This was so beautiful but also so very sad - the reference to being cautious when dealing with the wounded and terrified!  Oh if only Beled had seen that more clearly.   Poor Gwindor.  ((hugs both tight))

I really like their interaction and conversation here!

The dialogue in here sounds so true to Tolkien's characters. I like Beleg's moment of feeling conflicted over whether to stop and help. Of course his generous compassion wins out, but the hesitation is believable, and shows how badly he wants to find Turin. Beleg's use of song for comfort and healing is very Elvish. Poor Gwindor, escaping so much horror just to get a glimpse of everything else fate has in store for him. (UNLESS... he and Beleg manage to evade their respective dooms...) This is both sad and heart-warming, and very well written! I will keep an eye out for future chapters.

Doom averted! This is the hero moment that Gwindor deserves after all he's been through. I especially liked him saying, "For who am I to deny the bonds of love, or judge others for actions which seem rash?’" Too true. He definitely let love (or at least grief) overpower his wisdom.  I think you do a good job representing Gwindor's initial arguments against the rescue too. "It is better for one of you to be free, believe me.’" -- oof, that line hits hard. Beleg proving himself with a kiss -- ah, that moment is so very sweet, and well deserved. Just the right balance of hurt and comfort in here. Thank you for sharing! 

Oh my gosh, this is just so very satisfying!

I just love the way this flows, not letting on how it'll come together, especially Gwindor's prophetic dreams of doom (Ulmo still dabbling in oneirology, it seems) and his sense that he has a part to play and saves Turin from that doom. And the contrast between the gentle way Beleg sings to soothe Gwindor at first, and then in his eagerness and familiarity forgets to do the same with Turin, until he's reminded. 

Turin is still mortal, so what Gwindor warned about will still come to pass, but at least they have more time, and a little more insight, and who knows, perhaps in this !verse they break Morgoth's curse on Húrin's family!

Love it! ♡

Your fix-it healed my soul 😌, to see Beleg being able to talk to Turin about what happened after his capture and process their grief together over the loss of their company! And Gwindor my baby!  With Beleg’s support I hope his time back in Nargothrond will be less isolated.

Ooh, I could tell from the first moment that I would love this from its positioning of the duty of kindness. Beleg has an urgent errand but that doesn’t override his obligation and need to provide aid and comfort to Gwindor. I love that. It’s such a service-oriented approach to life, echoed directly with his own words (“I will serve you, and gladly” - bestill my heart!), which seems totally in keeping with what we know of Beleg. As does his gentleness! The singing (so sweet and elvish-y!), the helping to eat and drink, the directness and simplicity of “I am listening” as a reassurance … it’s all wonderful and makes me so grateful that THIS is who found Gwindor! Since I know this is a fix-it, I can only hope that Beleg will take the same approach of caution when waking a sleeping traumatized person when he finds Túrin. As it is, it’s such a gut-punch reference to his eventual canonical fate that is super effective!

I truly love your depiction of Gwindor. We don’t have to see or hear all of his traumas in gory, horrific detail because they’re so clear from the after effects on him. The response to a threat by curling inward, the crying when touched with kindness (😭😭😭) and his declaration that he never wants to fight again were especially moving to me — I just want to give him the biggest hug!!! Gwindor, you sweet beautiful being, if only you never needed to fight again! I also LOVED that Beleg had heard of him. It does my heart good to think of Gwindor’s name held in honor even by people of Doriath who are at a remove from all the doings of the Noldor!

Gwindor’s dream of the cursed sword was SUPER intriguing. I spent a good chunk of time pondering the identity of the “someone dear” who was killed by the sword-representing-Túrin because, honestly, when it comes to Túrin it could be so many people (including Túrin himself!). I like the ambiguity of it. And I’m enamored of his characterization of the Finduilas situation— it implies (as does canon, to my eye) that Gwindor is much more upset about the fact that Túrin did not return Finduilas’s love than he was about the fact that Túrin captured Finduilas’s heart. There is such generosity in that, to put her feelings and happiness above his own. *sniff*

Finally, I really enjoyed the references back to Nargothrond and the political dynamics there. Gwindor’s love and admiration for Finrod are so sweet. I am choosing to read Gwindor’s little moment of hesitation back when Beleg mentioned Orodreth as a sign of Gwindor’s discomfort/disapproval of Orodreth and the others involved in the soft coup that happened in Nargothrond when Finrod left with Beren, though of course that hesitation is also simultaneously a really cool gesture toward the future difficulties that Gwindor and Orodreth will have after Gwindor’s return (at least, canonically).

Anywho. Now I’m rambling but to sum up: you were so right that I would enjoy this. Getting to see Gwindor cared for and protected is wonderful, and so are your characterizations of both he and Beleg—so gentle and caring and restorative of my faith in good people! I’m so looking forward to where they go in the next chapters!

It’s so emotionally cathartic to read a chapter where we can track Gwindor slowly but surely emerging back into his strength of both body and mind. I want to celebrate each little gain, and by the end of the chapter when he is willing to throw himself back into danger, able to keep up with Beleg and invoking the hope of his lamp I could have cheered! The return of his spirit is good for mine, too!

Beleg as a healer and caretaker is so special. There is something especially moving about him offering to fix Gwindor’s hair. That feels like such an act of emotional intimacy (unless you’re a hairdresser how often do you ever touch someone else’s hair outside of a deeply personal relationship?) and whew, there is such truth to the fact that giving yourself the dignity of a neat appearance can have a significant effect on your mindset too. There was a post going around Tumblr this week that said something like, “don’t make big life decisions with unwashed hair,” and I think it was getting at this same fact — taking care of yourself physically is good for you mentally!

