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Elf, Interrupted: Book One: Glorfindel Redux by Fiondil	8 Review(s)
hawkeye	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 10/8/2014
Sador is a warrior, however he may think otherwise. More than anything, I think Sador's humility is one of his most striking character qualities. He is unassuming and not demanding, but is strong and cares deeply for those around him. While he still has a lot of growing to do, and in many ways, he still needs to finish growing up from his first life, I think he is becoming a very wonderful ellon. Laurendil and his people were a complete surprise. It was good for both Arafinwë and the court to see that. I'm thinking back specifically to when Finrod was first returned from Mandos and certain members of the court accused him of making up his own kingdom for pride reasons. "For the first time Arafinwë honestly believed that his firstborn had been a true king among the Exiles, worthy of fealty given and received." This both startled me and, surprisingly, made me sad. After all this time, even his own father doesn't really understand who Finrod was, and in many ways, still is. It stung a bit, especially since Arafinwë has been to Middle Earth and seen Finrod's old kingdom, heard the tales of his son's exploits (from Eönwë no less) and seen the love and respect Finrod had from both elves and men first hand. In fact, I recall from Findaráto Diaries that Arafinwë said something to the effect that he was honored by elves and men in middle earth just because he was related to Finrod. Yet still he is here for the first time seeing his son as "worthy of fealty given and received." I wonder what Finrod's ammë thinks of it all. For all his being a Reborn, I wonder if Finrod did not plan the initiation when he did as a test of loyalty of sorts. He is very politically astute, and I think, given the circumstances under which Laurendil and Finrod last parted, Finrod needed to see where things would go. On the other hand, he may well have known what Laurendil's reaction would have been and planned it that way simply because he wanted to help Sador see the worth of what he had done. It's difficult to say, but Finrod's comment right before the delegation comes in says there's more going on than meets the eye. Arafinwë, once again, takes everything in stride. I'm interested to see what these elves do now that Finrod is back, especially Laurendil. Thank you for an entertaining chapter :) Author Reply: Hi Hawkeye. Well, Finrod certainly would know how those from Tol Eressëa would react to seeing Sador being initiated into their Warrior Society, so yes, more is going on than meets the eye. And I think for Arafinwë, it's all been intellectual with regard to his son. He's heard the stories, probably even saw the ruins of Nargothrond, spoke with the survivors who remembered Finrod, but until he actually sees these people interact with Finrod as their king and he treats them accordingly, Arafinwë doesn't really see his son as a fellow king and as "worthy of fealty given and received". And I'm sure Eärwen was equally surprised by what she witnessed. Thanks for reviewing. It's much appreciated.

Kaylee	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 7/28/2008
"Why do I get the feeling that I’ve just lost control of my own court?" he asked no one in particular. Findaráto blushed and Glorfindel laughed. "That’s because you have, my lord," the former Balrog-slayer said, suddenly twirling around to let his braids fly, the gems sparkling in the sun. "But we will gladly return it to you, if you wish." "Why thank you, yonya," Arafinwë said somewhat sarcastically, though the smile that accompanied the words belied the tone. The last few moments had been informative on many levels, as well as being entertaining. snickers Poor Arafinwë, losing control of his own court like that. Sador's been initiated, yay! and so comes Laurendil to the scene...he's one of my favorite characters (as is Sador for that matter) and I'm glad to see him! So Manwen is from Lestanore too, is she? I'm glad she was able to help Sador... and the whole thing about "I just wanted him to go away" struck me as both funny and sad, if that makes any sense. hugs Sador hugs Laurendil too I'm glad the Tol Eresseans recognized Sador's worth, even if it meant stealing Arafinwë's court from him, lol! ~Kaylee!!!! Author Reply: This chapter sort of wrote itself and it was only much later that I began to see the significance of Laurendil in Finrod's history. Someday I hope to be able to write about them together in Beleriand and how their friendship developed. A couple of people I know who are veterans or know veterans tell me that very often their initial reaction to a threat situation isn't: I have to kill this person, but rather: I just want him to go away... but the only way to do it is to kill him even if that wasn't their original intention. So Sador's (and Laurendil's) reactions are very true to life.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 2/12/2008
Ah, the warrior is proven, and the source of the reports named. And how much more authoritative the report than that given by Namo himself? And the Prince is revealed as the King he has been, not just the son of Aranfinwe. Finarfin has reason to honor his son. Author Reply: Not even the Amanians could dispute that source. grin And Finrod is indeed revealed as the King he was and still is, though not everyone looking on will appreciate it or approve.

