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Elf, Interrupted: Book One: Glorfindel Redux  by Fiondil 5 Review(s)
LarnerReviewed Chapter: 78 on 2/14/2008
And more is learned to the benefit of all. Vorondil is learning just how young he is.

Author Reply: Indeed, he is the equivalent of an 18-year-old human and they may think they're grown up but we know better.

RhyselleReviewed Chapter: 78 on 6/13/2007
"B-but Vorondil hates me." Glorfindel tried to explain. "He...he did what he did because he...he hates me and... and now you’re stuck with him... and his atar!" He was practically wailing again and it proved too much for Finrod, who hugged him closer and laughed.

This so shows the difference in maturity between the two Reborn. I do think that the trauma that Glorfindel has undergone since he was abducted has caused him to regress a bit from where he was before that moment. You never said how many years of the sun that went by while Glorfindel was still in Mandos and then in Lorien, while Finrod was Reborn and with his family in Tirion, but this scene points out that a significant amount of time had passed to allow Finrod to get to the point he is here, where he is again resuming the mantle of Kingship.

I thought that Finrod's being concerned for Sador was touching as well. His reassurances when Sador asked about Lord Orome's interest in the Sinda were perfect.

Oh my, another thing we learn about the Life Oath... I wonder if Manwen felt anything in Lorien? The implications of the political and social impact Life Oaths have, as well as the other oaths of fealty that the elves of Endore made, are beginning to show up. Perhaps the "elflinghood" period of the Reborn is not just a way for the Reborn to adjust to living again, but also a protection to those they are reborn to, to give time for such complications to be worked out... When one thinks about the close detail of the Halls of Mandos, the very idea that when Arda was being created that it was known they would be necessary, it is a stunning thought that Lord Namo was also creating the process of the re-embodiment along with his brother... before any of the Children of Eru came into the world.

Arafinwë stared at Finrod in surprise. "But why should he look for forgiveness from me? If anything it is I who should ask for his forgiveness for deserting all of you, for turning back like a coward because..."

"Atar!" Finrod shouted in shock, taking Arafinwë by the shoulders and practically shaking him. "You are no coward! And you did not desert us. It was we who were the cowards, slinking away in the dark because we were too proud or too frightened to accept Mercy when offered to us. No. My uncle and all the others will be the ones looking for forgiveness."

For a long moment father and son stared at one another and then Arafinwë nodded once and Finrod gathered him into his arms and gave him a fierce hug, kissing him on the cheek before releasing him.

Oh, this brought me to tears... to think that Arafinwe has thought this of himself for all these yeni... I'm so glad that Finrod was able to disabuse him of that notion. I certainly thought of Arafinwe as being stronger than those who did not turn back.

Oh boy! The mental image of what the room looked like when Finrod and Glorfindel came in was terrifyingly vivid! Poor Laurendil... obviously all of this has hit him terribly hard... I bet Aldundil's breakdown is one of those consequences that Lord Manwe warned Finrod about. Yep, I was right. I can see Laurendil's confusion as Finrod makes the comment about Lord Manwe...

Oh, poor Vorondil! Bad enough to be made into a thrall, and not to know what the future will bring, and then to have his own father attack him! But then to open his eyes and see the person he'd harmed right there... No wonder he screamed... he must have thought that Glorfindel was going to attack him too.

How kind of Glorfindel to sing the ellon to sleep and to think of trimming his hair even. There are probably a lot of people who would not have thought twice if Glorfindel had been harsh to Vorondil... but here, Glorfindel shows his quality. :)

Hmmm. It just hit me that by making Vorondil his thrall, Finrod actually is protecting him--not just from execution, but from other retribution at the hands of others who might be angry about what Vorondil had done. Not that I think that Vorondil will have it easy, since I'm sure that word of this will be all over Aman as fast as people can ride to send messages.

Aldundil will probably realize that wearing his warrior braids is a punishment about the fifteenth time he has to explain what they are and why he is wearing them *grin*

Ah, the stuffed toy appears again! :) Every elfling needs a stuffed toy!

