I also used last week for another purpose altogether; I finally had the time and inspiration necessary to write a Lord of the Rings story I'd been thinking about for quite some time. You know, there have been a lot of stories written by Boromir- or at Sean Bean-fans in which Boromir is miraculously returned to MiddleEarth and to Aragorn's arms and bed (just take a look at the Fellowship archive). I don't want to say that I dislike such stories; rather to the contrary. As a huge Sean Bean fan myself (ever since Sharpe) I was stunned upon discovering the slash potential in the Aragorn-Boromir dynamic in the first LotR movie, and heartbroken when the latter died although I, as an old fan of the books, had of course known of the fate awaiting him. Still, for me, a resurrection of Boromir only works under certain narrow parameters which most emphatically exclude the very existence of Arwen. According to J.R.R. Tolkien's books, the love she and Aragorn have for each other is the love legends and songs are written of. She even gives up her immortality for him and settles for a century by his side while her race - and family - leaves MiddleEarth and sails west. No, Arwen wouldn't be understanding, she wouldn't share. Furthermore, even if she had the emotional magnanimousness, her position wouldn't allow her to; not as the queen of Gondor. Besides, I would lose all respect for her if she agreed to carry Aragorn's children while at the same time contenting herself with breadcrumbs of his affection.

If Arwen exists, Aragorn and Boromir's love is doomed from the beginning. But I would love a good AU in which she was either never born, died early, never met Aragorn, never fell in love with him or at least was never allowed to marry him.

I can see Aragorn and Boromir having sex on their journey, but for the aforementioned reasons, I cannot see a big love affair. Which makes slashing them a tad bit difficult.

For that reason, I would once again like to recommend Osheen Nevoy's "Boromir's Return". It is gen, not slash, hence the difficulties mentioned don't apply, and written in a style so reminiscent of Tolkien's work that each chapter stuns me anew. The author has an enviable grasp of MiddleEarth's geography and history as well as of the events described in The Lord of the Ring. Her AU is utterly believable and works so well I may even start to prefer it to the original. Osheen Nevoy's writing abilities made me even try her Star Wars stories although I usually avoid that fandom at all costs. I cannot but wholeheartedly recommend her "Admiral Piett and the Great Ewok Adventure" which is an Imperium-centric gen/het novel set in the original triology.

But back to The Lord of the Rings. My discussions with gwendolen and mareen on New Year's Eve, the above-mentioned reflections on the Aragorn/Arwen and Aragorn/Boromir relationships plus a short foray into the books resulted in a story I rewrote almost immediately, trying to follow more closely the style employed by Tolkien. It is called

Das Blut Isildurs
Author: allaire mikháil
Fandom: Lord of the Rings (Herr der Ringe)
Pairing: Aragorn / Boromir
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Der Eine Ring bleibt nicht Aragorns einzige Versuchung, und das Blut Isildurs ist schwach.
3.341 words, Boromir POV, AU/drama, unbeta'd.

Yes, it admittedly is in German. Sorry.