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At Hope's Edge by Cairistiona	12 Review(s)
Lexilooper	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/13/2025
Oh just kidding it's Galadh. That makes more sense. :)

Lexilooper	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/13/2025
Finishing the sausage, Aragorn tossed away the stick and stood up to ready himself for the first watch, assuming that his glare had been sufficient to stop even an oliphaunt in its tracks, let alone any protests from a small patrol of Rangers. lol, like I said. He knows his own power. But even as he started to walk away, Halbarad stood. “Aragorn, wait.” I should have known better. LOL I love him “Feeble old man is just what you look like, Aragorn,” he whispered low enough that only Aragorn could hear him. “Do not think I have not seen you wince every time you lift an arm.” akdsjfhskg this makes me so happy whump is so much better when it is obvious to others. "feeble old man is just what you look like" asjdfsgh Also Halbarad obviously loves him enough that he is ONLY trying to care for him. He's speaking sharply to get through to him, but quietly so no one else hears the words Aragorn glanced back toward the men, but they were studiously keeping their eyes turned away. Too studiously. This ambush of Halbarad’s looked to have been organized by council. “How long have you and the men had this little uprising planned?” LOL he's like mutiny Aragorn this is quite the opposite “Since I saw that you were barely able to lift your pack from your horse.” yesss I'm glad he saw that <3 Again, if I take off my backpack and my shoulders are sore, there's like a bit of silent hiss and I'm like owwww internally Aragorn would be like Nothing He would be like nothing If he actually STRUGGLES TO GET THE PACK OFF HIS HORSE A SMALL GASP EVEN he's hurt and no wonder. His body is still in recovery. “My back is merely sore from where the orc slammed me against the tree. I am quite well, I assure you.” Halbarad subtly but firmly steered Aragorn a step further away from the men. “Then show me you can raise your sword.” oop Aragorn’s chin lifted. “There is nothing so wrong with me that I cannot fight.” AHA EVASION “Aragorn, I do not do this to undermine you.” aksjdhfskjghs <:( <33 YES the gentle and yet unarguable words. He loves him. He is not trying to make Aragorn seem weak, or anything else. He is not trying to undermine his power. They locked gazes for a long moment, until finally Aragorn had to look away. Skajdhdfs looks like I don't want an eye-war with Halbarad either. Impressive. He tried one last tack. “I am the healer, not you. I can be trusted to know the status of my own injuries.” mmhmm “As you wish, then. But pray tell me, so I can learn from such a great healer, how you somehow contrived to stretch your neck around to see your own back.” HA Aragorn struggled to unclench his jaw. Halbarad was only doing what a friend would do, he supposed, much as it galled him to admit. “You are not going to give up, are you?” askdfjghk how irked Aragorn is getting by this is kinda funny to me Halbarad’s grin flashed white in the gathering twilight. “You should know me better than that.” <33 “What I know is that your mother should rue the day you were ever born,” Aragorn muttered, but he returned to his place by the fire and sat on the ground, Halbarad kneeling behind him. YESS sit by fire to be tended to <3 To his disgust, the rest of the men immediately came over and formed a ring in front of him. He scowled upward as three pairs of eyes looked down with varying degrees of worry, and in the case of Denlad’s, not a little amusement. Halbarad’s influence is greater than I thought; he’s turned an entire scouting patrol of Rangers into a flock of hand-wringing maidens. He glared at Denlad. Laughing, hand-wringing maidens. SKADHSF I AM SO CACKLING OVER HERE how I adore them oh Denlad and his mirth <3 The men reluctantly moved back a pace, and then another as they gave way under Aragorn’s murderous glare. But they still hovered close enough to further irritate Aragorn’s already frayed temper. But since drawing his sword and slaying them all was not really a viable option, tempting though it was, he gave up trying to get them to ignore what he knew would shape up to be lively fireside entertainment. For them. As for himself... he would rather face a fire-drake in its den. oh I am so irrationally excited I love this type of thing your murderous glares are powerful but I fear you're overusing them a bit right now. Or the situation is such to grant a degree of immunity to your men. They know what you're tryna do. :) “Your coat, Aragorn,” Halbarad said. yess I love every step of this?? So much?? Aragorn sighed, but he pulled off his leather coat, then