lwarren
· 17 June 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
A day "...founded in faith...and built on hope." *sighs* What a night and what a conversation! It is truly said that the darkest hour is just before dawn. It seems the time when resolve and faith and hope are at their lowest ebb and doubts and uncertainties and fear creep in to do their worst.
Such an interesting look at the last hours before a final battle through the eyes of its strongest warriors and leaders. I loved the way you tied these three chapters together through the line of Elros and the house of Oropher - such an interesting connection. But the more emotional impact comes with this last chapter, I think, at least for me. You really did such a good job of bringing out the regrets of Legolas and the doubts Aragorn might have entertained. And at every turn the darkness and evil waited, shown so clearly in the mists and shadows and howls of the wargs and wolves, always prowling and poking at them. *shivers*
But Legolas remains calm (so he can prophesy a dry day, can he? LOL) and Aragorn remains such an inspiring leader (I almost cheered at Legolas pointing out how DIFFERENT Aragorn is from Isildur - how he lacks that 'arrogance of imperial Numenor' - and is, in fact, more a servant-King-to-be! YES! He is not his ancestor, thank God!) Also, cheered at the appearance of the Swordsman - a fitting and encouraging omen for these two as they face the day. Man, I am primed to go watch RotK now - this was such a hopeful story...that seemed to be the common theme from beginning to end. Estel.
Amazing, just amazing, Bodkin.
Linda
Author's reply
I never even thought of writing parts 1 and 3 until after I had written 2. But once I had, it just seemed inevitable. Part 3 was easier, in a way - and harder, because there is more written about it that needs to be taken into account. I was fascinated, though, how several of the elements meshed perfectly with what I had already written for the first two parts.
They face almost certain disaster with such courage - and know that they can do no more than their best. The idea of ruler as servant is such an important element of their success, I think. Subjugation of self for a greater good - and a willingness to take on a secondary role that must be played in order for good to prevail. It wouldn't be nearly so effective if Frodo succeeded because Aragorn had won the battle. The heroes need to have surrendered their hope to another ...
Anyway, I'm glad you liked it, Linda.
Denise
· 28 April 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
What a marvelous ending to an inspired three-parter. You captured Legolas and Aragorn very well here, and the tension, uncertainty, and desperation they must have been feeling. Like another reviewer, I too thought that the initial character seen was Aragorn, but the gradual revelation of Legolas was wholly fitting. (And symmetrical, as the first chapter opens with an elf, the second with a man, and the third with an elf again.)
You very deftly interwove the links between Ages, but I think the one that struck me the most, for some reason, was the presence of Elrond in the background. I kept thinking of how he lost so many that were precious to him, in all three Ages; of how Aragorn was so much the product of his foster father's upbringing; and of Elros' comment in the first chapter about how Elrond "...will find out the fate that is meant for him … in time."
An excellent complement to Tolkien's works! I'm so glad that the initial chapter (#2) led to the additional ones.
Author's reply
Thank you! I find it quite amazing how sometimes things just grow - because chapters 1 and 3 weren't anywhere near my brain when I wrote the second chapter. It was fun trying to show the characters without making it immediately apparent who they were - and I'm glad you liked the symmetry!
The more I think of Elrond, the more amazing it is, in a way, that he remained so strong and 'kind as summer' - because his whole life is one of loss, really. Even if he did occasionally have whole millennia when things seemed settled and safe.
I'm glad you enjoyed this - and am flattered by your words!
The Karenator
· 26 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
‘Better to chance all in the hope of grabbing victory than die by inches?’
I love this line. It really sums up the stakes, doesn't it? If Frodo had failed, the ones who died fighting Sauron would have been the lucky ones. Of course, I imagine everyone who entered the fight did not expect to survive. Not really. There was just a faint hope, I suppose, they would come out on the other end of the war still intact, and more importantly, with victory.
I also liked the examination of the cost of war no matter what the outcome. The elves would fade from Middle-earth, their power, presence and influenced reduced even if they won. For Aragorn, victory meant securing Arwen's hand, but the price for that would wound Elrond deeply. Elrond knew if the Frodo succeeded he would lose Arwen, but the greater good for all outweighed his own personal desires. Aragorn knew this too. I can't help but think Elrond's ability to be sincere in his self-sacrifice made Aragorn feel even worse. Elrond exemplified unconditional love in how he dealt with his daughter and Aragorn. This, I suppose, is just one of those times that with joy comes great pain.
