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Tangled Web  by daw the minstrel 20 Review(s)
Estel_Mi_OlorReviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/7/2004
Ooh great chapter! Great tension! But the suspense is maddening. I hope nobody dies... :) Anyways:

I loved the reconciliation between Sinnarn and Ithilden. I am so glad Ithilden finally chose to believe his son and restore him to the Home Guard. Sinnarn must be so happy. I am very proud of him for sticking it out with such dignity.

Isn't Mithrandir useful? You tend to believe that he sent the Orcs just so the Dwarves and Elves wouldn't kill each other...even though he didn't. It shall be amusing to see how Thranduil, Bard and Dain will work this out. I can see some arguments coming up. I foresee that Mithrandir will be the diplomat, bridging disputes between the three races.

I can't wait for the next chapter! And Bilbo does get his treasure after all, poor thing. Keep writing!

Author Reply: That scene between Ithilden and Sinnarn was one I enjoyed writing. I have been feeling very sorry for Sinnarn, and he and Ithilden needed to be reconciled. Thranduil told Sinnarn that how he bore the consequences of his actions would determine what happened and he was right. Sinnarn did very well and Ithilden should be proud of him.

I'm sure Mithrandir would have been appalled to have the Elves and Dwarves at war, given that they all had a much bigger common enemy. You have to wonder how stupid these people are to be fighting one another. But I guess all races have their share of the dim witted.

lwarrenReviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/7/2004
Sooooo, Sinnarn is back with the Guard, and his Adar believes him about the wine, tho' it does him no good now :-) and Bilbo has been kicked out by his dwarf buddies....things are definitely heating up!

My favorite line....Thranduil's announcement about how he will not go to war over gold. I loved Legolas' proud reaction....I was pretty proud of the King too!

Such a small thing to cause so much trouble...now, where have I heard THAT before? Just think, in 60 years, Legolas will be having a major deja vu experience on a mountaintop about that same small thing...

I loved the comment Legolas made to Bard about honoring the archer who stood his ground against a creature of darkness in order to protect his people...the elf will be doing the same thing, again, in 60 years

Now, the battle draws near... and when threatened by Darkness, the good guys often forget their little squabbles in favor of the greater good.....

A superior effort, daw!

linda



Author Reply: Thing are heated to the boiling point, actually. And I can see why Ithilden might think this is not a good time to be back with the Home Guard.

I wonder if Thranduil ever realized that he had the One Ring close to hand, indeed actually IN his palace at one point, and never knew it. How would he react to realizing that?

Thank you for your kind words, Linda.

White WolfReviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/6/2004
I'm glad that Ithilden believed Sinnarn without having to verify it with anyone else, like Legolas or Bilbo. I know how much that must have meant to Sinnarn.

It looks like Legolas's opinion of Bard is now a bit tarnished.

I'm thinking it's a good thing the dwarves showed up when they did. Things are looking bleak, a the moment. I'm also thinking it's time for Thranduil to shine.

Author Reply: I think that meant a lot to Sinnarn. You're right. That scene was the one I enjoyed writing the most in this chapter.

Bard is kind of scary, I think. He'll be a good king but I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. And Thranduil just comes through with shining colors, despite what all the Evil!Thranduil writers think.

LKKReviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/6/2004
Yay! Ithilden finally believed in Sinnarn's word! And the whole truth about the escape came out. (Well, whole enough for what the elves needed to know, anyway.) More than anything else, it has been the elves' belief that Sinnarn lied that has worried me most in this story. Now, all I have to worry about is the wargs and the orcs. LOL

Legolas's reaction to Bard has been interesting. His idol has turned out to have feet made of clay. That's actually a little too harsh, I suppose. But I think the idea of fighting over gold has been a new concept for Legolas. At least, he knows his father wouldn't do that.

Another good chapter, daw. :)

Author Reply: I know. I felt so much better after I wrote that scene between Ithilden and Sinnarn. And the really nice thing was that Ithilden believed him 'just because he said it' even when it sounded absurd. That was hard for Ithilden, who tends to be a rational guy.

Legolas's admiration of Bard was interesting to me too. Bard is kind of a proto-Aragorn, I think, but you can see that he's not as noble as Aragorn. It's all preparation for the quest, I think.

tigerlily713Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/6/2004
Yay! I love it when enemies can become allies for a common cause. I also loved reading about Legolas's pride in his father. I can't wait for more! Lily

Author Reply: The more I read "The Hobbit," the better Thranduil looked. In the end, he showed Bard and everyone else what a truly wise ruler was like. No wonder his sons are proud of him and want him to be proud of them.

NilmandraReviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/6/2004
Now the excitement! Whoever thought we would be grateful, to some degree, for orcs? But they put the dwarves on the same side with Men and Elves.

