Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search
swiss replica watches replica watches uk Replica Rolex DateJust Watches

Paths of Memory  by daw the minstrel 74 Review(s)
ManderlyReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/30/2007
Ouch! That was harsh! But then death is harsh! You did an amazing job depicting Ithilden and Eilian dealing with their loss. Their pain, anger, fear and confusion was almost suffocating. Hard enough for elves to deal with death in the first place, but death of a parent is probably something near impossibility and beyond their realm of senses. I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through.

The forlorn picture of Thranduil rocking Legolas in his arms was heartbreaking.

I guess for the whole family, the only anchor left to them after such a devastating loss is their need for one another.

Author Reply: Thanks, Manderly. This felt harsh to me partly because I'd just finished writing about Nana in a time that's only a few weeks before this. They all were lost for a while, I think. And yeah, they needed one another, although I think their own pain made it harder for them to respond to one another. Except for Legolas. I've always thought his need was what kept them all functioning.

Alisha BReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/30/2007
I love the interaction between these two! You don't write them together like this very often, but I really like it. They seem more themselves. Not commanders or soldiers, just two brothers who are hurting. It's a different side I would love to see more of! Keep up the good work!

Author Reply: Thanks, Alisha. This seemed to me to be a private scene. They have their public masks off and talk to one another as they do at home when no one else is around. Poor things.

French PonyReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/30/2007
What a nice little character sketch! Eilian and Ithilden are both dealing with the same things, primarily a sense of failure, but they express their feelings so differently. In the end, Eilian's is probably the healthier way, even though it is self-destructive in the short run. But he's getting his grief out now, where Ithilden is just bottling it up to present as stress and low-grade chronic misery for a long time to come.

Author Reply: Ithilden is just bottling it up to present as stress and low-grade chronic misery for a long time to come.

Oh that is so true. He needs Alfirin to save him from himself.

RedheredhReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/29/2007
You made me feel their grief. Darn, you. *sniffling* And understand it, at the same time. Father and son in the rocking chair really got to me. Very effective and dramatic additional scene.

Oh, and Happy Birthday to Meckinock!


Author Reply: Thanks, Redheredh. It occurs to me that the pair in the rocking chair were devastated, but at least they could cling to one another, whereas the older two are foundering around in their pain. Poor people.

The KarenatorReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/29/2007
Oh, man, you outdid yourself here. The brothers' pain was raw and real. Like many of your reviewers, I often feel worse for Ithilden than the others. And I feel pretty darn bad for them.

Legolas is young and will always miss having a mother, but he won't remember the person she was except in fleeting disjointed memories. Eilian acts out his pain and frustrations. Dangerously at times, yes, but he still releases it. Thranduil survives for his sons and for the Woodland Realm. He's probably the closest to Ithilden in isolation, but he does not carry the burden of guilt Ithilden does. Any guilt Thranduil may feel is one step removed from the event that took Lorellin. He could have tried to persuade her not to go, but he valued her opinion, and respected her wishes. How could he have known?

But Ithilden was late sending the guard. He's on guilt's front line. Poor guy. Lord Hyper-responsible.

Eilian dropped his head back against the chair. "'Good'? I confess I am not sure what that means." He swirled the wine, studying the eddies. "I did 'good' when we hunted down Naneth's murderers, and when I go back to my patrol, I will do 'good' again. I suppose I have decided that is my 'good,' as good as it gets anyway. Naneth is still dead, so it is too late to do any real good."

My favorite paragraph. This sums Eilian up in a nutshell for that time in his life. But more importantly, I think, what Eilian said to Ithilden was just the right thing, or the wrong thing, to send Ithilden into deeper guilt. '...it is too late to do any real good.' I doubt Eilian meant it as a cut to his brother and was talking about himself, but I can see how Ithilden would interpret the missed chance to do good was his fault.

Wonderful, Daw. I love this.



