#will you marry me aragorn

[thewitchkingiscool-ace]

You have no idea how much my heart aches when i see this man

[kindlythevoid]

One of the best parts of Fellowship of the Ring is finding out about Aragorn and Bilbo’s friendship. Like I’ve seen people talk about how they collaborated on the song together, but I have yet to see people talk about this:

“[Bilbo] turned to Strider. ‘Where have you been, my friend? Why weren’t you at the feast? The Lady Arwen was there.’”

Bilbo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring pg. 261

Like. Bilbo was definitely one of Aragorn/Arwen’s chief shippers and no one can change my mind about that.

[lucy-verse]

In a desperate bid to put Arwen off Aragorn, Elrond talks Thranduil into setting her up with Legolas, hoping to strengthen the alliance between their realms while they’re at it. Thranduil takes Legolas to Rivendell during the summer to spend time with her in the hope that romance might blossom.

At first it all seems to be going to plan. Legolas and Arwen quickly become inseparable, frolicking in the forest together, braiding each other’s hair, whispering and giggling during mealtimes, exchanging flowers, etc. Elrond finds a little poem hidden in the guest chambers about a beautiful being with dark hair and blue eyes. Elladan seems unusually disgruntled, glaring at the two of them from across the room and hovering around Arwen protectively whenever Legolas is around.

When Legolas comes bursting into his chambers one morning, asking for his blessing to wed one of his children, Elrond is over the moon, ‘oh Valar, yes! You have my blessing, you have all my blessings! Of course you can marry Arwen!’

And Legolas just stares at him completely baffled and goes, ‘Arwen? No, no, I’m asking your permission to marry Elrohir! Your daughter and I have been talking about it all summer, she thinks it’s a great idea!’

Bonus:

Thranduil: Didn’t I mention that Legolas has no interest in elleths? Whoops. Probably should have.

Bonus bonus:

Elladan, bursting through the doors: IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!

[sindar-princeling]

between the newsletter’s entry where we learn the ponies are okay, me picking apart rings of power and analysing why it doesn’t fully feel like tolkien, and this one gifset of frodo and sam i reblogged, i felt like i finally have to gather my thoughts regarding what makes tolkien tolkien

and while there are many things that do, i’d argue that the most special one is its earnestness.

characters in LOTR care unabashedly, with all their hearts, and love so easily, whether it’s platonic, familial or romantic.

the hobbits feel like the most obvious example - merry, pippin and sam follow frodo for as long as they’re able; their loyalty goes deep to their bones, and their relationships are so full of trust, joy, devotion, fondness.

but all of LOTR is just more examples of the same thing. after the war legolas spends the rest of his life in middle-earth with gimli - they travel together for over a hundred years - and then he decides he won’t just say goodbye when gimli dies! and he does something that hasn’t been done before and just takes gimli to valinor, but not before aragorn dies. because they both loved him, too. faramir asks “do you not love me, eowyn?“ and she realises she does, and he says he’ll marry her and they’ll grow a garden and heal, and he kisses her even though everyone can see them. sam loves frodo, and he loves rosie, and he spends his life with her, then joins frodo in the undying lands after she dies.

and it shines through in the movies, too! it’s thanks to both the direction and the acting skills of the cast, of course, that so, so often all emotions are on full display - whenever sam and frodo interact, when aragorn kisses boromir’s forehead, when the hobbits say goodbye at the grey havens, when pippin finds merry at the battlefield, the way gandalf reacts when frodo says he’ll go to mordor, the way theoden breaks down at his son’s grave, the way he cares about eowyn like she’s his own child, the way eomer reacts when he finds eowyn and thinks she’s dead. those are just examples off the top of my head.

it’s also very special to me because in many fictional works (not only in fantasy) people just aren’t allowed to be that open - mostly men, but not exclusively - meanwhile this earnestness is something i always look for in fiction.

it stands out especially if you consider some fantasy creators (not naming any names but you know who i mean ajsjdjfjf) saying they “just want to reflect the misogyny of the period” (which is just bullshit and also demeaning to people of all genders in so many ways), because while LOTR is heavily male-dominated, tolkien managed to do something very, very interesting and important there.

he says, “war is the province of men”, but it doesn’t mean you’re supposed to want to be there. you’re not supposed to want to go to battle, suffer and/or die. eomer wants eowyn to stay home because he loves her, and couldn’t stand to see her die in a cruel, gruesome way (and when he thinks she’s dead, it’s the most devastating display of grief in the whole movie trilogy).

the heroes go to war because there are things that need defending, and dying for a noble cause is honorable, but again - it’s about defending, not about fighting. the clearest villains of LOTR are people who want the war to happen. many of the heroes, most of whom are men, just want peace for their people, want companionship (one of the first things aragorn says to the hobbits is that he’d be happy to have more friends, because being a ranger means he’s lonely), or want a good meal and a good drink like the hobbits. they want comfort and warmth. they want to finish a book like bilbo. they want to live in a garden among all things that live and grow like faramir. they want to marry and have a home and kids like sam.

and the things is, it’s not always that common in fiction, but it’s absolutely common, you know. IN REAL LIFE? BECAUSE MEN ARE PEOPLE? so it’s just really good to have tolkien absolutely divorce masculinity in his works from how his characters show emotions, or how much comfort they crave. and that is a realistic approach i’m interested in.

[the-noir-symphony]

Wrong-number text

Aragorn: I’m in a serious trouble, my friend. Gimli: What’s the problem? Aragorn: Last night, I was supposed to send the text “Please marry me” to Arwen but accidentally sent it to Legolas. Gimli: Oh shit… Aragorn: And he hasn’t answered me yet. What took him so long??? Gimli: You’re sure you sent it to the *wrong* person? Aragorn: Yeah… But what if he says no? What should I do???

Meanwhile:

Legolas *calling Thranduil*: Dad, I'm gonna get married!!! Thranduil: What the fuck? Legolas: You know him. It's Aragorn. Thranduil: WHAT THE FUCK???

