he sure doesn't like thorongil...

Ah, yes, jealous Denethor, but then Ecthelion should have seen and expected it.

- Deandra

Liked this very much. Can see you have a great love for the source material.

Haha, nice to see your usual glowing view of Aragorn twisted around.

You've done one shots of this sort before, so I guess an actual Denethor and Aragorn multi chapter story would be too much to hope for...maybe one day you'll do a bit on Denethor during the books? I mean, he knew Gandalf wanted the King to reclaim his throne, but how much did he know about Aragorn/Thorongil? Did he think Faramir would betray him, or was he not even thinking of that considering how sure he was that Sauron would win...

Ah, well, whatever you do next, whether it be something like that sweet little fic about Aragorn's parents, or more on your Harad or something else, I'm sure it'll be awesome. :D

Dear Linda: This is a jewel of a story! It is simultaneously amusing and sad. The idea that Thorongil might have been the illegitimate son of Ecthelion is an intriguing notion, and it seems not at all unreasonable that such a rumor might have been started while Aragorn/Thorongil lived and served in Gondor. After all, he and Denethor had a strong physical resemblance to each other, and of course Ecthelion loved Thorongil and seemed to prefer the latter's company to that of his own son and heir. You have done a very skillful job of writing such an interesting and meaningful story in only 500 words, and you did a great job of fulfilling the prompts of the challenge. I particularly liked how Denethor suspects Thorongil of hiding his thoughts because he, Denethor, cannot read the Captain as easily as he does other men, but Denethor gets insulted and regards it as an act of impertinence when Thorongil attempts to do the same! I just have one slight criticism. In the line, "He must have picked up the fine manners he uses to impress my father at Thengel's court," it reads as if Thorongil and Ecthelion are at Thengel's court, and Thorongil is impressing the Steward there. Of course, that is not what you meant. Maybe it would sound better if you said, "It must have been at Thengel's court that Thorongil picked up those fine manners he uses to impress my father," or something similiar. This is just a suggestion. Otherwise, this is a flawless jewel of a story. I also loved the irony of the final line! I very much enjoyed reading this tale. Thanks for sharing it with us. Take care. Sincerely, Darkover

That's an interesting take. It's too bad that we don't see more of Denethors reaction to Thorongil. He certainly shows his distain

A sharply written and entirely in character monologue, for an all too human character. Thank you.

Oh Denny, you are so nasty!

Have you been reading GOT fics or something? LOL! Just wondering because Denethor refers to Aragorn as a sellsword, and GRRM loves that term and uses it a lot.