For caras_galadhon - A Touch of Frost (Denethor/Finduilas - PG)

[lordhellebore]

Title: A Touch of Frost
Rating: PG
Pairing: Denethor/Finduilas
Disclaimer: All the characters and settings of Middle-earth belong to the Tolkien Estate, no money is made with this fic.
Summary: With trouble stirring in the East and Ecthelion ill, Denethor is weighed down with worry and responsibilities. His wife and son remind him that he is more

Comments

[caras_galadhon]

This is lovely! Thank you so very, very much for writing it for me, and I will be back soon with better feedback for this gorgeous story. ♥

[lordhellebore]

Thank you! I'm very happy that you like it. It was fascinating to try and get into Denethor's head, imagine his feelings for his wife, and I'm curious to hear your thoughts :)

[caras_galadhon]

Thank you again for this lovely fic! I love that Denethor is involved in ruling Gondor alongside his father, and that he's there to pick up the slack when Ecthelion is ill. I love that he's dedicated enough to forget himself in his work, even if it's wearying. I got a good sense of his frustration from the outset of the story, and as much as I love Thorongil (and Ecthelion), I definitely feel bad for Denethor, always feeling like he's a distant second best to the mysterious Captain who served his father so well.

A stranger, a nobody with no lineage to call his own,
This line makes me smile, because oh, oh my, how little Denethor suspects, and how much worse it would be if he knew Isildur's heir had stood before him.

and yet, Denethor thinks grimly, his people - and his father - loved him more than-And this nearly kills me, because it's awful that Denethor feels unloved by his father (and his people, but primarily his father), and it's horrible how this pattern repeats itself with his own second son later on. It's as if Denethor will

[caras_galadhon]

This, he had thought, must have been how Beren had felt when he had first met Lúthien and fallen under her spell.
I love the comparison. It's perfect.

And oh, there's that longing and sadness to Finduilas creeping in around the edges, her own winter coming far too soon. That makes Denethor's silent pledge to spend more time with her, Boromir, and their new baby all the sadder, since it will never, ever be enough time.

For now, though, he is content to hold his wife, to warm her and be warmed by her presence.An absolutely beautiful line to end on, warm and content and yet it has that little bit of foreboding winding its way through

[vaysh]

A Touch of Frost
This is touching in its quiet comfort, especially when read with the knowledge of the things to come. I love the many details you mentioned, I love how within this small glimpse into denethor's earlier life you manage to foreshadow the conflict that will rule his later life, that between the Steward and the coming King. The moment when Finduilas says that she imagines the White Tree to bloom like the frost flowers is wonderfully prepared, full of longing that is denethor's longing, too, even when he cannot admit it. Those glimpses of Denethor and young Boromir were wonderful to see. thank you, and a happy new year.

[lordhellebore]

Thank you :) I tried to involve a bit of foreshadowing, and as you say, even if he can't admit it, I think there is something in him that would see Gondor returned to former glory, under a king.

[alex_quine]

There is a strong sense here of the sheer exhaustion that is threatening to overwhelm
Denethor and also the young father trying to do his best and still able, just, to have a
perspective on his own needs and those of his family. There is a very touching insight
into the way that he is continually comparing himself to his own father and seeing
himself failing. Very sad, but delicately done.

[lordhellebore]

Thank you! I do imagine the growing threat must have been wearing Denethor down more and more, and the comparison with his father and Thorongil surely didn't help.

[lindahoyland]

I just loved this. a great glimpse of Denethor and his family.

[lordhellebore]

Thank you! :)

[ysilme]

I never thought it possible to feel sympathetic to Denethor, not after the films (as in his case, movie!Denethor really has overridden my book impressiond), but you managed that quite easily with the first few paragraphs already. You really got into the character for me, making him approachable and understandable, and simply real. I really enjoyed seeing him in these partly domestic, partly duty-bound moments, interacting with his wife and son (and what a sweet boy Boromir is! *g*) and with all his worries and anxieties, sometimes resulting in jealousy like about Thorongil, the duty that still fees a huge load to carry, and the little comforts he allows him self - and probably denies himself more often. I'm not sure how to interpret his character yet, but your story raised an interest about him I haven't had before. It is bitter to know what will happen to him and his wife, and you're showing the glimpses into that dismal future very well. One can easily see from the interaction between the two how badly her death is going to weigh on

[lordhellebore]

o_O Why did I forget to answer you? Thank you for this comment - and the one on the other site too ♥

I am really really happy to hear that this made you look beyond the film!Denethor. John NOble did great as the Denethor PJ envisioned, but I think it is very exaggerated and OC if you look at the character in the books.

It is very bitter to know about what will happen; I always think he might have weathered the storm better if Finduilas had lived.

<3