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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within  by Fiondil 16 Review(s)
FV_WhisperReviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/19/2014
I have a very busy week of Christmas preparation behind me. And speaking of Christmas preparations, I already told my house mate (who is all too well aware of my Elf obsession), I will not allow anything that even closely resembles Santa's Elves in lol Of course, I will allow any Elves if they come from Wiseman!
(well, I better had to, I received just my figurine of Elrond in the new movies armor in the mail. My Precious! )

Ahh, Elrond, it's nice to see more of him here (Can I ever have too much Elrond? I don't think so) It's good we find out more about his apprenticeship, it will make things certainly easier to handle for his sons, seeing how upset they were about it first, now hearing looking back heir father is not bitter about it. Elrond in his wisdom is right, he needed this to become the healer he could be, just like they needed their studies to become acclaimed healers in this world. That if anything should make the Twins understand.

Still, it seems it;s still the best way to cause chaos in Lorien by walking out of a class! I'm pretty sure Irmo set that up on purpose to see what Elrond was worth and did not come out disappointed. I can't help but wondering what would happened if Elrond had asked for a ride back and Eärendil had said 'no'.

Námo in full glory is really not the person you would want to see in ICU in most cases. I can see Erica being scared enough for her child to shout at him, it's only a natural reaction. Although in this case, I can't help thinking he was there just to make sure Elrond and sons were still in the room when the poor child was having that seizure. Now, the Stillmans, I think especially George really has to consider his ways on the Elves after this.

I chuckled at Elrond cursing Námo's name when fighting for a patient's life. I think Elrond is one of the few Elves who is really able to understand what Mortal dead mean, and it would have made him somewhat adement in treating patients.

It seems like Mr. Anderson was one of those persons for whom 'live has taken too long' and was 'glad the time was there', as a local poet here has put it very beautifully. I'm going ahead here and respond to what Kyle Stoner said in the upcoming chapter about DNR. He's right about that, as well as right about the arrogance of doctors at trying to keep a patient alive at all costs.
My grandmother had a DNR, but in the end it was us as a family who had to decide on stopping her treatment, on which we all agreed, because we knew the life that was left for her would be not worth living anymore. Even with that knowledge, at some point one of those arrogant doctors suggested re-starting the treatment when she lasted longer than expected. Also, this was a case where I think we all would have gladly seen Námo show up at some point to take her away.





Author Reply: Hi FV_Whisper. I think hearing the story directly from their father helped the Twins to see that there was no humiliation and that Lord Irmo honestly wanted what was best for Elrond. And I suspect you're right about Irmo setting Elrond up to see what he would do. Luckily, they came to an agreement about things and everything worked out for the best.

And yes, I suspect Lord Námo showed up as he did to keep the Elves where they were so they could help the little girl. Showing up as 'Nate' might not have worked as well.

Thanks for reviewing. It's appreciated.

obsidianjReviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/13/2014
Fascinating conversation with Namo. I think this time he didn't frighten the little ones but the parents. I like it how Elrond and his sons are catching up to each others history while going about helping the patients.
I hope the Stillman's thaw will last. They might not become elf lovers, but at least they should respect the elves and acknowledge that they are useful to the community.

Author Reply: I'm glad you found the conversation with Námo fascinating, obsidianj. And Námo would never deliberately frighten the little ones. Adults, however, are fair game. *grin* Anyway, you're right that even if they never become Elf lovers, at least if they don't continue being Elf haters, that's a step in the right direction. And actually, I don't think Erica Stillman has ever been an Elf hater. George, on the other hand, really needs an attitude adjustment and hopefully what happened in ICU will help him see the light, so to speak.

Thanks for reading and reviewing. It's much appreciated.

EruherdirielReviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/13/2014
I think that George Stillman is going to be more welcoming now. Poor Janey.

I enjoyed this bit from Elrond's POV.
~Eruherdiriel

Author Reply: Hopefully so, Eruherdiriel. I'm glad you enjoyed this from Elrond's POV. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/12/2014
As I'm reading Judy Picoult's "Lone Wolf" at the moment I've been hearing a lot of discussion about the ethics of end of life decisions. I am glad that Mr. Anderson went happily and accepting of Namo's company.

Glad to see Mr. Stillman losing more of his bigotry, and Mrs. Stillman realizing she will fight anyone, even Death himself, for her daughter.