his jerkin, and finally untucked his shirt. He grunted as he struggled to pull it over his head. His shoulders really did hurt, there was no denying it, and a small part of him feared that perhaps Halbarad’s worries were justified after all. But even so, he cringed at the idea of the men knowing such. He pulled his arms back down and pulled the tunic back over his head. “It is too cold to take off my shirt,” he said. yesss forced to undress layer by layer in front of everyone with injury so they can check the injury :) “For Valar’s sake,” Halbarad muttered. “At least pull your arms out of the sleeves.” “You do not need to look at my arms. Simply lift the back.” He heard Halbarad’s swift intake of breath and knew Halbarad had nearly lost his patience with him, and the result might be the loss of a perfectly good tunic. LOLL <3 He glanced over his shoulder and confirmed that a thundercloud had indeed formed across Halbarad’s brow. Without another word, he quietly slipped his arms out of the sleeves, but left the shirt hanging around his neck, draped across his chest in a meager attempt to ward off the cold. His skin immediately shriveled into legions of goose bumps. “There. Look quickly before I freeze in this wind, and see that there is nothing wrong with me other than a bruise or two.” Halbarad surveyed Aragorn’s shoulders. “Your back is starting to look as black as Sauron’s heart.” He pressed a thumb against Aragorn’s right shoulder blade. yesss good. It is extreme obvious bruising. and to be fair. He was slammed with teeth-rattling force, so Aragorn hissed and flinched. “Stop! A great healer you are, trying to break what is not broken!” Your reaction says much about your pain, my friend “Never claimed to be a healer.” Keeping his iron grip on Aragorn’s left shoulder, Halbarad used his right hand to rub the balm across Aragorn’s shoulders. It felt like he was grinding rocks into his back. “And the horses do not mind it cold. Besides, it will warm up soon enough.” lol Halbarad my friend. Gently. Although while I would love it, perhaps Aragorn deep down appreciates some rougher treatment right now. Proves they don't really see him as frail and sickly. Plus, hurts more, so I'm not complaining. “They may not mind it cold, but I am not a... wait... horses? You mean this stinking ointment from Mordor is horse balm?” SKADHSFS "a... wait... horses?" “Nothing but.” Aragorn tried to glare over his shoulder, but the fumes were starting to make his eyes water. The men took another step back. Denlad pinched his nose shut and retreated upwind to the far side of the fire, and Aragorn could hardly blame him. He thought he knew nearly every remedy there was, but this ... this utterly defied any description of a decent medicament. Dreadful did not begin to describe the smell. “You may call it horse balm, but I cannot imagine a horse standing still when approached by such a...a... stench.” He coughed and tried waving his hand in front of his face to clear the air, to no avail. Now his nose was running. He blinked and tried not to sniff. SKADHSJF this is glorious lol he can't even sniff cause it'll smell worse “It does smell a little strong, I admit. We usually have to tie the horse’s head to a post so he does not run off,” Halbarad said. “It’s my father’s own recipe, you know. Handed down from his father and his father before him. Family secret.” “Then why did you not keep the secret to yourself?” Aragorn muttered. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed wearily. LOL how I love them I am defeated. I am completely and shamefully defeated, and at the hands of my own men; at the hands of my own kinsman, no less! poor guy <3 He suddenly gasped. His skin . . . he was sure it was aflame! “You... ahhh... I will wring your.... ” His threat died to an inarticulate growl through clenched teeth. If he lived through this, he would tear Halbarad limb from limb. “Did I not say it would warm up?” He resisted the urge to leap for Halbarad’s throat. He was sure this... this sludge... was not meant for use on men. “When I have died from the burns you’ve inflicted,” he ground out, “will you at least send my bones to Minas Tirith? Or what’s left of them after this foul paste has eaten through to my very heart!” skakshjsgh his dramatic angry growling is making me happy. And again says something about how much it does hurt, for it he could bear it he probably would. Instead it burns and so he's tryna distract Halbarad with threats on his life and despairing of his own life. “Now, now, it’s not that bad,” Halbarad grinned as he wiped his hands on his own pants. “The burning only lasts a minute or two, and trust me, afterwards, you will feel reborn. It works better than any herb in your pack, I’ll wager. Now, on with that shirt before