A Day's Journey through Minas Tirith by Himring
Fanwork Notes
This story features an elderly woman who has mobility and vision issues due to advanced age and a textual ghost (one of Arwen's daughters).
The story also contains brief references to a number of OCs. These include adolescents, displaced and enslaved characters (place of origin suggested only), and one hint of non-literacy.
This is set in Fourth-Age Gondor and as Silmfic it is really marginal. Please bear with me; I was trying to combine more than one challenge here.
Warning for one reference to the death of minors in war.
Now with an added bonus drabble on the background of one of the OCs in the earlier fic. The bonus drabble was written for a Jubilee insta-drabbling session for a Restoration challenge prompt. For more detail and warnings, see chapter notes on the second chapter.
Fanwork Information
Summary: Ioreth has to endure some of the physical drawbacks of advanced age, but there are also people who accord her the kindness and respect she deserves. (Now with extra drabble.) Major Characters: Unnamed Female Canon Character(s), Ioreth, Original Female Character(s) Major Relationships: Genre: Ficlet Challenges: Jubilee, Middle-earth Is Multitudes, Restoration and Rebuilding Rating: General Warnings: Check Notes for Warnings |
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Chapters: 2 | Word Count: 1, 013 |
Posted on 18 March 2023 | Updated on 25 January 2025 |
This fanwork is complete. |
A Day's Journey through Minas Tirith
Read A Day's Journey through Minas Tirith
I. Outside the Great Gate
Ioreth needs support now when walking; she carries a staff to steady her steps and to lean on when she gets tired. Her eyes are not as good as they used to be, either. But she still gets about, especially if she takes enough care to stop to rest when she needs to.
And right now she finds herself in the very same spot where she once stood with her kinswoman watching Faramir ceremonially welcoming Aragorn into the city of Minas Tirith. That time it was Elloth, she remembers. She has shown others of her kin from Imloth Melui around the city, both before and since. The youngsters are often almost too excited about their first trip to the city and really need keeping an eye on to stop them from getting into scrapes!
She recalls how she herself first arrived in Minas Tirith, how huge and bewildering it seemed at first. Now she knows the place like the wrinkles on the back of her hand and finds her way about like one of the cats of Queen Beruthiel, without map or sign-post, despite all the changes that have happened here even in her own life-time.
The Pelennor still lay mostly in ruin when she stood here with Elloth, despite the festivities. This year, fields and orchards are flourishing, promising a good harvest.
II. Rath Celerdain (Lampwrights’ Street)
The keeper of the Old Guesthouse in Lampwrights’ Street has thoughtfully put a bench on the narrow greensward in front of the pillared porch. Ioreth gratefully sinks down on it, even though she will not stay long; she takes any offered opportunity and the city’s stone paving can be hard on old feet. This, she remembers, was where the lads that ran errands for the healers during the Siege stayed. Her eyes mist over, for not all those lads survived and she still feels that loss.
But Master Bergil, Beregond’s son, came well out of it all, and she has seen him and his family only recently. He married the daughter of two ex-thralls from Nurn—where her parents originally came from before their capture, Ioreth is not certain. From Near Harad? Or somewhere out East? Quite unexpected, but Ioreth whole-heartedly approves. Bergil’s wife listens so nicely and politely to an old woman’s witterings-on! Ioreth makes a mental note to herself to drop over with a little gift of some of her rose syrup in a couple of weeks or so.
III. Sixth Level
The Houses of Healing still feel quite like home territory, although she only rarely helps out with light nursing duties anymore and only an hour or so at a time. But it is also a real pleasure to be treated as an honoured guest by one of the Warden’s assistants, as now, settled in a comfortable wicker chair by the trellis in the garden, served herbal tea and a wafer of cake, and receive genuine encouragement to chat about what she remembers! Deorhild has a thick notebook lying on the seat beside her and is always ready to jot down a bit of lore, a handy hint, or a helpful ingredient. Deorhild’s father once came south to join Lady Eowyn. Maybe that is part of why she has so much respect for the wisdom of old wives’ tales, and perhaps it is her upbringing in Emyn Arnen that makes her see such need for a detailed written record…
IV. The Citadel
Oh dear! Maybe seven levels are turning out to be one too many, after all. It is such a beautiful day still, but all at once Ioreth seems to be feeling every inch of the climb up from the Great Gate in her bones. It does not help that she is close to Fen Hollen—well, no, not really, but suddenly that closed door does seem to loom uncomfortably near and Ioreth is feeling all too mortal.
