Tolkien Ficlet: When the Walls Fell (Imrahil-centric with a dash of Theoden for seasoning)

[marta_bee]

For hhimring. I thoroughly messed up the prompt; my brain read Theoden rather than Theodred, and decided to tell the story it wanted when even that wouldn't fit. And 100% unbeta'd, though I did try to self-edit. I hope you like it regardless

Comments

[lindahoyland]

Very nice. If you ever want an editor for Tolkien gen fic, I'd be happy to help.

[marta_bee]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

As for the editing, I may take you up on that. I'm trying to jump start the muses, which means I want to make it a bit easier to get to a finished product. may edit these again before posting to archives, and certainly will come to you if I work on longer projects in the future.

[shirebound]

I did recognize the "Shaka" quote (from one of the most memorable episodes of all time).

It was all too likely they’d sent their sister ships to harry Imrahil’s folk before they ever made their way up Anduin.

I never thought about that. This is a wonderful gap filler, and I enjoyed it.

[marta_bee]

It does fit with Tolkien's theme that the war on Minas Tirith is just one move in a much larger game. And even if it's not literally true, I can just imagine how the mere prospect must have scared the men of Dol Amroth, who'd fought the Corsairs for so much of their history and had only driven them off so recently. Add to that the fact that Imrahil has lost so many people he knew in such a short time frame - the man needs a new friend! It was a fun dynamic to play with. Glad you enjoyed. :-)

[hhimring]

Thank you very much, Marta!
Yes, that must have been a terrible time for Imrahil, mustn't it, despite the unexpected arrival of the King!
I very much like the idea of a friendship between Imrahil and Théoden going back to the time before Théoden left for Rohan and that they kept it up by playing long-distance chess.
And I like the idea that Imrahil deals with his grief by reaching out to Eowyn and trying to continue the chess game.

[engarian]

I love the idea of the great leaders playing chess against each other through moves carried by messengers and on small, portable sets. I've always admired those small sets and have known people to play each other via written plays, so this rings very true for me.

I appreciated Imrahil's feelings as his fellow rulers succumb in the long-running war and skirmishes. The kingdoms are changing to the younger generation, but he remains, more and more solitary.

- Erulisse (one L)