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The Tide of Times by daw the minstrel	247 Review(s)
FaerieQueen	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 1/11/2004
Another beautiful story! Just an aside comment, but do I really start every review like that? I need to get a little more creative. Well I really liked this story. Although, Legolas and the tree issue was pretty clumsy. Poor Annael and poor Eilan. I'm sure they'll get over it though. Now Legolas needs to learn to be nice to Beliond. Or some issues will occur. Well keep writing! FaerieQueen Author Reply: Legolas and Beliond will adjust, but they will never be new best friends, I think. I actually wondered how plausible it was for Legolas to fall etc. but I decided I needed it for the plot, so what the heck.

FaerieQueen	Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 1/9/2004
I know, I know, I only review at the end of a story. And since this story is already complete, this review is rather pointless. But I had to rant at Legolas. What and earth is he doing? And what about Annael? Good grief, it's rather comical though. Novices cutting trees: watch your head. Well either way keep writing!

xsilicax	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 1/9/2004
This was as brilliant as all your others have been to read, though I'm inclined to favour this above all. I really enjoyed seeing your characters having to cope with new situations. Ithilden made a great interrim king, but I do not think it is ever a position he would like to hold for real. It was good to see Eilian coming off worst with a lady for a change, I like that your OFC is so strong-willed. They would be well-matched if they could ever manage the time to be together. Seeing him despondent makes the encroaching shadow seem that much darker, that it is able to suck the life out of one so full of fun. Out of curiosity...are we ever going to see the adventures of Eilian at Dol Guldor? I wonder if how long Legolas' sense of peace will last before he finds himself behaving rashly again. No matter how old he thinks he is I don't think he's quite reached the level of maturity needed. Although he has clearly evolved hugely just in this piece alone. I also wonder how Thranduil will cope not being able to baby Legolas anymore. Especially as it seems he won't be allowed to transfer these feelings onto his grandson. Cathy, xx Author Reply: Eilian's love life is not going to run smoothly for a while. Which is a shame, because he is sexy and sweet, in my opinion. I don't plan to write about this trip to Dol Guldur (although anything is possible!), but I have some other interaction with Dol Guldur in mind for the Southern Patrol for a future story. And Legolas is not quite grown up yet. I am outlining a new story that takes up a few years down the road from this one.

sofia	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 12/29/2003
i love this story, too! my first story i read from you was shadow touches home, and this is the second story i read from you. I really enjoyed reading this story and i am now working my way to read all your stories. It seems to me that the tides of times is kind of like, in a way, a sequel to shadow touches home. Author Reply: Sofia-- Thank you for your kind words. I think of all my stories as fitting together into a single story of Legolas's growth toward being Legolas of the Fellowship, so Shadow and Tides do fit together. I hope you like the other stories too.

bryn	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 12/20/2003
My huuugest apologies for falling behind in reading! As I've said many times before, I absolutely adore your work. With each piece, it gets better and better. This has been my favorite story as of yet. With each fic, Legolas, his family, and his friends become more developed and stronger characters. I simply cannot rave enough!!! :) You are brilliant, daw. Absolutely brilliant. Author Reply: Bryn, you are too kind. I find I too have to leave stuff unread sometimes because I just don't have time to read everything. Sometimes I see a new story and deliberately choose not to start reading it because I am already following too many others. But I do appreciate your comments. This story was interesting to write because I deliberately tried out some different stuff, like Thranduil apart from his sons and the combination of fire and orcs. So thank you for telling me it worked for you.

Lera	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/25/2003
That was awesome! But I'm so sad it's over! My only comfort is knowing you'll write more soon. Right? Right? Please!!! Legolas's coming of age cerimony was beautiful. I think it's awesome how the families have direct participation. wipes tears away Ok. Poor Eilien. He's normally such an upbeat guy, that it's really depressing to see him down. It makes me sad! I like Alfirin. The conversation she had with Thranduil was very necisary, but she was so sweet and tactful about it. She let Thranduil know she appreciated him, but let him know his place. What's your next story going to be about? Hope it comes soon. I hope PJ puts the sea longing in ROTK. Actually what I'm really hoping for is the scouring of the Shire. God bless! Author Reply: I feel bad for Eilian too. He's gregarious and a natural optimist and he was sitting by himself and brooding. I need to fix that. I'm in the process of outlining a story that takes up a few weeks after this one ends. :-) I too want to see the sea longing, but I hear that the scouring of the Shire is not in the movie.