Author Reply: As Námo said, Mr. Anderson was looking forward to seeing his wife and son again and he was ready to go. And hopefully, Mr. Stillman will be more accepting of the Elves after this. As for Mrs. Stillman, I don't know any mother who wouldn't fight even Death himself for their children. Thanks for reviewing, Larner. It's appreciated.

rikkiReviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/12/2014
Congratulations on reaching the 100th chapter! I know, still more to go, but that is a lot of writing. This was another wonderful chapter with Elrond and the twins, though the situation got scary there for a while. Looking ahead, I am very interested to see Elrond meet Alex and see how they get along.

I can remember reading earlier about the anger that the twins felt towards Vardamir and Earnur when they found out that Elrond had spent part of his first years in Aman being an apprentice healer under Lord Irmo. Hearing him tell the tale I think has caused them to think about what was sacrificed and what was gained by Elrond. His sons have to be as proud of him as Elrond is proud of his sons. And it seems that Elrond is coming in handy with handling the children when there is a crisis as well as handling the parents.

One could consider Namo showing up in ICU as a bad thing, but his presence was needed when the child crashed. Without him to control the Stillmans it would have been a fight to treat the child while fending off her father. Those poor parents have had a bad fright. Knowing that the twins were instrumental in her recovery should definitely cause the parents to do a lot of thinking about their behavior towards Elves. All is not black and white. I am sad about Mr. Anderson, but it sounds like he was willing to go to his wife and sons.

I hope you have a great weekend. Looking forward to Monday's chapter.



Author Reply: Thanks, rikki. Considering that Elf Academy 1 is only 20 chapters long, Elf Academy 3 will end up being 6 times longer!

Anyway, I think Elrond telling his story to his sons and feeling no resentment for what happened and even finding the humor in it has helped the Twins to come to terms with things pertaining to their father.

Hopefully, the Elves saving the child will go a long way towards diffusing any resentment that Mr. Stillman has against the Elves. As for Mr. Anderson, his time was upon him and at least he accepted It and looked forward to being reunited with his family.

Have a great weekend yourself. Thanks for leaving a comment. I appreciate it very much.

LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/12/2014
Amazing, how Mrs. Stillman recognised Namo as the Angel of Death.

And Mr. Stillman's attitude certainly turned around in the course of the chapter, didn't it? (Rhetorically speaking.) I have the feeling he will be a powerful ally at some point in future.

Author Reply: Well, dressed as he was, I'm not surprised, Lindelea. At any rate, we will hope that Mr. Stillman's negative attitude toward the Elves has become more positive and not as antagonistic. Thanks for the review. It's much appreciated.

KevanaReviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/12/2014
We've hit chapter 100! Congrats on all the hard writing work it took to get here.

So Irmo was going to let Elrond catch a ride back to Rivendell rather than fight with him, LOL, very wise. I'm glad he was able to work through it and stay. I suspect that the young healer with specific opinions on willow bark preparation probably got a lesson in humility too. That's too funny, I can just picture Elrond standing there for ten minutes with his eyebrows going higher and higher and the kid completely oblivious.

Someone should hand him a bottle of coated aspirin to show we managed to get rid of the bad taste, now there's an innovation.

I have to admit, even knowing he's a 1000% good guy, if I were in ICU with my child and Námo showed up, my first reaction would probably be "Get out!" (and some four-letter words I would later be glad my child was not awake to hear). Reason goes out the window when your kids are hurt. So I certainly sympathize with Erica, even as I feel bad for the poor guy for getting whomped on by an angry, frightened mama. I'm sure it does get old, even though I imagine Námo understands better than anybody why people fight him. Eh, at least he didn't get stabbed this time. :P

Sidenote: someone needs to dare him to show up to the next Halloween party in costume as the Grim Reaper.

George though, yeah dude, you're being a bigot. It can be so hard to get people to question their internalized racism or even accept that it might be there. Looks like the Peredhil family has put a great big dent in that attitude though, and rightfully so. Glad the little one is going to make it, even though she has a hard road ahead.

If the visiting Elves brought any other healers with them, I'm sure they're going to be rabid for details when Elrond goes back to the pavilion. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be demanding field trips soon, but it's almost time for the wedding (and election)! Exciting times ahead.

I'm hoping to go see the lights and carolers in a local botanical garden tomorrow, otherwise I'll be yelling dragons to death in Skyrim. Have a great weekend! Thanks for the update.

-Kevana

Author Reply: Hi Kevana. Thank you and there are still many more chapters to go before we get to the end of this story, though not the end of the series, not yet at any rate.

