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| Fragments of a love story by Nesta | 2 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 3/24/2009 |
| Ah--too often duty compels one where the heart does not lead. | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 3/23/2009 |
| This is sorrowful - Firiel is accepting a prison that others have made for her. I assume that she's accepting Eldarion's suit because he's still saying he will wed no one but her, and she knows that he and Gondor need heirs? But can't Faramir or Aragorn see that Eldarion is doing a terrible thing here and convince him to stop pursuing a woman who does not want him? It's also a bit unclear whether Firiel could be incapable of loving a man because she is so bound emotionally to her father, or is capable of finding love but not with Eldarion. In my Fourth Age universe, I also imagine that Eldarion weds someone of Faramir's blood, but there is love on both sides. Author Reply: I'm not sure it is a terrible thing that Eldarion is doing, nor that the others are wrong to let it happen. In most of Tolkien's marriages, either the feelings of the couple are not examined (e.g. Elrond and Celebrian) or it's assumed that they love once and for all (e.g. Beren and Lúthien). In the real world, though, it's very often the case that people marry because they're 'in love' and then rapidly fall out of love, and either separate or fight it out until they've found a way to jog along. Arguably it's better to marry without 'being in love' and go into the relationship knowing you're going to have to work very hard at it. That must be the case with most 'dynastic' marriages, in Middle Earth and outside it. | |