mer	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/25/2003
Another beautifully written chapter. I was so moved in many ways. Thanks for another wonderful story. I truly hope for another one. I could say more but I am such an emotional person... Author Reply: Thank you, mer. I've been writing fan fiction for almost a year now, and I am still enjoying it immensely, so I think you can be sure that another story is in the works. I have a long list of things I want to write about, but at the moment, I really have to see how Legolas and Beliond work things out during his first few months as a warrior!

Antigone_Q	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/25/2003
Lovely study in contrasts: Sinnarn-the-Elfling vs. Legolas-the-adult, desire vs. duty, Legolas needing care vs. providing for others. Also, I hadn't noticed before, but there seems to be a lot of going away from home and returning. Everything "has a season" and the cycles continue - very nice! You have also, by the way, made a very good completion of "Growing Under Shadow": Legolas goes out to hunt a buck, really not ready to hunt by himself and never catching it, but in this story, of course, he is required as an adult to go alone and bring back venison, and he feeds his friends and family. I absolutely loved the coming-of-age ceremony. For some reason I very much enjoy reading different interpretations of Elvish customs. I thought Legolas' ceremony was very touching. Thranduil was sweet. I was sad right along with Thranduil that he and Eilian didn't connect as well as he did with his other children. Funny, because Eilian has inherited a lot of his father's protectiveness, he just shows it in a different way. The mischievous part of me sort of hopes that Eilian has children that are just like him. I think it would give him a little more sympathy for his father. Thranduil took Alfrin's discussion very well - better, I think, than if Ithilden had brought it up. Family dynamics are funny things, aren't they? I am glad Eilian took the role Legolas' mother would have taken in the ceremony. I remember him as being sort of the maternal character in Growing Under Shadow and When Shadow touches home. And I think Legolas must have appreciated the thoughtfulness of his brother coming home and his standing in. (Didn't I say Eilian needs some Elflings of his own? Oh, well, I know there has to be a sequel coming involving Eilian at some point, because you've left Celuwen/Eilian up in the air, and the rune of protection, too, and besides that, all the major characters have ended up in the tub except Eilian. So I'm sure you'll come back to him). Now this is funny, because, while I'm not as worried about Legolas as his family is (after all, he has to last long enough to go to Rivendell for the Council), _I_ am sad that he has been posted on the eastern border, because _I_ am going to miss his family while he's gone. I'll be reading all about his adventures and loving them, but I'm sure I'll be wondering the whole time what Sinnarn is up to, and what's up with Eilian (ah, Eilian!) and who Thranduil is worrying about that day. Write more, please, Daw: write lots and lots! Author Reply: I'm glad you liked the ceremony. Nilmandra and I brainstormed about what a coming of age ceremony might look like when she was writing one for Elrond in "History Lessons," and a lot of the ideas emerged then. Hers is amusing because it takes place on a battlefield where they've already missed too many meals and too much sleep, so they basically toss Elrond in an icy river, warm him up again, and go straight to the feasting. In my head, Eilian already has a daughter whom he spoils rotten, much to Celuwen's exasperation. He's a very loving guy; Celuwen is right about that. He has always loved Legolas in that unreserved way that we associate with mothers, I think. And as an author, I am also a little worried about Legolas leaving home because it will make it harder for me to get all the characters together. Even up until now, I've had to work hard to bring Eilian in contact with everyone else sometimes. Hm. I'll have to think on that one. Thank you for the lovely long review!

