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serpenteve · 3 years

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why we ship darklina

an essay literally no one asked for

Nobody needs a "reason" to ship Darklina. But considering this is a villain x hero pairing, it got me thinking about why we shipped it in the first place when the narrative and author so badly wanted us to root for the more sensible alternative pairing and why it became the most popular ship of the entire trilogy.

Personally, I find it really interesting (and low-key hilarious) that a lot of the reasons shippers gravitated towards Darklina can be directly traced back to how badly Bardugo bungled Alina's character arc, Mal's entire characterization and narrative role, Nikolai's wasted potential as an alternative love interest, and the noble intentions she gives the the Darkling.

Alina's Character Arc

Alina's character arc doesn't match who she is as a character. I've written more about that in this post, but a lot of readers were introduced to a passive and insecure protagonist who we were expecting to undergo a typical YA coming-of-age character arc where Alina acquires self-acceptance, confidence, and embraces the full breadth of her powers over the course of the trilogy. Instead, Bardugo gave Alina the kind of character arc that's usually deserved for power-hungry anti-heroines or tragic heroes with a fatal flaw to punish.

The plot offers a strange binary: either Alina suppresses and hides her powers and therefore stays away from descending into villainy OR Alina attempts to find Morozova's amplifiers in order to defeat the Darkling but then becomes corrupted by power in the process. Alina's journey to self-acceptance and exploring her own powers are unfortunately entangled with her relationship with the Darkling. The only way she is allowed to move forward through the plot is to succumb to the corrupting influence of the amplifiers.

For better or for worse, the first character to really embrace her powers instead of thinking she's a fraud or that she's weak or that she's an unholy abomination is the Darkling. He's the first person to recognize her power for what it is and accurately judge its potential and implications for the rest of the world. He advocates for her in front of the royal court, in front other Grisha who think she's weak, and even against Baghra who is initially a very ill-tempered mentor with little to no faith in Alina's abilities. He even rather ironically advocates for her even when the heroic person who's supposed to be supporting her (Mal) does not.

At the start of her journey, Alina is insecure and in constant need of assurance and validation. The Darkling's role as her mentor and guide into this unfamiliar world of Grisha makes him the perfect advocate not only for her powers but also to help Alina see her place in the world. However, once he is revealed to be the villain, Alina also fails to realize that it's time for her to advocate for herself and throws the baby out with the bathwater.

Mal's Characterization & Narrative Role

When Alina loses the Darkling as an advocate in S&B, Mal steps up to take this role. Alina is still rather passive for the majority of the first book and it's Mal who originally wants her to have Morozova's stag as an amplifier if it will mean being able to stand against the Darkling. Bardugo intended for him to be a heroic love interest as a foil to the villainous love interest and I believe she mostly succeeds for the first book.

However, because this is a story about punishing Alina's "evil ambition" (despite there being very little evidence of that) Mal is supposed to serve as a voice of reason in the narrative. Once Alina considers the necessity of acquiring more amplifiers to defeat the Darkling, it is Mal's role to warn her of the potential consequences, to remind her of her inner humanity, and to ward against the corrupting influence of Morozova's amplifiers. Mal's declarations that he wants back the old girl he knew without any power is meant to drive an ideological wedge between them, yes, but he's also meant to be Correct™ because, again, Bardugo is writing a story about a corrupted power-hungry heroine who goes too far and needs to be punished rather than the arc we were all expecting and the one that Alina's character needs: a coming-of-age story of self-acceptance and personal growth.

Some point after the backlash of Siege & Storm, Bardugo seems to have become aware of her mistake and attempts to scrub Mal's character to be more sympathetic. There is a bizarre exchange half-way through the third book when Mal finally declares:

"I wasn't afraid of you, Alina. I was afraid of losing you. The girl you were becoming didn't need me anymore, but she's who you were always meant to be."

This is an interesting line because it's a complete reversal of Mal's narrative role so far. He's supposed to be her voice of reason that opposes her at every turn but readers interpreted him as being resentful of Alina's powers and angry that she was no longer dependent on him. Bardugo is forced to retcon Mal's entire role in the narrative from being a voice of reason that opposes Alina's quest for power to a supportive friend who will fight by her side. But this was never her initial intention and I believe this change was brought on 100% by audience reaction because she failed to understand the arc her heroine needed and the kind of story her audience was anticipating for such a character.

Needless to say, having your heroine's main love interest actively resent her quest for power until half-way through the third damn book did not endear many readers to Mal. Because Bardugo failed to understand the kind of character development her heroine needed and failed to understand audience expectations, we hated Mal. He became the embodiment of every toxic chauvinist we'd ever met who can't stand the idea of his partner's success and feels entitled to be the center of her universe. He was not the voice of reason. He was an annoying gnat hellbent on dragging the heroine down and away from her destiny. We did not want to root for him. Even the villain was more sympathetic than him because he could bring her closer to achieving the self-acceptance the narrative was obsessed with denying her.

Nikolai's Wasted Potential as a Solid Love Interest

Nikolai plays several roles in Alina's journey but most importantly in our discussions for why we ended up shipping Darklina, his entire potential as a serious love interest is wasted.

When we meet Nikolai, we have hitched our wagons to the Darklina train because despite being the villain, the Darkling is the only one who will allow the heroine to accept her powers and come into her own. Her heroic love interest, Mal, is actively sabotaging her efforts and holding her back from her true potential. But then, in swoops Nikolai and we pause, wondering if there may be a better heroic alternative after all?

In a lot of ways, Nikolai and the Darkling alike: they are eager for Alina's power and see her as a solution to all their problems. They may want to use Alina to prop up their own agendas, but unlike Mal, Alina's summoning powers are a massive plus, not a burden. Nikolai is the heroic alternative to our villainous Aleksander. So we wait, wondering if Nikolai will be the one to fix this mess of a romantic subplot. His royal connections offer an easy path to upwards mobility for our heroine and we sense that an alliance between them (even if it's initially political in nature) may bring our heroine closer to obtaining more power, influence, and self-acceptance not only for herself, but also for the oppressed minority she is a part of.

But, again, Bardugo is still obsessed with that "punish the heroine for wanting power" agenda so while Nikolai exists as another mentor figure who offers Alina advice on how to rule, how to appeal to other people, how to charm, how to win people over, and Alina learns and applies much of what she learns from him, he is not treated as a real love interest.

Despite Nikolai being written as a fairy tale prince (handsome, charming, smart as a whip, brave in battle, etc) Alina never actually considers him romantically. They are friends and allies at best and the only time she considers kissing him is only when she's pissed about Mal.

Nikolai's proposal at the end of Ruin & Rising feels like one last saving grace, one last opportunity for our heroine to take control of her life and make a dramatic change to break from the past. But this too is rejected because Alina's arc will never let her access any power. She does not reject Nikolai because she wants to marry for love. She rejects him because she has been "punished" for wanting power and has internalized that she must not seek any more power for fear of angering the plot gods (and Bardugo). She must return to being nobody in order to remain a good and moral person.

(And, of course, we resent Mal even more because who in their right mind would choose him over Nikolai? Once again, he becomes a roadblock on our heroine's journey to power. We grow irritated that the heroine is failing to grasp an opportunity to elevate herself. We throw the book against the wall. Why are we even following this heroine?)

The Darkling's Motivations

Still, all of the above might still not have been enough to pull the reader to the villain's side. But the Darkling is the living embodiment of Villain Has A Point™. He is not pure unadulterated evil. He is not Lord Sauron or Voldemort or the Terminator.

He's more Magneto, Roy Batty, or Ozymandias---a man who is part of an oppressed minority who longs for justice and power but is absolutely unhinged in his methods.

Alina runs away because she does not want to be a non-consenting weapon in hands. But we always end up wondering what would have happened had Baghra not warned her. What would have happened if Alina gladly joined the Darkling's side? There's hundreds of fanfics written precisely about this situation because despite the villainy of his methods, we wonder if Ravka might not have been safer after all?

If the Darkling had used the Fold as a weapon against Fjerda and Shu Han, would any of the problems Ravka faces in the later books even exist? Would any Grisha fall victim to the khergud programs or be killed as witches? The Darkling wipes out Novokribirsk and kills hundreds of lives, but how many would he have saved with the Fold as Ravka's greatest shield and sword? 🤷🏽‍♀️

And therein lies the problem with the trilogy inconsistent moral landscape. The Darkling is an anti-villain that exists in a narrative that is very black and white, unlike the rest of the books in the Grishaverse where our protagonists are anti-heroes who kill, steal, and torture their way through the plot with nary a judgmental glance from the narrative. We long to see our heroine give in to her dark side and get her hands dirty because watching a naive, passive, scared little girl grow into a ruthless powerful Grisha would have made for a hell of a compelling story.

But that's not the story Bardugo wanted to tell.

The Greg Trilogy

Despite taking place in a fantasy Tsartist setting, the Grisha trilogy is oddly anti-Grisha. The narrative doesn't spend much time trying to examine the context or implications of an oppressed minority group fighting for power other than to say "magic powers = evil". Nikolai skates by on a throne of inherited wealth, privilege, and imperialism but it's okay because he's charming and witty and the only monstrous part of him is the Darkling's curse. Literally everything is worse for Ravka and their Grisha after the destruction of the Fold but Ravka must move forward into a new age without relying on Grisha power but putting their efforts into new muggle technologies. Alina must be stripped of her powers and returned to her "old self" in order to be purged of evil.

Basically, it's all one gigantic ✨ dumpster fire ✨ of mismatched character arcs, incompatible moral aesops, inconsistent characterizations, wasted potential, unexamined plot points but it's a a dumpster fire we lovingly and spitefully embrace in fanfic.

We don't ship Alina with the Darkling because we're stupid abuse apologists who somehow missed the giant flashing moral aesop of the books---and honestly, who could have possibly missed them when it's shoved in the reader's face every other chapter? We ship Alina with the Darkling because the entire ship is the embodiment of wasted potential (and wasted ✨aesthetics✨ tbqh 👀). We ship Alina with the Darkling because we're sick and tired of stories where female power is demonized. We ship Alina with the Darkling because the plot gave us literally no other alternative to see our heroine succeed except to give in to her alleged villainy.

But most of all, people ship Darklina because Leigh Bardugo utterly failed in writing the story she intended to write because had she succeeded, Darklina would not be the most popular ship of the trilogy.

#darklina #sab meta #grisha meta #grisha discourse #wow im embarrassed by how fucking long this is #but you know i had to write it #anti leigh bardugo #its not really anti so much as it is just pointing out why her story flopped for a lot of readers #alarkling #viv metas

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ceescedasticity · 3 years

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continued

Elwing’s Fourteen The Company of Elwing, or;

Desperate-Cornered-Queens-Falling-In-the-Sea Solidarity, or;

A True Tale of the Last Days of Númenor, as Never Recorded In Official Chronicles, Because While Some of the Valar Were Definitely Looking the Other Way or Even Aiding And Abetting, No One Thinks It Was All of Them, So the Truth Might Get Some People in Potentially a Lot of Trouble

The Regrets of Elwing Dioriel; ~TWO THOUSAND YEARS LATER~; The Team; A Folkloric Interlude;

CONTINUED

Expectation Management is Very Important (especially with Noldor, but seriously, no one else in the First Age knew how to stick to attainable goals either)

The initial idea, what Elwing came into this with, is "save Númenor".

Sure, she can't defeat Sauron, none of them can defeat Sauron, but Sauron is not the immediate existential threat. The threat is the invasion. (The response to the invasion, technically, but never mind that.) If they could stop that, then they could figure out some way to get people to stop listening to Sauron, surely.

Which was where the boat-burning was going to come in, but—

"How much of a crew they keep on at anchor will vary from captain to captain," Amandil. "And of course there are the galleys. They've been building new ones and those probably won't have been loaded yet, but others came in from the provinces at the King's call, and those slaves will still be on board."

So much for that idea. It's going to have to be boat-stealing and probably some less transmissible boat destruction, which is a lot less efficient.

(Amrod and Amras are relieved not to have to confess that they do not in fact have any useful boat-burning expertise. That was one time, and the ships were very different, and they didn't do it very impressively — there was a lot of throwing torches, and a lot of shouting nominally about whether lamp oil or strong alcohol could be spared as accelerant, and a lot of trying to make sure Maitimo was never in their father's direct line of sight.)

If they can't get rid of the armada, what about getting rid of the king?

Beleg is the one who suggests it. "Don't look at me like that, minimum five of you were already thinking it." (Now Elwing's going to be wondering all day which five he was thinking of and if he included her.)

The only one actually looking shocked is Amandil, which is somewhat ironic as the Quenya for 'assassination' is an Adûnaic loanword. But he's had a long day.

They probably could get rid of the king, and he doesn't have a designated heir so it would cause confusion, probably a lot of confusion — especially since, Amandil says, Ar-Pharazon has gathered in Númenor the "most corrupted, most ambitious, most despicable lords" of the entire empire. But there's no reason to believe whoever ended up on top wouldn't be equally bent on courting self-destruction via wrath of the Valar. If there were a sufficiently devastating civil war they wouldn't have the resources to, maybe—

"Actually," Finrod says slowly, "are we sure… Lady Elwing's vision had a great fleet, and they're certainly trying for a great fleet, but I'm not sure it would take very many warships before… feelings started to run high."

Now that it's come up no one else is sure either.

(Amandil is trying and failing not to show his distress at this implication of… lack of care? Amarië pulls him aside shares some Vanyarin sayings that work out to a very reverent and pious version of 'the Valar are very wise and love us very much, but sometimes they screw up, and we pay for it, so keep an eye out for that'.)

So assassinating the king wouldn't reliably prevent an invasion.

(Maybe, if they also killed enough King's Men — but it would take hundreds. Maybe thousands.) (She won't ask that of anyone.)

Change the people's minds?

Not with Sauron there.

And even if 90% of Númenor returned wholeheartedly to the old ways, how would the Valar react if that 10% launched an invasion? Five percent? One percent?

Maybe they can't save Númenor.

("I don't see why they couldn't just put the enchanted islands back if they're so worried," Curumeldis complains. "From what my father has said those were very effective.")

(Voronwë looks haunted. "Yes, yes they were.")

("They were a nuisance," says Inwistië.)

All right. Fine. No one could save Beleriand, either — but they didn't just leave everyone to drown in the collapse.

Amandil doesn't have any easy way of getting in touch with his son and telling him to just go now, but doesn't want them risk exposure for a message. He says he trusts Elendil to make the call when it's needed.

("They've been sitting at anchor how long—")

Even besides the Faithful, people have been leaving. The bad omens haven't made much impact at the top, but a fair number of Númenoreans not at the top have found ways to go to the colonies. They don't need faith to be concerned about earthquakes and human sacrifice.

Everyone who's still on Númenor can't go, won't go, or is afraid to go (which should fall into one of the previous two categories but they don't need an argument about which).

Strong can't go: Locked up. In chains. Under guard.

Weak can't go: Need a boat and/or someone to sail it. Can't travel.

Afraid to go: Fear of the unknown. Afraid of retaliation if they try to leave.

Weak won't go: Don't see a reason to leave, or at least not a good enough one.

Strong won't go: Willing to kill and die for Ar-Pharazôn and his cause. True King's Men. True worshipers of Melkor.

The 'strong won't go' group is beyond their help — will be a hindrance and a danger. But for everyone else, they can try.

