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My Brother's Keeper by daw the minstrel	29 Review(s)
Ms. Whatsit	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2004
Oh, poor Legolas. Confined because he doesn't want to tell on everyone. This story is somehow darker than your others--the enemy isn't just some nebulous Shadow but an actual Elf who has succumbed to it. I hope nothing terrible happens to Hiolith. Siondel speaking to Eilian was an interesting part. Of course all of Legolas's escapades would concern Siondel as well, which would mean he'd have concerns about Eilian. Author Reply: Confined because he doesn't want to tell (anymore than he wanted to tell about the archery contest in chapter 1) but also for his own safety. Thranduil is scared witless. Siondel is one of my favorite OCs. Actually, Annael and his whole family are. I like writing about them, and I still feel bad for having killed of Siondel in another story.

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2004
Interesting. It seems the Elves are coming smack up against the problem of regulating drugs. They do have a problem here; even with twenty-first-century technology, marijuana remains one of the most difficult drugs to regulate. People can grow it in large fields deep in the woods in Alabama, and it's a real headache for the DEA to find the fields. Marijuana looks an awful lot like the regular vegetation that grows in Alabama, and the narcs have to get an informant to give them a general location and then fly over the area several times in a helicopter to locate the fields, staying in contact with each other and with HQ by radio. Without helicopter or radio, the Elves will have to rely on really stupid pushers like Hiolith, who does not display the brains Eru Iluvatar gave a goat, much less the average Alabama marijuana farmer, for information. They can't all be that dumb. See, if I were Hiolith, I wouldn't have a single big field of it. It seems to grow naturally in Mirkwood (else the healers wouldn't have found it in the first place) and be a fairly small, unobtrusive plant (unlike marijuana, which grows tall and spiky), so the smart thing to do is to have several smal patches scattered around the woods. Since Hiolith is such a natural loner anyway, he clearly would have the time to go and take care of these patches. That is how you grow what is laughably called a "controlled" substance in the deep woods. Looks like Thranduil's lack of honesty with Legolas is coming back to bite him in the butt. Legolas should have dropped the dangwath leaves or shredded them when Turgon gave them to him, but he didn't. Why? Perhaps he intended to show them to someone and ask for help. . . but then he doesn't seem to feel safe or respected enough to do that, and that leads back to Thranduil's closed-off-ness. Legolas displays some of the leadership skills Thranduil is always trying to instill in him, and of course leads himself and Turgon and Annael straight into trouble. Methinks this was not quite what the King had in mind. I'm having a great time here pondering the issue of the Elves trying to control a substance like dangwath in the first place. They seem to have all the problems that the U.S. does with marijuana with none of the technological advantages that allow the DEA to keep deluding themselves that they can control it in the first place. I'd like to know more about this plant -- aside from the fact that it can be addictive, I wonder what exactly it does. That is, is there any real physical danger from prolonged use? If so, what is that danger? If not, why is the plant controlled in the first place? It can't be economic -- there's clearly no lack of supply, so no danger that a limited resource will be overdrawn. Perhaps it's the idea that addiction to dangwath is somehow a moral failing? That's a whole nother can of worms right there. Sorry . . . I do go on about this. But I have strong feelings about the legality of marijuana (I think it should be as legal as alcohol, for it's much less dangerous than tobacco), and I find the internalized attitudes of the U.S. in regards to marijuana fascinating. In order to keep it illegal, despite study after study that proves that it's not as dangerous as, say, heroin, the government keeps on inventing new stories about it, the best being the 1930s classic "Reefer Madness." I won't bend your ear too much about the issue, but if you have a chance, do see a film called "Grass" which is a documentary about the U.S. government's prohibition of marijuana, from the 1910s through the 1990s, when the film was made. Author Reply: When I was outlining this story, one of the things I wrestled with the most was trying to make it fit into ME culture. It doesn't seem to me that there would be a group of bored young people using drugs for fun. Life was too hard. But warriors were treated with various drugs and some of them would be addicting. That seemed plausible. Also I thought most Elves would be too wise to harm their bodies but there could be people under particular stress who might. And of course, men are probably more susceptible. I kind of liked the moment when Legolas demanded that Turgon hand over the herb. He must have sounded like his father! And in his care for his friend and his brother, he's probably acting out of attitude that Thranduil would encourage, although probably would not want to see done quite like this. I think you're right about marijuana. I'm appalled it can't be used for medical purposes for instance. But I'm not really very knowledgable about addiction. My beta is a pharmacist who has worked in a VA hospital so the character of Hiolith reflects some things she's seen.

