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Gifts  by daw the minstrel 27 Review(s)
NaughtyNettieReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/27/2006
I was so happy to see a story from you. I didn't realize how much I missed your characters :o) This story was touching on so many levels. I can understand the stress that Ithilden was under and his reluctance to allow Alfirin to releave some of that. I can also relate with Alfirin's desire to help someone she loved and feeling confused by the inability to do so.

Author Reply: Thanks, Nettie. I miss these characters too. Ithilden is still learning what a treasure he acquired when he married Alfirin. He just has to open up to her and accept it.

SocketReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/26/2006
Oh, it was such a pleasant surprise to see a notification that you had added yet another story to this universe, and an even more pleasant surprise to see that it concerned my beloved Ithilden! How poignant it was to read about Sinnarn's beginnings, knowing what his fate would be. Thank you for this story, and for all the others wonderful stories you wrote. I hope you'll be able to add more in the future.

Author Reply: Thanks for the review, Socket. I guess when you know Sinnarn's fate, his parents' joy in him does become poignant. Poor people. But for now, they're happy, and they'll be happy again in Valinor. Did you see the story Bodkin wrote about Sinnarn being re-embodied in Valinor? I think it's called "In the West."

elliskaReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/26/2006
What a wonderful surprise after a long day at work! I loved the beginning, with poor Alfirin in the kitchen trying to manage Cook. I remember discussing how difficult her transition must have been into life in the King's family, so I really loved seeing this little glimpse of it. If she had seen this kitchen before she was betrothed, she might have hesitated to accept Ithilden’s proposal. Hehehe! Poor thing. And the 'craving' for trout was a great way to introduce where this was going. I got about as excited as Cook.

Ithilden is so Ithilden here. So protecting. I remember in other stories where he was surprised by how easily she read him, and I loved that. I really enjoyed seeing go from overly protective to just to strained to keep it in after the foal died (that was just tragic, btw) and finally opening up to her. He is such an in control type person, it must have been very hard for him to learn to share such out of control feelings with anyone, especially so intimately. I really enjoyed seeing that here.

Poor Eilain and Legolas. Eilian had better be glad Ithilden can't get hold of him quickly (that must be the real reason he wanted to be in the Southern Patrol--not to fight the Enemy, but to be out of his brother's reach. ;-) ) And Legolas--I loved “I am at home, Ithilden! If I cannot complain here, where can I?” Poor kid.

And the rather sad tone of this story rather foreshadows Sinnarn's life, doesn't it?

This was excellent daw. I was so happy to see another glimpse of this world. Hope you do more.

And Happy Birthday Dot!

Author Reply: I got about as excited as Cook.

LOL. Since elves are mostly born in the spring and pregnancy lasts a year, it follows that there were a lot of happy couples in the bushes the previous spring. This is the first spring since Ithilden and Alfirin married, so I figure the whole kingdom is watching and knitting booties.

I felt awful about the foal. I hate it when anything little and helpless is hurt. And poor Ithilden was just pushed over the edge.

Eilian is lucky Calith is practiciing passive resistance and giving his boss time to cool off.

Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/26/2006
I have missed reading your beautiful stories. As always, you are able to move me as no other can. How very sad and poignant. The grief we feel for both the parents of young Marten and for the mare is enough to bring us to tears, and yet, you give us hope to hold on to at the end. Thank you so much for sharing this story - it is so wonderful to hear from you again.
JustMe

Author Reply: Thank you, Just Me. I depressed myself mightily writing this and wondered if it made a good birthday present after all. But Ithilden and Alfirin love one another and make a baby. That redeems a lot of life's pain and ugliness.

nessieReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/26/2006
Oh, I'm so glad you're back, daw! I've missed reading about Legolas and his family. You write truly amazing stories, one's that really touch you emotionally, and that is more than I can say for three quarters of fanfiction out in the world. I believe that you are one of the very few authors whose stories I have read whose OCs really seem...well, REAL. They come to life, just as much as the canon characters do. It's simply amazing that I, and a lot of your other readers, can emotionally become attached to an OC, when they are usually a nuisance in the world of fanfiction. They're so well developed with their flaws and their strengths that you feel something towards them, whether you love them or hate them (like Tinar, but even he had his moment after the Battle of Five Armies that you really just wanted to hug him). I don't even care if the story doesn't even have a canon character in it like Legolas or Thranduil, just as long as it's one of YOUR OCs, then I'm right on to it.

You could real feel Ithilden's pain in this one, even more so when they had to but the foal down. It just shows just how much grief and burden that elf has weighing on his shoulders.

Any new story you'll post in the future, you can count on me to read it.

