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A Spring of Joy by daw the minstrel	270 Review(s)
elliska	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 6/1/2005
Ok, I have tried twice to leave this a review but that requires re-reading it and it is just so sad I lose it again. I am really impressed at how well you portrayed everyone's dawning realization of what happened. Thranduil and crew expect that they are looking for Loriel. They would all be completely lost when they see Emmelin crying so, especially after Celuwen shows up with Loriel. Given a moment then to focus elsewhere, seeing a reaction that he remembers only too well, Thranduil gets it. Including the detail of Thranduil's reaction when he realized his wife was gone and using it to show how he figured this out was very powerful. And Ithilden! That was where I lose it every time I read this chapter. From Thranduil saw his face to For just a second, Thranduil closed his eyes (seems too much of a spoiler to quote whole lines in this review)--that is such a powerfully portrayed sequence. Simple actions that speak volumes. I love how Thranduil pulls it back together here and starts taking care of people--it shows many things: his long experience with this sort of tragedy, his long experience as a father/head of his family and his long experience as a king. So well done. The scene with Eilian finding Sinnarn and discovering it was a Nazgul broke my heart. Poor Eilian. I just can't say much more there. I could feel for Legolas and Annael in that scene with Calith. I have been on the receiving end of the "Don't be alarmed but you are needed at home" phrase--I don't think there is anything more alarming that anyone could say--there is no better way to say it, but it makes your heart stop, I swear it. That scene was also extremely well done--it built suspense when we already knew what happened just in anticipation of the scene we would see 'at home.' And I liked the way you handled that--seeing only the aftermath of Legolas finding out made it more powerful somehow because the reader can fill in the blanks themselves. Stylistically, I was impressed with how you handled wrapping up the story line with Mithrandir and Gollum amongst all this larger grief. You did that well. And I liked the scene with Legolas and Ithilden and Alfirin--seeing grieving people trying to take care of one another is very tragic and I think it is singularly realistic that Legolas simply would not know how to respond to that (no one does). Again, poor Eilian--seeing him struggling with survivors guilt to use a modern term. He would know that he did nothing wrong and that just would be absolutely no comfort at all and that is what makes it so sad. I remember when my dad died, I had to accompany his body to his burial place. Not an easy thing to do. Again, I felt Eilian pain with this--and when he gave Sinnarn to Ithilden. I can barely get through that part. Very well done. Put on top of that the news that Eilian brings and it is a miracle Thranduil's heart didn't really stop. If the Shadow was returning, then every living thing in the Woodland Realm would feel it, and none of them would be safe from the kind of loss that Sinnarn’s family and Tynd’s had suffered. There it is and that is too true. I am so impressed with the funeral scene (I always am impressed with the rituals you create for Important Events). Legolas turned now to see his father looking at Sinnarn, with his face for once unguarded in public. And suddenly, in the weary slump of his father’s shoulders, Legolas could see all of Thranduil’s years, years in which evil had been defeated and returned more times than Legolas could recall. I quote the whole thing even though it just doesn't seem right to put big spoilers in the review in this chapter because this was absolutely my favorite line. It and the whole paragraph struck me as a very powerful way to show the weight of this event and of Thranduil's life. Very well written. And everyone's words were very touching--bawled through this entire part. I loved the people you chose to speak and what they said. And most of all I loved that at the end of it, when Legolas looks back at his father, he is adar and king again. Legolas has seen his father's strength many times in his life but he gets it here--he more than sees it, he understands it and what it means and takes. ...grasp it by the neck to drag it down ... -- so well written. As sad as it is for Annael (and Legolas--she was so important to him), I am glad Emmelin and Elowen are sailing. I think it is another realistic touch and I am just glad to know that they are safe in Aman. I hope they do find Siondel there. This showed very well how Fellowship Legolas came to be. I remember when he and Beliond are discussing his reasons for accepting Elrond's request--this must have been on his mind then. I really liked the ending--I admit, I blinked when I saw "The End," but I really like it. You see Legolas's thoughts about his grief and his determination born of it. And there really isn't anything else to say. Period. I think, stylistically, if you did another chapter, it would weaken the story. What would it be about? They're grieving. We know that. Ending it here emphasizes the enormity of the situation and Legolas's reaction to it by leaving the focus there. It is powerful. This whole story was powerful. I am sure you will do a nice fluffy elfling story. I like adult Legolas better, honestly. But I kind of need a nice fluffy elfling story and I do not doubt for a moment that you do--it's harder to write it than read it. Daw, may you write these forever. I think I've come to like you protrayal of Tolkien better than Tolkien's. Wonderful story! Author Reply: This is a very gratifying review, Elliska, and I thank you for writing it. I think that Thranduil's long, tragic experience is what would support him. He had to put aside his grief for his father's death and lead troops in battle. I can't imagine how hard that would be. What he has to do here is more personal, of course, but I think it's just as hard. When I got Legolas home, I had to think for a while about who would be running things with Ithilden wrapped up in grief and Legolas (the Home Guard captain) away. I was exceedingly happy when I remembered Calith, whom I've always liked as a character. It would be fun to do a story from the POV of Calith, Beliond, and Maltanaur, who are close to the three Thranduilions. You know it seemed to me that in the furor over Sinnarn, Gollum would be almost forgotten. And it also seemed to me that that fit with how Mithrandir eventually reacts. Years later, he tells Frodo that the Wood elves traced Gollum to the western edge of Mirkwood (he was heading for the Shire to try to get his ring back), and then Gollum abruptly turned south. (Why? Who knows? Presumably it was the work of Sauron. Did the presence of the Nazgul have any effect?) Anyway, Gandalf says he let Gollum go. It's almost as if he too was uncertain if Gollum was important. I felt bad for Eilian having to face Ithilden with Ithilden's dead son in his arms. But you're also right that what I wanted to do was set this personal loss in the perspective of the larger loss of the peace. They're connected. I think my love for Thranduil probably shines through here. You can understand that one, I'm sure! He seems to be to be cantankerous and stubborn and totally devoted to his people. And in the end, he's victorious in the Battle Under the Trees, although not without tremendous cost. It comforted me to think of Elowen and Emmelin together. They'd understand one another's loss. And maybe Siondel will be waiting for them. Geez, I hope so. I think I've come to like you protrayal of Tolkien better than Tolkien's. And another one who's computer is going to be struck by lightning! Thank you, Elliska. Given how fine your stories are, I appreciate your comments on this one.

