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Elf, Interrupted: Book One: Glorfindel Redux  by Fiondil 5 Review(s)
hawkeyeReviewed Chapter: 29 on 10/23/2014
I love how Eärwen brought Arafinwë over to her way of seeing things. While she may not be in center stage much, her influence is far reaching. She is, after all, the mother of Galadriel. Although, I have a feeling that Galadriel was a little less subtle about things in her youth :) At any rate, Sador is adorable. There just isn't much else to say on the subject.

"...then made sure there was some truth to his words by spending the morning drilling Glorfindel and Sador on the history of Aman and the relationship between the various elven kingdoms and the Valar." This made me laugh and shudder at the same time in sympathy for Glorfindel and Sador. Being drilled by the Noldorán would be intimidating enough, not to mention the fantastic amount of knowledge he would have at his disposal. That's not a quiz I'd envy being in on :)

Arafinwë really does mean to use Sador beyond just having him be his ward. I saw a side of Arafinwë in this chapter I haven't seen before and that is deviousness, or perhaps a better term might be sagacity. It isn't negative. Arafinwë strikes me as being a very "good" elf, much like Finrod was and is. In all of his interactions lately, his misunderstanding of his reborn son, I lost sight of just how long he has been king and just how good he is at his job. In the first place, he not only sees everything, such as picking up on the subtleties of his surroundings (like people's body language), he's also listening. It isn't just passive listening either, he's hearing, absorbing, calculating and planning. Most people just wouldn't have listened to Sador that closely. He's too young. I'm interested to see how this plan of his works out.

Manwen, as a Sinda, has less knowledge of the Valar than her husband, but the depth Laurendil's bitterness towards the powers caught be off guard. I wonder if it isn't so much bitterness towards the Valar as bitterness towards himself and some of the happenings regarding his separation from Finrod (when Finrod died). I suppose we will find out later. Here again, Arafinwë surprised me. I would not have been surprised at Finrod having talked to Lord Irmo, but it's interesting that that action came from his Atar. Again, Arafinwë is watching and listening more than he's given credit for. I just wonder what his motive is, if he has one beyond the well being of his son's subjects. One thing I am curious about too is how Arafinwë views Finrod's people. In the one sense, because Finrod is technically his Atar's vassal, wouldn't Finrod's people be Arafinwë's vassals as well, if somewhat remotely? Or does Arafinwë just take care of people because that's what he does as a monarch?

Irmo's interaction with Laurendil was also a surprise, particularly his foreboding attitude later on. I would have thought that. Given Laurendil's fears and reticence, I would have expected him to be less forward. But, I suspect that he knows better than anyone what is really going on. "No? Well, we’ll see." That sent shivers down my spine. It looks like Laurendil is going to be an apprentice whether he likes it or not :)

Thanks for writing, Fiondil. I enjoyed this chapter immensely.

Author Reply: Hi Hawkeye. Sador is very adorable. Arafinwë less so, but he's smart, scary smart and he has indeed had about a thousand years as Noldóran to perfect his craft as a ruler and a very wise one. And while Finrod might well have spoken to Lord Irmo about Laurendil and Manwen, Arafinwë, by virtue of his status as high king of the Noldor, is more likely to be in a position to make certain arrangements for others. And technically speaking, any of Finrod's vassals would be Arafinwë's simply because Finrod is his vassal, but I think he also has a caring side to him that allows him to want to help others. Just because one is a king it doesn't follow that one will be a caring one. History bears this out in spades.

Irmo is a great psychologist. He would have to be since he deals primarily with the minds of Elves and Men, so how he approaches others is all calculated to bring them to self-realization.

Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

KayleeReviewed Chapter: 29 on 8/5/2008
How did I skip reviewing this chapter??? *sighs* And one of my favorites too, at least until a new favorite comes along...*sideways grin at Edlyn and Rhyselle*

But seriously, meldonya, some of my favorite parts are here. Sador is going to Tol Eressea, Laurendil and Manwen are headed to Lorien (which isn't a punishment! of course not!) and Netilmire is all excited to go with Sador, yay! (good for her, he needs the support and company...poor elfling, if he's going to come out with lines like "if Finrod can have a stuffed toy, why can't I?" he wouldn't be much good at the guild meeting by himself.)

Although I admit, I did love that line. I also liked the fact that Arafinwe's been practicing his Sindarin. *grin*

~Kaylee!!!!!!!

*who is very sorry for somehow managing to miss reviewing this chapter!!!!*

Author Reply: Well, I'm glad this is one of your favorite chapters. *grin* There is certainly a lot going on in it with everyone getting ready to depart Tirion for other parts of Aman. And poor Glorfindel feeling left out of it all.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 29 on 2/12/2008
A good plan, and healing is set in motion for these two as well. Excellent. Will be interesting to see Laurendil find his healing.

Author Reply: Manwen and Laurendil little realize what a gift they've been given, but they will learn soon enough.

EdlynReviewed Chapter: 29 on 4/27/2007
Oh, I so enjoyed seeing Arafinwë in the role of Atar to Glorfindel and Sador in this chapter. If either of them had any doubts that they hold the place of sons in his heart, I think those doubts should be quieted now.

