Reviews (214)

Author's reply

Thank you! I don't really think Arwen gets a lot of credit - she seems to be seen as a rather irritating canon addition to the general fun and games. But she spent a long time watching over Estel and helping him stay on the right path - and she, really, was the one with experience when it came to running kingdoms. And managing touchy councillors. There must, given their fighting prowess and that they fought with long sharp blades and axes, have been a lot of elves with the kind of injuries that even elven healing couldn't touch. And that's not to mention the kind of belly wounds that soldiers of the past just didn't survive at all. Lost limbs cannot have been that unusual in times of war and immortal life could only mean that said elves a) were still around living useful lives, b)sailed to the Blessed Realm, which would then have been full of war-damaged elves, or c) faded. Gave up their lives because physical perfection was so important to them as a race. I find it hard to go with c). Surely they could not have been that narcissistic - and their understanding of Arda was not one that rejected anything that wasn't perfect. The saving the Elven Ringbearers from being taken by Sauron - I have seen it elsewhere. Nilmandra and Marnie come to mind, and someone (sorry, forgotten who) used it as a possibility to save Frodo if Elrond hadn't been able to get the Morgul shard out - but it is such a logical idea. Armies have long done similar things to prevent people falling into the hands of the enemy and, as enemies go, there couldn't really be worse hands to fall into. And not thinking of it would be worse - knowing that failure would lead to Elrond and Galadriel - and Gandalf - becoming wraiths enslaved to Sauron. Arwen wasn't supposed to get that job, but it just made too much sense. She was the one there. Boromir was the least likely to end up on a mission that required secrecy - Faramir would have been better - but he was a given, really. Going home to Minas Tirith: how couldn't Elrond have picked him! And he proved his worth, even if in a rather twisted way. Those left behind wouldn't have been able to resist all the second guessing, either. And, afterwards, be able to tell them what mistakes they made, I shouldn't wonder! The aftermath is often worse the original struggle and lasts far longer (like chapters 13 and 14, full of sad bits and really sad bits) and I'm deeply grateful to E2 for the way they manage to lighten the mood. Most of the time. I'm glad you liked it. More soon.

Author's reply

Light is getting harder and harder - there's a bit of it in the next chapter, but the one after! It's just impossible. I find these elves are getting increasingly likely to muse a bit on their ancestors! It just seems that they (and I) are finding more and more things in common with the struggles of the past! I think Glorfindel may have learned the value of keeping your hopes high on the Helcaraxe and the flight from Gondolin - and that for all that everything might seem lost, there is always a chance. Unstoppable change - one way or another, nothing will be the same again. That must be really frightening to elves who can spend a century contemplating a single song. And she had so little time - betrothed 40 odd years and at the very best a century to be with the man she loves. Three per cent of her life. It must at this point have seemed less than a blink. Curaniel didn't realise that there had been someone watching over Galadriel -(Harthad, I think) - prepared to see that Sauron could not rip her soul from her body and turn her into his Witch Queen. But she could see that she was operating on long experience and that she was having difficulty pulling herself together. I think Galadriel would have got any weakness under wraps by the time the wedding party arrived - not that she wasn't hurt, but she wasn't showing it. Or not in a way that a relative stranger would realise. Meet in the Blessed Realm - of course they do! Mithrandir really should pop up sometime, shouldn't he. Now, that makes me think of something more cheerful!

Author's reply

Thank you, Karen! This wasn't the hardest chapter - but it's all downhill from now! The next one contains a lot of pain - and the one after - aaarrrgghh! But what can you do? I think I've taken the last bit and epilogued it. Although even that can't do a lot for the jolliness factor of chapter 14. I'm sure that Glorfindel, in particular, would have given some thought to getting the kids out of there and on their way to Naneth. It would never have worked though. The twins wouldn't have backed away from the fight and I reckon Arwen would never have been prepared to leave them all. And whatever the end, it was going to make them all suffer. I know the what-to-do-if-Sauron-gets-the-Ring dilemma is a shared thought (thanks, everyone else), but really, it makes tremendous sense that there would have been someone on hand to see that the Ringbearers were not Nazguled. (I wonder if someone had been detailed to see that Gandalf didn't survive?) And the effect of the Ring's destruction on the Elven Rings, even if they weren't deprived of their power, must have been shocking to the bearers. In some ways becoming more real and in some ways losing touch with the world, I think. An unfillable gap that drew on their remaining strength. The twins needed to fight - professional orc-slayers as they were - and it's not as if a suitable degree of battle came to Imladris. In Lothlorien, now, they might have been hard pushed to go and offer little brother their aid. Had they stayed home - they would have had to sail to hide their embarrassment. I expect Mithrandir was at the point where he couldn't quite believe it would all go according to plan. After all, he must have out-lucked anything he could imagine! Next chapter soon. Make sure you have chocolate handy for the rest.

