All There Is To Tell (2/2)

[anteros_lmc]

Title: All There Is To Tell (2/2)
Author: Anteros
Characters: Kennedy, Hornblower
Rating: PG-13
Notes: POW fic. How Archie got from the Gironde to El Ferrol.

Comments

[eglantine_br]

Oh Archie.

This is so real and so heartbreaking, I feel so sorry for them both. You have made it all clear: Horatio's puppyish belief in honor, Archie's stubborn streak, the repeated insults to Archie's sense of who he is, Horatio's caustic self-blame.

I am going to have to read it again to think about your word-art. The first time through I did not notice your writing. I just came to the end with a thump, and realized I am sitting at my desk. Maybe it is because these things really happened, maybe it is because Archie feels more real to me than many people walking Brooklyn, but I lost myself reading this.

[nodbear]

Shows evidence of its long gestation and its scholarship as well as being heart stirringly well written.

I have just read this too fast also and must come back to it over the next few days.

Thank you very much indeed,though. I Am so glad this has now been written.

[anteros_lmc]

Thanks for taking the time to have a quick read when I know you're so busy. Like I said before, this felt like one of these things that just had to be written.

[anteros_lmc]

Sorry this is so heartbreaking, it couldn't really have been anything else but, could it? I do feel so for all those young men and their extraordinary forgotten bravery and endurance. Archie stands for them all.

the repeated insults to Archie's sense of who he is, Horatio's caustic self-blame.
Yes. And that's what hangs between them at this point in time.

I just came to the end with a thump, and realized I am sitting at my desk.
Archie's story ends rather abruptly. Somehow it felt like he got tired of talking when he reached Ferrol. Or maybe he didn't want to rake over such grim recent events.

maybe it is because Archie feels more real to me than many people walking Brooklyn
I know exactly what you mean.

Thank you for all your encouragement btw, I probably wouldn't have taken this so far otherwise.

[esmerelda_t]

What swines real historical persons appear to be, I much prefer fictional ones.

There was an impressive amount of French in this for someone who only knows 'Bonjour'. :P

Once more your historical research adds a rich layer to the story.

[anteros_lmc]

What swines real historical persons appear to be, I much prefer fictional ones.
So speaks the real historian ;) But yes, definitely. Real historical people are terrible swines, especially when there is a war on.

There was an impressive amount of French in this for someone who only knows 'Bonjour'.
Google translate innit?

Once more your historical research adds a rich layer to the story.
Historical research or blatant plagiarism. You decide ;P

[eglantine_br]

I was driving by our local army base the other day, (Fort Hamilton,) and they were having a POW/MIA event, and I thought of Archie. A fictional guy, from a long ago war between countries that are not my own....

Still, compassion spreads outward, right? Archie's story, and the real men behind it-- has made me a better person I think.

There was a sign up that said 'POW, we give what we got.' It could just have been bad grammar, but maybe it was a threat!

[anteros_lmc]

Still, compassion spreads outward, right?
Yes. I think you're right. For a fictional guy from a long ago war, Archie certainly seems to make an impact doesn't he? He's certainly given me a lot to think about.

I caught the end of a tv programme the other night about the Scottish Army Regiments, their history, and their future. The final scenes were of the National War Memorial which stands on the pinacle of the rock which Edinburgh castle is built on. Among the long list of battles around the altar were Valenciennes and Verdun. These were WW2 battles of course but inevitably it made me think back to earlier wars and those young men.

I finally got a copy yesterday of Edward Fraser's Napoleon the Gaoler published in 1914. I think this is one of the earlier overviews of the experiences of POWs and I believe Lewis based his research heavily on Fraser. I don't know if there will be anything new in it but if I come across anything of interest I'll let you know.

[eglantine_br]

Read it again this morning. I have some scattery thoughts to inflict on you.

I love the way you wrote their words. They were so quiet, so restrained and halting. No falling apart, no big scene, just the shame, the regret, and the meager comfort.

It is sad and strange how prisoner accounts don't seem to differ much from war to war. People who want to be jailers have a terrible sameness. And there often seems an improbable amount of walking. Have you found the same?

If i have encouraged your writing-- the delight has been mine.

And I would be mortified if JB and IG ever knew what I have written about Horatio and Archie. But I wish they could know of all the learning and thinking and serious writing that they have brought about with their hard work. (At least in my case, it began with them.)

[anteros_lmc]

It's always a pleasure to read your comments, that's one of the joys of writing about the boys :)

I'm glad you thought the dialogue worked. I was trying very hard to write words that I could actually imagine them speaking. I think I was also very influenced by the restrained and strangely dignified narratives of prisoners like Boys, O'Brien and Hewson. They never fell apart either.

It is sad and strange how prisoner accounts don't seem to differ much from war to war.
Definitely. The suffering of prisoners of war seems to be terribly timeless. nodbear said something very similar on one of the first fics of mine she ever commented on. I think it must have been Flotsam

And there often seems an improbable amount of walking. Have you found the same?The distances these guys walked are astonishing aren't they? I loved Archie's quiet comment in one of your own fics that he had walked enough to last a lifetime. I don't know if you remember, but Lewis commented that although the conditions in British prison hulks were as bad, if not worse,

[shezzawatto]

Wrote a comment yesterday but the LJ gremlins got in and hijacked it in the ether somewhere. Now I have to try and remember what I said!
Firstly - once again marvellous dialogue and interweaving of history and fiction.
Kudos to Horatio for persevering and to Archie for allowing himself to tell his story. In my line of work I've dealt with quite a few old soldiers. Those who really have been in the thick of things rarely want to talk about it, at least not spontaneously or with any sort of self aggrandisement or bravado. It's the ones who were on the periphery, never wounded, never actually experienced battle madness, hand to hand killing,or the agonies of being a prisoner, who seem to cling to their identity from that time.
The first lot often suppress things and it comes out as mental illness or substance addiction to dull the pain and memories.
Excellent missing scene fic. Love also the restraint in development of intimacy between the guys.

[anteros_lmc]

Pesky gremlins! Thank you for taking the time to comment - twice!

Those who really have been in the thick of things rarely want to talk about it, at least not spontaneously or with any sort of self aggrandisement or bravado.
That's a perfect description of the contemporary POW accounts that inspired this. They are written with such incredible dignity and restraint, and as you said, no hint of self -aggrandisment or bravado. Though you do occasionally find touches of self deprecating and rather macabre sense of humour showing through.

The first lot often suppress things and it comes out as mental illness or substance addiction to dull the pain and memories.
I think that's why Archie's reaction in The Frogs and The Lobsters is so gut wrenching. He's clearly still struggling badly.

I'm glad you thought this worked. I thought Archie should have a chance to tell his tale, and despite his occasional self absorption, I think Horatio is a good listener.