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Interrupted Journeys 9: Bitter Paths by elliska	59 Review(s)
perelleth	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/2/2013
OMG what a tense preparation. I like the contrast beetween all the discussion going around and Lindomiel sitting there, silent at the center of the storm, holding the bloodied strand of hair. For all her silence I somehow felt she was the centre of the scene. Now I'm looking forward to the chase, but also waiting to see how Dolgailon deals with Glilavan and what happens with Dannennion. For all that Thranduil is fuming, the poor guy's boy has been abducted as well! THis is going to be a massive fall for many of them, I fear, great work with the mounting tension! Author Reply: Exactly! Lindomiel is taking all this in, thinking. I am still cutting parts from this (this was actually the story in this series that I struggled the most with, trying to avoid cliches and write 'this is scary' scenes without getting repetitive), but depending on what I cut from the next chapter, you may see exactly how accurate your observations are about her. Poor Dolgailon. It is getting harder and harder for him to defend Glilavan. Dannenion isn't going to be too pleased with the outcome either. A massive fall indeed. Glad it is still tense! And thanks so much for the reviews! I appreciate them so much!

daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/1/2013
Thranduil is going after them alone? Holy cow. I did not see that coming, though he certainly had good arguments for everyone who wanted to go with him. I liked the moment when Legolas thinks that his captors don't know his father or Tulus well if they think they'll dawdle in coming after him. Legolas reasons through his situation quite well, learning even from the fact that the birds are different. I winced at the idea of a day lying across a horse with a gag in one's mouth. It sounds like the guy who wants them has bad plans since it matter to him that Legolas is good looking. That doesn't bear thinking about. Poor Anastor. Only a few hours ago, his biggest worry was that the girl he liked might not like him. So where is Dannenion off to? Maybe he can redeem himself. I hope so. Author Reply: Well, Conuion and some other guards are going with him (Thranduil), but no one else, that he plans on. :-) You know me and birds. I just couldn't pass that up. But it would be a really obvious difference between the forest and the grassland and one I think a blindfolded elf would notice. And it is a useful detail later. But yeah, really Legolas has had a really rotten day (I honestly had to wonder if it is even realistic if someone could survive a ride like that, but I'm saying an elf could) and his day is really only getting worse. The man does have nasty plans. Poor Anastor indeed. His world view is really about to be altered. Innocence is bliss and his is about to be shattered. I'll leave you waiting on Dannenion. "Cause I'm mean. ;-) Thank you so much for the reviews, daw! I appreciate them so much! Author Reply: Thranduil is going after them alone? Hehe! You weren't the only one to think that either! I made a change to make it clearer (a cheap little change), but that is important because false anticipation is no fun and also, Conuion would never go for it, so it would be completely OOC. Thanks daw!

CandissD	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 1/1/2013
gah! awesome chapter - the poor elfings (still elflings but not for long) - can't wait to read what happens next. Hopefully they will be alright Author Reply: Glad you liked it! Yes, they are almost adults now and acting like it. But even adults would be terrified by this situation. I hope I can scare the readers a bit too. ;-) Thanks so much for the reviews. I really appreciate them!

Fantasia	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/28/2012
Good to see you back. To resume my eelings in a phrase, poor everybody! I feel esecially bad for Tulus, to know thta your son is a traitir is bad, but to really see the proe, it is worst...ANother OC death, just thinking that I might know...you really like to kill your characters, at leas, we know that Legolas survives. I havea terrible feeling of what is the burden on the grass....Waiting for more and thank you. Happy New Year! This is my second review, don't know what happeed wiht the first one, I'm sick, so maye I did not posted it right Author Reply: Poor everyone indeed! And especially Tulus--he knows his own son just put him in this position. That's got to be bad, as you say. I have a terrible feeling of what is the burden on the grass You are probably right if your feeling is terrible. at least, we know that Legolas survives LOL. Yeah, I can't keep you in suspense there. Legolas and Thranduil. But everyone else is fair game. ;-) I am so mean. Happy New Year to you too and I hope you feel better soon. Rotten time to have a cold. Thanks so much for the reviews! I appreciate them so much!

c_belle_a	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/27/2012
I have to admit, I have never believed in reading fanfic- every other time I have even tried, I end up cringing and stopping before the first paragraph is over. But Interrupted Journeys is absolutely incredible- I really could not put it down once I started. I am so utterly impressed with how you incorporate so much of what Tolkien published into the story- I learned so much about kinslaying and First/ Second Age battles from just reading your story! At first, I was sure you made up Menegroth and Amroth and such (I didn't read the Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales) until I googled them, and I was astonished by how research must have gone into this story. This story uses Tolkien's rich universe but makes it very easy and pleasurable to read. I have to even confess that while I struggled to be thoroughly captivated with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (the story was brilliant, but the way it was written made me struggle a bit)- I could not put this down. I would say that you have incorporated JK Rowling's storytelling charm into Middle Earth. If it weren't for copyright issues, I would tell you to go publish this =) Thanks so much for a great story, and keep posting please!!! Author Reply: Wow! Thank you so much! I feel that I have learned a lot about writing (but let me say quickly that I have much more to learn) from the folks here at SoA. So much of the fanfic is really great here. And I agree that some of Tolkien's writings are a challenge to get through, but as you say the stories and world are just so amazing that I cannot resist playing with them. I'm glad you have discovered more from reading my stuff. I do try to keep it as close to canon as I can. Reviews like this absolutely make my day and make me work hard to live up to the standard they set. :-) Thank you so much! I was so thrilled to see this and I'll be smiling all day as I revise the next chapter.