Author's reply

Thank you. I really enjoyed writing the Dead Marshes - they are a truly nightmarish environment. And Smeagol is such a sad - if horrific - character. I enjoy the opportunity of adding the light and amusing encounters to the increasing intensity of events - it is great fun to look at some characters when they are 'off-duty'!

Author's reply

Poor twins. I can't help but feel that if they had been slightly less committed to orc-slaughter, they might have been slightly more suited to secretive missions - but they would have hated being left behind. And all those maps are just irresistible. They would have had to sit back and plan the best route! Elrond - what a star! - he's seen and suffered so much. If anyone could do this with grace and understanding, it would be him. It must be so hard on him to take a back seat, too, and know that the action that would change his world for ever was taking place elsewhere. Poor Haldir. You have to have someone to grouse - and he's just so good at it! Thank you. I'm glad you liked this. Now the next couple of chapters and the epilogue (I think it has to be an epilogue, just in case it's too out of character) - that's a whole different matter!

Author's reply

Thank you, GA! I shall have to do the same myself - the trouble with writing over such an extended period - this was first posted about eight months ago - is that you tend to forget just how it started and it evolves as you go. The Aragorn-Arwen story is a very difficult one - in superficial ways very romantic, but actually full of tragedy, loss and uncertainty. More soon!

Author's reply

Thank you - I'm glad you're liking it. It's so interesting to take another viewpoint on stories and almost completely ignore the main business of the Fellowship. Tough on those guarding the guardians - they wouldn't have known quite what to expect if Sauron regained his ring, but they could make a pretty educated guess and know it wouldn't be good. And Glorfindel and Celeborn were far too wise and wily not to be ready for it. I'm flattered that you enjoy my work - I shall immediately go and write some more!

Author's reply

It is, I am afraid, getting harder and harder to avoid sadness. However much joy is involved in Aragorn's accession and his marriage with Arwen, it is countered by sadness and loss. They don't have time to think about it at the moment - and there are still too many obstacles to be passed, but... Glorfindel is forced - much against his will - to hand on to others the responsibility for ensuring that Sauron cannot break Elrond, and Celeborn, too, would have had to to the same. (Harthad got the job, actually - but the detail missed the cut.) Better in Namo's Halls than enslaved by the Dark Lord. Elrond and Galadriel were both shocked by the effect of the Ring's destruction - but at least it ensured that they knew instantly what had happened! And I quite forgot until this minute that their next information probably came courtesy of the Great Eagles. I admit I quite enjoyed dealing with the whole of the WotR without ever featuring the major players from the Fellowship. It made a different perspective. Thank you. I'm glad you liked it - and I hope the rest isn't going to be too depressing.

Author's reply

Thank you! I am currently struggling with the fact that the post-War section of the story cannot help but contain tragic elements - which is rather difficult. Arwen and her brothers have had a long time to establish little rituals like these - and use them as expressions to give voice to the love that they have for each other. And as long as you tell everyone that they are your favourite, who can object!

Author's reply

Perfectly understandable - there is so much to do, one way or another, and the Christmas season only seems to make it worse. I'm glad you are enjoying this story - I'm finding at the moment that it is one where, short of stopping with the bells of Minas Tirith ringing out for their wedding, there is no way of achieving a happy ending! It's even getting rather hard to insert moments of joy. It's odd, isn't it, how much easier it is to manage anticipation. Realisation, however, can be much darker. Thank you for commenting. Good to hear from you.

Author's reply

You need a cup of tea. Even if she must be drinking a herbal brew rather than a good cup of Ceylon or Darjeeling. It says in the Appendix that Arwen watched over him in thought. That could, of course, mean that she was doing just that - watching. But I want Arwen to be a bit more involved than being a kind of Lady of Shalott. Their communication must have been fairly empathetic rather than too specific, and I suspect she was more able to control it than he was, but she would have used any link to offer Aragorn support and comfort. Arwen just seems to be abandoned - they ride away and leave her to be Aragorn's wife and queen - although Legolas (no evidence he was a friend before the war) is around, and her brothers and grandfather at least remain east of the sea for an unspecified time. I just cannot imagine Galadriel or Celeborn or Elrond or, come to that, Aragorn doing that to her. She would have wanted a friend. And even Gondor wouldn't, surely, have looked on as one fair-haired elleth as a threat. Thank you. I'm glad you like the way Aragorn and Arwen have come out.

