Poor E3L. Hey, if the bodies and blood and everything of the howlers disappeared - maybe the nasties with which they infected our heroes disappeared too.
All seems a bit doom and despair at the moment - most out of character for this bunch of intrepid daredevils. Still, give them a moment and I expect they'll start fighting the wind. And reaping the whirlwind.
I'm glad they got Legolas to the trees. He'll feel better for that and it might bolster him until they get their next cunning plan developed.
Author's reply
That was a very good idea. Unfortunately for our boys, I hadn’t thought of that.
It is a bit gloomy at the moment. Facing death in battle is one thing, but facing it this way is much harder. I think they would rather go quickly, but then this way will also buy them some time---for what they have no idea.
Yes the trees will be good for Legolas. Though they can’t heal him from the infection and the toxins in his body, they can certainly soothe his heart, mind and soul.
Angelelf
· 24 January 2005
· Chapter 19
NO! You can't let them all die! Find a way. Don't let Aragorn wash his hand with the blood on it. Have the trees help them. I can't wait for the next chapter.
Author's reply
Yes, I can! But the question is: Will I let them all die? I'm afraid that it's too late; Aragorn's hand has already been cleaned and bandaged. Besides, there wasn't enough blood, and Aragorn didn't know how to use it anyway. The trees can offer only soothing peace, not a cure.
sofia
· 24 January 2005
· Chapter 19
The last line was really sad. I think it would be easier to handle the situation if Legolas didn't accept it, but because he does makes it that much more... sad.
Its just a thought, but, wasn't the reason for Legolas not getting better is the fact that he swallowed the howler's blood? And if that is true than I don't think the twin's will die because they haven't swallowed the howler's blood.
-sofia
Author's reply
I don’t think Legolas wants to accept his death any more than the rest of them do, but when you don’t have the knowledge or the means to devise a cure, what else can you do? It is sad.
You’ve hit upon a good point, but our boys haven’t figured that out yet. Just wait. :o)
Sindar90
· 24 January 2005
· Chapter 19
And again you are going to kill him? What has he done to you? Poor Legolas!!! But it's good, that he doesn't afraid dying...
This part i really liked:
When Elrohir reached them, the three on the ground mounted. Legolas insisted on riding alone. He had to assure Aragorn several times before the ranger would accept that the elf could stay mounted without help. “I have been riding since before I could walk, Estel.”
“Yes, mellon nin, but you were not wounded before you could walk,” the man replied sternly.
“Are you so sure?” Elrohir asked. “He has been injured so often, he must have had a very early start.”
The remark earned Elrohir a very hard glare from the Prince of Mirkwood. However, it was hard to become angry at the youngest twin, since he was actually right. Legolas clearly remembered being injured in a bridge collapse when he was a small child. That little incident would remain his secret.
It was very funny, tought this chapter was guite sad...
I wonder what is going to safe them...Or i think that thy are going to be saved...I just hope it...
But if Legolas would really die, i would want to see what, Thranduil would do to Aragorn...Would he throw him to dungeons or would he kill him? So many guestions, so many answers to get...
It has been while since i last time wrote to you...My London trip was very good...I liked flying very much, but i must admit that i was guite afraid at first time...
Author's reply
The only thing Legolas has done to me is to present a wonderful target for angst. Not his fault but not mine, either. :o)
Glad you liked that bit of humor. No matter what is going on, those four can always find something funny to say.
What Thranduil would do to Aragorn probably couldn’t be revealed on this site. It only goes to an R rating. But don’t forget, Aragorn thinks he’s dying, too, so no one would ever know what happened to them.
I’m glad your trip was good. I love London. I also love to fly.
daw the minstrel
· 24 January 2005
· Chapter 19
It's an interesting thought that they're dying from bites of creatures who no longer exist. I wonder what was in the bite that created the illness in the elves and man? Are we talking bacteria here or some sort of parasite or mystical connection or what?