But they had to defeat Sauron first.
I've never sat out a night before a battle wondering if I would see another sunset or if my friends would be with me if I did. Even with my limited expertise, I thought you caught this moment between friends perfectly. In fact, it's probably more about the human (or elf) experience than it is the event of war. After Aragorn and Legolas had said to one another what they felt, they turned their attention to the troops to offer support, words of comfort, and encouragement. Aragorn was indeed a good leader. Legolas lead in his own way. He supported Aragorn and encouraged Aragorn at that point and that was important in itself.
Another wonderful chapter. I enjoyed it very much. Your stories are always a delight for all the senses.
Thank you so much.
Author's reply
Oh yes! And to know what might happen to you if the enemy that outnumbers your army decides they want to take you alive - it must have made the horrors of the night before battle even worse. At least the ordinary soldiers there only had to fear death.
And then, there can only have been a dozen or so at most who knew the real reason for this suicidal last stand - most of those facing the enemy thought that the battle they faced was the real fight and must by now have been wondering what in Arda their commanders were thinking!
Oh yes - Elrond is a great example of unconditional love - accepting the free choice of those he loved despite knowing how much it could hurt him. And the result is he raised a foster son prepared to sacrifice himself and all his hopes to give Frodo that slim chance of achieving success. And none of Tolkien's confrontations had simple outcomes and happy endings - with joy came pain and with success comes defeat. Elrond's sons, Legolas and Gimli - and Pippin - are presiding over the end of their races and the dominance of men. Victory is better than defeat, but it is not a recipe for eternal happiness.
Oddly (I'm sure you'll be surprised to learn!) I've never sat out the night before battle either. But you don't get to be old without enduring some nights you'd never want to go through again - and the waiting is ... hard. Aragorn and Legolas needed the support of a friend - someone who knew the score - and would stand and fight anyway. And then were prepared to go and show their warriors that they were able to face the day calmly and with courage. It must have been a long night.
Thank you, Karen. I'm glad you enjoyed the additions to the story!
The Karenator
· 26 March 2007
· Chapter 1: A Star of Hope
Wow. As always, the imagery is breathtaking. I could smell the salt and marsh, the horrible tang of death and destruction. You also did a marvelous job of capturing Oropher's shifting feelings from anger and despair to glimmers of hope and the possibilities that come with change.
I loved Elros. He was mature for a young fellow, but then, as Oropher noted, he had lived through and had lost much more than most had at this age. Elros had his head screwed on straight. And just as Oropher was willing to take a risk to find his place in Middle-earth, so was Elros. Perhaps they were more alike than either realized at the point, but I think Oropher recognized a bit of kinship even if he saw it as still being loyal to his former king's house. And in the end, Oropher couldn't help but admire the youngster's bravery to face the unknown.
This is gorgeous, just gorgeous. I've got to find some new adjectives, but they're so appropriate.
Thank you, Bodkin.
Author's reply
It must have been such a horrible time - in some ways the aftermath is worse than the ... math itself! For the battles and the emptying of Angband, they must have been so keyed up - and now they're all milling around, not sure what they should do or where they should go, just knowing that nothing will ever be the same again.
And, I reckon, a big part of why Oropher managed to maintain his feeling of offence and indignation for so long! Elros (and Elrond) have learned so much in so short a time that age doesn't really come into it with them - like those child soldiers they sometimes show on television, who have packed a full lifetime of experience into no more than a decade. Childhood and games and all those things that we fight to preserve for our children are long gone. I think Oropher did feel that - didn't want to, maybe, but knew it. He is, though prickly, a very honest elf. Here, at the end of the world they had known - and at the beginning of another - they could recognise that and acknowledge it.
Thank you, Karen! I'm glad you liked it! I had no intention of making it more than one chapter at first - and then it became obvious it was one part of three. It just took a while to get around to writing them.
It is a testament to the strength of your writing that I even read a story about Legolas, and that not only did I endure him, but I thoroughly enjoyed your portrayal of the elf prince from Mirkwood. So perfectly like a wood elf.
