Larner
· 25 July 2009
· Chapter 1: A Mission Abroad
Fascinating to think that somehow Hurin has been implicated in treason, and his father knows, as does Denethor. Most interesting situation. As we know Hurin survived to serve Denethor as Warden of the Keys, something happened to lead Thorongil to allow the young man to survive in spite of the Steward's orders.
And I find myself wondering what might have been in that flask other than perfume. Its drop seems to providential at this point.
Author's reply
Thank you as always, Larner.
Yes, Húrin is Denethor's Warden, so he will come out of this...somehow. Since Tolkien tells the basics of what happened with the Corsairs in a few lines, I thought I needed to thicken the plot! :-)
Aiwen
· 25 July 2009
· Chapter 1: A Mission Abroad
Very interesting. Aragorn's gotten himself into a very awkward situation. I look forward to seeing where you take this.
Author's reply
Thank-you, Aiwen.
I look forward to seeing where you take this. Why! To Umbar and back, of course! :-)
Vilwarin
· 25 July 2009
· Chapter 1: A Mission Abroad
Great beginning to the story! It's interesting how other things come into play like the list of traitors or the seemingly unimportant vial of perfume. And who is in Thorongil's room..? I'm looking forward to seeing how you will continue it.
Greetings, Vilwarin.
Author's reply
AS I said to other reviewers, I needed to thicken the plot because Tolkien sums it all up very neatly in the Tale of tehe yEars. So you are right, we have perfumes, and traitors and perhaps someone hidden in Thorongil's room... Many thanks for taking the time to review.
daw the minstrel
· 25 July 2009
· Chapter 1: A Mission Abroad
Oh wow. I love the complexity of what you're doing here, Perelleth. Is Ecthelion right in his "pruning" (and, btw, the image of the White Tree at the end is so apt for what you've done before)? Or is Hurin loyal? His father's anguish is terrible.
And Aragorn's jealousy of Denethor's domestic happiness is poignant.
But what a burden for Aragorn to know he's leading men to, essentially, be executed.
What's with the perfume stuff? Is there more to that? Why did Denethor look so alarmed?
Author's reply
I had been thinking about this episode since first I wrote about the eagle- shaped brooch that Bilbo gave to Estel in MAthom!, but since Tolkien tells everything in a few lines, I needed to invent a plot. I've been entertaining myself in the last months figuring out the whole thing with its twists and turns, as a kind of exercise, since I have never before written Aragorn as MC, nor a tale with no elves in it!
I am glad that you picked up the White tree. Thinking about all this I figured that serving gondor in those times must have been like a being in a meat- mincing machine, and not just for Aragorn. The white tree, dead, skeletal and still reclaiming strength and service and pruning seemed to me a good image of both Aragorn's at times hopeless struggle but also that of the people who lived there and who knew not how close to them was the king-to-be that might one day deliver them. Hope is such a fragile, invisible, flimsy thing!
Thank you as always for taking the time and apologies for the long winded reply!