Author Reply: Thank you, Karen. Having just finished writing about Lorellin, I feel worse for them now than I ever did. It does seem to me that Ithilden is the one with the most guilt and fewest ways to purge it. He needs Alfirin, and he needs her soon.

This scene felt intimate to me, two brothers with their guards down and their pain exposed. Poor babies.

erunyauveReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/28/2007
>>"You are frightening me, Eilian." His throat was so dry, his voice came out as a croak. He swallowed. "Stop it. Stop being so selfish. Adar needs you. Legolas needs you. For that matter, I need you. I need your skill, and I need to know you will be all right if I send you back south."

Oh, Ithilden! He does have a tendency to project, doesn't he? This was such a painful story, and the new chapter adds a bit of the history we didn't have.

By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I named my new cat after Eilian. I considered a number of names, but either the elf's personality didn't suit him or the name was too dignified for the little guy.

Author Reply: LOL. Oh my! Your cat? Eilian is flattered. :-)

Ithilden's sure he'd never fall apart. Poor guy.

elliskaReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/28/2007
Holy Cow! I have never seen anything that captured so well how completely lost people are in circumstances like these. Ithilden's reaction and his thoughts about the wine! Wow! I bet Eilian was frightened. "I beg your pardon. I lost command of myself." Sooo Ithilden. Eilian's response was perfect. As tragic as this interchange was, it probably was exactly what both of them needed.

And as powerful as all that was, the part that touched me the most was Thranduil so lost in his grief that he did not even realize Ithilden was watching him. That got me crying.

And so did the end. Poor Ithilden. The entire family was traumatized by Lorellin's death, but somehow I have always felt the most sorry for Ithilden because he took it so much on himself. And then he loses his son! So incredibly sad. I have to remind myself these are not real people!

Great added scene, daw!

Author Reply: Thank you, Elliska. You're making me feel bad about Ithilden here! Sometimes I have to remind myself they're not real too. I don't like to imagine Lorellin's death too closely. I'm not even sure I can, but Ithilden could. Poor guy.

GwynhyffarReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/28/2007
I have always liked your writing, Daw, you know that. That being said - the raw emotions here are dazzling. You have found a way to really touch that part that hurts without being overly dramatic or sappy. I feel for all of them-and noone can really help any of them. I think Ithilden internalizes things so much that unless someone is really intimate with him, they won't see it. Thranduil was apparently just out of it with grief and likely wasn't thinking of anything but killing-somehow hoping something would stop the emptiness or numbness. Eilian is much more external and expressive, so everyone around him sees how he is doing. Ithilden... I something think he thinks he isn't allowed to feel because he has to take care of everyone else. Luckily, Eilian sees Ithilden and what he is doing. I think Ithilden needed to hear that... even if he did go right back to being Mr. Responsible. *sigh* Poor Thranduil and Thranduilionath!

Author Reply: Thanks, Gwyn. I've been working on letting myself go a little and I was worried I'd be over the top.

Ithilden needs Alfirin. It's only 30 years or so until he marries her, but that's a long time to live through if you don't know she's waiting at the end of it.

This scene felt intimate to me. They're brothers whose public faces have been laid aside.

SocketReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/28/2007
This is just wonderful! I love Ithilden-centric stories to begin with, and you do such a great job of imaging the painful aftermath of loss and its potential to destroy the remaining family members. The image of Thranduil, lost in his memories of his dead wife, holding his youngest son, is one that I won't forget for a long time.

Thank you for adding to this great canon. You are one of my favorite writers.

Author Reply: Thanks, Socket. I'm grinning here, despite how sad the story was. I was trying to figure out what a broken bond would feel like and then how to show it. Not easy, since we have no equivalent.

sofiaReviewed Chapter: 3 on 5/28/2007
A sad chapter. I feel bad for everybody! I liked the bit with Eilian and Ithilden. Can't wait to read more from you!

Author Reply: Thanks, Sofia. As I was writing this, it occurred to me I don't very often show them alone together at home, when they're primarily brothers.

First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page

Return to Chapter List