[tossawary]

I'm thinking about "What if the main character did not have a secret, powerful family background and was just some random person?" AUs for different stories, because I personally find that situation more compelling most of the time and I think it introduces more interesting struggles. While thinking about a bunch of other stories, I ended up thinking about Aragorn in "Lord of the Rings".

Now, Aragorn is a special case because 1) I wouldn't really call him THE main character and the "noble" members of the Fellowship are well-contrasted by the hobbits. The hobbits may be mostly Shire gentry (except for Sam), but on the grand stage of Middle Earth, they're still unimpressive nobodies. Frodo is already our ordinary hero. 2) Aragorn's road to kingship comes with him struggling with his ancestor's failures and accepting the heavy burdens that come with being Isildur's heir. This is specifically an arc of a character struggling with their family history. I am absolutely not saying that Aragorn being royalty makes LOTR a bad story and that it would be better if he was just some random guy. I think this is a well-written character storyline that is a key feature of the overall story.

But I do think it would be really funny to write fanfiction where Aragorn wasn't Arathorn's son. (There is the issue of the heritage that makes Aragorn age slowly, but maybe you could wiggle that so that Aragorn has that kind of heritage from a different source?) Like, the line of Isildur has died out, and let's say that Aragorn's mother takes shelter in Rivendell with her son, and kid Aragorn ends up wandering around to the broken sword and picking up the handle. And either Aragorn's mother lies to Elrond about Aragorn being Arathorn's son or Elrond happens across kid Aragorn with the broken sword and thinks... "Hey, what if we just... lied about it?"

Now, this could end really badly! As I vaguely understand it, the Silmarillion (which I have not read) contains a bunch of examples where lying did not go well, so maybe this lie is how Middle Earth falls into chaos in this AU. Whoops.

But even though this breaks some plotlines, I'm a sucker for adoption storylines. I love adoption being treated as important. It's compelling to imagine Elrond and Aragorn's mother carefully explaining the situation with the sword to him, and then this child just... stubbornly deciding that he's going to become Isildur's heir. Maybe Aragorn's determination falters at some point, he gives up on the idea, and he later has to return to Elrond as an adult and persuade him that no, he means it this time, mankind isn't just about bloodlines, he's going to pick up this burden on behalf of all of humanity. I think that there's something powerful in a person deciding that no, I'm not of Isildur's blood, but I have his same potential for success and for failure, and I'm here. I'm fighting. I picked up the broken sword and that's good enough, isn't it? Who are you to say I'm not his heir? I'm HERE.

I think there's powerful magic in that too. (Also, Arathorn is dead and getting adopted as a father by some random kid. Sure. Okay. I think that's just funny.)

(Also, oh my, there is SO MUCH tragedy if Aragorn being Isildur's heir is a lie and Boromir died believing it. The GUILT. The GUILT that Aragorn would feel when Boromir says, "I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king." Like, oh man, now you HAVE TO make it true.)

Now, maybe Aragorn doesn't become King of Gondor in this AU or maybe he does. Maybe Faramir becomes king instead. Maybe it becomes well known by the end of the journey that Aragorn isn't a blood descendant of Isildur and maybe it's a secret known only to the Fellowship. I'd like to think that he still marries Arwen. I like the idea of Arwen happily and knowingly marrying some nobody lying about his heritage and Elrond internally being like, "This is kind of on me."

The most important thing here is that it would be so fucking funny if Aragorn (and Elrond and Gandalf and Galadriel) successfully lied to Sauron the Deceiver. Sauron's like, "Oh? A secret heir come out of hiding to fight against me? Sounds legit." And at some point near the end, just before some hobbits chuck a ring into a volcano behind his back, Sauron is looking at Aragorn like, "Wait a minute, what the fuck, you lying little SHIT."

(Or Sauron finds out via Pippin that Aragorn is lying and feels SO SMUG about how he's going to crush a false king, which just adds to Aragorn's whole "made you look!" distraction keeping Sauron from noticing the hobbits sneaking into Mount Doom.)

[prettyboypistol]

LoTR Fellowship Proposing! (GN!Reader)

Frodo

oh bless him, he's scared half to death you'll say no.

he starts the event off with thousands of butterfly kisses and monologues of how much he loves you- he's not subtle on how he fumbles with something in his pockets.

Sam

A lot more straightforward, albeit also nervous as hell about if you'll like the proposal rather than if you'll say no- he knows you'll say yes. you two have been together for ages and discussed marriage!

Cooks you the best meal you've ever had before proposing to you under the moonlight

Merry

He never thought this day would come, to be honest. He thought he'd be a forever bachelor- a playboy, if you will. You changed everything, though.

Merry asks Pippin for tons of help, hell, he even goes to Aragorn and Boromir about how to propose to you properly! He's so worried he's gonna screw it up!

Pippin

This cutie patootie accidentally proposes to you before he means to. One day you smile at him in the perfect lighting and he just blurts out "Please marry me!"

Absolutely mortified that he doesn't have a ring for you, but saves up to get you the prettiest one that matches your eyes.

Aragorn

Internally mulling over proposing ever since you two got together- he wants to desperately, but would it last? He's going to outlive you my centuries!

Despite his fears and worries, his love prevails. Falling to both his knees, he whispers in sweet pleas and begs to spend as much time as he can as your husband.

Boromir

He's the far more traditional type, dinner, a long stroll, and a pretty speech prepared for you- but he gets so transfixed on the way your beauty that he fumbles. HARD.

Bless him, he's precious and you love him.

Gimli

Dwarvishly traditional to a fault. He'd start off the evening with a warm bath drawn for you, then braids your hair all pretty when he ties the end of your hair with a proposal bead he made.

He showed you a tattoo he got in your name, a poem that sings the praises of a brave and strong soldier.

Legolas

God this loser is a total boyfailure. Compared to your natural poise, he feels a need to propose in the way only an elven prince can.