(AO3)

#other fic #elwings 14 #tolkien

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warrioreowynofrohan · 3 years

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Today in Tolkien - March 1st

Two big events today. First, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum cross the Dead Marshes today and on the night of the 1st-2nd. Second, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli meet Gandalf the White and set off for Edoras. Also two smaller events: Merry and Pippin wait through the second day of Entmoot, and Faramir leaves Osgiliath for his guerilla mission in Ithilien (to ambush the men of Harad coming up the south-road to join Sauron’s forces).

For Merry and Pippin:

The next day they spent also in [Bregalad’s] company, but they did not go far from his ‘house.’ Most of the time they sat silent under the shelter of the bank; for the wind was colder, and the clouds closer and greyer; there was little sunshine, and in the distance the voice of the Ents at the Moot still rose and fell, sometimes loud and strong, sometimes low and sad, sometimes quickening, sometimes slow and solemn as a dirge. A second night came and still the Ents held conclave under hurrying clouds and fitful stars.

In the meantime, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli meet Gandalf. In the morning, they search for traces of the hobbits, and Aragorn finds their cut bonds along with leaf-wrappings from lembas with crumbs. Legolas is bewildered and gives a very funny and exasperated account of what the signs suggest:

“A bound prisoner escapes both from the orcs and from the surrounding horsemen. He then stops, while still in the open, and cuts his bonds with an orc-knife. But how and why? For if his legs were tied, how did he walk? And if his arms were tied, how did he use the knife? And if neither were tied, why did he cut the cords at all? Being pleased with his skill, he then sat down and quietly ate some waybread! That at least is enough to show he was a hobbit, without the mallorn-leaf.”

Aragorn discerns the course of events more accurately, and even makes an accurate guess that an orc tried to escape with the hobbit prisoners. He finds hobbit-footprints on the banks of the Entwash and then at the edge of the forest. Legolas senses that the forest is on edge: “There is something happening inside, or going to happen. Do you not feel the tenseness?” Aragorn find more hobbit-footprints where Merry and Pippin had a drink of water, and then again on the hill where they met Treebeard; he also seems to see Treebeard’s footprints, but cannot identify them. And on the same hill where Merry and Pippin met Treebeard, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli meet Gandalf.

Why Gandalf greets them the way he does rather than telling them who he is, I can’t imagine; it’s almost as though he’s trolling them. But he’s not quite his usual self; he has to take time even to remember his name when they say it. And after they call him Gandalf, he seems to come back to himself and sound and behave rather more like his old self, as if ‘Mithrandir’ and ‘Gandalf’ were rather different persons and he didn’t recall being the latter until called by his name. He says himself, “I have forgotten much that I thought I knew, and learned again much that I had forgotten” (the latter is probably his former life in Valinor as Olórin, or at least parts of it).

Gandalf provides some discussion of what Sauron is thinking: he knows that four hobbits, two men, an elf, a dwarf, and Gandalf set out from Rivendell, and that one of them has the Ring. He thinks they are going to Minas Tirith, as the best power base for a Ring-lord. And he knows that Saruman captured two hobbits, so he also fears that Saruman could have the Ring.

Gandalf also mentions that Saruman has been around (and that he must be who Gimli saw last night). He can apparently read Saruman’s mind to a degree:

[Saruman] was so eager to lay his hands on his prey that he could not wait at home, and came forth to meet and spy on his messengers. But he came too late, for once, and the battle was over and beyond his help before he reached these parts. He did not remain here long. I look into his mind and I see his doubt. He has no woodcraft. He believes that the horseman slew and burned all upon the field of battle; but he does not know whether the Orcs were bringing any prisoners or not.

It’s possible that the length of time between the First Battle of the Fords of Isen (Feb. 25, the day before the Breaking of the Fellowship) and the Second Battle of the Fords of Isen (March 2, tomorrow) is due to Saruman trying to figure out what happened to his orcs, any prisoners, and the Ring. Gandalf confirms that Saruman is afraid that Théoden has gained the Ring, and so is preparing to throw all his forces at Rohan (exactly as Sauron later does with regard to Aragorn and Minas Tirith; Saruman is an unconscious copycat even in the smallest things).

Gandalf brings messages to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli from Galadriel; Aragorn’s speaks of the Grey Company (the Rangers) and the Paths of the Dead. Galadriel sent messages to Elrond, and Elrond sent the Rangers. From “The Passing of the Grey Company”:

“Word came to Rivendell, they say: Aragorn has need of his kindred. Let the Dúnedain ride to him in Rohan! But whence this message came, they are now in doubt. Gandalf sent it, I would guess.”

“Nay, Galadriel,” said Legolas. “Did she not speak through Gandalf of the ride of the Grey Company from the North?”

They leave Fangorn, and Gandalf calls Shadowfax, who returns with the other horses. They ford the Entwash, and ride due south for Edoras. At sunset they see a great smoke coming from the Gap of Rohan, towards Isengard; Saruman is preparing for his second assault on the Fords of Isen and his invasion of Rohan.

Eómer, who met Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli yesterday and presumably arrived at Edoras later the same day, is imprisoned for threatening Wormtongue with death within Meduseld (in respose to knowing Wormtongue has his eye on Eówyn, among other reasons), and likely also for having ridden out against the orcs, and for having let strangers wander free in the land and even given them horses.

Also on this day, and the following night, Frodo, Sam and Gollum are crossing the Dead Marshes. They set out in the morning, guided by Gollum, but rest through the later morning and afternoon as Gollum dislikes even the faint sunlight that filters through the mists. They continue in the early evening, and walk through the marshes all night, seeing corpse-candles and dead faces. These are, I think, the dead of the Last Alliance at the end of the Second Age, when they defeated Sauron.

Later in the night, they hear the cry of one of the Nazgûl far away; as if in response to this, the corpse-lights go out. Gollum is terrified, as are all three of them when the moon comes out from behind the clouds and they see it silhoutted against the moon, and hear another cry from it; it passes low over the fen, right above them, and returns to Mordor. Gollum will not get up again until the moon has set.

After this, Sam observes that Gollum has gone back to acting more Gollum-y, rather than the more Sméagol-y way he acted for his first two days with them. Contact with the Nazgûl may have in some way strengthened his desire for the Ring. Frodo is also becoming much more tired, and feeling the Ring as more and more of a burden, as well as feeling the increasing sensation of an Eye looking for him. They continue walking until morning.

#tolkien #the lord of the rings #today in tolkien #meriadoc brandybuck #pippin took #legolas #aragorn #gimli #gandalf #sauron #saruman #frodo baggins #sam gamgee #gollum #galadriel

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dalleyan · 3 years

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Shattered (1st chapter of new LoTR story posted, 1-20-21)

Eomer thought that his life would be less complicated after the War, but loving a woman he could never have made that unlikely. Then unexpected circumstances altered everything. Complete in 5 chapters.

Chapter 1

(Cormallen, late April, 3019 III)

Hearty laughter rent the night. “Oh, Eomer, I can scarce wait to have you meet the rest of my family. I am sure they will love you as I do. Already you are like a son to me,” Imrahil warmly told the king of Rohan.

“I am honored!” Eomer responded, humbled by the man’s approbation.

“You know, my friend, now you are king, you will need to think about beginning a family of your own. I doubt a queen and a few heirs would go amiss in Rohan’s eyes!” Imrahil urged.

Eomer chuckled. His friends had already been goading him in the direction of matrimony. It seemed marriage and children were on everyone’s mind in the wake of their victory, and he could not truly deny that the thought had occurred to him how pleasing a family would be. He would gladly see the hall of Meduseld filled with laughing children, driving back the long shadows of the past.

With a glint in his eyes, he teased, “How may I even consider marriage when you have told me that your only daughter is already betrothed? Shall I seek solace in some lesser maiden?”

Imrahil laughed appreciatively. “Had I known I would meet you, I might have required Lothiriel to wait instead of approving her betrothal.” He sighed, and shook his head before shrugging. “We live in a new world, one that none of us thought would ever exist. There are many worthy ladies who will eagerly seek your suit, Eomer. Choose wisely. The right woman beside a man, especially a ruler, makes all the difference. Do not let your advisers press you to marry someone in whose company you cannot be perfectly at ease. Many noble marriages in Gondor are made for alliance rather than love. I know it is so, but I was fortunate enough to achieve both, and I believe I would not have done half so well with anyone else united to me. She has given me four beautiful children and a lifetime of joy.”

Eomer nodded silently at the counsel, taking another swallow of ale. Wise counsel, indeed, he was sure, but privately he knew that a wife would likely have to wait a while. First the Mark needed his full attention in being rebuilt.

Over the next few days, Eomer gave little further thought to his conversation with Imrahil their last night at Cormallen. The company traveled to Osgiliath and then on to Minas Tirith, where Aragorn was crowned king on May first. Consequently, he had not given much thought to Imrahil’s daughter, Lothiriel, or that they would soon meet. Had he done so, he supposed he would have expected her to be tall and dark like the other members of her family.

The reality, when they came face to face, was far more than that. All of the men in the Prince’s family would be considered handsome, and Eomer had noted appreciative looks cast at them from the ladies. Not only did the family have Numenorean blood, but it was also rumored that they had Elvish ancestry. In Lothiriel of Dol Amroth there was every reason to believe the rumors. Eomer had come to admire the dark looks of Gondorian women, but he thought Imrahil’s youngest child might well be the handsomest woman he had ever seen. He noted that he was not the only man, upon first meeting her, who took a moment to recover his composure in the presence of such beauty.

More than her looks, though, he found her a pleasant and charming woman, as he would have expected. While yet young, at only twenty years, she carried herself with grace and dignity that reflected well upon her father and his house. Eomer was not at all surprised to note her parents beaming proudly as they watched their daughter move about in noble society.

During the sennight Eomer tarried at Minas Tirith before returning home, he came to realize that he could very much regret that he had not met the lady sooner, before she was betrothed. There had been little time in his life for the pursuit of ladies and romance; now that he had time, even needed to make time, the one that most caught his eye was unavailable to him.

Despite that, Eomer formed as warm a friendship with the lady as he had with the others in her family. With the defeat of Sauron, Imrahil’s wife and daughter, heir and his family, and Lothiriel’s betrothed had all journeyed to Minas Tirith for the celebrations and the coronation of their new king.

Imrahil’s wife, Sirrin, was a gracious woman, tall and regal, with little gray dusting her hair despite her many years. Apparently, in her eyes, friends of her husband’s were friends of hers, and she welcomed Eomer cordially into their home. With the affection that had developed between Eomer’s sister and Imrahil’s nephew adding an extra tie uniting their families, the king found himself a frequent guest there.

Elphir and his family were equally appealing, and the toddler heir was an active boy that kept amused smiles on many faces as they surveyed his antics.

The last member of the party, Lord Gaerost of Edhellond, was a bit of a mystery, not so easily assessed as the others. Well-spoken and tactful, Eomer watched him socialize with practiced ease. Amrothos had told him that the man held shipping interests along the coast at the various ports, and was quite wealthy. His fleet of ships had been employed in protecting the coastline, and thus he had remained in the south during the war. He and Elphir had long been acquainted, and it was through that connection that he had met and offered suit to Lothiriel.

Perhaps it was just Eomer’s predisposition to dislike the man, but he found something pompous and pretentious about him. Indeed he was a handsome man, but bordered on being ‘pretty’, and seemed to pay an inordinate amount of attention to his appearance. Eomer had never seen any male preen so much as this man, but at the same time, in comparison, the king felt almost unkempt and rough-hewn. It was unlikely Eomer’s manners would ever be that refined or particular.

Though Eomer met Imrahil’s family during the course of the day when they first arrived, he spent the majority of his time with Eowyn and had little interaction with them. Not until the feast that night, did he have an opportunity to speak with them more and get a better sense of them than what casual observation allowed.

The first thing to catch his eye was that Lothiriel was now moving with the aid of a cane. As she had been perfectly healthy when they met earlier, he could only presume something had happened in the interim. His eyes narrowed with consternation at how little attention her betrothed seemed to be displaying toward her, particularly given her ailment, but as Lothiriel did not appear bothered by it, he supposed it was none of his business.

continue reading on AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28886217/chapters/70864245

#Eomer #Lothiriel #eothiriel #Lord of the Rings #LOTR #first meetings #how they met #Imrahil #Eowyn

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djinmer4 · 5 years

Text

Paimë i Valaina (Silmarillion)

“Are you worried?” Elrond approached the figure at the rail, watching the rapidly nearing quay. The other ellon turned to look at him, grey eyes calm with none of the apprehension the Peredhel had expected.

“Not anymore. I was worried at the beginning of the trip, that the Valar might choose to do something dramatic during the journey. But we seemed to have made it safely through the Straight Road. Even if Manwë takes it into his head to hit the ship with a lightning bolt to drown me, we’re close enough to the shore that the rest of you can swim to safety.” Maglor leaned back and shaded his eyes. “I’m not seeing a company of Maiar on the docks to escort me to the Máhanaxar so I’ll take that as a good sign.”

Indeed, when the ship docked there was only a small contingent to meet them. Galadriel had taken it upon herself to be their spokeswoman and commented on the lack. The head of the delegation apologized, “We were indeed warned by Uinen and other Maiar of Ulmo, but ‘The Ship bearing those who fought against Sauron will arrive soon’ doesn’t actually give a time frame for expected arrival. Your parents, Princess, could not take leave of their duties for such a great time period to meet you here, although word will be sent to Tirion to let them prepare a celebration for your arrival.”

“That is acceptable,” piped in Elrond. “But the ship that left prior to ours should have given word that we would be the next.”

“Indeed they did. However, they did not know if a new ship would be built from scratch or if you would take whatever was available or if you would wait a few more years to tie up any loose ends or even what the weather conditions would be like.”

Now it was Maglor’s turn to interrupt. “Practical enough. But I believe you were told that not only the leaders of the Resistance would be coming but also a notorious criminal. Were there no preparations made for that?” The Teleri ner simply looked confused, and the Feanorian realized that he was far too young to have known who he was currently speaking to. To make his point clear, the eldest Elf there slipped off his black leather glove and held out his hand, palm facing the other. Even then, it took the Teler a few minutes to understand what the bright red design on his hand meant. “Oh, uh, yes, we were informed. Again though, we weren’t sure if the rumors that you had chosen to return was true.” Maglor put his gloves back on and spared a bemused glance to his cousin and foster-son. “Well, as you can see, it is. Perhaps we might get things over with and you can escort me to Máhanaxar so that I may face the judgment of the Valar.”

Brown eyes looked away, the ner darting glances back at the Noldo. “That won’t be necessary. There will indeed be a trial over your actions back in the First Age, but the advocates from Tirion, Alqualondë and Tol Eressëa will need at least a month to prepare. In the meantime, given your good behavior since then, your bond has been given to your family. You can spend the wait in Formenos, catching up with them.”

“My family? Surely you must be mistaken. My mother and grandparents perhaps, but my family has been condemned unto the Void for being unable to fulfill our Oath.”

“With the exception of Maedhros, the rest of your family has returned from the Halls of Mandos. And given that you’ve returned, I’m sure your last brother will also be released soon.” Before any of the three Elves could comment, the Teleri delegate continued. “I’m a bit surprised you mentioned facing the judgment of the Valar. Surely Olorin and Aiwendil had mentioned that the Valar no longer rule Aman.” That statement made even Galadriel jump.

“Truly?”

“The Valar have not ruled since the end of the Second Age. Did not Curunír or any of the other Istari tell you so?” Before they could respond, they heard Bilbo gasp behind them. “Why Gandalf! You look so young!” Turning around they saw that Olorin had returned to his form of shining light. (Trust a hobbit to describe it as looking young.) Tired but still compassionate eyes looked over all of them.