LOTRFaith	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2004
Hello there... Have been gone thus the lack of reviews:-) So the dangwath is a sort of drug that can be addicting? Like say Codene? Hmmm.. Poor Legolas is in a small predicamate... Author Reply: Dangwath can be addicting, yes. I don't know enough about Codeine's properties to say if it's like that, and I made dangwath up. But my beta is a pharmacist and she helped me put together a scenario that is plausible in terms of drugs. Legolas is indeed in trouble. His father is not fooling around for a second on this one.

Manderly	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2004
Wow, that was some chapter and you left us hanging! Whatever relief I felt last chapter is totally gone. Eilian is in SERIOUS TROUBLE. For once, I hope Thranduil gives him a hard time, if only for his own good. I am rather surprised that Thranduil didn't press Legolas for more information, or is there something that I am missing? There are just too many possibilities. I really love Siondel. His few simple words may do more for Eilian than anything else. The only person who seems to have any impact at all on Eilian at this time seems to be Legolas. Let's hope it does pull him back from the brink. Unless I am totally wrong as to what Eilian is up to. You really do leave me guessing! Author Reply: Thranduil is giving Legolas a hard time for his own good. We'll see how he does with Eilian. Siondel is a gem. I love Annael's family in general, and still feel guilty about killing Siondel. You can see him here practicing the compassion he is trying to teach to Annael. No wonder Annael is such a great kid.

Karri	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2004
Oi! I knew his concern was going to lead to trouble for Legolas...and I fear he will manage more, guard or no. I feel bad for Hiolith. His heart is in the right place, but he is clearly to torn up to think straight. Author Reply: Good reading of Hiolith, Karri. That's how I see him too. Thranduil is reacting strongly to the possibility that Legolas might be in danger, and Legolas is too worried about Eilian to realize what might happen.

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2004
Poor Legolas, he's trying so hard to protect everyone else from themselves he gets into trouble himself! I suspect that Eilian is not quite as badly affected by shadow as everyone thinks, and that some of the twitchiness is put on. Are he and Ithilden trying to expose a drug ring with the dangwath? No wonder Thranduil is still worried and doesn't want Legolas anywhere near. I think that if his son really was that ill, Thranduil would have him out of sight, not a subject for gossip. Jay Author Reply: It does seem ironic that Legolas, who wouldn't touch that herb if he didn't have to, is the one who's in trouble over it. Poor kid. He's so reluctant to 'tell,' whether that be about who instigated an archery competition of where he got the herb. But I'm not sure that withholding information is the wisest course of action in this case. For someone who reacted to strongly to Legolas having the herb, Thranduil does seem to be leaving Eilian to his own devices, doesn't he?

Dot	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2004
And it just dawned on me. Hiolith has tons of the stuff - he can't have been taking anything from the infirmary. Oh, unless Eilian staged that so that Hiolith would be aware that there was someone in desperate need. Or maybe not... Alright, I'll shut up and go do some work... Author Reply: Clever Dot.

