Reviews (172)

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He's going to end up longing to put his feet up in his own kingdom for an age or two. His people are scattered over the populated face of the BR - and the only way he can help them is to forge friendships with all the kindreds. Which makes him Party Elf of the Fourth Age! He and Elerrina aren't going to find it easy to overcome the sheer inappropriateness of a Sindar/Silvan prince yearning after a Noldor cousin of the Feanorionnath, either. Or, come to that, the daughter of a War of Wrath vet hankering for one of those backward native elves. Not to mention his being the grandson of That Elf, too. Good thing that there's a whole raft of stories about What Came Later!

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The Blessed Realm is one of those things that sounds a terrific place - until you really start thinking about the likes of Galadriel and Thranduil and Celeborn all stuck together with a bunch of Calaquendi-are-the-Valars'-own-people types in the same place for ever with nowhere else to go. And then add in the possibility of re-embodied figures such as Maeglin and Fingolfin and Turgon - and all the kings and lords left with no-one to rule and no-one to fight. The Blessed Realm has the potential for being anything but, I think! And Legolas is about the only natural leader of the Silvan - since the only way that most of them get there is via Namo's Halls. And he is, of course, several millennia younger than most of the rest - and sorely inexperienced in political manoeuvring. Still. It'll stop him from getting bored!

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The more I think about Taryatur, the more I like him. He and Linevende started off as cliches - but as you work with them you get to see more and more layers. Taryatur is a loving father who wants the best for his daughter - and he doesn't think Legolas is the best. For all sorts of reasons - partly because nobody would be good enough for Elerrina, partly because of his family connections, partly because he has seen and done things that Taryatur considers corrupting - I mean, would you want your daughter to marry someone you look on as a mass murderer? Who has grown up in a corrupt society? And yet he is up against the elven ability to 'know' the right one for you. In a way, his determination to fight it is quite noble... And then he just can't give in and accept it. The thought about how the inhabitants of the Blessed Realm coped with the kin of the Kinslayers is fascinating - and what life was like there after the defiant Noldor marched away. I think there would have been a lot of bitterness and resentment aimed at those who might have been seen as having the power to stop it. Not just from the Teleri, but also from the families that had been torn apart as husbands and fathers and son - and sometimes whole families of grandchildren - left behind in safety those who would now feel deserted. I think Nerdanel would withdraw from society - while Finarfin, of course, took up the burden of kingship. And people being what they are, it would be easier to turn their backs on her kin than on Feanor's regal line. Elven society seems to be divided into Houses - and they do seem to be patriarchal! Elerrina is a much-loved daughter. She obeys her father through love and duty - and she has been brought up to see the world through his eyes. She is going to resist the attraction she feels towards Legolas - and trust her father's perception. He knows more than she does. He's older and wiser and he has visited those lands east of the sea. And she has experience of people who have held themselves aloof from her as a cousin to the sons of Feanor. Possibly even been rejected by those of Ennor who would be horrified at the idea of kin to the Feanorionnath. Ultimately, of course, attraction will be stronger than compliance but it takes at least 300 years. Sarcasm from Finrod? No - a bit of helpless realism. Legolas must seem so young to many of these ancient elves - and yet he has experienced things that creates a bond between them. Old warriors together. While much older elves who have never known anything more dangerous than a sharp remark seem naive to them. I can't remember offhand what I think Litheredh means. Something innocuous, certainly. Something-seed, I think. A tree. Have I got it wrong? Perhaps I should retain you as name consultant! Finding good names is a torture, I find. Legolas is bound to encounter some people who knew his grandfather, I would think. It would be great if he found someone who knew him as a child. I haven't got that much detail worked out yet, though. Thank you - I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

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I avoided Legomance initially by moving straight to giving him a wife! Almost. Elerrina first appeared almost as a joke in an early Reflection - seeing how many tree references I could fit in to female description. Since then - she has probably appeared far less than her and Legolas's children. And possibly less than her father! (I married off the twins in much the same way. Well - this is supposed to be the Blessed Realm and I did want them to have the happy family lives they missed out on in Arda. And having them as fathers presupposes wives.) I am going to do my best not to have too much of Elerrina and Legolas - but they don't marry until after the twins arrive and Elladan re-encounters and marries his wife, so they will be encountering each other over 300 years or so before they give in to the inevitable. The whole business of allowing heroes a normal experience of life is very difficult!

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Thingol has not yet returned - at least, as far as anyone knows. The main reason probably being that it would make a complicated political situation ... very complicated! I've sort of come to the conclusion that re-embodiment is a very personal thing and has a lot to do with personal trauma - and that, possibly, the more complex the personality, the longer it takes to adjust. Another element is, to my mind, to do with who is there to desire the return of the elf from Namo's Halls. And Luthien isn't. And Melian is absent in that she has reverted more to her Maia persona and isn't herself embodied. Legolas is (to my mind) one of the few leaders of the Silvan elves to choose to sail - and is likely to become a focus of their needs. And, probably, in the absence of Celeborn, even the Galadhrim might well look in his direction. Of the romance element ... more later.

