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A Spring of Joy by daw the minstrel	25 Review(s)
Alice	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/30/2005
Once again, real life has interfered with my fanfiction reading. (sigh) At least this time it was fun RL as opposed to AP testing. This chapter was worth the wait however. I'm really enjoying the suspense of this story and the little elements that make me worry. Like these scenes with Thranduil and the little sentences about it being a good thing that there are so many adults to watch Loriel? Very effective. That dream was fabulous for building tension though. I enjoyed seeing Legolas in Dale. It's really interesting watching the elves interact with humans. Your elves seem like regular people that it's easy to forget that they are in fact elvish. When they go and play (or stand aloofly as the case may be) with humans there's a barrier between them. It's fun to watch Legolas be all baffled by humans. Silly elf. He seems a little befuddled by how time moves with humans. It makes me wonder how the elfs in Rivendell reacted to Estel growing up so quickly. It must have seemed like they blinked and he was grown. Oh! And I loved the line about Thranduil loving small children. While our favorite king is not fond of other races, he makes exceptions for the smaller members. :) That seems very in character to me. Take that Evil!Thranduil writers! So, dwarves at dinner huh? Legolas is going to sit Beliond next to them? Not a move I would have made, personally. This should be interesting. I'd tell you to update soon, but you already did. Sweet. Author Reply: It's funny how when we read a sentence in fiction about how lucky it is there are so many people to watch a child we know immediately that the kid will wander away. You might as well run up a red flag. I've had some trouble knowing what to do with Legolas in this story that would be interesting, and I finally decided that having him interact with men would be good. On the other side of the Misty Mountains, Aragorn is about 20 years old and finding out his true identity. So Legolas will have to deal with Men pretty intensely in the not too distant future. It's always seemed to me that Elves must love children. They had few of them and they must have had the wisdom to truly treasure them.

ziggy	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/29/2005
Thank you for updating SO quickly and so regualrly- I cant keep up! I love the way you write Thranduil. He is tender and totally wonderful! Becoming my favourite character...hm. Aprt from Eilian...where is he? Is he OK? (wail) I am worried about him. Sorry- pathetic! Author Reply: I'm an unnaturally fast updater! I love Thranduil, in both his tender and his kingly role. He's a little cranky sometimes, but I would be too! Eilian is busy right now. And no one is more pathetic than I am in my love for these characters. Thank you for the review.

FirstMate	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/27/2005
Well, I don't even know where to start! I've been out of the loop for awhile and haven't kept up with stories like I'd like to. But...wow! So much has happened. Sinnarn grown up and married? Elian married? And with a child? He makes a very cute dad, although I have to admit I miss the recklessness of his youth. It made him a wonderful character because you never knew what foolish thing he might do. Don't get me wrong...I love how you've made all them all grow up and become more settled, but I still kind of miss the rakish young characters. Anyway, your ending of this chapter was...not to sound too dramatic...masterful. It left so much for the reader to think about and wonder. Clearly it was some kind of warning, but of what? Sounds like life is about to get much tougher for Thranduil and his family. Charming, lovely story as usual...can't wait to read more! Author Reply: This is the first we've seen of married Sinnarn, although he was in love with Annael's daughter in "Tangled Web." Eilian did the elven version of an elopement with Celuwen in "Glorious Summer," driving both fathers insane with fury. This is the first sight anyone has had of Eilian daughter. :-) I think he makes a very loving father, just as he was a loving big brother to Legolas. I have to admit I miss them all in their younger state, but then I can always jump back and write a story about them at that age. I'm glad you liked it.