Edlyn	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 4/18/2007
So now we find out how the embassy is going to react to Sador's bloody hair (and the Amannildi to a lot of other things). I did take note that all the ellon in the embassy wore warrior braids, and am wondering if that is because only those ellyn who were warriors saw a need for this embassy, or if non-warrior ellyn were specifically left out of the embassy (which doesn't seem to make a lot of sense given it's stated purpose), or if the non-warrior ellyn of Tol Eressea saw no need to participate. I cna't help wondering if there are some warrior-trained among the ellyth of the party. I know that Tolkien tended (with the possible exception of the Shieldmaidens of the Riddermearc) to show females as individuals to be protected rather than being protectors but given the way the times were during the days of darkness, it seems to me that women (whether Firstborn or Edain) may not have always had a choice to remain ignorant of warrior-skills. If there aren't I can see that they could quite easily be considerd the representatives of the non-warrior poluation of Tol Eressea. And there goes protocol out the window! I can just imagine the horror of the Amannildi to see their King apparently spurned for his son. But given the situation and the relationship between Finrod and Laurendil and the emotions that obviously overwhelmed the ellon, any consideration of protocol flew right out of Laurendil's mind. Of course, I can also see that certain Valar may have simply inspired him to do as he did, or he may have already decided to purposefully approach Finrod before he even entered the Hall. In any case, it certainly woke up the Amannildi present to the fact that their Prince is much, much more than the diffident, emotional "elfling" he sometimes acts like since his return to Tirion. Whether this proves to be a good or bad thing remains to be seen. I can just see Finrod putting on the "cloak of kingship" as he raises Laurendil up and then greets the others. It looks to me as though it still fits him quite well. Knowing something intellectually is quite different from knowing it in one's heart, isn't it? I can certainly imagine that accepting the rebirth of someone has to be just as hard as accepting their death in the first place. It took me years to truly accept in my heart that my mother was dead and I'd never see her or speak to her or hear her voice in this world after her untimely passing nearly a decade ago. I still find myself wanting to pick up the telephone and call her to tell her something at times even today. Oh, bless Finrod for knowing just what to say to let his Captain get himself back under control and to lighten the mood. The thought of Aurendil cutting up onions and Finrod wielding a peeler against a pile of carrots certainly made me laugh! Time for Glorfindel to be faced with yet others who know what happened after his death and who know him from history and tales...he must be rather frustrated when he is looked on with such awe and doesn't really understand why. His reaction seems to be "I did what I had to do to fulfil my oath so what exactly is the big deal?" The fact that he handled the situation with as much grace as he did shows me that he is definitely continuing to "grow up" (though it's also obvious that he has a long way to go till he's finished doing so). Then there's Sador, bless him, standing there quietly, happy for his gwedyr, not expecting to be included except perhaps as an observer. And then to have the truth of his actions in Doriath and Sirion made public... and he doesn't understand that no one is born a warrior but beomes one due to events and the choices one makes, whether after long thought or on the spur of the moment. I think every soldier I know who has been in combat has told me the same thing Sador and Laurendil said in regards to the the first time they engaged an enemy at close quarters: "I just wanted him to go away." It occurs to me that Sador might accept the appellation of "protector" better than he can accept the appellation of "warrior." The first has much more of a positive connotation than the latter (in English at least) and might not make him feel that the part of him that ran towards the attackers is quite so much an abberation (and, if it is as I suspect, what he considers an abomination in the deepest part of his mind and soul) of his personality. I also appreciated that his gwedyr told him that they too failed in the end to save what they were protecting but that doesn't make what they did any less to the good. Then when Laurendil and ALL the other warriors became Sador's gwedyr, I admit I cried. It was such a moving thing to visualize in my mind as I read. I know that Sador is going to take years, if not centuries, to come to terms with this aspect of his life but I think in time (and being an elf he'll have lots of it) he will accept that this is really only a part of who and what he really is. For who of any of us, is just one thing? Oh, I can just hear the dry tone which Arafinwë must have been using when he finally spoke up: "Why do I get the feeling that I’ve just lost control of my own court?" I admit that line made me giggle out loud. Likewise his "Let us assume we have exchanged the proper greetings and protocol has been observed and move on." I bet that there have been many kings who would like to have done exactly that many times throughout the ages. A most excellent chapter, meldonya. I'm only sorry that it took me so long to get this review typed up; my mind kept latching onto things I've read in various mythologies and classical literature and Arthurian legend and making too many connections to be at all coherent for some days. So I hope that this makes some sense at least. I look forward to seeing what happens next. May you live blessed, Edlyn Author Reply: Most likely, the reason there are no non-warriors in the embassy is the fact that in Beleriandic society, the warrior caste was the most important one, with the most "power" after the kings, and for good reason, since they were charged with the protection of the elven kingdoms. I imagine that on some levels the elven societies of Beleriand can be liken to the early medieval societies of our own world, where there is a distinct warrior class to which one was born (the Samauri in Japan, for instance, or the ealdormen of Anglo-Saxon England). This class would be considered the appropriate class from which any embassies would be formed. Naturally, the elven societies were not as strict as our own, so that people could move up or down the social status ladder at will, but certainly, given the exigencies of life in Beleriand at the time, warriors would be seen as the natural leaders of any group of elves. The inclusion of the ellith would point to the fact that elven society would not necessarily dismiss the contributions of their females and the ones in the embassy most likely accompanied the ellyn because of Manwen. It would have been unseemly for even a married elleth to travel alone in the company of ellyn without the presence of other ellith. And these ellith are themselves the daughters of warriors and some may indeed have taken up sword or bow in defense of their people. The Amaneldi at Arafinwë's court must have turned several shades of white when Laurendil ignored the Noldóran and went straight to Finrod. And then the respect accorded to both Glorfindel and Sador must have been the "final nail on the coffin" of their assumptions about these particular Reborn ellyn. I'm sure the events of the audience (and Sador's initiation) was a topic of discussion for days and weeks afterward among all those who witnessed it. For many of the Amaneldi at court, this was probably the first time they had seen several of the Exilic Noldor and Sindar as a group. Some of the people watching all this may well have recognized some of the Exiles among the embassy personnel, and would have had to reconcile their memories of these people (who could well have been friends or relatives) with the rather barbaric looks of warrior braids and such with which they were now confronted and the way they acted towards the three Reborn ellyn. This must have been a shock to many who expected these Returnees to re-enter Amanian society as if nothing had happened to them in the meantime to change them (sometimes for the better, though the Amaneldi might not see it that way). The entire episode would have been an eye-opener on many levels. At least Arafinwë is able to see the humor of it all and not take offense. Other, lesser kings would have been too affronted to accept that sometimes one's carefully planned-out protocols just are irrelevant to the situation and should be ignored.

