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Glorious Summer by daw the minstrel	24 Review(s)
Jule	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/17/2004
Thank you for another wonderful story. I love reading about Legolas's first command and whats going on at home. Legolas really is a good leader, much better than I think he realizes. I like how he steps in to diffuse situations without causing a big scene. Its to bad he has to deal with Sorion who doesn't trust him and doesn't seem to be settling into the Captain role very easily. I love Eilian. He handled the situation w/ Celuwen great. He stayed out of it. I do feel sympathetic for her even though I've never really liked the character. She wouldn't committ for centuries and yet get angry when he played w/ other maidens. I am dissapointed in her though. "the king should be able to do something" to help her useless Adar. I have never bought into the idea the settlers are holding back the shadow, though. If it were true they wouldn't be constantly whining for troops to come protect them in dangerous areas. It is another case where I am sympathetic but in some situations you have to be realistic. If she is going to be an advisor, she should look at things professionally not just as what her Adar wants. Thanks for writing Jule Author Reply: Jule-- I think you're right that Legolas is doing better than he realizes. He has to learn his own leadership style, which is different from that of forceful Ithilden or charismatic Eilian. Sorion is struggling with a new role too, and he may come out all right or he may not. He's not incompetent or bad or anything. He's just trying out his own command personality for the first time, a personality that would have stayed hidden with Eilian there. I enjoyed your analysis of Celuwen. I like seeing how other people see my characters, and your reaction tells me that she's not a flat, one-dimensional character. She's flawed. But so is Eilian, I am sad to say. I love the guy, but he can be a jerk.

mer	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/17/2004
I liked that this chapter included both stories (the Southern patrol and home). Looking forward for more and I am anxious to see what happens next--will Legolas have to be carried home injured like Eilian in the past stories and nursed back to health by his family or will he come out of this story still standing or somewhere in between? Sounds like a series announcement. I'll stay tuned for the next exciting episode (I'm glued to the set so to speak)! You are such an amazing writer! Thanks. Author Reply: Thank you, mer. I wasn't sure for a while that I'd have space for both the Southern Patrol story and the home story in this chapter, but they fit nicely. I don't like to make the chapters too long because I think people get tired of sitting and reading. LOL about the series announcement. I'm gradually edging toward the action element of my plot, laying hints here and there, but I'm also interested in character growth, so that's why you're seeing so much of everyone in their new roles, trying to adjust.

Susanlu	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/17/2004
That's my beloved Legolas! Gentle and smart, not very overpowering but does know how to control things if he should. I saw how helpful it was that grown up with Thranduil and Ithilden, which made him easy-going enough to survive any pressure, and if he ought to be powerful sometimes, he can just follow their steps which he was so familiar with.^o^ And thanks to his fellow warriors, whom supported him with their wordless obedience. I guess they may haven't concluded yet that they obey the new Lieutenant whether because they trust in him or because of his naturally authority from who he was, but they will learn that the young elf got this position not only by reason of his lord father or sweet face^0^. ¡°I am sure you know how it is when one writes home. One does not like to worry those who can do nothing to change the situation one is in. So, of course, I do not tell him everything.¡±What a fluent speech! I'm sure he has repeated it more than once to more than one captain T_T. It's alway interesting to see family stuffs and political stuffs mix up in the royal family. When S¨®rion asked "You are writing to Ithilden?", that mean "you are writing to my direct superior on your own?" and then Legolas emphasized "I am writing to my adar"----not "the king", just a parent who cared for his son. Well, I think one of the advantages in Eilian being the captain is ,he will never ask Legolas such kind of questions.^o^ It's obviously that both keepers had treated their charges with kind of fatherhood, I just doubted that is there anyone who dare to mention that in front of Thranduil.^o^ Eilian is indeed Eilian, hope he has enough patience for his position-jugding wife as long as possible. P.S.daw I've sent a email to your mailbox about those Chinese translation things. Author Reply: That's a good analysis of Legolas, I think. I've been trying to make him consistent with book Legolas who is very capable and responsible, but tends to be quiet. He can tell a joke in times of stress though, witness his ragging Gandalf about going to find the sun on Carhadras of in the Orc-killing contest with Gimli, so I was aiming for that too. And I think you're also right that the other warriors (and his captain) haven't quite decided yet if he's capable and trustworthy. The patrol is trusting him with their lives when they follow his orders, after all, so they would tend to be cautious at first, I think. I think you're also right that Legolas has answered the question about letters before. Even on his first posting to the Eastern Border Patrol, his captain eyed him a little cautiously when he talked about withholding news from Ithilden. But Legolas knows his place, and neither Thranduil nor Ithilden would have much patience with tale bearing, I think. I saw the email. Thanks. :-)

