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A Creature of Fire by daw the minstrel	39 Review(s)
Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/19/2005
Thank you for writing about Tuilinn's family - I know you didn't plan to originally. It must have been odd for Legolas - four days further on in the grieving process - to see how he had been. I'm glad they realised what he and Tuilinn meant to one another - and especially that he took part in the funeral. The silver ring was a very nice, poignant touch. Beliond is wonderful again - and Legolas certainly isn't fit for command if he didn't even know which way they were going! I was delighted to see Thranduil at the end. Legolas needs him - and now he knows it. Jay Author Reply: Nilmandra convinced me I need to do it because it was going to be too hard to convey how Legolas and her parents established a realtionship otherwise. And if she is the one he loves, it's possible they'll be his in-laws someday so it's important that they don't think he's a jerk who led her on. Beliond is great. I think he needs to be in the next chapter too. Maybe he needs to be in all the chapters!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/19/2005
This is so powerful. Such emotional writing, yet understated enough to wrench at the heart. I think doing it from Legolas's point of view really enhances the whole experience - grief is so bound up with numbness and confusion and, come to that, irritation and unexpectedly snapping at people interspersed with sudden flows of emotion. I'm so glad that Eliviel and Nildur recognised Legolas and knew that Tuilinn had been hoping that he would come - and that Nildur overcame his annoyance at the eleven year wait so quickly. And I think a little chat with Fyndil later will help - as they see how euphoric Tuilinn was in her last days. (And I'm so glad she ran back and kissed him.) I'm relieved that they recognised the depth of Legolas's emotion even in their own distress and involved him as 'family' - it will help him. (I dread to think what excluding him and just having him there as a representative of the king would have had on him.) And I'm so touched by Beliond's forethought at obtaining the silver ring. (I wonder where Fyndil got it.) It's no wonder Legolas has no romantic entanglements over the next few centuries - he is betrothed. And Adar knew. Not only that Legolas needed to come home, but where he would be. He knew he could count on Beliond to drag the boy back to the Stronghold, so had little difficulty in intercepting them. And, apart from the extra bond between them caused by his having been Legolas's only parent for so much of his life, here is another bond they share that cannot really be understood (except intellectually) by Eilian and Ithilden. I hope Legolas goes back to spend time with Tuilinn's parents - they will probably need him, and it's the only way he can try to nurture the bond they had begun to share and learn more about the girl he knew at first sight. There are so many things to mention - the discordance in the song, seeking comfort from the trees, the inability to eat or drink, Beliond's care - and ruthless drugging of tea, the desire not to step back because that would make it true, the desire of the bereaved to provide food, oh - all of it really. It's just a wonderful writing of a really sad story. Don't finish it too quickly, please. This is a situation that can't be neatly tied up with a bow in a single chapter. (It possibly needs an epilogue, too. Not necessarily in Valinor for the hopefully ultimate happy ending, but certainly some years later to reassure the reader that Legolas has regained some balance.) Author Reply: I've really learned something by using the single POV in this story. I don't think I'd want to do it every time because there are losses as well as gains, but I can see the jolt an author gets from writing from the POV of the emotionally affected character. And despite the spectacular arrival of Smaug, this story is about emotions rather than actions. The external conflict is important because of what it means to Legolas. I did some thinking about what Tuilinn's parents would have known and thought about Legolas ahead of time. I thought she would have arrived at home full of talk of him and they would have taken one look at her and known she was in love. And since LACE says that Elves seldom made mistakes in such matters, they would have probably assumed that this was real etc. And then he didn't show and didn't show and she gradually ceased to talk of him. At that point, they'd be ticked off. So now he shows up and they're angry, although their anger is muted by their grief which overwhelms everything else. But his own grief makes his feelings clear and his explanation makes sense. But really, what's most convincing was the way Tuilinn was when she first came home. That would seem to them to be the most real, I think. And it would be comforting to them to think of her as happy in that last week. Adar knew where Legolas was because Eilian and Beliond agreed that Legolas would come home once the body had been returned. Eilian wasn't going to argue, but he was as ruthless as Beliond was in overriding Legolas's claims that he was in command. This is a situation that can't be neatly tied up with a bow in a single chapter. daw throws herself on the floor kicking and screaming, "It can! It can!" I am ready to be done with this depressing little tale! I have been thinking of an epilogue although it may not be what you have in mind.:-)

