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Aspects of Aragorn by Inzilbeth	10 Review(s)
Silivren Tinu	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/4/2009
I always love reading about the first meeting between Halbarad and Aragorn! :) I liked how you described Estel's reaction to the rangers - after living among elves for so long, the Dunedain must have seemed very strange to him. Encountering the trolls must have been terrifying. I don't think Aragorn will ever think of fighting as fun again after going through that experience. hugs him I enjoyed seeing how Estel's confidence in his skills grew throughout this chapter and I liked that you have shown his healing skills to already be obvious when he was still a young man. :) Author Reply: Thank you so much for your review, Almut. I'm sorry this was such a long chapter but there was so much I wanted to include and Estel realising that life in the wild wasn't all fun around the camnpfire was one of them. I'm glad you enjoyed his first meeting with Halbarad. There must have been a few surprises on both sides, I think!

Mirach	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/2/2009
I’m a bit confused now: twenty or seventeen? I smiled at his excitement in the beginning – he seemed even younger then. And it is evident in the chapter how he is becoming a man. I saw versions where Halbarad was older then Aragorn, some where he was younger, but your take of the beginning of their friendship seems the most natural to me. Author Reply: Ah, sorry, the answer's twenty. I hoped to show a marked difference between the rather child-like youth who left home with the maturing young man that returns. I'm so glad you liked my take on Halbarad. I wish he wasn't quite such a blank sheet and we had more to go on.

Cairistiona	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/18/2008
This is such an emotional chapter, from the highs of Estel's eager enthusiasm to finally go on winter patrol to the lows of his facing the death of Men for the first time. Very wrenching, that scene. I absolutely love Elladan's care of Estel after the troll battle. And what a battle that was! I've read it several times over but each time I find myself holding my breath, hoping Estel and Halbarad survive. To me that's the sign of a well-told battle. :) And I did have to laugh, not because of your story but because of my faulty brain: I was trying to remember which authors write a younger-than-Aragorn (or same age) Halbarad and completely forgot about your version being a year younger. Swiss cheese for brains, but it was lovely to be reminded as I read this chapter again. I also really liked the mirror view of Estel and the Dunedain--Estel watching them and thinking almost idly of their failing hopes for a king, and they consumed with quiet joy that their king may have just stepped among them unbeknownst. I sometimes think that's my favorite paragraph in the entire chapter. Author Reply: I'm so thrilled you liked that battle. They're not easy are they? There was so much to fit into this chapter but Estel's first thoughts on the Dunedain and their first thoughts on their chieftain were definitely among the most important, to my mind, so I'm particularly pleased you enjoyed that part. Many thanks for your review.

meckinock	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/25/2008
Estel grows up so much in this chapter. He's so adorably earnest and eager in the beginning! I can just imagine how long he's been pestering Elladan and Elrohir; it's a wonder they held out as long as they did. The unexpected meeting with the Dunedain had me feeling sorry for Estel that his brothers were not free to tell him his true relationship with Dirhael; but I felt even worse for Dirhael, not being able to embrace his grandson and talk about his daughter. Estel's reaction to seeing an aged Man was so believable - I loved the comparison between Dirhael's face and the rugged hills. And Estel and Halbarad's meeting made me smile even as I again felt sympathy for Estel realizing this was the first time he'd been able to make friends with someone his own age. And then we got to see Estel's first real battle. He behaved altogether believably, I think. His training prepared him for what he had to do, but his brain wasn't quite ready to absorb it all. Another scene that stayed with me was Galdor's death. It always strikes me how different Estel's upbringing would have been from most ordinary Men during that time. Nearly everyone saw death frequently and in many variations, and yet this would have been his first experience with it. I felt for him when he broke down and Elrohir embraced him. A lovely chapter. I'm doing my best to get caught up on my reading! Author Reply: There was so much I felt needed to be in this chapter and I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. It was fun to imagine Estel as a wide-eyed, eager youth getting his first glimpse of Middle-earth and of Men, as well, of course of battle and of death. Yes, poor Dirhael. With the inevitable focus on Aragorn and his problems of adapting to life outside Rivendell, it is easy to forget those who were left behind and who no doubt missed him terribly in his absence. You're doing great at catching up! I only hope this means RL is giving you a break.

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/15/2008
I loved these glimpses of young Aragorn as warrior and Healer, his meetings with his grandfather and Halbarad.You capture well how difficult it must have been for Aragorn to get used to his own kind and to the horrors of battle. Very well written. Author Reply: Thank you so much, Linda; I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. This must have been a very exciting and yet also very scary time for young Estel that required some fast growing up on his part.

elliska	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/13/2008
Wow, I am really impressed at how well you captured such a broad phrase (as the one you quoted to set this scene) in one chapter. The events you chose to portray were perfect to show Estel's readiness and what he still learned. I loved the characters you chose to include and how. And the transitions between events (very hard to handle showing the passage of an entire winter in one chapter) were very smoothly done. I am only mildly a fan of Aragorn (elves are my favorite read), but I will definitely be following this story. Incredibly well done! Author Reply: Thank you so much elliska for your review. I'm so pleased you enjoyed this chapter. You are quite right, although 'Great Deeds' presents a very blank canvas, there was a lot that I felt needed to be said and it was very difficult to fit everything in. I was very afraid the whole thing would become too ungainly, so your kind words are much appreciated. And there will be a few elves popping up now and then!

jgmsccc	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/10/2008
I really enjoyed this. You have included so much information: history of the land and the people, the feelings of the men and the elves who knew of Aragorn and what Aragorn must be going through. I can't wait for more. Author Reply: I'm thrilled you enjoyed it and thank you for the review. As this story is complete [give or take all the frantic rewrites] I'm planning on posting a chapter every Tuesday.

Virtuella	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/10/2008
This could easily have been just an unconnected recounting of events, but you have managed to weave in a number of interesting themes about Estel's coming fo age. His first encounter with his grandfather, with his friend to be and with death are all quite impressive. Nice touch also the Rangers' view of their future - of course they didn't know that a single decisive action would defeat Sauron. Author Reply: Thank you very much for your comments. You have brought up exactly what I was trying to do here. I was very aware when I read this chapter through again that it did require quite a bit of patience and I did consider chopping out chunks to make it more manageable. I'm so pleased you thought it worked. Maybe though, it would be fun, one day, to turn this into a multi-chapter story and flesh out properly Halbarad's teasing and Estel's first steps towards feeling more like a Man

Estelcontar	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/9/2008
I've already told you a couple of times how much I enjoyed this story, but it bears repeating. You have given us a great portrayal of how Aragorn must have felt when he first came into contact with the reality of violence and death. The reality is so different from the idealizations one makes of strife. You've also shown us how fast one has to mature when faced with the sad realities of life, as Aragorn was here. A very thoughtful piece indeed. Author Reply: Thank you so much, as always; I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm sure Estel, when he was young, would have been shielded from many of the harsh realities of the life he was expected to lead and so it must have been a brutal shock when he was confronted by some of them. He did indeed have to grow up quickly.

daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 9/9/2008
I like the sense of history and geography in this. You really place the story well in Tolkien's world. I'm also struck by the way that leaders in Tolkien's world were expected to lead from the front. Their job was to keep their people safe and they seldom did it by sitting at home, so Estel has to learn to do this, probably even more than most people do. Still it's hard. Author Reply: Thank you so much daw for your review. I imagine Estel learned all about Eriador and the history of his people in the school room so it must have been very exciting for him to get out there an see all those places. And you are absolutely right about leaders in Middle-earth; the significant exception being Sauron.

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