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On Border Patrol  by Manderly 5 Review(s)
thechevinReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/25/2005
This was a real gem of a chapter the family Thranduillian at their best and their love and concern for the youngest member of their clan was so plain
as was the worry of Thranduil at seeing his youngest child about to leave his protective cocoon.
As ever Tavaro is his brother's biggest supporter the one who is prepared to say what needs to be said on Legolas' behalf and once the others have been made to look beyond their natural concerns as a family there was no doubt that Legolas would be getting his wish to do more than take part in the home wood patrolof course getting what you want may not be necessarily be good for him!


Author Reply: I am glad you liked the chapter. It was a discussion that the entire family had probably thought about at some time but had avoided it for as long as possible. Though I think Feren for one was genuinely surprised at that fact that his concern for Legolas had interfered with his instincts as a commander.

Legolas really owes Tavaro huge thanks. If not for this brother, he would be missing out on so much. But then, some of the things that he might have missed out on might be better for his health.

Thanks for the review!

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/24/2005
This is not an easy decision for anyone to have to make. Realising that they are protecting Legolas because of who he is - and that other warriors of his skills would have been used differently. The other side is that Legolas might be pushed into more dangerous situations earlier, because his brother and father (despite their reluctance) cannot let it be thought that they are protecting him unduly.

I doubt he will like having the experienced warrior to look after him - but it must be usual. Pairing two rookies together would only ensure that there weren't many experienced warriors. However terrific Legolas's (or any other new warrior's) skills, there are certain things that you can only learn by doing - and you can only do it once you are there.

The up and coming situation isn't going to please anyone totally - but compromise is the essence of life! And at least he will not be confronted with too many pigs - probably.

Author Reply: No pigs, but he'll be confronted with something of course!

It's certainly a no win situation for the Royal Family, except maybe from the perspective of Legolas who is at last getting his wish to be a real warrior. And you are right. There's never a happy medium. Either Legolas is over-protected or he's pushed into dangerous responsibilities before his peers simply because he is the King's son. As hard as this decision is, I think Legolas' family realizes that it has to be made, sooner or later.

Thanks for the review!

elliskaReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/23/2005
Poor Feren and poor Thranduil. You know that's a conversation they had to have had at some point--I just imagine that Thranduil would have prefered it to be later. That conversation was well written. Great job!

Author Reply: Thank you for your kind words. Thranduil cannot be too happy about the decision but he probably knows that it's probably just as difficult for Feren as well. I imagine Legolas will be the only one to be delighted by this decision, while the rest of his family loses sleep over it.

French PonyReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/23/2005
See, this is why Middle Earth needs more cop dramas. Everyone knows that you pair up the rookie with an old grizzled veteran cop who smokes cheap butts and doses out gruff yet heartfelt life lessons right before the commercial breaks.

I guess it's a tough job to know what to do when the army is the family business. Sounds like this family needs some unrelated aides de camp to help them see things more in the cold light of day. Or else the kids need to move into their own apartments. It seems like a lot of the problem comes from the fact that they have these separate official roles during the day -- King, crown prince, troop commander, warrior -- but then during the evenings, they switch and become Ada and the kids. That can't be an easy thing to do each night.

Probably the best way to get Legolas to accept a bodyguard is to tell him that they're responsible for each other.

Author Reply: Yup, cop dramas would definitely bring dramatic light to Middle Earth. I can't for the life of me though picture an old grizzled elf. I guess they'll need to improvise.

Shuffling between their public roles and private roles cannot be easy. Must be impossible to draw a clear line between the two. Talk about beig a good source for ulcers.

You've brought up an interesting point about bringing in outsiders for some unbiased opinions. I suppose the King's advisors must do that to some extent, but I wonder whether they are brave enough to tell Thranduil what to do with his kids? Interesting.

Your solution about the bodyguard might just work.

Thanks for reviewing!

daw the minstrelReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/23/2005
That must have been a hard decision for them all to make. You showed the argument very nicely, giving the reasoning on both sides. Legolas is not going to like the idea of a guard!

Author Reply: I'm sure more than one member of the family will lose sleep over the decision. Even as I was writing this chapter, I was feeling sorry for Feren as the final decision was up to him and ultimately, he'll bore the brunt of any blame or guilt should things go wrong.

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