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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within  by Fiondil 19 Review(s)
KittyReviewed Chapter: 42 on 6/24/2014
So now they are all back together, good. I had completely forgotten that Glorfindel might not even know why the three ran away, but I don't doubt he will find out sooner rather than later. When that ellon has gotten something into his head, he's going to get his way, after all.

Ah yes, that would be fun, taking the Elves to the SCA meeting! Of course they need to stay.

Just looked Fairbanks up, it's a bit smaller than my home town, and that one is small compared to just the one I work in now, never mind places like London – as I have never been to NYC, I can't compare, but I think they aren't so different in size if you go by number of inhabitants. Yeah, I can see how Fairbanks would seem huge to Finrod, but in truth, it's not that big. But he needs to get used to it before visiting one of the really huge cities, I think, or he's going to be overwhelmed.

Eönwë is watching them? Somehow that's not very comforting to me. Sure, I trust him and all, but his presence alone makes me worried. If the Valar bring out this Maia already, it just leaves me waiting for the next attack or accident to happen.

Author Reply: Hi Kitty. Fairbanks is probably considered a small-to-medium-size city here in the States. It's certainly large enough to have its own university and not just a community college that caters only to locals.

Eönwë watching over them is probably for Glorfindel's sake. He is not only still weak from the attack and subsequent surgery but he's without his ring so he is doubly vulnerable. The Maia is there for security, but hopefully his tour of duty will be very boring. *grin*

Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.

KevanaReviewed Chapter: 42 on 5/26/2014
The "you're late" could not help but remind me of Legolas and Aragorn at Helm's Deep, just a little. Haha!

Bless the Twins, though, I'm sure that was such a relief to see their surrogate father up on his feet again, even if he was still shaky. They probably didn't know if they were going to see him alive again when they left, so I suspect this is not a small moment!

Derek continuously cracks me up, and when Alex gets in on it, there are no survivors. The Elves need to treat those two like Gandalf treated the hobbits - always have one of them around to keep them on their toes.

Hmm, so that migration might be a sign of Other Things Going On? Iiiiinteresting.

Always nice to see the return of the never-whining, nope-not-for-a-second Glorfindel, hehe.

As far as big cities go, I think Finrod would like D.C. - at least until he started meeting the politicians. But he might be all about the architecture and history and museums, etc. I love hanging out in cities but I like my trees and open space, too!

Also - Finrod telling Vorondor the kids might've just decided to skip the ceremony and get right to the wedding - I cracked up. I imagine that put THAT worry to rest, huh, Ron? Or maybe made it worse? LOL! I forgot about that particular part of your Sindarin backstory-writing from previous stories.

Great to see things moving along, wonderful chapter! On to the next one to read and review!
-Kevana




Author Reply: Hi Kevana. Hmph! I hadn't actually thought of that scene when I wrote this, though I did use it in my "Tâd Edhel a Firion" story about Aragorn's first trip to Mirkwood. *grin*

Alex and Derek make a good team, sort of the Pippin and Merry of the group. LOL!

Vorondur did need to be put in his place here and get some perspective on things. All his cool, collect, I'm-the-professional-shrink manner goes right out the window where his daughter is concerned, which just shows that he's no more perfect than the rest of them. And Finrod was the right person to tell him off too. I don't think he would have backed down if it had been Glorfindel or Daeron telling him off.

Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

LaerReviewed Chapter: 42 on 5/25/2014
"Glorfindel, however, was not satisfied by Finrod’s non-answer, but he let it go, vowing silently to himself to get the story out of his gwador when they were alone." Yikes, yikes and more yikes! I have a feeling this is not going to end well if the two elves start showing attitude again. Guess they should stop and think about how Elrond acted and not see if there are acting anything like he did...

I think this will be a very pleasant surprise to the elder elves. And that it might be a very nice surprise for Nell too.

Author Reply: We'll see how Glorfindel confronts his gwador and what comes of it in the next chapter. And we'll see just how pleasant the surprise is for everyone as well. Not all surprises are bad, after all. *grin*

Thanks for reviewing. It's appreciated.

LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 42 on 5/24/2014
Just a thought -- why not have another ring made?

Author Reply: Ah... good thought.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 42 on 5/24/2014
Considering the culture shock they experienced in coming to Wiseman, how much worse it was likely to have been had they come here first. Safeway to Michael's--a grocery store to a chain restaurant. Why am I not suprised? At least Vorondur is reassured that his daughter and future son-in-law are not fooling around. Heh! Now--to see their reaction to the SCA and the two newly found Elves. As for the latters' response to Glorfindel and Finrod--that will be something to see!

Author Reply: I agree, Larner. Wiseman isn't the big city by any means but it is probably larger than most communities were back when Finrod was king and that has to be culture shock enough for him. Now he's seeing a sizeable city with the realization that even Fairbanks isn't considered by the Mortals as all that large.

And actually, while Michael's is a chain store, here in the East it's a craft store similar to A.C. Moore and the like, but if it's also the name of a restaurant chain in the West, that fits too. I didn't actually specify what kind of store Michael's is, so either interpretation is valid depending on people's experiences. However, I did research what malls existed in Fairbanks and found the description for the Bentley mall online, which I used here.

