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A Matter of Heart by daw the minstrel	37 Review(s)
Asms2	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/15/2016
It was fun to see Ithilden and Legolas interact in this story. Ithilden is so much older he basically sees Legolas like his kid instead of his brother. Ithilden and Alfrain both sort of solidify their feelings for each other through the way they interact with, and care about Legolas. Super sweet! When Turgon appears all I could think about was how little time he has left to live. Yikes! When he sees Legolas running away from the training fields, and offers to go fishing with him...I can see why Legolas appreciated his companionship. Turgon is a troublemaker, but he also cares and is a loyal friend. That was a nice moment for their friendship. I enjoyed the scene with the married servant complaining about her husband while serving dinner. And then they leave the room and the door closes before the husband says “That was an utterly disgraceful display!” haha. I think I would have been laughing too! And Thranduil's like "Control yourself Legolas". How amusing. It turned out to be a good thing though, because it gave Alfrain ideas about how she could fit into the family, and things she could contribute to making the house run smoother. I loved seeing Ithilden spring to action when the tree fell on Legolas! He is such a steady, calm force. He knew exactly what to do with cutting the clothing to see the wound and checking for broken bones. And Legolas just turns his face right into his big brother's shoulder when he is picked up, aw!! Author Reply: Hi, Asms2! Alfirin agrees with you completely. When she sees Ithilden caring for Legolas, she's a goner and she knows it. Of course, she was mostly a goner anyway at that point. Writing about Turgon in this story was painful because I knew he had only a few weeks left to live and that's a dreadful thought. He's totally loyal to his friends, because he needs that steadiness, and it's to his credit that he chooses Legolas and Annael. He's a kid with so much potential, and if he'd had time to grow up, he'd have been just another wild Wood-elf. Eventually I wrote about Legolas meeting him again in the Undying Lands, and then I felt better. I think Legolas feels utterly safe with Ithilden, not always happy but safe! Glad you enjoyed the story. daw

endorearwen	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/21/2013
Sigh, grin, oh so happy feelings! Simply perfect, Daw - as always! I can never get enough Ithilden... I loved the Freudian slip that forced the revelation of feelings between he and Alfirin (take her time? Give me a break!) I thoroughly enjoyed the argument too - I stand solidly with her mother on this one, I'm so glad she proved she was stronger than him! I also like the way Alfirin wants to bring a little softness into the world of all these men - long overdue if you ask me! I'm really impressed with how you examined Legolas' continuing adjustment to his act of bravery. He is maturing so much from story to story and it is easy to see how each of these experiences you are putting him through will ultimately affect his character. As for the incident involving Galelas, he had it coming! Legolas' anger was just and the punishment inflicted should have been a lot worse on this wretched character! I think Thranduil and Ithilden may finally be realizing Legolas is no longer a youngling! It will be interesting to see how Thranduil deals with Alfirin if she finds herself needing to speak her mind about the way Legolas is being raised. I think she might be just the right one to win an argument with the King! ;-) I am also keen to see how Legolas feels when a feminine influence begins to touch his world. It will certainly be a new and strange experience for him. Definitely looking forward to reading more... In the meantime, I'm going to continue daydreaming about being in Alfirin's place! Author Reply: And Ithilden is happily looking forward to having Alfirin "bed" him a "good night" one of these days. I think she was looking too long at Ithilden's thighs. :-) That slip grew out of a typo I made writing a different story. I looked at it, laughed, and decided to save it for the right occasion. This was it. Her mother certainly knew which was the wind was blowing though. My beta gave me some rules for this story--no orcs, bad men, wargs, anything. I was supposed to be concentrating on feelins, which I tended to slide over. I thought I would go crazy. Then I realized I could drop a tree on Legolas, so I felt better.

erunyauve	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 6/29/2006
The thought process Alfirin goes through in her decision to bond with Ithilden shows just how suited she is to take on the duties of a queen. She doesn't wander into this unprepared - she knows that this is more than a bonding between two elves. Poor Legolas - he's such a good kid (though I loved Ithilden's observation that he had a tendency to 'wander'). In a lot of ways, he's much like Ithilden, but not quite as headstrong - he's very much a youngest child. Author Reply: Thanks, Erunyauve. I think Alfirin and Ithilden are well matched. They're both rational people, but they're also passionate about one another, and Alfirin can't keep herself from saying yes. Legolas is suffering here. But the one I feel bad about is Turgon, who has only a few more weeks to live.

pipinheart	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 10/2/2005
Nice ending to this one...Legolas is back on his feet, and is starting at knife's again with his father...and Ithilden and Alfirin are going to bind to each other,they are suited to one another... Author Reply: I'm so glad you liked it. This one ended on a rosy note, with everyone having high hopes for the future.