“I think it’s time for you three to see the truth of Aman.”

The cavern was deep underground, underneath the crater of what had been the Máhanaxar. It was cut off from any wind or light. Inside the gloom they could hear a thin, reedy voice, begging for news of the outside world, for someone to answer its cries. “He once was the King of all the Valar in this world. But when the Downfall of Numenor occurred, so too was the Ring of Judgment struck. The Noldor eventually discovered this cavern while searching for new veins of ore. Now he crawls alone in the dark, blind and deaf to anything around him.”

Galadriel and Elrond were struck speechless. Only Maglor had the presence of mind to respond and even he took more than a few minutes to recover. “How did this happen?”

Olorin shrugged, as much as any being of light could. “The survivors are not certain but the most popular theory is that it is Eru’s punishment. The Valar exist as custodians of Arda and as guides to the Children of Eru. By the time of Numenor, it may have been that they had failed all their duties.”

“I can think of plenty of ways they failed the Elves but how did they fail otherwise.”

“They ruled the Firstborn but aside from the Maiar sent to help the creation of Numenor, ignored the Secondborn completely. As for they’re other duties, they restricted themselves to Aman.”

“Some of that was fear of Melkor. But even after he was gone, very little effort was made on their part to repair the damage from the war.”

“Exactly. So when they called on Eru to defeat the Numenorean invasion, apparently Eru decided if they were going to be derelict in their duties, they should not have the benefits of power that went with their position.”

Eyes that still glowed with the light of the Trees contemplated the black hole in the ground. “Surely they are not all like this. The Telerin delegate mentioned Ulmo.”

“No. Ulmo, Aulë, Irmo, Nienna, Estë and Vána have all been seen since then and appear to have retained their duties. They have given up ruling the Firstborn but will offer advice if one seeks them out.”

“May we see any of the others?”

“The other Valar are scattered across Aman. However, Yavanna is close by and we can walk to her prison within an hour.”

Not far indeed. Yavanna was standing on the mound where the Trees had once grown. The strike that had destroyed Máhanaxar had also caused the hills around it to cave in. The Giver of Fruits was dressed in rags of brown and as far as she could see, nothing grew. She did not move, staring at where her greatest creations had fallen. “Not all of them are uncommunicative and still. Varda and Vairë were only struck blind-”

“Given those two, that’s punishment enough.” stated the Feanorian dryly.

“On the other hand, Nessa, Tulkas and Oromë were all encased in partially in stone. And we’re not precisely sure about Mandos. He still rules over the Dead in his Halls but he hasn’t left them since the end of the Second Age.”

“I’ll bet he makes no more prophecies either.” The Vanyarin guide gave Maglor a funny look. “You’re right about that. How did you know?”

“It’s fairly obvious. Eru must have quite a sense of irony or humor. Manwë had the winds bring him news from all over the world now he knows nothing about anything. Yavanna was in charge of growing things now all she sees is sterility and decay. Nessa, Tulkas, they never stood still and now they can do nothing but. Varda loved the light, all she sees is the dark. For Mandos, he ruled over the Dead but also the living and pronounced Doom over the Firstborn. Although I suppose he didn’t fail his duty, just tried to rule over the living Eldar and reduce their free will. Maybe that’s why he’s still Ruler of the Dead.”

The blonde looked too much like his step-grandmother, and Maglor’s tone was more condescending than perhaps he intended. “Tell me, did the decision to reduce themselves come before or after the end of the Second Age?”

“I-I don’t know. Nienna, Ulmo and some of the others had long withdrawn away from Taniquetil before the Incident occurred. But the others, Vana and Nienna were still seen.”

“Hmm, I’ll bet then, that the ones who were punished were the ones who voted to let Eru take care of the Numenorean problem.”

“I can’t confirm that.”

“I suppose even the Valar have their own secrets.”

“Cousin.” Maglor turned from where he was saddling a horse. Last night it had been decided that he would await the trial in Formenos with his family. Elrond would follow later, after meeting with his wife in Lorien. Galadriel had not yet decided if she would go to Tirion to meet her parents but was staying longer on Tol Eressëa to take the time to make up her mind.

“Cousin,” he responded in kind.

“What you said yesterday, do you really believe the Valar deserved what happened to them?”

Glowing grey eyes looked into the same. “Artanis, do you agree that the Valar abandoned their duties to Aman after the War of the Wrath?”

Reluctantly she nodded. “Melkor was gone. They could have helped us all rebuild and did not.”

“And do you agree that they also abandoned the Secondborn?”

“I’m not so sure about that. But certainly, aside from the Gift, no aid ever came to them after the First Age. And really, the only thing that happened before was Ulmo trying to warn Gondolin and that wasn’t even for the benefit of the Secondborn.”

“What about their treatment of Melkor?”

Here her face hardened. “No, they were definitely in the wrong there. It’s all well and good to say that Manwë didn’t understand evil, but even after being shown he was wrong, they took no responsibility for his actions until the War of Wrath. Melkor was a Vala, one of them. Instead, they abandoned the rest of us, Noldor, Secondborn, Sindar, everyone to the mercy of him and his lieutenants.”

“Then I take it the part you object to is their treatment of the Eldar?”

“Maglor, they are not like us. They couldn’t possibly understand what they were doing was wrong.”

“Perhaps. There have been times when I too want to believe they had good intentions and were merely misguided. Certainly, the line between advising and guiding and actually ruling is very blurry.” His eyes were as hard as hers. “But even if I ignore the crimes to our family, that still leaves them guilty of three out of four charges. And I think even one of those still shows an unforgivable breach of duty, with no signs of remorse or restitution in sight. In my view, Eru is only handing out the just retribution those of Arda would inflict if they had the power to do so.” He finished saddling the horse and easily mounted despite the scarred hand.

“Talk to others here, cousin. Life is more complicated now than it was during the Years of the Trees. But I think you will find most are satisfied with the trade-off of more responsibility in return for freedom.”

#tolkien #silmarillion #valar #maglor #spite fic #galadriel

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daywillcomeagain · 5 years

Text

elwing

i’ve started a series in which i do retellings of the events of a tolkien character’s life, from their perspective, framed to make them sympathetic and help the reader understand their choices. you can read the others here.

2K words under the cut!

elwing is three years old when it happens.

she grows like a human, already toddling around, and so when it happens her parents give her the silmaril and tell her go with Brithiel, do whatever she tells you to, alright? and she is too young to understand the situation at the time but old enough to hear the fear in her parents' voices and nod without argument.

she may grow like a human, but she has the memory of an elf. for years later she will remember that day. the screams, the clash of metal on metal. the gurgling sounds of those whose lungs are too full of blood to scream.

she didn't hear the screams of her big brothers, so she clung to the idea that they were out there as tightly as she clung to the silmaril in her hand. that they'd come save her just like they did when they told her bedtime stories.

when she hears her father scream, she realizes that her big brothers are not coming to save her. it is only years later, long after she arrives at the Havens, that she realizes they are dead. she wonders if they were gurgling, or if they were just too far away. she doesn't dare ask. she knows that, if they had screamed, she would have known.

she throws tantrums on the road to the Havens of Sirion, at first. it doesn't take long for her to get tired of the novelty of adventure. she can't keep up with the adults, so she is held the whole way. they get worse and more frequent as the food supply shrinks. mostly the tantrums aren't about that, though, or the food or the songs or not being allowed to run around and explore. they're the same. i miss ada, i miss emë, i miss eluréd and elurín, and she fights against whoever is carrying her, as though she plans to run all the way back to menegroth, as though if she does so they will be there again. they just hold her tighter.

eventually they arrive. the Havens of Sirion. they are less impressive than she imagined. she had been imagining--well, she had been imagining home.

home is a palace. home is walls and tall buildings and soft pillows and servants and poetry and song bouncing off the walls.

this is--a refugee camp, trying very hard to pretend it is not. the silmaril that hangs down from elwing's neck is easily the nicest thing to be seen for miles; heads swivel to look at it. flags and scarves are everywhere, colored with bright dyes, but it is clear when you look at them what plants they come from: berries that are just that shade of purple, pinks reminiscent of the flowers that grow on the banks of the river, a flag flying in the wind that perfectly matches the color of the grass. people here have what they have carried, and no more. there is song on top of the cries of a baby being rocked to sleep, but there is no poetry being recited.

she should be excited, that she can finally run around without supervision, that she can explore and hear new voices and run as far as she wants and sing as loud as she wants. and she is. but she's--not sure if she's three or four, really, she tried to count days on the journey but she lost track quickly--and she can't help but feel a little disappointed.

they find her a house, of course. people deliver her meals, for the first few years, until she's old enough that she can be trusted to get her own.

she holds on to the silmaril, always. it's her last memory of her parents, of her ada pressing it into her hand before--before she doesn't see him anymore--before she hears him screaming--

it is about this age that she learns that the silmaril is why they died. she wears it tighter around her neck, after that, tight enough to leave pink marks when she takes it off to sleep. some days, she doesn't even take it off to sleep, just loosen the necklace.

when she is eight, more people come, a stream of them. the havens are crowded. people remark about measures to help with that, at least for the humans, who can get sick. the food is stretched thinner and thinner at first, but as the new people settle in they have more hunters and farmers and it evens back out. the rulers of the newcomers--idril and tuor--take it upon themselves to organize the Havens, giving orders, making buildings of stone. (stone will not actually stand up better than cloth if morgoth or the kinslayers decide to come, but it's nice to pretend that it would, so they all let themselves believe.)

when elwing is a teenager as the Men reckon it, she becomes obsessed with Grandmother Lúthien.

lúthien, who won the silmaril. who killed orcs and vampires, who defeated sauron and even morgoth himself. lúthien, who was shot at by the kinslayers and was not hurt, who won their dog over to her simply by being a better person than them. flowers grew where she walked; she could sing down buildings; she could sing the dead back to life.

elwing sings as loud as she can. the dead do not come back to life.

she hears that idril and tuor have a son, only off in age by her by a few months. idril is eleven--tuor is human--

she goes to find their son.

months later, they whisper long into the night, looking up at the stars:

"i was seven."

"i was three."

"it's stupid, but--i still flinch from campfires, sometimes--"

"i hate the sound of coughing."

their hands brush. it was inevitable, really.

they get married when they are twenty-two. he has nobody to ask for her hand. she has nobody to walk her down the aisle. but sirion watches them, cheering, the people she has grown up with, and it is almost as good. her heart is light, and the silmaril around her neck shines.

later that year, idril and tuor announce that they are leaving. for valinor, they say. earendil is excited for them.

elwing--bites her lip. no ship that has gone to valinor has ever returned. there are two explanations for that, she does not say, because everyone knows it. instead, she says: and then we will rule the havens.

yes, eärendil says, i suppose we will.

they leave. elwing and eärendil rule, as best as they can. eärendil starts sailing, longer and longer, as though he hopes that if he sails far enough he will catch a glimpse of his parents.

the first messenger comes, from the kinslayers. give us the silmaril and we will leave you alone. she wonders if they sent that to her parents. she remembers the noises, of people choking on their own blood, of not knowing if those people were her brothers. they had seemed so old to her at the time, six whole years old, but now she thinks of them as the children they were.

she wonders if the messenger was the one that killed them before she sends him away.

they have two children. twins. elrond and elros. she sings, and recites poetry, long lays of sindarin, as she cradles them to her breast. when they are older, she teaches them the certhas, not the tengwar, first.

more messengers come. eärendil is gone more and more. he has finally admitted he is searching for valinor. they fight and reconcile and cry. she spends so much of her time crying now, before wiping her eyes and splashing her face with water and giving a speech to her people. everybody is too busy looking at the light that glows on her chest to notice. she stays up all night, watching the horizon for messengers or worse. her face is a mess of red skin and dark circles. she is thirty-five, though she looks younger, and she is unbearably tired. she would have given up long ago, were it not for her people, and then her sons came around, and she could no longer think of giving up.

she is the first one to see the banners. she runs first, not to the alarm bells, but to the room of her children. "hide," she hisses. "run. now."

they do, wide-eyed. they are older than she was. they are six: the exact age her older brothers had been. they were twins too. she knows the kinslayers will show no mercy. she has heard by now that her brothers starved to death in a forest, that they were not there that day. images flash through her mind: her sons, spluttering and aspirating blood. her sons, skewered like hogs. shot like deer. starving to death, slowly, so gaunt you can count their ribs--

--she does not do what her dad did and give them the silmaril. she keeps it herself, wears it bright. hopefully they will target her and pass them by. she does not wish to pass this life on to her children. the kinslayings over the silmaril will end with her, one way or another.

she is cornered on a cliff, swords cutting off any escape, and as her eyes flicker over them she wonders: which of you killed my mother? which of you killed my father? which of you drove my brothers in the forest to starve to death? which of you are going to kill my sons?

she knows that she is going to die. she knows that they will get exactly what they want, if she dies. she knows she will scream, on the point of their sword, and she does not know if her sons are far enough away not to hear. she knows that it has been many, many years since she cared about her own life here.

she jumps to her doom silently.

before she hits the water, she is flying, wings spread wide.

she flies and flies, west, west, as fast as she can, until she sees his ship.

she does not land; she falls in a tumble. she is so very, very tired. she sees his look of shock and recognition, and then she falls asleep.

she wakes up and she is herself again. it would seem a dream to her were she not aboard his ship. "here," she says weakly, unclasping the silmaril from around her neck, and putting it in his hand, "take it. i don't want it anymore."

they sail to valinor. she would be surprised when they dock in the sea leading to beaches scattered with gemstones, but stranger things have happened to her now. he tells her not to come--they are not supposed to be here, and nobody who leaves for valinor ever returns, and there are two explanations for that--and she jumps into the white foam beside him and takes his hand.

they go to valinor, and he begs. he begs pity for the noldor. he speaks of his mother, who walked for a decade as a child over icy wastes. he speaks of how gondolin fell around him when he was seven years old and how he still cannot look at fire without his stomach turning. he speaks of his grandfather's stories from the nirnaeth, of mountains of bodies. he says, if they could only have sent their children to be free of the ban and live safe here, you would have received boatfulls of babies, do not tell me now that this was a just punishment.

and, miraculously, they listen.

they give eärendil and elwing a choice: to be mortal or immortal, elf or man.

earendil says: i am weary of this world, but i never wish to be parted from you.

and elwing, who had such a short time ago been exhausted, thinks of luthien. she thinks of how the silmaril was said to have aged her, quickly even by mortal standards. she thinks of her exhaustion, her hopeless dive off a cliff, ready for death.

she imagines what it would be to spend an eternity unafraid next to the man that she loves, an eternity bathed in the radiant light of a silmaril, the entirety of forever stretching before them and the knowledge that they do not have to use a second of it watching for enemies. she has lost two homes now. she imagines what it would be like to live somewhere and know that it was permanent.

they call Valinor the Undying Lands. she realizes then that it is the proximity to death that she is weary of, not life. it was just that, before she stepped foot on valinor, those were the same thing.

she makes her choice.

eärendil’s ship flies through the sky at night. she watches it, and an ocean away, elrond and elros watch too.

#elwing #different names for the same thing #my writing

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thatgirlonstage · 6 years

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Hi, idk if you've watched season 7 yet, but as the originator of the "Sam Holt and the Galaxy Garrison are Evil" theory, how do you feel about the way they were portrayed?

[Sam Holt Is Evil theory]

Oh, I’ve seen Season 7 all right. I watched it the day it dropped. It’s WHY I’ve been on a Voltron hiatus.