Jebb	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/17/2004
It was a real joy to find this today and I enjoyed reading it so much. Legolas taking steps within the patrol that show how he is settling into his new role and his captain's wariness over the letter, it must be difficult to balance his own role and know his second in command is the king's youngest son. But I doubt it would ever occur to Legolas to criticise his captain in a private letter he is too well trained for that and would use proper channels if he needed to and anyway I expect he must have learned long ago to properly censor what he tells 'Ada' while away from home. Beliond is a treasure 'ignorant elfling' indeed! But he knows just what to say to keep his charge on the right path. I think his input is going to be needed soon given the tensions that are growing in the patrol. Ah the joys of moving house and having help you didn't ask for only to find it was good advice which makes it doubly difficult to swallow luckily Eilian has the perfect answer to that problem I shall never look at a wardrobe in the same way again.Celuwen is a very lucky elf! I note Eilian was a little more cautious trying to decipher what was wrong with Celuwen maybe he is learning as well Author Reply: Glad you liked it, Jebb. I think that Legolas is doing well. I'm trying to show him taking small steps at a time so that big steps will be possible later. Sorion is gradually learning too, and in this case, he's deciding whether he can trust Legolas. They each have their own leadership styles, which are different from Eilian's, and I expect the change is unsettling for everyone in the patrol. And of course he can trust Legolas. As you say, Legolas had learned to keep his mouth shut sometimes. And Thranduil would never put up with inappropriate whining anyway. But Ada did a smart thing in providing Beliond as a guide for his baby. Celuwen is, in most ways, a very lucky elf! She gets upset and Eilian turns up to remind her of why this is all worth it. He has to learn a little husbandly caution, I think, but of course, he's probably been quarreling with Celuwen from the time they could both talk. :-)

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/17/2004
Elves do it in the wardrobe? I hope Alfirin doesn't remember something and walk back in! Nice scene, Daw, with great visuals! I felt rather sorry for Legolas about the letter. He wants to write home like everyone else, but Sorion thinks he's reporting back to the Army Commander or the King. I still think Sorion seems a little hesitant and uneasy about something - is the shadow getting to him? Jay Author Reply: That's why they closed the doors to the wardrobe. ;-) The shadow probably is bothering Sorion, making a naturally cautious person even more hesitant. I think there is probably room for more than one style of leadership, but it's still an open question whether Sorion will settle down enough to do this long term. Not that Eilian intends to let him do that anyway. And I think that Legolas must always feel a little like an outsider. He has Beliond permanently at his side and he writes letters to the king and the troop commander. How likely is that to allow for forming close friends?

caz - baz	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/17/2004
That's made may day better. I'm glad I had something to smile about. If you can't tell then I'm just a little depressed - my dog got put down, I have a ton of work and I've only had about 4 hours sleep last night. Isn't life grand. Author Reply: Glad you enjoyed the chapter, Caz-baz. I am so sorry about your dog. I have had two dogs be put to sleep, and I know how heart breaking it is. They are such sweet animals. I hope you feel better after getting some sleep.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/17/2004
And what line sticks out for first mention? “Gowns,” she spat out. “It seems I will need a great many of them.” I do so empathise. Celuwen is not a girl to spend hours fussing about frocks! Although Alfirin is right - she will need lots, of all sorts of different degrees of formality. Maybe Celuwen should focus on the things that matter to her and let Alfirin deal with the dresses. Naughty Eilian - it seems that his centuries of mass flirtation have not been wasted. He knows how to improve the mood of a stressed-out elleth - and he is good at picking up clues about hidden dangers. An interesting way to develop Celuwen's feelings of ownership for the furniture. Is he planning on repeating the process on/in all the other items? Celuwen probably needs to know a bit more about military matters before she really understands Thranduil's point of view about the settlements . . . Eilian could be quite useful to her there as well - in those intervening moments when they need to talk about outside affairs. She dealt with Alfirin quite well, I thought. Not too aggressive, but getting her point across. Alfirin is trying to save her some of the learning process that I'll bet had her in tears on many occasions while Ithilden was off being troop commander - but you can't do it, Alfirin-love, Celuwen has to make her own mistakes. Perhaps then she will come for help. I love how annoyed Celuwen was because Alfirin had chosen the best place for the wardrobe - she couldn't even have the pleasure of moving it. Poor Sorion - probably chosen for his caution, to act as counterpoint to Eilian and now captain with the king's youngest son as his shiny new lieutenant. He would worry about letters being sent home. Legolas is doing pretty well as yet. Intervening just enough to keep things running smoothly, not afraid to state his opinion, exerting a little authority - (must help if you can put on the Thranduil expression) - and having Beliond at your elbow probably isn't too much of a handicap. I like the repeat of the Eilian initiation talk. How old will Legolas have to be before Beliond sees him as adult? Ain't never going to happen! (And actually, Legolas would miss it terribly if it did.) A lovely chapter. More. Please. By the way, I love the expression 'newly-minted'. All shiny and fresh, and excited with newness, with none of the corners rubbed and none of the tarnishing of age. Author Reply: I think you're right that Celuwen should stick to what matters to her and let Alfirin manage the rest, but I think it's taking the two of them a while to negotiate about what matters to Celuwen. Celuwen probably doesn't even know herself entirely, because she can't anticipate what's going to happen as well as Alfirin can right now. She's feeling her way along. Same in her role as advisor: she knows what the settlers feel and can tell the king that, but she doesn't yet have a good idea of how to see things from Thranduil's pov. As for Eilian, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he had plans to christen all the furniture! He's waited for this for a long time, and he's an elf who's always liked women. Sorion is in a tough situation, and if he thinks Legolas is spying on him, it's going to feel even tougher. I have a backstory for Sorion all written. I just have to find a place to work it in. Legolas is taking small steps toward feeling competent as a lieutenant. Everyone in the patrol is probably watching him too, trying to make sure they're in good hands. I'm old enough to remember VietNam and there were terrible stories about infantry tossing grenades at green lieutenants who were leading directly into situations that the grunts knew were dangerous.