He gives you a crown of silver and adores your in delicate jewels as he calls you his lover, his forever partner, and perhaps... his future spouse?

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

“All your words are but to say…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.” – Éowyn

We all love this line, where Éowyn is really giving it to Aragorn over the unjustness of her exclusion from battle with imagery that is jarringly evocative. But what if she isn’t just painting a powerful rhetorical picture but is referencing the life of an ACTUAL WOMAN: Aerin of the House of Hador and kinswoman of Húrin (seen in the Silm/Children of Húrin)? What if Éowyn’s language is letting us know that these stories and legends of First Age communities of Men are still alive and well in Third Age Rohan’s oral history traditions?

I love this idea, which made its way to me from @outofangband (who shares a love of Aerin but also knows WAY more about her than I ever will!♥️). For those who don’t know, Aerin lived in Hithlum and was forcibly married to the Easterling leader Brodda after Hithlum fell in the Nirnaeth. She suffered greatly but didn’t let Brodda’s abuse stop her from secretly aiding the remnant of her people who were living then as beggars and thralls. Túrin eventually came to make a bloody mess of it all (as is Túrin’s way) and ran off with many men of Aerin’s community after stirring the Easterlings to wrath. Then Aerin, among the women left to deal with that wrath, lit Brodda’s hall on fire and perished in the flames. Sound familiar???

I simply can’t read Éowyn’s words now without thinking that she knew the story of Aerin and had it in mind as she spoke to Aragorn. There’s already some evidence the Rohirrim are familiar with the history of First Age humans even as they don’t know much high elven lore (I refuse to accept that they got the name “Haleth” by coincidence!), and this seems like an even more direct and natural connection, especially because the Rohirrim are distantly related to Aerin’s Hadorian people.

The thought that the Rohirrim have songs and oral poetry – their means of “documenting” and transmitting history – about these First Age figures is lovely to me. Tolkien makes such a big deal out of how much the elves and Gondorians love and revere lore, how they have libraries full of texts, etc., while positioning the Rohirrim as less sophisticated in comparison (they’re called “unlearned” and Aragorn suggests they barely remember things that pre-date the founding of Rohan itself!). They’re treated as though their lack of books and the fact that they don’t happen to be interested in the exploits of the Númenoreans or the Noldor means that they’re ignorant of everything or don’t care about history at all. But that’s not true!!

They’re absolutely invested in and take care to preserve the history THAT MEANS SOMETHING TO THEM. And what is that? Well, it’s not Fëanor or Tar-[Insert King Here], but apparently it is Haleth and Aerin – women who found different but equally impactful ways to lead their people and resist oppression. And for those to be stories that resonated in Rohan enough to be remembered and passed on from generation to generation makes a lot of sense to me. It’s a land of shieldmaidens, a land where women are still looking for and creating ways to resist and defy, a land where both women and men sometimes have unexpected views about gender roles.

Those are people who would be interested in the experiences of Haleth and Aerin, even as (and maybe especially because) those women aren’t particularly remembered and celebrated by folks like Aragorn or the Gondorians and the elves. Húrin is the man of legend from that time and place to most of Middle Earth, and Aerin lives in the margins of the history just as she lived in the margins of life. But an underdog people will love an underdog story and keep it alive while others have forgotten.

It’s also interesting to consider what “lesson” the Third Age Rohirrim are taking from Aerin’s tale. On the face of it, you might read Éowyn’s words as being scornful of Aerin, as she points to Aerin’s situation as one lacking honor. But I don’t think that means she thinks that *Aerin* is lacking honor. Their situations are very different – Éowyn lives in an unconquered land that is going to battle now to stave off their fall; the main events of Aerin’s story take place in a post-war environment, where there is no battle to be had but just the daily grind of living under brutal occupation. Aerin does everything courageous and meaningful that can be done in her scenario (other characters in the Children of Húrin basically say this, confirming that Aerin is good, strong of heart, and the very essence of righteous defiance), and I don’t think Éowyn finds any fault with Aerin’s choices or behavior. What Éowyn finds dishonorable and inglorious is the circumstance of being forced to live under occupation in the first place. She wants to go to battle so that she is never faced with the life that Aerin had to live. She learned from Aerin’s tale that she’d rather not be the resistance to oppression but instead the conqueror of it.

Anyway. Now I’m just rambling (as is my way!). But if even a hint of this was interesting to you, I urge you to check out @outofangband ‘s blog for all kinds of additional context and detail about Aerin and the infamous firing of Brodda’s hall, expressed in a more articulate way than here! Thanks for sharing this very cool connection with me, friend!

[imagines--galore]

Legolas 17 pls 🙏🙏🙏 love your work 🩷🩷

Summary: You had always been the one overlooked. The one watching from the shadows. But when he reached his hand out to you, you felt........seen. Pairing: Legolas x Reader Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance/Angst. None A/N: Alright, so I made the reader sister to Aragorn. Hope thats alright and I hope you like this!

Content.

Contentment radiated from your very soul as you stood in the shadow of the pillar. Watching as your brother took his beloved's hand and led her in the first dance as husband and wife.

The assembled guests burst into applause as the music began, and after a few moments, couples began to take to the dance floor. They all reveled in the joy of the newly married couple.

You continued to watch, head leaning against the cool marble pillar, as you watched your brother and his wife.

Aragorn and Arwen.

King and Queen of Gondor.

Your heart hummed a song of happiness. Happiness for your brother. He deserved this. Deserved more then every moment of this night. This day. And any other that came with Arwen by his side.

Never once had you doubted their love for one another. Even when Aragorn had begun to doubt, you had stayed strong for him. Had never let him let go of that hope, of his love for Arwen.

And it had borne fruit.

They were married now.

By the Valar they were married.

A burst of pure happiness radiated form your chest, prompting you to smile.

