"A Hawk in Flight" by Himring

[hhimring]

B2MeM Challenge: ...passing the Bechdel test (Women of the Silmarillion)
Format: Ficlet
Genre: Family
Rating: General
Warnings: none (except dubious passing of the Bechdel Test)
Characters: Idril, Aredhel
Pairings: none
Summary: Idril has noticed Aredhel's restlessness

Idril leans against the battlements and watches a hawk hover above the plain of Tumladen.

‘You love me no less, aunt’, she says to Aredhel, without looking at her, ‘but you do not like me as much as you used to.’

‘Nonsense, child!’, Aredhel protests and is horrified to hear her voice sound strangely flat.

‘But I am no child any more. That is the point, isn’t it? The real reason why you agreed to come with us to Gondolin was because I depended on you. But now I seem to depend less and less on you, and nevertheless you are still not free to leave.’

Idril turns around and determinedly faces her aunt.

‘I cannot stay helpless and dependent just to make your sacrifice meaningful, Aunt Irisse’, she says, with a hint of regret. ‘But I do not enjoy being the galling chain that binds you here. Talk to Father. I will talk to him, too, and he will let you leave.’

She sees the unmistakable relief in Aredhel’s face and, with a sob, throws her arms around her aunt’s neck.

‘But do come back to me if you can. I may have stopped needing you in any way that is obvious to you, but I still need you in ways that you do not even begin to see.’


All right, so Turgon sneaked in there somehow. But the conversation is not actually about him as such, is it?

Comments

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is so well done!

[hhimring]

Thank you!

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

It passes the Bechdel Test! Almost none of my Silmarillion fics do. There is a femslash that does. Not even my cute little elfing stories do. I thought I had one scene or more for sure in A New Day, but I didn't: two women talking about a man and then a man and a women talking about a girl--I gave up. My one LotR novel passes with flying colors though! Women talking extensively about clothes (Hey, I can't help it! I live in New York City)! OK. I admit it, I am shallow.

On a more serious note, I always imagined the same thing. That Aredhel came to Gondolin at least partially for Idril and then Idril grew up!!

[hhimring]

I didn't imagine it would be so difficult to keep men out of the conversation, until I started thinking about it. Of course, the fact that most of my WIPs and plot bunnies feature Maedhros in one way or other didn't make it any easier!

And don't knock writing about clothes. You have to know about clothes to be able to write about them! I'm too lazy to research the subject, I confess.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Lovely imagery, lovely motivations, AND passes the Bechdel test! I really enjoyed this, even though Aredhel isn't one of my favourite characters.

[hhimring]

Thank you!
This wasn't part of the original outline for my Aredhel WIP, but I'm considering incorporating it now.

[engarian.livejournal.com]

Aredhel is not one of my favorites, but I like the way you handled her here.

- Erulisse (one L)

[hhimring]

Thank you!

I know you love Gondolin, so I guess that would make it more difficult to sympathize with someone who lives there and feels she absolutely has to get away?

[engarian.livejournal.com]

I do love Gondolin, although I have always wondered about supplies, etc., into a hidden city like that. The logistics are a tough one.

- Erulisse (one L)

[greatandgrey]

I'm always fond of stories that have Aredhel and Idril interacting, and I love the snippet we see here of their relationship. Well done - I enjoy this! :)