Back to Middle-earth Month

There is an old chapter 1 up at one archive, I started to write this novel in 2006 for a challenge at Open Scrolls. In 2012 I decided to take the then novella offline and start re-writing it for 2012 Nanowrimo (I won that year). Right now I have 95 pages written, +50k and I think that my usual beta already went through the first three chapters. The novel will be about Gilraen's life the moment Arathorn falls in love with her until her deathbed.

I just re-read some bits, I really missed working on this! Shall I share a snippet from it? Oh why the heck not. Erestor and Gilraen are talking about library things when... well, just see.

“No, I seem to recall that he was taught the rich history of the Haladin.” She replied and rearranged the shawl around her shoulders as a small breeze gave her the shivers. “My beloved son wreaked havoc in the Adunaic section a week ago. I sometimes believe that he thinks himself as a squirrel when he’s that cooped up inside, climbing up and down, bringing sweet cakes from the kitchen with him. And then betimes perching dangerously on the shelves when he gets another idea, to climb higher or thinking that he can easily jump to another shelf. I want him to use the ladder, but he grew tired of that long ago.”

“He would have been Tinren’s nightmare,” Erestor chuckled.

“It would go too far to call my own son that,” Gilraen smiled, “Durdir offered a great suggestion though.”

“And that is?” Erestor enquired.

“Some of the books cannot be repaired and he presented the idea to combine the annals of men in volumes instead of having them in their own separate books. I had some ideas to combine the first….”


“EEEESSSSSSSSSSSteeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllll Dunadan! You rascal!” An angry shout shot through the air followed by a mad dash of a small figure that ran through the bushes close to the garden. Then in a flash a tall figure ran past them, half clothed and his long golden hair streamed behind him as a banner in the wind.

“I have to admit, your son has guts. I cannot recall that one of Isildur’s heir ever tried to pull a prank on Glorfindel. They simply did not dare given his intimidating reputation amongst the young,” Erestor chuckled. “To challenge the Balrog slayer…”

Gilraen said nothing and watched how the tall elf ran past the bushes and disappeared into the thicket as well where her son just disappeared into. Her heart jumped when she heard her son squeal and told herself to remain seated. Whatever her son had done, this matter had to be settled between the offended and her child.