#sexism: the one problem that got aragorn stumped. lol

[cornerful]

'It is not madness, lady,' he answered; 'for I go on a path appointed. But those who follow me do so of their free will'

...

there came the Lady Éowyn after him and called to him. He turned and saw her as a glimmer in the night, for she was clad in white; but her eyes were on fire.

'Aragorn,' she said, 'why will you go on this deadly road?'

...

For a while she was silent

...

She paused. 'Lord,' she said, 'if you must go, then let me ride in your following. For I am weary of skulking in the hills, and wish to face peril and battle.'

'Your duty is with your people,' he answered.

'Too often have I heard of duty,' she cried.

...

'A time may come soon,' said he, 'when none will return. Then there will be need of valour without renown'

...

And she answered: 'All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more. But I am of the House of Eorl and not a serving-woman. I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death.'

'What do you fear, lady?' he asked.

'A cage,' she said. 'To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.'

...

'I say to you, lady: Stay! For you have no errand to the South.'

'Neither have those others who go with thee. They go only because they would not be parted from thee – because they love thee.' Then she turned and vanished into the night.

I didn't comment on this conversation yesterday bc I didn't have the brain Get-Together to do so and I still don't really but I'll just carve out some basic shapes

I read this out loud once and by the end of it I'll be honest my heart was racing. Éowyn is so full of fire and longing and bitter anger with nowhere to put it!!! Aragorn's words are gutting, true or not, and that itself speaks to something very deep and painful--that he can be all calm and lordly and yet, even speaking so wisely, completely fail to be what she needs.

And it's not required of him to be, of course. He could hardly do otherwise than he does, and his own duty is heavy on him. But her last words hit like a zinger. The men that follow him down this road seek his service as a leader, and he gives it. But not to her. They give him their love freely in a way she cannot. How many times has she run up against something that felt like this. How many more times will she have to endure this. Aragorn is no misogynist but since when has one person being chill about my asexuality fixed all my problems? Yeah, no. God but I feel for Éowyn.

She reached out for him as a hope to escape the tomb of her own heart, and found nothing to aid her.

Wonder what she'll do next...