Tapetum Lucidum	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/13/2005
Galelas finally got what he deserved. There are times to fight and times to negotiate and Galelas was due a punch in the mouth. Getting extra attention from his teacher was not what he needed after the altercation. I am glad you gave Thranduil some mixed emotions after this little incident. He should be feeling consternation, concern and worry. It must be hard to know how to react. I am quite sure Ithilden will not be happy with having to track the brat down. Alfirin's thoughts are certainly accurate. I am glad she has the self-confidence to accept a role in the palace staff. It would be quite a challenge. I imagine her dreams are very pleasant at the moment... The fact that Legolas is displeased with himself does show some maturity. At least he knew that slugging the "orc-spawn" was wrong. It sounds like his little trip into the forest was much needed. I hope Ithilden agrees. I think the view of a soaking wet, chilled Alfirin was enough to lift his mood. Even with a smirking teenager nearby. You managed to keep the bad men, spiders and orcs away - I guess there were no rules about attacking treees. Legolas seems to have them fall on him whenever his sisters-in-law are near. Oh well, at least he is not naked this time. Wild boar too?! I think you are cheating, or at least watching "Lost." I doubt Alfirin can throw a knife as well as Celuwen but at least she was willing to try. Legolas' willingness to do the same was also a step in the right direction. Alfirin does handle Legolas quite well - she chose exactly the right way to comfort him when he spilled his heart to her. Thanking him for protecting the realm and ensuring him that he did the right thing was just what he needed. Her romantic realizations about Ithilden were a good way to shift the mood. Legolas finally admitted his greatest fear - you do a great job with Thranduil's parenting. He was supportive about Legolas' future as a warrior or whatever he wanted while still reinforcing the fact that fighting was wrong. You managed it all with a few quick words. Good job! The sparring scene was great - Ithilden knew just what Legolas needed to relax him. The "old" comment reminded me of the Hector-Paris scene - very cute. The bucket story did the trick! Ithilden's popping the question was very sweet and I really enjoyed getting to know Alfirin a lot better. I am glad they will have a bright future together - at least until their Eilian like offspring becomes a warrior (snicker) Great job as usual! Author Reply: I did cheat. The tree and the boar were necessary. I was desperate! Poor Ithilden. He was so looking forward to a horseback ride with Alfirin in her wet gown more or less in his lap. But he knew his priorities and that's one of the things she loves about him. I thought she would be good for Legolas. She's female and maternal. She's close to the family but hasn't been hovering over him, and he doesn't have the same emotional entanglements with her that he has with everyone else. So I thought that was progress. And you're right. I do doubt if she could match Celuwen with a knife, but despite her gentle nature, she was willing to try, and Legolas saw that too. The sparring scene was my favorite part of the last chapter. It turned out Ithilden could be smart mouthed. :-) I am glad they will have a bright future together - at least until their Eilian like offspring becomes a warrior (snicker) -- or perhaps even sooner. :-)

Avon	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/10/2005
Sorry, not really a review - more an answer. I think I would describe myself as an 'elf-person', but I can see why you wouldn't think so. I'm a Legolas fan first and foremost; actually perhaps describing me as a Legolas person is more accurate than an elf person. ;-) I normally only read stories with Legolas in them - unless a friend has written them. Oddly enough I don't write much elf, though - I seem to have more of a Boromir and Faramir muse - so I guess I don't seem like an elf fan. Perhaps I'm just a mongrel ;-) Author Reply: I think I thought that because you write about men, you must read about them too. I write these stories because they're the ones I wish someone else had written so I can read them. I wonder how unusual it is that you read and write about different races? (You don't have to answer that. :-))

