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The Heir Apparent by Mirkwoodmaiden	6 Review(s)
Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 6/21/2025
MM! How poignant, seeing Arathorn in his son... "When you are older..." Ah. The bane of youth. How well I remember the frustration at hearing that! Ah, yes, brothers using their anecdotes as weapons of sorts. That sounds very familiar. Snowdrop! I love it! (Reminds me of the time one of my brothers wanted to name a black puppy "Spot" because "if you stood him up against a white sheet, he'd make a black spot.") I remember naming (in a story) a very large white dog "Snowdrop" and having someone mutter that Snowbank or Blizzard might have been more accurate in naming him. (I imagine he was adorable as a ball-of-white-fuzz puppy... Speaking of that small black puppy that was not, in the end, named "Spot", my mom wanted to name him "Mittens" because he was so cute and cuddly, long before he grew up into a 120-pound monster.) With a name like "Elrohir", it stands to reason he'd take to riding quickly, if only out of self-defense against the jibes of his twin! And of course Roh did not listen! (The young Twins remind me of a pair of RL twins I knew in my early days... Ah the stories I heard their parents tell... It's a wonder they lived to adulthood.) Uh-oh. You know you're in trouble when your parents yell your full name (more or less in Elrohir's case in this story). "small gleam of interest"; let me repeat, Uh-oh. How endearing this curious, eager child is. But "there's lots I want to do" sounds ominous at best. And he really ought to listen to his betters. Meaning Gilgilath. And I certainly don't envy Elladan and Elrohir as they return home. I loved the conversation between Elrond and Estel at the end of the chapter. Well done. (((hugs))) Lin Author Reply: Lin! "How poignant, seeing Arathorn in his son..." Yeah...Was it Elrond who said this? I think it was. Elrond has known all the Heirs of Isildur and seen all pass away adding to his weariness of the soul. I just love writing the twins!! Usually their dialog just flows onto the keyboard. They are a delight. And yes when full names are used you know you are in TROUBLE. Elrohir Half-elven was as close as I could come to it as Elves don't usually have last names. Though with me it was never my full name when my dad was really angry it was always "young lady, come here." I knew it was as my friend would say "Spotted hankie on a stick time!!" Eeeeek! I also drew on the time I was six years old and I thought it was a good time to walk around the block without telling anyone. I have truly never seen my mom more angry before or since. I can still see her walking up on the street wearing a navy blue dress with flowers on it. A memory burned into my brain! Shudder I thought Snowball would be an appropriate name for a big black stallion! LOL! "(The young Twins remind me of a pair of RL twins I knew in my early days... Ah the stories I heard their parents tell... It's a wonder they lived to adulthood.) Uh-oh." LOL! Exactly I imagine the twins being a handful growing up because they are a handful as adults!!! Love them. One of my only regrets in PJ's trilogy was we did not get to Elladan and Elrohir! Alas! "small gleam of interest"; let me repeat, Uh-oh." Exactly. "How endearing this curious, eager child is. But "there's lots I want to do" sounds ominous at best. And he really ought to listen to his betters. Meaning Gilgilath. And I certainly don't envy Elladan and Elrohir as they return home." Both Elrond and Gilraen know their intensely curious and rambunctious child. "There's lots I want to do" set off every alarm bell in Gilraen. I imagine Gilgilath giving Estel the gimlet eye! Which of course lead to Estel to tell him to "shut up!" Yup should have listened. I imagine quite the apology was made to his wise horse!!! I see as Elrond being the kind of parent who tries to talk to his errant child instead of being angry and giving his a swat. Though he has to fight the impulse to swat!! thanks again! Must dash! (((hugs))) MM

Nurayy	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 5/15/2021
I loved to see Estel with their brothers leaning from them. But anit is with a child, they also learned something, that they have to be very careful of what they say. Fortunately for all, little Estel will recover and they will all learnt their lesson. Loved how you showed Elrond so caring and patient, and explaining so well. He is teaching such important things for life. And you show how a good father he is to Estel. Author Reply: Nurayy! It is a bit of a learning for the twins as well. They haven't had a such young one who is so impressionable around in a very long time. I definitely envision Elrond being one of those fathers who wants to yell but somehow manages to keep his temper and speak to his miscreant child to teach him...not matter how much he may have wanted to yell! :-) I don't know if you noticed but Gil-gilath was the only one who is not completely charmed by Estel. LOL! BTW. Chapter 13 of Destiny's Child is posted, should you want to peruse the chapter! Hope you are well! ((hugs)) MM

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 3/28/2020
I have Aragorn naming his new steed Carnaxio, or RedBone, for a similar reason. A painful lesson, but a necessary one. Author Reply: Larner! Most definitely. A ten-year old Estel needs to understand the difference between necessary risk and vainglorious action. And Elladan and Elrohir need to understand that Estel idolizes them and will take to heart whatever they say and will always copy their actions. Thanks for taking the time to read and write! MM

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/8/2005
Lesson learned, even if from experience. And all three sons are reproved and grow as a result.