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Thank you!

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The past must haunt Elves dreadfully. After all - it is all within living memory. All within personal experience. I have long felt desperately sorry for Nerdanel - and Anaire and all the women and children left behind when their husbands and fathers joined Feanor's highly-excited bunch of followers. (I know women and children did join them. I just think that probably at least half the Noldor preferred to leave families and sweethearts behind to see them return in triumph.) And the Silvan / Galadhrim elves from Middle-earth are a scattered bunch. Legolas is born to lead - but he is terribly young in Elven terms, and not that experienced. Certainly not at the level of the Noldor princes. Then, on a personal level, neither Elerrina nor Legolas can see their attraction leading to anything. They are united in hoping that it doesn't! Too many complications are inherent in it. Thank you. More pretty soon!

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The thought of the Blessed Realm in the immediate aftermath of the Flight of the Noldor and Feanor's nasty little excursion to Alqualonde is a fascinating topic. I think Finarfin showed tremendous courage in turning back. More courage, probably, than many showed in going on. And what did he have to face? The Teleri. His wife. All the wives and children who had been left behind. He would have ruled a people that was largely bereft of adult males - what would that have done to the social dynamics of being Noldor? Then there was the probably bitterness and grief of those who had been left. The shame. Would they have taken it out on those who were connected with the Kinslayers? And by the time some, like Nerdanel or Anaire, had begun to overcome their feeling of abandonment, would people have started to blame them - purely for being the wife / mother of those who had left them? Irrational - but people are. And, of course, after the War of Wrath, when the Host returned with all the stories of what had happened during the First Age, all the buried resentments would resurface. At least Fingolfin and his family were heroes - but how would Nerdanel respond to knowing what her sons had done? The trouble with immortality, too, especially in the Blessed Realm, where there are no Secondborn rushing through their lives, is that nothing fades into the past. She would still be dealing with event millennia old. Very complicated. And a love story that could be - I suppose (trying not to heave) - is a little Romeo and Juliet-ish. Two representatives of less-than-friendly houses. Finrod is a good sort. Open. Shiny. Kind. And experienced at Noldor politics. Thank you. More will follow!

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I read this and thought - yes, that's his problem! He's found himself somewhere he's supposed to be a statesman and yet he's only had a century of training for being in charge. He's used to commanding warriors - he's used to seeing his father, with limited resources, dealing with the task of managing a kingdom under threat, but he's emerged, blinking, into this big shiny complicated society where every player has had millennia of experience. It's probably a good thing that he has the goodwill of Lady Galadriel - and that Finrod has taken to him. I suspect they will steer him round the obvious shoals. And he and Elerrina are trying very hard not to be in love. His adar - and hers (maybe) - have probably been itching for them to find their match for years, but neither of them are going to appreciate what is actually happening. (They have to get through at least 300 years of indecision, too, before they can solve their differences!)

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Thank you! Legolas had (in my version) about 350 years before the twins and his father arrived. And he must have been doing something - as well as developing an attraction for a certain elleth!

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There is that! Forbidden fruit always being rather more interesting. But Legolas and Elerrina take a long time to overcome their natural doubts. The Wood-elves won't be keen on a Noldo for Legolas, any more than Taryatur will welcome Oropher's grandson. Still. It'll stop him from getting bored!

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It can't be an easy transition - not just because they are battle-weary or displaced from their homes, but they just don't belong there. They must arrive into a world where everyone knows what they are doing and who they are and they must feel so lost. And then, the more of them there are, the more those who already live in the Blessed Realm would begin to worry about their own place in society. They could end up outnumbered in their own land. Legolas is alone - those of his immediate family who have left Arda left by way of Namo's Halls and there they remain. But, once he is feeling recovered enough to look, he can see that he is needed to be the voice of his people. Elerrina is as doubtful about Legolas as he is about her. I suspect they both felt an instant attraction - that they are now busy denying. He doesn't want to get involved with a Noldo and she doesn't want to get involved with a Wood Elf. And every time they relax a bit they get reminded of the gap between them. Still, what are about three hundred years to an elf! 'Young gentleman's pranks' is how they used to be referred to! Young lordlings with more money than sense and parents who cannot accept that their brats can be at fault - and believe that money can buy you out of anything. Well, Finarfin doesn't agree. Those particular brats will not get anywhere near resuming lives of cosseted ease until they have learned duty and responsibility! Camentur is a nice elf - and finds elves with different experiences to be very interesting. If it were possible to head east of the sea, Taryatur might well be worried about him. But he can't. The west, on the other hand... It's quite pleasant knowing the ending! Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