I enjoyed also the relationship you present here between Aragorn and Legolas--quite how I would picture it after the experiences that we know, canonically, they have shared up to this point.
Your writing style is beautiful and very lyrical and draws me in. The whole series was excellent and this ending was very appropriate.
peredhil lover
Author's reply
Awww. There's nothing wrong with Legolas. It's Leggy that's the problem. Or Legorlie. The Wood-elf from Mirkwood is a great character. And it just had to be him! Three different generations of two families at critical moments in the history of Middle-earth - different viewpoints, different experiences, but similar in courage and in putting the future of Arda before their own wishes.
I think that, although not knowing each other well before the Fellowship, Legolas and Aragorn share enough of a background that they would understand each other better than they might have expected - and friendships form pretty quickly under conditions like those they have shared.
Thank you, Peredhil lover. I'm flattered - and very pleased that you liked the series. (Even if it did feature Legolas!)
French Pony
· 25 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
Okay. I'm more confident that I have the right chapter this time. But stop me if you've heard this one before . . .
This is a nice complement to the other stories in this little series. It seems as though the House of Oropher is forever fated to have to sit and philosophize and comfort the House of Elros. Fortunately, they do it so well, with just enough detachment that they don't drive themselves completely crazy. Through all that he's seen and done on this quest, Legolas is still a bounding optimist at heart, and that seems to be just what Aragorn needs right now as they await the battle that will decide the fate of the world. No pressure, of course.
Author's reply
Well. The House of Oropher comforts the House of Elros once an age. It's not too arduous a responsibility! They can cope.
I think, maybe, being an elf, Legolas has a bit of a longer perspective on things - and he has seen plenty of the creeping dark and does know that primroses still flower in the woods even when you least expect it. And they are boosting each other really - while the understanding they share is helping them face the following day phlegmatically. A battle to save the world - with the real power to win it being in the hands (on the hand?) of someone who isn't even there. Knowing, of course, that they really don't want to survive defeat.
No pressure at all.
Thank you, FP.
Redheredh
· 25 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
- their last stand.
- nothing else mattered.
... this mad quest.
Our last hope...
...all that any of us can do.
...we make an end.
This was an excellent end piece to your triptych of three generations of two houses with one goal.
... lead to a better tomorrow.
Author's reply
It was a bold move - one inviting failure, and yet the equivalent of sacrificing your knight to draw your opponent's king into a trap. This was trickier to write, in a way. So much more written on it, for one thing. And a movie. But two very courageous people willing to offer all they had and might have - amongst an army of several thousand other very brave people.
And it did lead to a better tomorrow! Much, I think, to the surprise of everybody there before the Black Gate - apart, perhaps, from Mithrandir.
Thank you, Redheredh.
Larner
· 25 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
Oh, indeed--built on Hope--Harthad and Estel; three plus one to see the end made.
Oh, so beautiful a picture, Bodkin, and a fitting end to this trilogy.
Author's reply
Hope is such a recurring theme throughout - and it becomes even more obvious when you look at such widely separated events. Hope, honour, self-sacrifice, doing things just because they're right - all those sterling qualities that seem so much a part of Tolkien's world.
As soon as the idea occurred that the first part was one of three, this one just had to be written!
Thank you, Larner.
Raksha The Demon
· 25 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
A haunting glimpse of the last generation to battle Sauron, and the third of that Elven line - dark and brooding hours, with unflagging determination, and flashes of hope.
Excellent story, all three chapters of it.
Author's reply
A dreadful time. I think they would welcome the dawn - action being better than brooding over the unknown. But they support each other, these two, with a real understanding of what the other is facing - and, of course, they both know that the real battle is being fought under the shadow of the mountain.
Thank you, Raksha. I'm glad you liked it. And I'm glad that inspiration impelled me to add the First and Third Age sections to the series!
daw the minstrel
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
I liked this a lot, Bodkin. From Legolas's fears and regrets, through Aragorn's anxieties, to the steadiness they evoke in one another--it read beautifully and brought the characters to life.
