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| The Temptation of Hope by Raksha The Demon | 14 Review(s) |
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| Lady_Roisin | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/2/2009 |
| Raksha, I have to say, this was a really genious idea, and not to mention well written. I like how you portrayed Aragorn (or Thorongil) in this story. I like how you portrayed his thoughts, his emotions. I like how you explored him considering another, and for the reasons he did. You showed him as a man, plain and simple. I'm sure for as strong as his love was for Arwen, there wer times he might have had doubts. I think that would have been a normal, and understandable, reaction for Aragorn, especially considering he had to wait so long for Arwen. I like how you also wrote Finduilas' father. I found the characterization very interesting. I like the idea that he would almost beg Aragorn to marry his daughter instead of Denethor. The dialogue is sublime. It's natural and believable. I love it when authors write dialogue the way people would actually talk to one another. I like the emotional shifts Aragorn takes between refusing, almost accepting, and refusing again because he sees Finduilas' happiness with Denethor. I absolutely love how Aragorn refused, even though it would have made his situation a bit easier. I like how he held Finduilas' happiness in esteem, and even Denethor's despite the fact neither liked eachother much. It shows what an honorable man Aragorn was, and it's realistic to believe he would come to the conclusion you wrote if he ever faced this situation. I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite stories of yours thus far. It speaks to me on a deeper level, and I really enjoyed reading it. I was almost sad when it was over because I enjoyed it so much! Keep writing! I enjoy reading your stories very much. Author Reply: Thanks for this very thorough review, Lady R! To give Aragorn his due, I think that if he had plighted his troth to Arwen before coming to Rohan and Gondor, no power on Middle-earth would have tempted him to wed another. But it's been over 20 years since he saw Arwen; and she hadn't yet returned his love, her image in his mind would sometimes, by this time, seem an impossible dream. And I think Aragorn would be wearied of having to wait for even the basic human experience of marriage and fatherhood. I tried to write Finduilas' father Adrahil as a tough old salt in contrast to ROTK-era Imrahil, whose speech is far more mannered. I figure that Imrahil might have taken on a more elegant and etiquette-minded turn of phrase in contrast to his father, as children sometimes end up deliberately going in a different direction from their parents; and Imrahil seems to have followed tradition, i.e. becoming a worthy Prince and warrior, in other matters. I think Aragorn was very tempted here; especially because he had been so lonely for so long. But Aragorn is, was, and always would be, too honorable to steal, and he recognized that if he married Finduilas, however much he respected her and even if he made her Queen of Gondor, it would still be a theft. Also, Aragorn never took the easy way! | |
| Celeritas | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 2/22/2009 |
| Only now getting around to reviewing this. I love a lot of things in this: the rational temptation Aragorn has, the fact that Adrahil is trying to get his daughter to escape the doom he feels creeping in on her, and most of all that she is willingly accepting that doom all the same because she loves Denethor. She has already bestowed her heart elsewhere; and you are too good a father to break it. Beautiful way of turning down his proposal! Thanks for writing this. Oh, and bonus points for the cloak! Author Reply: Thanx much for reading and reviewing, Celeritas. I figured that Finduilas must have been quite a woman, since Denethor would have been a most discerning man, and that Finduilas was one of the few women who could have tempted Aragorn from the path his younger heart had laid out for him. I'm not sure that Finduilas comprehended that she would die in 13 years if she married Denethor (and the marriage to Denethor was not the sole cause in my opinion), but I think she knew that she would face the horror of relative proximity to Barad-dur and the pressures of being the Steward's Lady; and that she was prepared to endure the bitter along with the sweet. I think she chose a life that would be difficult, challenging and potentially sorrowful; over an easier life such as staying her father's beloved little girl in the castle by the sea, or marrying another. In other words; Finduilas loved Denethor, and though her eyes might not have seen all ends, she would have made the decision to marry him with her eyes open. Glad you noticed the cloak! | |
| Cairistiona | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 2/19/2009 |
| Very compelling story. The temptations Aragorn had to deal with in his years in Gondor must have been numerous, and to have Imrahil all but hand him Gondor on a platter, in the form of marriage to Finduilas, would have probably been the hardest one of all to resist. You show his wisdom and moral character well here with the thought process he works through before finally declining her hand. I like how you have Imrahil sum up Denethor as one with a heart as a closed fist to trap and to hold. For all his brilliance, Denethor seems unable to love without grasping and controlling... whether it be a woman or a nation. A troubled and troubling person, indeed, Denethor. I do wonder if, envisioning a future with Denethor as Steward, and perhaps having a strong inkling of who Aragorn truly was, if Imrahil wasn't attempting in his own way to nudge fate along in a direction he would have much preferred. A very thought-provoking tale. Thank you for writing it. Author Reply: Thanx for reading and reviewing, Cairistiona! Actually, it's Adrahil, Finduilas' father, who is offering Thorongil his daughter rather than Imrahil (Finduilas' brother), but it's easy to confuse the names. Yes, Denethor did tend to hold tightly to that which he loved most; something that many people did, but it did him and his sons no good, poor guy. I think that Finduilas knew at least to some extent what she was getting into and could probably handle Denethor better than most; and that she did love him. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 2/17/2009 |
