I think I love that old man! I'm glad you didn't leave Thorongil to rot in the pillory!

Nice to have a story told from the perspective of the men of the East! Well written too! The use of the 1st person narrator is extremely effective!

Oh, this is just excellent. I've read so little of Aragorn in Harad, much less written with such nuance and emotion. This is beautiful, and that ending is so very satisfying.

My gosh, you are a good writer.

What a story - I could feel the pain of the sunburn blisters and the anguish of Aragorn's thirst as if it were my own. I also felt his emotional turmoil and wonder at the old man's actions. Brilliant.

I was intrigued by the moment (in part one), where the old man observed Aragorn praying. I have long wondered about the religions of Middle-Earth, particularly of the Dunedain and Aragorn. What are his beliefs about God, I wonder? Knowing that Tolkien was Roman Catholic, I wish a bit more detail about the spirituality of Middle-Earth and its characters could have been detailed for readers. Perhaps you could spread some light on this aspect?

Either way, it was a wonderful moment, and a terrific story. Thank you for writing it!

Pax :-)

This was an amazingly well written story. Aragorn's characterization was spot on as was his struggle over parting with the Ring of Barahir. The description was extremely vivid, while simultaneously not being pointlessly gory. Thank you for this amazing piece!

This was a very good read. I like reading stories about Aragorn's time in Harad, what might have happened to him, and how he would deal with it.

the old man is a good Person. even amongst those strangers hope can be found

This was an amazing piece. Again, another reason why Aragorn is able to become the man he does - he is willing to learn from unknown and uncomfortable situations, and to attempt understanding even without agreement.

The old man was just a wonderful character.

This was so good that ... I can't really even say all that I want to say.
The first part, from the old man's perspective, was superb. I love that although he has cause to hate Aragorn, he instead shows him all the kindness he dares to show. I thought the description of the young boys taunting Aragorn, pouring out precious water on the ground, and the old man's reflection that they don't know the value of water yet, was excellent.
I also like that he remained unnamed.

The chapter from Aragorn's perspective was painful, but also really good. I felt awful, along with him, when he had to 'cheapen mercy with a bribe' (which was a great line!) by giving away his family heirloom. And, although I knew the old man would give it back, it still gave me a thrill of happiness when he did :D

This was an excellent, touching story. You did an amazing job with the OC and the style was lovely. I thought the best-done part was when he was thinking about the Ring of Barahir. It was very moving, making me feel anxious even though I knew he must get it back.

Beautiful, just beautiful. So vivid and complete in every detail.

What a fantastic story - i really enjoyed your depiction of the people and customs of Harad, the God of Death sounds like very fearsome god!

awesome

YES!
not all of the southerners are evil!

I love that you explored the "evil" lands beyond Rohan and Gondor; I think that too often they're dismissed as just being bad, so I really liked seeing that their people could be so kind! Of course the old man was a wonderful character, and it was interesting to see Aragorn as a younger man.

Best!

-claire