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Time's Turnings by daw the minstrel	21 Review(s)
pipinheart	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 10/12/2005
Beliond has a sense of adventure after all...and they found the infor needed, Legolas and him may work together well, if they can get along... Author Reply: I loved writing this chapter. It was the first time I ever got into Beliond's head and he has such a distinctive voice. And Legolas did well, all on his own. Beliond might want to think about that.

Tapetum Lucidum	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/13/2005
Sinnarn's little musings on spending time with his parents was very cute. His memories are certainly fond, even if the present is not. My kids still enjoy spending time with us and we are trying to enjoy it as well. His resignation towards another "discussion" with his father was very true to life. It is torture for both the adolescent and the adult. You made his feelings very realistic. Ithilden's little summary was heartfelt as well. Good job with a touching scene. The foray into the spice shop was great! Beliond was wise to devise an arguement that would convince the young warrior to follow orders. Reminding Legolas of his duties to Thranduil, then throwing ranking officers' names afterward was a great approach. It worked perfectly. Having Beliond admit his craving for action was great. It was very much in character for a retired spy. The plan was a good one. Beliond's lock picking skills were very useful. I shudder to think what the King would say if his youngest came home with the ability. (Why do I think Eilian can already pick locks?) I liked how Beliond ensured a quick escape in case of emergency. I am glad he found something interesting to take back to Eilian. Legolas' little diversion was also clever. I was glad Beliond gave him a little praise. He is a rookie so he needs a little slack. Yay! Another chapter - 5 days skiing in Maine with no internet connection. It is fun to catch up! Author Reply: Skiing in Maine? That sounds like fun. It's been warm and rainy here in upper midwest, so even if we had a hill, you couldn't ski. I feel bad for Sinnarn but even more so for Ithilden. I think his wife and son were true life changers for him, and he must be so pained by the separation from Sinnarn. But it has to happen. The keepers' relation to their charges is interesting to me. They have no real authority to make the king's sons do anything (unless they choose to tattle to Thranduil, I suppose). So how do they accomplish it? Beliond is threatening Legolas still, but he can't do that forever. It's not good for Legolas's development. You think Eilian can pick locks? LOL. Maybe. It probably wouldn't surprise Thranduil if he could!

White Wolf	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/12/2005
I loved Beliond's line of reasoning: "I was searching buildings when your nurse was wiping dribble from your chin with your bib..." It was great seeing Beliond in action doing the stealthy things he used to do and loving it. Good suspence. Legolas, the lock picker. It sounds funny, but I can see that particular talent possibly coming in handy sometime in the future. You never know. :o) Author Reply: Beliond's POV is so much fun to write. I don't have another character who would talk or think like he does. He's one of a kind! And he was apparently a pretty good spy. Maybe Legolas does need to learn to pick a lock. What Thranduil doesn't know won't hurt him. :-)

Nilmandra	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/12/2005
I was just laughing at 'Batman and Robin' on their mission. Legolas did do a great job, thought on his feet and was a good sidekick. Poor Beliond - I loved seeing him excited about something and using his skills. It is understandable that he only grudgingly allows Legolas to be in danger. He needs to see his role as more than keeping Legolas safe by protecting him.....he has to teach Legolas how to be the best warrior he can be, which means learning to take calculated risks too. Sinnarn has hit it right on the head about 'wanting' - a lot of us adults suffer from the same thing. Author Reply: Thank you for all your help on this one. It's really a better chapter because of your input. And once I switched to Beliond's POV, it was a ton of fun to write. His "voice" is unique. And you're right about what Beliond has to do. Legolas has always done better when he understands what he's doing, and Beliond could provide that. I know exactly what you mean about 'wanting.'