"It seems even you cannot refrain from allowing yourself to smile on such an occasion." Came a voice from the other side of the pillar, one full of mirth and a tenderness that was only reserved for you.

Legolas.

Though there was a pillar between the both of you, you could still envision the smile on his lips and the gentleness in his eyes.

"No one can resist. Not tonight." You said, your voice soft as your gaze roamed around the hall where the wedding party was. "Not when they are in the presence of a love so great it shall never burn out."

A soft laugh was his response. "Is that how you see their love?" He asked, always in awe of the way you saw the world. Legolas was always fascinated when it came to looking at the world through your eyes. You always provided a unique perspective for him.

"And how do you see our love?"

The question prompted you to blink in surprise, and very nearly look in his direction. But you stopped.

A sound that was a mixture of a sigh and a giggle, fell from your lips as you spoke softly. "I see our love as something that shall transcend lifetimes." Silence followed your words, and you were sure you had surprised him with your answer.

You closed your eyes as you leaned against the pillar and continued to speak.

"I see our love as bright as the light of the Valar." You felt him move, prompting you to take a step back, so that you were half-concealed within the shadows.

"I see our love as our salvation. Even in the most dire of times, it was our light." You were now standing behind the pillar, still leaning against it, your eyes closed. But you could feel him.

Standing right in front of you.

"I see our love as an entity that saved me from myself."

Finally, you opened your eyes, only to loose breath at finding him standing so close to you. His blue eyes penetrated to the very depths of your soul.

"I see our love as the light that guided me out of the shadows." You continued, your voice barely above a whisper as he reached out to tenderly stroke your cheek with his fingers.

There was a time when even thinking of having someone be in love with you as Legolas was, would have you scorning at the thought. Love had no room in your life. Not when you had promised your mother that you would help Aragorn on his path.

As the heir of Isildur, he had much on his shoulders, and as his sister, you were there to ease the load and help him however you could.

No distractions.

But then you had met Legolas.

And for the first time in your life, you had no clue how you would navigate through the plethora of feelings that awakened within you.

Feelings that had a warmth grow inside you, one you had never felt before. One that continued to grow with each passing day. It had felt so strange, to feel that warmth glow within you, to feel it flicker whenever he would look your way. Or feel it lick along your skin when he would touch you. By accident or purpose, you did not know.

And what had you done to combat those feelings?

You had retreated into the shadows. Had retreated into yourself just because you were afraid. Afraid that these feelings would become real, too real, if either of you said anything out loud.

So you hid. You hid in your shadows, and behind your silence.

You barely spoke to him, barely acknowledged him. And though he kept his distance, Legolas was not one to give up easily. He was sure of his feelings for you long ago.

The elf was never obvious about them, however, his subtlety at conveying the depth of his affection for you were ones you had never missed over the years.

Then again there were times when even your feelings for him could no longer stay within the shadows and would come to light.

                                         ————————–

The first time you had shown signs of the deep affection you felt for the Prince was after a rather harrowing run-in with a band of orcs. You were greatly outnumbered, but still your small group of Rangers stood their ground.

You had only just felled an Orc, adrenaline racing through your body, your eyes already seeking out another opponent.

That was when you saw Legolas.

He had run out of arrows and was now fighting with his two long knives. Two Orcs at once. His entire concentration was on the creatures in front of him, leaving one of the stray Orcs to raise a wicked looking axe, aiming to strike the Prince from behind.

Amidst the chaos around you, your voice screamed his name. Your body acted without thought as you raised your sword and threw it in the direction of Legolas's would-be-killer.

The sword didn't find its mark, but it did knock the Orc off it's feet, giving Legolas time to collect himself and take care of the Orc himself.

The sight of the Orc standing behind Legolas about to strike him haunted you for days. Your sleep was plagued by night terrors, where you were not able to help him, where you watched helplessly as Legolas fell. The light in his eyes slowly dying. That was normally when you forced yourself to awaken.

Your body would tremble, your emotions on the very precipice of a cliff that had no end in sight. Valar! You were loosing your mind. A few nights after the encounter you had a particularly harrowing night terror. Not only had Legolas perished in it, but Aragorn too. As had Arwen, Elrohir, Elladen, Elrond, and so many others that you had grown to love since you knew them.

You had blindly stumbled from your sleeping roll, unaware that Legolas had been the one on watch that night. That he saw you as you stumbled away, saw the tears that ran down your cheeks as you disappeared into a cluster of trees near their camp ground. Worry gnawed at his heart and quickly waking the next person to keep watch, he followed after you.

It was rather easy to find you, since you made no effort to hide yourself. There you were, leaning against a tree, your head buried in your hands as your shoulders shook. In the stillness of the night your sobs echoed clear and the despair and utter sorrow behind those sobs caused a near physical ache to bloom in the Prince's chest.

Unable to stand by and do nothing while you suffered so, he stepped forward reaching out to gently place a hand on your shoulder.

Even before feeling his hand, you knew he was there. It was a strange ability you had. You always knew when Legolas was near. Unbeknownst to you, he shared the very same ability.

At the moment though the rawness of your emotions and the night terror still lingering in your conscious thoughts had you pivoting on your heel and throwing your arms around him in an almost desperate embrace. You clung to him, head buried in his shoulder, arms wrapped around his torso. The sobs began anew and through broken words and whispered phrases you told him of your fears and night terrors.

The moment Legolas felt your arms around him, he had not hesitated in returning the embrace. His hands traced gentle patterns against your back, fingers slowly sliding up to your hair where he began to stroke and play with the soft strands.

Once you had exhausted yourself and had spilled out the reason behind your tears, you slowly fell silent. Your sobs turned to gentle sniffles and slight tremors as you tried to calm yourself. Now that you were somewhat at peace, Legolas took the chance to reassure you with his words.

"You have said your piece Little One, now you must listen to mine."

Little One. He had called you so since he first met you. But the words were never said in a condescending manner. Sure he called you so because of how young you were compared to his elf years, but there was always something endearing about the way he said the words.