Author's reply
I obviously also thought that was an interesting observation. After I wrote that, it made me think of the scene in Jurassic Park when the lawyer was eaten by the T-rex. Being killed by a creature that died out over sixty-five million years ago had to suck.
I’ll explain all before the end.
sofia
· 13 January 2005
· Chapter 18
well that is not a light mood to leave the story. Just like Elrohir and Aragorn what happened to the body-and the blood- was totally unexpected.
-sofia
Author's reply
No, it wasn't a light mood at all. It was rather depressing, actually. I'm glad you were surprised. Being unpredictable is one of my goals. :o)
daw the minstrel
· 13 January 2005
· Chapter 18
Well, that was unexpected. They vanished? How odd. I'm sitting here trying to figure out how you'll pull this out and I have no idea.
Author's reply
I told you they were all in for a surprise regarding the anitdote. Aragorn's theory about why the howlers collapsed into dust was right. I'm gald you haven't figured out the answer, if there is one, of course. :o) I don't want to be too predictable.
Bodkin
· 13 January 2005
· Chapter 18
'he knew from experience' He's right there!! Experience of disaster they all have in plenty.
So the bodies became dust - it's a good thing that Elladan saw it happening or they would think they had gone mad when there was no evidence of their ever having been there. On the other hand . . . it's a bit of a downer that there's no DNA for working up the antidote. I don't suppose he collected any howler-dust? At the very least he could have used it to fertilise the roses.
(I just got a picture of them getting up and leaving - and the ones with heads politely going after the loose heads and returning them to their owners and then sorting through the variety of unattached limbs. 'I believe this arm is yours.')
Author's reply
They do attract disasters, don't they?
If it weren't for the bites they all sustained, I wuold agree with you. I hadn't thought of the dust as fertilizer. Would we then have had immortal roses? I do deal with the dust issue in the next chapter.
You are sick, though that is a funny image. :o)
Sitaray
· 11 January 2005
· Chapter 17
great story...can't wait to see what happens next....
write soon...
Nita
Author's reply
Thank you. I try to be entertaining and also keep my readers wanting more.
I will update later this week.
daw the minstrel
· 10 January 2005
· Chapter 17
I thought those bites were particularly evil. We'll see how all four of them do now. I hope Estel is still ready to brew up some antidote.
Author's reply
Evil, indeed. I cringed writing that bit. :o) Since their teeth were the howlers' only weapon, it made sense all of our boys would get bit. Estel is in for a big surprise regarding the antidote. They all are, actually.
Karri
· 7 January 2005
· Chapter 17
Hmm, I'm not sure whether to say YAY! or UH-OH! Being rid of the Howlers has to be at least some improvement in their situation, but ai! ... Terrific chapter! :-)
Author's reply
Being rid of their enemies has got to be a good thing, but then where does that leave our heroes, who have all been bitten? Right? Ai! indeed. Thank you.
sofia
· 4 January 2005
· Chapter 17
yay, they are dead. Too bad they were not able to find a cure from the howlers blood.
-sofia
Author's reply
Yes, the howlers are finally dead. They will be very upset when they hear the news Elladan will give them in the next chapter.
Author Reply: I reread what I wrote, and it sounds like its the howlers that will be upset. I meant Aragorn, Legolas and Elrohir are the ones that will be upset.
Bodkin
· 4 January 2005
· Chapter 17
One step forwards, two steps back?
Getting rid of the howlers must be a good thing, but somehow I fear that there will be rather large problems to deal with yet. They've all been bitten. This cannot be good. Elladan has the least serious bite - so I just hope that keeps him mens sana in corpore sano just long enough to save the rest. Legolas is not in a good way - the elf needs help. Soon.
Author's reply
Isn't that the truth.
Dead howlers is indeed a good thing. As for the fact that they've now all been bitten is not necessarily as dire as it seems. The next chapter should help to explain that enigmatic statement. Elladan will be the bearer of some very bad news very soon, and he won't be happy about having to do it. As for Legolas, he only gets worse. Poor baby.