Fair warning: this post is long, and I’m wearing an analysis hat, not my “here to have a good time” hat. It’s not wank per se, but, uh. I haven’t thought the writing in Voltron is the BEST lately, so it’s not really favorable analysis.

Let me be clear that I knew full well in S5 that the Sam Holt Is Evil theory was dead, I wasn’t still waiting for a reveal or anything like that. I was not judging the S7 Garrison against my theory. That said… I still like my idea better.

The strength of the evil!Sam theory always rested on two things: 1. the fact that Sam was, without explanation, getting deliberately less attention than Matt in Pidge’s quest to find her family, and 2. the way it would lead into the narratively inevitable attack on Earth. For the first point, I think we can now conclude that the creators knew they wanted to use him as a bargaining chip against Pidge/the Voltron team, so they simply shunted him aside until he became useful to the plot. In the end, it was just lazy writing. The second point is a little bit harder to discuss directly, because I came up with the possibility of evil!Sam way back before S3 had even aired. Obviously, a lot has changed - suddenly pulling a “the Garrison was evil the whole time!!!!” in S7 would have been major whiplash and totally unjustified. But the reason I say I still like my idea better, is because we could have built towards the conflict on Earth more smoothly and with more rising tension if we used Sam as a nexus. We could even have still sprung “Earth is in danger” as a surprise on the Paladins, using Sam/the Galra/the Garrison’s perspective to inform the audience of what’s happening while keeping the Paladins oblivious and us biting our fingernails in anxiety as a result (unless the goal was that the attack on Earth would be a surprise for the audience too, but… anyone with a lick of sense for foreshadowing could see an eventual “Earth is in danger” plot coming from S1 and certainly from the end of S6, plus they aired Sam’s distress message in the trailer, so they shot themselves in the foot pretty thoroughly from the word go if that was the idea).

Except for Sam, we didn’t go into S7 with any investment in any of the Garrison characters, so suddenly cutting to two whole episodes with ONLY them made the whole thing drag. Plus, we knew where it ended up, so those episodes just felt like the story ground to a halt for forty minutes. Sam didn’t really develop or change at all, and except for Veronica all of the new characters were pretty much just 2D cutouts. They were given a trait - the angry one, the quiet one, the socially awkward mathy (let’s be frank: coded autistic) one - and left at that. I didn’t care if any of the Garrison team died, because I don’t know shit about them. Actually, the only character that I felt did get some complexity (again, aside from Veronica) was Iverson. I liked him in this season, I liked that they showed he may be a gruff army general but he’s willing to recognize when he’s mistaken or in over his head, that he’s not a NICE person but he might be a GOOD person (I took his character in a similar-ish direction in my fic Written in Sand, so maybe I’m biased, but that feels like the right characterization for him to me). If we’d started to build a connection back to the Garrison earlier in the show, or even, discard my theory, if we’d even just seeded in some of the flashbacks earlier and shown more of the Garrison team, I think I would’ve cared a lot more about them.

Veronica is a well-written character, I like her. The difference is, I think, she’s clearly a character the writers came up with and the Garrison became the vehicle for including her in the story, rather than writing out a plot line and rolling out stock characters to populate it, which is what the rest of the Garrison team feels like.

Okay, now the elephant in the room: Admiral Sanda. She’s the show’s conclusion to the tropes I was reading when I came up with the evil!Sam theory. There was always going to be danger from within the Garrison; from the perspective of raising stakes, it just makes sense. And, I’m going to be honest: I detest Admiral Sanda. I detest that they tried to give her a last minute redemption, I detest that she was the trigger for the climax of the season. She’s very much another cardboard cutout - the hardline army general who thinks they know best and makes the wrong call so the day has to be saved by the plucky youngsters who still believe in hope. Nothing about what she did was surprising - I’m pretty sure when they “revealed” she’d sold them out to Sendak I just yelled at the screen “NO FUCKING DUH” because they’d been telegraphing that since her introduction. It’s not a twist so much as it is the writers using her to increase the danger against the Paladins, when it feels like Sendak should have been enough of a threat on his own. And her redemption moment is so hollow and pointless because… well, fuck, as much as I hate the guy, at least with Snape you’ve got SOME kind of investment in him by the time he dies just because you’ve gotten to know him. Even if that investment is vehemently hating his guts. I don’t know a blessed THING about Admiral Sanda except that she’s a hardline army general who thinks she knows best and made the wrong call. Does she have friends? Family? How old is she? What was her childhood like? Crucially, WHY does she think that making a deal with Sendak is the only way to protect the Earth, when to all appearances literally everyone else has decided to trust Sam and Voltron?

We the audience come to the show with a certain meta understanding of how these kinds of stories will go. We know Voltron will win. We don’t know exactly how, or how long it will take, or what sacrifices might be made, but darkness never falls over the land completely. Sauron was never going to win, Voldemort was always going to be defeated, summer was always going to return to Narnia. So characters like Admiral Sandra have to be dealt with carefully, because we the audience know they will be proven wrong. We may be able to distantly understand their position, but if we’re expected to empathize with her or find her decision difficult, we need MORE than a superficial “what if Voltron can’t win?” as justification for her actions, because we know the answer is “but they will.” As it stands, she just looks like an idiot for believing Sendak. The reason why I liked Sam as the traitor is because it brings personal stakes into it - even if we must make him hold the idiot ball to make it work (and I would argue we wouldn’t have had to, if we’d taken more time to explore WHY the Garrison might side with the Galra), it’s still affecting. Imagine Sanda’s death scene, and replace her with Sam. Suddenly it’s fucking gut-wrenching, right? (Not to mention making Sam a much more complicated character than he ended up being. Sam is... fine, he’s just kind of bland).

I guess tl;dr I found the Garrison sections dragged because they didn’t take the time to properly introduce and build up to the characters that suddenly took center stage for a significant chunk of the season, while the whole idea behind the Sam Holt Is Evil theory was that narratively, it could’ve brilliantly brought Earth and the Garrison back into the story as important forces and build up to the ultimate confrontation on the Paladins’ home planet without actually having to go back to Earth, at least not immediately. I liked Veronica because she felt like a full realized character, but no one else did (except Iverson a little bit).

As a sidebar, evil!Sam/Garrison was built on the assumption that the Garrison already knew something about the Galra at the very least by the time that Shiro turned up back on Earth - and I think the reveal that they really were just ignorant the whole time leaves plot holes, but if I start to go down the “let’s talk about the plot holes in Voltron” path we’re going to be here for a week.

#answers #voltron #voltron meta #sam holt is evil theory #sam holt #also this isn't relevant to your question but #don't you love how we went from pidge's main motivation being finding matt #to matt just fully disappearing for almost two entire seasons #and from sam being shunted aside for no goddamn reason #to sam just randomly becoming the protagonist with no hook #i know write good so characters much development wow #okay that bit was wank #yellowmagicalgirl

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joeysharku · 6 years

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The Pantheon of the Uruk-hai

and of course by uruk-hai I am speaking of all orckind as they named themselves in the sole language to survive their apparently total extinction.

Ur-furzuk the Maker, the Inverse Crown, the God Who Bleeds, the Allhob: called Morgoth by the elves and Melkor in origin, Ur-Furzuk is a terrifying figure to the uruk. They prefer to call him First or Firstborn (of God) in deferential acknowledgment that he was rightful heir to the throne of the world. Such deference was wise for the uruk-hai feared their Maker with the desperation of a hunted man. It was said those who fell under the gaze of his ire were burned to ash and all feared to meet their dread commander in his Thousand Iron Hells. All the uruk scriptures state without illusion that they were made to fight for the Firstborn's inheritance and it appears ancient uruk-hai accepted this responsibility with pride. They believed without doubt Ur-furzuk was supreme in all things, that he would slay the usurpers, the elfgods, and all the lights in the sky. He would gift his children an unlit world over which he would reign eternal. Of course, worship of the Firstborn was rare in the Second Age and rarer still in the Third; their records of the War of Wrath simply state that those elf-gods finally declared true war against their elder and though they were all slain in the attempt, Ur-furzuk also fell. Despite his pyrrhic victory, reverence for their Maker also fell and precipitously - the uruk-hai had few thoughts to spare the dead in their brutal lives. An interesting consequence of losing their generative deity on uruk religion and psyche, the uruk-hai have already lived through their Dagor Dagorath. All their metaphysics, all their prophecies were *proved* false. Fatalism, nihilism, and individualism are thus popular philosophies and may have severely undermined the uruk's subsequent discipline for war for generations to come. Ur-furzuk lingers in the uruk imagination as a figure of strength, the greatest truth upon which to make oaths, and a melancholy promised paradise lost. They called him the God who Bleeds for of all the gods, only he had the uruk spirit to fight his own wars, and it was from his blood that the uruk-hai were made. Why they did not know is true name is unknown. Perhaps Morgoth forbid his lieutenants from revealing it to them, perhaps his name was considered blasphemy to speak or maybe only to record.

Gorthaur the Dead, Sauron the Eye, Lord of Terror, the Machine, Master Mairon: though primitive uruk records and two nursery songs accurately name him Mairon, the uruk-hai quickly adopted Gorthaur from the Sindar and in the Third Age Sauron from the Dúnedain for the same reason: the sheer unreasoning terror his name could strike in their enemies. In the First Age Gorthaur was called King of Warlocks and all the uruk priests and scholars studied under his domain. These uruk-hai, as well as any common soldier garrisoned under his command, were feared as cannibals and kidnappers, and to all others only their Maker was more terrible than the Lord of Terror. It was said he was a vampire that drank the blood of a hundred elves every day but if the war went badly (no doubt due to uruk failure) he would be forced to feed on them instead. Following his reemergence after the War of Wrath, uruk doctrine on Sauron is split. Independent or distant tribes denounced Sauron as a pretender or at least a pretender to the Maker's throne. After all, if Ur-furzuk could not survive against the elves, how could his vassal? Those that fell under his thrall however came to see him as a force of endless creation. It appears nearly all of Mordor was converted by the raising of Barad-dûr - a feat utterly beyond the artistry of even the elves. Any hold-outs within his country and for many miles abroad were won using his Ring. To the uruk-hai its power was like a call joyous to answer. Sauron told them he alone had survived the War of Wrath and now there were none who could oppose his claim to the throne of the world. Likely uncertain he could ever assail Valinor, Sauron did not promise to murder the sun and the stars but instead promised the uruk-hai a perfect system in which they would finally reign as the master race. To the uruk-hai, this made perfect sense for they were mightiest and purest and bravest - dubious claims to be sure but not exactly surprising. In fact, everything Sauron said made sense and he eventually occupied the role of divine Truth in their minds. When Sauron held the One, his uruk-hai fought with savage ferocity that never quailed unless a soldier happened to find himself alone against multiple foes. Without the One, however, they reverted to their pack mentality and Sauron was forced to teach them basic tactics. He also began breeding them for strength and size. His fall in the War of the Last Alliance seems to have strengthend the divide between his cynics and his devotees, for the Witch-king of Angmar, later known to be the chief of the Nazgûl, convinced many tribes of Sauron's victory over death. Indeed, when he returned, even without the Ring the hosts that hearkened to his banner were without number. It is unknown what effect his ultimate defeat had on the uruk religion, for King Elessar I razed all existing uruk-hai nations to the foundations and if anything of their culture survived, it is lost to us.

Kosomot the Storm, Prince of Hell, the Axeman: known to the elves as Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs and High Captain of Angband, the uruk-hai believed Kosomot to be the son and heir of Ur-furzuk. It's unknown if this was intentionally cultivated by Morgoth or if it was a reflection of the presence he commanded on the battlefield. Kosomot, along with Boldog, was one of the only uruk gods to take the field and wherever he went victory followed. Unlike Ur-furzuk, Kosomot was a strength and valour that could be admired as well as feared. Extensive elven records exist on Gothmog so some concrete facts can be reported: Kosomot manifested at seventeen feet in height and burned with a heat great enough to melt elf-steel at close proximity. Like all balrogs, Gothmog utilized a flaming whip, probably to drive the barely sapient trolls of the First Age. His weapon was a single bladed axe of pure Utumno iron - many Eldarin lives were lost together in a single swing of that dread instrument. The uruk-hai report bloody civil wars occured between Kosomot and Gorthaur in which thousand of their lives would be traded for simple favor for the victor from Ur-furzuk. When Ecthelion of Gondolin slew and was slain in turn by Gothmog, he became a messianic figure for the uruk-hai for by his death the last of their enemies had fallen. He persisted following the War of Wrath as the pagan mannish gods do - as a superstitious name to give simple virtues.

Boldog the Soldier, Big Brother Boldog, the Big Bad Boldog: known as Makar the Brawler in Valinor, for a long time it was unknown if this Ainu went over to Morgoth's service or simply marauded about the Middle-earth. Now it is known that he indeed joined in Morgoth's rebellion for the love he held the uruk-hai, a people so alike to his nature that despite having no great loyalty to Morgoth he could not resist joining in their struggles. Indeed, Boldog - old orkish for "uncle" - seems to be the only deity of the uruk pantheon for which they have true affection and not least because of the affection the Boldog has for them. He called them "little brothers" and gave them what is arguably the most foundational and lasting aspect of their being: their love of combat. He was a constant presence in their lives and fought in all the wars and many raids. Because of his fundamental nature, Makar could suffer wounds that would have slain any other self-incarnate. Many times did Boldog fall in battle only to be mistakenly left for dead by the elves who could not tell this maia apart from regular, if exceptionally fit, uruk-hai. Tellingly, the death of Boldog is not recorded in any uruk scripture and in fact it is believed he raids still in some far-off country with his little brothers.

The Rioter, Wolf of Truth, Unknown Watcher: sister-spirit of Makar, Meássë's presence was deduced/assumed by the revelation of his identity as Boldog. The Rioter served a complex role as the goddess of deception, and as such was responsible for espionage, propaganda, and surveillance. The Rioter was feared almost as much as Gorthaur and Ur-furzuk for she was not met unless it was to accuse you of a capital crime. There is some evidence that Meássë was often abroad among the ancient tribes of Men, stirring up discord against the elves and one another. She is presumed slain in the War of Wrath.

Lungorthin the White, the Pale Fire, Lord of Slaves: Lungorthin, lieutenant of Gothmog, was a lord of Balrogs responsible for arming the uruk-hai. Grander projects clearly fell into Sauron's domain but the uruk-hai knew Lungorthin managed their armament and so worshipped him as their god of weapons. As such he also commanded the labor of the many slaves taken into Angband. It is said that of all the Balrogs, Lungorthin burned hottest and so was best suited to to manning the massive forges needed to arm Morgoth’s armies. While some artistry is evident in the earliest examples of uruk weaponry, their inability to match the Ñoldor on the battlefield quickly converted Lungorthin to a philosophy of mass production. It is worth wondering how Lungorthin felt about this station. It seems apparent the uruk-hai were loathed by most of their masters and being charged with seeing to their needs with cheap goods must have been galling. Indeed, many little morality tales seem to be about disobedient snagae falling into the fire of the forge - perhaps this is a reflection of a common occurrence in Angband? Lungorthin is known to have escaped the War of Wrath but he never again emerged in the histories of elves or men.