I am glad Sinnarn knows the truth now, and Legolas heard it to, so there is a witness. The tension with the dwarves is good - and Bard and Thranduil come across very strong and confident. I am so glad they didn't fight dwarves though. Doriath was enough, for those who remember it.

Author Reply: I hesitated to let Bilbo tell about the ring, but at the end of the story, Thranduil does seem to know that Bilbo could make himself invisible and Bilbo had told the dwarves so it seemed reasonable he's explain himself here.

Bard is a good leader of Men, but Thranduil!!! Ah, now there's a king to be proud of.

JebbReviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/6/2004
Just as I was settling in to have a really long story to enjoy maybe 100 chapters or so, you spoil my fun by telling me it may be finished in two more!
This was simply stunning from Ithilden and Sinnarn being fully reconciled over the drinking to Sinnarn's unhappiness at not being able to wreak a little vengeance on Bilbo
Thranduil comes out as best king easily beating Bard into a poor second place and making his sons proud of him all over again
But dear oh dear now the battle is almost upon us and I worry about who we will lose I have come to care for them all, well not Tinar obviously but everyone else
thanks for a wonderful story

Author Reply: LOL. I am a very impatient person and can't imagine writing 100 chapters. Does any story NEED 100 chapters???? None that I have to tell.

I was very glad to be able to write about the reconciliation of Ithilden and Sinnarn. They both needed that, and Alfirin will be very happy when they get home. Thranduil is just the best. I can't imagine how he got the reputation he has in fanfic. There is just no evidence for it that I can see.

nanethReviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/6/2004
I have been waiting through the entire story for the scene from Ithilden's dream so long ago. I wonder if he had a sense of deja vu as he watched his son scamper away?

There are so many wonderful lines in this chapter..."how could such a small thing cause so much trouble", "the archer that stood his ground when a creature of darkness swept overhead", "how fortunate he was to have met and actually spoken to one of those of whom the minstrels would certainly one day sing". What a wonderful foretaste of the tale yet to come!

And Beliond never changes. He is such a great comic relief just when needed the most!

Great job as always. Thanks for keeping us entertained and on the "edge of our seats" with another great story.


Author Reply: Kudos to you for remembering the dream and recognizing it! I think that Ithilden recognized it too and is worried.

One of the things that I've come to appreciate in writing this story is how much in "The Hobbit" foreshadows LOTR. Bard is kind of a proto-Aragorn combined with Legolas. And I think that all of this was preparation for the quest for Legolas.

Beliond amuses me too. When I first made him up, I had no idea he would have such a creative vocabulary, but then he just stepped the page on day and started cussing and he's been doing it ever since. I wonder if Thranduil knew that when he put his baby in Beliond's care? :-)

DuchessReviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/6/2004
Wow! Again I'm extremely impressed with how you're weaving The Hobbit into your tale and I love it! I adore that Ithilden believes and forgives Sinnarn now too. That was a major point for me, I can tell you! *vbg*

Oh, I'd say more, but I'm late for work. Great job though! :):):)

Author Reply: It was a major point for Ithilden too! Sinnarn's disgrace has been very painful for him. He wants to believe his son, but he is also so fair minded that he was afraid of showing favoritism. And now he feels much better.

I'm finding it hard to balance Tolkien's story and mine, so I'm glad you think it's working well.

erunyauveReviewed Chapter: 15 on 7/5/2004
'Presumably Thorin was ready to listen to another embassy though, for he had not shot at Tinár'

Pity!

'when he had been sent to ask for the parley earlier, an omission that had made Sinnarn roll his eyes and make caustic comments about lack of fairness. “And of good sense too,” Amdir had added. “I always knew Dwarves were slow-witted.”'

::g::

'“I think we will let someone else guard any prisoners though.”'

Good thing, too, since the next recorded prisoner will be Gollum and his guards fare considerably worse than Sinnarn did with the dwarves.

'“Master Archer! Master Guard!” Bilbo greeted them. “Dear me!”'

I loved this - a very hobbity thing to say.

'Behind Legolas, Beliond spat a word that made all the Elves within hearing turn around and look at him, although the Men seemed to take it in stride.'

I was in need of further enrichment of my vocabulary!

'The thought that a messenger might be safer than a warrior flitted quickly across his mind, and then he thought of Thorin’s arrow, lodged in Sinnarn’s shield.'

::looks alarmed:: You're *not* going to kill Sinnarn!

Author Reply: Given that Sinnarn just spent over a month in an office from which Tinar came and went, I can't imagine he's never before pictured someone putting an arrow in him. Just a little wound! Nothing lethal! Just painful!

I'm glad you thought Bilbo sounded hobbity. I don't usually write about hobbits, so I'm not very sure of myself with them.

And Beliond just decided to start cussing in a story one day and has been doing it ever since. He's never done it loudly enough that I actually hear the words, but that must be because I don't have Elvish hearing. ;-)

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