JastaElf	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 6/1/2005
OH MY GOD YOU DID KILL SINNARN!!!!! AIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! breathes OK, no, YOU didn't kill Sinnarn, the Orcs and Evil did... and Tynd as well... and we know others will die too. But OMG.... It takes courage to write a story like this, daw, and it doesn't surprise me at ALL that you have that kind of courage. To create an OC and allow others to love him... then to do what reality and the story demand--and allow him to be hurt and killed as others have been hurt and killed--yes, that takes honesty to your art, and guts, and true story-teller talent. Because these things will happen. People die--and sometimes they are members of Thranduil's family. And Oh dear LORD, Thranduil... he is magnificent in this, and I was so glad to see Legolas able to see his Adar through that particular lens! The way you described his loss and recovery was just wonderful. I have always liked the way you use words, and this is one of the best use of words you have ever created. In fact, all the reactions--from Emmelin's stricken cry to Ithilden's face losing colour... to Eilian's stunned grief... to all of it, just tragically wonderful.... A brilliant, moving, sad, magnificent chapter, to a superb story. Thank you SO much! Author Reply: I know. It was hard. As I've said before, I'm shamelessly fond of my OCs. And this isn't Galelas, or Nithron, or Todith, who all died at the Five Armies. This is a member of the king's family, whom I've shown since he born. Sigh. It makes me feel good to have you say this this is courageous and honest. Thank you, Jasta. Isn't Thranduil great? He held this realm for centuries with Sauron and then the Nazgul close by. He had no ring to help him and he suffered horrible losses at Dagorlad. But he prevailed. And then in the end, he had the victory in the Battle Under the Trees, still with no ring! Geez. He's cantankerous and stubborn, but he's also wonderful.