Author's reply
Thank you, daw. The night before battle - such an horrific time. Time to look back and regret what you haven't done, as well as linger over the highlights. Aragorn and Legolas, too, knew the real reason for being there - and the total unlikelihood that any of them would survive the battle. While Aragorn could be more open with Legolas anyway - an elf, a king's son, a companion and a friend - and they could bolster each other's resolution. I'm glad you liked it.
perelleth
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
I was saying, before the void ate my review, that it is a fitting ending for the seires, with these two standing where his sires stod long before them, at the end and the beginnning of it all, dreading the night before the battle, as the time crawls when they wished that it would speed..or not. At least it did not rain! :-) A lovely piece before the Morannon, waiting for the new age, and a wonderful, most intelligent series!
Author's reply
Doesn't it just make you sick, when you've written a review and the black pit eats it!
Once the idea of the end of the three Ages occurred, this was an inevitable piece - Aragorn and Legolas enduring the night before the battle, knowing, as most of those before the Black Gate didn't, the real reason why this group of minnows were hurling themselves into the mouths of the sharks - and knowing how unlikely it was that any of them would be alive the following evening.
But at least it didn't rain!
And at least we know the outcome - and that those we follow survived the day to be present at the beginning of a new age. (Even if the new age provided its own pains.)
Thank you, perelleth. I'm glad you liked it - and I'm most flattered!
shirebound
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
‘I would have gone with Frodo to the end,’ he said, ‘but, perhaps, this is how I am meant to defend him at the last.
‘We are where we must be – and will do what we must do. Our faith is in Frodo.’
‘We will play our part to the end,’ Isildur’s heir vowed. ‘Let no weakness of ours expose him to any greater risk than he faces already.’
What a wonderful conversation, and I love that it ended in hope.
Author's reply
I think Aragorn would have found it very hard to let someone else take the responsibility - but, having done that, he would wholeheartedly throw himself into offering Frodo the very best chance he could.
And it must have been so hard to face that small army, knowing that they had brought them to the Black Gate to die in order to offer a pair of halflings the chance to travel through Mordor unnoticed. Aragorn and the leaders knew it was a diversion, but the men didn't - and couldn't, if the chance offered Frodo was to be real.
And thank goodness we know the outcome! It would be ... absolutely awful, to wait through that night, knowing what the dawn would bring.
Thank you, shirebound.
MithLuin
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
A lovely finish to your tryptych!
Author's reply
Thank you, MithLuin. I'm glad you liked the series. They were fun to write.
MithLuin
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 1: A Star of Hope
Oh, well done! I like how you capture their hopes, the reasons they are making their choices, their regrets....and how it ties into the original story, even if it is very different.
Author's reply
Thank you, MithLuin. I'm glad you like it. It must have been a moment of hope - a beginning - but one scarred terribly by the losses that had got them all to that point. And there is an inevitability to their choices - something that led them all to the end we know. I thought about setting this before the battles - but, somehow, this seemed such a turning point. And sometimes you just need to write what comes out!
The Karenator
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
Bodkin!
I don't know how I missed these two chapters. I'm so embarrassed. I plead 'over-duties' of the only daughter. And now, I must plead mother duties for a moment. I'll be back later when I can read these chapters properly--because I couldn't stand to wait, I read them quickly--and will leave a real review.
Oh...both chapters are so good! I sooooo have something to look forward to later tonight!
Thank you!
Author's reply
You haven't missed this - look! Here you are! I'm glad you had time for a quick read - there's nothing like a visit to Middle-earth for relieving a bit of real-life pressure - and you're welcome any time!
Envinyatar
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
This is wonderful, Bodkin. It reminds me very strongly of the opening of 'Tigana' by Guy Gavriel Kay, which is intended as a compliment as that is my all-time favourite night-before-battle scene.
I initially thought it was Aragorn at the beginning,particularly from "But he had always known that there was a way – if only he could find it." Very gradually you showed us that it could not be, however the fact that it was not clear shows how clearly you portray the Elvish part of Aragorn. I love the way Legolas conquers his own apprehension through being needed by Aragorn, and how Aragorn gathers strength in order to bring comfort to his own men. The frustration of having to rely on someone else to achieve the real victory is also well shown.
Lots of nuances here, I think I shall need to read this story several times to fully appreciate it - which is not exactly going to be a hardship!
Beautifully written and breath-taking - thank you for this.
Author's reply
I read some Guy Gavriel Kay once - quite a long time ago and I can't remember the titles ... Summer something? ... but not Tigana. I'll look out for it!