You felt a gentle hand tug at your chin. You tilted your head back in response, opening your eyes to finally meet Legolas's ever blue gaze. One that was full of compassion and affection.

"You must not allow the darkness of this world to overcome your good heart Y/n. Not only will the people who love you mourn your loss, but this world will be a much better place if you were to face it with a smile on your face, and light in your heart."

He still held your chin ever so gently, while his other hand continued to play with your hair. "Darkness will come, there is no denying, but all we can do is look past it, look towards tomorrow and hope that we have the people we love with us so that everyday is brighter then the last."

Your eyes were wide, and swimming with unshed tears. But his words, his voice, resonated within you. So much so that you decided then and there to live your life to the extent of which you had denied yourself for so many years.

                                         ————————–

As Isuldir's heir, Aragorn was the one who caught the attention of those who knew who he was. He didn't like it, he never did. But it was inevitable.

He especially hated how people seemed to forget that he had a sister who shared the same blood as he did. You were just as important, he would reassure you, but you had waved him away at that.

"The people need a King, Brother. A symbol of hope. And you are that symbol. Not I. I am merely the shadow that shall stay in the shadows watching you and protecting you."

You had spoken those words years ago, never thinking that someone else would come to stand beside you in the shadows. Someone who would take your hand and help you along your path.

An elf who would become your closest confidant.

A friend who would comfort you whenever you should need it, and whose soul you would soothe in return.

The prince who would fall in love with the princess.

Wearing the silver circlet that shared many similarities to the one he wore, you pushed yourself up to your toes, grasping his shoulders for support, to press a gentle kiss to his forehead.

"Thank you." You spoke softly, the smile upon your lips leaving him breathless as you gazed at him. His hands found yours, grasping them tightly within his as he lifted them to his lips to press a kiss to the knuckles of both your hands. "Nay." A shiver ran through your body as you felt the word whispered against your skin.

"It is I who should be thanking you Little One. For loving me and allowing me to love you."

You laughed softly, gently guiding him forward so that your bodies were all but pressed together in the most intimate of embraces. "En melda caun." My beloved Prince. "Since neither of us will accept the other's gratefulness to loving one another, let us simply celebrate it together?" You offered.

A laugh, one full of nothing but joy and happiness of what was to come fell from his lips as he gave a small nod of agreement.

Before closing the last of the distance between the both of you and sealing the promise with a kiss that would chase away the last of the darkness that lingered in your heart.

You were his, and he was yours.

Nothing could part you from one another.

[shirefantasies]

How about the Fellowship reacting to their youngest member (and therefore basically their adopted younger sibling) is courting someone? I have a date tomorrow so I keep thinking about how the fellowship would react to seeing the reader smile uncontrollably when they talk about their partner and such. Thanks 🙏

Alrighty alrighty I see you 👀 it’s been a while, so sorry, but I hope the date went well! I can see this reaction going a few different ways depending on who we’re talking about, something akin to:

“Who is this person and how do you know them?”: Aragorn, Frodo

“So you’re getting married? When? When did this all happen?”: Sam, Merry, Pippin

“Tell me everything!”: Legolas, Boromir, Gimli

Where some might take the nature of his questions as suspicion, Aragorn’s words are plain and calm. “I was not aware of your courtship when you were welcomed in.” You assure him that you made your choice and made it well. “I know the feeling of having made a promise. Blessings in the path before you both,” he wishes you with a wise, carefully knowing smile. Frodo seems to have more concerns, worry and doubt swimming in his blue eyes. “So all this time you have been away from your promised one? Do you trust them? What do they know of your errands here?” He relaxes at the way you smile when you speak of the one you’ve found, but still is quite eager to meet them.

“We haven’t got a date for that, Sam,” you giggle, shaking your head, “technically we have yet to be engaged. Marriage, of course, would be nice.” “Wouldn’t it?” Sam sighs, leaning on his walking stick. “So, how’d you ask the lucky one, then?” “No wonder you’re always off smiling about something- you’ve got something to go home for,” Merry teases you. “Haven’t we all?” You shoot back with a cheeky look, arms crossed tight over your chest. “Mine is just a bit different than yours.” Pointing, the hobbit continues his barrage. “Ah, there we have that smile again! You’ll be wed in no time! Oh, I do so love a wedding, eh Pip?” “Oh, yes,” Pippin chimes in, “if we’re invited I’ll certainly be there. All the flowers and smiles and the great big cake! Oh, when are you getting married?” “I-” Head falling into your palm, you just hide your wide smile. “I do not know yet, but if it is in our power you will see it.” “Well, I can tell just by the look on your face how much you look forward to it,” Pippin replies, elbowing his cousin.

“I was unaware of your courtship,” Legolas admits, peering down at you with new eyes, “how long has it been fixed?” A smile creeps onto your lips- the elf’s words are spoken in what an outsider would hear as mild interest, but you know the woodland prince better than that. He is curious, and you are beyond happy to indulge. “I can start by telling you how we met,” you offer, grin widening. “Yes,” Legolas agrees, “I would like that.” “You never cease to surprises me,” Boromir teases, ruffling your hair, “tell me about this mysterious lover!” “Boromir,” you half-whine in response despite your smile, “I have no ‘mysterious lover’, I am being courted, simple as that.” “Well, make this person less mysterious, then,” the warrior of Gondor challenges, “share with me the wonder of their presence.” “You? Since when has this been, ye wee rascal?” Gimli’s eyes are like saucers when he finds out the company’s youngest is spoken for. “Quit your daydreaming and explain yourself!” Harsh as his phrasing is you cannot help laughing, knowing how the dwarf gets in his shock. Soon as you smile, too, a teasing laugh bursts forth, an encouraging heh heh heh that has your dam bursting as you share your story.

