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Interrupted Journeys: Part 1 New Journeys by elliska	4 Review(s)
daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 9/3/2004
First and most importantly, be safe, Elliska. We'll be looking for you to reappear once the hurricane has passed. Now on to more fun things! I knew Marti would be trouble. I have to tell you though that as this story is developing, chapter 2 makes more sense to me. The first time I read it, I thought what the heck is this about? It seemed like gratuitous sex, but now I can see you were introducing this character who has had her eyes on Thranduil for a long time. I wonder if she is really interested in him or in power? Elves seem to have smart about love so maybe it's the power, because I'd have to say she doesn't look like she loves him to me. And hurrah for Lindomiel. I loved her sharp set down of Uncle Engwe. This is a maiden who, young though she may be, will still be able to survive in a court as the wife of its king. And her relation to the trees and the little scene with the squirrel show that she is well suited to this particular king of a woodland realm. She's interesting though because, like Marti, she is a trouble maker, doing things like giving him her ribbon to provoke her father, but she is so good hearted and honorable that she makes a kind of trouble that Thranduil badly needs, I think. I was really struck by her honesty and openness. The fact that she tells her parents everything is a sign that she is fearless and has nothing to hide. I loved Thranduil's 'discussion' with the guards about how they have to be discreet. I can really see that. It's something I've thought about with my own characters too. The guards have to have seen and heard things that should not be passed along to anyone, be those things political or personal. Author Reply: Yes,chapter two is very difficult to get. It requires patience and is really very disturbing. One of the reasons I delayed posting this so long is because I was debating whether to really put that chapter there. I am aware it comes right out of the blue in the very beginning and really slaps the reader. And the reaction is--what the @$#% is this? But in the end I left it because it does set up Marti's character and it contrasts with Lindomiel who is introduced in the very next chapter. But go back and think about chapter two--Marti was watching Thranduil. She seems to do a lot of that. She knew he was upset and evaded his guards to take advantage of that in a way that humans consider pretty sick. For elves, that behavior is inconceivable. She is one seriously scary chick and no--love has absolutely nothing to do with her personality. Which is undoubtedly why Thranduil reacts to her as he normally does--uncomfortably under the best of circumstances. Yes, Lindomiel is complex as well. She does know how to survive in court. And she is a healthy, fun sort of troublemaker. She will lead Thranduil a merry life and he deserves that. The rest of his life will be hard enough. I think Amglaur might over estimate slightly his complete knowledge of Lindomiel's life--as fathers are wont to do--but she does clearly tell him alot of things if she described the entire swimming thing. And I agree, that is a good sign. Thranduil would have zero tolerance for a lack of communication, I think. The guards are fun, aren't they. Can you imagine a life like that?! I love the guards in your stories. There is just so much to play with in those types of situations. We are well hunkered down for the hurricane. I hope it's not too bad over the places that Charley hit three weeks ago. We still have roof damage and twenty foot high piles of storm debris along the streets. That stuff will be missles going straight through cement block walls if we get winds that are too high. And the twenty inches of rain they are predicting is going to make my house look like my swimming pool. I am not looking forward to Saturday. Oh well, what can you do?

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 9/3/2004
Well, that about wraps it up for Tulus. The Secret Service would have had him for breakfast. Off he goes, Monica Lewinsky-like, into the shadows. I wonder if he will meet Marti there. All Monica needs is to meet Linda Tripp. . . Marti sounds like she'd welcome any dirt she could get about the "little princess." Thranduil handled the whole Tulus dustup brilliantly, and it sure scored some grudging points with Amglaur. He has now demonstrated that he can and will make the effort to protect Daddy's Little Girl, and we all know how important that is to the average Daddy. Amglaur now seems to have at least accepted Thranduil's courtship of Lindomiel as a fait accompli, and that's something. I can't imagine the sort of person who'd tell their parents everything about everyone they kissed. I can't even think if I'd like her or not. On the one hand, she's every parent's dream -- the daughter who introduces all of her boyfriends to her parents. On the other hand -- a catalogue of every single flirtation? I can see telling that sort of thing to a sibling, but your parents? Oh well. As the old song goes, "Here's to the maid who steals a kiss and runs to tell her mother, / She's a foolish, foolish thing / For she'll not get another." But at least Lindomiel is the sort of person who likes to mess with squirrels' minds. I know you're not supposed to feed them, but they're so funny when they come visit you. And their minds are so easy to mess with. For all his crotchetiness, Engwe sounds like a good guy to have around. He really seems to care about Thranduil and he wants the regime to work. I think he'll learn to like Lindomiel, too, once the royal dates become part of the palace routine. After all, she makes Thranduil happy, and a happy Thranduil is a Thranduil who will work not longer but more efficiently so as to make time to spoon beneath the June moon. Author Reply: I am laughing myself silly again. Yes, Tulus is done. But he's not outta here just yet unfortunately. I think Thranduil did score some points. I wonder how much of Amglaur's belief that he knows everything about Lindomiel is a creation of his own mind. Lorien was small so he might know somethings...but everything? Probably not. :) Fathers often give themselves too much credit for their own 'control of the situation.' Squirrels are a lot of fun. On the campus where I went to college, they would literally do just what this squirrel did with Lindomiel. I always thought it was rather insane to feed squirrels from your hand--did ya ever look at the teeth on those things? But Lindomiel is an elf. Maybe squirrels don't bite elves. I hope not. Love the phrase 'spoon beneath the June moon.' That's great.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 9/3/2004
Wow - Thranduil in full flow. In some ways he must be quite reassuring to Amglaur. At least he knows that Thranduil will step on necks for his daughter. (I love Amglaur's admission that even he cannot stop Lindomiel doing what she wants - even though she is only a baby of 100 or so.) Tulus was an idiot. I just hope he doesn't now turn into an idiot with a grudge. And get mixed up with Marti the minx. Still - I reckon it will take a lot to make Lindomiel change her mind, and if she can squash Uncle Engwe, she can stand up to most people. Hope the hurricane misses you. We don't get Weather with a capital W. Just rain. Author Reply: Yes, I think this does reassure Amglaur more than it actually upsets him, though Thranduil may not see that yet. It's fun to write Thranduil taking off heads. Too much fun sometimes so I end up writing different versions of the dialogue to try to back it down a bit. Tulus is not a bright elf. That will not help him in the future. I hope the hurricane misses us too but given that it is the size of Texas...Thanks for the review. They make my day. Especially when the only other thing I have to look forward to is Weather. :)

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 16 on 9/3/2004
Oh dear - I won't say 'poor Tulus', because it's entirely his own fault. When you're in a hole, Tulus, stop digging! Lindomiel is wonderful - fiesty, intelligent, confident. I like her. Jay Author Reply: Tulus did just go fast and furious with both hands on the shovel, didn't he? I kind of laughed when I was writing this about the expression that must have been on the two gaurds faces. Can you imagine having to stand next to someone who is pissing Thranduil off that badly? Not good. He's just plain stupid. Stupid people should not be on the king's guard. Nothing good can come of that...though we will wait a while to see the worst of it. Thanks for the review! It makes writing so much more fun.

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