elliska	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/12/2005
Sorry to be so late reviewing. I've been in training all week w/o Internet access. Going nutz! This was a great chapter, Daw. Poor Sinnarn and Ithilden. I hated being a teenager. It was so frustrating and confusing and you really summed it up: I do not know what I want sometimes. I just want. That's exactly the problem. Ithilden handled that conversation very well and showed good parenting skills no matter how frustrating Sinnarn found Ithilden's final words. I think I would go mad if I was Ithilden. And the 'mission' with Beliond was priceless. Beliond is the limit, isn't he?! Threatening Legolas into his part of the mission, criticizing the lockmaker's skills, cursing... Too funny. And the search itself was very well done--nice and tense. I have spent a good deal of time thinking about the relationship between the guards and their protectees too. Even talked with a friend of mine who is a body guard for celebrities that visit the theme parks here in Orlando. It's a tough relationship but I think you have explored it well in this story. My friend told me that the celebrities sign a contract--the body guard will attempt to provide them with as much freedom/normalcy as possible but when it comes down to it, the protectee must obey the body guard. Period. If they don't, the contract is broken and the body guard just leaves. They get paid in advance. :) Beliond's problem is that he has no real way to enforce Legolas allowing him to protect him and he can'y escape seeing his own son when he sees Legolas (that is so sad). I think if Legolas thought about how Thranduil would react if he did not let Beliond do his job, he might back down some. :) And I have enjoyed the struggle those two are having in this chapter with allowing Legolas to be a warrior. But in this case, Beliond was right--in a mission like that, someone stands watch and someone goes in. Obviously the person who knows tricks like picking locks and looking for secret places in drawers goes in. That sticks Legolas with the less exciting job. And Legolas handled it well. I loved the sequence when Beliond comes out and sees him talking with the men and drags him off. Great! I think Beliond is going to have to teach Legolas to pick locks. What an education Legolas is getting! Ha! And now to Eilian's reaction. I think after he gets over his initial shock, he'll be cool with this. After all, I can sure see him doing the same thing. :) Author Reply: A few stories back, I decided I didn't have a good handle on Ithilden because I hadn't written about him as much as I had Eilian. So I deliberately started writing from his POV and I've learned so much. In this chapter, I felt so sorry for him. He loves this kid. Alfirin and Sinnarn are his hostages given to the dangerous time they live in. And he can see that Sinnarn is unhappy and doesn't want him around to fix it. Ah well. Time will cure it. I also liked writing from Beliond's POV. He's just a hoot to write about! It's impossible to confuse the inside of his head with that of any of my other characters. That's very interesting about the bodyguards in the theme parks. I'm thinking about how much more complicated this is for Beliond and Legolas. Beliond is attached to Legolas, in addition to having a job to do. And as you say, he sees his son when he looks at him. So he's probably being overprotective. Legolas, on the other hand, has a domineering father from whom he's has to break away in order to become a full adult. So these factors get mixed into the very real need to assess dangers and who should be doing what. I think they're working on it. That was supposed to be part of what this story was about, but it's hard for them. And Eilian would have loved to do the same thing!

Brazgirl	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/11/2005
Really Daw! Thanks for the update. You made me laugh a lot with this chapter. First, I trully adored this line in the conversation between Sinnarn and Ithilden: “I do not know what I want sometimes. I just want.” That was so sweet and incredibly real. Shows the naivety of the young elf in front of his father. I felt like hugging Ithilden when he said those words to his son. Very nice dialogue. But the best was Beliond... that was... great. And he even cursed. If her learnt to curse with Oropher I wonder about Thranduil's vocabulary. And what will Eilian say when he heards of the bodyguard's adventure? And of those papers?? I am curious to find out!!! Author Reply: I'm so glad you liked it! Ithilden is doing his best to try to comfort this son that he loves beyond reason, but I think only time is going to cure this one. If it seemed real to you, then I'm immensely flattered. Beliond was a hoot to write about. One of my ambitions is to write sections of a story so that a reader could guess whose head they were in even if I didn't tell them. Events should sound different depending on whose eyes we're seeing them through. That doesn't always work out but Beliond was easy! He's so distinctive. And this is the first time I've ever used his pov that I remember. It was fun.

