I love this! It is so skillfully woven of Tolkien's threads but turned into a new and different tapestry-and to my way of looking at it, a brighter one. I am so happy to see the romance of Eowyn and Faramir re-cast as something they both choose, actively, rather than it being something that they more-or-less fall into through the shared experience of convalescing in the Houses of Healing. I am glad to see her actively in love with a man who loves her, rather than pining over Aragorn. I love how you have portrayed Boromir, how you took some of Tolkien's lines and subtly re-formed them for the changed events of the story, and how Boromir gets to do such completely different things here than we see him do in LOTR. And I love the portrayal of Denethor-I always adore it when authors find ways to explore the positive sides of his character, instead of his madness. This is a subtle, understated and magnificent piece.

Thank you for the story!

Loved it!

Wow, what a great story. Such an interesting premise, and beautifully written as always. I love to see an ending where Boromir gets to live, and one where Denethor does is even better. I like to think he would indeed have been wise enough to recognize the return of his son's alive as a King's ransom! Thanks so much for writing.

Susana

What an interesting turn of events... I never thought of it that way!

I must be getting repetitive, but WONDERFUL JOB!

A Denethor who yielded to Faramir's request might well have been this reasonable.

I can't believe I only just found this story. I really enjoyed it - your characterizations were spot on.

A very interesting premise and a great story. Very well-written, but your stories always are. :)

Hi Altariel,

I liked this story very much. I was surprised many times because you played with my expectations. This is a very interesting AU story because of it's construction which due to the wording still manages to transport a good Tolkien feeling. The personalities are somewhat weaker than I built them in my mind, but this can be a natural result of AU writing ;-) .

Many thanks for a good fanfiction work.

elanor

-Interesting and thought provoking.

A wonderful AU, bleak but slowly turning, like spring from winter, to hope, as Denethor and Eowyn see their loved ones returning from the East.

Denethor is well-drawn here; and it's nice to see an AU where Eowyn was never infatuated with Aragorn.

I do hope that Merry and Pippin survived, though. And I wonder who defeated Shelob - Sam or Faramir, or both together.

Very interesting and even more surprising! :)

brillant is the only word. a twist in the road and the difference it makes.

Interesting alternate take on things. Well done.

- Deandra

It's great to read a new story from you, Altariel. It's excellently written.