hanci	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 1/16/2007
Oh, poor elves from Aman. The Finrod they know behaves sometimes like an elfling and runs naked, and now there is this kingly elf and Laurendil and his delegation show him so much respect... Add to it the ceremony they know nothing about, it's quite a lot to take in. Well, others have also much to take in, seeing their king again. After all, seeing is believing... Finrod met elves from his past; will Glorfindel meet Ëarendil, and Tuor and Idril? Or not, till the Fourth Age? Author Reply: Yes, the Elves of Tirion have much to consider concerning their prince and hopefully are beginning to see him as more than just a Reborn elf with the emotions of an elfling. As for Glorfindel, only time will tell who, if anyone, from his past he will meet.

Laureleaf	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 1/10/2007
I found your story only this afternoon (much to my hubby's dismay) and promptly read it all the way through. I love how you have created such a loving relationship with not just the elves, but the Valar as well! I believe you have captured their new joys, trials, and fears in such an enchanting manner...and cannot wait to continue reading. Author Reply: I'm glad you found the story (inspite of hubby?) and am gratified that you enjoyed it so much that you read it all the way through to the most recently posted chapter. I will be updating at least once a week and probably twice a week so keep your eye out.

Ellie	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 1/8/2007
These last two chapters are my favorites so far. I loved the tradition and the ceremony and the honor and respect showed to the three reborn. It was wonderful to see Finrod given the respect he deserves and for his father ( his own folk) to finally come to undertsand him so much better. This is such a great tale! Well done! I can't wait for more! Author Reply: I had a lot of fun writing these last two chapters as well, especially coming up with the warrior initiation ceremony with the Elvish phrases and ritual. I think Arafinwë is finally beginning to understand his Reborn son a little better. Finrod is not the same person his father remembers from before the Rebellion and he's finally coming to terms with that. Whether the other elves ever do, is another thing.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 24 on 1/8/2007
Somehow, I think the reaction of the elves of Tol Eressea to Finrod and Glorfindel - and their respect for Sador and his gallant efforts - will ... or should ... be very illuminating for those who would really like to adopt the new fashion for warrior braids. Together with the idea that some styles have to be earned rather than bought. I'm glad to see Sador absorbed still further into their brotherhood. It'll be good for him. And I think that between Finrod and his father, the once-born are going to learn more than they expected. Author Reply: Yes, I thought it would be interesting to show that the front elf-braids have a specific meaning for the elves of Middle-earth, both Sindar and Noldor, and that they were not the fashion in Aman. I liken them to military medals or medals of honor given to civilians for exemplary actions. You can't just don them, you have to earn them. I also think that the reaction of the Tol Eressëan elves to the Reborn will prove illuminating for the Amaneldi and that the elves of Aman will be getting a wake-up call very soon.

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