Beneath the Surface by Canafinwe
Sneha · 27 January 2016 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
This is a such a beautiful story! The bitter exhaustion, the slow revealing of layers until the hidden, kingly element is revealed, so like Aragorn. I think your story shows so tenderly how much Arwen's hope and faith meant to him, it must have been so comforting to know that someone looked out for him and loved him so dearly when most people treated him abysmally
LisaG · 15 February 2010 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
Brrrrr! I can just feel the bone chilling cold Aragorn suffered. Funny how poorly he lives and is treated, when one day, he will be king. This was a enchanting little story.
Author's reply
Thank you so much. Really, though, I think that is precisely what will help him to be a good king!
RS · 3 November 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
This is a beautiful piece. I will never tire of it. One of my favorites. Again...I am so glad you are posting here.
Author's reply
I'm so glad you like it. It was great fun to write!
Baggins Babe · 3 November 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
What a beautiful and marvellously descriptive story - I could feel that biting wind and Aragorn's despair when he thought he would be refused admittance to Bree. Poor man, the hardships he endured over so many years. I love the line in the appendices about Arwen watching over him in thought - that shirt is a tangible reminder of that and of her love for him. Bless Barliman for his kindness - I'm so glad that poor weary Aragorn had some supper after all.
Author's reply
It's certainly nice to know that someone was watching over him, if only in thought. Aragorn must have taken a great deal of comfort from that. Good old Butterbur... he's so gruff and pedantic (and not infrequently rude to poor Strider!), but he means well!
Linda Hoyland · 2 November 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
I've been meaning to read this for ages on another site but never got round to it. I'm so glad I did today as it is an outstanding story.I just loved the way you depicted Aragorn's cold and weary state and the hostility shown towards him and then the shirt and the unexpected kindness of dinner. A beautful,outstanding story.
Author's reply
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I think the hostility, especially, must have been dreadfully wearing at times. Fortunately Butterbur's does not run too deep.
Minerva Organa · 1 November 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
Oh, this was wonderful. Such a fantastic portrayal of the little details of the hardships Aragorn faces in the Wild. Your writing is beautiful, and the ending was just perfect!
Author's reply
Thanks so much! Though Aragorn's life was filled with dramatic dangers and great errantries, I think that the small, daily hardships would have been just as difficult to bear. Luckily, one sometimes finds kindness where one least expects it!
Estelcontar · 1 November 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
I've told you once before, but it bears repeating. I really enjoye your beautifully written, and most perceptive vignette. You really do Aragorn justice. You did a great job of showing us the hard life, he led, and what strenght will he needed possess just to keep going. Well done.
Author's reply
It's very sweet of you to repeat it, and I'm so glad you like the story! He did have a very hard life (he tells us so himself!), and it's truly amazing that he endured all that he did!
Shemyaza · 1 November 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
As with all of your works, your writing is evocative and your characters sensitively penned, perhaps more so than any other fanfiction writer I have come across so far. Your portrayal of Aragorn is both realistic and empathic. You can actually see the exhausted Ranger with layers of dirty clothing and fully understand why people reacted to him the way they did. The folk of Bree lived in their town with all of the conveniences of the town, which in ME would have meant access to laundry facilities, if only the river and the fact that they only had to layer their clothing in winter to go outside. Most of the time they would be inside beside a nice roaring fire. Aragorn's life boasted nothing so fine and they had no way of realising that it was because this dirty, smelly, disreputable looking Ranger sacrificed his own comfort, that they could live in what was relative comfort compared to his life. I can't stress how much I enjoy your writing.
Author's reply
I'm so pleased you found Aragorn to be well-portrayed. You're very right: the Bree-folk would have seen the grime and the coarse, outlandish clothes, and looked no further. It didn't occur to them until after all the Rangers went away just what these bedraggled vagabonds were doing on their roads and in their inns. Thank you for your delightful feedback!
Inzilbeth · 1 November 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
I'm so thrilled to see you are posting your wonderful Aragorn stories here, Canafinwe. It's an absolute joy to discover such beautifully written stories that capture so perfectly the essence of Aragorn and this one is no exception. I'm just staggered by all the little deals that you give us and how you turn something so potentially mundane as checking into an inn into a fascinating glimpse of our ranger's everday existence. And Butterbur bringing him his supper was the perfect end. Quite outstanding!
