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Interrupted Journeys: Part 1 New Journeys by elliska	6 Review(s)
picara	Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 9/17/2004
It would be strange for the silvan to speak Quenya. This is actually a rather unsubtle clue. Author Reply: Hmmm. True. Let me tell you a story. I have a Masters degree in Computer Forensics. In the program, one of the classes we took was kind of a case study where we each had a fake crime assigned to us that we had to solve throughout the semester. I remember the instructor saying to us (warning us) on the first day of class that he hated crime shows on TV because the all evidence the investigators found was always completely relevant to their case. They never found anything that turned out to be a false lead. My point? The plot line that involves Marti is very complex. The are lots of 'clues' along the way. Some are relevant. Some are not. Some relevant clues are very subtle. Some irrelevant clues are very 'unsubtle.' And vice versa. This one 'clue' about her speaking one line of Quenya? Is it relevant? You will eventually see. This is one area where I will play with you. Sorry. :)

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 9/16/2004
Poor, poor Conuion. He deserves a raise. Not only did he manage to confine Thranduil and Amglaur, he even had the nerve to tell Thranduil he was being a pain and keeping him from the search! And he had the sense to keep an eye on Marti, at least until she disappeared from the neighbourhood. 'Marti would not threaten Lindomiel’s life. She was an elf.' No? Never heard of elves killing other elves, you survivors of Doriath? Or is it just because she is an elleth? Not the most sensible of actions, Lindomiel - although if you have to do something that puts your life in danger, the day before your wedding day is probably not a bad day to choose. Your adar is losing his little girl - so he won't be too angry with you. Your almost-husband is a quivering bag of nerves combined with lust, so he is likely to let things slide. And everyone else is too busy to let you have their unvarnished opinion of your good sense. I like her search for an appropriate word that, when found, made strong elves blench. And then she wants to hit Marti and they gaze at her in horror. It's so funny - even though most of their concern is because she doesn't seem to have realised that it's not a good idea to chase a lunatic in possession of a knife. I'm glad her guard survived - and with adequate excuse to avoid trouble himself. And Thranduil and Amglaur agreed on how he should treat a recalcitrant Lindomiel - that must be a first! However, the tapestry didn't. That is a pretty vicious attack - and it would seem that only now do they realise that she is a danger. (I wonder where she has been for the last year?) However, it's not, maybe, the most sensible (although sensible and Marti are mutually incompatible) thing she's ever done. Depending on her ultimate goal, of course. They know about you now, Marti, love. They've noticed that you have a marble or two missing. They are watching out for you. Quenya, huh? I'll bet it's not just a saying she heard somewhere. I feel it is of Greater Significance. Author Reply: Yeah, poor Conuion. There has to be times when he hates his job. I bet that describes pretty much every day. :) I think he does as well as he can here. Lindomiel does not. Going after Marti herself was not her best decision. But she has Amglaur's temper and she was hot and furious. She was also lucky. Not just that Marti didn't get her but also that her loved ones were so relieved to see her that they didn't kill her. :) As I said in the reply to French Pony (didn't story about her grandmother just kill you?!) obviously Thranduil et al know all about elves killing elves. They've been there and done that. I think maybe because they saw it, they are even more reluctant to allow themselves to believe it could be a possibility that Lindomiel is in that much danger. They can believe it could happen. They've seen it. They don't want to let themselves believe it will happen to Lindomiel. But regardless of what they want to believe, the reality of what Marti is has to be pretty undeniable now. Perhaps they should wonder where she has been for the last year. They should definitely wonder where she is now. Marti is definitely missing a marble or two. And she has shown she has a temper enough to make mistakes and a violent spirit enough to carve things up with knives. Not a good combo.

