A Bird in the Hand by Marta

Notes

My thanks to Dwimordene, Pandemonium_213, and many others whose comments inspired this story. I feel like I’ve only begun to crack this nut, but I hope this glimpse into how the Akallabêth might have affected Gondor gives you some food for thought.

This story is inspired in part by a line in the Akallabêth about how Ar-Pharazôn and his men that set foot on Valinor didn’t go to Mandos; they were trapped under caved-in hills and “there it is said that they lie imprisoned in the Caves of the Forgotten, until the Last Battle and the Day of Doom.” Leaving aside the fact that this situation is just gut-wrenching, it also raises the question of how it could be known that this happened. The only way it could have been known in Middle-earth that Ar-Pharazôn even set foot on Valinor is if word came to Middle-earth from Valinor; which is where the idea of Gandalf as courier came in.

If you know Plato, you may recognize Faramir’s bird “parable” as being from the Theaetetus. As always, I’ve mangled it and twisted it for my own devious purposes; my Middle-earth philosophy isn’t necessarily our real-word philosophy.

The notes about Gondor’s education system are inspired by Annmarwalk’s and EdorasLass’s story, “The Haradric Whore and Her Son” (warning: sexual situations), where it’s implied that Minas Tirith had some sort of education available for all boys. If there’s something for all boys, that suggests to me that those who could afford it would want something better.

For those who are interested, the song I have in mind is “Salva Me,” as sung by Libera. (YouTube /// Lyrics)