Lindelea
· 4 January 2005
· Chapter 14
Whew, deep exhalation. Skilfully done.
"The three brothers from Rivendell"--a nice turn of phrase, very descriptive.
The bantering between the brothers was great, battlefield humour.
You have a few misplaced ; marks, but you're probably aware of that. It was a bit disconcerting to run across them. For example: (A mentally aware Legolas would have known that they were headed back down the ;mountain.) I think there was another one that said ;his or something like that.
The operation was gripping, the ending heart-wrenching. Unfortunately, I have no more time for reading! Aargh.
Author's reply
Thank you.
It would have been boring to keep saying the human and the two elves. They were brothers and they were from Rivendell, so why not mention that occasionally? Glad you liked it.
I've always felt that all of them, Legolas included, would find some humor in any situation. They just can't help themselves. :o)
Sometimes when I'm typing, my little finger develops a life of its own, and I end up with a semi-colon where is doesn't belong. I catch most of them but missed those you mentioned. Thank you for pointing them out. They have been corrected.
I thought that since I had put so much emphasis on Legolas's wound, I should do trying to fix it justice. The part about him seeing the stars was the best way I could think of to show his state of mind at the time.
I hope to hear from you in later chapters, when you have the time to read them.
Eruanna
· 23 December 2004
· Chapter 16
Ooooh, it's getting tense!!!
My POOR x (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to the 50th power) BABY!
Very interesting, though, about him still being himself somewhere inside, even when he was actually sleeping. And something about the words "and here he was, not only dying again, but as usual..." seemed somewhat comical. :)
And just how did I know that they wouldn't make it past the snowline just yet? You are positively cruel.
Very ominous little cliffy you got there. Good job!
Author's reply
Tense is good.
Oh my. That is indeed a poor baby.
I believe that the inner workings of an elf's mind can be somewhat detached from their conscious mind. I was afraid that line was a bit humorous without me wanting it to be, but I wanted to get that idea across, so I left it in the story. I hope you didn't laugh too hard. :o)
I guess you knew, because you know me. I do tend to be cruel from time to time. After all, this is an angst story, complete with cliffies.
Sitaray
· 22 December 2004
· Chapter 16
oooh...i love it...write more soon...and I did read the wrong path, and I loved it as well, so i'm glad to see this is a bit of a sequel :)
Nita
Author's reply
Thank you very much. I'm glad to hear you also loved "The Wrong Path". I hope to hear more from you. There will be an update right after the holidays.
sofia
· 21 December 2004
· Chapter 16
Elladan and Elrohir can take them! Anywho- I think that the howlers will have chaos if the leader dies only because they've never had another leader that died before.
"howlers’ need to consume only live prey" Now that is something that I would yell at them if I was there. But I'm not so more soon please.
-sofia
Author's reply
You love those twins, don't you? So do I. I think the howler is handing our boys a line of bull to discourage them from trying to fight. I wanted to make the howlers as bad as I could and eating live prey seemed like one good way of doing that. There will be more after the holidays.
Karri
· 21 December 2004
· Chapter 16
A lovely, angsty chapter. Very entertaining! :-D I am hoping that the Howlers still wanting to eat him mean that their blood is not turning him into a Howler.
Author's reply
Glad you like the chapter. Entertainment is my goal, plus I just plain love to write. Clever of you to figure out that the holwers wouldn't be intending to eat someone they wanted to join them.
Sindar90
· 21 December 2004
· Chapter 16
Damn, you are good, too good...it's good you have written this, and that i had time to read it...because i'm leaving to London tomorrrow night...i have never been in an aeroplane before, so i'm really nervous about it...But this is really good chapter...again...Poor legolas...
- and moms says: I allready have friends in england - a welder that seems to think that I am somekind of wonderwoman... maybe I find something suitable to wear - something for superwoman...
They say that you can find allmost everything from Harrods (the owner is married to a finnish woman)
Author's reply
Thank you for liking my writing. I appreciate the compliment.
