an unduly humble sort of chap, I think - he has to grow up in Faramir's shadow, and that's bound to be hard to live up to! Superstitions grow very rapidly sometimes - look at all those 'urban folktales' that have developed recently. And fertility dances seem to be pretty common in various societies. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 3/23/2009 |
| This is sorrowful - Firiel is accepting a prison that others have made for her. I assume that she's accepting Eldarion's suit because he's still saying he will wed no one but her, and she knows that he and Gondor need heirs? But can't Faramir or Aragorn see that Eldarion is doing a terrible thing here and convince him to stop pursuing a woman who does not want him? It's also a bit unclear whether Firiel could be incapable of loving a man because she is so bound emotionally to her father, or is capable of finding love but not with Eldarion. In my Fourth Age universe, I also imagine that Eldarion weds someone of Faramir's blood, but there is love on both sides. Author Reply: I'm not sure it is a terrible thing that Eldarion is doing, nor that the others are wrong to let it happen. In most of Tolkien's marriages, either the feelings of the couple are not examined (e.g. Elrond and Celebrian) or it's assumed that they love once and for all (e.g. Beren and Lúthien). In the real world, though, it's very often the case that people marry because they're 'in love' and then rapidly fall out of love, and either separate or fight it out until they've found a way to jog along. Arguably it's better to marry without 'being in love' and go into the relationship knowing you're going to have to work very hard at it. That must be the case with most 'dynastic' marriages, in Middle Earth and outside it. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 3/23/2009 |
| Good characterisation of Aragorn here; King of Men, but wise enough to change a decision. And he still has his wry sense of humor in his thoughts about Master Turin. But why do neither Faramir nor Aragorn even speak about Miriel's not being in love with Eldarion? Author Reply: As I see it (perhaps it doesn't come over) the kind of love that Eldarion feels simply can't take account of the beloved's feelings in the matter: when you feel that kind of love you will take the person on any terms, even by force (mental or physical). It sounds selfish, and indeed it is, but it's also very painful for the lover, and the beloved may end up accepting him/her out of sheer pity or exhaustion. Fíriel's trouble is that she loves Faramir so much that no other person is ever going to come between them. She marries out of a sense of duty, knowing that Eldarion means what he says when he declares he will never marry anybody else, and that gives meaning to her decision. Otherwise she'd stay in Ithilien forever, and be barren, which would be worse for her in the end. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 3/23/2009 |
| Oh, she's that Firiel - what a stroke of fanfictional genius! I don't think Aragorn would have wed Arwen if Arwen had not loved him, though. Author Reply: I always loved that particular poem in 'Tom Bombadil'. I'm one of the comparatively few admirers of Tolkien's verse overall! Arwen was different anyway, I think. She was 'too far above' Aragorn for him to dream of influencing her in any way that didn't come from deep inside her. And who knows what inner struggles she went through before and after being betrothed to him? | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 3/23/2009 |
| Loved the Faramir/Eldarion interaction; I can see here, that Faramir isn't at all intimidated by the kid's rank. Nice Eowyn/Firiel moments too. Author Reply: Denethor may have intimidated Faramir - Tolkien says he was 'daunted', but as a subject rather than a son. (I'm not sure this is what comes out in the actual book, though.) I can't see Faramir being daunted by anyone else, even Aragorn. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/23/2009 |
| This is a fascinating, and sad, look at Turin. He seems to occasionally regret his lack of feeling, and want to be able to be loved by his magical sister, and he has enough of an appreciation for her that he wants to give her something fine, but he's sadly hollow inside. At least he seems to be managing to live a functional life... Author Reply: He is rather hollow inside, but it doesn't usually bother him. While I wouldn't say Túrin was autistic - some people have identified him as having a form of Aspergers syndrome - he certainly doesn't feel or express feelings in the usual way. But that doesn't mean he has no feelings at all. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 3/23/2009 |
| A fey and beautiful chapter to introduce a fey and beautiful child. Eowyn shows her nobility by not being jealous; which is typical, I don't see her being miserly of spirit. Author Reply: Yes, I think Eowyn is noble and also wise enough to realise that there are many, many ways of loving a person. Tolkien in the famous Faramir letter said that Eowyn went on 'loving' Aragorn after marrying Faramir, but 'in a different mode and intensity'. Similarly, her relationship with Faramir is quite different from Fíriel's and there's plenty of room for both. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/23/2009 |
| A wonderful and believable chapter. I really like Faramir's relationship with Elboron here. Author Reply: I don't see Elboron as being 'another Faramir', but the sort of son you can be friends with. The relationship has to be particularly poignant for Faramir because of his relationship with his own father, as you've examined so beautifully in some of your writings, Raksha. | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 3/23/2009 |
| How very sad that poor Firiel should not marry for love,though no doubt common at the time.A haunting story. Author Reply: So many dynastic brides must have married without love. In our own history it wasn't even expected of them; you could be required to marry someone you hadn't even seen. I always wondered what it was like for Finduilas being married to Denethor. It was obviously a very suitable marriage from the Númenorean-blood point of view and to cement the relationship with Dol Amroth, but Denethor must have been pretty terrifying even as a young(ish) man. Not to mention being dragged away from the sea and set down so close to Mordor! | |