To Shine by Reflected Light by Cortese (R)

[fairestcat]

Hello again, I'm back for another round of Hornblower recs. I'm starting out this month with something a little different.

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Horatio/Archie, Horatio/William
Author on LJ: tanacawyr
Author Website: Janis Cortese's Hornblower Fanfiction
Why This Must Be Read

One of my favorite of tanacawyr's stories, To Shine By Reflected Light fits none of the common categories of the fandom. tanacawyr starts with a terribly plausible AU ending to Retribution, not a happy Live Kennedy Universe, but a darker one in which Archie is dead and Horatio has resigned his commission -- refusing to accept a future in the navy purchased in Archie's blood. And when Horatio walks away, William follows him.

Horatio is haunted by his past, by his grief for Archie and his grief for what might have been. This is a painful and painfully true portrait of grief and things left unsaid until too late, told from the perspective of a William Bush who knows all about words left unspoken. Archie is everywhere in this story, but ultimately it is about Horatio and William, about regrets and risks and ultimately about taking a chance on the future.

To Shine By Reflected Light

Comments

[stopawhile.livejournal.com]

No direct link to the fic?

[fairestcat]

Eeep! I swear there was at one point, I'm not sure how I managed to delete it and not notice.

Fixed now.

[font.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say that I am really thrilled that you're going to be reccing (again!) this month. In the past, I have found so many excellent stories through you that I would never have found otherwise. I even went so far as to friend the community this month; normally I just wander by when I think of it.

[fairestcat]

*stammers and blushes* thank you!

I also do Hornblower recs sets in my journal, although my standards for those are a little broader than what I post when I rec here.

Hornlower Recs for All Occasions

Some of the stuff I'm going to rec this month is already in those sets, but some of it is stuff that hasn't made it into sets yet or is new since I made the sets.