How Dare He!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

B2MeM Challenges: I would like to see a Luthien fic (can be Luthien/Beren smut, or gen -- perhaps an adventure story) in which her internal monologue makes references to what her Inner Maia is up to. tehta
And; What does Arwen feel about the demands her father places on Aragorn before they can wed? curiouswombat
Format: Ficlet
Genre: Gen
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Characters: Luthien. Arwen
Pairings: Luthien/Beren Arwen/Aragorn

Summary: Luthien and her great-great grand-daughter think in very similar ways.

Creators' Notes: This is a diptych - two halves that echo each other. Luthien's part came to me almost fully formed in about ten minutes. Then I realised that Arwen might have very, very, similar thoughts!

Un-beta'd - if you notice anything wrong please feel free to point it out.



How dare he! To put a price on me. He had always said I was his rarest jewel and now it seemed he meant I had a value and could be sold!

How could he? He does not know me. He thinks he owns me and yet he really knows nothing about me. He has no idea. It is as if he sees only my hröa; I am so much bigger, greater, brighter than he realises.

But then he is only an elf. And what false pride! To think that I am only his daughter… and not also my mother’s! Or has he forgotten, over the years, just who fell in love with him? Does he think he owns Mother, too? For it matters not one whit that he loved Melian; if Melian had not also fallen in love then she would not have been here.

“You wish to marry beneath you, Lúthien”.

What does he think Mother did? And who demanded a bride-price for Melian? What had he had to pay to wed her?

How dare he ask more for me than was ever asked of him!

I say we should just leave together, Beren and I, walk out of this place. I do not think he could stop us… I am stronger than he is for he is only an elf and I am half maia!

Mother wed him, so how could she stop me?

But Beren won’t. He says my father is owed due respect. It is part of Beren and makes him the man I love, so I will not argue with him any more.

However… if he is in trouble I will know and nothing, then, will hold me here.

For in the end, Beren is dearer to me than Elu Thingol ever was.

……………………..

How dare he! To put a price on me. He had always said I was his rarest jewel and now it seemed he meant I had a value and could be sold!

How could he? He does not know me. He thinks he owns me and yet he really knows nothing about me. He has no idea. It is as if he sees only my hröa; I am so much stronger than he realises.

And what false pride! To think that I am only his daughter… and not also my mother’s! Or has he forgotten, over the years, just who fell in love with him? Does he think he owned Mother, too? For it matters not one whit that he loved Celebrían; if Celebrían had not also fallen in love then she would not have left Lothlorien.

“You wish to marry beneath you, Arwen”.

What does he think Mother did?

Even if he is Finwë’s Great-great-great grandson – Mother is Finwë’s great-granddaughter and great-granddaughter to Olwë! And even more importantly she is the daughter of her parents; rulers of a whole people, not just one hidden valley.

And what bride-price did Grandfather set? What had Father to pay to wed Mother?

How dare he ask more for me than was ever asked of him!

I say we should just leave together, Aragorn and I, walk out of this place. I do not think he could stop us…

But Aragorn won’t. He says my father is owed due respect. It is part of Aragorn, and makes him the man I love, so I will not argue with him any more.

However… if Father ever tries to send me West, to part us, he will learn that Lúthien’s blood most certainly flows in my veins, too.

For in the end, Aragorn is dearer to me than Elrond ever was.

Comments

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

You balanced the two parts of the diptych like a mirror image. That is the story and Tolkien's intent as well.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes - once I had Luthien ranting in my ear it was almost impossible to ignore that Tolkien had made Arwen and Aragorn as the mirror images of their forebears, and I could hear her thinking almost the same things!

[dreamflower]

Very nicely done indeed, and just as I would expect either of those women to react.

Of course, the fathers are quite different; Thingol did not want Beren to succeed and was sending him off on what he hoped would be a suicide mission.

Elrond, OTOH, I think wanted Aragorn to succeed, but did not want Arwen tied to him until and unless that success occurred. I think Elrond believed his chances of success were about 50/50, and that challenging Sauron was his foster son's fate.

But to their daughters, the demands would be (and feel) just as infuriating and devaluing.

I love, love, love the parallelism!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I love, love, love the parallelism!

Thank you so much!

But to their daughters, the demands would be (and feel) just as infuriating and devaluing.

Yes - I tend to feel my Luthien is entitled to her rant, whereas Arwen may be slightly less justified - but would be equally annoyed!

[shirebound]

“You wish to marry beneath you, Arwen”.

What does he think Mother did?

Wow, what a concept.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

She might be feeling rather annoyed with her father at this point, but there again...

[ellynn-ithilwen.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad that you liked it.

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

I love the characterizations of both women and how you show the parallels between them. Beautifully done!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it.

[zopyrus.livejournal.com]

Both women raise EXCELLENT points. People (in canon) tend to associate Arwen with Lúthien because of their beauty, and their special destinies--I'm glad to see that Arwen has inherited Lúthien's righteous, rebellious streak, too!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Both women raise EXCELLENT points.

Thank you - I think sometimes the people in canon like to forget that Luthien did anything but drift around dancing...

[binkaslibrary.livejournal.com]

Some parents should realize that respect is earned, not given like a title ;) However because I have a soft spot for Thingol, I could argue with Lúthien. You've done an excellent job conveying both Lúthien's and Arwen's feelings and opinions here. Thumbs up!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I have to say I think Luthien was even more justified than Arwen. Think how many lives would not have been lost if Thingol hadn't set that bride-price. Especially if he'd not insisted on then hanging on to stolen property!

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

What a brilliant comparison, I just loved this!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it.

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

This gave me all kinds of feels - I loved and 100% agree with Luthien's perspective, I kind of ...don't... on Arwen's here, but I love the way you constructed this, and I think they do both make very valid points, as per the way Tolkien wrote the stories. (I'm in the middle of writing Arwen's POV on her relationship with Aragorn which takes pretty much completely the opposite view on the parallels between Arwen and Luthien, so I'm thinking with that head on, as it were.)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, poor Arwen is treated so much as little more than a gold star, to be awarded on completion of a task, by JRRT that we can all interpret her inner thoughts as we wish!

[hhimring]

Really clever!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! To be honest Luthien's rant came to me more or less fully formed in about 10 minutes, but then, as I wrote it down, I began to hear Arwen's voice, too!

[blslarner.livejournal.com]

Oh, but I love these two feisty women, with the younger definitely her great grandmother returned! Wonderful!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I am really pleased to know that you like it. Yes - Luthien was clearly not just mild mannered and decorative or she would never have gone after Beren - and we are told Arwen is almost Luthien reborn, so I reckon she would feel much the same!