Dot	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2004
Oh God. Things are getting so complicated. Way too many people keeping way too many secrets. I suppose Eilian was bound to be the hot topic of conversation. I felt bad for Annael. He's clearly no better at deception than Legolas is. Siondel really was totally honest with him. You're right, of course, that he would try to get his son to feel compassion for a suffering warrior and to remember how brave he is. Thranduil and Eilian don't seem to have realised that might happen. Poor Legolas. He must indeed be worried sick if he walks out on weapons training. “Legolas is worried,” Turgon declared, “and your adar said we should help warriors like Eilian.” How does Turgon always manage to make it seem like they're doing the right thing?! I like the bit where Eilian thinks about the support of his family. He had a lot of problems after his mother died but it's good to know that when he looks back he can see how much strength he drew from his family. And undoubtedly they're there for him now. I don't think he's realised quite how supportive baby brother is, though... I wonder too why Hiolith didn't seem even to have the support of friends and neighbours or fellow warriors. I guess there's only so much they can do. I suspect there's a bit of a story about Hiolith and Maltanaur. Maltanaur doesn't strike me as someone who'd abandon a warrior in trouble even if he wasn't that close to him. How sad... a tiny cottage with everything built for one. I actually have to admit that I like Hiolith so far. It seems to me that he's genuinely trying to help Eilian because he's been there himself and knows what it's like. I wonder how no-one's ever spotted so much of the herb before. I'm thinking Eilian isn't the only one Hiolith might have told can help himself. It's definitely an interesting side to life in Mirkwood. I'm going to have to keep an open mind about all this and not get carried along too much by what I see - you've tricked me before, you know! The three friends seem a bit bewildered by their first encounter with the concept of abusing medicinal herbs. Turgon didn't seem to be able to understand why anyone would do that at first. Annael, of course is the one with the parents who sit him down and tell him the ways of the world so that he won't be tempted. I felt sorry for Legolas when he realises that this is just way beyond him and he honestly doesn't know what to do. Trust Turgon to be so completely unafraid about taking the dangwath. I can't believe Galeril found it! Waht a horrible position for Legolas to be in, not knowing what to say incase his brother ended up in even more trouble. I notice it never dawned on Galeril that Legolas could have just been doing some extra study for his herbology... I'd pay good money to know what Thranduil was thinking. Did he not think it was odd when Legolas answered “Not from Eilian"? I notice Turgon got a lot of blame from Thranduil, despite the fact that Legolas hasn't really implicated him. I suppose leaving the training wouldn't seem like something Legolas would do of his own accord and Thranduil probably figures that if Legolas is protecting anyone it's Turgon, not Eilian. And he's under guard? What's he going to do now?? Eilian must feel so bad when he sees Siondel's concern for him. In some ways I hope Siondel neve finds out the truth incase he feels like a fool. And he's just worried about his son! I wonder how much longer Eilian can go on. Apart from everyone trying to help him, he's obviously tiring himself out too and he's still unwell. But it looks like he's goin to tell Thranduil what he found. Yes? No? Darn cliffhangers. Not good for my blood pressure at all... :-) Author Reply: I love Siondel. I think the attitude he is trying to teach Annael is one that would be natural to Elves, at least to these wood elves. They seem to me to be connected to one another and to nature. So even when Siondel is undoubtedly ticked off at Eilian for unintentionally drawing Annael into danger, he reacts not by seeking vengeance, but by encouraging Eilian to get help. He genuinely respects him. That's not a put on. I don't know if you've read Meckinock's story "In the Hands of the Enemy" (great story), but she went to a writers conference last year and one of the exercises the fiction teacher used was to have them think of something their character would NEVER do and write that down. Then they were supposed to think of a situation in which the character is forced to do that. For Legolas, leaving training is close to that. But his love for Eilian is one of the basic facts of his life, and it came first. One thing I want this story to be about is community. What do we all owe to our friends and neighbors and one another in the larger community? I think Hiolith is lost and the community has failed him. Legolas is someone who thinks a lot about his obligations to others, including Turgon, unfortunately. I think that's a sign both of his status as the king's son and of his own personality. Fellowship Legolas in the making, if you will.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/18/2004
Well, that's one way to keep Legolas safe - the next best thing to putting him in the dungeons. But I cannot see it working for too long. Has Thranduil not thought of actually trying to talk about things? I know he is stressed, authoritarian and thinks of Legolas as a baby, but still - if he is old enough to ask the questions, he is old enough to hear the answers. Hiolith seems a bit more like a back-country, damaged, war veteran now - needing the stuff for himself but not a dealer. After all, with his own personal field of the happiness plant, he hardly needs to pinch it from the infirmary. So typical of Turgon to take some leaves - and I have little doubt but that he will be back at that little supply quite soon in his desire to know what it is like. Siondel - what a good guy. A good parent, a concerned warrior, a supportive friend. What a shame he died young! There certainly seems to be a communication problem here in the house of Oropher. Great chapter. Keep at the keyboard. Author Reply: Thranduil is worried about both Eilian and Legolas right now, so I suspect he's decided that he's not fooling around with Legolas. My beta is a pharmacist and she's explained a number of things about addiction to me, some of which I may still be screwing up. But she says that Hiolith is a person who takes this drug to "stay even." He's not trying to get high, just to survive his physical addiction. And he sees Eilian as someone like himself, someone in need. Thranduil must want to give Turgon's family free tickets on a boat west. And I love Siondel. I can only imagine the conversation he must have had with Annael about why the kid missed training.

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