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[master-muffinn]

You have a life too

It was a lovely July morning. You were with your boyfriend, hand in hand and walked through the green forest, which was filled with insects and flowers. You two finally had some free time and you chose to spend it together. Talking a little now and then about what the other had done to not miss out on anything important.

But then you see a bird and it flies up to you. You automatically hold out your hand for it to sit on. It has a letter for you. You let go of your boyfriend's hand and the bird flies away after you take the letter. 

Dear y/n. Meet me at ‘The Prancing Pony’ on Sunday evening at 7 o'clock.  From your dear friend, Gandalf.

You looked at the letter with disgust and irritation. You knew exactly what this is about. Gandalf had promised a stranger that you would come help them without talking to you about it first and expected you to come without questioning it.

You are smart, wise and a great fighter, but you had a really hard time to say ‘no’ when people ask you for help which back then perhaps was good because it’s the right thing to do, but now it starting to get out of hand and it felt like people took your help for granted. Like, you had a life too!

You looked at your boyfriend who already seemed to know what the letter was about. 

“Gandalf ‘again’?” he said and sighed when you nodded.

You looked back at the letter “I am really tired of Gandalf making promises without talking to me first”

“I know, me too”

You looked back at your boyfriend with pleading eyes. “I really don’t want to go, but I don't know how to tell him! Can you help me come up with a good excuse to not go that Gandalf has no other choice but to accept?!”

He thought for a while, looking around his surroundings like it could maybe help him get any useful ideas. He then put his hand in his pocket and a shy smile came to his lips. He took a step closer to you and looked you straight in the eyes with a loving gaze. 

“I have been thinking about doing this for a while but never had a good opportunity, so maybe this is the best time to do it” 

You move your head to the side and raise an eyebrow not understanding what he meant.

He took out a small box from his pocket, went down with one knee and opened the box with a beautiful ring inside. “Do you want to marry me? We have been together for years now and I can't see myself with anyone else but you! You are like the other half of my heart that I can't live without. I would love nothing more than to have you by my side in the rest of our life!”

You just stood stupidly in shock with your mouth and eyes wide open, but you quickly collected yourself, dropped the letter and threw yourself over him with a big embrace. “I would love to!” You said.

Dear Gandalf. I have to decline your request. You have to ask someone else for help from now on. I will get married soon and I wish to spend all my time and life with my love. From your dear friend, Y/n.

^Bilbo (he knows what you going though lol), Thranduil, Haldir, Celeborn, Feren, Elrond, Thorin, Boromir, Aragorn, Theoden, Bard, Dwalin, Dain, Eomer, Saruman

[art-ro-vert]

I need a Gigolas fic where they make love on emotions after the final battle.

And Legolas decides to hide (or rather ‘not mention’) the fact that “to bed is to wed” for an elf.

Because it will definitely ruin the mood, and like, how are you supposed to tell someone in the heat of the moment that if you proceed you will be legally married?

So, he decides that it is of no matter, because for Gimli it is not a marriage act. And Legolas himself can just ignore the fact, because he is not among his fellow elves and no one will actually know. And surely it is just an elven tradition and nothing will really change if they just have a one time thing.

He soon finds out that the whole “making love” thing does not just get you married in the legal terms for the elves, but actually creates a bond between you and your partner. Which apparently is hard to ignore and, Legolas assumes, impossible to revoke…

And he goes though a crisis and ignores Gimli though the next days, because now they are married and he cannot just ignore it, as he feels the bond burn bright in his heart every second. And it makes it almost painful to be away from Gimli even for a short time.

And he is in a freaking panic mode, because how is he supposed to tell Gimli that they got married without his consent? And how is he supposed to explain why he forgot to mention the fact when that was actually happening?

So yeah, they both brood. Legolas because he is an idiot and does not know what to do, and Gimli because they just made love and now Legolas is avoiding him, so definitely he should regret it.

The fan part starts when Gimli shares his worries with Aragorn, who immediately understands the whole picture (and facepalms in his thoughts). But it’s not like he can just explain everything to Gimli, because it should be Legolas’ choice to make.

And Legolas talks to Gandalf out of desperation as he is literally considers just drowning himself at this point.

To Legolas’ luck it turns out alright. They have a hard conversation, but Gimli loves him already and decides that this must be their true destiny, to spend every living breath by each others side as husbands.

Does anyone know a fic like this? Or maybe wants to write one? Or could help me to write one?

[astriiformes]

Okay, fun question time. One of the various multimedia elements of the LotR Road Trip AU story is that I am planning on making playlists for each member of the Fellowship, the idea being that they're supposed to be snapshots into everyone's music libraries for when they have the aux cord in the car.

My music taste is pretty all over the place, which helps with a project like this, but I can't claim it's as broad as I would like when trying to represent the music tastes of nine different people. So I would love to solicit some ideas from people--genres, artists, even specific songs. You name it.

Here's generally the vibes I've been curating so far, though I'm not entirely married to all of them:

Frodo -- Indie, acoustic, folk? Probably some instrumentals. Chill beats to carry a cursed artifact to.

Sam -- Generally pretty upbeat. For sure some really traditional folk influences but also like. Folk rock. Should be an extremely feel-good playlist.

Merry -- Nerd music, to put it simply. Folk and filk, as well as some of the found-filk folks out there like Hank Green, probably.

Pippin -- Pop music! He's here to have a good time. Would especially love some input from the Gen Z crowd here since my pop knowledge is a little dated for the youngest member of the Fellowship. What Chappell Roan song would be his favorite.

Boromir -- He is puzzling me. I am keeping in mind that he should have some like. Elder millennial vibes. Currently have Green Day, etc on there but I'm trying to decide if that works.

Aragorn -- Dad rock, plus some modern rock. Think about your dad's road trip playlist (I know mine has several) and you're getting the right picture.

Legolas -- Pop and some indie/acoustic songs. Also a little musical theater. I'll be honest I'm making his eclectic on purpose. Definitely a little cheesy, aro/ace jams encouraged.