Author's reply
Thank you for the lovely welcome! I'm looking forward to exploring this site: from what I'm told it's a good place to be. It's sweet of you to review a second time. I'm glad you liked the ending: underneath all the bluster and the disdain, Butterbur has a good heart. I enjoyed exploring it.
Larner · 1 November 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
What a beautiful description of a horrible night! And bless Barliman so for the dinner brought! Lovely description of the cambric shirt.
Author's reply
Thank you! Aragorn must have endured a lot of unpleasant weather in his years of wandering, but once in a while he must have encountered unexpected generosity, too.
Dreamflower · 31 October 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
What a beautifully touching story! I could just feel his exhaustion and cold, and his weariness both of body and of spirit, not only of the physical fatigue, but being tired of treated always with suspicion. The part about the shirt Arwen made him was exquisite. The careful handstitching and the smocking and so forth are described as by one who is familiar with fine needlework. Not only was it touching to see it bring him comfort, but I could also see Arwen, far away, and imagining him taking that comfort. And Butterbur-- yes, essentially a decent and kind man, even if burdened with the prejudices of his time and place. Definitely a kindness that will be remembered with gratitude. A wonderful story!
Author's reply
The shirt was actually the idea that gave rise to the whole story. Tolkien tells us that Arwen "watched over him in thought", and this struck me as one way of expressing that. As for Butterbur, he really is a decent man, whatever his prejudices. And quite a lovable character, in his bumbling and slightly aggravating way!
Thundera Tiger · 31 October 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
This is an absolutely stunning piece! First of all the setting: you describe everything so vividly. There's a wealth of imagery in this prose, and I can see it all happening. More than that, I can FEEL it all happening. I feel the cold and the snow, and I share Aragorn's frustration with the man at the gate. That frustration only grew when Butterbur insisted that there really was no room for Strider. And here I must compliment you on your characterization. To put it simply, wow. To put it less simply, you've managed to nail some very complicated nuances in the way the people of Bree view the Rangers. From Butterbur and his hobbit, there was a grudging hospitality, dismay, fear, reluctance, and even a bit of the shrewd shopkeeper who smiles an additional coin. The Rangers and the Breelanders have a complicated relationship that I'm not sure either party truly understands because neither group can really understand the other's point of view. And both are capable of surprising the other, as Butterbur and Aragorn so aptly demonstrate. But for me, the real power of this story came when Aragorn started undressing and contemplating the clothing that he wore. So much of it is practical or for defense, and so much of it is tattered and unlovely and trail worn. It's like watching Aragorn go through different guises that he himself takes on from time to time. And underneath it all is something kingly. Something hidden. Something that the world is not ready to see. And it's only when Aragorn reaches his core that he's able to remind himself of the reason behind his duty and the drive behind his commitment. A wonderful story. You've brought so many things into focus.
Author's reply
Thank you for your lovely words! I'm delighted that you found the imagery to be powerful. What you say about the lack of understanding between the Rangers and the Bree-folk is very true. The Breelanders are just as incomprehensible to the Dunedain as the Dunedain are to the people of Bree, and yet they coexist in this uneasy symbiosis. I think Aragorn must have had moments when it all seemed senseless; moments when he had to ground himself and remember why he suffered all of this. I'm glad you enjoyed my take on one such difficult evening.
Silmarien · 31 October 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
Excellent. Wonderfully evocative. And I love The Education of Barliman Butterbur.
Author's reply
I'm so pleased you liked it! Lesson one: Rangers are people, too.
shirebound · 31 October 2009 · Chapter 1: Beneath the Surface
That was why he fought, he reminded himself sternly, straightening his back and raising his head in defiance of his weary body and flagging spirit. That was why he endured it all What a descriptive, beautifully written story. Reading this is like finding a lost chapter from our beloved Tale.
Author's reply
Thank you so much! What a lovely thing to say: I'm sure it's what we all aspire to!