perelleth	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/26/2012
Wow! And a Merry Christmas to you too, what a nice surprise and you held no punches there! Well, Legolas is a fast shot but he's a quick learner as well. I hope he has the chance to take advantage of Demil's lesson before the story is over. Though I have a bad eeling about Tulus.. :-( And Thrnaduil is about to burst a vein or three. But Galithil was in vein, as well, and it made me laugh. What a tense beginning!!! Author Reply: Well, Legolas is a fast shot but he's a quick learner as well. I hope he has the chance to take advantage of Demil's lesson before the story is over. Though I have a bad eeling about Tulus.. Well, you hit it all there. I can't say much without giving too much away. I will say that, if I manage to portray this as I hope to, everyone is going to pay dearly. And Thranduil ain't seen nothing yet. ;-) He thinks he's unhappy now. He's going to be way more unhappy by the end of this. Glad it came across as tense! Thanks so much for the reviews. I really appreciate them so much!

picara	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/25/2012
Glad to see the next story and this is a great start. Definitely lots of tension. Obviously, Legolas and Anastor are in a lot of trouble, but so is Tulus, if Glilavan did plot this. There is not way Thranduil isn't going to think he's involved. I wonder what the package Anastor saw in the grass was? Author Reply: Glad it seemed tense. It is hard for me to tell if it is coming across, since these types of scenes can be very lacking in emotional tension (or too over the top with descriptions of it). Tulus is really going to start paying for some of his decisions from here on out. I wonder what the package Anastor saw in the grass was? You'll see (in the next chapter, I think). It does not make people feel better. I'll say that much now. Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them!

Morn	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/25/2012
What a nice christmas surprise. :) What an impossible situation. And the way Demil points out what he should've done. I hope that comes back to spite him. Allowing your son to go away with Gilavan? Could see trouble coming there! Unfortunately, we can always see it coming though! And Engwe is a nasty piece of work at times! You think he'd have some sympathy, really. Although, I guess he is right he could've said no... Not much comfort though. Bet he's not even repentant for his outburst after the news comes. On the edge of my seat yet again. Can't wait for more. Author Reply: I hope that comes back to spite him. :-) He was a real jerk, wasn't he. Well, karma can be a real jerk too. ;-) Engwe... :-) I guess I am really mean to him. For one of the 'good guys,' I just can't seem to resist giving him the type of personality I'd never put up with personally. Kind of like Galithil apparently won't. ;-) What an impossible situation. Good! That is what I'm going for here. Everyone in an impossible situation. Hopefully I'll succeed in making it even worse. ;-) Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them!

daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/24/2012
Oh my goodness. You and Perelleth post on the same day. I can't believe it. And this is such a tense chapter. Every bit of it is shot through with conflict and anticipation of something worse to come. Until it does come. And then it's really bad. So we see that Legolas has been in conflict with Glilavan despite his best efforts, which sounds like a nasty way to spend your training days. And then Glilavan not only does something unexpected. He does something against the rules, and something that worries Tulus. You knew nothing good would come of that! This is a nice image, btw: he seized Anastor's arm and pulled him, backpeddling, to the spot he had vacated only moments before. I have to admit that listening to tales of Anastor's pathetic love would drive me crazy, even if I weren't participating in an exam with him as my partner. And then the trees are unhappy, and we get this nice sequence of unexpected elves approaching, with Legolas uncertain how to react. I thought you timed that well. You teased out all the tension it was worth without dragging at all. And even better was Legolas's inner debate about whether to shoot Demil or not. He's aware of the problems presented by who he is, piled on top of the problems any young warrior would find in this encounter. I have no idea what the right decision would be for him, but could see his dilemma and why he chose the way he did. Then we get to restless Thranduil, and wow, Galithil has the royal tone down pat. I loved it! And Thranduil doesn't mind at all. I guess it takes one to know one. I laughed at the notion that Galithil didn't even bother to fake repentance. But then laughing time was over. This was a great first chapter. I'm so, so, so glad you're writing again. Author Reply: Every bit of it is shot through with conflict and anticipation of something worse to come. Until it does come. And then it's really bad. This made my day. This story was incredibly hard to write/revise. 'Young Legolas kidnapped by XYZ' is a fairly well explored topic, once that we know the ending of, obviously, it is largely straight action (and we've discussed before how fight scenes/torture scenes/sex scenes are hard to portray well...). I have kind of struggled with this story, so this comment really did make my day. So we see that Legolas has been in conflict with Glilavan despite his best efforts Gonna have to post some short/one chapter stories/scenes with this at some point. Some of them are kind of funny. I have to admit that listening to tales of Anastor's pathetic love would drive me crazy, even if I weren't participating in an exam with him as my partner. Up to this story, I think Legolas lived in terror of having Anastor as a partner. I mean, it has to be bad. :-) You teased out all the tension it was worth without dragging at all. And even better was Legolas's inner debate about whether to shoot Demil or not. He's aware of the problems presented by who he is, piled on top of the problems any young warrior would find in this encounter. I have no idea what the right decision would be for him, but could see his dilemma and why he chose the way he did. Again, thanks so much. This got some really heavy editing. I'm glad it worked. Thanks so much for the reviews, daw. I appreciate them so much!

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