‘Why, Ioreth! Are you all right?!’
‘My Lady Celebriel! Forgive me, I did not see you. I was feeling a bit shaky of a sudden, there.’
‘I will send for help…’
‘No, no, just give me a moment and I will be right again as rain!’
‘Are you sure? Let me take your elbow.’
‘You are too kind!’
‘It is no trouble at all. Why are you here? Were you on your way to the Citadel?’
‘I had heard the White Tree was fully in flower again and people were flocking to see.’
‘Yes, indeed! Shall I take you there? I can find seating for you in the Court of the Fountain so that you do not need to stand.’
Lady Celebriel is both tall and strong; she is supporting a significant part of Ioreth’s weight just with that one arm. Entering the Citadel accompanied like that by one of the Princesses! Well, Ioreth is not going to question her good fortune.
‘Here, Ioreth. Sit down. Look, you will have a really good view from here, but not be crowded.’
‘Oh, yes! Oh! So very beautiful!’
Celebriel sits down beside her, clearly not planning to abandon her any time soon.
‘My Lady?’
Ioreth might as well try and satisfy her curiosity. It is not every day she gets the chance to ask one of Queen Arwen’s daughters a question!
‘Is it true that they also have a tree exactly like that in Elvenhome?’
Chapter End Notes
Celebriel has previously featured in The Bequest.
Ioreth's vision issues have appeared in Give Us the Wherewithal to Serve.
The piece also is a fill for the March Challenge at tolkienshortfanworks and incorporates two prompts from the B2MeM 2023 prompt board.
Drabble: Sprung from the Ashes
More about Bergil's wife.
The image prompt for this insta-drabble showed a cluster of pink flowers growing in a burnt landscape beside a track leading to a burnt hill.
Warnings for reference to slavery over several generations.
Read Drabble: Sprung from the Ashes
It is who I am, Bergil’s wife tells him on their first meeting, but it is my family, not my name. When my grandmother saw those first blossoms emerge from the ashes on the verge of the road from Barad-dur to Mount Doom, she burst into tears. We lost most of our history when Sauron enslaved us, dragging us west; parents died too young. When we found each other, again, those who had survived, scattered all over Nurn and Mordor, we found we had no name. So, we called ourselves the Fireweeds, after the plant my grandmother loved so much.
Chapter End Notes
100 words in MS Word.
The title reminds me of Bilbo's rhyme about Aragorn; that fits, because that rhyme was also one of the prompts of the Restoration Challenge.
Ooh yes, beautiful!! I love…
Ooh yes, beautiful!! I love the memories you wove in, and the reference to the cats <3
Thank you very much! I…
Thank you very much!
I couldn't resist the cats, as they are Gondorian, even if it was Osgiliath they roamed!
I really love how Ioreth has…
I really love how Ioreth has grown to be such an important character in fandom. You portray her here so beautifully, with all the frailty of an old woman but still with the knowledge that comes from a life lived long and full - and Ioreth the Wise accompanied by the princess was a lovely image, too!
Ahh, a trip through memories…
Ahh, a trip through memories as well as the city.
"Now she knows the place like the wrinkles on the back of her hand and finds her way about like one of the cats of Queen Beruthiel..."
I love both of these comparisons, both so apt!
"Entering the Citadel accompanied like that by one of the Princesses! Well, Ioreth is not going to question her good fortune." (Nor give up the opportunity for a story to tell — I think some traits don't fade with age.)
It was lovely to encounter Celebriel again, and then revisit the histories of the Elessars too, as a bonus!
That is so beautiful! What a…
That is so beautiful!
What a lovely account, both of the city, and of Ioreth life!
A trip down memory lane for her, only memory lane goes up through the rings of the city in this case
This is such a lovely…
This is such a lovely exploration of both Ioreth and Minas Tirith!
This is really lovely.
This is really lovely.
I love Ioreth's view of…
I love Ioreth's view of events since the conclusion of the Ring War (and the happy endings for several folks) as well as Celebriel!