The night before battle must be atrocious - trying to behave normally while knowing that you are putting your life on the line in a few hours and that the morrow will change everything. Ghastly.
I'm glad you weren't sure at the beginning! I hoped it would be ambiguous - after all, there wasn't any doubt who the two characters would be in this episode! Aragorn needed the support of the Firstborn, I think, at this point. Those who could see the bigger picture and who were facing the end of their own time in Middle-earth.
I love the way the final battle is actually a diversion from the pursuit of victory - it's very symbolic - but people like Aragorn and Legolas would find it hard, I think, to know that they were trusting in someone else to ... do the business. (I think the 'For Frodo' line - together with Aragorn's expression there - has to be one of my favourite bits of the last movie.)
It was more complicated to write than the others, because it needed to fit in with the book and ... the phases of the moon and all sorts of other details!
Thank you, Envinyatar. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it.
Lianna
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
I like this.
Legolas is very elfy, but there's also a bit of the movieverse concept that Legolas -- and perhaps also Gimli -- were on informal terms with Aragorn and could be supportive of him in a way that most others could not. It's one of the few movie ideas that I really approve of. Aragorn in the book seems a bit lonely as he approaches the formidable task of being king.
Author's reply
Aragorn is very isolated, poor man. By destiny and experience. (I do think he would have found aspects of being king very difficult. Surrounded by sycophants all the time - and being watched. While, on the other hand, he is already accustomed to being separated from others.) I don't go for the Legolas-is-my-best-friend kind of bond between them - but they could well have met, I think, when Aragorn took Gollum to Mirkwood - and I do think there would have been some recognition between the two of them - both the heirs of kings, long bound to fighting the rise of evil. And Aragorn, of course, is used to being with elves - and better able than any other living man to become friends with them. While, of course, they have the shared experience of the Fellowship - and the post-Fellowship activities. I think they would have become close in the way that shared peril builds bonds. (And Legolas did live in Ithilien - and remain in Middle-earth until after Aragorn's death.) So, anyway, I agree that friendship between Aragorn and Legolas was a good outcome of the movies - and it fits the basis of this trio of stories, too!
Thank you, Lianna!
meckinock
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
A wonderfully timely story, Bodkin. Could there ever have been a darker night than that one? You really brought home how men waiting for battle must dread and wish for the dawn, and how their thoughts turn to might-have-beens when they believe their lives can be counted in hours. And the agony that was Aragorn, knowing that not only his own life, but that of all his men, and the Rohirrim, and his beloved friends, and even more, the fate of all the peoples of Middle-earth, and even its trees and flowers, would be at stake with the coming of the dawn, and yet knowing that he must appear beyond doubt and fear to all of them, save perhaps a few trusted friends. How grateful he must have felt to have one such here with him now.
I laughed at Aragorn calling Gandalf a gambler, "willing to risk all on a final throw of the bones," though I wonder it was not so much a willingness to risk all, but a simple acceptance that this was the only option which did not absolutely guarantee destruction. I loved his line in The Last Debate - I said this would be prudent. I do not counsel prudence. I said victory could not be achieved through arms. I still hope for victory, though not through arms. Like Legolas said at the end, a tomorrow built on faith.
Author's reply
What a night! It's not surprising that the arrival of the dawn is, in many ways, a relief to those whose last night has been haunted by regret for the past and fear of failing their comrades in the day that follows. Not to mention dread of injury and death - and, possibly, when confronting this enemy, fear of surviving when all around you have been killed.
And Aragorn - and the other leaders - know this is just a diversion from a hidden battle, but the vast majority there don't and mustn't know it. They have followed him in hope (there's that word again!) and he knows that he has, in all likelihood, brought them here to die against an insuperable force. Such courage! Legolas, the twins, Gandalf - they must have provided him with the understanding that helped him face his army calmly and encourage them to follow him. Gimli and Pippin - members of the Fellowship, yes - but he didn't know them as well and Pippin is young enough to need to have his courage bolstered.
I think Gandalf was prepared to risk all - he knew that caution here would only lead to - well, another phrase that keeps cropping up - a longer defeat. He knows, as Aragorn does, that victory is not in their hands. And it is so good to see, actually, that it isn't the might of the warrior or the wisdom of the great that achieves success against evil - but the everyman. The strength of the insignificant, working together through a deep (and entirely non-physical!!) love that brings two small people to the place where qualities like love and mercy and trust and faith can overcome power. And hope. Always hope - the shining light in this Pandora's box of suffering.
