Henneth Annûn Story Archive

I have to say this really is one of those ideas that I now couldn't imagine not having come into being.

Thank you so much! Since Nanny was one of my very first LOTR ficlets ever, you can tell that this subject was always on my mind. :)  

<i>it was mostly because the person who actually brought them up was actually very sensible! Hooray for Nanny!

</i>*blush* Thank you!  I'm pleased that people like her, because I'm rather fond of her myself.

And you're right -- they both did turn out awfully normal, all things considered. They could have been horrible, spoiled, haughty little prigs, but they weren't - there had to be some stabilizing influence there.  I'm glad to let it be Nanny. :)

Bodkin - Thanks!   This was written as a request for Meril - I hadn't expected to write about Nanny's siblings so soon, so I'm glad it turned out well.

And you are so right - Minuial is very much a Lydia Bennett! :) Let's hope she grows out of it.

EdorasLass

Delightful chapter again!  Very glad for our little nanny that the Lady Finduilas was court-born and used to 'stuff!'

Agape4Gondor

Delightfully wonderful chapter, EdorasLass.  You do know I thoroughly love these tales. 

Dearest Boromir - and our wonderfully patient nanny.

Thanks for sharing this!

Agape

Agape -

Thank you! This is actually how I've handled the screaming fit situation -- just ignore them until they realize it's not doing any good. You do have to be rather stubborn yourself for it to work, though - and also have very selective hearing. :)

Bodkin -

Thanks! I'm actually picturing that guard teasing Boromir about the incident when Boromir's 16 or 25 or some such age. Talk about embarrassing!

:) 

Thank you! It kinda wore me out writing it. Hauling kids around is work!

Bodkin -

Thanks!

She thinks she's just not important enough to have anyone care about her background. She knows her position is an important one, but she doesn't think that she herself is. :)

and I cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to slap people who are rude to kids.

One of your best chapters ever... but I am a sucker for Faramir/Denethor stories.

Thank you,

Agape

I just love the image of little Faramir doing rabbit imitations.  And his concerns about his big brother, the duckling.

And I'm sure the reason he took some time to start talking was that he wanted to have a real understanding of grammar and the use of the subjunctive before he began to make speeches in public.

Bodkin - Thanks! 
Faramir just had no idea that the word meant anything besides "my big brother". :)

Heee...yep, even at this young age, apparently Faramir's afraid he'll use the wrong word or conjugate something incorrectly.

Bodkin - Thank you!

Often times I find the view of a servant to be more telling than that of a major character - they see a lot more than people think.

I just love these stories - they are very high on my list of looked-for tales.  And each one is simply delightful. 

I'll bet Boromir found it hard to credit that his littlt brother was learning to read from choice!

Bodkin - Thanks so much!

And you're probably right - wanting to  go to school and sit still for hours with a book is probably not something high on Boromir's list of things to do! :)

Poor Faramir - hitting thirteen won't necessarily have seemed the best thing possible if it meant losing Nanny - his mother substitute since his earliest years.  On the other hand, it really is only fair that Nanny should have her own life.  Sitting in the nursery waiting for her nurselings to come home wouldn't be much of a life for her.

H'mm.  More on Nanny in her post-Nannying days?  I'd love to know what became of her ... and whether she ended up in Emyn Arnen, caring for a bunch of half-Rohirric kids.

Drat you, EdorasLass....

You've got me sniffling again!

I so love your Faramir/Boromir moments!

Bless you!

Agape4Gondor

Thank you so much! :)  

EL 

I am glad that Faramir made his big brother pay for his insensitivity.  And I do admire the way Boromir stoically endured the snub as well-deserved. 

It is hard for older children to have younger siblings in constant attendance - and looking grown-up often seems synonymous with cruelty when you are only nine.  But still!  He could have said something to Nanny - she would have been understanding.   The way he faced her after having lost Faramir was very brave, though.  He will make a good Captain-General, if he has the nerve to face a carer whose child he has lost!  Orcs could be no more scary!!

This is one of my very, very favourite stories - and these chapters are well up to standard.  Delightful.

Bodkin - thank you!  Yes, Faramir ignoring Boromir was probably more effective than anything Nanny could do.

Yep, having younger sibs around all the time is a pain -- Nanny just wasn't thinking about either boy wanting time away from the other.

Boromir knows when he's done something wrong. And by now he's learned that lying or trying to hide a wrong-doing will only get him in more trouble - so he might as well face up to it.  :)

I'm glad you liked it!
Edoraslass

Raksha - Finduilas had a sister, but since that sister's the oldest, I always assumed she was already married and had a family of her own. And I can't imagine that Denthor's close to his sisters.

Poor little bitties.  I really didn't mean to write anything about this subject (too sad), but out it popped.  

Thank you!

EL 

Hugs!

As always, delightful, peaceful, and beautiful.

Very glad you 'happened' to write another chapter.

Agape

Awwwww.  Did little Faramir have the wave dream?  Poor little guy.

Nice filk of "Blackbird".

I like your depiction of Faramir in this chapter... and the trouble that such a little thing can get one into... apricots no less! 

Thanks for another great chapter!

Agape

Aghhh!  This is quietly heartbreaking.  And very well-written, true to Nanny's character.

At least we now know she did marry and have a family and home of her own. 

Raksha - Thank you. It's one of the few things I've written that still make me weepy.
EL

I can only say again: how sad!

What strikes me most about this chapter/ficlet is that it's a brilliant lesson about how valuable it is to build up a special vocabulary within your story. The impact of the endearment in this story is so great, because it's been in this series almost from the beginning, characterizing the protagonist and her relationship with the children.

Really well done! 

Juno - Thank you!

I wasn't consciously thinking about building a story-specific vocabulary - it just happened. :)  You know that she was calling him "duckling" until the last time she saw him (much to his amused chagrin, I'm sure) - and I'm sure there's some part of her that never quite believed he was an adult.