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/16/2004
Class, watch Eilian. See how well he identifies the signs of women staking out and defending their turf. Notice how he avoids being drawn into the conflict, and observe his adroit methods of defusing the situation. Everyone got it? Good. There will be a quiz tomorrow. It must be more difficult to decorate Eilian and Celuwen's apartment than it was to do mine. They seem to have quite a lot of furniture, and they don't have anything like electrical outlets or heating elements that sort of define where you can't put stuff. And there goes Alfirin, the Boss Princess. I'm surprised she let Celuwen pick out her own furniture. And in the Southern Patrol, the part of Eilian will be played tonight by his understudy, Gelmir. Board stretchers and left-handed monkey wrenches. . . ahhh, the classics! Of course, old Isendir falls for it immediately. What's next? S'mores and campfire songs? "The biscuits that they give us / They say are mighty fine / One fell off a table / And killed a friend of mine / Oh, I don't wanna go to [Girl Scout/Army] camp / Gee, ma, I wanna go / Back where the toilets flow / Gee, ma, I wanna go ho-o-ome!" Were you ever a Girl Scout? Did you ever sing that song? The best place to shoot an Orc is not necessarily in the face. When in need, you can always aim for what Bored of the Rings described as "the one area neither protected by his armor nor by his group insurance policy." Everyone would be interested in Lt. Legolas's letters home, wouldn't they? Sorion has nothing to fear. He's doing well, especially considering that one of his tasks is the thankless one of taking over from and setting up a distinct identity separate from an extremely charismatic previous commander. He's a smart cookie, and he has nothing to fear except the author herself. Author Reply: Eilian has had a lot of experience with women that he's putting to good use now. And Celuwen is reaping the benefits. ;-) Alfirin is doing her best, FP! And really, Celuwen is lucky to have her. For one thing, I doubt very much if Celuwen would want to do the job that Alfirin does of managing the king's household. And Alfirin backed off when she realized that Celuwen was disappointed. I figured these were grown ups and they were elves, so they'd be pretty good at living up to their best sides. But I think there has to be some friction as everyone settles in. I was a Camp Fire Girl actually, and yes I did sing that song, along with a million others, particularly on long bus trips. Looking back now, I can't imagine how the poor driver stood it. Sorion is doing well but he's very different from Eilian. And the sad thing is that no matter how well you do, no matter how cautious or daring you are, you're not going to be right every time and bad things happen.

esamen	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/16/2004
Beliond smiled blandly. “Not from me. I have kept watch over you since you were an ignorant elfling, and since you are only a little less ignorant and a little bit older now, I intend to continue keeping watch.” Ahhh. I just love Legolas-Beliond moments. All that tenderness under the crust, so to speak. Just love it. Can't wait for more! I'm hoping for some heart-thumpingly serious Legolas warrior trouble . . . it's so great to see our hero shine. Author Reply: Beliond and Legolas have certainly developed a better relationship, which no one could have predicted, given their rocky start. But I think that Thranduil chose well in his son's keepers. And he matched them well too. Beliond would not have dealt well with the wilder Eilian, but Maltanaur is (secretly) charmed by all that. I'm hoping for some heart-thumpingly serious adventure too eventually, or my plot will have failed!

Manderly	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/16/2004
I have been looking forward to a new chapter to this story and today I am finally rewarded. Thank you. Once again, I am struck by how difficult it must be to be the King's son and still maintain some level of normalcy as a warrior. Legolas must be feeling pressure from all sides, living up to the standards set by his older brothers, dealing with his new role of authority/responsiblity and still have to be on the lookout for orc attacks. Talk about stress! Good thing Beliond is there every step of the way, setting things in perspective for him. That old warrior is getting to be more and more lovable. It looks like you are going to give us some excitement soon (fingers crossed). I like the scene between Celuwen and Alfirin. I can understand Celuwen being upset to have someone else arranging things in her little domain, but it must also be difficult for Alfirin as she is used to running the Royal household for quite some time now. Good thing Celuwen is not as domesticated as Alfirin or there will be endless trouble. In the wardrobe?! That's a novelty! Trust Eilian. Author Reply: School has started so I'm a little slower in updating, but I'm glad you found this chapter to be a reward! I think that Legolas does feel pressure from all sides, as you say. He's gradually feeling his way along and doing one small thing after another, and he and his companions will soon judge whether he's a leader or not. I like both Celuwen and Alfirin, and in a way that makes it harder to write about conflict between them. These are two good people, but for Celuwen, it's not easy to move into a new home in the palace, and for Alfirin, it's not easy to make room for someone else. Yes, in the wardrobe. :-)

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