Thanks, meckinock. And sorry for wittering.
elliska
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 1: A Star of Hope
You pack so much into these. So much meaning that we, who know the future, recognize. I love that. And I love how in talking, these characters learn so much about themselves. And others--it must have been a bit chilling for Oropher to see glimpses of so many people in Elros.
I think you capture very well why Oropher was as he was--it is impossible to imagine so thorough a loss in such a horrible series of losses. And I think he had many motivations to go east, some, that his wife hit close to, that he might have been less willing admit.
But I love the ending, both for its meaning to these characters and for the allusion it makes to Elros's line. Wonderful!
Author's reply
Isn't it interesting how things spring out of others? It never occurred to me when I started this with the Second Age story that there were First and Third Age parallels - and then, once it did ... In some ways, the First and Second Ages were easier - there is so much more you actually have to take into account with the Third - and the characters are more clearly defined, as is the background, the phase of the moon, the state of the sky, etc, etc. Would you believe there is a website that details the phases of the moon throughout the whole book? (I'm grateful to it, actually, but still ...)
And, as soon as you focus on two individuals and put them together - well, there is so much. And Elros is so young, compared to Oropher, and descended from so many people who were important to him - and when you think that they are Elu, the Maia Melian and the half-Maia Luthien - well, it's hardly surprising they have left a mark on their descendant.
All we really know about Oropher, I think, is that he was headstrong and prickly - and didn't like being told what to do by the Noldor, even when it would have been far more sensible to listen - but he was still there at Dagorlad, part of an army of elves and men. And that he was a Sinda prince. And with those details - well, I think his losses and experiences with the Exiles - and the Host - have to be a big part of why he turned out as he did. And he is a complex character. (Interesting, really. More interesting that some who appear purely to be NOBLE.)
I'm afraid the 'hope' line was just too irresistible! And it does link all three episodes.
Thank you, elliska. I'm glad you liked it.
Jay of Lasgalen
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
A tomorrow built on Hope as well.
Poor Aragorn is so despondent - knowing there is such a very slim chance of any of them surviving, and knowing that he brought them all here. He's right, it takes a special kind of courage to face almost certain death against such odds.
Legolas is very elvish here - so calm and accepting, at peace with whatever will happen despite his regrets and might-have beens. It would be good to have someone like that at your side, I think.
Author's reply
Oh yes - a series where playing on the meanings of hope has offered lots of potential!
It must have been a horrible night - as much of a test, in a way, as the day that followed. The warriors waiting round those small fires followed him there - they don't know that they are a diversion - and all the leaders must have been aware that the chances of surviving the day were negligible.
Legolas is able to take a longer view, I suppose, and maybe greater experience leads to greater acceptance. Or maybe it is just that the movement of the pieces on the chessboard have attained a certain inevitability. It would be good to have his support - and that of Gandalf and the twins. They, at least, are a group of people who are not looking to Aragorn for the answers - they are playing out a game started long before his birth. Their presence must have comforted Aragorn and given him people to whom he could turn.
And thank goodness we know the outcome!
Thank you, Jay.
utfrog98
· 24 March 2007
· Chapter 3: Waxing Crescent
That was the best night-before-battle story I ever read. Beautifully written. It would be a terrible cliff-hanger if I did not know the ending. Lovely, lovely was to start my day. Thank you.
Author's reply
Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it. It must have been such a dark night - so long, and yet with all those there dreading the dawn. Thank goodness we know the outcome! And that those whom we feel we know survived the day to build a new and better world.
perelleth
· 15 March 2007
· Chapter 1: A Star of Hope
LOL! thankfully you explained what it was all about, for I was at a loss seeing again chapter one!
I loved the paralell between the two tales, and Oropher mourning the land under a gibbous moon. Elros comforting and counselling the elf sounded very fitting and the landscape as usual almost took over the scene. I really loved it.
Author's reply
H'mm. Sorry. It just seemed better to put them up chronologically. But it is confusing!
