Dust Clouds by The Wavesinger

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

B2MeM Challenge: This must be F/M day for me. For all it is the biggest romance story in Tolkien's work (way bigger than even Feanor/Nerdanel or Aragorn/Arwen or Hurin/Morwen, etc.) and his favorite, it is not the biggest in fandom. I would like to something more about Beren/Luthien. Any genre, any rating, any angle--heartofoshun

Format: Ficlet

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG

Warnings: None

Characters: Lúthien, Beren, Huan

Pairings: Beren/Lúthien

Creators' Notes (optional): Unbeta'd and disjointed, so read at your own risk

Summary: Lúthien rides in pursuit of Beren

—

I am Lúthien Tinúviel.

I am Lúthien Tinuviel, daughter of Melian and Thingol, and I thought I would never be betrothed to any man.

I am Lúthien Tinuviel, daughter of Melian and Thingol, and I love Beren son of Barahir. He, too, loves me.

The love I bear him is not the only reason I ride madly towards the Pass of Sirion, for this command of my father’s is madness and cruelty. I do not understand what he hopes to achieve, for he is not normally harsh, but whatever wrongs have been done to my beloved must be redressed.

Besides, it is folly for him, a mere mortal, to even think of walking into Angband and stealing a Silmaril. Only he who has lost all hope would allow himself to contemplate that, and so I fear for Beren. So, indeed, I fear for myself, but I cannot begin to think of that.

The dust billows around me, and my faithful friend carries me into the jaws of death.

—

“Do not ever do that again,” I say to him.

“I cannot allow you to put yourself in danger.” He is stubborn, as mortal men are; his pride and chivalry are frustrating even my patience.

“You are in more danger than I am, my love,” I tell him.

He shakes his hair out of his face. Oh how I long to touch that hair, that skin, that face, though some part of me still entrenched in the customs of Doriath screams against it. Beren has no such constraints, but I do not think such gestures are part of his nature, for he has dwelt alone for many years. His face is not beautiful, but the thoughts that are so clearly painted on it are.

I know that he will not give in today. The truth, though, is one which he must have realized—if this quest is to be attempted, I must go with him.

I do not speak my thoughts aloud, and neither does he. Instead, we eat in silence, watching the twinkle of the small fire we dared strike up.

Soon, I drift into half-wakefulness, my lids dropping heavily.

It is only as I fall asleep that I register that his hand has crept to my hair.

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I find myself wondering about how very different things would have been if they had ignored her father a this point and simply ridden off together, got married in one of the human towns, and lived till Beren died...


As this is the first time I've ever thought about it, your ficlet has certainly worked for me!

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

*pleasantly surprised at the speed of comment* Thank you :).

Maybe the Union of Maedhros would have worked if Thingol was part of it, and Angband would have been overthrown? Or would the Doom have played out anyway? *throws carrots at plot bunnies* *swats at them with a handkerchief* *adds prompt market stall so they'll just go away*

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

Oh, how very lovely! Such an intimate look at them. I love that Beren's not beautiful, that makes total sense to me that he wouldn't be.

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

I actually have a vague memory of Tolkien calling Beren handsome at some point, but I couldn't find the reference, and my headcanon has always been an unhandsome Beren. Like you said, it makes more sense. (Also, years of wandering in the wild don't do any favours for anyone)

Thank you!

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! What mortal beauty is going to impress Luthien, anyway?

(I use the same reasoning for Andreth, in an as-yet-unposted story - that Elves in general would value 'interesting' over 'pretty', because they're nearly all pretty.)

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Luthien being the fairest woman on earth and everything, I don't think that Beren would have matched up if she was looking for a partner based on looks (or powers and abilities, for that matter, companionate marriage be damned).

As for Andreth, her intellect is astounding (I'm the type of person who reads the Athrabeth over and over again because it's absolutely fascinating), so shame on Aegnor if 'pretty' was all he thought (obviously not, I hope, because a man like that wouldn't be worthy of Andreth, but...).

EDIT--I rant a lot. Sorry. *blushes*

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

Ranting about Andreth is awesome ranting in my book, and gives me hope that the fic about her and Finrod currently in progress on my hard drive might have an actual audience.

[I haven't got it all quite fleshed out yet, but I desperately ship Finrod/Andreth in a nonromantic - yet sexual - way, and this story has them, just after/within the Athrabeth, having somewhat awkward and unromantic yet quite satisfying and loving sex, and Finrod specifically tells her that she's more beautiful to him now than she was when she was younger because he knows more of her now. Genuinely the hardest thing I have ever tried to write, for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which is trying to mesh the Athrabeth's style with a sex scene! Finrod does at least get to say 'thou' to her at some point, though. :-) ]

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

*makes grabby hands* I would love to read that (sex scene squick barrier stands in the way, but I will overcome it). And I never thought of it, but now that you mentioned it, Finrod/Andreth sounds amazing. Really, really want to read that! Not the least because your Finrod sounds amazing :D. (I am not putting quotation marks around 'your'. I never could understand the point. Don't you make a character yours the moment you read/write about them?)

[*giggly sounds*Athrabeth and sex scenes are somewhat incompatible, though writong a sex scene is a feat beyond my comprehension (see below). Although 'thou'...*runs away choking*]

[binkaslibrary.livejournal.com]

Very, very beautiful and poignant :) Thank you!

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

This was lovely especially the ending. Luthien and Beren are one of my favourite couples too and I love brave Huan.

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

I struggled with the ending and wrote and re-wrote it too many times to count before I just gave up and posted it as it was, so...thank you so much! *gives hugs and cookies and shiny things*

[engarian.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this, and Beren and Luthien are not one of my favorite couples so finding a story I like about them is always a positive. I enjoy the fact that you're allowing Beren to look world-worn, less than perfect and less than handsome. It seems much more valid. I also like the deference they practice between them - holding apart from touching until that last soft caress.

