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Oddly, your summary/introduction somehow had misled me into expecting this to be a story in which Fingon and his wife had a wonderful marriage and Maedhros was just a friend. (There are quite a number of people who strongly believe this, after all! And I can even follow their arguments...) I see now that on LJ, you actually have a warning for "bad marriages" for this story.

Why is Anoriel leaving Middle-Earth? Because Maedhros is dead and she thinks there might yet be a chance to salvage her marriage--assuming Fingon was allowed out of Mandos? There seems to be little else about Aman that could attract her?

By the way, I have come across other people who believe in the Finwean family nose. (I think I do myself.)  Maybe it is some sort of insidious meme?

I think the happy marriage scenerio is nice one -- I think I was just feeling a little overwrought when I wrote this. I am facepalming whilst re-reading this, to be honest. 

Hmm, I suppose it could be that she believed the press that Valinor got!  I suppose most of her family/people she knew are dead, and maybe leaving Middle-Earth seemed a good time at the time. Athough personally, it seems like a stutifying place... 

 

That's a meme I can get behind! Maybe there's a Finwean jawline too? Or lips...

Really? Facepalming? If so, I hope it's not because anything I said or failed to say! Re-reading my comment, it seems a bit of a ramble...

I should have said, really, that I very much approve of one of Tolkien's unnamed wives getting to tell her story from her point of view! And we don't hear enough about the point of view of the northern Sindar either.

When I asked about Anoriel's motives for going to Valinor, it was precisely because in the story she comes across as a bit sceptical about the Valinorean hype; at least that is how I read her reactions. But admittedly the fact that so many of her family were dead and Hithlum was gone is a strong reason to leave!

P.S. I believe Fingon's wife actually had a name at one point, Erien. Only Erien was not the mother of Gil-Galad, so she wasn't really the same woman...

Oh, no, it's just going back and re-reading it is a daunting experience for me. I really hate reading my own writing. It's a weird thing for me. 

 

Anyway, yes - I actually really enjoy reading fic that expand on these forgetten women. Although I think I can remember only fic that focused exclusively on Gil-galad's mother. 

Ah, I actually wrote the part of her leaving before I wrote the rest, so the fact that she was leaving was set from the start. Although, now having this discussion with you, it seems like she should have stayed. Although, poor Gil gets it too, so there's just more trauma in the future. 

Oh! Good to know. 

There's a touch of Charles and Diana about this tale: or maybe not, I don't want to offend anybody by casting Maedhros as Camilla, in this kingdom or any other... tee hee!  Still, I found your rendering believable and sympathetic...

(“Living outside the Girdle of Melian means more than uncertainty and danger. It means that we needed as many allies as we can get, and there is no doubt that these Lechind are strong and powerful.”)

I would ask: are Anoriel and her father Dark Elves, and if so aren't they exiles from Doriath not owing loyalty to Thingol, or indeed does this only apply to Eol? Either way it doesn't really matter, I enjoyed the scene between father and daughter... aspects of both Rigoletto and La Traviata in reverse.

Haha! I hadn't thought of it like that. It's not very flatter to either party, is it? But they are both ginger, though. And I was thinking about unhappy royal couples, so Charles and Diana may have snuck in there...

I suppose I assumed that the elves who lived outside the Girdle, before the return of the Noldor, would owe at least a nominal allegiance to Thingol.

This is such a thought provoking piece- your story telling is perfect. It's a well worn tale over the centuries really, isnt it- but still resonates and I like the glimpses we get that tell everything, Maedhros, the chilly Galadriel, that fleeting reference to Orodreth. Brilliant.

This is such a thought provoking piece- your story telling is perfect. It's a well worn tale over the centuries really, isnt it- but still resonates and I like the glimpses we get that tell everything, Maedhros, the chilly Galadriel, that fleeting reference to Orodreth. Brilliant.

This is such a thought provoking piece- your story telling is perfect. It's a well worn tale over the centuries really, isnt it- but still resonates and I like the glimpses we get that tell everything, Maedhros, the chilly Galadriel, that fleeting reference to Orodreth. Brilliant.