Âshurz the Grandhob: this figure emerges only after the War of Wrath as a substitute Maker in Ur-furzuk’s absence. However, Âshurz (a formal title meaning “father” as opposed to the more familiar “hob”) does not contradict Ur-furzuk’s place in the uruk-hai pantheon. Indeed, most of the Âshurz Heresy maintains existing scripture except in one key point. It states that uruk-hai were not spawned from Ur-furzuk’s blood but rather bred from elves with the fathers of uruk-hai - the hobgoblins - being former elves themselves. Âshurz is held to be the architect of this transformation. This is a disturbing development for it mirrors the most widely accepted elven theories for the origin of the uruk-hai. Perhaps if the uruk-hai in the east developed this doctrine one might assume they heard it through men who of course would learned it from the elves, but the Âshurz Heresy is almost entirely localized in the northern ranges of the Hithaeglir. Most likely this was always an undercurrent of the uruk-hai religion and merely had room to emerge after the War of Wrath. Âshurz is held to have been Ur-furzuk’s Master Breeder and father of the Úlairi, the Gongs, and even Dragons.

Ulbandi the Ogress, the Crown’s Horns: this figure seems entirely invented in the latter days of the First Age. Ulbandi, sometimes called the Forgotten God, was the bride of Ur-furzuk and mother of Kosomot. She likely served to urukify their otherwise inexplicable Maker and the elves have no records of such a being existing.

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the-seas-song · 6 years

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Tolkien Gen Week Day 2

DAY TWO: platonic relationships “Platonic” is a word with a broad definition, but as long as it’s not romantic, a relationship can fit under this category. This day can be for creating content about two unlikely companions, best friends, and any other possible relationship however you interpret it.

Hello! My favorite platonic relationship is Arwen/Aragorn/Legolas. We all know that Arwen and Aragorn have a romantic and sexual relationship, however since I'm focusing on how the three of them function as a platonic triad, hopefully this is still an acceptable submission.

This is book based. Aragorn needs both Arwen and Legolas's support in order to fulfill his destiny. I have never understood why people say that the films gave Aragorn self-doubt, because he is far more confident in the films than he ever is in the books! Unfortunately my Aragorn essay isn't finished, so if you want more quotes on his self-doubt than I'm giving here, contact me and I would be happy to provide more quotes and explain my reasoning.

I'm going to go over this after the quotes, but my thesis statement (so to speak) is that Aragorn draws on Arwen and is supported by Legolas.

Thus he became at last the most hardy of living Men, skilled in their crafts and lore, and was yet more than they; for he was elven-wise, and there was a light in his eyes that when they were kindled few could endure.

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But Aragorn was grown to full stature of body and mind, and Galadriel bade him cast aside his wayworn raiment, and she clothed him in silver and white, with a cloak of elven-grey and a bright gem on his brow. Then more than any king he appeared, and seemed rather an Elf-lord form the Isles of the West. - Lord of the Rings, Appendix A

Aragorn has become wise, with both the knowledge of Elves and Men. Greater than just a mortal king of Men, he has come into his own and reached a new level. The light in his eyes is the same “elven-light” that he saw in Arwen's, when they first met.

And Arwen said: “Dark is the Shadow, and yet my heart rejoices; for you, Estel, shall be among the great whose valour will destroy it.”

But Aragorn answered: “Alas! I cannot foresee it, and how it may come to pass is hidden from me. Yet with your hope I will hope.” - Lord of the Rings, Appendix A

Rejoice means “feel or show great joy or delight.” Arwen says, 'Sauron's power is strong, but at the same time I feel great joy, because you will help bring about his defeat.' She knows, without a doubt, what is meant to happen.

This is backed up by a note in the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth:

Actually the Elves believed that the 'lightening of the heart' or the 'stirring of joy' (to which they often refer), which may accompany the hearing of a proposition or an argument, is not an indication of its falsity but of the recognition by the fëa that it is on the path of truth. - Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, Author's Note 8

It is also important to note that both Arwen and Gilraen continue to call Aragorn Estel for the rest of their lives. Aragorn is the Chieftain, Strider the Ranger, Thorongil the Captain, and Elessar the King. Estel? He is the man, inherently elvish. We know that he is above any other mortal, but I don't think we ponder the consequences of that enough. There is a large part of himself that no mortal will ever understand.

Alas means “used as an exclamation to express sorrow, pity, concern, apprehension, etc.” Aragorn doubts himself, and doubts the light's ability to triumph. Arwen's hope gives him strength, and he holds onto it.

Elrond: “For the rest, they shall represent the other Free Peoples of the World: Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Legolas shall be for the Elves; and Gimli son of Glóin for the Dwarves. They are willing to go at least to the passes of the Mountains, and maybe beyond. For men you shall have Aragorn son of Arathorn, for the Ring of Isildur concerns him closely.” - Lord of the Rings, The Ring Goes South

We are not told when or why Legolas was picked for the Fellowship. However, Elrond tells Frodo this almost two months after the Council of Elrond. The fact that Legolas has stayed in Rivendell all this time implies that he was chosen early. My belief is that Legolas insisted on joining the Fellowship because of Aragorn and their close friendship.

“There lie the woods of Lothlórien!” said Legolas. “That is the fairest of all the dwelling of my people. There are no trees like the trees of that land. For in the autumn their leaves fall not, but turn to gold. Not till the spring comes and the new green opens do they fall, and then the boughs are laden with yellow flowers; and the floor of the wood is golden, and golden is the roof, and its pillars are of silver, for the bark of the trees is smooth and grey. So still our songs in Mirkwood say. My heart would be glad if I were beneath the eaves of that wood, and it were springtime!”

“My heart will be glad, even in the winter,” said Aragorn. “But it lies many miles away. Let us hasten!” - Lord of the Rings, Lothlórien

Aragorn confides that he too will be relieved to be in Lothlórien. He is replying to Legolas; but we don't know if the others heard him or not.

At last Legolas turned, and seeing them now far behind, he spoke to Aragorn. The others halted, and Aragorn ran back, calling Boromir to come with him.

“I am sorry, Frodo!” he cried, full of concern. - Lord of the Rings, Lothlórien

Aragorn, overwhelmed with the day's events, forgot about Frodo and Sam's injuries. Legolas notices their trouble and nudges Aragorn into action. This is the start of a crucial pattern – Aragorn depending on Legolas when he is overcome by a dark emotion.

“Eight,” said Legolas. “Myself, four hobbits; and two men, one of whom, Aragorn, is an Elf-friend of the folk of Westernesse.” - Lord of the Rings, Lothlórien

It is interesting that Legolas singles out Aragorn of the entire company – Boromir too is of Númenórean descent, after all. However, Legolas emphasizes that Aragorn is an Elf-friend who can be trusted.

“I am an Elf and a kinsman here,” said Legolas, becoming angry in his turn.

“Now let us cry: 'a plague on the stiff necks of Elves!'” said Aragorn. “But the Company shall all fare alike. Come, bind our eyes, Haldir!” - Lord of the Rings, Lothlórien

I think this really shows how comfortable Aragorn is with Legolas – we never see him make this kind of comment with anyone else. Aragorn knows Legolas isn't going to take offense or hold it against him, and he slips from the role of leader for a moment of genuine exasperation.

“An evil of the Ancient World it seemed, such as I have never seen before,” said Aragorn. “It was both a shadow and a flame, strong and terrible.”

“It was a Balrog of Morgoth,” said Legolas; “of all elf-banes the most deadly, save the One who sits in the Dark Tower.” - Lord of the Rings, The Mirror of Galadriel

Legolas has lore knowledge that Aragorn doesn't. This is the beginning of a pattern, where Legolas and Aragorn share knowledge with each other.

None save Legolas and Aragorn could long endure her glance. - Lord of the Rings, The Mirror of Galadriel

Aragorn was raised by elves, he has an inherently elvish nature. That is why it is only he and Legolas can meet Galadriel's gaze.

“Yet maybe this will lighten your heart,” said Galadriel; “for it was left in my care to be given to you, should you pass through this land.” Then she lifted from her lap a great stone of a clear green, set in a silver brooch that was wrought in the likeness of an eagle with outspread wings; and as she held it up the gem flashed like the sun shining through the leaves of spring. “This stone I gave to Celebrían my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope. In this hour take the name that was foretold for you, Elessar, the Elfstone of the House of Elendil!”

Then Aragorn took the stone and pinned the brooch upon his breast, and those who saw him wondered; for they had not marked before how tall and kingly he stood, and it seemed to them that many years of toil had fallen from his shoulders. - Lord of the Rings, Farewell to Lórien

Yet maybe this will lighten your heart,

Galadriel perceives Aragorn's doubt and worry.

for it was left in my care to be given to you, should you pass through this land.

Arwen left the Elessar with Galadriel. She did not send it, but left it. That is a crucial difference. Arwen has not been in Lothlórien for nine years. She foresaw that Aragorn would pass through Lothlórien, when it was time for him to claim his birthright.

This stone I gave to Celebrían my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope.

Arwen is having the Elessar come to Aragorn as a symbol of her hope and faith.

In this hour take the name that was foretold for you, Elessar, the Elfstone of the House of Elendil!

Through her grandmother, Arwen is encouraging Aragorn to embrace his destiny. She knows of the prophecies regarding him.

Arwen is the reason Aragorn loses the darkness, and shines brightly. She is ever there for him, and he is ever holding on to her strength.

“What is that, Legolas?” he asked, pointing to the northern sky. “Is it, as I think, an eagle?”

“Yes,” said Legolas. “It is an eagle, a hunting eagle. I wonder what that forebodes. It is far from the mountains.”

“We will not start until it is fully dark,” said Aragorn. - Lord of the Rings, The Great River

Aragorn relies on Legolas, double checking himself. He is then able to come up with a plan.

It was decided that Aragorn and Legolas should at once go forward along the shore, while the others remained by the boats. - Lord of the Rings, The Great River

Aragorn goes scouting with Legolas, instead of anyone else. Legolas is the obvious choice for scouting, but Aragorn isn't. “It was decided” sounds like a group decision, but the way it's phrased implies it was the timing they decided.

Aragorn: “Which way would any of us choose in Frodo's place? I do not know. Now indeed we miss Gandalf most.”

“Grievous is our loss,” said Legolas. “Yet we must needs make up our minds without his aid. Why cannot we decide, and so help Frodo? Let us call him back and then vote! I should vote for Minas Tirith.” - Lord of the Rings, The Breaking of the Fellowship

Aragorn's uncertainty and hopelessness is clear. Legolas jumps in and gently prods Aragorn into calling the group back together and making the vote.

“And I too will go with him,” said Legolas. “It would be faithless now to say farewell.”

“It would indeed be a betrayal, if we all left him,” said Aragorn. “But if he goes east, then all need not go with him; nor do I think that all should. That venture is desperate: as much so for eight as for three or two, or one alone. If you would let me choose, then I should appoint three companions: Sam, who could not bear it otherwise; and Gimli; and myself. Boromir will return to his own city, where his father and his people need him; and with him the others should go, or at least Meriadoc and Peregrin, if Legolas is not willing to leave us.” - Lord of the Rings, The Breaking of the Fellowship

We don't know for sure why Aragorn doesn't want Legolas to go to Mordor, but I think it's because Legolas, as an elf, stands out more than the others (especially on the Unseen plane, see more here). Though, Aragorn also knows Legolas well enough to know it is not likely that Legolas will consent to leave them.

“Alas!” said Aragorn. “Thus passes the heir of Denethor, Lord of the Tower of Guard! This is a bitter end. Now the Company is all in ruin. It is I that have failed. Vain was Gandalf's trust in me. What shall I do now? Boromir has laid it on me to go to Minas Tirith, and my heart desires it; but where are the Ring and the Bearer? How shall I find them and save the Quest from disaster?”

He knelt for a while, bent with weeping, still clasping Boromir's hand. So it was that Legolas and Gimli found him. They came from the western slopes of the hill, silently, creeping through the trees as if they were hunting. Gimli had his axe in hand, and Legolas his long knife: all his arrows were spent. When they came into the glade they halted in amazement; and then they stood a moment with heads bowed in grief, for it seemed to them plain what had happened.

“Alas!” said Legolas, coming to Aragorn's side. “We have hunted and slain many Orcs in the woods, but we should have been of more use here. We came when we heard the horn – but too late, it seems. I fear you have taken deadly hurt.”

“Boromir is dead,” said Aragorn. “I am unscathed, for I was not here with him. He fell defending the hobbits, while I was away upon the hill.” - Lord of the Rings, The Departure of Boromir

Alas means “used as an exclamation to express sorrow, pity, concern, apprehension, etc.” Bitter means “difficult or distasteful to accept, admit, or bear.” Ruin means “the state or condition of being destroyed or decayed.” Fail means “to prove deficient or lacking.” Vain means “archaic: senseless or foolish.”

Aragorn is bent over crying, overcome not only with grief, but with all-encompassing guilt, despair, and indecision. 'Boromir's death is the sign of our horrible end! The Fellowship is destroyed because I am a failure! Gandalf was foolish to trust me! I don't know what to do! I don't know how to fix things!'

Legolas and Gimli halt in amazement, and then grief. Legolas then rushes to Aragorn's side, because Aragorn is so emotionally distraught and overcome that Legolas fears he is fatally injured.

“I do not know,” answered Aragorn wearily. “Before he died Boromir told me that the Orcs had bound them; he did not think that they were dead. I sent him to follow Merry and Pippin; but I did not ask him if Frodo or Sam were with him: not until it was too late. All that I have done today has gone amiss. What is to be done now?”

“First we must tend the fallen,” said Legolas. “We cannot leave him lying like carrion among these foul Orcs.” - Lord of the Rings, The Departure of Boromir

Weary means “exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress.”

Aragorn is still overcome with despair, blaming himself for everything, and cannot make a decision. Legolas prompts him into action.

“But we do not know whether the Ring-bearer is with them or not,” said Aragorn. “Are we to abandon him? Must we not seek him first? An evil choice is now before us!”

“Then let us do first what we must do,” said Legolas. “We have not the time or the tools to bury our comrade fitly, or to raise a mound over him. A cairn we might build.” - Lord of the Rings, The Departure of Boromir

For the fourth time, Legolas cuts through Aragorn's dark emotions and nudges him into action; supporting him.

“S is for Sauron,” said Gimli. “That is easy to read.”

“Nay!” said Legolas. “Sauron does not use the elf-runes.”

“Neither does he use his right name, nor permit it to be spelt or spoken,” said Aragorn. - Lord of the Rings, The Departure of Boromir

While Legolas's bond with Gimli is certainly deep, he and Aragorn connect on a different level. They are equals – they can talk about lore, or the unseen influences, because Aragorn was raised to understand Elvish thought.

(We see this issue a few times just between Legolas and Gimli as well; for more on them see here)

For a while the three companions remained silent, gazing after him. Then Aragorn spoke. “They will look for him from the White Tower,” he said, “but he will not return from mountain or from sea.” Then slowly he began to sing:

“Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grass grows

The West Wind comes walking, and about the walls it goes.

What news from the West, O wandering wind, do you bring to me tonight?

Have you seen Boromir the Tall by moon or by starlight?

I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wide and grey;

I saw him walk in empty lands, until he passed away

Into the shadows of the North. I saw him then no more.

The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son of Denethor.

O Boromir! From the high walls westward I looked afar,

But you came not from the empty lands where no men are.”

Then Legolas sang:

“From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies, from the sandhills and the stones;

The wailing of the gulls it bears, and at the gate it moans.

What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bring to me at eve?

Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve.

Ask not of me where he doth dwell-so many bones there lie

On the white shores and the dark shores under the stormy sky;

So many have passed down Anduin to find the flowing Sea.

Ask of the North Wind news of them the North Wind sends to me!