Author's reply

Thank you. There was an icon thing doing the rounds after July 7th, with the general message that a nice cup of tea could make all things better! Don't know about that - but it does help. It's a comfort food that is (when sugar-free) non-fattening, too! I like Harthad. I had a little job for him in the next chapter, but I don't think it will become apparent what it was. Shame really, but suddenly there is just so much to include in the space available. Some of the Dunedain would be quite familiar with the elves of Imladris, I think, but the women and children would probably be less so - and crisis time is difficult for all of them. It must be rather much to be taken into the care of tall, beautiful, silent, alien creatures when you are feeling particularly dirty and lost. Children would adapt first, of course. And I don't know that Arwen has too much to worry about in Gondor - queens are supposed to be tall, beautiful, remote, other worldly - and silent! An elf would be perfect for that. Arwen's problem will be more in wanting to be real. Most stories seem to have Arwen alone in Minas Tirith - yes, Legolas is around on and off, there and in Ithilien and her brothers turn up occasionally, but surely she would need more than that. I reckon she and Eowyn would actually get on quite well (once Eowyn had got used to her) because they are both foreigners popped down at the pinnacle of Gondorian sociaty, but Galadriel would never have left that to chance. Even wanting to blend in - which would be a sensible thing to do - nobody would begrudge the queen one attendant/friend from her own people. Poor Aragorn. That was some task that Mithrandir set him. Difficult and dangerous and it took him to some places that one would think it would be wise for the last heir of Isildur to avoid! (It was a great opportunity to indulge myself on descriptive bits too!) And poor Gollum. Living on rage and desperation here, I would think. I liked the horse! It's fun to throw in some frivolity. Glorfindel is a very useful character for being there at key moments and revealing information. Bathing habits are so useful! It'll be a shame once Aragorn has an unfortunate valet (and a wife) to ensure he doesn't get too rank. But anyone who spends weeks in the saddle, living in the wild and cooking over camp fires is going to be a little malodorous. It's not his fault! It just goes with the job. This was fun to write - the next one is a bit too action-packed for me - and the one after is getting rather lugubrious. And I'm not looking forward to the end. Might just have to throw in a very, very far-in-the-future epilogue, just to cheer me up. Glad you liked it! Sorry about the delay in replying, but I wanted enough time to do a reply justice!

Author's reply

The Appendix says that Arwen watched over Aragorn in thought - and that must have led to some really disconcerting moments when she was sitting in the luxury of Imladris touching the thought of someone on the edge of nowhere enduring intense physical discomfort! I couldn't feel they were able to contact each other in the Elrond/Galadriel conversation manner. (It would have been too useful for passing messages.) But there must have been a level of emotional contact where Arwen could have offered support to Aragorn. I like Mithrandir and the twins together - he and they are good at appearing harmless, but they all know that it's fiction. I'm not sure that everyone has cottoned on to quite how illusory the twins' frivolity is, but Mithrandir certainly knows! Thank you - I'm glad you liked it. Happy New Year to you too!

Author's reply

OCs! Designed to make life difficult!

Author's reply

I'm not very good with chapter titles. (As proved by the fact that I have only recently noticed that two chapters have the same title!) I often mean to change them later - and don't get round to it. Here the beat is speeding up as the age comes closer to its end and all the threads are drawing together. The Dead Marshes - and Gollum - are a gift for a bit of descriptive overkill! I couldn't resist. And a superb place for despair. The Appendix says that Arwen watched over him in thought - and there must (I think) have been a level of emotional rapport tied up in that. Not (as would have been useful) real communication. Flashes, perhaps, for Arwen to see, but passing and inconsistent. And it's great to counter Aragorn in the wild with Arwen making tea and organising Dunedain refugees! When I saw LWW the other day, it make me link this with the evacuation of the big cities in 2WW - I can picture the Dunedain (even Halbarad) wanting to send the old folk and mothers with their kids off to fairyland where they will be safe while the big tough Rangers take on the world. And I could imagine, too, that the response of the uninitiated to elves might worry Arwen and make her fear that, in cleaving to Aragorn, she was condemning herself to being an outsider for the rest of her life. Galadriel has far too much sense to want to fill the Citadel with elves - any more than she surrounds herself with Noldor - but Arwen will, at times, need someone who understands without having to be told, and surely Gondor will be able to cope with another elleth! Their society is fairly male-dominated, so a girl won't be too much of a threat to them - especially if she makes it perfectly plain that she has no interest in romantic involvement with any of them! And how long is a century or two to Galadriel, who grew up under the Two Trees? I wonder if she has a better understanding than those elves who are solely of Arda of the nature of different planes of existence? It could account for why she is more willing to accept Arwen's choice. I must admit I enjoy playing with segments containing the twins. They can be whatever they want - but they are usually happy to conceal the serious beneath a layer of humour and Gandalf enjoys that, too. The next chapter is going to be a tough one to keep light, though! Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

