A Far Green Country
, by SilasWhitfield, is a fan story set about ten years after The Lord of the Rings. The story was not yet complete.
Elden is a fugitive from Rohan. He rides a stolen horse, holds a stolen sword, and carries a stolen magic ring. Elden flees all the way to Rivendell, where he encounters Nellas. She is the last elf of Rivendell. Elden survived by the magic of his ring, and Nellas has magic of her own. The two begin an adventure and travel around Middle-earth, but this is a dark version of Middle-earth. Lesser villains have replaced Sauron, and evil creatures roam. Kings Elessar and Éomer are away fighting more wars.
A Far Green Country provides examples of:
- Continuity Nod: The title of A Far Green Country is a nod. The phrase "a far green country" appears twice in The Lord of the Rings. Frodo dreams of it in book I, chapter 8. Then Frodo sees Valinor in book VI, chapter 9: "he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise."
- Conveniently an Orphan: Both main characters!
- Elden's mother died by giving birth to Elden, and Elden's father died in one of King Éomer's wars.
- Nellas was still a child when orcs killed her parents.
- Damsel out of Distress:
- In his backstory, Elden was a prisoner in Edoras, Rohan, but he escaped.
- After villains capture the whole party of Elden, Nellas, Surad and Durus, they attempt to escape.
- Enemy Mine: Durus and Surad were enemies of Elden and Nellas, but these four quickly become allies when they are chasing a common enemy.
- Interspecies Romance: Elden, mortal man, and Nellas, female elf, unless She Is Not My Girlfriend.
- Long-Lost Relative: When Elden meets Mrs. Bones, Elden learns that Mrs. Bones is really Elden's lost sister Beorna.
- Lovable Rogue: Elden is a deserter and a thief. Also, Durus and Surad are thieves. The story presents all three characters as protagonists: Elden became a thief for his own survival, and Durus and Surad become his allies.
- Pointy Ears: Nellas covers her ears, trying to pass as a mortal woman. Some other characters see through the disguise and know that Nellas must be an elf.
- Plot Coupon: Elden's ring. It often does something to move the plot forward.
- Ring of Power: Elden's magic ring is a major mystery. When Elden wears this gold ring, he becomes invisible, and the ring whispers hints to him. Fans might wonder how this ring can exist and retain its power, ten years after The Lord of the Rings, when Frodo destroyed another gold ring of invisibility, and the other Great Rings lost their power. Nellas looks at Elden's ring in chapter 4, and more explanation comes in chapter 14.
- Sailor Earth: This trope counts for Elden, because he bears a magic ring. There is a second magic ring; Nellas steals it from Mrs. Bones. So Elden, Mrs. Bones, and Nellas are all ring-bearers.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: In chapter 12, when Surad mentions "your girlfriend", Elden says, "She's not my girlfriend." Surad still believes that Nellas is his girlfriend.
- Uncertain Doom: In chapter 12, orcs surround and trap Surad and Durus, but Elden does not see their deaths. The orcs have orders to kill, so they probably do kill Surad and Durus, but their deaths are not certain.
