February 8, 2008
Fic Rec: Ghost in the Garden
I finally found the time to read a story I had set aside for quite some time. I'm a bit sorry that I didn't read it sooner, but not for the author's sake; I denied myself the pleasure of reading a truly nice gem. The story is The Ghost in the Garden by , and it was written for yours truly, to fill my request for “an interaction between Celeborn and Galadriel on a spiritual theme.” Dawn took this challenge literally, and gives us a meditation on the nature of Elvish spirits, thoroughly canonical (so far as I know First Age canon, at least).
Celeborn is one of my favorite characters, though I rarely write him, and Dawn has captured much that is admirable about the Sindarin elves. Celeborn is passionate in his way, certainly sensual (and talk about luscious writing….), but he is also practical and matter-of-fact. I especially liked the way that the Sindarin elves were described as having a court society, and that Celeborn was kept in the proper place someone as young as he would be expected to fill. He might be the king's kinsman, but he is not the star of Doriath. It all felt very natural.
Speaking of that sensual writing I mentioned earlier: this story is set during Celeborn's and Galadriel's engagement. And because of that Celeborn and Galadriel have not had what most people would call sex. And this is an important part, because Thingol has required the lovers wait several years to marry, since they are of different peoples. I know that some people have argued that LACE doesn't apply to Sindarin elves, and I have certainly read some enjoyable stories built within that view – but there is something so very hot about the sexual atmosphere Dawn creates in the first few scenes of this story.
There is not a hint of our own puritanical view of that boundary between full sex and everything up until that point; Galadriel abstains because to do otherwise would be to go against the king's wishes, but she and Celeborn seem to enjoy the intimate acts that are available to them. They are elves; there is no rush in this matter, and the engagement period is short enough, and Celeborn and Galadriel seem able to be very intimate without it.
I don't want to misrepresent this story; only a very small part of it deals with sexual matters. At most, I'd give it a PG13 rating. But those parts of the story dealing with physical intimacy set the stage nicely for the emotional intimacy that will become so important later. Without spoiling the ending, there is a lovely parallel between the two parts of the story. Both Celeborn and Galadriel are very well presented, as young elves with their flaws and strengths and struggles. Quite possibly the best C+G-in-Doriath story I've ever read; I recommend it.