Author's reply

The Appendix says she watched over him in thought - and it must have sustained them both, I would have thought. And worried her a lot, probably. It must have worried Arwen to think how men would deal with an elven queen - mankind isn't really noted for being broad-minded and tolerant. The elf/man unions in the past involved the man part living among elves: Luthien/Beren, Tuor/Idril - I can only think of Mithrellas/Imrazor where the elf lived among men. Of course, queens are looked on with wonder anyway and not treated like normal people - but Arwen must have been very certain of her love for Aragorn to be prepared to subject herself to an alien life among strangers. And Galadriel is determined that she shall have at least one person by her side who shares a common background. (And I think Eowyn would be a great help - they are both strangers to Gondor.) The twins are quite happy to let people think of them as pussycats - but when they want, the lion emerges. Thank you. I am glad you like this story. That makes me happy!

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I am writing far too much at once, really. Sometimes things just want to be put on paper - and the Midwinter stuff was all short and didn't require sustained thought. And then, in truth, this chapter has been written for weeks. I just wanted to leave it to reread and check over. I'm about half-way through the next now. Thank you - I'm very flattered. I hope you continue to enjoy the stories.

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It says in the Appendix:- 'Arwen remained in Rivendell, and when Aragorn was abroad, from afar she watched over him in thought'. I felt that their level of contact cannot have been too explicit - although it would, at times, have been very useful if Arwen had known exactly what was going on! But I think there must have been a level of emotional support that kept him going. There is just so much emotion going on at this time! Not necessarily a huge amount of action - unlike the next chapter, where there is far too much action! Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

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Sorry. Probably not the best title. But then, I managed to give two chapters the same title, so they're clearly not my best feature! There is a feeling of oncoming doom now, though. It reminds me of when you get loads of drummers starting quite slowly and then getting faster and faster until bam! they all stop. And the beat is getting faster all the time now. I can (well, I did) imagine that, as dangers increased, the Dunedain might well send the old, the young and their mothers to Imladris. Evacuating the danger points would seem sensible - and the warriors will be able to fight more happily for knowing that their families are safe. Or as safe as they can be. If anyone is going to be prepared it would be Galadriel. She did less to fight off this future, because she can accept the inevitable if she has to, but she would certainly want the inevitable to be moulded to suit her. I can imagine, actually, that she has already pleaded with the Valar that her grandsons' choice should be delayed so that they might stay by their sister's side as long as she lives. Or, if she hasn't, she already has her speech written. The twins can do light-hearted. They can do frivolous. They're pretty good at mischievous. But they can shed that at will and be the wise and powerful heirs of a plethora of strong houses of men and elves. Those who overlook that are making a big mistake! One that Mithrandir will avoid. I can see that stepping into the mortal world could be terrifying for Arwen - she is showing total trust in Aragorn there. And the mortals could reject her - not overtly, probably, but simply in holding back and isolating her. Fortunately Galadriel knows she will need someone - not a house full of elves, that would end up, quite possibly, in turning public opinion against Aragorn - but someone to whom she does not have to explain things because they share a common understanding of the world. And then she will have Eowyn - and I think that will be very good for her, because Eowyn will also be an alien in the world of Minas Tirith and they can support each other. I'm glad you enjoyed it! And a Happy New Year to you.