The substance of the conversation between them makes clear to me why this chapter was such a good response to a prompt of “dialogue” because it was fascinating! It’s also great for “listening” because these two are both really perceptive, great at hearing both what the other one said and didn’t say. Gwindor’s failing self esteem with respect to Finduilas is so sad though wholly understandable for someone who has been through his experience. I’ve always thought that 17 years of depersonalization and traumas would make it difficult for him to think of himself as a person of worth and value or believe that anyone else would see him that way. Beleg’s confession of love for Túrin also makes so much sense. Tolkien didn’t write it that way of course, but it’s not hard to look at Beleg’s devotion in following Turin everywhere and doing all that he can for him and see it through a romantic lens (especially in the version where Turin kisses him after death!). So Beleg’s words here felt very authentic and consistent (and sweet!). I also SUPER enjoyed Gwindor’s reaction to the idea of going after Turin and the possibility that Beleg might end up imprisoned alongside him. To caution Beleg against a rescue attempt might seem unromantic, for lack of a better word, but the concerns he raised are SO valid and who else would know better than Gwindor just how badly that can turn out? And then the build to the last line, where he agrees to help despite his concerns, is simultaneously amazing and devastating! Who is he to deny the bonds of love or judge someone for rash choices? AUGH! 😭😭😭 HEARTBREAKING!!!

A few last random thoughts — I really loved your idea that Gwindor stayed in Nargothrond originally at Finrod’s request. That provides a very neat explanation for why he wouldn’t have followed Finrod, who he clearly loves, in his time of need. I also really loved the multiple places where you referred to a canon event but gave it a unique twist. That’s so fun to come across! I especially liked Gwindor waking and mistaking Beleg for Finrod, which is a cool inversion of Turin waking and mistaking Beleg for an enemy — two cases of mistaken identity involving Beleg and a sleeping person but with such different outcomes! And also Gwindor giving Beleg a version of his canonical talk about the perils of elf-human love matches! That reminds me a bit of the Jackson movies at their best, where they sometimes took dialogue from one part of the book and found other places and ways to use it in the story to great effect. It’s a neat trick!

Oh gosh, Beleg is such a good partner for Túrin! I absolutely loved all his little asides that show he doesn’t have an unrealistic, overly romanticized version of Túrin in his mind. He knows just who Túrin is, faults and all — that Túrin seldom accepts comfort even when he needs it, that he is “ever contrary” (I giggled!) — and loves him all the same. You’re a lucky man, Túrin Turambar! (Has anyone ever said THAT before!? 😂)

I think it’s so cool how Gwindor not only has prophetic dreams (do you think someone in particular sent him the dream?) but also a touch of his own foresight. He was very wise canonically and so of course this fits wonderfully! I also REALLY love how Beleg trusts Gwindor almost immediately. He could so easily have heard about the dream and just written it off as Gwindor’s trauma talking or some other excuse, but he takes Gwindor seriously and truly heeds his words. That’s true friendship! And in the process, Beleg proves that he well knows his own weaknesses and foibles, too (“my love has overcome my wisdom, as ever with him”😭). We love a self aware man (elf)!

I haven’t actually read many fix-its before and never one that deals with this particular narrative point, and I am just loving how joyful it is to see a canonical story that was tragedy on tragedy instead take many comforting and heartening turns. There’s the obvious ones, of course, like Beleg not dying and Gwindor averting Túrin’s misadventures in Nargothrond. But there’s also the little detail that now Túrin wakes in the hope of a stormless morning, and, best of all, there’s a kiss between he and Beleg that echoes the canonical kiss but in about as different a context as can be! It feels so *restorative* for these characters who suffered so much to get a taste of solace and happiness for a change. It’s honestly good for my own mood and mental health to read, especially when it’s all this beautifully written!

Ah, the sweet, satisfying conclusion! What a wonderful trio these guys make, with Beleg as the common bond. The evolution of his relationship with Gwindor is just lovely. They became so close so quickly, but of course that’s what extreme circumstances do to people! I just love them together. Gwindor is such a good wing man (stay nearby in case needed but give the love birds some privacy!), and I cheered a little when Beleg refused to let Gwindor be so modest about who he is or the role he played. And then the opportunity to see Beleg and Túrin interact further gave such great additional insight into their dynamics together. We once again see Beleg exercising his particular understanding and embrace of Túrin’s character as Túrin rushes to make promises and Beleg hushes them with an “I know you well” — you just get such a sense of how deeply these two people have connected to the point that they can anticipate and read into each other’s words and behaviors beyond what is immediately apparent. Then we also get to see Beleg letting his excitement over being reunited with Túrin override some of his own normal hyper competence again while he revels in joy for a moment. So sweet! Who hasn’t let love distract them from normal tasks and duties some times!

I still thoroughly enjoy looking for and picking out the elements of the original story that are here in modified form. Gwindor is still a provider of healing to Túrin by bringing him to water, this time with a drink rather than the pools of Ivrin but still! And Túrin is still kind of grumpy about accepting help that came from Thingol and Melian, this time in the form of Melian’s waybread! I laughed. But best of all was the last paragraph, the ultimate in fix-it sentiments even without taking the story all the way back to Nargothrond to see if Gwindor’s hope actually comes true. In a way it doesn’t matter if it does — what matters is that he is healed enough to even have the hope again. My heart! This was so lovely all the way through and a joy to read that brought me so much happiness!