Dot	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/24/2003
This chapter was a complete triumph. Was it difficult to write? It just struck me as somewhat complex in the range of different emotions to the point that it unsettled me slightly – which is its genius, I think, because while Legolas takes this step into adulthood it is the emotions of those around him that show the true significance of the day. The different parts of the ritual were beautiful and clearly well thought out. I loved the flashbacks during the ceremony itself. It’s interesting to see the scenes that stand out in Thranduil’s mind – they all seem to be filled with pride on his part and little moments of Legolas unexpectedly proving his worth. I really enjoyed watching Legolas reach this moment that he had been longing for – isn’t it strange to hear him being called ‘Lord’ Legolas?! – but like I say, I thought the best thing about this chapter were the glimpses almost ‘behind the scenes’. I’m glad that Alfirin spoke to Thranduil. That must have taken some courage, and I’m equally glad that he accepted her views and admitted his tendency to take control. Annael and Elowen went! Legolas will really miss his friend when they’re split up. I really like the way Annael looked after Legolas and knew what he wanted before Legolas did himself. And poor Elowen. I breathed a sigh of relief when Thelion went over to her in an attempt to rescue her from her thoughts. Ah Thranduil. I hope he doesn’t dwell too much on childhood left behind. You did an amazing job with him here. It was such a beautiful picture of him bathing his son, just as he did when he was a helpless elfling. It was so sad that he suddenly realised that life in Mirkwood means that a weapon is considered a great gift and a sign of adulthood. I was just thinking how hard it must have been for him to watch this last child of his enter adulthood at this time when the son he last performed this ceremony with is standing by, deep in despair from the weight of the shadow and all that life has thrown at him. He must surely wonder if this is also in the future of this excited young elf standing before him. I cried for Eilian in this chapter. I was so relieved that Thranduil reacted immediately on instinct and sent for the healer. I couldn’t bear the thought of Eilian suffering any more. The saddest part for me was Thranduil admitting to himself that his tie to Eilian was the weakest. You showed so well, though, how the shadow has affected him. His spirit seems to be completely despairing. This melancholy elf isn’t the Eilian we all know and love! Ithilden is right to take him out of the south for a while. I just wish Eilian wouldn’t fight it. I’ve become so attached to these characters that it actually hurts to see him so angry all the time! I think I had the same reaction as Thranduil, by the way, at Eilian giving Legolas his protection charm. It was such a selfless gift but Eilian without protection worries me! I really can’t wait to see how he fares. It’ll be strange now if Legolas leaves home – what’ll happen all the rest of these characters?! I’ve probably left out half the things I should have said, but suffice to say I thought it was a truly brilliant chapter:) Author Reply: In the last couple of days, I've been watching the extended DVD of TTT. And at one point, Peter Jackson says that when they shot the battle of Helm's Deep, he decided that they needed to see the human side of battle, that what mattered was what people were feeling and experiencing in the midst of this huge event. That rang true to me. It's what I try to do in battle scenes and in this chapter too. I think what we care about is how people feel and react. I was afraid that this chapter, with all the ritual, would feel too distant and dehumanized. It needed to be ritualistic, which is not everyday stuff, but we still needed to feel along with these characters, so I concentrated on their feelings, working that in wherever I could. And Eilian turned out to be key. I knew I wanted Eilian present for the ceremony. That's been in my outline from the start. But when he left Legolas without saying goodbye after the fire, it occurred to me that he was unhappy. And as soon as I wrote the greeting between him and Thranduil, I could feel the whole emotional balance of the chapter changing. There was this dark piece running along side the elation and high feeling of the coming of age. It seemed to ground it. Oh dear. I seem to be taking myself much too seriously. I am just writing fan fic after all. But I have a really good time doing it!

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/24/2003
I have only one thing to say - you WILL tell us how he fares on the Eastern border, won't you? There was so much I liked about this chapter - the coming of age ritual was so symbolic, Legolas providing for his people, and I loved Thranduil's memories of his son as an elfling. So Legolas is now officially an adult - but Thranduil and his family will not stop caring and worrying. I am reminded of my own son - 19, and legally adult in the UK, driving and working - but he is still my son, living at home, to whom I say 'Don't be too late home!' when he goes out. Jay Author Reply: I think a story about Legolas (and Beliond) on the eastern border is in order. I just need to devise a plot! Thranduil still worries about Eilian, who is 60 years older than Legolas. I can't imagine he will let Legolas go very easily, but at least the kid will be out of sight.

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