Alice	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/11/2005
I have to tell you as a teenager myself, that you're really good at getting inside the adolescent's mind. Wanting but not knowing what exactly it is you want is exactly how it is. I loved that scene with Ithilden and Sinnarn. It was touching, and real and it was just wonderful. Both of them came off as wonderful, without being all perfect. They were real. And Ithilden is an awesome adar. I also liked how you mentioned Ithilden's passion for music. It's a nice trait he has. It gives him more dimension. So, I have to tell you that I loved reading Beliond's pov. It was fabulous getting inside his head. Also enlightening. I wonder if he ever uses the word young without fool following it. It was great seeing him gleefully break and enter. He was probably a very good spy. It was also amusing to see him imagine beating the snot out of Legolas. Beliond's not a person I would leave in charge of teenagers personally. It's good he's only got Legolas to look after. Another young person might kill him. He should so teach Legolas how to pick locks though. It's an important part of one's education. So, very enjoyable chapter. I enjoyed it more than the last one actually and am quite looking forward to Eilian's cry of " You did what?!". My one problem with it though is Legolas using the phrase you are the limit. It's the one jarring note of the story. It's a bit too modern, which is a pet peeve of mine for Tolkien fanfiction. Other than that though, I think it's one of the best chapters you've ever written. I look forward to reading more of this story. Author Reply: I'm so glad you thought the Sinnarn stuff seemed real. That's the highest compliment anyone can give me. I enjoyed writing from Beliond's pov. At first, I had Legolas going into the shop with him and had it from Legolas's pov, and then I decided (at my beta's insistence) that that was unrealistic. So then I had to do the scene over from Beliond's pov. And the funny thing is I was showing the same stuff, but it sound entirely different when I was in his head. Hm. "You are the limit." A good point. What could I substitute? "You never fail to surprise me"? That's not quite right. What I mean is that he always goes beyond what one might expect, so in that sense maybe surprise is right, but yet he's always himself. When you look back, you can see how this outrageous thing is consistent with his general behavior. "You are the most outrageous person I know"? Maybe I'll try that.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/11/2005
'The name's Beliond, James Beliond and I like my Dorwinion unshaken, and not stirred.' Have you considered writing the story of Beliond the spy? Interacting with females with Easterling accents. Evading capture by evil world-dominating Dark Lords. Author Reply: Actually, I have such a story on my list of possible stories. I'm thinking it might make a good single-chapter birthday fic for my beta come this summer.

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/11/2005
Beliond was great in this chapter, a real 007! Yet he's so uncomplimentary of poor Legolas: 'He hated the idea of leaving the young fool on his own to do anything that popped into his head, but he solaced himself by vowing that he would beat the snot out of Legolas if he violated orders.' I don't think Thranduil would approve! Poor Legolas has done tremendously well in an extremely unfamiliar situation: hanging around inconspicuously on dark streets, accosting merchants, pretending to be interested in a prostitute. Even Beliond recognises that in the end: 'he was also feeling a small glow of pride at how well Legolas had done at a task he had been angry at being assigned.' It's a true sign of maturity to get on with a task that you hate but can't avoid. Jay Author Reply: I think of Beliond as one of those people who show affection by worrying constantly about the one they love. And in this case, I think of him as seeing his own son in Legolas and worrying about him being rash and getting himself killed. He needs to see that Legolas is capable and he's beginning to do that. I guess that's an outcome I'd like to see from this story. And you're right, Legolas has done well. And he's certainly broadening his education!

Karri	Reviewed Chapter: 9 on 2/11/2005
It is chapters like this one that remind me of why I just Beliond. Thranduil was very wise in his selection, for I think Beliond needed Legolas, more than Legolas needed Beliond. A very entertaining chapter, daw! Author Reply: You're so right about Beliond. He does need Legolas. He needs to be brought out of his isolation and back into contact and loving relationships with other elves. And in the meantime, he's a hoot!

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