Day 253: Star of Wonder

[tanaquiljall]

Happy Christmas to everyone who celebrates it, and happy holidays to everyone else.

In honour of the day and elena_tiriel's wonderful HASA Resource Library entries for Gil-Estel - The Star of Eärendil and Edain reach Númenor, I wrote another drabble in my (new) "Denethor and Finduilas tell Faramir the stories of the constellations of Middle-earth" series.

Day 253

as part of the Heavens' Embroidered Cloths series.

Star of Wonder

"After the Great Battle was won, and the Black Foe thrust out beyond the walls of Night, Eärendil sailed his ship westward across the heavens to lead his son to the Promised Land.

"And though the Black One's servants trouble our people still, and the Land of Gift is lost, Eärendil's kin," Denethor smiled and tapped his son on the chest, "guide and guard this land yet, even as Gil-Estel patrols the ramparts of the world.

"And one day, perhaps, a new jewel, a new star of the West, a new "Hope" will arise to cast out the Dark Lord...."

Comments

[elena-tiriel.livejournal.com]

*sigh* What a lovely domestic scene, with Denethor acting as a father should.... Well done, Liz!

(And I bet Gwynnyd loves Denny's prediction.....) ;-)

- Barbara

[tanaquiljall]

Thanks, Barbara.

And heheheh, yes, I thought Denethor's remarks were rather applicable to Elessar/Thorongil/Estel. *g*

[elena-tiriel.livejournal.com]

And Merry Christmas to you, too, Liz!

Reading a new drabble of yours is like unwrapping a perfect gift every day... thank you for so graciously sharing your extraordinary talent with us!

- Barbara

[tanaquiljall]

*blush* What a lovely thing to say. Knowing how much people like my drabbles is definitely a reason to keep writing.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Never was a truerword spoken about new hope.Very ironic that Denethor should speak it !

[tanaquiljall]

LOL yes - glad the drabble amused you. *g*

[rakshathedemon.livejournal.com]

Be careful what you wish for, Denethor!

Excellent drabble.

[tanaquiljall]

Thanks, Raksha. {{{hugs}}}

[dkpalaska.livejournal.com]

Very clever foreshadowing of Aragorn, and I agree with the above comment about the irony. I can't remember if I've seen your thoughts on this before: Do you believe that Denethor suspected who Thorongil really was?

[tanaquiljall]

Heheheh - well, the irony was intentional. *g*

Hmmm, and yes, I think Denethor did suspect who Thorongil was. (It always bothered me that Aragorn must have taken the very recognisable Ring of Barahir with him to Gondor when serving as Thorongil, since he gave it to Arwen as an engagement ring shortly after he left - and I can see a scenario in which Denethor caught sight of it.) But I also think Denethor maybe thought in later years that Thorongil had died (or given up on claiming Gondor) since he apparently didn't accidentally reveal to Sauron through the palantir that an Heir of Isildur lived. (I know Sauron couldn't read Denethor's mind as well as Saruman's, but I'm sure he must have picked up a few things Denethor didn't mean to let slip....)

[dkpalaska.livejournal.com]

That's a reasonable scenario, and another possible facet of Denethor's apparently difficult relationship with his father. If he knew, and Ecthelion didn't... Or even if Echthelion also suspected - I'm not sure which would be worse. Either way, it might seem to Denethor that such favoritism would only strengthen Isildur's heirs' claim to the South, which had already been decisively rejected once.

[tanaquiljall]

I did include a bit in my story Cup of Bitterness: First Meeting where Ecthelion indicates he thought/hoped Thorongil might have been the Heir of Isildur but was disappointed when Thorongil left and abandoned the idea. I think that's the most I've really explored what Ecthelion and Denethor did and didn't know in an actual fic.

[dkpalaska.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, very nice... I've read this before, but I can't remember just when or where. (Or even, embarrassingly, if I've commented on it previously. I unfortunately was not always diligent with feedback when I first discovered fanfic...)

You really did a wonderful job with Denethor's PoV in this story: his sense of superiority and pride; his disdain for any sign of weakness; his fastidious nature; his grief over his father and yet his impatience to rule things as he would; and his opinions of the King Returned - ha! Most of all, that telling fascination with the palantir before he ever even set eyes on it. The timing and the disagreement on Faramir's name really helps set the stage for a certain distance between father and son.

The workings of his mind are telling and interesting, particularly the rationalizations and his quick sense of taking offense, which I understood to be signs of his insecurity. Do you think it all came from his (losing) rivalry with Thorongil for his father's esteem? Ecthelion's hope of the Heir of Isildur is very subtly noted.

The character moment that struck me most is just after Denethor receives Adrahil's unquestioning support and oath of fealty, when Denethor jumps to thinking that Adrahil is "putting him on the spot" with a jest about Lord Forlong. Yes, Denny's under a lot of strain, but it really brought home his suspicious nature and sense of being alone against the world.

[tanaquiljall]

Thanks for the lovely comments. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story - it's one of the hardest things to write I've ever written, but still one of the things I'm most proud of.

I think Denethor was probably always aware that he was "respected" rather than "loved" by those around him, always felt somewhat on the "outside" (not having an easy manner with people) despite being central to Gondor, and probably also felt an immense amount of pressure to live up to the demands and duties placed on him. The fact that everything - affection, command, success - came so easily to Thorongil undoubtedly exacerbated all those feelings. And yes, "alone against the world" describes it well - definitely the kind of psychological state Sauron could play on....

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. {{{hugs}}}