Gimli -- Metal, industrial, classical. There is no bigger Trans-Siberian Orchestra fan. Possibly also some labor songs, though I'm thinking more like metal/rock covers.

Gandalf -- Prog rock and other wizard music. I am doing something very dumb and silly and putting classic rock songs with meta references to LotR on his (ex: Led Zeppelin's Misty Mountain Hop), but other suggestions are good too.

Please feel free to totally contradict some of these vibes though. Ideally some of these playlists with be a little more all over the place than I would usually lean towards, since the idea is to represent someone's music taste, not make a true character playlist.

So! Help me out here. What do you all think each Fellowship member would listen to?

[warrioreowynofrohan]

LOTR Newsletter – September 17

Today’s entry covers everything from the end of Bilbo’s 111th birthday party (after he leaves), which is also Frodo’s 33rd birthday party, to many years later, when Frodo is 49 years old, in April.

So, what’s been going on (outside the Shire, in particular)?

First: Bilbo’s behaviour before leaving makes Gandalf strongly suspects that his Ring is the One Ring (before that, he had been sometims worried, but unsure). In “The Shadow of the Past,” Gandalf says to Frodo, “He [Bilbo] said and did things then that filled me with a feat that no words of Saruman could allay. I knew at last that something dark and deadly was at work.” At the Council of Elrond, Gandalf says, “Time passed with many cares, until my doubts were awakened again to sudden fear…That was seventeen years ago. Soon I became aware that spies of many sorts, even birds and beasts, were gathered round the Shire, and my fear grew. I called for the help of the Dúnedain, and their watch was doubled; and I opened my heart to Aragorn, the heir of Isildur.”

I find it quite sweet that, while Gandalf acknowledges to Frodo that Bilbo’s behaviour around the Ring on the night of the Party was startling, at the Council of Elrond he obscures the reason (‘my doubts were awakened again’) to avoid alluding to things that could be embarassing to Bilbo in front of a large group of prominent people.

Appendix B confirms that Gandalf’s conversation with Aragorn, and the doubling of the Rangers’ guard on the Shire, happened in the same year as the Party.

Bilbo travels to the Lonely Mountain for a visit, and then settles in Rivendell, as he later tells Frodo: “I got here without much adventure, and after a rest I went on with the Dwarves to Dale: my last journey. I shan’t travel again. Old Balin has gone away. Then I came back here, and here I have been.”

Gandalf and Aragorn look for Gollum over many years without succeess, and Gandalf checks in on Frodo itermittently:

For three years after the Party he [Gandalf] had been away. Then he paid Frodo a brief visit, and after taking a good look at him he went off again. During the next year or two he had turned up fairly often, coming unexpectedly after dusk, and going off without warning before sunrise. He would not discuss his own business and journeys, and seemed chiefly interested in small news about Frodo’s health and doings. Then suddenly his visits had ceased. It was [at the end of today’s reading] over nine years since Frodo had seen or heard of him.

From Gandalf only entering or leaving Bag End after dark, he evidently still fears the Shire is being watched, and does not wat to draw attention to Frodo.

About six years after the Party (about a year before the nine-year-break in Gandalf’s visits to Frodo), Aragorn’s mother Gilraen dies. She has been living among the Dúnedain in Eriador (she left Rivendell a few years after Aragorn fell for Arwen and Elrond told him that she could not marry him until/unless he becomes King of both Gondor and Arnor – in effect, until there was peace and Aragorn had played a substantial role in bringing it about; this suggests to me that things may have been at least a bit uncomfortable between Gilraen and Elrond after that). By the time of Gilraen’s death Aragorn and Arwen’s first meeting is 56 years ago, and they have already been engaged for 27 years

She [Gilraen] seldom saw her son again, for he spent many years in far countries. But on a time, when Aragorn had returned to the North, he came to her, and she said to him before he went:

“This is our last parting, Estel, my son. I am aged by care, even as one of lesser Men; and now that it draws near I cannot face the darkness of our time that gathers upon Middle-earth. I shall leave it soon.”

Aragorn tried to comfort her, saying: “Yet there may be a loght beyond the darkness; and if so, I would have you see it, and be glad.”

But she answered only with this linnod: ‘Onen i-Estel Edain, û-chebin estel anim [I gave Hope to the Dúnediain, I have kept no hope for myself]’

and Aragorn went away heavy of heart. Gilraen died before the next spring.

Over the nine years that Gandalf does not visit Frodo, he and Aragorn continue interrmeittently to search for Gollum. For many years they do not find him, and at some time in these years Gollum enters Mordor and is captured by Sauron. These years are also when even hobbits in The Shire begin to heard dark rmours of outside events.

At some point in the year 3017 (the year before the main events of The Lord of the Rings begin), Gollum is released from Mordor. “The Hunt for the Ring” in Unfinished Tales gives us some dates for the events that follow.

At some point in late 3017 or early 3018, Gandalf departs from his and Aragon’s search for Gollum on the borders of Mordor, and goes to Minas Tirth. As he tells at the Council of Elrond:

“There [on the edges of Mordor] we had rumour of him [Gollum], and we guess that he dwelt there long in the dark hills; but we never found him, and at last I despaired. And in my despair I thought of a test that might make the finding of Gollum unneeded. The ring itself might tell if it were the One.”

He remember’s some if Saurman’s lore about hidden markings on the Ring, and goes to Minas Turith and finds Isildur’s scroll about it, and about the fire-letters.

Not long after Gandalf leaves for Minas Tirith, on February 1st, 3018, Aragorn captures Gollum in the Dead Marshes. Aragorn has an unpleasant journey to Mirkwood with Gollum as captive, lasting fifty days (and covering nearly 900 miles; that’s 18 miles/day, with a hostile captive), and reaches Thranduil on March 21st. Fron Unfinished Tales:

Hoping to escape detection by any of Sauron’s spies he drove Gollum through the north end of the Emyn Muil, and crossed Anduin just above Sarn Gebir. Drifwood was often cast up there on the shoals by the east shore, and binding Gollum to a log he swam across with him, and continued his journey north by tracks as westerly as he could find, through the skirts of Fangorn, and so over Limlight, then over Nimrodel and Silverlode through the eaves of Lórien, and then on. avoiding Moria and Dimrill Dale, over Gladden until he came near the Carrock.

