Aerin and Broddun by Himring

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Fanwork Notes

This is the story of two women who come to mean a great deal to each other but, as far as the author's knowledge and intentions go, not the story of a physical relationship (or even UST). Nevertheless, it seemed that the International Day of Femslash might not be a bad date to start posting this, although it is incomplete.

The story is made up of two true drabble sequences: written in response to weekly prompts at the Tolkien Weekly community on LiveJournal for the Communication Challenge and the Sounds Alike Challenge

Additional warning for self-induced miscarriage (abortion) in Part II and arguably suicide in Part III

 

Fanwork Information

Summary:

The story of Aerin of the House of Hador and Broddun of the Easterlings, Brodda's sister. After the crushing defeat of the Edain in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Easterlings have occupied Dor-lomin. Brodda has taken Aerin to wife by force.

Aerin and Broddun find ways of dealing with it and with each other. Their friendship grows and survives amid difficulties, but the end is bitter.

Now added: an extra drabble.

Major Characters: Aerin, Brodda, Lorgan, Morwen, Original Character(s), Sador Labadal

Major Relationships:

Artwork Type: No artwork type listed

Genre: Fixed-Length Ficlet

Challenges:

Rating: Teens

Warnings: Rape/Nonconsensual Sex, Character Death, Mature Themes, Violence (Moderate)
Chapters: 9 Word Count: 3, 930
Posted on 20 July 2013 Updated on 9 December 2018

This fanwork is complete.

Table of Contents

Part I: Chapter 1: Reading the Signs

Reading the Signs

Prompt: Sign Language

 

Part I: Chapter 2: Turning and Turning Outward

Turning and Turning Outward

Prompt: Body Language

Part I: Chapter 3: Learning the Language

Learning the Language

Prompt: Speech

Part I: Chapter 4: Mapping the Past

Mapping the Past

Prompt: Drawing (Communication by Drawing)

Part I: Chapter 5: A Degree of Creative Accounting

Prompt: Writing

Part I: Chapter 6: Don't!

Prompt: Mind Reading

Part II: The Turn of a Hair

A second drabble sequence, written to the prompts of the Tolkien Weekly Sounds Like challenge.

Prompts: Sounds Like (Hair): hare, hare-brained, hair-breadth, hair-raising, err, heir, heirloom, hair

Part III: It Ends in Fire

After Turin and Asgon have left, Aerin sets fire to Brodda's hall.

Extra drabble: As little might be thought

Broddun, Brodda's sister, faces evidence of Brodda's physical abuse of Aerin.

 

The title is, of course, taken from the passage about Maglor's fosterage of Elrond and Elros, but there is no explicit reference to them and the parallel is not exact.

 

Comments

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Wait, this is already done? Not to criticize, I'm just surprised and do wish there were more fics. This read like a breeze, not just because they were drabbles, but I loved the merging of worldbuilding and characterization, and how you made each of these drabbles a poignant little thing - and now I'm immensely fond of Broddun (and Aerin too, but I already liked her before), and hope you'll eventually continue this. :)

It's really just part of the arc I had envisaged--but the following series of prompts didn't seem to fit at all (they triggered a Narvi sequence instead)--and now this sequence is on hiatus until another suitable series of prompts comes along or I figure out another way forward.

I am really glad you like Broddun, Elleth! Thank you!