You paint a funny picture of Elrond and the young healer. LOL! Yes, he would definitely stand there with his eyebrows on stun. The poor child probably stood there gaping like a fish out of water when Elrond just turned and walked away without saying a word.

Anyway, George is a bigot, but he's capable of learning and I think what happened in ICU has opened his eyes a bit to reality. Hopefully, he'll start rethinking certain cherished truths.

Enjoy your weekend however you spend it. Since today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, some friends and I are getting together this evening for a Mexican Christmas dinner. Olé!

Thanks for reviewing. It's much appreciated.

SunnyReviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/12/2014
The three peredhil certainly make a good healer team! And with the twins' meld of Elven healing and knowledge of modern medical technique combined with their father's abilities honed by Irmo, they seem to be able to effect near miracles.

It looks as if the Elves may have moved from the "scary aliens" classificatio to "people" in the Stillmans' minds. And I think it was mainly parental commisseration over children's hijinks that did it. Of course, saving Janey's life did not harm the Elves' cause, either, not did the information that Valinorean healing techniques could ameliorate her brain damage.

Oh dear - Námo got attacked again? But I suppose he must be used to it by now. *shakes head* He really needs to talk to a fashion consultant. His goth style seems to disturb his customers, or, in this case, the, um, innocent bystanders.

Author Reply: Hi Sunny. Yes, they do make a good team and I think once the Twins return from their surgical studies, the three will make an awesome team.

Námo, I think enjoys being attacked or maybe he's just used to after having many of the denizens of Mandos attacking him for some reason or another.

Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it very much.

6336Reviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/12/2014
Hopefully the Stillmans will now have a better understanding of Elves, having watched three of them save their daughters life. The brain is amazing in how it can relearn how to do things and get other parts of itself to compensate for damaged areas, if the Elves can encourage Janey's brain to heal itself all the better for her. I wonder if, in the future, when the Twins have their surgery training under their belts, they might give some thought to a spinal cord injury clinic, just think what they could do.

I am wondering if one of Irmo's reasons for not testing Elrond when he first arrived was to see just how he would handle being taught by a wet behind the ears Elfling who had escaped from his Nanas apron strings. If he would just meekly take it then he was not the Elf Irmo thought he was. I think if Irmo had approached Elrond with the premise that he was a good healer but that there were techniques he was lacking Elrond might have been more receptive. Though I think Irmo had a very good idea of just what Elrond knew, being who and what he is! Plus I think there were things that Elrond could teach them, which I think was a shock to some of them.

Well it is raining here, coming down quite heavily, I wish it had come some what earlier, as it is about 7-30 a.m., right in the middle of rush hour and they don't know how to drive in the rain here! Come to think of it they don't know how to drive when the roads are dry either! Oh well.

Off to put out the buckets, the patio roof leaks, dry off the cat, she is not happy about the rain and see if my tea is brewed!

Friday Huggs,
Lynda



Author Reply: Hi Lynda. Hopefully that is true about the Stillmans. Only time will tell.

I have a feeling that what you say about Irmo and his treatment of Elrond is pretty close to the truth. I think if Irmo had come to Elrond the way you describe, Elrond may still have balked at the idea of being an apprentice, but who can say. The end result is that Elrond did agree to be Irmo's apprentice and learned much about the healing arts that he didn't know or only suspected, but at the same time was able to impart to the Amanian healers his own hard-earned knowledge of the healing arts.

Well, it's been snowing here. I would frankly take rain over snow any day of the week, as long as the rain doesn't turn into a flood.

Keep dry. Thanks for reviewing. Friday hugs back.

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 100 on 12/12/2014
Well, well, well. I have a feeling that the Stillmans may have a lot to think about.

I have to say, I appreciated both the realism and the irony of the mother's reactions to Namo: realistic because it was her maternal instincts kicking in to protect her little one, and yet ironic--calling Namo a monster only a moment after chastising her husband for being a bigot. Yet her fear was not totally unfounded, since she knew Namo's calling, only unfounded in not understanding it.

And George Stillman will have a lot to think about.

I'm glad Janey will be all right.

Author Reply: Hi Dreamflower. I imagine they will and hopefully they or at least George will see the Elves in a whole new light.

I'm glad you found Erica's reaction to Námo both realistic and ironic. I thought it was too as well as being rather funny the way she beat up on him. I think he gets a bit tired of that after awhile. *grin*

Thanks for leaving a review. It's very much appreciated.

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