Firnsarnien	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/18/2005
Ai, at long last, he seems to have reached the end of his rope. Too long without food and too much grief is finally catching up with our dear Elf! sigh Not that I mind of course. ;) Heh, heh! What a sad scene that funeral was and I sure felt sorry for Leggy. He loved her yet he felt like an outsider amongst her family. Indeed he was in a way, yet I'm glad they made him feel a part of them and let him grieve with them. Can't wait to see what happens next and how Thranduil handles his grieving son. ;) Author Reply: You're so right! Legolas is gradually coming out of the numbed state and beginning to grieve more openly. I think seeing her parents helped him do that because he felt some sympathy for them and saw what they shared. So that's good. And Thranduil will help him further, I think, although I'm not quite sure yet exactly how that will go. Legolas needs time most of all.

emjo	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/18/2005
Oh and I thought the last chapter was sad! Seeing the Tuilinn's parents and Legolas interact was heartbreaking. And the ring on the Tuilinn's body I just couldn't hold back the tears. I know it's been said a million times but thank goodness for Beliond! And I was so happy when Thranduil came in the picture Legolas isn't the only one who needs him. I do too! Thank you for posting so quickly and please hurry with the next one too! Author Reply: You and me both on the appearance of Thranduil! I need some comfort, even if Legolas thinks he doesn't. I have a list of things I want to have happen in the next chapter, but it's kind of chaotic in my head, so it may take me a few days. We'll see. The ring was my beta's idea, and it made a lot of sense. I did mean for Tuilinn to be the reason Legolas didn't marry in ME, so the ring symbolized his pledge to her.

Small Triumphs	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/18/2005
Yay for the quick update! But ouch, daw. This angst is killing me (in a good way, of course.) :-) Sorry if this review doesn't make much sense, I have to leave for some errands in a few minutes, but after reading that, I just had to take time just to say how much I loved it. I have to say that I loved the parallelism with the beginning regarding bringing the dead elf home, particularly when Ithilden spoke of Naran's parents wanting to know whether or not their child suffered in death and Beliond's line to Tuilinn's parents. That was a nice touch. So poor Legolas' appetite hasn't improved much, and I doubt it will for a while. And his shoulder is healing slowly, due to his grief, I'm guessing? Thank goodness for Beliond! He is such a good keeper. Thranduil certainly must be thankful he assigned him! I think the part that got to me the most was when Legolas placed the ring on her body. Gah! I actually sobbed out loud. Trust me when I say that for me, that is a very unusual thing! Not only is he mourning his love, but also a love that never even had a chance to truly grow! At least he is finally allowing himself to grieve. That is a good sign, right? And now Thranduil is here to help him along! Legolas really does need his Ada right now, and I'm sure Ada has no problem doing anything he can to help him. For some reason, I'm not surprised that Thranduil was riding out to meet them. I'll bet if he would've known about the situation sooner, he would have ridden all the way to the village, to the dragon-ridden Dale if he had to to reach Legolas. What a good Ada. His similar experience should help to get his son through. Though something that has occurred to me is that at least with Lorellin's (sp?) death, Thranduil got to slay the orcs that had taken her life- and I'm sure he enjoyed it, too. But the dragon is not going to be destroyed for a number of year ( I am no Tolkien scholar,so i have no idea when it happens.) I'll bet Legolas felt a certain amount of satisfaction and closure to hear that the dragon was killed before the Battle of the Five Armies, but for now, he'll have to find other ways to deal with his grief. Ack! I told myself to make this short. Now I'm late! It was well worth it, though. Fabulous job. ~Small Triumphs Author Reply: The angst is killing me! I needed a good long swig of Dorwinian after writing this chapter. Three ansty ones in a row is more than I ever do, and it's very wearing. Enough!! The end of this story is circling around to its beginning again. Legolas is going home and will take a look at other people's lives and at his own, just as he did at the start. Poor thing. But I think something like this could give him some perspective too. The ring was my beta's idea. She really good at this sort of stuff. My first impulse was to skip all this and take Legolas straight home just thinking about some of this in his memories, but then when she and I started talking about what Tuilinn's parents might have known about Legolas, it was obvious that it was kind of a complicated situation. I didn't want her parents to think he was a jerk who had ignored her. And then Nilmandra thought of the ring, which was meant to show how much she really meant to him. In my head, Eilian and Beliond planned that Beliond would take Legolas home as soon as the body had been delivered. They let Legolas do something important to him, but then wanted him home. That's what they were talking about as they sat together near the fire. And then when Eilian took Galelas home, he told Thranduil that Beliond was bringing Legolas. That's all it took. That sent Adar on his was to retrieve his poor, sad baby. Smaug is going to be there for about 170 years before Bilbo, the dwarves, and Bard come along and take him out. And I'm late starting to get ready for work so this evens out!

