For caras_galadhon: Denethor/Thorongil, PG-13

[just_ann_now]

Title: If Ever
Author: Annmarwalk
A Gift for caras_galadhon. Happy holidays, Galadriel!
Characters: Denethor/ Thorongil
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Not mine, merely borrowed.

Comments

[caras_galadhon]

Oh, Ann. I knew without looking that I was in for some stellar storytelling, just by virtue of your name being on the story, and I absolutely was not disappointed. *hugs tight* I was actually quite surprised by the pairing, as it was the one I asked for that I assumed would be least likely to be chosen, so this is a fantastic double surprise!

Your description of Thorongil is amazing, and so spot on, right down to the sound of his voice--
His voice is tinged with a hint of the rough vowels of the North, interspersed with a softer, more gracious speech, the origin of which escapes me, yet echoes through my mind like a barely-remembered dream.
--The image/sound of it is so strong, I can almost hear it. I also love how Denethor has so obviously studied Thorongil; I like the fact that you could chalk it up to his soldiering skills coming into play, but that the story unfolds to make it very, very clear that no, Denethor has a deeper obsession with the interloper.

When it is my turn I stumble, cursing my previous distraction, for it was his form with a sword I should have studied, and not the movement of his hips and shoulders.
O_o ...Eeep. *THUD* (But who can blame poor Denethor, right? ^_^)

His blade dances, seeming to carve music in the air; mine as I recover cuts a discordant challenge in the liquid twilight. When I finally best him, we are both winded, gasping; yet he bows his head as gracefully as if he were handing me a boon, robbing me of any meager satisfaction I might find in the victory.
My god, these lines are so beautiful and evocative they hurt.

Those hands…no, I dare not think such thoughts, and flush as he discovers me staring.
*blinks* Seriously, Denethor, we're all thinking them with you. *fans self*

I am the Steward’s Heir; no one less than the King Returned could deny me that title.
This line sends shivers down my spine. What wonderful foreshadowing, especially as Denethor is standing in front of that very man.

I am Denethor, husband of Finduilas, father of Boromir, most blessed of all men. There is nothing I possess that he can take from me.
*bites lip* I have this overwhelming urge to read this as existing in the same universe as ribby's Thorongil's Farewell, most likely because it was spawned from your Benison, and then to throw in my OTP of Aragorn/Boromir ontop of all of that, thus stripping Denethor of wife, son and city. Whoops. *cough* Regardless of whether that is what you were going for or not, the resonances are there, and you've folded them in so very deftly. *hugs tight*

Yet he haunts my dreams: elegant fingers caressing me intimately, eyes dark with desire, skillful mouth draining me, robbing me of all honour. In my horror I awake, my lady wife warm and pliant by my side. Swiftly I enter her, burning with shame and need, burying myself within her as I silently cry out his name.
Oh, this is oh-so-twisted, and oh-so-beautifully done. Denethor's lust and shame is palpable here (and so wickedly alluring), and I feel terrible for poor Finduilas as his outlet for same. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful, Ann. Thank you so, so, so much. *more hugs* This is a fic I will absolutely treasure. ♥

[just_ann_now]

Thank you so much for the heartwarming words. For some reason, I found this very difficult to write - the temptation to write too much rambling detail (very unusual in me, as you well know) warred with Denethor's inborn reticence, his ability to hold himself cool and still. I'm really glad that side of him won out in the end.

I got this assignment right after I had posted your birthday story, and I continued to intrigued by something Boromir had said there: My desires follow the darker path. How much would he have learned from his father, disgust and contempt for those who follow that path, and how much did it pain him to eventually choose it for himself, risking his father's love?