~nessie~

Author Reply: Wow, Nessie. I'm truly touched by your enjoyment of these OCs. You can pay me no higher compliment than to say they seem real to you. I have a pretty crowded fanfic world right now, despite occasionally killing some of these people off, and sometimes it gets hard to manage. Thank you, thank you for your kind words about them.

danaeReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/26/2006
I really liked this story a lot. I felt for Alfirin and kept wanting to shake Ithilden. I am glad she managed to break through his barriers a bit. Also, I absolutely loved the conversation with the cook. It was rather priceless.

peace,
danae

Author Reply: Thank you, Danae. Ithilden needed to stop being so stupid about sharing with his wife. Poor thing. He just has a lot to learn. Fortunately she loves him enough to help him learn it.

When you think about it, Alfirin had a big job to learn. Here's this household that's been running without a queen for about 30 years now. Having someone come in and take over must have had its rough spots.

ManderlyReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/26/2006
What a pleasant surprise to see a story from you, Daw. Really made my day!

Seems like both Ithilden and Alfirin have adjustments to make with this thing called married life, though perhaps at different levels. Alfirin has her hands full adjusting to life as a member of the Royal Family and dealing with all the servants and help thrust upon her, not to mention being scrutinzed for any change in her body by every conceivable pair of eyes, including the resident palace mice, no less. In spite of all that, she seems to have a better idea of the emotional demands of a marriage, that husband and wife share not only the good times, but the bad times as well. Ithilden will have to learn that he no longer needs to play the tough commander in chief in front of his wife. I guess after years of being in command and being the one others depend upon have made Ithilden reluctant to open up to anybody and to hoard his perceived weaknesses as a miser and his pennies. He will learn soon enough, especially if a baby is the horizon. Babies do that, you know, opening the floodgate of emotions.

Thank you so much for the story, but it has made me crave for more. Dare we hope that there will be another story soon?

Author Reply: Thank you, Manderly. You're so right about the adjustments and differences! That's just absolutely the way I was thinking of it. I think Sinnarn was a sort of safe zone for Ithilden. He could be emotional with him when he was little and that was okay. Undoubtedly that was very good for him.

I'm thinking of another fanfic maybe if I can devise the plot well enough. I have an idea but it's very ghosty right now. Then I'll go back and work on some original fic.

Are you writing these days?

French PonyReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/26/2006
What a nice character sketch of Ithilden! It really shows just how much he mellowed over the course of his marriage to Alfirin. I like all the little signs that both bride and groom are still getting to know each other and still adjusting to the fact of being married. Ithilden is so naturally uptight and has spent so much of his life being closed off from other people that he seems very much out of practice at identifying and dealing with his emotions. That seems to be Alfirin's major effect on him -- she gets him to open himself up emotionally, both to himself and everyone around him. And that probably accounts for the mellowing.

I'm also interested in the way they come to the decision to have a child before their marriage has really gelled. It strikes me that Sinnarn is going to be the equivalent of those human kids born within a year of their parents' marriage. In a way, the presence of those children really defines the personality of the marriage, because it all happens so fast.

Author Reply: That seems to be Alfirin's major effect on him -- she gets him to open himself up emotionally, both to himself and everyone around him. And that probably accounts for the mellowing.

I think that's right. If elven bonding works to join fear as well as bodies, then it seems to me it must be hard to be closed off and happily married. The two things would work at odds to one another.

I'm also interested in the way they come to the decision to have a child before their marriage has really gelled

I'm interested in that too. It's timing I established long ago and now I'm trying to figure out how the heck these two came to that decision. It's not like them really.

sofiaReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/26/2006
I'm so glad to read a new story from you! I didn't realize how much I missed your writing. This story did not disappoint.
It seems everyone thinks Alfirin to be pregnant, or close to it. And now she is, aw. Sorry, I'm getting a bit sappy. I've read many stories where they discribe elven bonding and how the characters cope with it and stuff, but I do enjoy your portrayal of it greatly.
I've never heard of Overo Lethal White Syndrome in horses and I guess you learn something new everyday. Its a sad thing that it is incurable.


Author Reply: Since elves are usually born in the spring, and pregnancy lasts a year, they must get pregnant in the spring too and this is the first spring since Ithilden and Alfirin married, so I figured the whole realm would be watching them. How nerve wracking! Yet another thing Alfirin hadn't anticipated when she married the king's son.

I had never heard of Overo Lethal White Syndrome either. I'm deeply ignorant about horses, but Jasta isn't, and she was kind enough to look up some stuff for me. I needed something to push poor Ithilden out of his delusion that he wasn't bothered by the young warrior's death.

Thanks for the review, Sofia.

yanicReviewed Chapter: 1 on 2/26/2006
Oh gosh a new story! I didn't want to read it at first, but rather hang on to it and savor it when I had more time to read it, but I couldn't resist. I loved getting more on Ithilden and Alfirin, he's such an interesting character. I hope your novel writing is going well, but I'm glad to see you back with us!

Author Reply: Dot likes Ithilden, so I thought a story about him would be a good gift. I'm interested in the topic of elven bonding and this gave me a chance to play with it a little more.

I just finished a round of revision on my novel. I'll let it sit a little while I play with fanfic, then go over it again and send it out for its next round of rejection. :-)

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