Pollination, by Tehta

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Title: Pollination
Author Name: tehta
Summary: So, why did Galadriel depart for the West ahead of her husband? This double-drabble might help us understand.
Prompt: The one ending with “After finishing this song Treebeard walked on silently through the silent woods." (That is where I got my original idea of including Ents in a ficlet!)
Warnings: Some character assassination of great and noble Elves.
Rating: Teen
Beta: eveiya


Galadriel was brushing her hair at her vanity table when Celeborn walked in and sat down at his. She heard the clink of removed braid-clasps.

“Well,” Celeborn said eventually. “It was nice to see Treebeard again, if only briefly.”

“Yes!” Galadriel smiled at this good, novel topic. “Shame that he is so unhappy, though.”

“He misses Fimbrethil.”

“Yes, evidently. Although… It is amusing, is it not? Remember how he used to grumble about her repetitive anecdotes?”

“Well, they did take a day or three to tell... Which might be too much even for an Ent, on the thousandth telling. Also… Did he not complain that they had both lost interest in… pollination?”

“Yes. But then, they had been married for a long time.”

Their eyes met. Galadriel saw Celeborn’s widen, and looked away quickly.

“Have you,” she said, “heard the poems he has written in her absence? They are rather fervent.” She set down her brush. “You know, Cirdan offered me a berth on the next boat to Valinor. I believe I shall accept.”

“I cannot possibly leave now. The woods--”

“I know.”

She knew she would not have to explain further. They had been married for a long time.




AUTHOR’S NOTE:
This is a follow-up to my previous entry, “It’s a Puzzle”, where I offered ficlets to the first people to solve the puzzle. with_rainfall asked me to write a ficlet about why Celeborn chose to stay behind for a while while Galadriel sailed. I do not actually find his decision all that odd, in context. (Galadriel was clearly done with Middle-earth after the destruction of the One Ring, and badly wanted to sail. Celeborn clearly had remaining business and attachments in Middle-earth, and knew he could see her again once he decided to follow. They’re immortals who have been married for thousands of years, and can look forward to thousands more; I think they can cope with a few centuries apart, even if it’ll be a bit lonely.)

Comments

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I can buy that. I loved the Ent and Entwife part! It does reach a point where one has heard all the stories also. There is another good reason for a few years apart. New stories!

[tehta.livejournal.com]

I actually did have them discuss the importance of gathering new anecdotes in an earlier draft, but I thought removing it sharpened the story. (Well, it could have worked if I had gone for a longer format, and fleshed out many things. But it's nice to keep things light sometimes!)

(In the interest of full disclosure, I have to add that the first draft also included them having sex while in Ent costume. Well, references to such an encounter, anyway. I removed THAT for being too silly for fandom.)

[suzll.livejournal.com]

NOT TOO SILLY OMG

...though i am admittedly not the best judge for that sort of thing...

[ysilme]

As far as I remember they have been apart before, and very likely also for more than a year or two, or ten or twenty. So this fits perfectly, and your explanation is as fun as it is plausible and fascinating. How awesome that they are friends with Fimbrethil and Treebeard, and shared poetry as well as pollination preferences... *g* Such a great fic! :o)

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Their friendship with Treebeard is canon -- at least, his goodbye makes it sound like he cares about them. So, there is that. But you bring up a good point: they might have well tried this, er, pollination technique before.

[ysilme]

"Their friendship with Treebeard is canon"
Yes, but you brought it to such a nice, personal level with a realistic feeling, that's what I love about it.

[wheelrider.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, I can totally hear their voices in my head! Galadriel and Celeborn are refreshingly true-to-character, while not so formal as in the book.

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I have to assume they would be less formal when not in "King and Queen" mode. Everyone needs to let their hair down sometimes! So to speak.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Hehehehe! Makes perfect sense. Nicely done. (-:

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I hope it worked...

Oh wait, I am the author! So I can decide that it TOTALLY worked.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

This is great fun!

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I am sure their eventual reunion would be, as well!

[scarlet1061.livejournal.com]

This exchange sounds very true and plausible. I like the "let their hair down" context. Both figuratively and in fact :)

I felt for both couples.

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I feel for the poor Ents slightly more...