As Gandalf rides north, messengers from Lothlórien tell him that Aragorn has captured Gollum and is bringing him to Thranduil. Gandalf arrives in Mirkwood on March 23rd, and questions him for several days, then leaves in the morning of March 29th, travelling to the Shire as fast as he can. He reaches the Shire the evening of April 12th, right after Sam’s argument with Ted Sandyman at The Green Dragon.

(One other thing I wanted to mention that amused me: apparently in medieval writings the village miller is almost always disliked and antagonistic. Medieval farmers were reliant on the miller to grind their grain to flour, and this left the miller with ample opportunities for overcharging, or for skimming off some of the flour. The Canterbury Tales is one example of a disliked miller character. I found it entertaining that Tolkien carried over this trope in first the Gaffer Gamgee arguing with the elder Sandyman, and then Sam arguing with his son.)

[sindar-princeling]

The previous post made me think some more about the real life influences on LOTR, so because I’m down with a cold and have a lot of time to spare, I finally wanted to write a coherent post about those comments GRRM made about Aragorn and his tax policy.

For those who haven’t heard the actual quote, here it is:

Tolkien can say that Aragorn became king and reigned for a hundred years, and he was wise and good. But Tolkien doesn’t ask the question: What was Aragorn’s tax policy? Did he maintain a standing army? What did he do in times of flood and famine? And what about all these orcs? By the end of the war, Sauron is gone but all of the orcs aren’t gone – they’re in the mountains. Did Aragorn pursue a policy of systematic genocide and kill them? Even the little baby orcs, in their little orc cradles? In real life, real-life kings had real-life problems to deal with. Just being a good guy was not the answer.

And my god, do I have problems with this approach to Tolkien. It’s kind of like asking why Bilbo was unconscious for a lot of the battle of five armies, when we know it was a story Tolkien was telling his kids before sleep.

When looking at LOTR, I think you can’t not read it as an ultimate escapist fantasy - and what’s most important, Tolkien’s personal escapist fantasy.

He is Frodo - a man born into a middle class family, educated, well-read, with close friends coming from the same “social sphere”, like Merry and Pippin, who died in WWI. Sam is in a very literal sense the batmen Tolkien fought with, which he said he considered “so far superior to myself”.

Tolkien had a few batmen during the war, like the article from my previous post mentions. Most probably because he fought in a few different units, but also, he may have lost some of them to war.

And in LOTR, they all get a happy ending.

Of all four of them, Frodo is the only one who can’t return home, most probably mirroring Tolkien’s trauma. He’s the only one whose ending is grounded in trauma, PTSD, loss. The rest of the hobbits get happy endings - very simple and traditional in a way that after the war was nothing but good - they marry, they have kids, the kids marry each other, everyone is happy and lives long lives.

Sam, especially, gets the happiest ending of all in this sense - he marries a woman he grew up with, he has so many beautiful kids, he is mayor for like seven times and everyone loves him, the Shire thrives.

Tolkien was too traumatised after the war not to write Frodo as a mirror of his experiences. But then he took all the people who fought alongside him, who suffered alongside him, people who he lost, and gave them the happiest fairy tale endings he could think of. And it’s not that Merry, Pippin and Sam weren’t as traumatised - this ending is not meant to belittle their experiences - Tolkien is simply giving them the ending that real life didn’t give them.

Returning to the original point, to Aragorn - it’s just another version of the same mechanism. Gondor was struggling, Gongor had Mordor as their immediate neighbours and was heavily affected by the war as well. And then there came a just, good king, and everything was fine. The end. It’s a subplot of the same fantasy as the hobbits’ endings. It doesn’t matter how hard ruling is, we trust that Aragorn is a good king, because people of Gondor deserve a good king (the people of the real world deserved a good ruler who wouldn’t drag them to war), and we know that Aragorn is an honorable, just man.

Nothing about the LOTR ending - apart from Frodo’s trauma - is meant to be realistic. Why would Tolkien want to write WWI and the aftermath - this time fictional.

[philtstone]

its true that a certain measure of inescapable grief is built into any loving tolkien relationship but i personally think everyone focuses WAY too much on the grief bit when it comes to aragorn and arwen. like yes, obviously, they both die in the end. they lose a lot. their little appendix successfully makes me cry every time i revisit it. thats part of the point. all human beings die. what comes after is a matter of philosophical debate & tolkien chose to explore that debate in a certain way.

HOW EVER.

everyone seems to forget that they were, before death, happily married for like a hundred and twenty years

not just that, but these are 2 people who knew each other very well for like, 60 years before marriage, and were engaged in the most chronically long distance arthurian yearning-y way for 48. YEARS. of those 60. now theyre ruling a country together and are simultaneously the strangest most incomprehensible people the average gondorian has ever met and also inextricably THE NICEST. both of them have literal magic powers. theyre so beautiful and encouraging people regularly develop really unmanageable crushes on them after like one (1) interaction. high likelihood theyre both into very kinky stuff. big horse girl energy. aragorn can track weather patterns by tasting dirt. i genuinely dont think arwen wears shoes. you KNOW they both sing to the trees sometimes. their first act in front of The People was to make out with tongue. they have at least 4 (3? definitely three. i imagine 6) kids who are according to the lore total racial anomalies.

there is just so much comedic potential here. so many shenanigans. so much VERVE and HILARITY and FUN. they probably have telepathic arguments at the high council dinner table because thats just something they can ... do

the reunited kingdoms had to put up with this for 120 years & everyone only ever talks abt the sad stuff. personally i feel like this is a crime.