Author's Note: Here's Tar-Aldarion's interview! Please note that he is not politically correct, and it's not my fault! ;) Be sure to watch the themes (are you tired of me saying that yet?) and leave a review! At this point, I would be amiss not to give a big thanks to CrackinAndProudOfIt for reviewing so nicely and so often. You're awesome, Crackers! The rest of my readers should imitate her kindness starting immediately.

Tar-Aldarion

Name(s): Tar-Aldarion; Anardil

Race: Men

Life: He was born in S.A. 700, and he became the sixth king of Númenor, ruling for 192 years. He died in 1075.

. . .

[At this point, Thalion wishes to directly remind readers that the views conveyed by the interviewees are strictly their own and do not express the thoughts or beliefs of Estel.]

What were some of the changes of Númenórean society during your lifetime?

Women forgot their place; that's the biggest one! You give a simple peasant the privilege of a lifetime: marriage to the prince of Númenor, and what does she do? She gets upset because duty and bad circumstances keep her husband away for a few years longer than she deems fair. As if I had control over the weather and over the state of my work! Did she think that I wanted to be stuck in Middle Earth for so long? Even I admitted that I was tired of the sea upon my return. I, the prince, wasn't even welcomed into my own house. My daughter was brainwashed, and those closest to me didn't appreciate all my work! Whatever happened to the decent family model?

A good question. What do you think happened to it?

Women just forgot that they should do what they're told. I don't know what caused them to act in such an outrageous fashion, but at least some of them did, and it caused serious problems.

Do you think the collapse in your marriage had anything to do with your long absences? Do you consider yourself to be a proud person?

Well, every man has his pride. My father was wise and humble, but that doesn't mean that I was a tyrant or anything. And it isn't my fault that my marriage fell apart. I wanted to come home, and I tried to make amends when I failed to arrive on time, even though my tardiness was completely out of my control. If my wife had just been understanding, none of this would have happened. Besides, what do you expect a mariner who is heavily burdened with duty and longing to sail to do when his wife wants him to deny everything that he is? Give up and give in? No, I say!

[Thalion Estel would like to, at this time, interject her own observation that the breakdown of Aldarion's marriage (and the Númenórean family structures in general) was a result of both parties being proud and unwilling to compromise. It was not the fault of either one exclusively, though each did different wrong things in the matter. If only Númenor had possessed marriage counselors.]

What was your view of the men of Middle Earth?

Those men were immersed in darkness. They had little memory at all of the First Age, and their wisdom and skills and were rudimentary. I foresaw that they would never be our allies; only perhaps students, and maybe even enemies.

When you say enemies, are you implying that there was an evil arising? If so, please elaborate on its affects.

Well, there was some great shadow in the East. I discussed the matter with Gil-galad, but we did not agree about what its source was. I supposed that it was some tyranny of men, but the King of the Noldor believed it to be a servant of Morgoth. He possessed wisdom and experience greater than mine, so it may be that he was right, but regardless of the shadow's origin, we both knew it to be a danger. That was why I spent so much of my time in Middle Earth; I was trying to keep the shadow from invading Eriador.

As to the affects, they are hard to define. Evil stirred in the hearts of lesser men, for they were easily corrupted. Foul things became more common, though we never engaged in outright battle. The biggest thing I noticed was that everyone was ill at ease, as if there was a foreboding in the air.

What action did you take to subdue this evil after your father gave you the scepter?

I tried to establish a fortified harbor, which would give us and our allies a foothold and prevent the shadow from spreading farther west. I also began to deforest some areas of Middle Earth so that we could build ships and have a better view of the country.

Did your efforts pay off?

Well, not really. The sea seemed to eat away at all my hard work, and I never was able to make a firm establishment. My hopes were that when another king should come with greater power and men than I had, he would use the foundation I laid to make a real port worthy of Númenor.

What was your opinion of the corporate worship of Eru? Did you always attend and lead it as you forebears did?

Well, it's not as if I wanted to miss it, but sometimes I was in Middle Earth, and so I could not be present at all three times of the year. I still believed and respected Eru's control over all things, but I was unable to express it as often as the kings before me.

What did you and your mariners think of the Eldar, of the Ban, and of death?

We were very close friends with many of the Eldar, and they taught us much. We could have made no lasting impact without them. The Ban . . . I don't know what we thought about that. If I'd had the desire to sail to the West, maybe I would have been upset. But my eyes were ever focused on my people and their future in the world of Men. I never heard anyone complain against the Ban, and I certainly wasn't planning to break it or any such foolish thing. Death was something no one liked but everyone did without making too big of a fuss about it. It was just considered part of life, like getting a wound. It wasn't enjoyable, but neither was it full of dread.

You already said that you hoped Númenor would one day establish a better harbor in Middle Earth. Did you have any other hopes for the future of your country?

As is implied in the foundation of permanent settlements, I wanted Númenor to expand its sphere of influence. We were superior to the men of Middle Earth; we should thus be keeping them from injuring both themselves and others. With the Eldar's help, we could have accomplished this.

Did you want to rule over these men?

Hmm. Not really, but I certainly did want to prevent them from some things, and if that requires some sort of dominion, so be it.

Please leave me a review to tell me how I'm doing and what you like so far!