Ah, a heartwarming story for Christmas from Cairistiona! Or, it promises to be, at least, because we already know Denlad and his close friendship with Aragorn later. And it is good to see them relax and enjoy the warmth of home for once. I was astounded how you managed to show the building of the fire like a dance with the rhythm of your words. I hope they show Denlad that he belongs there, too. Aragorn cares for every one of his people, as you show clearly here. Being a chieftain is more then leading them in fights, and that is often forgotten.
And he has his own chicken! Aw, that made me feel so nostalgic... It reminds me on my great-grandmother when I was a small child. She had three chicken, and they were her pets, and mine too, together with her, and then after she died. They didn't have names, either, just Thin White, Thick White and Brown. This makes Aragorn and Denlad even closer to me, and brings the memory of my great-grandmother. Thank you!
Author's reply
Thank you, Mirach! Knowing how poetic your own writing is, I'm very flattered that you liked how I used a bit of rhythm in the bonfire scene... I'm not very handy with things like that so it means a lot to hear from someone who is that I stumbled upon a more poetic way of describing something! And how neat that the chickens brought back memories for you! Although I've never had chickens myself, I've heard stories of my grandmother having a chicken that lived in her house with her, grandly named Chanticleer, and I have aunts and uncles who have chickens and treat them as pets. So I suppose it's not such an uncommon thing!
Thanks for the review!