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 9/16/2004
So Lindomiel ran off to sleuth around a little on her own, eh? Perhaps next time she will have learned the value of maybe telling someone where she's going. A forest full of Elves who love her to death, the Queen's own workshop violated (and that's breaking and entering, that is), and she could think of no one to go to and say "hey, look what happened to my tapestry, raise the alarm and round up a posse, cause I'm going after the varmint?" All I can say is that Lindomiel is surely suffering from Bridal Insanity, the condition that causes brides to slowly and progressively lose their reason and common sense in the weeks immediately preceding the wedding. On the other hand, she could just be living in her own little world, like my grandmother, who vanished one morning. After a search that involved two local police departments and the State Highway Patrol, she just waltzed in and announced what a pleasant little jaunt she'd had. If Lindomiel does this, then all I can think is that Lorien must be a very safe and secure place. Our soon-to-be queen has a lot to learn about security in Mirkwood. But it is clearly well in character for young, brash, pampered Lindomiel to do, to go charging off after her rival. Women always know who their rivals are, and Lindomiel will defend her territory at any price. Thranduil and Co. were another matter. I have to say that I didn't quite buy their plot line. For one thing, they seemed extremely reluctant to consider that another Elf might have wished harm on another. So many of them saw and lived through Kinslayings; I'm sure that the concept of Elf-on-Elf violence is not nearly so foreign to them as here. And clearly, they need to jack up security in Mirkwood. Really, Marti has been identified as a threat to Thranduil and to Lindomiel by several people, and they just let her walk off without keeping an eye on her? I'd side with Amglaur in his opinion of Mirkwood's security, except that he doesn't seem to have hit upon the idea of keeping a known threat under surveillance either. The women know. Limmiel, Dineryn and Lindomiel know exactly who their enemy is. If they could only get the lunkheaded men to quit the pissing contest and actually do a spot of ruling, life would be grand. Author Reply: As I've said before, I would love to meet your family! So grandma caused an intercity incident did she? I bet she was pleased with herself. I see my husband and I doing that one day. We're just crazy enough! :) As for Lindomiel, I think two things were in action here. First, she was well and truly furious. You would be too if you saw one year's worth of work go down the tubes the day before it was supposed to be unveiled. Especially if that day is your wedding day. Second, she very likely has literally never seen violence outside of hunting in her entire life. She is only one hundred or so. She was born in the first years of the Third Age when there simply was no war in an elven city that is a protected, hidden place. Murders and breaking and entering and assault just wouldn't be something that I believe would be run of the mill in a society with only elves. I can see elves being very passionate and intense but I cannot see normal, healthy elves solving their problems with violent acts as a regualr course of life. As for the kinslayings, naturally Lindomiel would have been educated about them, but those were a very isolated incidents. It was as horrific as it was because such violence is so uncommon. The silvan elves that she was raised with may be 'more dangerous and less wise' but they had absolutely no history of intentionally killing other elves. Killing or injuring an elf would never occur to her. So she went rushing off to have some words (and as angry as she was possibly even something more) with Marti. I think that was a new feeling to her and one Thranduil and Amglaur would have preferred she never experience--the first time she saw real violence in herself and in others of her race. And the older elves--they did what they could with Marti. Thranduil spoke to her about her gossip. Dieneryn dismissed her for her nasty looks. But gossip and nasty looks are not something you can imprison people for. You can keep an eye on her but that would not be the king's job. It is the guards' job and Conuiön does know what Marti has been up to, down to when she left the city and what she took with her. After that, Mirkwood is a big place--tracking one elleth through it once she left the capital would be a tall order. Now they think her gone--surrendered. They have not seen her for a year. Since they thought she was gone, so it does not occur to them that she is to blame until Limmiel insists upon it. And I think the idea that an elf would commit really violent, destructive actions would be alien even to the older elves, though they actually saw the kinslayings. Something they would be reluctant to think at the very least. Violence is sometimes part of their lives, but it is most commonly brought to them from other races, not their own. For themselves, even when faced with danger, they don't always react with violence. In the Hobbit, even Thranduil while in full fury mode does nothing physical against the dwarves that he seems to fully believe are a threat to his kingdom. He just imprisons them and waits for their confession. Violence does not seem to be an automatic reaction to them. I think that since they don't automatically react with it, they would not automatially look for it, especially in their own kind. Even after seeing the kinslayings, I still do not think they would easily accept the idea that an elf would injure another elf for something like lovers rivalries. They are frightened by the idea. It certainly did occur to them that Lindomiel is in danger. But it is hard to accept. Not a conclusion they would automatically jump to. I think they would even want to resist that conclusion. That said, believing Marti did that to the tapestry, there is no way to avoid that she is violent. They completely get it now and they want to deal with her. The question is, can they find her? Greenwood is a very big forest and Middle Earth is a very big place. And Marti does not want to be found, obviously. Definitely not good.

daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 9/16/2004
What a tense chapter! Both the waiting and the scene with Lindomiel once she returned were very well done. I could really feel the tension in her parents and in Thranduil. It was natural that they snapped at one another, but they were all actually pretty restrained when she returned. Just nicely done. Author Reply: Thanks Daw. I am glad tension came across. I definitely think people in general might snap in such a circumstance (and I certainly hope I never have an opportunity to find out) but particularly Amglaur and Thranduil. Yes, Lindomiel got off pretty easy--easier than I would have with my mother and husband and I'm almost 40 :). I think everyone is relieved to see her. Also she is an adult getting married that day so what can her parents really do? And I can't see Thranduil snapping too much at his wife. Glad it seemed tense. For some reason, this was the most difficult chap for me to write. I cannot imagine why but I never really got it the way I wanted it. Thanks for the review.

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 9/16/2004
Why do I get the feeling that their morning walk will be disturbed by the delightful Marti? I hope I'm wrong! There's a disgraced guard somewhere out there as well, I think. Marti + Guard = Bad News For Thranduil Jay Author Reply: Marti and Tulus do make another appearance in this particular part of Interrupted Journeys (and plenty more throughout the series) and I will tell you that the walk will be an emotional strain for poor Thranduil. Other than that, you will have to wait until this afternoon when I post the next chap. But you could not be more correct when you say that Marti and Tulus will plague Thranduil and Legolas and others. In some instances, immortality for elves is not a good thing :) Thanks so much for the review.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 9/16/2004
This just gets better and better. So exciting. More later probably, when I'm awake. Author Reply: Glad you liked it Bodkin. This was a difficult chapter for me to write. I never really got it as I wanted it. And BTW--I was still on the Internet when this review came in last night and I was on the Internet this morning when you posted to Reflections. You need more sleep and so do I :)

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