O Boromir! Beyond the gate the seaward road runs south,

But you came not with the wailing gulls from the grey sea's mouth.”

Then Aragorn sang again:

“From the Gate of Kings the North Wind rides, and past the roaring falls;

And clear and cold about the tower its loud horn calls.

What news from the North, O mighty wind, do you bring to me today?

What news of Boromir the Bold? For he is long away.

Beneath Amon Hen I heard his cry. There many foes he fought.

His cloven shield, his broken sword, they to the water brought.

His head so proud, his face so fair, his limbs they laid to rest;

And Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, bore him upon its breast.

'O Boromir! The Tower of Guard shall ever northward gaze

To Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, until the end of days.”

So they ended. Then they turned their boat and drove it with all the speed they could against the stream back to Parth Galen. - Lord of the Rings, The Departure of Boromir

Aragorn and Legolas sing together for Boromir's funeral boat.

“Maybe hunting Orcs came on him and he fled,” said Legolas.

“He fled, certainly,” said Aragorn, “but not, I think, from Orcs.” What he thought was the cause of Frodo's sudden resolve and flight Aragorn did not say. The last words of Boromir he long kept secret. - Lord of the Rings, The Departure of Boromir

Aragorn corrects Legolas on the reason why Frodo fled.

For the moment Aragorn was at a loss: the orc-trail had descended into the valley, but there it vanished.

“Which way would they turn, do you think?” said Legolas. “Northward to take a straighter road to Isengard, or Fangorn, if that is their aim as you guess? Or southward to strike the Entwash?”

“They will not make for the river, whatever mark they aim at,” said Aragorn. “And unless there is much amiss in Rohan and the power of Saruman is greatly increased, they will take the shortest way that they can find over the fields of the Rohirrim. Let us search northwards!” - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Moment means “a specific point in time, especially the present time.” At a loss means “perplexed; puzzled.”

Aragorn in not merely pausing for a moment, he is truly confused. Knowing this, Legolas starts listing off ways and asking Aragorn which way he thinks the Orcs would go. His prompting clears Aragorn's mind and lets him start leading again.

Aragorn was searching, bent towards the ground, among the folds and gullies leading up into the western ridge. Legolas was some way ahead. Suddenly the Elf gave a cry and the others came running towards him.

“We have already overtaken some of those that we are hunting,” he said. “Look!” He pointed, and they saw that what they had at first taken to be boulders lying at the foot of the slope were huddled bodies. Five dead Orcs lay there. - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Legolas is the one to find the orcs' bodies.

“Yet however you read it, it seems not unhopeful,” said Legolas. “Enemies of the Orcs are likely to be our friends. Do any folk dwell in these hills?”

“No,” said Aragorn. “The Rohirrim seldom come here, and it is far from Minas Tirith. It might be that some company of Men were hunting here for reasons that we do not know. Yet I think not.” - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Legolas insists on being positive, and relies on Aragorn's knowledge of other peoples.

“Look!” cried Legolas, pointing up into the pale sky above them. “There is the eagle again! He is very high. He seems to be flying now away, from this land back to the North. He is going with great speed. Look!”

“No, not even my eyes can see him, my good Legolas,” said Aragorn. “He must be far aloft indeed. I wonder what is his errand, if he is the same bird I have seen before. But look! I can see something nearer at hand and more urgent; there is something moving over the plain!”

“Many things,” said Legolas. “It is a great company on foot; but I cannot say more, nor see what kind of folk they may be. They are many leagues away: twelve, I guess; but the flatness of the plain is hard to measure.” - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Having noticed the eagle, Legolas cries for Aragorn to look. Aragorn replies with an endearment for Legolas, and says he can't see it. Then, Aragorn notices movement on the plain, and asks Legolas to look. Neither is afraid to give and take, supporting and prompting the other.

“You are our guide,” said Gimli, “and you are skilled in the chase. You shall choose.”

“My heart bids me to go on,” said Legolas. “But we must hold together. I will follow your counsel.”

“You give the choice to an ill chooser,” said Aragorn. “Since we passed through the Argonath my choices have gone amiss.” - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Aragorn is still blaming himself for everything.

There is a notable difference between what Gimli and Legolas say here. Gimli speaks very pragmatically – Aragorn is the leader, and the one with tracking skills; therefore, it is his choice. Legolas speaks from a more emotional view – he feels they should go on, but that they must not separate. Gimli states that it's Aragorn's choice; Legolas says he'll follow Aragorn's advice. A subtle difference, but an important one. Legolas's response gives Aragorn emotional support that Gimli's doesn't.

“They are far far away,” he said sadly, turning to Aragorn. “I know in my heart that they have not rested this night. Only an eagle could overtake them now.”

“Nonetheless we will still follow as we may,” said Aragorn. Stooping he roused the Dwarf. - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Here Aragorn is providing the support and hope, when Legolas confides in him.

Aragorn: “There is some will that lends speed to our foes and sets an unseen barrier before us: a weariness that is in the heart more than in the limb.”

“Truly!” said Legolas. “That I have known since first we came down from the Emyn Muil. For the will is not behind us but before us.” He pointed away over the land of Rohan into the darkling West under the sickle moon.

“Saruman!” muttered Aragorn. - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Legolas and Aragorn both feel (and know) the unseen influence against them. Legolas enlightens Aragorn to the cause of it.

Aragorn halted and examined the tracks closely.

“They rested here a while,” he said, “but even the outward trail is already old. I fear that your heart spoke truly, Legolas: it is thrice twelve hours, I guess, since the Orcs stood where we now stand. If they held to their pace, then at sundown yesterday they would reach the borders of Fangorn.” - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Aragorn confirms what Legolas's intuition said.

Following with his keen eyes the trail to the river, and then the river back towards the forest, Aragorn saw a shadow on the distant green, a dark swift-moving blur. He cast himself upon the ground and listened again intently. But Legolas stood beside him, shading his bright elven-eyes with his long slender hand, and he saw not a shadow, nor a blur, but the small figures of horsemen, many horsemen, and the glint of morning on the tips of their spears was like the twinkle of minute stars beyond the edge of mortal sight. Far behind them a dark smoke rose in thin curling threads.

There was a silence in the empty fields, and Gimli could hear the air moving in the grass.

“Riders!” cried Aragorn, springing to his feet. “Many riders on swift steeds are coming towards us!”

“Yes,” said Legolas, “there are one hundred and five. Yellow is their hair, and bright are their spears. Their leader is very tall.”

Aragorn smiled. “Keen are the eyes of the Elves,” he said.

“Nay! The riders are little more than five leagues distant,” said Legolas. - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Oh, you two. Aragorn listens to the ground, and figures out what is coming towards them. Legolas, on the other hand, can see exactly what is coming towards them, and doesn't say a word until Aragorn does.

Instead of getting upset, Legolas being his sassy self makes Aragorn happy, as he smiles and compliments Legolas again. Endearingly, Legolas doesn't understand it.

Gimli and Legolas looked at their companion in amazement, for they had not seen him in this mood before. He seemed to have grown in stature while Éomer had shrunk; and in his living face they caught a brief vision of the power and majesty of the kings of stone. For a moment it seemed to the eyes of Legolas that a white flame flickered on the brows of Aragorn like a shining crown. - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

Legolas stares at Aragorn in wonder, for this is the first time he sees Aragorn showing his 'King side'. Legolas has a moment of foresight as he sees the white flame flicker on Aragorn's brows.

After a while Legolas spoke again.

“Celeborn warned us not to go far into Fangorn,” he said. “Do you know why, Aragorn? What are the fables of the forest that Boromir had heard?”

“I have heard many tales in Gondor and elsewhere,” said Aragorn, “but if it were not for the words of Celeborn I should deem them only fables that Men have made as true knowledge fades. I had thought of asking you what was the truth of the matter. And if an Elf of the wood does not know, how shall a Man answer?”

“You have journeyed further than I,” said Legolas. “I have heard nothing of this in my own land, save only in songs that tell how the Onodrim, that Men call Ents, dwelt there long ago; for Fangorn is old, old even as the Elves would reckon it.”

“Yes, it is old,” said Aragorn, “as old as the forest by the Barrow-downs, and it is far greater. Elrond says that the two are akin, the last strongholds of the mighty woods of the Elder Days, in which the Firstborn roamed while Men still slept. Yet Fangorn holds some secret of its own. What it is I do not know.” - Lord of the Rings, The Riders of Rohan

More complementing, and giving and taking of lore, between Aragorn and Legolas.

“It is likely enough,” said Aragorn; “yet I am not sure. I am thinking of the horses. You said last night, Gimli, that they were scared away. But I did not think so. Did you hear them, Legolas? Did they sound to you like beasts in terror?”

“No,” said Legolas. “I heard them clearly. But for the darkness and our own fear I should have guessed that they were beasts wild with some sudden gladness. They spoke as horses will when they meet a friend that they have long missed.”

“So I thought,” said Aragorn; “but I cannot read the riddle, unless they return.” - Lord of the Rings, The White Rider

Legolas and Aragorn are once again of the same mind, and Gimli isn't. This is a pattern that will continue.

“Well, here is the strangest riddle that we have yet found!” exclaimed Legolas. “A bound prisoner escapes both from the Orcs and from the surrounding horsemen. He then stops, while still in the open, and cuts his bonds with an orc-knife. But how and why? For if his legs were tied, how did he walk? And if his arms were tied, how did he use the knife? And if neither were tied, why did he cut the cords at all? Being pleased with his skill, he then sat down and quietly ate some waybread! That at least is enough to show that he was a hobbit, without the mallorn-leaf. After that, I suppose, he turned his arms into wings and flew away singing into the trees. It should be easy to find him: we only need wings ourselves!”

“There was sorcery here right enough,” said Gimli. “What was that old man doing? What have you to say, Aragorn, to the reading of Legolas. Can you better it?”

“Maybe, I could,” said Aragorn, smiling. “There are some other signs near at hand that you have not considered. I agree that the prisoner was a hobbit and must have had either legs or hands free, before he came here.” - Lord of the Rings, The White Rider

Legolas gives a fanciful and slightly sassy explanation of what could have happened to Merry and Pippin, causing Aragorn to smile. Once again Legolas has improved Aragorn's mood and made him feel better, all by just being himself. Aragorn shows his skill, as he noticed some signs Legolas did not.

Legolas took his bow and bent it, slowly and as if some other will resisted him. He held an arrow loosely in his hand but did not fit it to the string. Aragorn stood silent, his face was watchful and intent.

“Why are you waiting? What is the matter with you?” said Gimli in a hissing whisper.

“Legolas is right,” said Aragorn quietly. “We may not shoot an old man so, at unawares and unchallenged, whatever fear or doubt be on us. Watch and wait!” - Lord of the Rings, The White Rider

Legolas and Aragorn are on the same page, thinking the same thoughts, and Gimli isn't.

“The Ents!” exclaimed Aragorn. “Then there is truth in the old legends about the dwellers in the deep forests and the giant shepherds of the trees? Are there still Ents in the world? I thought they were only a memory of ancient days, if indeed they were ever more than a legend of Rohan.”

“A legend of Rohan!” cried Legolas. “Nay, every elf in Wilderland has sung songs of the old Onodrim and their long sorrow. Yet even among us they are only a memory. If I were to meet one still walking in this world, then indeed I should feel young again! But Treebeard: that is only a rendering of Fangorn into the Common Speech; yet you seem to speak of a person. Who is this Treebeard?” - Lord of the Rings, The White Rider

This time it is Legolas who has the greater knowledge.

“Five hundred times have the red leaves fallen in Mirkwood in my home since then,” said Legolas, “and but a little while does that seem to us.”

“But to the Riders of the Mark it seems so long ago,” said Aragorn, “that the raising of this house is but a memory of song, and the years before are lost in the mist of time. Now they call this land their home, their own, and their speech is sundered from their northern kin.” Then he began to chant softly in a slow tongue unknown to the Elf and Dwarf; yet they listened, for there was a strong music in it.

“That, I guess, is the language of the Rohirrim,” said Legolas; “for it is like to this land itself; rich and rolling in part, and else hard and stern as the mountains. But I cannot guess what it means, save that it is laden with the sadness of Mortal Men.”

“It runs thus in the Common Speech,” said Aragorn, “as near as I can make it. [cut]” - Lord of the Rings, The King of the Golden Hall

More giving and taking of lore and knowledge.

He climbed up and found Legolas beside Aragorn and Éomer. - Lord of the Rings, Helm's Deep

Legolas fights beside Aragorn, not Gimli.

Behind on the upper steps knelt Legolas. His bow was bent, but one gleaned arrow was all that he had left, and he peered out now, ready to shoot the first Orc that should dare to approach the stair.

“All who can have now got safe within, Aragorn,” he called. “Come back!”

Aragorn turned and sped up the stair; but as he ran he stumbled in his weariness. At once his enemies lept forwards. Up came the Orcs, yelling, with their long arms stretched out to seize him. The foremost fell with Legolas' last arrow in his throat, but the rest sprang over him. Then a great boulder, cast from the outer wall above, crashed down upon the stair, and hurled them back into the Deep. Aragorn gained the door, and swiftly it clanged to behind him.

“Things go ill, my friends,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow with his arm.

“Ill enough,” said Legolas, “but not yet hopeless, while we have you with us. Where is Gimli?”

“I do not know,” said Aragorn. “I last saw him fighting on the ground behind the wall, but the enemy swept us apart.”

“Alas! That is evil news,” said Legolas.

“He is stout and strong,” said Aragorn. “Let us hope that he will escape back to the caves. There he would be safe for a while. Safer than we. Such a refuge would be to the liking of a dwarf.”

“That must be my hope,” said Legolas. “But I wish that he had come this way. I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.”

“If he wins back to the caves, he will pass your count again,” laughed Aragorn. “Never did I see an axe so wielded.”

“I must go and seek some arrows,” said Legolas. “Would that this night would end, and I could have better light for shooting.” - Lord of the Rings, Helm's Deep

Alas means “used as an exclamation to express sorrow, pity, concern, apprehension, etc.”

Legolas is the only one to save Aragorn's life during the battle, covering him and giving him safety (Gimli saves Éomer's). Legolas gives Aragorn comfort and support when he worries about the battle going ill (and his statement shows how much he loves Aragorn – nothing is hopeless as long as Aragorn is alive), and Aragorn does the same for Legolas when he worries about Gimli. Also, for the third time, Legolas makes Aragorn feel better just by being himself.

Taking his leave, he returned to the walls, and passed round all their circuit, enheartening the men, and lending aid wherever assault was hot. Legolas went with him. - Lord of the Rings, Helm's Deep

Legolas stays close to Aragorn, helping him rally the men.

“Behold the White Rider!” cried Aragorn. “Gandalf is come again!”

“Mithrandir, Mithrandir!” said Legolas. “This is wizardry indeed! Come! I would look on this forest, ere the spell changes.” - Lord of the Rings, Helm's Deep

Gandalf arrives, and both Aragorn and Legolas cry out. Legolas then tells Aragorn to come with him, because he wants to go explore the forest before it disappears.

“You have drunk of the waters of the Ents, have you?” said Legolas. “Ah, then I think it is likely that Gimli's eyes do not deceive him. Strange songs have been sung of the draughts of Fangorn.”

“Many strange tales have been told about that land,” said Aragorn. “I have never entered it. Come, tell me more about it, and about the Ents!” - Lord of the Rings, Flotsam and Jetsam

Both Legolas and Aragorn have heard strange songs and tales about Fangorn, and they want to know more.

