Elegy for Númenor – Volume 2: The Darkening by elfscribe

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Fanwork Notes

I first began sketching ideas for Elegy for Númenor around 2006, when there were few fanfics about Númenor. During the writing of volume 1, I developed my own head canon based on Tolkien’s writings, with some fanciful elaboration on my part. Years have passed and I haven't been writing as much fanfic, and now of course, there are plenty of marvelous fics dealing with that part of the Second Age. But finally, I'm back to working on this (I don't promise speed) and hope readers will still enjoy my humble offering that includes many original characters.

This is the beginning of volume 2 in the series, so if you want the full background, I encourage reading Volume 1: Journey to Umbar first, although I’ll do my best to fill in knowledge gaps so that reading Vol. 1 isn’t strictly necessary to enjoy this part of the story. However, Vol. 2 will have spoilers for events in Vol. 1.

Many thanks to my marvelous beta, Russandol, who provides camaraderie, wise advice, canon knowledge and hand-holding support. Russa, I wouldn’t be writing without you.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

Ar-Pharazôn, the mighty King of Númenor, thinks he has triumphed when his powerful enemy, Sauron, surrenders, and the King carries him back to his glorious island kingdom. However, Sauron’s greatest power lies not in his armies, but in his capacity for guile and seduction. A drama with many players.

Rating: M overall, although, no doubt, future chapters will have explicit content.

Major Characters: Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Amandil, Ar-Pharazôn, Elendil, Isildur, Númenóreans, Sauron, Tar-Míriel

Major Relationships: Ar-Pharazôn & Sauron, Ar-Pharazôn/Tar-Míriel, Original Character/Original Character

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family, Het, Romance, Slash, Slash/Femslash

Challenges: Akallabêth in August

Rating: Adult

Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings
Chapters: 6 Word Count: 29, 046
Posted on 31 August 2022 Updated on 28 November 2023

This fanwork is a work in progress.

Table of Contents

1. The Talisman

Chapter Summary: Ar-Pharazôn sails home to Númenor with his captive, Sauron. About a week before they are due to land, the ship becomes stuck in the doldrums. Bored, Sauron riles tempers and makes mischief — with consequences.

2. The Storm

Chapter Summary: Confined to the bilge for blasphemy, Annatar develops a strange illness. He sends his servant, Sûla, to the King’s cabin to retrieve a magic curative, while a monster storm wrecks havoc on all aboard Ar-Pharazôn’s ship.   

Warning: Attempted rape

 

3. Wind and Waves

Chapter Summary: In the midst of a hurricane, Sûla tries to rescue Sauron so the sorcerer can cure the wounded King before their ship sinks.

4. Particle Manipulation

Chapter Summary: Sauron (Mairon) seeks to re-establish old ties in order to cajole Ossë into ceasing his stormy rampage.

5. Father of Storms

Chapter summary: In the midst of the storm, Sûla strives to keep himself and Annatar from being killed.

6. Rómenna

Chapter summary: During the stormy voyage from Middle-earth, Tigôn worries about what has happened to his lover Sûla, his feelings complicated by Elendil, his captain, sternly warning him not to continue the relationship. He longs for some answers once they make landfall at Rómenna, which, Valar willing, should be any day now. 

Comments

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Thrilled to review this here as well, Elfscribe :D It feels like waiting for a longed-for book to be published. Your writing is superb and the characters so real I feel like I’m watching  a film as I did with Volume I! 

The nice part about coming late to this fandom is getting to binge read fics,  and your/my timing has been impeccable with this, being able to go straight from Vol 1 to this!

Your characters are so full-bodied, their interactions so true to life, your descriptions so vivid I barely start reading before my mind sees pictures instead of words. I think your ships would definitely do more than float. Although these doldrums are more trying than a storm...

 

 

Wow, what a tour de force! I read through the "storm" chapters all in one go, unable to stop. Glad there is a breather now - both for myself and for the sake of poor Sûla! Annatar was really fascinating here, from his foolish impudence at dinner to shifting between despair and arrogance in his cage to - especially - his interactions with Uinen and Osse. Can't feel particularly sorry for Kamin (or Ar-Pharazôn for that matter). Loved the appearance of the whale! Sûla's servitude to Annatar definitely doesn't get boring.
Thank you so much for this sequel!

Hi Lyra, how lovely to see you here! Very happy to hear that those 5 chapters had forward momentum! I hoped that would be the case, but as usual with me, it got longer than I'd anticipated and so much real life got in the way of writing that to me it seemed to go on forever. Those chapters are meant to be a mini-arc and the next bit will go to Tigon and Elendil and sons. Especially pleased that you found Annatar fascinating here. I do enjoy his character, someone who does not suffer fools gladly, and here he's actually being playful, although as we know, he'll get darker and scarier. The whale, lol. Osse's pet was one of those serendipitous things that appears while writing. And yes, poor Sula at the end there is pretty disgusted with all the drama he's been through. Thank you so much for such an encouraging comment. Cheers!

Oh, wow! 

You packed so much into these chapters that I wouldn't know where to start commenting. But I was basically on the edge of my seat with the tension and at the same time fascinated with your inventiveness while I was reading.

Storms! Ainur shenanigans! Whales!  And more.

But poor Sula. It is really not good when Sauron is your best option.

Also, Osse, I think it might not be such a good idea to let Sauron help you with geological issues under Numenor...

I'm pleased that you found these chapters gripping. The action will calm down a bit in the next section. Oh yes, poor Sula, I really gave him a hard time here. No wonder he just wants to go off and get drunk. And I thoroughly agree with you that it's not a good idea for Osse to get Sauron's aid on Numenor's foundations. But then this Osse isn't exactly Sauron's intellectual equal. :-D  Thanks for commenting!

Arrgh! I can't read fast enough! I'm reading these comments and can't wait to dive back in here again! But I'm re-reading Part I first because I raced through it because I wanted your imagery in my mind before The Show That Is Not Worth Naming aired (which I now know was needless!) that I missed so much of the deliciousness of your writing that I'm savoring now...

Hi Anerea! Well, I'm so happy you want to reread Vol. I . Particularly that you raced through it to avoid contamination, lol. You're right, I needn't have worried about RoP. It hasn't interfered with my head canon at all. So there's that, at least. Savor away! I'm not getting more of Vol. II out for a bit since I foolishly signed up for MSV.