Dot	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 12/7/2004
Hiya. I’m finally getting around to it! Apologies again… You know, I love the idea of the twins taking the time to train Estel. They’re very encouraging too and I imagine it must reassure him somewhat to know that even they weren’t always as good with a bow as they are now. Elladan and Elrohir play off each other wonderfully – you write them so well. Although, I did cringe during the horse story, having a little inkling that perhaps it wasn’t the greatest idea to share such escapades with a ten-year-old boy! I laughed at Elladan nudging Elrohir to remind him of that fact. LOL at ‘Snowdrop’too. I loved that little glimpse into Elrond’s sense of humour! The description of how much of a handful Estel is was great. I can just imagine him getting into anything and everything. You create such a vivid image of this vibrant little boy and even though he does get into scrapes, it’s still wonderful to see him so full of life. The unspoken messages passing between the adults around him really made me smile. Teensy question, if you don’t mind – why is Elrond referred to as a ‘Sindarin Lord’. I’ve just never seen him called anything like that anywhere else and I was wondering why Gilraen sees him that way. I really liked the little comparison between Elrond and Gilraen, that they’ve both lost someone and had to learn to live with that pain. I think they could be good for each other. Gilraen certainly seems to get strength from his presence and I suppose he might gain some comfort from what she brings to the household as well as from the unquestioning love of her son. I almost couldn’t bear to read the part with the horse! There was just no way that was going to end well for poor Estel. I guess he’s just at the age where he feels that he must prove himself and it can’t be made easier by the fact that he must sometimes feel he has to live up to the standards of the elves, something he’ll never attain but he may not have fully realised that yet. That scene with Elrond was fantastic. He must have been horrified and then he has to not only help Estel and hide his alarm but deal with a panicked mother as well. I just love the way he takes control, despite his worry. What a great person to have around in a crisis! It seems too that this little incident has really brought home to Elrond how much he has come to love the child. That moment of realisation was so touching. Aren’t you clever to fit in the White Council! I’d never have realised that, me being absolutely terrible with dates. It’s a good reminder of the events that are taking place beyond the protection of Imladris in the world into which Estel will venture. I actually felt quite bad for Elladan and Elrohir when they were told about Estel. After all, they genuinely didn’t think he’d do anything like that. Still, I suppose it’s made them realise how Estel sees them and has probably made them more aware of how much influence they have over him. I thought Elrohir explained it to Estel very well, and of course Elrond is as wise as ever in what he says to him. It must indeed be hard for them to watch him take pointless risks when they know that danger is likely to be in Estel’s future anyway unless times drastically change. It’s quite sad, really, to see them trying to protect him and all the while knowing that he’s beginning to leave childhood behind already and cannot forever remain in their protection. But for now he’s just so lucky in the family he has and the love they give him. Great chapter as always. And now on to the next one…!:-)

daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 12/1/2004
I loved it when Elladan elbowed Elrohir to make him say that riding Elrond's horse was, "of course," the wrong thing to do! Also, "Snowdrop" was a hoot! That does sound like an Elrond with a smart sense of humor. There's a story on the site somewhere (I think it's called "Toy Story") that talks about how Estel's time in Imladris was different from that of the other heirs of Isildur because he didn't know who he was and also because he was younger when he came. I thought that was an interesting notion and it fits well with what you have Elrond feeling too. Elrond's explanation of the difference between bravery and recklessness was right on. Author Reply: Daw! I have a lot of fun writing Elladan and Elrohir! They flow through the keyboard and are so easy to write! Also I wanted to further strengthen the relationship between Estel and them. I think it was a very important one because I don't imagine there were any Elfings in Rivendell at the time Estel was growing up there. Also I wanted section where Elrond and Estel were sharing father and son moments. I have read some really good ones and want to do the relationship justice! I'll check out that story you talk about. It sounds like it would be worth a look. Thanks for always reading and reviewing. It is really appreciated. MM Author Reply: Daw! I have a lot of fun writing Elladan and Elrohir! They flow through the keyboard and are so easy to write! Also I wanted to further strengthen the relationship between Estel and them. I think it was a very important one because I don't imagine there were any Elfings in Rivendell at the time Estel was growing up there. Also I wanted section where Elrond and Estel were sharing father and son moments. I have read some really good ones and want to do the relationship justice! I'll check out that story you talk about. It sounds like it would be worth a look. Thanks for always reading and reviewing. It is really appreciated. MM

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