Oh, somehow I completely forgot to answer your reviews! Please accept my apologies for a really late response.

Eora, haha! I definitely don’t mind essays!
Now, I sort of have a thing for mixing angsty sex with visions and dreams. (If you want to try another one, check out ‘those who see and burn’, which I wrote a couple of years ago.) I don’t really know what makes it work so well, but then I haven’t given it much thought either ;) I just like it.
I liked your grim, war-burdened Aragorn and how, through Elladan, we see, so briefly, how much he has changed, and even though it is necessary for him to be hard… Haha! I read this the completely wrong way at first, thinking ‘Oh, but wasn’t Elladan the hard one…?’ Me and my dirty mind! ;D
I actually enjoyed writing a grim Aragorn for once. He’s always so… in love in my stories. Or depressed. Anyway, it was a nice change.
And as always you spoil me with praise – thank you! Someday very soon I won’t be able to handle any negative remarks, I hope you understand that. And that it will be your fault.
As for the poetic stuff, it just comes to me naturally, you know ;) (—polishes her humility—) I’m glad it works, though. You’ll have to tell me someday if I go overboard with it.
Oh, angst! I worship thee.
Apparently.
Lots of love!

Iris, ignore my above comment to Eora please, and let me say I am humbled by your words. Now, perhaps I never considered the healing scene erotic (yes, just a bit odd ;)) but to hear that you think I improved on the concept, makes me really happy. Thank you.

December, I will leave it up to you to interpret this story and I will give no ‘correct’ answers apart from saying that Faramir’s famous far-sightedness definitely comes into play here. As you pointed out, however, he is so lost at this point that even he does not know what is reality and what is not.
I completely agree about the twins. Actually, I’d say that quite a few of Tolkiens characters were rather underdeveloped, even some of the main ones. I’m glad you like my Elladan. And as we know, pain is not unheard of among the elves.

This was very… powerful. I couldn’t fully understand what was going on, what is reality and what is… I don’t know, nightmares, visions, what? Whether Faramir gets raped on the battlefield, or he is dying in fever, or suffering from a morgul wound or what. But that is only right, I guess, for I suppose Faramir himself could not quite understand everything either. I can only wonder what has happened to him, why he is said to bear a burden like no other, why, even if he awakens in the morning, Aragorn acts like he is done for. Perhaps it is the Nazgul, maybe something else. In fact, not knowing only adds it eerieness and hopelessness.

Your Elladan is… hm, more alive, I’d say, than in actual canon. I always felt he (along with his brother) was sort of undershown, if you know what I mean. I love the notion of dilemma and confusion you give him, it seems quite natural for one with his descent and role in history. I mean, we’d never learned his feleings about his father’s departure or his sister’s fate, or much of anything else. It’s refreshing to get a glance into him, and very sad to think that he has fallen in love with his doomed patient while trying to help him…

I may be a bit biased (or odd eccentric), but I’ve always thought that the scene where Aragorn heals Faramir is the most romantic, or even erotic of the whole trilogy (as far as one could ever say Tolkien’s work is erotic…) — I love how you’ve taken that concept and adapted it (and dare I say, improved on it). The dreaminess of the piece is just lovely. Thank you very much for sharing it with us!

Okay, so I think now it’s my turn for a gigantic squee, don’t you think? Or perhaps just a general mashing of the keyboard because (uhbrdfjgrfmbfm) I loved this! :D (And I hope you love essays because here we go!)

Where on earth do I begin? Well, first of all you know how I’ve missed your LotR stories dearly so I’m so glad your muse has decided to take a trip to Middle-earth for a little while (though that is of course not to say I’ve not been enjoying your other writings!) I’ve always loved your Faramir and how, in some degree or other, there’s always something very interesting going on with him emotionally, whether explicitly attributed to inherited far-seeing abilities (like in Mist) or here, where he is plagued by visions that you’ve written so poetically and yet so viscerally as well. I said before once that your writing has this supernatural style to it that’s so inspiring and enjoyable to read. Especially here, where you’re juxtaposing Faramir’s visions with the physical act, the ethereal way you describe what he sees is perfect; the way the pain and the fear all mix together into one big emotional tumult that engages the reader from the get-go :)

I liked your grim, war-burdened Aragorn and how, through Elladan, we see, so briefly, how much he has changed, and even though it is necessary for him to be hard but there is still kindness there. And what a heart-rending ending, though of course the whole story is so emotionally charged. I’ve never really read any stories with Elladan (or Elrohir, for that matter) in them so I came to this with fresh eyes and I liked how his despair and his lack of courage are shown so simply. Less is more, I always think, and so much is gotten across here in regards to his feelings and fears for Faramir. It’s almost a case of what is not said adding to that sense of uncertainty. (Literally as well, he can only say ‘I love you’ when Faramir cannot hear him.)

A couple of lines that I loved;

“He cannot close his eyes.” – I just, I don’t know. Such a simple statement and yet an almost chilling way to open the story. That line alone set my mind working on possible story ideas of my own. All at once it’s desolate, bleak,; making me think of the fear of nightmares, of war, fear of loss, or of love, or the loss of love. It really just struck me and set me thinking of so many meanings and ideas before I’d even read the first paragraph. So thank you for that! (I’m going to end up writing something now based on that one line, aaaah)

Oh, how I love your angst! And unlike me you’re not afraid to have a less than happy ending, though here there is still small hope, I like to think.

Beautiful as always, thank you for sharing!! :)