It was interesting to see the change in feeling that Finrod had for Vorondil. The father aspect of being a king is showing... and since he now holds the authority over Vorondil that Aldundil formerly held, thanks to the oath, it makes sense for him to have fatherly feelings.

After such a set of intense, emotional scenes throughout the trial and in the immediate aftermath, I'm so very glad to see the chapter end up on a lighter note... Glorfindel somehow knows just when to be silly and fun to perk up his gwedyr. :)

I look forward to seeing what happens next for our Reborn friends and those with whom they travel.



Author Reply: Finrod is definitely the older brother to both Glorfindel and Sador in this instance. He was released a good century or so before the others so he's had the time to mature whereas Glorfindel and Sador have only been released within the last five years or so. Emtotionally, they're toddlers compared to Finrod. And the recent events have taken their toll on Glorfindel's emotional maturity, so that he's regressed a little bit, but he'll soon catch back up to where he was.

The Life Oath has aspects to it that no one can safely predict. I suspect that Manwen may have felt something, but distance would have been a factor. Laurendil was standing right next to Finrod through all that, whereas Manwen was in Lórien and perhaps being there also helped shield her so she wasn't affected by what was happening. But Laurendil would be a different matter and Finrod is right to be concerned as we see later in the chapter.

The existence of the Halls of Mandos before any of the Children came into being is something to ponder... that the Valar, or at least Námo, knew they would be needed as much for the Firstborn as for the Secondborn makes you wonder just how much they anticipated what would happen and what steps would be necessary to re-embody the elves. A rather scary thought in my opinion.

Arafinwë must have wondered what his children and other relatives who continued on to Endórë must have thought of him to turn back. Certainly Fëanor would have labeled him a coward and he probably feared his own children saw him that way. I don't know about his other sons, but certainly Finrod never thought that nor Galadriel. They may have even been relieved that he turned back, knowing that their mother would now no longer be alone. But Arafinwë could not know that for sure and must have always wondered what would have happened had he continued on.

Glorfindel shows elements of maturity here that point to the elf that he will eventually become. He's at that point where he can be the elfling supreme one moment and a responsible elf-lord the next. Certainly, he is showing his quality in his treatment of Vorondil. The elfling has been punished enough and Glorfindel sees no reason to add to it.

Of course, Finrod did not make Vorondil his thrall, the Valar did that, but most likely they and Finrod realized that under the circumstances this was the best way to protect Vorondil. I don't think he would have fared very well among the other prisoners in exile in Formenos. I suspect they would have made his life a living hell, especially Ingoldo and Tinwetariel, not to mention Tulcaner. This way, he's protected from all that. Even so, we will see that Finrod cannot protect him from everyone and everything.

I suspect that by the time Aldundil is explaining for the fifteenth time or the fiftieth time about his braids that he's going to be wishing Finrod had killed him. *grin*

Glorfindel seems to know just when teasing his gwedyr is the right thing to do to bring them out of whatever slump they are in and FInrod isn't so adult that he can't permit himself to be teased and act accordingly. I suspect that with Glorfindel and Sador he will always keep a little bit of the inner elfling near the surface for times like this.

eilujReviewed Chapter: 78 on 4/19/2007
Glorfindel blaming himself as usual.

Do you envision any of Fëanor’s followers having taken such oaths to him or his sons? I don’t remember if the Sil says anything about to what extent they “went native” in Middle-earth (dropped Quenya, etc.), but if they could have brought themselves to adopt any Sindarin customs, I think this one would have been useful to them. *shudder*

“A look in his eyes that any orc would have recognized as dangerous.”

That wasn’t the reaction I’d expected would happen as a result of Finrod’s anger.

I’ve been imagining Aldundil (eventually) as a guest lecturer in Lórien on the War of Wrath and various Sindarin customs....


Author Reply: I am not sure if any of Fëanor's followers, especially his sons, ever took such an oath. His sons, if anything, probably accepted such oaths from others, which is why they are able to do what they did in Doriath and at the Ethir Sirion, I suspect. And the original Oath of Fëanor doesn't help any.

The consequences of Finrod taking Aldundil's oath in anger would not follow expected patterns unfortunately and each person so effected would react differently as you see in this chapter.