I hope you have a great time in London. It's been a while since I was there, but I love London. See everything you get the chance to see. There is so much there to enjoy. I shopped at Harrod's. It is a fantastic store. And they sell everything but automobiles. I hope you have a great time. I also hope you enjoy flying. I love that, too.
daw the minstrel
· 21 December 2004
· Chapter 16
I can't decide if they made progress in this chapter or not. I think yes. At least there are three healthy and very dangerous warriors facing the howlers rather than one sick elf.
Author's reply
I agree. Alone Legolas wouldn't have had much of a chance against those creatures, even if he had been healthy. Having his friends with him, gives him a better chance, though not a guaranteed one - for any of them.
Bodkin
· 21 December 2004
· Chapter 16
Oh no! Poor Legolas - brain working, mouth not.
That last line is horrible! Surely death is not the only way Legolas can escape from the horrible howlers. Just as they were hoping to get away too.
(I didn't think it would be that easy!)
Author's reply
I think Legolas would have been better off, if his inner mind was not working so well either. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.
No, death is not Legolas's only avenue of escape. E3 just have to find another way - if they can.
Nothing is ever easy for those four, is it?
Sindar90
· 11 December 2004
· Chapter 15
I don't know what to do...Should i do something evil to you or let you live? Reason why i want to do something evil to you, is simple: 1) POOR LEGOLAS!!! 2) Blood? What about vampire's...if they are gonna drink from howler, what then? Well, maybe i just over reacted...I guess there is no vampire's in the middle-earth???
But i can't do something evil to you...because you are too good writer...Damn, for that...
I just watched Return of the king- movie- extented DVD edition (have you seen it?), and i almoust died from laught, it was because Legolas and Gimli had drinking-competition...And legolas, of course, won the game...
Please write more fast, because i really like your stories...if you didn't get that yet??? =)
Greetings from your Finnish-reader....
(If there is something wrong on my writing, remember that i'm very young and english isn't my mother-language...*evil grin*)
Author's reply
Yes, of course, you should let me live. How else will you find out what happens? There were indeed vampires in Middle-earth. Tolkien only named one of them, which was Thuringwethil, a servant of Morgoth and Sauron. They were described as being bat-like creatures, so I guess they weren't the kind that looked human like Dracula did, for instance.
I'm so glad you like my writing. I'll have to take care to keep it good, so you won't hurt me.
The extended edition of ROTK comes out here (the US) on Tuesday. I've already ordered it, so I should have it by the end of next week, hopefully. I can't imagine Legolas and Gimli having a drinking contest. That should be good.
I remember you are from Finland. Don't worry about your English. I understand you just fine.
daw the minstrel
· 10 December 2004
· Chapter 15
Interesting. The twins and Aragorn are like detectives here. Legolas is actually kind of amusing as he proudly tells what he knows. He apparently is past worrying!
Author's reply
Interesting observations. There is an element of amusement there, as well as frustration. The next chapter will show a lot of Legolas's inner thoughts.
Karri
· 10 December 2004
· Chapter 15
Very good. The angst was nicely written. :-) Now, if you could assure me that this isn't a matter of drinking the blood of a Howler turns one into a Howler, I'd appreciate it muchly.
Author's reply
Thank you so much. If only I could reassure you one way or the other, but I can't spill the beans just yet. I'm sure you'll still be able to sleep at night until I reveal all. :o)
sofia
· 10 December 2004
· Chapter 15
I can totally picture Legolas retelling what he knows of the howlers and then straying off topic or something like that. I think its a good image to show his condition. And I totally forgot about the part when Legolas bit the howler and swallowed the blood, that had left my mind completely. Can't wait for more.
-sofia
Author's reply
Thank you. The straying off topic showing Legolas's condition was exactly what I was going for.
The part about swallowing the blood is the crux of Legolas's problems and that leads to the problems Aragorn and the twins have had and they all will have.