[petite-dilly.livejournal.com]

Celeborn a une coiffeuse, je suis traumatisée...

Sinon j'avoue avoir toujours été intriguée par la question de leur vie de couple (depuis l'âge de 12 ans), aussi merci pour cette scène.

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Surely many Elves would have a space devoted to haircare. We know that "the hair of the Lord Celeborn was of silver long and bright" -- that must have taken a lot of brushing, etc.

Also, you should be happy I cut out the part about them having sex while dressed as Ents.

[petite-dilly.livejournal.com]

...
Comment réveiller sa libido après 6000 ans de vie commune !

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Yes, I guess Ents are a bit tame, really.

I could have them try Tom Bombadil and Goldberry costumes. (With Galadriel dressed as Tom, of course.)

[petite-dilly.livejournal.com]

OMG

[wulfila.livejournal.com]

Fervent Ent poems! And a very nice story that works very well.

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Thank you! But yes, someone should write one of those poems. I know SWG has plenty of poets...

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I'm sure a couple of centuries or more apart will do their marriage less harm than good, too.

I am somewhat agog at the idea of fervent entish poetry... :)

[tehta.livejournal.com]

We already have examples of Entish poetry (such as this prompt), and fervent does not have to mean hasty. If I could be trusted to write GOOD poetry (I can certainly do BAD poetry whenever I choose) I would give it a go, for sure.

[tanis2014.livejournal.com]

The author's notes were as amusing as the story and the title was a hoot - or should be hoommmm? Anyway, I totally agree a few centuries apart of immortals might do the marriage a world of good!

[tehta.livejournal.com]

I am glad that so many people support my heartless theory.

[hhimring]

Makes me wonder what "pollination" was like when those two met again after the Fall of Eregion. They certainly would have had new stories to tell each other, that time.

And when the Ents finally meet those Entwives again?

(It occurs to me to wonder whether you've read the relevant story by Elfscribe?)

[tehta.livejournal.com]

If you mean the codpiece story, then yes!

I would not claim that wondering about the longterm sex-life of the Elven King and Queen is a particularly novel idea of mine. I am pretty sure I have read at least one fantasy novel where they handled it by taking lovers to make each other jealous. But that is outside the scope of a double-drabble.

Although, come to think of it, Gimli has been underrepresented this year...

Huh. Can't believe my first thought was of Gimli when this is such a perfect excuse for all sorts of Elfslash.

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

Ha, yes. Gives a whole new dimension to the concept of separate holidays.

Celeborn had better get plenty of rest on the boat when he finally sails.

[tehta.livejournal.com]

So you don't think they have Viagra in Valinor? That seems like an oversight...

[keiliss.livejournal.com]

Unless there are LaCE-type assumptions amongst the conservative lawmakers that older elves do not do That Kind of Thing. A bit like the argument against teaching high school kids about contraception --- they aren't having sex, so it's unnecessary.

[with-rainfall.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love how so much is said indirectly between them and how matter-of-fact they are about Galadriel leaving. This just feels very natural, and it's clear they've known each other for centuries.

Thank you very much! :D

[tehta.livejournal.com]

I am really glad you liked it! Humour is hard to gauge...

[zopyrus.livejournal.com]

After reading your responses to a few comments, I would like to register my disappointment that there were no ent costumes in this otherwise charming story!

Galadriel is very...Galadriel, in this. She definitely doesn't beat around the bush, or hesitate to solve problems in her own way.

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Yes, leaving out the ent costumes disappointed me, too. But I feel like they would be better in fanart than fanfic, anyway.

I am glad Galadriel worked for you. I am still at a stage with her where I have to *think* about how to write her.

[kittotter.livejournal.com]

For the same reasons you state, I never thought Celeborn and Galadriel's temporary separation strange. Eternity is a longer time!
I love the idea that Treebeard and Fimbrethil had some couple's disputes. And 'pollination', oh my! ;P

[suzll.livejournal.com]

Loved this! It feels so right, the way the can communicate without having to spell things out (which makes complete sense, given the length of their relationship), and I love how it is Treebeard and Fimbrethil who influence Galadriel's decision.

[elliska.livejournal.com]

Hehe! Wonderful explanation!