We'll see how everyone reacts to the SCA and the newly found Elves in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

SoledadReviewed Chapter: 42 on 5/24/2014
Sorry for being late. The Week of Hell at work ate all my still functioning brain cells yesterday and I had to bake multiple cakes to regain my equilibrium.
Er... right... not what you'd be interested in.

Liked the calm way the reunion happened. Serindë and Elrohir are right. As much as Vorondur is worried about his daughter, she's well beyond age, even in Elven measure. It's time Vorondur realised that.

So, they have to wait for their surprise. And so do we. You do realise that you make me looking forward to Monday, which is usually my least favourite day of the week? It's not natural! *g*

Author Reply: Hey, not a problem, Soledad. Such weeks happen to us all and I hope you didn't eat all those cakes but handed them out to friends and family. *grin*

Anyway, I'm glad you liked the calm way in which the reunion happened. These people are way too old to act in any other manner, especially with two Mortals in tow watching their every move. They're going to be civilized about things and of course the Twins, being healers, are probably well aware just how fragile Glorfindel's health is at the moment and are treating him very gently.

And I get that a lot from my readers about looking forward to Mondays, so you're not alone. *grin* Thanks for reviewing. I really appreciate it.

EmReviewed Chapter: 42 on 5/24/2014
My brain is still spinning from getting to this chapter from the first "Elf academy" installment in one sitting, and it's a good time to mention one of the profound effects your "Wars of the Vala" and "Elf, interrupted" have had on me...
My brain persists in rendering the SoA tagline as
"Elves - Men - Hobbits - Dwarves - Istari - Valar - Maiar - Oh, My!" Because, well, with the Valar and Maiar, there are a lot of "Oh, My!" moments. :)

Author Reply: Wow, Em! That's what I call a marathon read. Did you even take time out for mundane things like eating and sleeping? LOL! At any rate, I'm glad you've enjoyed reading this series and my other stories. And yeah, my stories definitely have a lot of "Oh, My!" moments with the Valar and Maiar involved. LOL! Thanks for stopping long enough to drop me a note. It's greatly appreciated.

obsidianjReviewed Chapter: 42 on 5/24/2014
I loved Elladan's greeting. That took the wind out of the sails of the "father's". That re-union was nice. I was hoping for something along those lines and not more strife. Vorondur needed a bit more time to calm down, but I can understand him having lost 2 children already. Parents have a hard time not being overbearing on the remaining children.
I loved how Elladan and Rlrohir greeted Glorfindel. It showed the depth of their feeling better than any loud exclamations.
Now to wait for the surprise.

Author Reply: Hi obsidianj. Yes, Elladan's greeting certainly did take the winds out their sails, which is probably why the Maiar warned them of the "fathers'" imminent arrival. And Glorfindel is indeed a father to the Twins and it shows here in the way they greeted Glorfindel. I'm sure now that Ron sees that Sarah is fine he'll back off and not be so overbearing. Besides, she's about to get married, so soon enough he will no longer have that right.

Thanks for leaving a review. I appreciate it.

LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 42 on 5/23/2014
Nice reunion. Lovely greeting, "You're late!" ...kind of takes the wind out of the Posse's sails.

I can bet that Glorfindel hates surprises. He's probably lived through quite a few.

You remind me that I'm still wondering who had the temerity to jump him at the bar, and what happened to his ring? Will they ever be found? (Bad guys, and ring, that is.)

It shows how much he was driven by concern for the Twins, that he meekly puts himself to bed after assuring himself they're all right.

I wonder what Finrod would think of LA or NYC. Such large cities are awe-inspiring, but also somewhat depressing of spirit. (Soul-sucking?)



Author Reply: Hi Lindelea. Yes, a very nice reunion and Elladan's greeting would take the wind out their sails, especially Glorfindel's. The idea of Glorfindel hating surprises was established in the Elf, Interrupted series, which you might not have read yet. That and his insistence that he never whines, are running jokes through my stories about him.

We may eventually find out who jumped him and what happened to his ring, though we won't see any final resolution to that in this story. Hopefully, we will in the next installment.

Glorfindel is still recovering and by rights he should either still be in the hospital or at least resting at home, so this trip and the anxiety has really done a number on him. He's old enough and wise enough to know when it's time to call it quits and rest.

And I dread to think what Finrod would think of any of the mega-cities that exist in our world. They can be awe-inspiring, but also spirit-depressing at the same time. It's why I don't care for them myself.

Anyway, thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

Jay of LasgalenReviewed Chapter: 42 on 5/23/2014
I love Elladan's greeting when the mob descend on him like avenging angels: “Well, it’s about bloody time you showed up,” I also like his and Elrohir's reunion with Glorfindel - it shows the true depth of their love and concern for him.

I'm looking forward to Sunday - who will be most surprised, I wonder?



Author Reply: Hi Jay. Yes, Elladan's greeting is pretty funny all things considered and his and Elrohir's reunion with Glorfindel is very touching. We'll see who is most surprised in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

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