Come athelas

[altariel]

The new captain made little impression.

Come athelas

Life to the dying
In the king’s hand lying

There was a new captain, the Lady Finduilas heard, but face-to-face he made little impression: another grim-faced silent man like all those who encircled her.

Then he took her hand—

A great man pierced with arrows lying in a coffin-boat slipping down the river. Fire in the city and fire in the veins of a young man burning on a sick-bed. And her lord, her lord – as strong as the stone of this stern city – with tears upon his broken face—

“Oh come,” she whispered. “Come.”

He became quite the favourite. And when he left, she knew hope had departed.

Comments

[dwimordene-2011.livejournal.com]

Ow. What a vision! Poor Finduilas, and her rather inarticulate hopes dashed by Thorongil's departure. I like that Denethor is her focus, if in part because she doesn't recognize the sons she doesn't yet have, I presume. It ups the irony quotient.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That's exacly it: she doesn't know who these two grown men are. How sad!