Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


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The King and the Steward by Itarille	4 Review(s)
Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/23/2025
In response to your comment about posting stories and seeming busy (and the cat), they are all rather tied together. I retired a few months ago from a job that demanded intense concentration and was associated with eyestrain to the point that I had to resort to audiobooks for all my leisure reading. That job derailed me from fanfic reading for more than a decade. Before that time, I was in the habit of posting one to three chapters a day when the ideas flowed quickly, and then going long stretches between postings when they didn't flow at all. When I wasn't writing, I was often thinking about characters and outlining story ideas – and always reading: fanfic, science fiction, and fantasy for the most part. Because the Shire was my "happy place", I consistently set aside a couple hours a day to write about hobbits and/or research technical aspects that contributed to writing stronger stories. But real-life demands required me to go back to work when our youngest started high school. My skills fit the requirements needed for academic editing. I learned so much from editing theses and dissertations over the years! But I really missed the community and creativity of the people who, like me, enjoy LOTR fanfiction, and so when I retired, I returned to SoA. A lot of the people I knew years ago are no longer here (for various reasons), but I still find a lot of comfort and satisfaction in Tolkien's creation. I'm so glad that people are still writing (and reading) and are happy to discuss ideas and concepts and applications of Tolkien's works. Middle-earth remains a refuge of sorts for me. In a sense, I'm making up for lost time by reading and posting all the fanfic I didn't have time (or eye-power) for over the past decade-and-a-half. Also, when I retired, I went from 8- to 14-hour days of editing, often 7 days a week, to... having a lot of "free" time on my hands. So nowadays I have the luxury of spending 6 hours at the keyboard and still having time to do other things that I need or want to do. And then... on February 4, our youngest cat died unexpectedly (shockingly so, to be honest, probably of congenital heart failure) just short of his third birthday. Part of working through the grief has been to spend more time writing and reading fanfic and less time on cooking, cleaning, hobbies, that sort of thing, as a healthy response. One might call it a self-soothing coping mechanism. It has helped. For the last few days, I've been cutting back a bit and finding a healthier balance. But I still haven't found a better alternative for filling those "extra" 6 hours a day, so I'll most likely keep writing fanfic to tune up my writing skills, with an eye to eventually getting back to an original writing project that's been in the works a long time. (Along with reading fanfic, of course.) All that said, I must also add this... I immensely enjoy reading your stories and hope to see more! It's been wonderful to see new chapters being posted to various stories here on SoA, even as I'm exploring all the fanfic I've missed over the last couple decades. Author Reply: I'm sorry about your loss. I hope you find solace in writing, reading, and other activities you enjoy. It must be nice (but daunting also, I guess) to suddenly have so much free time. You mentioned an eye problem related to your previous job, to the point that you had to resort to audiobooks for your leisure reading. But now you can read again, does this mean your eye has healed since leaving your job? I hope so!

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/20/2025
This is such a perfect picture of the Dúnedain: On long nights of patrol around Bree, when the wind howled and the rain soaked through his cloak and mail, he would clutch the silver star pinned upon his cloak, reminding himself that it was the King of Arnor whom he served. The king of the last remnants of Númenor—though he bore neither sceptre nor crown, and dressed as shabbily as the rest of them. On the brink of battle with Orcs and other foul creatures, he would recall the towers of Armenelos. They had risen bright above the sea, unbowed and unbent, just as his people must stand, though no citadel remained to shelter them. The Northern Rangers have long fascinated me, especially the thirty who rode South and trod the Paths of the Dead. (And I've often wondered what that departure meant in terms of how many were left behind to guard the North-lands? And how they fared in the larger scheme of things, knowing how the King of Dale and King under the Mountain were slain in battle during that time. Did the Rangers guarding Bree and the Shire face similar onslaughts?) Halbarad knew his death lay "beyond" but went forward anyhow... Dirhael's funk sounds very plausible here, combining the letdown after the adrenalin of battle plus the ostentatious-seeming unfamiliar surroundings (for some reason Bilbo's poem comes to mind: "not all that glisters is gold") plus the momentary uncertainty that their Chieftain will no longer be theirs. Author Reply: Thank you! I'm touched that you took the time to read and leave a review. You've posted many stories recently, and you also mentioned bringing your cat to a vet? You must have been busy. I certainly hope the Rangers' homes didn't suffer as much as Dale and the Dwarves did. The Rangers had it tough enough as it was. Halbarad knew his death lay beyond but went forward anyhow--> exactly, he went forward out of love for Aragorn. I imagined Minas Tirith might be overwhelming for people used to more rugged situations.

shirebound	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/20/2025
they felt an unexpected pang of loss. A new age had begun for Aragorn, and where was the Dúnedain’s place in that age? A quite understandable concern! Author Reply: Thank you! The book didn't tell us much about these valiant, dour-handed men. I wonder if you have written any story about them?

PSW	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/20/2025
Good chapter. It was interesting to get inside a few Dunedain heads and feel their confusion and unease - their realization that there was nobility and valor left in Gondor as well, their unease at losing Aragorn. They’re feeling overwhelmed by the grandeur of the city. I’m sure they didn’t really know what to think at this point… Author Reply: Thank you! It took me long to write this chapter, but it seems unfair to leave them out of a story about Aragorn's early days in Gondor. I'm looking forward to your story about them!

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