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New Beginnings by Gwynhyffar	8 Review(s)
Ivy-Green	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/7/2009
I love the emotion in this one! And the ending with all the singing. Sometimes it really is the simple, little things that encourage us the most. Wonderful!! Author Reply: Singing makes everything better-even for humans. :)

Brazgirl	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/6/2005
Sad chapter, but I like it. At least the elves could sing. Author Reply: Sorry it took so long to reply to you, Brazgirl. I was out of town for a bit and tied up with things here at home when I got back. I think singing would be the best thing for stressful situations for the elves. I know it always helps me. :) Thanks for reading.

JastaElf	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 11/1/2005
Ah yes, when children reach the end of their ropes, this is what happens... poor Thranduil, and poor Nana! :-( I would not want bread either, I would want to sit down and scream if I were in that situation.... This story continues to surprise and delight, in the ways that real life does. That is a part of its charm! I thank you for realistic characters and the realistic situations in which they find themselves. There is pathos in everyday suffering, and this tale shows that. The chapter is excellent. Thank you for the update! Author Reply: Hi Jasta. It seemed like time for a meltdown and I definitely would have felt like sitting down and screaming too, especially if I felt that there were all these things going on around me, none of which I really understood and I was tired and drained and had no way to really express what I was feeling. Thank you for reading and I'm really glad that you're enjoying the story so far. :)

ScarlettPendragon	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/31/2005
Hi Gwynhyffar! What a heartwrenching chapter - and what a fantastic story!! Poor Little!Thranduil - my heart is just breaking for him in this chapter, the poor little mite is so tired and his world has been turned upside down, so no wonder that he finally gave in and screamed his pain to the world!! I don't think he's really had time to process the deaths he saw as he and his Naneth fled, and to hear that his own kind are responsible for the carnage and the upending of his life, must be a terrible burden for such a little one to bear!! Also, I imagine hearing about the deaths of other little elfings and their Nanas from his friends, and not from his parents who could perhaps give him some perspective and help him to process this news, has left him somewhat unprepared and unable to deal these events in a more constructive way. I think you sum his feelings up beautifully in this line: "At first it had felt like an adventure, but that did not last long because he was hearing things from the older elflings that made him realize that everything was wrong." Everything is wrong in his world at present and you convey his pain and uncertainty brilliantly in this chapter, and yet you manage to end the chapter on a postive note - the image of all the elves gathered round and singing is extremely powerful and poignant, and leaves us with hope that things will get better for them!! This really is an amazing chapter, and I am looking forward to more!! Thank you, Scarlett Author Reply: Hi Scarlett, Thank you for the wonderful review and thank you for reading. I think Thranduil is just beginning to process what has happened, and he's struggling with mixed emotions. On the one hand he has his parents and they are always able to give him a feeling of security, but on the other hand the horrors that he saw and was told about by other elflings are very frightening images. I think he isn't sure how to reconcile the two.

daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/31/2005
It's interesting to see this journey from a child's POV. He doesn't understand the big picture, just the day to day loss and exhaustion. You can't really blame him for the tantrum. I would probably feel like crying and screaming too. But it's also true that kids will play in the most appalling circumstances, so he sings. And that's a nice moment for everyone. Author Reply: I'm pretty sure that I would feel like sitting down and crying if it were me, and there might even be a moment in time where I do just that. Oropher tried to be understanding, but I think he was also concerned about sending the message that there are better ways to react to all that. I'm not sure how I would react if I were the parent in that situation, but I would hope I would be understanding. The singing seemed like the way to end a bad day.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/31/2005
Poor little mite. It's all too much to take in - and no-one is going to let little Thranduil in on their real worries. It's not surprising that he explodes. Oropher dealt with it very well - as reassuring as he could be under the circumstances, yet not letting up on the comfort of demanding the proper behaviour from his son. I should think Thranduil needs all the consistency he can find in a world turned upside down. I love the comfort he offered his grandmother - touch and song. And remarkably comforting too. He might feel her sadness, but his physical presence is the one thing likely to hold her to the world at this point. Looking forward to more. Author Reply: I think Thranduil is realizing more and more of what's going on and he really isn't equipped to deal with it. He did the only thing he could think of to vent his frustration. In the end, I think Oropher and Anirael understand that to a certain extent but at the same time have to tell him that there are other ways to deal with it. I'm not sure that he wouldn't do the same thing again though, given that he really hasn't had a chance to try to talk about his feelings.

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/30/2005
That was such a perfect chapter. You got it just right, the way a really little kid who's tired, hurt, sad, and bored will just melt down and have a tantrum over some totally innocent little thing like a piece of leftover fry bread. Oropher sounds like he's beginning to grow into a real leader here. He's mastered the art of calming a toddler, and he's caring for the rest of the refugees, too. It seems as though he's really growing on this journey. And I loved the last scene where they all started to sing, just a simple little forest song. Song is what elves need as much as food and water to keep them alive and healthy, and they seem to be picking up the pieces of their lives once more. Author Reply: It seemed like it was probably about time for a meltdown. It didn't occur to me until after I had posted this chapter that I should have perhaps make it clear that it was after they had been travelling for a few days. I hope that came out in the story, but I might start being a little more specific about things like that. Oropher is an enigma to me. We know virtually nothing about him other than the brief mention of going to Greenwood and his participation in the Last Alliance. I want to show enough of him for some things to be obvious, such as the refugees relying heavily on him and him taking up the mantle of leadership. It seems he would have already been in a leadership position before and the others following was a natural progression of that. Because the story is from Thranduil's eyes at a small child (I was thinking 3 or 4), things like that aren't quite so obvious. I'm glad that it shows though anyway. The song at the end seemed appropriate after everything they had been through. I would sing too. In fact, I sing all the time (not well, but I do sing haha) at work and in stressful situations. Singing makes everything better.

moonshine	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/30/2005
Funny, I was thinking about this story just as you updated it. lol. Thranduil is still so cute. The outburst was something any child would do, and was very fitting. It made the story all the more realistic. And the singing at the end- that was so cute! Just perfect for this chapter! Author Reply: You must have replied as soon as I posted, moonshine. When I was working on this chapter I was thinking of some work that I did a couple years ago that involved a lot of hiking to get to where we were going to be working. The days were usually pretty long and the job lasted for 6 weeks. I don't think I was ever really rested during that time and was constantly tired. There were times when I wanted to just sit down and scream hahaha. The singing seemed to be something that should happen, even if it was a children's song.

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