| Lovely details and a realistic portrayal of temptation that a fine man resists. You made both the temptation and the resistance real. Author Reply: I'm glad the story worked for you, Daw. I thought that Thorongil would have been seriously tempted; but that he also had the perception and morality to hold out for what could still be his without interfering in the love of others. Thanx for reviewing! | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 2/17/2009 |
| A very moving and thought provoking story full of what ifs? Maybe Finduilas would have been happier with Aragorn but would they both have always hankered after their true loves? A nice explanation for the origins of the cloak.I liked this story very much. Author Reply: Thanks much for the review, Linda. Aragorn would have probably been easier to live with than Denethor, but Finduilas would not have forgotten the man she truly loved; and Aragorn would have always wondered what might have been if he had gone back and wooed Arwen as a mature man. | |
| Lady Bluejay | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 2/17/2009 |
| Love it. Such a believable rendering, and so nice to see Dol Amroth in a different Time. LBJ Author Reply: Thanks, L.B.; I'm delighted that you find it believable. I had to stint on descriptions of the keep of Dol Amroth, but I imagine it to be a place both powerful and beautiful, and that the Princes of Dol Amroth throw great parties. | |
| inzilbeth | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 2/16/2009 |
| Ah, wonderful, Raksha, oh what might have been. You've certainly given us plenty to think about here. As such a celebrated captain, beloved by the Steward, I'm sure he had no shortage of offers of this kind. How strong then his love for Arwen, even without any promise, that that he never accepted any of them. Interesting discussion of what might have been if Aragorn hadn't been on the Quest. I would go so far as to say it would have ended in Bree without him! Thank you for another delightful and entertaining piece. Author Reply: I imagine that there were plenty of lords and captains, and their wives, who dangled their marriageable daughters before Ecthelion's favorite Captain; but when the Prince of Dol Amroth offers you the hand of his fairest daughter, you have to know that you've Arrived in Gondorian society. I think Adrahil knew that Thorongil was at least connected to the remnants of Isildur's line, he certainly knew that Thorongil had some kind of lordship or estate in the North, and he thought Finduilas would have a better life with him than with Denethor. I think that other Rangers might have been able to get the Hobbits out of Bree. But in my unwritten AU future that stems from Aragorn accepting Adrahil's offer, Aragorn would still meet the hobbits in Bree, having left Denethor to rule Gondor as Steward in his absence (and Boromir and Faramir would be Aragorn's sons, Boromir would probably have a different name; and they'd be doing pretty much the same thing at least through 3018). So Aragorn would have still been Rangering through the wilderlands to find and capture Gollum and bring him, and his fateful knowledge, to Gandalf's attention. Thanks for reading and reviewing, Inzilbeth! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 2/16/2009 |
| Ah! Perfect, Raksha! I thought I might have read a bit of Anglachel's influence here. And I can understand Adrahil wishing Finduilas a marriage with perhaps more chance of hope of peace than the one she accepted. But I do believe that Denethor would have truly loved her before asking for her hand. And The Hands of the King is one of the best written fanfics I've ever read, I think. Certainly one of the most compelling. Author Reply: I think Denethor fell hard for Finduilas and set his sights on her months before this story occured; and I think Finduilas loved him well. Hands of the King is certainly compelling. Anglachel is a good writer who in my opinion should be writing modern thrillers or historical novels set in Byzantium. | |
| MP brennan | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 2/16/2009 |
| This is a very beautiful and well thought out story. The portrayal of Denethor and Finduilas is very sweet and more touching because you space it out in glimpses. Aragorn's perspective is excellent. And I'm a sucker for Thorongil stories;-) Author Reply: Thanx for reading and reviewing, MPB. I don't think I've ever written Finduilas before. I'm glad you think I got Aragorn's perspective right. I've only written Denethor and Thorongil once before; and in that story (The Eagle's Gift), Denethor was the narrator; so it was interesting to write the kingly Captain. | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 2/16/2009 |
| I really liked this. It was a realistic and all too believable temptation. The saddest part of all is that *both* Thorongil and Adrahil were right: Yes, Finduilas' heart was already given elsewhere (and Thorongil's as well, even if he believes it will be unrequited at this point). Yes, Denethor could not give her the time and attention she would need when she moved to that cold stone City. In some ways, it was a no-win situation for Adrahil. Perhaps his daughter would have lived longer, if he had refused her hand to Denethor, but she would have been no happier. Author Reply: Thanks for a very well-written review, Dreamflower. Loving Denethor was not an easy or even the best possible choice. But Finduilas did love him, and I think she made that decision with her eyes open. I think they loved each other very much, despite Denethor probably not being easy to live with; but if Finduilas had married Hirluin the Fair, she might have lived longer, being farther away from Sauron's influence - which I think was a cause of her early demise, though perhaps not the only one. Definitely a no-win situation for Adrahil. | |