Aldundil as a guest lecturer in Lórien... now that has possibilities. Down bunny, down! *lol*

KittyReviewed Chapter: 78 on 4/19/2007
Oh Glorfindel! *shakes head* How can he think what Vorondil did was his fault? What he needs at the moment is a bit more self-assuredness. I’m glad he was not alone after all that but hat his friends around to comfort him and to convince him that *he* did nothing wrong.

Ingwë’s worry how these oaths could work out in the long run when the kings of Beleriand are released at last are understandable. It could have the consequences he feared, I suppose, but I certainly hope Finrod is right in this matter. Though I think now they will have to work towards more contacts and understanding between the different kinds of elves. That would prevent many problems in the future.

Somehow I found it touching that Arafinwë thought *he* was the coward for turning back. It can’t have been easy to do that. This ability to think himself at fault and to openly admit it, even if it may not be a failing at all, is a humility I’d want for many of our modern day rulers.

Oh Valar ... Aldundil lost control altogether, didn’t he? I’d never thought I’d say that, but now I feel nearly sorry for Vorondil. Nasty shock for him to be attacked by his own atar! It’s probably wise of Finrod to take him away to avoid more confrontations between father and son. And Glorfindel was really nice to Vorondil, considering what happened earlier. I have to admit, I could probably not be as generous as he was.
But I had to snicker at Finrod’s punishment for Aldundil. That was certainly not what the poor guy had expected. Interesting idea to force him to wear his warrior braids. It might encourage not only other elves from Endórë to do the same, but to finally get people to *talk* about the whole thing – the wars in Endórë, their experiences with it and the repercussions, about the problems of being reborn and all that. It’s rather obvious a lot of people need this.

Finrod was great through all this; he has matured considerably. The period of time he was released from Mandos earlier than Glorfindel and Sador gave him a certain advance in this. Though I am glad to know he still can act rather ‚elfling-ish’.

Author Reply: Glorfindel, of course, is still at that self-centered stage of adolescence that believes EVERYTHING is his fault. Luckily his gwedyr and the *real* adults around him are able to comfort him and give him more self-assurance, enough that he is able to deal with Vorondil with greater maturity than he might have otherwise.

Certainly Ingwë's fears over this particular oath are justified, but Finrod is probably correct in his estimation as to how the oath will effect relationships between the Beleriandic kings and their warriors and the Amaneldi and Ingwë's lordship over all the elves of Aman.

Arafinwë's feelings about the Rebellion are mixed given that all his children continued on. He no doubt feels he abandoned them at their hour of need, but Finrod is correct to point out that it took more courage to turn back than to go forward. Sometimes it's easier to turn from Mercy freely given than it is to accept it.

As Manwë warned Finrod, the manner in which he took Aldundil's oath might lead to unforeseen consequences and Aldundil's attack on Vorondil is one example of it. Finrod's punishments tend to be unique, as subsequent chapters will show. *grin* And while he has certainly matured and can rightly be said to be an adult in every sense of the word, he can still let his inner elfling out to play, especially with his gwedyr.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 78 on 4/19/2007
I was pleased to see Finrod tell his father that he had been brave to go back! And that the Kings of Beleriand would accept Ingwe's authority - and be happy to find themselves forgiven and loved.

Finrod is definitely little more than a whisker from his grown-up self - but he's still happy to be entertaining the children! Like most big brothers, he can surrender to the inner elfling at need.

He dealt well with Aldundil and Vorondil - I can see that one becoming a devoted follower of Finrod, long beyond the bondsman status, and an admirer of the Balrog slayer despite himself.



Author Reply: Arafinwë probably felt that he had somehow betrayed his children by turning back when he did, little realizing that in doing so he had given his children permission to live their own lives and to carve out their own destinies. A difficult thing for any parent to do.

Finrod is indeed close to full adulthood emotionally, but has still retained much of the innocence he gained while in Mandos to allow him to "play" with his younger brothers. His maturity has allowed him to treat Aldundil and Vorondil with compassion after his previous anger. With love and care, Vorondil may well become a devoted follower of Finrod, perhaps even going so far as taking oath to him sometime in the future. Only time will tell.

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