The Karenator	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/18/2005
I think this was the saddest chapter of all. Legolas is so grief stricken that he's barely functional, but he's putting one foot in front of the other. With Beliond's help. And who better to understand his deep pain? Tuilinn's parents were just heartbreaking. I was glad to see that Legolas had the chance to tell them how much Tuilinn meant to him. The silver ring was a sweet touch and I'd say that for Legolas, it was a binding pledge. Gee, I hope she was waiting on the shores of Aman when he arrived. Surely she was. Namo must have taken pity on them by then. The funeral was hard, but you handled it well. It was touching to see Tuilinn's parents accept Legolas as important in her life and include him. The fact that Legolas didn't even know where he was in the woods spoke of his grief. But boy was I glad to hear that Beliond was taking him home. He wasn't capable of functioning at that point as a warrior. And I got all teary eyed when Adar showed up. I knew Thranduil would go for him, or I hoped he would anyway. Healing won't be easy, but it'll be more manageable with family. Poor Legolas. Great chapter, daw. Karen Author Reply: Beliond is great. I can't even imagine what shape Legolas would be in if Beliond weren't there. The ring was Nilmandra's idea. She's my Beliond! :-) I'd written about a funeral before when Annael's father died, so that made it a little easier to do this one. But boy am I sick of angst. I want Legolas to start getting better, and Thranduil is just the one to see that things are made right here. There'll be no more nonsense about "I'm in command" and "I'm going back to my patrol."

Frodo3791	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/18/2005
I was really happy when I saw that you had updated tonight. I always am excited to read your stuff, but I have been really itching for these quick updates of chapters in this story. I love angst, and you are doing a great job of portraying Legolas' mood, in my opinion. I was just at a funeral today of a fellow classmate's father, and so I could understand the overall mood that this chapter is taking place in. Now we need to see Thranduil take care of business. -Micah Author Reply: I'm glad to accommodate you, Micah! This chapter was quick, but now I have to change gears and start to write recovery and I also need to work, unfortunately. But it will be along. I need to get Legolas out of his current sadness because it's driving me crazy. Thank goodness for Thranduil.

Elena Tiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/18/2005
Daw, I was almost emotionally recovered enough from the last chapter to leave you a review, but when I got to SoA, you must have just posted your new one. I tend to think that, if a story makes me tear up once or twice, or even shed a couple tears, that it is very emotional. I cried through this whole chapter. And I don't mean sitting there weeping, but out-and-out sobbing. You've encapsulated the grief of every single person in this world who has ever lost a loved one -- and that means almost every one of us. I can't write any more right now. - Barbara Author Reply: I suppose I should be pleased that I'm reducing people to tears, but somehow that seems sick! I'm finding it kind of wearing to write this stuff, so Legolas is going to start to recover now. Thank Eru!

Nilmandra	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/18/2005
I think Legolas is numb at this point, unable to communicate well, and holding on be a thread. I am glad that Tuilinn's parents recognized what was between them - the king's son doesn't often carry home the body of an elleth, as devastated as Legolas is, unless there is good reason for it. I liked what you did with the ring too...the significance of what he did is great. I know you're hating all this wallowing in grief and sorrow, but you're doing well with it and you're almost done! Author Reply: Thank you for your many suggestions for this story. You have, as usual, been a tremendous help. And yes, the wallowing has me about ready to slit my wrists. But the worst is over! Yay!

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