There are remarkably interesting parallels between the three pairs of elves that I never even thought of until after I had written the Second Age section - a bond between two families that makes the Aragorn/Legolas relationship inevitable - and, quite possibly, might help reconcile Thranduil to his son's disappearance to Ithilien. Or at least help him understand it.
The land definitely took on its own personality in the First Age. Such destruction. The courage of those who survived these cataclysmic times to fight on is so impressive.
Thank you, perelleth. Third Age coming soon.
French Pony
· 13 March 2007
· Chapter 1: A Star of Hope
I'd been meaning to review this, but end-of-quarter got in the way.
After I figured out that you'd put it before your other chapter instead of after, things were great (I can be a little slow that way). Elros and Oropher make an interesting pair. They both seem to have been terribly scarred during the war and are dealing with it in similar ways, but they have such different personalities. It's neat to see the points where they connect and the points where they don't.
Author's reply
Well - chronology! (Sorry - I didn't even think to point out the reversed order until much later!) Fortunately the Third Age will come last, so I won't muddle anyone there!
I think Oropher was scarred - by more than the war. Maybe dating all the way back to the earlier battles and Denethor's death. And he has the kind of personality that hugs hurt to himself and takes it personally - while also being much kinder and more generous than he wants anyone to know. While Elros - how can he and Elrond not have been scarred by their childhoods? In some ways, it is amazingly courageous of Elros to be prepared to abandon all he knows to start again - but it is a way of dealing with the past by excision ... while Elrond prefers the poultice.
Oropher would have found it hard to deal with Elros and Elrond - they are, in two people, the sum of so many houses and hopes. How can he reject Elu's descendants - Luthien's great-grandsons? But, on the other hand, they are also heirs of the Men Elu tried to keep out of Doriath and - even worse - share the blood of Exiles with the Kinslayers. But with Elros going West and Oropher East, he probably managed to come up with some mental compromise that let him deal with it. For now, anyway!
Author Reply: And at least they didn't have any Dwarf blood ...
elliska
· 10 March 2007
· Chapter 1: A Star of Hope
Loved this! Oropher is so perfect in it. I really think you capture the way he would have felt immediately after the loss of Doriath so well here. And I love this conversation paired with the one in the next chapter. Wonderful!
Author's reply
I can't help but feel that Oropher was quite an angry elf - at times, anyway - but who can blame him? By this point he has lost almost everything, except his wife and son, and is being forced to confront a world that has changed. It would, I think, make him very protective of what he had left. And yet - Elros and Elrond are the only grandsons of Elu's grandson. Old loyalties would war with old resentments - because they are also the grandsons of Fingolfin's granddaughter. And part-reared by Feanor's sons. While to elven eyes they are still little more than children - younger than Thranduil.
I'm glad you like the pairing of two families meeting at the end of the Ages.
And the Third Age will be along soon ...
Redheredh
· 7 March 2007
· Chapter 1: A Star of Hope
Well, you already know how I love Oropher in general, and your version of him remains very appealing. His inner thoughts of turning eastward were well phrased and believably weighed out from his own pov. On the other hand, a youthful Elros, which is a good depiction of him at this time, is way too casual with his elder, if afar, kinsman, imho. Although, in the most likable way imaginable. Yes, perhaps already practicing the privileges of his kingship. ;) Especially, there at the end!
I loved the atmosphere you painted here! The stunningly horrendous and spoiled landscape, yet clearly the processes of cleansing is occurring just as the Valar intended. Earendil's light was wonderfully described. An elf would perceive it so bright and present, more so than a mortal.
...eventual reconciliation... sooo neatly said!
... a light to keep burning in dark places... light imperishable... Frodo will come to that appreciation one day too!
Great episode! So, the Third Age is next?
Author's reply
Well. Elros is rather more irreverent than his brother, I think! And there are times when all barriers come down and the mere fact of being there, in the same place at the same time, overrides differences and allows people to say things they would normally keep to themselves.
It must have been an absolutely horrific time - one of those moments when everything pauses before heading off in a different direction. With all sorts of people brought together and enduring on top of each other, before trying to get back to interrupted lives. And, in some cases, pretend that nothing had happened.
Glad you liked it, Redheredh. And yes, the Third Age is simmering away. (It's much more difficult, in some ways. You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff about the moon and stars and where they are in the sky at what times of year!)