The funny thing is, this shouldn't be hard either. Because Tauriel and Kili are two of my favorite characters, and Aragorn and Arwen don't make the list. So clearly, I should be team Taurili (Kiliel?). And I am, in that I ship them and not Legoliel (Taurolas? I'm not good at the whole name-combo thing). But their relationship barely gets started -- they get some cute chats and a few meaningful glances, and then a sad ending. They don't get to know each other, that we see, and their only opportunity to do so would be while Tauriel's helping nurse Kili back to health at Bard's house. And Kili's feverish or unconscious most of that time. If Kili had lived, if they were able to go away together and find a place in the world where a dwarf-elf relationship would work out, then I would choose them. But that doesn't happen.
So, surprise, surprise! My favorite couple is Aragorn and Arwen.
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And really, that makes a great deal of sense. I love May-December romances, and Arwen is ever so much older than Aragorn. I love romances between people who have known each other for years, who grew up together and then fell in love, and that's obviously the case for them. And I love romances where they have to defy odds or conventions or some kind of opposition to be together. Elrond opposed their marriage for a long time because he doesn't want Arwen to eventually experience the grief of losing her husband. Arwen has decided the joy of their years together is worth the pain of eventual separation, and I heartily applaud her for both disagreeing with her powerful father, but also for initially obeying him, and slowly helping him change his mind rather than outright disobeying and opposing him.
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I hadn't ever thought of them this way. It puts their relationship in a whole new light, especially considering how she handled her father apposing it. I like their relationship even more now.
ReplyDeleteYeah, my gut instinct was Kili and Tauriel, but when I asked myself why, I was like, "Well, cuz I like them both." But when I thought about the actual relationships, I realized how much I admire Aragorn and Arwen's. I think when I rewatch LOTR, I'm going to find myself much fonder of them both now that I've thought this through.
DeleteYay! I love Arwen and Aragorn, too. They're just the sweetest things--but in a deep, powerful way, not really the Sam/Rosie sweet:)
ReplyDeleteYes, they have a lasting, hard-core kind of love, don't they?
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