you catch your death.” lollll yes the rough and backwoods painful cures that do, however, work like magic Aragorn slapped away several pairs of hands that reached down to help. He tugged his shirt back on, then grabbed his jerkin and coat. “I go to take watch,” he grumbled. “Eledh, you best do likewise.” lol <3 He gave Halbarad one last glare before he turned his back ... his burning, aching back... on him and started to climb. He could not believe he let Halbarad smear that... that ... He could not find a word vile enough to describe it. XD <33 He trudged on, occasionally stopping to mop his sleeve against his still-streaming eyes, until he finally reached a suitable lookout spot and sat down to put his clothes back on. Eledh passed him and gave him a sympathetic look but wisely said nothing as he assumed his own position on the outcrop. Aragorn sighed. At least the burning sensation would help him stay awake. Fatigue sat on his shoulders like a oxen’s yoke. <:( exhaustedddd He glanced down at the camp. The men were settling down in their bedrolls, Halbarad spreading his out beside the empty one that was Aragorn’s, making sure to put his own to the outside edge of the camp so as to be between Aragorn and whatever evil that might strike from the darkness. Seeing the evidence of Halbarad’s protectiveness in even that small thing, Aragorn’s anger cooled. awwwwwwww Halbarad had truly meant no harm, and it was not his fault that he was a bit on the ham-handed side when it came to the healing arts. Halbarad was a warrior, not a healer, as he had said. It was not as though Halbarad had deliberately set out to char the flesh off his Chieftain’s back. Aragorn laughed quietly. What an end that would be: the sixteenth Chieftain of the Dúnedain, fallen not to trolls or orc arrow but to a misguided attempt to ease a set of sore muscles. They would sing of it in songs, but not the kind written to extol the virtues of Arnor’s heroes. No, he would have become a character to amuse small children and drunken tavern-dwellers. <33 I love that he doesn't have too much pride to laugh about this Tom Bombadil <3 A poor end to a noble people <:( that's so sadddd “No,” he whispered. The wind carried his word away, lost to the night, but he spoke it anyway. “Our people will not come to an end. We will not fall. We cannot.” awww <3333 But how to keep it happening. The faces of those who fell during the summer paraded before his mind’s eye, one by tragic one. Who would rise to replace the men’s strong arms and valiant hearts? Who would step forward to be mothers to the orphaned children? And what of the children gone? How could the potential of their lost lives ever be replaced? askfshghdjgkj the grief that goes deeper than just the lives lost, but that losing those lives also is hastening the decline of the entire people. There is no one to fill their roles. Aragorn restlessly climbed to his feet to pace the length of the cliff. And what of Bracken’s Ferry? What would they find there? More lives lost? A hollow ache had settled in his gut as soon as he had heard the reports of the attacks, and now that they were only a day’s ride from the village, his growing anxiety made the ache feel more like someone had tied his innards into a hard knot. In his pacing, he crossed Eledh’s post. He stopped briefly and squatted on his heels beside the archer. “Do you see anything?” “Nothing. The area is clear, except for a nighthawk and about three half-frozen crickets.” He grimaced and then slapped his leg. “And mosquitoes big enough to drill through clothing.” “I had not noticed any mosquitoes.” Eledh leaned toward him and sniffed, then coughed. “No, I don’t think they will come near you.” SAJF there you go “An alternative use for the horse balm, eh? Although I would not recommend it. I think I would rather be eaten alive by bugs than endure again the stinging heat of that stuff.” XDD fair “Did it help your shoulders?” He flexed them. “Surprisingly, yes. They do feel better.” <3 “And will you tell him?” Aragorn gave him a sidelong look. “No, I suppose you won’t.” AKSHF XD he knows them well Also He's TALKING He's the one who doesn't talk right? <333 Aragorn smiled faintly, and they sat watching the night, silent but in accord. It was moments like this, Aragorn realized, that acted as a balm to his aching soul just as Halbarad’s ointment had helped his aching shoulders, and far less painfully at that. He eased to his feet and nodded to Eledh, then walked back to his original post. He stood looking into the shadows, and watched as one by one the stars came out. Tomorrow may bring sorrows unimaginable, but tonight, as Eärendil sailed toward the western horizon, all was still under his bright beacon. asjdghsjhsj awwwwww A MOMENT OF HOPE TO CLING ON TO