“So four of the Company still remain,” said Aragorn. “We will ride on together. But we shall not go alone, as I thought. The king is now determined to set out at once. Since the coming of the winged shadow, he desires to return to the hills under cover of night.”

“And then whither?” said Legolas.

“I cannot say yet,” Aragorn answered. “As for the king, he will go to the muster that he commanded at Edoras, four nights from now. And there, I think, he will hear tidings of war, and the Riders of Rohan will go down to Minas Tirith. But for myself, and any that will go with me...”

“I for one!” cried Legolas. “And Gimli with him!” said the Dwarf.

“Well, for myself,” said Aragorn, “it is dark before me. I must go down also to Minas Tirith, but I do not yet see the road. An hour long prepared approaches.” - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

Legolas is adamant that he will go with Aragorn, even though he has no idea where that is. Aragorn is once again uncertain.

Elrohir: “I bring word to you from my father: The days are now short. If thou art in haste, remember the Paths of the Dead.”

“Always my days have seemed to me too short to achieve my desire,” answered Aragorn. “But great indeed will be my haste ere I take that road.”

“That will soon be seen,” said Elrohir. “But let us speak no more of these things upon the open road!”

And Aragorn said to Halbarad: “What is that that you bear, kinsman?” For he saw that instead of a spear he bore a tall staff, as it were a standard, but it was close-furled in a black cloth bound about with many thongs.

“It is a gift that I bring you from the Lady of Rivendell,” answered Halbarad. “She wrought it in secret, and long was the making. But she also sends word to you: The days now are short. Either our hope cometh, or all hope's end. Therefore I send thee what I have made for thee. Fare well, Elfstone!”

And Aragorn said: “Now I know what you bear. Bear it still for me a while!” And he turned and looked away to the North under the great stars, and then he fell silent and spoke no more while the night's journey lasted. - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

Aragorn's self doubt is at the forefront again; he says that he has never truly believed that he can rise above and succeed.

Aragorn clearly has no plans for following the Paths of the Dead. He then turns to Halbarad, and finds out about the standard.

The timeline in Appendix B tells us that Arwen returned to Rivendell in 3009. Aragorn receives the standard in March 3019. That is ten years. Arwen spent ten years secretly making Aragorn's standard. It is obviously much more than a piece of cloth.

Hope. Estel. Aragorn. Arwen's message is all about hope, in it's many forms. Either our hope cometh, or all hope's end. Either their shared hope that Sauron falls and Aragorn becomes the rightful king, or Sauron wins and all the hopes of the Free People ends.

Knowing that, knowing this is a gamble and that the crux is about to happen, she then says, Therefore I send thee what I have made for thee. Fare well, Elfstone! 'For that reason, I send you, what I have made for you. I hope you succeed, King Elessar!'

Aragorn obviously knows about the standard, and I cannot see any reason Arwen would keep it from him. From others, yes. It would be extremely dangerous if word got out that Arwen was making an enchanted standard for Isildur's heir. Aragorn, on the other hand, is perhaps the only person who needs to know (although I can't imagine Elrond not knowing as well).

Aragorn's two different reactions are significant. He dismisses the Paths of the Dead when Elrohir mentions it, but after finding out about the standard, he starts contemplating it deeply. He continues to do so for the rest of the night.

“Where is Aragorn?” he asked.

“In a high chamber of the Burg,” said Legolas. “He has neither rested nor slept, I think. He went hither some hours ago, saying that he must take thought, and only his kinsman, Halbarad, went with him; but some dark doubt or care sits on him.” - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

Aragorn continues to contemplate the matter, even after they arrive at the Hornburg. It is a serious decision, and not one he can easily make.

This shows that Legolas knows Aragorn well, as he knows that something is bothering Aragorn greatly, and that Aragorn hasn't rested at all.

Their horses were strong and of proud bearing, but rough-haired; and one stood there without a rider, Aragorn's own horse that they had brought from the North, Roheryn was his name. - The Passing of the Grey Company

It is implied that Arwen gave Aragorn his horse, Roheryn. The elves have a connection to nature and animals (see here), and she probably trained him, as his name means “Steed of the Lady”. Having your own horse that you have a connection with is essential, both on the battlefield and off. On the battlefield you have to be able to read each other and move as one. Off the battlefield, well, you'll see.

Presently Éomer came out from the gate, and with him was Aragorn, and Halbarad bearing the great staff close-furled in black, and two tall men, neither young nor old. So much alike were they, the sons of Elrond, that few could tell them apart: dark-haired, grey-eyed, and their faces elven-fair, clad alike in bright mail beneath cloaks of silver-grey. Behind them walked Legolas and Gimli. - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

Legolas got concerned enough to go track down Aragorn, after he failed to show up all morning.

But Merry had eyes only for Aragorn, so startling was the change that he saw in him, as if in one night many years had fallen on his head. Grim was his face, grey-hued and weary.

“I am troubled in mind, Lord,” he said, standing by the king's horse. “I have heard strange words, and I see new perils far off. I have laboured long in thought, and now I fear I must change my purpose. Tell me, Théoden, you ride now to Dunharrow, how long will it be ere you come there?”

“It is now a full hour past noon,” said Éomer. “Before the night of the third day from now we should come to the Hold. The Moon will then be one night past his full, and the muster that the king commanded will be held the day after. More speed we cannot make, if the strength of Rohan is to be gathered.”

Aragorn was silent for a moment. “Three days,” he murmured, “and the muster of Rohan will only be begun. But I see that it cannot now be hastened.” He looked up, and it seemed that he had made some decision; his face was less troubled. “Then, by your leave, lord, I must take new counsel for myself and my kindred. We must ride our own road, and no longer in secret. For me the time of stealth has passed. I will ride east by the swiftest way, and I will take the Paths of the Dead.” - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

Aragorn finally makes his decision – he will take the Paths of the Dead. Now he just has to convince the dead that he really is Isildur's heir.

“Farewell, lord!” said Aragorn. “Ride unto great renown! Farewell, Merry! I leave you in good hands, better than we hoped when we hunted the orcs to Fangorn. Legolas and Gimli will still hunt with me, I hope; but we shall not forget you.” - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

Aragorn hopes that Legolas will come with him on the Paths of the Dead.

Aragorn: “Well, I must eat a little, and then we also must hasten away. Come, Legolas and Gimli! I must speak with you as I eat.”

Together they went back into the Burg; yet for some time Aragorn sat silent at the table in the hall, and the others waited for him to speak. “Come!” said Legolas at last. “Speak and be comforted, and shake off the shadow! What has happened since we came back to this grim place in the grey morning?” - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

Legolas gives Aragorn time to collect his thoughts, and then (once again) prompts him into action, asking what happened.

Aragorn: “But I do not go gladly; only need drives me. Therefore, only of your free will would I have you come, for you will find both toil and great fear, and maybe worse.”

“I will go with you even on the Paths of the Dead, and to whatever end they may lead,” said Gimli.

“I also will come,” said Legolas, “for I do not fear the Dead.” - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

To me, it seems as if Legolas is playing down the matter, as we know he will go wherever Aragorn goes. However, Aragorn is worried about what they will find, so playing it down is a good idea.

But as Aragorn came to the booth where he was to lodge with Legolas and Gimli, and his companions had gone in, there came the Lady Éowyn after him and called to him. - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

Halbarad and the rest of the Grey Company is there, but Aragorn rooms with Legolas and Gimli.

Then Aragorn led the way, and such was the strength of his will in that hour that all the Dúnedain and their horses followed him. And indeed the love that that the horses of the Rangers bore for their riders was so great that they were willing to face even the terror of the Door, if their masters' hearts were steady as they walked beside them. - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

The texts states that the horses only went through the Door of the Dead because of their masters. This shows that there is a great bond of love between Aragorn and Roheryn, as he followed Aragorn without hesitation. Their bond could never have formed without Arwen.

Then Aragorn said: “The hour is come at last. Now I go to Pelargir upon Anduin, and ye shall come after me. And when all this land is clean of the servants of Sauron, I will hold the oath fulfilled, and ye shall have peace and depart for ever. For I am Elessar, Isildur's heir of Gondor.”

And with that he bade Halbarad unfurl the great standard which he had brought; and behold! it was black, and if there was any device upon it, it was hidden in the darkness. Then there was silence, and not a whisper nor a sigh was heard again all the long night. - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

No one (at least no one whose alive) can see anything on the standard. And yet, it convinces the dead that Aragorn is truly Isildur's heir, as they decide to follow him.

And all eyes followed his gaze, and behold! upon the foremost ship a great standard broke, and the wind displayed it as she turned towards the Harlond. There flowered a White Tree, and that was for Gondor; but Seven Stars were about it, and a high crown above it, the signs of Elendil that no lord had borne for years beyond count. And the stars flamed in the sunlight, for they were wrought of gems by Arwen daughter of Elrond; and the crown was bright in the morning, for it was wrought of mithril and gold.

Thus came Aragorn son of Arathorn, Elessar, Isildur's heir, out of the Paths of the Dead, borne upon a wind from the Sea to the kingdom of Gondor; and the mirth of the Rohirrim was a torrent of laughter and a flashing of swords, and the joy and wonder of the City was a music of trumpets and a ringing of bells. - Lord of the Rings, The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

Even in the middle of the night, light should have reflected the banner, with those descriptions. We know that Mordor's shadow was not over them yet, since it says “the dawn came, cold and pale.” So an enchantment must have been at work, that night with the dead. There is no need for an enchantment to convince the living, as any help will be celebrated in the midst of a battle.

Elves have the ability to put their power and intent into the things they make (see more here). Arwen spent ten years making and imbuing it with her power, using priceless materials.

And it came to pass that in the hour of defeat Aragorn came up from the sea and unfurled the standard of Arwen in the battle of the Fields of Pelennor, and in that day he was first hailed as king. - Lord of the Rings, Appendix A

TA March 15, 3019: Aragorn raises the standard of Arwen. - Lord of the Rings, Appendix B

The standard is twice referred to as “the standard of Arwen”. Her power and achievement is clear.

At the doors of the Houses many were already gathered to see Aragorn, and they followed after him; and when at last he had supped, men came and prayed that he would heal their kinsmen or their friends whose lives were in peril through hurt or wound, or who lay under the Black Shadow. And Aragorn arose and went out, and he sent for the sons of Elrond, and together they laboured far into the night. And word went through the City: “The King is come again indeed.” And they named him Elfstone, because of the green stone that he wore, and so the name which it was foretold at his birth that he should bear was chosen for him by his own people. - Lord of the Rings, The Houses of Healing

Rumor has already spread throughout the city, that the King has returned. Aragorn proudly displayed both his standard and Andúril on the battlefield. Ioreth tells us that, “For it is said in old lore: The hands of the king are the hands of a healer. And so the rightful king could ever be known.”

Two times we are told that there is a prophecy stating that when Aragorn becomes king, he will bear the name Elessar, meaning Elfstone. The prophecy seems to have been made at his birth, and Arwen clearly knows about it. She knows that this Quest is where Aragorn will claim his heritage, where he will finally stand forth as the rightful heir to the throne.

She also must know the lore that says, “The hands of the king are the hands of a healer”. Her gift of the Elfstone has a clear purpose – Aragorn fulfills the lore that says the true king is a great healer; which in turn causes his people to not only recognize him as the king for certain, but to ask for his help in healing their loved ones; which by healing their loved ones causes Aragorn to become beloved by his people; and that prompts them give Aragorn the name Elessar/Elfstone, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

In short, by giving Aragorn the Elessar, Arwen insures that not only the prophecy becomes fulfilled, but also that the people are on Aragorn's side, as the Elessar gives them something to latch on to and idealize Aragorn with. I'm sure we can all imagine what would have happened if Denethor had lived, and Aragorn had had no connection to the people. It would not have been pretty. This way, even if Denethor had lived (and they had no reason to think otherwise), his political power would have been much less – Aragorn already had the favor of the people.

So. Between the standard and the Elessar, Arwen gives Aragorn the tools he needs to convince men (both dead and alive) that he is the rightful king. That is on top of training his horse, so he has a trusted mount in battle. Her political acumen is great. It is clear – Aragorn could not have become King without Arwen.

“They need more gardens,” said Legolas. “The houses are dead, and there is too little here that grows and is glad. If Aragorn comes into his own, the people of the Wood shall bring him birds that sing and trees that do not die.” - Lord of the Rings, The Last Debate

Legolas says he will help Aragorn restore his city, if they win.

Gimli: “But neither did I prove; and I was held to the road only by the will of Aragorn.”

“And by the love of him also," said Legolas. "For all those who come to know him come to love him after their own fashion, even the cold maiden of the Rohirrim. It was at early morn of the day ere you came there, Merry, that we left Dunharrow, and such a fear was on all the folk that none would look on our going, save the Lady Éowyn, who lies now hurt in the House below. There was grief at that parting, and I was grieved to behold it.” - Lord of the Rings, The Last Debate

Remember, “only those who knew him well and were near to him saw the pain that he bore.” - Lord of the Rings, The Passing of the Grey Company

Legolas is close to Aragorn, and knows him well, as he noticed Aragorn’s pain. Legolas tells us that seeing Aragorn in pain caused him pain, and that all who know Aragorn love him; which shows both how highly Legolas thinks of Aragorn, and that Legolas loves him.

Some think that Legolas is only talking about Éowyn's grief. However, the wording is not right – Legolas does not single out either Aragorn or Éowyn (he says the neutral “there” and “that”). If Legolas was talking about just Éowyn, he would say something like, 'she grieved at their parting'; likewise if he was only talking about Aragorn. Both Aragorn and Éowyn were grieved, albeit in different ways; and Legolas perceived both griefs (for more on Éowyn and Aragorn, see my Éowyn essay).

In the uplands of Lamedon they overtook our horses, and swept round us, and would have passed us by, if Aragorn had not forbidden them.

At his command they fell back. “Even the shades of Men are obedient to his will,” I thought. “They may serve his needs yet!” - Lord of the Rings, The Last Debate

Legolas is not with Aragorn because he knows they will succeed. He is with him out of love and loyalty.

“Strange indeed,” said Legolas. “In that hour I looked on Aragorn and thought how great and terrible a Lord he might have become in the strength of his will, had he taken the Ring to himself. Not for naught does Mordor fear him. But nobler is his spirit than the understanding of Sauron; for is he not of the children of Lúthien? Never shall that line fail, though the years may lengthen beyond count.” - Lord of the Rings, The Last Debate

Legolas not only sees how great Aragorn is, but he also sees how terrible Aragorn could be. Only a true and close companion can see someone else that clearly. Again, he clearly thinks highly of Aragorn - Sauron cannot understand Aragorn because he is too good a soul.

Gimli: “Yet whatever is still to do, I hope to have a part in it, for the honour of the folk of the Lonely Mountain.”

“And I for the folk of the Great Wood,” said Legolas, “and for the love of the Lord of the White Tree.” - Lord of the Rings, The Last Debate

This is my absolute favorite line from Legolas about Aragorn. “For the love of the Lord of the White Tree”. Legolas does not just want to fight to bring honor to and do well by his people; he wants to fight out of love for Aragorn. Legolas’s love for Aragorn is indeed deep and eternal; for him to equal Legolas’s home, family, and people.

