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Price of Peace, Dawn of Hope  by Rorrah 7 Review(s)
Banba McCuillReviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/9/2003
Finally! I have made my way back...I did not forget.

(Chapter Four Review)

A bee charmer! How…charming. ;-)

What could Anólindë be thinking of for Mandel as a calling…is she up to something, I wonder.

JastaElfReviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/25/2003
Oh, I dearly LOVE watching her maneuver around Thranduil, always in such a loving campaign to help him re-integrate and come out of his grief... (grin)

And the Queen is a wonder. She is fast becoming one of my favorite OCs of all time! Her negotiating with the bees is a perfect example of symbiosis, which would be a typical Elven way of looking at things....

A marvelous chapter! Thank you so much!

Author Reply: The queen bee was a tough negotiator. She wanted a grove of trees, with flowers nearby and she expects the occasional elf to swing by her court and sing to her.

I'm honored that you like her so much...thanks.

FadesintothewestReviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/22/2003
Anólindë is a wonderfel female OC. OC's are so hard to write well, and female OC's well they are almost impossible, but your females are strong and well developed. I love the whimsy amidst the sorrow, it is great how you weave the two together. This chapter had some wonderful pieces of dialogue, esp between Anólindë and Mandel- the whole flying part was so sad. I very much look forward to the next chapter!

Author Reply: I think it helps that I'm not hooking her up to a single character. Legolas had to have a mother, therefore Thranduil had to be married. I think that is part of what makes an OFC more accepted.

I think humor and whimsy are the world's greatest coping mechanisms.

Earl GreyReviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/18/2003
Hello again,

I have the day off today and was more than pleased to see a new chapter from you. A treat to the start of my day.

I could definitely get lost in this story. You have the ability to make me forget everything around me while reading it, (just noticed the time and jumped up to get kids out of bed for school).

Thranduil is certainly going to need a bit of time to re-adjust to being home again and all the changes that have happened while he has been gone, as they all will. War changes everything, not just for those in it, but for all those back home too, and Anolinde is going to need all her reserves of patience to cope. I'm glad she didn't back down from him though, it's good to see that she has quite a bit of steel in her spine too and she's been running things without him for a long time now and obviously knows the situation better, but at the same time must be completely confused by his behaviour. Especially when she's been eagerly waiting for his return. No wonder she went hunting the next day...and I loved her comment to Mandel, "I would fly until exhaustion took me and I could no longer keep myself above the trees. I would fall, but perhaps I would have flown free long enough to die with no regrets." Wow! I think we all feel that way at times - just want to fly and fly and fly....

She is trying to cope with several different things and I like her character very much. Oh and I loved the 'bee hunting' - how adorably cute! Can't wait to read more about that...gotta fly myself now and do the school thing...till next time....

P.S. I'm glad you're the right Rorrah


Author Reply: I would hate to be responsible for your kids being late for school, but it is really flattering that you enjoyed the story that much. Thanks. There is going to be a lot of adjustment all around.

daw the minstrelReviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/18/2003
I really liked what you did with this chapter! It's so convincing. Here's Thranduil used to giving orders and having people jump, and on the battlefield, that's a good and necessary thing. And here's his wife, used to making decisions on her own that have life and death consequences too. And she doesn't jump when he issues the orders!

I liked the bee hunt too. It was very elfy.

Author Reply: Thanks, that means a lot, especially since you saw one of the (many) first drafts. Thanks for your feedback and the addition of a great many commas

MarnieReviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/18/2003
Sorry I missed last chapter, but this continues to be great :) Loved the hunting of the bees, but want to knock some sense into Thranduil's thick head. Sadly though I'm sure his problem is all too common in soldiers home from war.

Wonderful balance of realism with beauty.

Author Reply: I take what I can get. The feedback has been wonderful. It's nice to know the characters are coming off as beleivable. Which they seem to have, since you want to do Thranduil bodily injury.

MirkwoodmaidenReviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/18/2003
Rorrah!

The avenues you are taking with this story are really good choices. Going from the tragic to the practical is a really interesting way to build the world of Mirkwood after the Last Alliance. It makes practical sense to trade with neighbors but Thranduil's emotional reaction to it is completely understandable.

This brings me to Anólindë. What a wonderfully strong woman she is. In the face of Thranduil's implacable wrath over the trading, she stands her ground and gets him to see sense, at least partially sense. When many would have cowered and capitulated Anólindë argued her case! I really liked that! Wonderfully and realistically portrayed. Also that kiss they shared just grew out of the moment and Thranduil's pulling back was so well conceived!

The bee-collecting was allowed us to see that Anólindë is also a she-elf who is still not so jaded and worn with care that she can't escape for a small bit to allow herself sometime to be herself. Again nicely done!

Looking forward to the rest of the story!

Author Reply: I struggled more with this chapter than the previous ones. As my beta will atest. The second part was simpler, that scene wrote itself almost. I actually dragged myself out of bed in to commit those words to disk. I'm glad you are enjoying the story, and thank you for all your reviews.

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