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Starting at the end... sweet woodbine is another name for honeysuckle - and this ended up called that because I started it with a reference from ... Elflings?/Reflections? which referred to an incident where Legolas and Elerrina sneaked off to bathe in a forest pool where there was, I think, honeysuckle. Random. And Elerrina makes me think of the fragrance of honeysuckle somehow. You are very right - seeing Legolas act as a force that welded the voiceless together would make him politically quite worrying - and well worth keeping an eye on. Could well account for why Finarfin was so welcoming to him! Not short of sense, that High King. And able to deal with the problem much more wisely than some of the under-occupied sons of the privileged. Taryatur's family is not among them, either. He is a practical elf (not fond of his son-in-law, true, but generally practical). And very defensive of his family - nobody hurts his wife or daughter and gets away with it. Elerrina isn't likely to find her attraction to Legolas easy to deal with - she is her daddy's girl. I don't think it was Minastan. Finarfin would have known about him then and he would never have got as far as he did. In fact, he most definitely wouldn't have been there. Around, perhaps. A drinking buddy and a nasty whisper in the ear. This bunch are unlikely to do anything again - Finarfin has them, I think, at the nastiest duty posts available for the forseeable future. And the two worst will not be returning to Tirion. There are occasional complications with the wider arc - as it didn't start off intended to be a wider arc, there are sometimes things that don't fit very easily. But fortunately, I've done a lot of vague! Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

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Legolas must have been rather lost after Gimli died, I think. I could see the Dwarf insisting that his friend must take his bequest to Galadriel, just so that he could ask the Lady to care for him. And Galadriel would know that Legolas (just like Celeborn later) would need to develop a purpose that would see him through the next few ages. And he would be needed - I can't imagine that there were many there who would be able to draw together the Wood Elves and speak for them. Most of the Wood Elf leaders who would eventually resurface in the Blessed Realm would come via Namo's Halls - and I don't know that that would be the best route for those who needed to involve themselves in politics. And how could there not be politics? Legolas as a focus would make him a force to be reckoned with - and Finarfin can't be inept after three ages in charge of the Noldor. And neither would Olwe or Ingwe, even if they don't feature. And then Legolas is still lonely - he is probably in exactly the right state of mind to be looking for lurve - and Taryatur is going to do his best to make sure he doesn't look in Elerrina's direction. Fun. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

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Do you know, I never, never, never thought I would write anything romantic (even marginally) with Legolas. It's just too distressing for too many people. But this is going backwards - he's already been married for - h'mm - fifty years or so and got two kids, so he has to have courted Elerrina sometime! And Taryatur isn't going to have made it easy for them. Thank you. I'm glad you want more - because more is coming!

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I just cannot see the Blessed Realm as a place of unrelieved bliss. Not when you consider the nature of those who are living there - and waves of immigrants combined with those emerging from Namo's care, all arriving into the lands of those who have been living there reproducing over ages ... it's going to have its problems! I love the tuna reference. I shall be trying not to think of Galadriel's eyes being fishy from now on. I don't think it goes with her image!

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They're both going to fight it, I think. For a long time! Legolas needs a personal challenge - he really is quite alone here in the Blessed Realm. Good thing he's finding a purpose to keep him going.

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Legolas and Elerrina are wary enough of getting involved - there are a lot of family complications in any relationship between them. Although I think if he's not careful, Taryatur is more likely to push them together than keep them apart. Legolas has not long since lost Gimli at the beginning. I reckon he would have focused on him over those first years - that and recovering from Aragorn and Arwen's deaths and his own sea-longing. He's just beginning to emerge from that and is at a bit of a loose end. But the Valar will find work for idle hands - and he has quite a task ahead of him. The Wood Elves would have scattered, I think. They're not the most hierarchical of elves - and I can't think of any real leaders round whom they might gather. Not until now, anyway!

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I don't think either Legolas or Elerrina settled to the idea of their attraction very easily. They could both see far too many things against any match between them. I think they might have circled cautiously for a good long time. And time in the Blessed Realm isn't exactly the same as it is east of the sea. And nephew. Camentur's son. He isn't born yet. Camentur is a good sort. Taryatur is, too, really. Deep down. I think Finarfin has a good community service programme going with hard labour for those who cannot behave themselves suitably. Although it occurred to me that some of these might well be part of / reason for some of the later hostility that showed in Far Horizons. (Do you know the continuity here is impossible! Too many stories with absolutely no sequence to them. Thank goodness I'm pretty vague at times!)

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Thank you. I'm going at this backwards - in a lot of my other stories, Legolas is a proud father. It's taken me a long time to settle to the idea of writing his passage to matrimony!

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I think Legolas and Elerrina spent a long time denying any interest in each other! And then had a lot of other problems on their hands before they managed to settle their families. I was trying to think who else would be around to do the job that faces Legolas - and I couldn't really think of anyone who would be there to head the unification of the Wood Elves. I think he is stuck with the job! Fortunately, he has support from Elrond and Galadriel. I think he'll need it. But he's working on the assumption that he will merely be doing the job until Thranduil turns up - which might help. Thank you - I hope it will continue to be interesting.

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Legolas is undoubtedly going to find himself with a huge task on his hands. Still - he wouldn't want to get bored! And if wood elves are hard to rule in their home woods, it must be impossible with them scattered across the Blessed Realm. It's not going to be an easy romance either, what with one thing and another. And another. I hope it turns out interesting... There's a lot of time to pass before they eventually find their way west.