As Rivers of Water in a Dry Place by Maggie Honeybite

Fanwork Notes

Acknowledgments: Many thanks to my beta, Tehta, who rocks, as usual.

Notes: 

1) In SA 3434, the army of the Last Alliance marched south, won the Battle of Dagorlad and besieged the Barad-dûr.  The siege lasted seven years, until SA 3441, when Sauron was finally overthrown.  This story takes place roughly halfway through the siege, which was no piece of cake:  "...they laid siege to it for seven years, and suffered grievous loss by fire and by the darts and bolts of the Enemy, and Sauron sent many sorties against them."  (Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age)  As Mordor is hardly the land of milk and honey, I have extrapolated that the army of the Last Alliance experienced water shortages, and had difficulty supplying provisions for its soldiers -- as most medieval armies in siege situations did.  I am also assuming that Sauron's "sorties" occasionally interfered with the supply convoys (as well as inflicting casualties and messing with morale).

2) Celunen got his name courtesy of Claudio's Sindarin Name Generator (http://www.elffetish.com/singen.html).  The two elements of his name translate as "source" and "water."  (Clever, no?)

3) Aeglos is, of course, Gil-galad spear.

4) Manwë — a Vala, Lord of the Breath of Arda.  Ulmo — another Vala, Lord of Waters.

5) This story takes place in the same universe as "In the Bleak Midwinter," which means that Elrond and Gil-galad's relationship has been going on for quite some time.  Unfortunately, the end of the siege also marked the end of Gil-galad's life.  So much for "when this war is over" promises.  :(  Sometimes, life just isn't fair.

Fanwork Information

Summary: During the siege of the Barad-dûr, Gil-galad struggles with the burden of leadership and the grim reality of war.  Elrond helps. Major Characters: Elrond, Gil-galad Major Relationships: Elrond/Gil-galad Artwork Type: No artwork type listed Genre: Drama, Erotica, Slash Challenges: Rating: Adult Warnings: Mature Themes, Sexual Content (Moderate)
Chapters: 1	Word Count: 4, 255
Posted on 22 May 2022	Updated on 22 May 2022
This fanwork is complete.