- Erulisse (one L)

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you :) :D.

Headcanon is an amazing thing, especially if I have vague memories of Tolkien saying that Beren was 'handsome'...

I actually didn't realize that would come across as deference (more like, I thought "Eep nobody will notice. Who cares? I'll put it in anyway"). I was picturing them as socially awkward and really, really shy, but I think I like your interpretation more *grins*.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Thank you for adding a story here. Like I noted in the prompt there seems to not be enough of Beren/Luthien. This is an interesting picture here. They both seem somewhat shy and socially awkward.

I think I always thought of Beren as good-looking by my standards. Good bones, but then of course weathered and worn even as a young man. He has lived a hard life. By Luthien's standards who knows?

Thanks so much for sharing!

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

You're welcome? Thank you? I never know what to say when someone thanks me for sharing. (As you can see, Beren and Luthien aren't the only people who're socially awkward)

By Luthien's standards...well, she is the most beautiful woman in the world after all. It would be strange if anyone could match up to her, right? (*looks wildly around for nonexistent people*) And after centuries of life (and pretty people) I rather think that Beren was a breath of fresh air. (Also, completely shocked at the number of comments on those two words...) But Aragorn was called handsome, and I think that Tolkien compared his face to Beren's (really, the amount of vague Tolkien-related memories I have is frustrating. Looking up something...arrgh).

I tend to picture Luthien as isolating herself because everyone is falling over themselves to please her, which is overwhelming when 'everyone else' is eons-old and/or really wise and pretty and shiny. Also, she probably got tired of marriage proposals long ago (again, fresh air). Thingol's protectiveness wouldn't have helped either. Hence the awkwardness and shyness (also because amazing powers, beauty, and social capability is too much for one person? (I tend to get jealous a lot)). Beren, of course, is a no-brainer. Wandering alone in the wild and everything.

I've gone off on a tangent, but yes. Thank you :).

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

My mother always said--"just say thank you." I say "thank for you sharing" all the time, because people are letting me into their heads and hearts with fanfiction. We don't have a staff of editors and publishers measuring and weighing everything and taking responsibility for it. We write it and give it to people who love the same thing. Its a very personal form of art. I find it takes a lot of courage for me to do that. It takes a lot of courage for me to write it, much less share!

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Thank you, then :)

[dreamflower]

Oh, I just love this: it's intimate in a way that more explicit romance often fails at. The first person POV really works well here, I feel as though I was standing right there with them.

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Oh. Um. *blushes* Thank you! Comments like this just bowl me over.

I have to admit that I have moments when explicit moments in romance kills the mood for me as well, for some reason, (I skip over lots of scenes when I'm reading) but then, most of the time I don't mind the explicit part. It just doesn't do anything for me. Each to their own, I guess.

*stops yammering about self, says thank you, and shuts up*

[dreamflower]

You are very welcome. And yammer if you want to. I like yammering if it's about writing or reading.

I kind of do mind explicit parts; I'm rather a fan of euphemisms, innuendo, and fade to black, myself. Explicit scenes make me feel like I'm invading someone's privacy. Kind of silly, since it's fictional someones, but there it is.

And truthfully, when someone is writing about a society that is more reserved about physical affection, a small touch or a light kiss is often much more realistic and emotional than something else would be.

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

[Now you've done it. Never, ever invite me to yammer. I just go on and on and never stop. Note that I am extremely incoherent.]

Not silly at all! Fictional someones are people too. At least in my opinion. [Which doesn't really count because I tend to get rather attached to fictional characters, but yes] And the only near-almost-but-not-quite-explicit scene I've ever written came up to a grand total of two lines, one of which was about Eru blessing Numenor (don't ask). (Although there are people who write explicit romance so amazingly well that I don't mind...)

Although yes. I completely get that. I think that, say, Noldorin or Numenorian society would have been more liberal than the Shire or Beleriand. But more emotional, definitely. [On an unrelated note, the kiss at the end of BBC's Pride and Prejudice mini-series almost ruined the entire thing for me, because it was completely out of character with the period...]

[zdenka]

Thank you for posting this! Could you please add a cut-tag when you get a chance? Thanks. :)

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

What's a cut tag? I'm sorry, my lack of technical knowledge is appalling,

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Never mind. Figured it out. The powers of Google are truly amazing.

[zdenka]

Thank you!

[zdenka]

http://www.livejournal.com/support/faq/75.html

If you use the template from the Fanwork Posting Guidelines here, then the lj-cut should be part of it.

(I am not a mod, only the tagging assistant, and I have no particular authority. Possibly I should not have put my foot in.) I believe the comm guidelines do ask for an lj-cut. The idea is that it hides the text of the story and people can click to see the whole thing, instead of the full text of everyone's stories appearing on their friends page, which can become very long. Does that make sense?

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Never mind. Figured it out. The powers of Google are truly amazing.

[kayleelupin.livejournal.com]

Oh, this was lovely! I adore Beren/Luthien (and like Dreamflower, am not a fan of explicit sex) so like she said, it feels intimate in a definitely good way :) I really enjoyed it, thank you for sharing it <3

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D

[elliska.livejournal.com]

Great POV here. Very intimate. I really liked this little glimpse.

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[moetushie]

This is so lovely! I thought it flowed very well -- loved Luthien's thoughts about Beren's (lack of) looks. :D

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it! [not-so-handsome!Beren to the fore! He's a favourite of mine :D]

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

This was beautiful! Lúthien's POV was wonderful to read and with such lovely turns of phrase, and the balance you struck between her being in love and her sense of justice and responsibility was a delight. :)

[the-wavesinger.livejournal.com]

I really don't know what to do with such a beautiful comment, but thank you!