thechevin	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 6/1/2005
This is the third time I have started this review the first two times I had to abandon it as I could not find the words to tell you how I feel about this story and the last chapter I still don't have the words that will do it justice but I have to say something so here I go Like Emmelin, Ithilden and Alfirin I feared the worst but had this irrational hope that I would be wrong and Sinnarn and Tynd would somehow survive. When it becam clear they had not I could feel their pain radiating off the screen. Heartbreaking as that was Thranduil's and Legolas'loss was almost worse becasue they are alone in their grief and do not have a partner to sustain them Legolas' thoughts about his bond with Tuilinn and his hope that perhaps Emmelin might be wrong and then his visit to his brother and sister in law and his frail hope is dashed. I loved the support Thranduil gave Eilian and Maltanaur of course who like the king has seen this horror before Also that brief glimpse of Thranduil's pain and exhuastion before he puts on his kingly face and determines that whatever happens he will endure. Legolas obviously needed to see that as well and his thoughts of his father spitting in the face of evil was enough to stiffen his own resolve to fight this new darkness with everything at his disposal This has been a harrowing story to read but so engrossing and powerful that even with the death of Sinnarn I can still appreciate how much effort it took to write and tell you how much I look forward to reading more from you soon thank you so much Judy Author Reply: Judy, this is very gratifying. I was just telling someone else that it hadn't occurred to me that readers were waiting to hear what happened in much the same way Sinnarn's family was. They mostly knew he must be dead, but they couldn't help hoping he wasn't. Legolas felt very alone to me in this chapter, especially at the end. His brothers have their wives, and Thranduil has the woods, to which I think he's almost bonded. The pain he feels on seeing Emmelin react to a spouse's death shows that he's not over the loss of his wife, of course. But he is one strong elf. If he goes down, he'll be kicking and clawing all the way. And happily enough, of course, he drives back the forces of Sauron during the War Under the Trees. In his typical, laconic way, Tolkien says "Thranduil has the victory." I love the Elven king. I think facing Ithilden must have been an awful moment for Eilian. He needed Thranduil then.

csue	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/31/2005
That was amazing! I have been an avid reader of your fanfics for some time now and have wanted to leave a review, but wasn't sure what to say that would be worthy of such great stories. You have created such wonderful OCs that I have trouble distinguishing them from Tollkien's own! The grief over Sinnarn's death was so vivid and memorable. I dreaded reading this final chapter with a sinking feeling of what was to come, but then again couldn't stop checking for updates. Thank you so much for sharing these stories with us. You have a wonderful writing ability and please know there are so many of us out there that cannot wait to read more. Author Reply: Wow. This is so gratifying. I read fanfic for a long time before I wrote any, and when I was just reading, I didn't leave many reviews either. I thought that this writer (Jocelyn or Dwimordene or Altariel, for instance) couldn't possibly be interested in what I have to say. But then I started to write. And I can't tell you how much the reviews I get mean to me. So thank you for taking the time to do this. I am shamelessly fond of my OCs, so when someone else appreciates them, I'm thrilled. One of the things that occurred to me as I was reading reviews this morning, was that readers waited to hear what happened to Sinnarn in the same way his family did. They all knew he was probably dead, but they didn't want to believe it.

Yanic	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/31/2005
Your Legolas has now become the book Legolas. Have I told you how much I worship you as a writer? Author Reply: Yanic, you are much too kind! One of the great satisfactions of writing fanfic is getting such quick feedback from readers. You can't imagine how much a review like this means to a writer. Thank you.