thechevin	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/26/2005
Sorry this is late I have been to London to the Chelsea Flower show and only just got back and picked up the latest chapter This was funny, sad and heartbreaking in turn, the 'keeper's are so full of wisdom and support even if Beliond's support tends to take the form of cryptic comments. He really does not like men does he? No wonder he did not initially approve of Legolas going on the Quest with Aragorn. Legolas's interest in humans must really get under his skin Eilian and Maltanaur make an excellent team Thranduil's dream started so wonderfully but ended with what I take is a warning of the future although I did like his wife's comment about parents and granparents this story is like a tapestry that is slowly and beautifully coming together to make a full picture Author Reply: Late? Not a bit of it! I'd love getting the review if it was year from now. How was the flower show? Beliond is a guy who was probably a bit untrusting to start with, and life has conspired to make him more so. He's lost his wife and son and he worked for years as a spy, which probably didn't show him men at their best. Poor Thranduil. His dream did start well and then go so wrong. I think the next chapter should bring a lot of the threads together. Then I can give them a big tug and see everything unravel. :-)

perelleth	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/26/2005
Have I told you that I love how you describe the human settlements? I think I did, back in that story when Beliond and Legolas go with Eilian and Maltanaur to Dale and Beliond ends up juggling in the streets, it was wonderfully done, and so it is here. "I will have the night crier put it about that a dangerous intruder..." I had to smile at this. Some weeks ago, I had to do some field research in the southern mediteranean area, and I found some small villages around the desert where the night criers were still operating! I loved it! both real life and to find it in your story! I also like that Dale and Esgaroth are so vastly different from each other! The statue was great fun, as it was thinking that Legolas would remmeber where the former King's palace had stood... "How in Arda could Bard bear to be so friendly with someone he had once faced across a battle field?" This, too, I found very thought-provoking... Legolas still lacks Ithilden's or Thrnaduil's pragmatism, to know that today's opponent may become next day's most useful ally. And what does Annael think of all this? He must be thrilled, being at the Home Guard, he surely didn't have much chances to go outside the forest! Thranduil's dream has nothing to do with the present mission south, does it? I die to learn more about Dol Guldur! Author Reply: I'm glad you liked the night crier detail. Your research sounds interesting, although I suppose it's what keeps you from the internet for days at a stretch and that part wouldn't be so good. :-) When I first drafted this chapter, I was the one who forgot that the Men of Dale wouldn't remember the old king's hall. It took me a while to remember that a couple of hundred years had passed since Smaug destroyed it. Jumping around in time like I do is not always easy. I've had some trouble deciding how to balance Legolas's ideas about dwarves and make sense of them. In The Hobbit, Tolkien says there was friendship between Men, Dwarves, and Elves in the area east of Mirkwood after the Battle of Five Armies. But in LOTR, Legolas is certainly not eager to cosy up to Dwarves at the start. So I decided that the "friendship" must be less a personal feeling than a political alliance. And Legolas is less likely to have much to do with that than Thranduil and Ithilden are, as you say. Anyway, I have about 6 pages of the next chapter drafted but have to go to work this morning. Boo on work.

Brazgirl	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/25/2005
Hi Daw! Just dropped by to say I enjoyed the chapter very much. Though I am worried now with Thranduil. I don't like when he have these dreams... the last time Legolas was kidnapped and Eilian almost got killed (!). Legolas is doing fine as a diplomat, I think. And you did well giving this family a bossy little woman! She is so cute!!! And misses her ada! Tell her he misses her too! And good luck with your work. Author Reply: Legolas is doing quite well. He's an adult who deals well with people from other races (except for Dwarves), and that bodes well for his future. Loriel doesn't know enough yet to stop bossing and start asking. She's working on saying 'please' though. And her grandfather doesn't seem to care. He'll give her anything she wants if he can. It's just that he can't produce her ada. Poor baby.

Yanic	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/25/2005
What a way to end a chapter! Although judging from the time this story is set, it wont be long now until things start heating up in Mirkwood. I had to laugh at this line "The wizard had not yet asked for anything too outrageous, but Thranduil could not help feeling that one of these days, he would." If Thranduil only knew! I am so looking forward to the feast with Legolas and Dáin and everyone's favorite crank, Beliond! I can't wait, I'm sure it'll be amusing. Author Reply: Oh dear. I wasn't planning on showing the feast. I need to get Legolas and his crew on their way after Gollum. I admit that it would be amusing to see Beliond sitting by Dain, but I suspect that Bard wouldn't have allowed that seating arrangement anyway. He'd put the King Under the Mountain near himself, with Legolas next in the hierarchy. Beliond and Annael would be sitting at one of the lower tables. If Thranduil knew what Gandalf would eventually ask of him, he might not greet the wizard in such a friendly way.