“And I,” said Legolas, “shall walk in the woods of this fair land, which is rest enough. In days to come, if my Elven-lord allows, some of our folk shall remove hither; and when we come it shall be blessed, for a while. For a while: a month, a life, a hundred years of Men.” - Lord of the Rings, The Field of Cormallen

Legolas seems to be measuring time by Aragorn's lifespan – Aragorn will live for another 122 years. He also refers to Thranduil as his elven-lord, not his liege-lord or father. It implies that Legolas has loyalty to and love for another lord as well, one that is not an elf. He can only be talking about Aragorn.

Legolas his friend also brought south Elves out of Greenwood, and they dwelt in Ithilien, and it became once again the fairest country in all the westlands. - Lord of the Rings, Appendix A

Legolas leaves his home for Aragorn, and he makes Aragorn’s land flourish. He is the only one to move close to Aragorn, and I think that’s telling.

But When King Elessar gave up his life Legolas followed at last the desire of his heart and sailed over Sea - Lord of the Rings, Appendix A

Legolas denies his heart’s longing and stays in Middle-earth because of Aragorn. He was measuring time by Aragorn's lifespan.

~*~

Arwen and Legolas support Aragorn from opposite directions – Aragorn draws on Arwen and is supported by Legolas.

Frodo calls Arwen “queenly,” and he's right. Arwen is regal, knowledgable, and wise. She has a more serious and steadfast personality, and is unpretentious. She is a natural leader who works from the background. (for more on Arwen, see my Arwen essay)

Aragorn is also naturally more serious. He has almost no self-esteem and has an anxious and fluctuating personality. He has a strong will and is a great leader, but his greatest enemy is himself.

Legolas is not naturally serious; but light-hearted, sassy, and fanciful. Yet he is serious when he needs to be, and is quick to defend and forgive. He is loyal, humble, open-hearted, selfless, and kind. He expresses sadness and fear, but never lets it control him. He is sassy, fanciful, and dramatic in his words; and yet easygoing and realistic about the situations he is in. Throughout all of his words and actions, there is an undercurrent of steadfastness. He can lead when he needs to, but prefers to follow and support from the background.

Though Legolas is not a scholar (he references songs, not books), being an elf means he knows a significant amount of lore anyway. The quotes of Aragorn and Legolas sharing knowledge are signs of their compatibility and similarity, because they give and take equally. Arwen, Aragorn, and Legolas all think the same way, they all have that elven mentality.

As such, all three of them are mentally isolated from any other mortal. There is a large part of themselves that no one else understands, because all three move to Gondor and essentially become immigrants. Tolkien only has a few sentences about this time, but I do not doubt that it was hard for all three of them.

King Elessar is Great. He cannot be just another multidimensional being with strengths and weaknesses. But Estel is just a person, and Estel needs his two pillars to help him succeed at being King Elessar. It cannot always be easy for Arwen and Legolas, but they can support each other in supporting Estel.

Arwen is perfectly matched to help Aragorn rule, and Legolas is not. But Legolas can help both Aragorn and Arwen relax and lighten up. Neither Arwen nor Legolas likes being in the spotlight, and Aragorn is a great leader. Like everyone else, he just needs support from people he can be his true self – Estel – with.

One of the many things I love about the films is that they not only highlighted the Arwen/Aragorn and Aragorn/Legolas relationships, but they also implied a close relationship between Arwen and Legolas. In the final films, Legolas protects and holds onto the Evenstar, and gestures to Arwen at the Coronation. Unfortunately, they deleted the emotionally intimate goodbye between Arwen and Legolas in FotR, but you can see part of it here (0:18 to 0:21).

#Arwen #Aragorn #Legolas #tolkiengenweek #Mine

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extendedtkwrtrilogyend · 6 years

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Chapter XXI (EXT): The Best of Sons (Pt. VIII/b)

Time passed and the day came when I would once again see the power of Sauron face to face. The day was as any other—the court going about its work, Êlenuil and Súlelenth seemed happier than I’d seen them—playing with their children. I stopped on the balcony overlooking the gardens to watch them together. Something seemed different to me.

“Your eyes do not deceive you, Thranduil,” I heard Êlúriel say as she approached me. “Súlelenth is with child once more.”

I could tell by the look on her face that my own was frozen in disbelief. I could not find my words—they seemed locked in my throat; at any moment I would choke on them.

“Your Majesty,” Súriar said. “Are you well?”

I nodded and followed him toward my study, leaving Êlúriel to her thoughts. As we came to the doors, we entered my study.

“I wish to show you what we have done,” Súriar began. “We have finished the volume of our history for the Second Age would like your approval.”

“Yes, of course,” I said looking over the work on his table. I began reading, trying to put my mind at ease when Eldôr entered with my council close behind.

“Good morning, Thranduil,” Eldôr said as he walked to my table. “There are fears spoken in whispers that Sauron is rising once more in Mordor.”

“Good morning to you as well,” I said walking over to I sit in my chair. “You have always known how to greet me with such cheerful news, Uncle. So, Sauron has returned to Mordor. I cannot tell you how surprised I am.”

“I am sure there is a reason for his re-emergence,” Fëaluin said quietly placing a message in front of me with the seal of Rivendell.

“What is this,” I asked, as I opened it and started reading.

“That just arrived from Rivendell,” Elranduil said.

“So I see,” I answered. “I am to expect Estel to arrive in my kingdom.” “Within the week,” Eldôr answered. “He comes to us from our southern borders.”

“Tell me, Eldôr,” I began. “Why would the heir of Gondor be coming to us so far from his home? He is the ward of Elrond, is he not?”

“He was in his youth,” Eldôr said. “He has been of age for quite some time.” “Much time has past since then,” Fëaluin said.

“Yes, and much time has past since my father fell at Dagorlad fighting by the side of his ancestor Isildur,” I said. “Now, I am to welcome his heir into my kingdom.”

“The same blood runs through his vains,” Fëaluin scoffed. “It does not mean the same temperament. Many generations have come and gone since Dagorlad, Thranduil.”

“We shall see, Fëaluin,” I said. “For now, the fires of Orodruin are aflame once more. Only a fool would think war is long behind us. There is little doubt of it and I will have little choice but to give my sons over to it as my father gave me. This will be unlike anything this world has seen or shall see again.”

“I do not mean to upset you,” Fëaluin started. “But—”

“Súlelenth is with child,” I said. “Was that what you wished to say, Fëaluin?”

He nodded quietly.

“How far along,” I asked.

“Not long at all,” Elranduil said. “How you would know is amazing.”

“How I would know is that I have been married long enough to know. What I do not know is how it happened.”

“You know well how it happened,” Eldôr answered.

“And you know well what I was asking,” I said. “Surely someone warned her against it and would it might do to her.”

“She is like her mother, I am afraid,” Nimlos answered. “Headstrong and young. Both a lethal combination for anyone, elven or mortal.”

“What of her husband,” I asked.

“Êlenuil is not himself,” Ardôr said. “He hides his fear for her in the company of others but as his father, I can see it, even more so than Elendôr.”

“All we can do is wait,” I said. “For one thing or another. There will be little peace until all things have come to their end—whether we want them to or not.”

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

I had little time to worry about Súlelenth as the days passed quickly and were disrupted by an expected visitor with an unexpected gift. It was earlier than usual that I was in the hall outside my chambers with Êlúriel.

“All things well,” I asked quietly.

“Yes,” she whispered. “There has been little change with Súlelenth.”

“That is good to hear but I was speaking of you.”

She smiled at me as she took my hand and kissed it tenderly. Before she could say a word, we saw Elmîr walking toward us.

“Yes, Elmîr,” I said. “What do you have for me today?”

“He has come,” he said bowing. “He is not alone.”

I looked up at him—his face contorted in disgust. The three of us went into the throne room where my entire council waited in audience. Standing before them was a man with dark hair and gentle eyes. Êlúriel gasped as she ascended to her throne in fright.

Before I could adjust my focus on him, I noticed he had beside him a horrible little creature as black as pitch with slick skin and eyes far larger than his face would allow.

“What is that,” I whispered to Elmîr.

“That is hideous,” he said. “If you do not mind, do not make me touch it.” I walked over to the man. He respectfully bowed. He was extraordinarily measured considering he had come into my kingdom with such a monstrosity.

“What shall I call you, now that you stand beyond the borders of Rivendell,” I asked him.

“Aragorn, Son of Arathorn,” he said. “For I know you know well of my past.” “What is this creature you bring with you?”

“Gollum,” he said. “Wretched creature he is, but I am afraid Sauron has done this to him.”

“I wants it, my precious,” Gollum said to himself. “He took it!”

I did not know to if I should address Gollum or leave him to himself.

“Is he speaking to me,” I asked.

“No,” Aragorn said. “To himself. He does not know where he is. Sauron tortured him mercilessly, I am afraid.”

“What did he look like before,” I asked, feeling some pity. “I am almost afraid to ask.”

“I do not know, for I was not yet born,” he said. “He has been this way for hundreds of years.”

“I have seen many disgusting creatures, but none such as this where I have pity yet am utterly disgusted at first sight.”

“I agree with you, Your Majesty,” he said. “But there is something that has taken his soul and turned it away to darkness. I am afraid it was one of my own that played a part.”

“The War of the Last Alliance,” Eldôr said. “I remember; that is where we fought together to defeat Sauron at Mordor so long ago.”

“He found a ring that belonged to Sauron that was misplaced,” Aragorn said. “From what I could gather from him, he lost this ring that Elrond said Isildur once had in his possession. I brought him to see if you get him to say more.”

Before I could answer, Legolas came around the corner with Tarthôn, Ardôr and Orísil and screamed in terror at the sight of Gollum. Gollum let out an equally loud cry I would liken to an animal in distress.

“Legolas,” I said. “Calm yourself.”

“What is that,” he asked.

“Disgusting,” Tarthôn answered.

“Aragorn, meet my sons, Legolas and Tarthôn,” I said, as I motioned to guards to take Gollum to the dungeon. “Your journey was long, I am sure. Please, rest and tomorrow we will discuss how we will talk to Gollum.”

He bowed and followed Fëaluin away. I called Nimlos to me.

“Yes,” he asked.

“Wherever Gollum is placed, have the guards clean his cell often,” I said. “I am afraid he might leave a stain and render our dungeons useless.”

He nodded and took his leave—leading the guards with Gollum toward the dungeons as Êlúriel slowly descended from her throne. Once beside me, she seemed to look around to make sure Gollum was no longer near. I grabbed her shoulder and hissed into her ear. She screamed.

“Thranduil, you are horrible,” she said.

I tried hard not to laugh as I made we made our way to our chambers to prepare for dinner.

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

Once dressed, we made our way toward the dinning hall in relative silence. As we made our way across the balcony overlooking the garden, Êlúriel’s mind wandered out loud.

“It has been some time since you have seen the children,” I heard Êlúriel say. “They have grown.”

“What are you saying,” I asked. “I see them everywhere. There is never a dull moment in the palace as Isílriel has taken mother’s place as the disruptor of the morning and you know Tarthôn and Legolas are part of my council.”

“You know which children I am speaking of, Thranduil,” she said. “The twins, Nenduîl and Tárimë. Do not forget Aranduil. They are walking now.”

“At this hour they are sleeping,” I said. “Perhaps I will see them tomorrow when I am done with my duties.”

“You say that every time I mention it,” she said quietly. “What are you afraid of?”

“Not a thing,” I said as we approached the enormous doors of the hall. “You know what keeps me away.”

“You say that every time I ask,” she said hiding her laughter.

We stood waiting for the doors to open briefly. Two raps on the floor and doors were opened.

“Their Majesties, King Thranduil and Queen Êlúriel,” Fealuin announced as the court stood and bowed as we entered and took our places.

I noticed that Aragorn and Legolas seemed as kindred spirits and they spent most of the night talking with one another and the other princes of the realm. The voices in the room sounded like the buzzing of bees until I felt a small hand pulling on my coat. I looked down to see a small elven child looking at me—his soft golden hair falling around his blue eyes. He reminded me of Legolas at that age.

“Pick me up,” he said. “Now, please."

“No,” another voice said on my other side. “Me, first.”

With sparkling grey eyes and brown hair with the right hint of gold, she gave her brother a sharp look. I could not help but laugh.

“What are you doing out of bed,” I whispered. I did not want to alarm anyone of their presence.

“No,” he said. “I am not sleepy.”

“I am,” she said, climbing upon my lap and curling up as her brother tried to grab something on the table.

The room fell quiet as everyone was looking at me. Elranduil started to laugh.

“Ada,” Legolas said. “I believe someone wishes to have an audience with you.”

“Yes, I guess they felt you were ready to see them,” Êlúriel whispered, as Elranduil picked up the boy.

“Everyone, this is Nenduîl,” he said. “Son of Êlenuil and that is his sister, Tárimë.”

Tárimë had fallen asleep with her arms around my neck. I could not help but remember fondly when my children were young and how much joy they had brought to me whenever they were in my arms. As I rose from my seat cradling Tárimë, everyone stood to bow. I followed Elranduil out into the hall.

“If I did not know better,” I began. “I would think you had something to do with this, Elranduil.”

“I do not mean to disappoint you, Thranduil,” he said. “But roaming out pass bedtime seems to be an inherited trait in this family.”

Once in their chambers, I looked around. It once belonged to Legolas and Tarthôn. My mother and my wife had taken such care to prepare it for them so long ago. I put Tárimë in her bed and went to look out their window at the falls. They seemed to play a lullaby I never knew but generations after had grown to love. Elranduil came and stood next to me.

“I suppose Nenduîl was sleepy after all,” he said.

“They are beautiful,” I said.

“Truly,” he said. “They have but one choice in this world to make when they come of age.”

“Then let them make it for themselves,” I said. “You know they cannot stay here no more than their father.”

“I know,” he said. “Êlenuil does not know what he is, so what would he tell his children?”

“Nothing,” I said. “For a time. They are still too young.”

We watched the children sleep for a while before leaving to our own chambers.

How beautiful they were, I thought. How so much they resembled Êlúriel and me.

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

The next morning I prepared to speak with Aragorn. I walked from my chambers as always toward my study when Fëaluin met me in the hall.

“He is gone,” he said.

“Who is gone,” I asked as Legolas and Aragorn approached.

“Gollum,” Fëaluin said. “Guards have been sent to find him. He seemed to have slipped away when they opened his cell to give him food and drink.”

“What do we do now,” Legolas said. “The guards told Nimlos and Nînuir he spent most of the time talking with himself about hobbits.”

“Hobbits,” I asked as I remembered Bilbo. “Why would that creature be speaking of hobbits. Rather peculiar.”

“I think that may be what he was,” Aragorn said. “He spoke of it on the way here. He seems to think one took the ring from him.”

“If he is out there with that ring,” I began. “Then this world will know peace no more. Search no further than these borders for him.”

Aragorn and Legolas left with several others out of the palace.

“It seems that we have had only a moment of peace,” Fëaluin said. “Now it is no longer."

But dusk, all returned empty handed. Gollum knew darkness well and how to navigate through it far better than any man or elf. Aragorn stayed with us one last night and left swiftly the following day. I hoped perhaps Gollum may be found before whatever evil befell him fell upon another.”--–TKWR:BII The Saga of Thranduil (EXT. VER.) by J. Marie Miller 11-17-17

Images: ©2001, 2002, 2003. Warner Brothers Pictures. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. All Rights Reserved.

#aragorn #aragorn son of arathorn #gollum #thranduil and eluriel #nenduil and tarime #thranduil and elranduil #the one ring #mirkwood #tolkien fan fiction #in honor of jrr tolkien #writing fan fiction #writing high fantasy #tkwr trilogy #the kingdom of the woodland realm trilogy #the saga of thranduil #the extended version of book ii #book ii

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