Ellynn	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 8/24/2010
Ok, I hate you a little less now. :) You made me laugh with this chapter, really. lol I wish I could be there (invisible) and see the scene. :)))) Perfectly written. ;) P.S. A small lesson in astronomy. When seen in the evening, Venus is ALWAYS in the western horizon, and is slowly setting as the time goes by - because of Earth's rotation. ;) But if you see Venus above eastern horizon (and it is rising, again because of Earth's rotation), it is dawn. ;) As the sky is apparently moving from east to west, and the Sun, which is at first deep bellow horizon, comes closer to horizon and the eastern sky becomes brighter, Venus apparently disappears, because the sky around it is brighter and brighter. Finally, a little before sunrise, we can't see it any more. So, in your last sentence, if Aragorn is watching Earendil in the evening - and he is - it should be western horizon. :) Author Reply: Ah, thank you for the correction. Glad you laughed at that scene... it was definitely meant to counter the darker parts, and to show the depth of Halbarad's care for Aragorn and the depth of their friendship. Thanks for the review!

Minerva Organa	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 3/17/2009
Ermm... This chapter may have made me laugh out loud. Kind of a lot. Maybe this is because I'm really tired, but mostly I think it's because it's really fantastic. The banter between Halbarad and Aragorn...loves You really do the mix of comedy and angst quite well. The last paragraph in particular was very poignant. It's nice to know that even in the saddest moments of Aragorn's life, there're still touches of love, and hope that things will turn out for the better. Author Reply: LOL... thank you, Minerva. It was supposed to have provided a bit of a chuckle, to lighten the mood a bit, so I'm glad it made you actually laugh out loud. Halbarad and Aragorn are fun to right when they're fussing at one another. And yes, real life is full of lighter moments even in the midst of the darker times, and I think it would be no less true for Aragorn and the Dunedain. Glad you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for the review!

Calenlass Greenleaf	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/30/2008
It seems I've been very, very amiss in my reviewing. This chapter was both amusing and sad. The last paragraph was perhaps my favorite, a perfect touch to end this part. ~Cal Author Reply: No problem--it's a busy time of year for everyone. :) Glad you liked this chapter, and really glad you liked that last paragraph. It's a bit of a peaceful moment for him that was sorely needed. Thanks again for the review!

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/30/2008
Poor Aragorn, Halbarad should have found somewhere more private to try out the salve!His concern,though,for Aragorn is very moving as is Aragorn's watch scene. Author Reply: Thanks, Linda! Glad you liked this. And yes, I bet Aragorn wished the same thing!

inzilbeth	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/30/2008
I absolutely adore this chapter. You write humour every bit as well as angst and I'm never entirely sure which makes me the most sorry for Aragorn! Author Reply: Thank you, Inzilbeth! Yeah, my humor kind of tends to be at Aragorn's expense, doesn't it? LOL Poor Strider. He can't win. grin

Silivren Tinu	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/30/2008
LOL! Poor Aragorn! Sometimes it seems there's nothing worse than having people who truly care for you. g //assuming that his glare had been sufficient to stop even an oliphaunt in its tracks// He should have known better indeed - a worried mother hen is far worse than any oliphaunt could be! :D I'm beginning to think Aragorn might have preferred having to drink Elrond's TEA after all. I really like Halbarad's protectiveness (and his obstinacy), it's so sweet and besides, I'm quite sure Aragorn needs it, judging from the way he's (not) taking care of himself. //What an end that would be: the sixteenth Chieftain of the Dúnedain, fallen not to trolls or orc arrow but to a misguided attempt to ease a set of sore muscles. // With any luck, Sauron would have died laughing upon hearing this and Aragorn would have defeated him post-mortem without having to fight a single battle. bg Loved it! :) Almut Author Reply: LOL ... Thank you, Almut! Your reviews always make me smile! Hmm, Sauron dying of laughter... now there's an AU plot bunny if I ever saw one! Would have made life a lot more simple for everyone, wouldn't it have? Well, except maybe Aragorn and Arwen. grin And there's a debate for all time: which is worse, Halbarad's Horse Balm or Lord Elrond's TEA? Thanks again for the review--glad this chapter gave you a smile. :)

Marethiel	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/29/2008
"Aragorn smiled faintly, and they sat watching the night, silent but in accord. It was moments like this, Aragorn realized, that acted as a balm to his aching soul just as Halbarad’s ointment had helped his aching shoulders, and far less painfully at that." Awwwwwwwww! Dadburn it, you write well... Your original characters are three-dimensional, I can hear their voices, and I see our poor Aragorn, frustrated, irritated and so endearingly sweet and caring. And Halbarad -- wonderful characterization. I'm so glad I found your work; it has given me wonderful hours of escape into Middle Earth and I thank you. ~Marethiel Author Reply: Thank you so much, Marethiel! It's always so reassuring when I hear that my OCs are drawn well... it's always a risk, adding your own people to M-e, so I'm glad mine are working out for you. And you've really summed up Aragorn well--he's not exactly in his most sunniest of moods in this story, is he, poor guy, and yet he still doesn't lose that deep sense of care for his men that's so essential to his character. So glad to have a new reader! I hope you lose yourself for many, many more hours to come! Thank you again for leaving such a lovely review. :)

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 12/28/2008
Peace can come with soothed muscles, soothed bruises, and soothes spirits. A lovely episode! Author Reply: Thank you, Larner! I'm glad you liked this respite... and yes, they were in sore need of peace, Aragorn especially. Thanks for the review!

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