LOTRFaith	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/25/2005
lol... Yes it is the three hunters... Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas :-) Funny, how history seems to repeat itself at times :-)

elliska	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/25/2005
I am so behind on everything. Sorry. Lake Town and Dale in one story. This is so much fun. I love seeing Legolas interacting so well with the leaders in his part of the world--it is practice he should take seriously because he will be repeating the experience again soon and not limiting himself to Rhovanion. But I just chuckled all the way through this. I can just see Legolas and crew staring at that statue--I busted out laughing at the thought of Thranduil immortalized with a man and that particular dwarf. If it is at all possible, you have to work in showing Legolas tell his father about it. And such a stern representation of him. Legolas must have just been dying. I loved that part. How clever. Remember that Bard is our ally, Beliond I loved this line for so many reasons. First, it's funny. I bet it just burns Beliond up when Legolas is right and he can't argue with it. And also because it really does show Legolas as a leader--both in that he has developed the diplomatic skills he first used in Spring Awakenings to accept and handle different races and he can quietly but effectively manage those under his command. Of course, then Belions got his return lick in--that made it perfect. It's a pity Tolkien didn't have Beliond to include on the Quest. I just love him. True. You can sit next to him. Legolas still wins! :-) I liked Bard here. he seems very much like how I pictured him from the Hobbit. Very practical and sensible. And I loved that we got a glimpse of Bain. I'm sure elves do like children and they are probably fascinated by mortal children since they grow so fast. I like the idea of Thranduil meeting young Bain and then working with King Bain. Cool. Thranduil gazing at the tree tops in the beginning of the next part... And then the end part. Well done, daw. That was powerful. I have to comment on that here. This whole chapter just had me chuckling along, as I said. Loved the town and the part with Loriel and then Thranduil's nice little day ends with a wonderful, rare treat of a dream. And then bam--the tree tops burst into flame! That was shocking and really shows how this wonderful short peace they have been enjoying is about to become the culmination of all the troubles they suffered throughout the Third Age very quickly. Very well done. Back to the part with Thranduil and Loriel--such a sweet little girl--loosing her shoes and telling Thranduil that her ada kisses her nana. Too cute. And Mithrandir--he depends on Thranduil's sons alright. The question is how badly that should frighten Thranduil! More than he knows right now. This was a really great chapter. I am really impressed at the canon touches here. Great job! Author Reply: Your comments on Legolas in Dale pleased me a whole lot! In particular, I'm very gratified by what you said about Legolas turning into a leader and managing those under his command, even when the one he's trying to manage is Beliond. I love Legolas as a child, but I also love him as a competent, masterful adult. He's ready for the quest now, I think. Here he is, Mithrandir. Sigh. I suppose the quick growth of human children would fascinate the elves. It would look almost like a parlor trick the first time you saw it! Wait! I just saw that kid a year ago! He can't be that big! He can't be getting married! LOL The thought of the burning trees in the Battle Under the Trees is appalling to me, now that I've pictured the elves living there. What happened to the settlements? For that matter, what happend to this garden they're all sitting in? I think they were all driven right back to the stronghold, with the trees in flames. I think the only way they're going to know where Loriel's shoes are is to put them in the cupboard and let her go barefoot.

Elena Tiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 5/25/2005
P.S. Loved that statue in Dale. Do you read the Harry Potter books? Because it so reminds me of the statue in the Mistry of Magic... - Barbara Author Reply: I listened to that book on CD recently while commuting the 100 miles each way to work! I didn't think about it while I was writing but Lamiel mentioned it too and you're right. Those are great books to listen to, by the way. They're engaging but straighforward enough that you aren't thrown for a loop if you don't listen for a couple of days.

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