elliska	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/5/2005
Poor Legolas. He has rather bad luck with trees sometimes. :) But I loved seeing Alfirin protect him from the boar and then turn around to see he was protecting her as well. That shows great progress for Legolas and the type of strength Alfirin needs too. Great job with that. And let me tell you, wild boars are scary. We have them in Florida. A female wild boar treed me when I first moved down here--kept me in that tree for almost eight hours. They are as stubborn as they are viscious. You don't want to mess with one and I would want to face one with a knife. Great job on a scary scene there. Great Legolas and Ada scene by Legolas' bedside. I loved that. Again, Thranduil was perfect. And the whole sparing (sp?) scene was too great. I can't even pick a part to cite that I liked the best. I'm glad we got to see the proposal and acceptance at the end. I always hate to see your stories end. I think I'll go read the reviews now and see if you give us any hints of what you'll do next. Author Reply: I am a little in a rut about the tree thing, but I needed something to put these three in the woods together and then let Alfirin and Legolas confront one another. You've been treed for EIGHT hours??? wow. That sounds terrifying. Meckinock says there were wild boars in Germany when she was lived there too. Thranduil came through as the good adar here, thank goodness. But my favorite part of this chapter was the sparring scene. That was so much fun to write. Ithilden can be wicked and turns out to have a great sense of humor when he's not being in charge. I have the outline and first chapter of story about young warrior Legolas, set about 30 years after "The Warrior." I hope to post it later this week but I'm sick and I have a ton of stuff to do. We'll see.

lwarren	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/3/2005
Caught on the edge of a tree-fall! At least he wasn't squashed flat! I was so glad to see Ithilden's treatment of Legolas (concerned and tender, as well as take-charge!) and I'm sure Legolas was relieved to feel the strength of his older brother holding him! A boar! Alfirin with a knife out to protect Legolas, and Legolas draws his own to protect her. A major step there, daw, even if he wonders whether he could have done it or not ('course, her standing in the way would have brought back all manner of memory should he have had to throw the darn thing). Finally, he confides in Alfirin...and I wasn't surprised she knew just what to say. I would imagine working with her mother in the healing rooms would have shown her different ways to counsel traumatized patients...even if it was only by watching her naneth). The sparring between Thranduil and Legolas at the end was great! And Ithilden permanently endeared himself to me when he started teasing and distracting his Adar in an effort to help Legolas relax and ultimately, win! What a brother! What an Adar! He was great, too! :-) BIG ENORMOUS smile Yay, Ithilden pops the question and Alfirin says "What took you so long - come here, you gorgeous thing, you!" I only wish this lovely story wasn't over - but I hope you have other equally lovely things in mind! As always, a pleasure to read your work, daw! (Have a wonderful new year!) linda Author Reply: I think Ithilden would be a comforting person to have around in a crisis. When Legolas was little, he thought of Ithilden as "someone who made you feel safe," but "he did not like to be bad in front of him." And I think that sums big brother up pretty well. And Legolas is on his way to healing, mostly through his interaction with Alfirin, which I found interesting to set up. Legolas needs a mother figure, I think, and she's close to the family but not yet part of it, so maybe he doesn't feel as guarded with her. My favorite part of this chapter to write was the sparring sequence. Who knew Ithilden could be so smart-mouthed? He'd better watch it because "old" Dad could probably still knock him down if he decided that Ithilden needed knocking! I've been away all this week (in the Caribbean :-)) and have an outline and a draft of a first chapter for a new story but I'm so disoriented from traveling home and going back to work tomorrow, that I don't know when I'll get around to sending it to my beta and posting. Later this week, I hope. It's about 2:30 am here right now and I'm still too wound up to sleep, so I'll have to see how things go!

Avon	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/3/2005
That was nice. I do like your Mirkwood family (though I miss Elian when he's not there). Author Reply: I miss Eilian too, but I have to keep him out sometimes because he tends to take over when I let him show up on the screen! I appreciate the review, Avon, especially since I don't believe you're particularly an "elf person," are you?

Melissa	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/1/2005
This story is another treat, like all the others. You and Nightwing are my favorite LOTR writers ever. Author Reply: Thank you, Melissa. As it happens, I'm enjoying Nightwing's story too. I want to see what happens when those townspeople attack!

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