moonshine	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/31/2005
Wow Daw, that was a jaw dropper. I was not expecting any of that at all. Today`s my birthday, and even though that was a said chapter, it really made my day! Sinnarn is gone. This chapter makes me think a lot about all the elves that have died in Legolas` life. There`s a lot of them. And of all the other lives that these deaths have affected. It`s depressing, but at the same time, it`s something to think about in our own world. Many people die and it still has the same affect. Seeing it in a different perspective is somewhat humbling. You read about how these characters grew up and their relationship among others. And then to see it fall apart is very shocking. I have to say, this is one of my favorites that you`ve written so far. You have ended it with so much emotion and unanswered questions attached to it, like how Loriel is to be effected or how Thranduil will approach the returning shadow. You cease to amaze me! I`m once again wondering if you are going to write another. And if so, when? Lol, I`m a very eager person! Great job on this story. I love it! Author Reply: Happy birthday! No doubt by Elven standards, you're a mere infant. :-) I wonder how the Elves reacted to all those deaths? Death is unnatural for them, although when you read the Silmarillion, you sure see a lot of it. But I also think a place like Mirkwood was a pretty small society and they all knew one another. There must have been a fair amound of intermarriage after a while too. So a death leaves a big hole. When I counted up who would be affected by Sinnarn's death, I was surprised too. Loriel is going to grow up in a different world than the one she was born in, that's for sure. She'll be a young adult by the time of the Battle Under the Trees. I'm going to take a short break from writing and then I have a short story in mind that will set earlier. After that, I'll have to see. I'm thinking about taking some of these stories and seeing if I can de-Tolkienize them and turn them into a series of novels for young adults. We'll see.

Larian Elensar	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/31/2005
*****Spoilerish************* Ack. I knew you were going to do that. I mean, I guess there was no real choice. The wood elves were smart enough to know that despite their grief, they needed to keep fighting. (But given how sad I was over this, I can't even imagine being able to write it!!) Author Reply: This was sad to write too. As a matter of fact, I think this chapter is a little hurried, but I couldn't bear to stretch things out. I think the Wood-elves were an independent, stubborn, cantankerous lot, and Sauron is going to rue the day he challenged them. I've always admired Thranduil for holding that realm together without a ring. And 60 or so years down the road, he'll have the victory in the Battle Under the Trees, still without a ring. I love the guy! But I still killed his grandson. :-( Author Reply: And I hope you don't mind if I reply again here because it's so much easier than at ff.net. Yes, Lorellin needed some of her family! She'll be thrilled to meet a granddaughter-by-marriage, to hear about how her family is doing, and to know that Sinnarn will soon be out of the Halls of Waiting. And I'm sure it will be soon.

Lianna	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/31/2005
I am a newcomer to your work. The first story of yours that I read was "A Creature of Fire," and since then, I have been meandering randomly through your earlier stories while following "A Spring of Joy" closely. I think you had to do what you did when you killed Sinnarn. In order for us, your readers, to truly appreciate the impact that the return of the Shadow had on Mirkwood and all of Middle-Earth, and in order for your remarkably canon-consistent Legolas to become the elf he needs to be (no wonder you have difficulty writing him!), someone not only close to Legolas and Thranduil but also deeply familiar to your readers had to die. You simply could not do it by killing off minor OCs in red tunics. But poor Sinnarn! And his poor parents! The scene with Eilian and Ithilden was heartbreaking, but it is good to know that the bond between these two brothers will not be broken by this tragedy. When I read "A Creature of Fire," I was actually a bit irritated with you. Although I understood why it was necessary for Legolas to have loved and lost, so that he would still be unattached at the time of the Quest despite no longer being extremely young, I had hoped that his relationship with Tuilinn would progress to a fuller level -- perhaps even marriage -- before their final separation. But now I understand. If you had allowed Tuilinn and Legolas to marry, he would have been as bereft as Emmelin is here when his spouse died. And since, like Emmelin (but unlike Thranduil when he lost his spouse), Legolas has no children or kingdom to keep him in Middle-Earth, it would have been hard to justify the fact that he did not sail to Valinor. Now I understand why you had Tuilinn die while her relationship with Legolas was just beginning, and I'm impressed with your logic. Another reviewer of "A Spring of Joy" said that the ending of this story seemed a bit abrupt. It didn't seem that way to me because I have been following each chapter as you posted it and therefore I knew for days that Sinnarn was most likely gone. It was as though I and the other readers who followed this story as you posted it were experiencing the situation along with Thranduil and his family, who also had to wait for conclusive news. But perhaps people who read this story later on and who do not have to wait days for the final chapter will feel the abruptness that the other reviewer and your beta picked up on. Reading multi-chapter fan fictions in their entirety (as I have been doing with your older stories) is a very different experience from reading them as the author posts them. Finally, I have to tell you that I love the Wood-Elf funeral ritual. It's so appropriate to their culture that the ritual refers to the person who is gone as the son or daughter "of these woods." And the "he has no need for the shell" part is so very elfy. Lovely. Terribly sad, but lovely. Author Reply: Your analysis of why it was necessary to kill Sinnarn (or someone else the reader would care about) is right on, in my opinion. That's what I was thinking too. But it was hard to do. I've written about him from the first announcement that Alfirin was pregnant, and I've had him struggle to become an adult. Losing him was painful. I think for his parents, it was probably devastating. Elves had so few children. But others in Thranduil's realm have suffered these kind of losses, and tough folk that they are, they survive. I also like what you say about Tuilinn, although I have to admit you've worked the reasons for her death out in more depth than I did! And a good working out it is, too. Until I started getting the reviews for this chapter, it hadn't occurred to me that readers were waiting in the same way Thranduil and the others at home were, but they were. They kind of knew that Sinnarn was probably dead. Emmelin's reaction tells them that. But they didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to believe it! I'm interested in what you say about the different experiences of reading serially or all at once. Writing serially is different too. Cliffhangers work in writing serially, for instance, but they wouldn't in a book because people just go to the next page. Thank you for all your very kind words here, Lianna. It's good to hear that someone who wasn't familiar with all these OCs still was willing to wade through the stories.