Author's reply

Arwen has a right to feel annoyed! They all come home to be cossetted and then, bam, off they go into another adventure! She must hardly ever see them unless they are covered in blood. I like Gilraen - she is such a strong character - but her role is sacrificial. She abandons her own life to nurture her son and, I suspect, when she was eventually free to return to the world she had been hankering for over however many years, she found that life outside Imladris had moved on and she didn't belong there either. I think she had probably lost much of her urge to fight for survival - and that she was afraid to endure to the end, because she feared that Aragorn might fail. Also, her long years in Imladris probably reduced her ability to cope with the general infections and hardships of life beyond the bounds of the elven haven. She did die - and she was young for her people. Probably a combination of factors led to her death. It's a pity she didn't live long enough to see her son become king. I'm glad you liked the Mithrandir part! I was going to try to avoid the action - but every now and then a reminder of what is happening is necessary to move the years along. Thank you - I'm glad you are liking this.

Author's reply

Poor Estel. He doesn't understand the impulse that leads a mother to shout at a child she has just pulled out of the road. Yet.

Author's reply

Thank you so much. I loved writing this chapter. It all just flowed and came together - and some of those turns of phrase just wrote themselves. I do feel that Elrond would have been dreadfully torn - and yet he must have known that this was likely to happen. (Glorfindel wouldn't know who to defend and who to blame!) But Elrond was Estel's adar as well. And Elrond is all about love and giving and sacrifice. His role seems to be largely - in the Third Age, anyway - that of a nurturer who must ensure that everyone is in place and prepared to take the action that will then rob him of many of the places and people for whom he most cares. And Aragorn had to be brought up by elves - which makes Arathorn another sacrifice - in order to be able to stand up to them, and to be the kind of person to whom Arwen would be attracted. And to be the kind of person who can delay gratification over the best part of seventy years while remaining focused and loyal. The twins are displeased, in a way - they don't want their little sister to choose mortality - but they are brothers to both parties and tormenting little brothers is traditional! Arwen can twist most of Imladris's males - and Celeborn - round her little finger, though, and her brothers will find it easier than her adar will to let her have her way. For the next century, anyway. The Frodo's parents episode - well, as soon as I realised it was the same year, it just begged to be included. And you are right - I kept it because it helped set the emotional events in the timeline leading up to the War of the Ring. I am so pleased you liked this - and that you picked out some of my favourite parts! I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the story.

Author's reply

Gilraen - like most of the female characters - is under-recognised and doesn't get enough credit. But then, most of the female characters display female characteristics: resilience, self-sacrifice, determination, caring and so on - and they tend not (Eowyn excepted) to run round with swords slaying baddies, so they are not particularly obvious about what they do. Aragorn left Imladris at 20, got betrothed at 50ish - and Gilraen lived another 27 years. She had a pretty good chance to come to know Arwen and I can't imagine any other reason she would want to hang around Imladris. Although - despite her family - going back to her previous life wasn't exactly going to happen either. She had been totally dislocated from normal Dunedain life. I love Glorfindel - and we know Imladris wasn't really subjected to much in the way of attack - but they didn't. I've a feeling that there must have been a bit of a move to get non-combatants to sail, too, while those who remained prepared for the last battles. Poor Aragorn! Still - I'm with Arwen. I'm sure he only turned up to be tended, cleaned, healed and fed before going off to save the world again, while she was left behind to be protected - and worry herself sick! Mithrandir seems to be popping up in a wizardly way to point out that the story is proceeding. Very appropriate! He's in the next chapter, too! I'm so glad you liked the Aragorn/Gilraen final meeting. And it doesn't seem to matter how you try to see the joyful side of this, the whole situation is chock full of grief and uncertainty. Thank you!

Author's reply

Thank you. It's such a sad moment. I can imagine that Aragorn, once he had ridden away, tried to turn a blind eye to the signs he had seen and - because he was so busy, probably managed to convince himself - but Gilraen knew. She knew she would not endure another winter - and that she would pass before her son returned. I'm so pleased you think I did this meeting credit.

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It's speeding up as the age moves to an end. Knowing her time with Aragorn was limited by his mortality - even as Isildur's heir he wasn't going to last anywhere near Elros's 500 or so - each of those fifty odd years must have felt like dropping pearls in a well. But I agree that Gilraen's fate - and much of her life - is so sad. All about sacrifice for the greater good. And love - and loneliness. Those years in Imladris must have been hard, especially after Aragorn grew up and left - she had about 45 years after that and, despite whatever family she had, she lived them alone - and in fear for her son's future. I'm not surprised, in a way, that she didn't want to see the outcome. She deserved her final meeting. And then, of course, she had to say those words! Thank you. I hope your affairs settle down a bit so you can relax for a while.