This was just so beautifully done…
The final sentence is haunting and somehow the whole piece feels so atmospheric it is ethereal. Thank you for it..

Well done! Points are winging their way to you as I type. Though there are indeed more words of the Professor hidden in there somewhere…

Trying for the bonus points: shall I just say ‘They are – at first sight at any rate!’, so not to spoil the game for anyone else?

That’s the only one I could spot – so if there are any more, you blended them in beautifully!

Wonderful work, and that ending is especially enchanting.

Wow. Just wow. This was a fantastic story, atmospheric and with just the right faint taste of angst. The characters are sketched very skillfully, and the narrative voice is excellent. (And you set it in Henneth Annûn! Yay!)

The last sentence carries such impact, and ends the story on a perfect note.

Thank you so much for this lovely gift!

sigh

This is so much more than slash! I guess Tolkien himself would feel very proud and would even give a muffled squee at reading this!

hugs simply gorgeous!