Small Triumphs	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/31/2005
Wow, this was something I definitely did not expect. I hadn't even realized how much I liked Sinnarn until he died. :( So sad. I see why it was necessary, but it's still so very tragic. Poor Ithilden. What impressed me most about this chapter is Legolas' characterization. Throughout your stories, I have seen him evolve more into the elf he is in the books, yet for some reason, this just really ties it all together. Both your characters and plots weave so beautifully into the books, that they seem almost cannon to me. This really sets the stage for future events. I am definitely looking forward with future encounters with the Nazgul (though, hopefully, with less tragic results.) Beautiful is about all I can say to sum this up. ~Small Triumphs Author Reply: I was surprised by how strongly people reacted to Sinnarn's death. I thought of him as a minor character. But I'd written about him more than I realized, and when I recalled what I'd written, I was sad too. Poor Ithilden, indeed. I'm glad you think that this is book!Legolas here. I've been working toward that. Tolkien tells us so little about him that I find him kind of elusive to characterize. Given that Legolas is able to stand against a Nazgul in FOTR, I think he may have had some experience of them before. He has about 60 years to get it now. Thank you for your very kind words, Small Triumphs.

Manderly	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/31/2005
Oh my, let me wipe my tears first before I start typing. What a heartbreaking chapter! I have been hoping against hope that Sinnarn might be spared, but I guess something like this is needed to ram home to the Wood Elves that the Shadow is back, and to harden Legolas' resolve to battle it. You have it well set up. My heart goes out to Ithilden and Alfirin. I cannot imagine a pain greater than losing a child. How will they cope with the loss? My admiration Thranduil has grown ten folds after reading this chapter. All the losses that he's suffered over the years and yet he somehow finds the strength to continue and to keep everything and everybody together. He is indeed King. Thank you for another wonderful story! Two stories in a row now that you have us weeping. Time for an elfling Legolas story with some Eilian silliness thrown in. We need some recovery time. Author Reply: I wanted the personal loss of Sinnarn and the large scale loss of the peace fit together to show how tragic the events are that are going on now. I feel bad for Ithilden and Alfirin too, but I think they can support one another. And they respond to the call of duty and the need to serve the realm. These are good, honorable people, and their standards kind of support them. Thranduil is amazing. He's the tower of strength that everyone else leans on. You're so right about elflings and silliness. No more character deaths for a while!

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