When Arafinwë informed Glorfindel that he wasn't to mention Finrod's stuffed toy, I could practically see and feel Glorfindel's reaction. He's disappointed that he can't have fun teasing his gwador but he's also relieved to be reminded of the boundaries of good behaviour. As tempting as teasing is, it could have truly hurt and embarrassed Finrod, which would end up hurting Glorfindel as well when he finally got around to realizing the fact. Like any good and loving parent Arafinwë is well aware of the potential for hurt on both sides and stepped in to prevent it.

Sador's comment about why couldn't he have a stuffed toy was so very typical of a younger sibling and it was obvious to me that he said it just to lighten things up a bit. He does have a merry heart, doesn't he?

Regarding Amarië's potential reaction to Finrod's occasional need for his stuffed toy, I wonder if she just might surprise everyone if she did find out about it. She isn't unintelligent, has become more aware of the mix of maturity and childishness that is inherent in being recently Reborn, and she does love him. Now that her own hurt is healing, she might be more accepting of his need/want for the toy than anyone would believe. Hmmm. Now that thought has generated a plot bunny... I'll let you know if it decides to settle in and tell me anything specific.

I couldn't help but snicker when I read that Arafinwë spent the morning drilling Glorfindel and Sador on the history of Aman. I can just see their faces... and hear their longsuffering sighs and the unspoken "Do we have to?" when he informs them that's how they'll be spending their morning.

Ah, now we come to it, the problem of Tol Eressëan and Amaneldi relations. Glorfidnel is right in that it wouldn't be a good idea for Finrod to go to Tol Eressëa and Arafinwë is even more correct in that Glorfindel should also not go. The potential repercussions of either of them going there make me shudder to think about. We know there are already issues between the two groups and unfortunately the possibility of an embassy back to Tol Eressëa would be like lighting a match in a gunpowder factory.

I can just see Arafinwe gesturing Finrod and Glorfindel back when Sador panicked. Truly it was best that he comfort and reassure his ward. And Sador's panic was perfectly reasonable in my opinion. We've already discussed in my previous reviews Sador's self-image and identity in regards to being a warrior as wel las a potter and now here's another new identity he has to learn how to accept, that of a diplomat/ambassador. I find it telling of just how young he really is (despite the centurues spent in Mandos) that he hasn't realized that a person can have many identities and still remain themself. One day I'm sure he'll realize that he can be an artisan, a diplomat, a warrior, a brother, and any number of other things without having his identity as any of them negate any other (did that make sense?).

Ah, Finrod, that's what you get for oversleeping. The early bird might catch the worm but the folks who show up late end up with all the difficult or unpleasant jobs. But it didn't turn out so unpleasant or difficult after all, did it?

It is the hurts we aren't aware of that cause the most damage isn't it? I really feel for Laurendil and Manwen. They both need healing so badly.

You know I have the feeling that the Valar are appearing more often than they used to in the halls of the Eldar, otherwise I think the rooms would have been built larger and more spacious just because of the psychological necessity.

This is a very well-written transition chapter, meldonya. I hope you have a good time on your holiday and I'll keep working on catching up on my reviews. This is literally one of the best LOTR fanfics I've read in regards to character development, plot and complexity. Best of all, it remains in Tolkien's world in feel.

May you live blessed,

Edlyn



Author Reply: Hi Edlyn,

As you can see, I'm back from my holiday. I had a great time, thank you. I was happy to see you had a couple of reviews waiting for me, so I had best get on with responding to them, hadn't I?

I think Glorfindel and Sador are stepping into the roles of "younger brothers" to Finrod rather nicely at this point with all that that entails. Arafinwë well remembers when his younger sons were elflings, how they were with Finrod as well, and recognizes Glorfindel's glint of mischief for what it is. And Sador is reveling in being the "kid" brother to both Glorifndel and Finrod, having been the responsible older brother in his previous life.

Laurendil and Manwen both have a lot of healing to do, but Lórien was designed for that purpose and however much Laurendil may hate the idea, his fëa craves healing more than he realizes. Manwen, of course, has fewer objections to the idea, but she is chary around the Valar, not sure what sort of reception she might get from them.

Sador is indeed quite young and the centuries spent in Mandos have a timeless quality to them so that it is almost as if no time has passed for those in Mandos. It's like waking from a very long and involved dream to find that only a few hours of the night have passed, even though in the dream one has lived an entire lifetime. Psychologically, Sador is still only 68 years old, so his reactions to things are not as mature as they could be had he actually lived the centuries he spent in Mandos.

I'm glad you think this story is so great. I've tried very hard to keep it within canon.

hanciReviewed Chapter: 29 on 1/24/2007
Arafinwë gets to experience all aspects of being a father...
The elves of Aman will be surprised to see the others' craft and skills. Influenced by different environment, lifestyle, experiences, other races... Yes, I think it will be very educational and eye-opening experience. (Have you read Oak and Willow by Marnie?) They should have mingled long ago.
Irmo was eavesdropping! :o)

Author Reply: Well, the elves of Aman might be willing to learn from the Tol Eressëan elves, but the reverse might not be true (we'll have to see). "Oak and Willow" is one of my favorite stories. I ought to re-read it someday. I tried to show in my own story "Elladan and Elrohir's Not So Excellent Adventure" that Celeborn is a force to be reckoned with. Marnie's stories about him helped inspire me.

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