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Return Us The Children  by French Pony 6 Review(s)
elliskaReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/7/2006
I want to see if I can make something grow again. So many beautiful trees have been destroyed. I want to take care of this one, and perhaps plant more.

Perfect! Absolutely perfect! This is exactly the way I see Legolas after the War of the Ring. I read an article once about how each of the members of the Fellowship contributed to the remaking of the world. Some roles are more obvious (Aragorn's, of course). The article pointed out Gimli helped rebuild Minas Tirith by replacing the gates and the hobbits cleaned out the Shire amongst other things. The only member of the Fellowship that the author saw little use for was Legolas and he justified that by quoting Tolkien's comment that Legolas contributed the least. That just irked me! Legolas goes to Ithilien and makes it green again. That, to me, is a major contribution. I love seeing the little seed of that idea planted here, literally and figuratively.

NilmandraReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/6/2006
Poor Legolas... I wonder how much of this is the sea longing, making him unable to focus his thoughts? Somehow he coped through the battles in Rohan, Gondor and Mordor, but sometimes it takes a time of relative relief for such nightmares to start. His family and friends must feel he is drifting from them now, though they do not know why.

ManderlyReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/6/2006
I really haven't given much thought to how the members of the fellowship dealt with the horrors that they encountered during the quest until this story. No doubt each of them has his own nightmares to deal with, like Legolas. It must be near impossible to try to resume their former lives after what they have gone through.

Legolas seems very vulnerable here, but it seems that he is getting plenty of support from everyone around him. Hopefully it will help him resume some form of normalcy.

LiannaReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/6/2006
Oh, I'm so glad to see you continuing the Mirkwood story of "A Charge to Keep."

I really like your take on Mirkwood, as a no-frills realm where even the most basic of comforts cannot be taken for granted. And I like your young, uncertain, but very dedicated Legolas. Even though he's having a very tough time right now. The poor baby doesn't realize that what happened to him on that patrol is not necessarily a one-time thing. He may have what my kids call "issues" for a long time -- perhaps forever.

I'm looking forward to seeing where you go with this.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/6/2006
Poor Legolas. Sometimes the wounds that can be seen are easier to heal. He has been away from his forest, keyed up and away from his kind for a long time. It's hardly surprising that all those experiences with which he has been dealing with for so long have suddenly surged up to overwhelm him. Especially seen in combination with the sea-longing.

He probably hoped to come home to the comfort of familiarity - only to find that home suffered just as much as anywhere else he has been and that he cannot just settle back into routine.

I can see why Thranduil might well accept that Ithilien is an acceptable solution (in the end). One that offers challenges without memory - and a possibility of healing. Until, at least, the call of the waves gets too strong.

daw the minstrelReviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/5/2006
So this would be like Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome? I don't know much about that but it sounds like it.

I've always liked stories where Legolas is one member of a patrol under someone else's command. There's something charmingly elfish and egalitarian about that.

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