B2MeM fic: He Is Not Here, But Far Away

[cairistiona]

B2MeM Challenge: B14, Roles and Names of Aragorn, "Telcontar"; Rangers of the North, "The Grey Company"
Format: Drabble
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Warnings: Box of tissues alert for themes of death and loss
Characters: Aragorn, Halbarad, The Grey Company
Pairings: None
Summary: In memoriam.
A/N: Title is taken from the poem “In Memoriam” by Alfred Lord Tennyson



He past; a soul of nobler tone:
My spirit loved and loves him yet. - Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "In Memoriam."


The surviving members of the Grey Company stood at solemn attention. King Elessar Telcontar let the bugler’s notes carry across the Pelennor, and when the last mournful echo faded, he stepped forward. He hesitated. He must show strength, not grief. Setting his jaw, he took a deep but careful breath. Then he pulled the shroud from the statue. He stood silently, looking long into the graven face. The sculptor had done well. He had captured the nobility and the bravery and somehow even the glint of humor that had dwelt ever in his kinsman’s eyes.

Halbarad would have loved it.

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Alas, poor Halbarad.

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Or alas those loved ones he left behind. I like to imagine he's beyond the Dark Seas playing poker with Isildur as they wait for Aragorn to finally show up. ;)

[shirebound]

Ohhhhh. *sniffs* This is lovely.

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

*hands you tissue* Thank you!

[estelcontar1.livejournal.com]

Beautiful, but sooooooooooooo sorrowful.

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Thank you... it's a difficult subject to write anything about, definitely. But the prompt muses demanded!

[jay-of-lasgalen.livejournal.com]

*Sniff*

That's lovely. I imagine the bugler playing something like the Last Post - a sound that always sends shivers down my spine.

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Being an American, Taps was going through my mind, which is very similar to the Last Post. I've never failed to tear up when I hear those plaintive notes.

[radbooks.livejournal.com]

Wonderfully... sad. :)

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Thank you... I've wanted to do some writing about Halbarad's death--this is sort of a baby step toward that.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Lovely and very fitting that Aragorn should want a statue of Halbarad.

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's always been part of my "head canon" that Aragorn had a statue made of his loyal friend and kinsman. I was glad the prompts cooperated!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Oh noes :(

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Well, I did put an entire tissue box warning...

[rs9.livejournal.com]

Oh no.... my Halbarad! *sniff*

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

*hands you tissue box*

[mrowe.livejournal.com]

How did I miss this before? (rhetorical question, since the answer is b2mem madness)

*sniff*

And now I'd better go reassure 'my' Halbarad that I wouldn't do that to him...

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

I'm missing all kinds of stuff right now... just not enough time in the day to get to everything.

And yes, you keep your AU Halbarad and I'll deal with the sadness of canon Halbarad (much as I hate that he died, I do still prefer writing him according to canon... I like the intensity it brings to his life before his death, I guess).

[mrowe.livejournal.com]

*g* to be honest, the fluff-verse is pure self-indulgence (and there isn't all that much to say in it, I find). I much prefer to write him in-canon myself, unless going AU has other possibilities*coughDarkAUcough*

What I meant here was that Halbarad was eyeing Aragorn askance. "Please tell me you wouldn't do that to me?" (even if he is also touched by the idea).

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Oh, I see... yeah, I guess I'm in the minority in that the Halbarad in my head-canon wouldn't mind the idea of a statue--he might make a show of not liking it but deep down he would be touched and love the actual rendering of it, and Aragorn knew that.

This is why I actually don't read very much Halbarad fanfic right now, except small ficlets here and there like yours and Linda's and a few others. I want to firm up "my" Halbarad without too much influence from fanon, then after I feel I've written all the stories I need to really establish my version of him in my universe, I plan to go out into the greater wilds of fandom and read how others have interpreted him.

[mrowe.livejournal.com]

I want to firm up "my" Halbarad without too much influence from fanon

Very wise:-)