crack_van | The Measure of a Man by Virtuella (Teen)

Fandom: THE LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairings: OC/OC, King Éomer of Rohan/Lothíriel the Princess of Dol Amroth, Éowyn of Rohan/Steward Faramir of Gondor
Length: 51,086 words
Author on LJ:

virtuella
Author Website: on AO3
Why this must be read:
Déoric, the main character of this story, is an original creation of the author, as are many of the supporting characters, but don't let that dissuade you from reading one of the finest pieces of LOTR fanfic I've ever had the pleasure to read.

Déoric left Rohan for the Battle of the Pelennor Fields a soldier and rider of Rohan, but came back to Rohan without a leg and without his confidence. This is a story of healing, of Déoric's coming-of-age, and of the rebuilding of Middle-Earth after the fall of the Dark Lord. The author creates amazingly well-rounded original characters and we get to see the splendid world of Middle-Earth through their eyes. I really enjoyed the parts of the story where the canon characters like Éomer, Éowyn, and Merry are around, but I also loved the bits where they were not mentioned at all. This story serves to remind me that at the end of The Lord of the Rings, even with all the sorrow and tragedy, the Age of Men has truly just begun and there is so much hope to be had.

I really can't recommend this story highly enough. I also recommend the sequel (about 80k more words of awesome to read).

The Measure of a Man by Virtuella