Back again at the fountain of rejuvenated self-esteem! And since it is in vain to hope I could match the wonderful words you gave me I will confine myself to thank you. You do not know how much a praise from a writer as brilliant as you means to me! Especially because I was secretly convinced it would be a little boring (I might have already mentioned that once or twice…).

The funny thing is that )looks around and whispers) they are not my most favourite pairing either. Actually I could not even say how this encounter got its momentum – just that it was delightful to watch beloved Faramir through the eyes of an affectionate person, as if it was the closest I could get to him (and the copper locks).

I´m positive there IS a rather doubtful Aragorn around! And I would put down my last golden dubloons that it is a Viggo Aragorn! To be frank I always felt a little comfortable about the book character. He seemed so heavy with fate, so concerned with his epical burden, he tended to forget about the feelings and sorrows of “lesser” people. Whereas I could totally see the Viggo character being a man with the worries and irritations of a normal person. One idea I always nurtured (but would never dare to work out since it would feel like breaking into your domain) was a freshly baked king feeling lost and bewildered in the huge complex of the citadel. Maybe he is roaming the hallways in search of an everyday item, actually no big deal, but he has just arrived and he does not know ANYTHING. Not whom to address if he would like to have a sandwich at midnight (okay, probably he just would try to find out where the kitchen is), not where to find important papers, not even where to get a box of matches or a fresh candle for his room. Like: You might be the most splendid chef ever, but in an unfamiliar kitchen your greatest skills won´t help you. And then, of course, there comes help in the form of pitiful, only very slightly amused Faramir, who knows this surroundings like the inner side of his pockets, and might be happy to be still of need. Or something. Like that. :)

My, your comments elicit avalanches from me! Avalanches!!! Me thinks I better get a snow shovel to dig you out! XD

Okay, wow, firstly I need to just mention a couple of sentences that I absolutely LOVED (and I need to do it right now before I actually get onto the praise otherwise my terrible memory will erase them from my mind)…firstly: ‘[…]in the wells of his eyes I could see stars dazzling, like jewels of a forgotten treasure under the surface of a lake.’ is absolutely beautiful. That is all I can say; gorgeous imagery, so delicately romantic but it’s not heavy-handed. I just loved that line so much :)

Secondly: the foal metaphor was so perfect! ‘[…]all of a sudden my skin felt like the belly of a foal brushed by summer grasses.’, ‘Somewhere below my southernmost rib the foal was rolling in the grass, catching thistles and dandelion seeds in its mane.’ and ‘The foal was galloping through a summer storm.’…aaah, it was just such a wonderfully apt and well chosen image. I do love a good metaphor, and I thought it was very fitting for the King of the Mark.

This story is so lovely, just so delicate and measured and you know, I sort of read it with fondness, as if I were watching it unfold and knowing everything was going to be alright, it was so full of warmth. Your Faramir is pitch-perfect, quietly assured but he’s still sort of modest, his confidence is of a more subtle sort, and I adored his wry smiles and gentle candour. And I don’t normally read Faramir/Eomer (not that I have any objection to the latter at all, but I think everyone knows who I like to pair Faramir with more of then that not :P) but I honestly did love this story and want to find out what happens next! I liked Eomer’s stumbling thoughts, though you wrote him with dignity and honesty and I liked him very much. And of course not even a king could resist those copper forelocks, nope!

I really liked a theme you touched upon…the question of Faramir possibly feeling overlooked, left out, passed over as Aragorn takes his place as king. The stewardship has been in Faramir’s family for so long, those who looked after the realm ultimately being set aside. And though Faramir would not have grown up thinking that one day that role might be his, with the death of his father and brother he is suddenly encumbered with a ‘destiny’ of sorts, he is steward in whatever form that role may now be. It’s got me thinking, perhaps (in another story/dimension/universe) Aragorn feels guilt for taking that away from Faramir (you know I like exploring the fragile/weakened/uncertain king trope)…perhaps there is an Aragorn out there that feels that by all rights it is Faramir who deserves that crown, and not he. Oh dear, am I shamelessly stealing your ideas for my own use? Never!

Thank you for this lovely story! And now I am away to comment on the pictures, too! :D

Woohoo, thank you! I´m so glad I can give back a bit of the pleasure I had reading YOUR recent fic! :)

Looking back I could´t even explain how it came to the first person POV. Its´not that I had an overwhelming fondness for Èomer – I think my feelings are mirroring yours here, to me he always seemed a bit, well, silly. Perhaps writing from another character´s POV is just a great opportunity to get closest to your favorite protagonist – way closer than you would as an all-knowing author, if that makes any sense. The funny thing is that you can´t write about a person you interact with without bringing in your own character´s personality. So I might have ended up with more Èomer than I actually intended. Even though he´s not always the brightest… ;)

And yes, according to all we know about the way Minas Tirith and the citadel are built I could totally imagine a manger of marbles – I think it´s that kind of architecture that tends to a sort of , well, exaggeration, when it´s actually meant to be benevolent. Like those gigantic statues in the throne room that are made to honor the kings of old, but in fact make the room intimidating. I think if there was a cat in Gondor who had gained special merits (by its service to the king or something), its food would probably come on golden plates – even if the cat wouldn´t give a mousetail for it. ;)

I enjoyed this very much! I’ve always had something of a mild problem with Éomer (for some reason he always manages to come across as more or less silly when I write him – his problem, not mine ;)) and so I never know what to think of him. This is the first time I have ever read a story from his first person perspective and it was most interesting! I think you opened up a whole new world to me! Also, I genuinely appreciate this Faramir who feels very mature but not too burdened by dark memories to fail at enjoying life. I think they make a fine pair – or will make a fine pair now that Éomer has figured out what their discussion was actually about ;)
Oh, and I love the idea of the stables of Minas Tirith being constructed from marble! Of course they would be XD

Thanks to you (for the nice feedback AND all the work)! Frankly the pictures were the reason why it took me so long to post this – so it´s even nicer to hear they manage to transport a bit of the atmosphere :)

Oh wow – I didn’t know there were pictures as well! Lovely story and the illustrations are just perfect to catch the mood.
Thanks a lot for sharing!