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Neath Anor, Ithil, and Gil by Larner	8 Review(s)
Virtuella	Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 9/13/2009
Oh, Larner, this is wonderful. You manage to illuminate the psychological dimensions of this tragic situation with such sensitivity and insight. And it gives a very good motivation for the choice of Elros. Author Reply: I'm so glad you think so, Virtuella. It's a difficult thing, facing the pain of the past in this way; and there must have been several reasons Elros would have chosen as he did. Thank you so very much!

Raksha The Demon	Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 11/15/2008
Elrond is probably my favorite Elf, and his and Elros' saving and rearing by the Kinslayers who destroyed Sirion is one of my favorite bits in the Silmarillion - there is so much irony and poignancy there. You've done a fine job with the characterisation of Maglor and Maedhros, the doom-ridden brothers saddled with the terrible legacy of an Oath that never should have been sworn, and the children who they could save but not shield from the truth. It is very credible that Elrond, even when very young, shows compassion towards their foster-fathers as well as his brother. My own personal fanon (shared by some other writers) is that Maglor did return to the West eventually. The part of the Silmarillion that said he never was seen again by other Elves was written in the First or Second Age; so if Maglor took ship in the Third or Fourth or a later Age, his leaving would not have been known to the writer of the Quenta Silmarillion. I hope you will eventually write about it! Author Reply: Am so glad you feel I caught your own feelings about this situation. I rarely write First-Age stories, and this was the best situation I could think of that fit the challenge of "Don't tell me--I don't want to know." As for Maglor--one day I'll finish "Stirring Rings," and you'll see what I think possible for Maglor. (The end of that story has been written for months!)

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 11/2/2008
As much as I despise Fëanor and his sons, these two were always the ones I disliked the least. Without this unfortunate oath, I think they would not have been too bad. And they didn’t kill Elrond and Elros, was was done with Elured and Elurin, but raised them – and raised them well - and set them free in the end. Sometimes I even wonder if Maglor would have been allowed to return to Aman after suffering all these millennia in isolation. Anyway, to overhear this conversation must have been hard for Elros, bringing back his memories of the attack on Sirion. But maybe it showed him at least that Maedhros and Maglor were not happy with themselves, either. Though that might have been part of the reason why he chose mortality, as you hinted. Author Reply: There must have been at least some mixed feelings in the sons of Earendil and Elwing regarding the one who raised them as his sons and his brother. This gave Maglor a chance to atone for what he and his brothers had done, at least. Alas for what that foul oath brought them to! As for Maglor's final fate--I've considered that, and it will one day be posted, once I've finally gotten that far in the particular story I've seen it as part of. Thanks so for the feedback!

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 10/29/2008
An unusual time period for one of your stories, but it is well written, and I certainly enjoyed it. I tend to consider Maedhros and Maglor – especially Maglor – to be among the most interesting characters in the Silmarillion. At this point in time they have lost just about everything to their Oath and the consequences of the actions it has driven them to. At this point in time they must hate that oath with every fiber of their beings, yet it still remains the center of their lives. After Sirion, with the loss of the only available Silmaril (the ones still in Morgoth’s crown being out of their reach), _and_ Ambarussa, Maglor still manages to find the compassion to _not_ kill, but instead become foster-father to Elrond and Elros. Maglor is described in Tolkien’s writings as being probably the gentlest of the sons of Fëanor, so I suppose one might speculate he _needed_ someone to care for. Also, with so much lost to him, he might also need to find – or create – some kind of meaning in his life that had no connection to the Oath. And the Peredhil gave him that opportunity, at least. Still, he _would_ be a troubled soul. And I expect that his love and caring would also be mixed with guilt and shame. And both of those aspects – the love, and the guilt – are shown well in your story. Maedhros is not mentioned particularly in connection with the Peredhil. There might be more than one reason for that: He might have become more case-hardened than his brother during his time in Middle-earth. He might have been more _driven_ by the oath, as his father’s eldest son (and he _did_ persuade Maglor to join in the theft of the last two Silmarils). He might have seen that his brother _needed_ someone to care for – and the Peredhil brothers provided an opportunity for that. Pick any or all – or none of the reasons. Maedhros as a sort of an uncle certainly seems to fit. Author Reply: I see that your take on the relationship between the last two of Feanor's sons and those of Earendil is almost completely in accord with my own. I am so glad you found this story managed to express your understanding of the period so well. This was written for the first challenge cycle for the A_L_E_C competition, and I was deliberately trying a different period and set of characters than I usually write. I've been reading some Elrond/Elros stories in the MEFAs, of course, and have read a few more here in this archive, so I feel as if I'm acquainted with them now a good deal more than I ever felt when reading of the situation in the Silmarillion. That others also would be drawn to this theme in light of the "Don't tell me--I don't want to know!" challenge for the stories I should perhaps have anticipated. Anyway, thanks so for the detailed comments on it. I do appreciate them a good deal.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 10/29/2008
So, one reason of many that Elros chose to be Mortal! Why is it always assumed that Elros and Elrond, Elured and Elurin are twins, I have been reading the 'Sil' and apart from stating that 'she bore him two sons' Nimloth to Dior and Elwing to Errendil, nowhere does it say that they are twins, or is it mentioned in Tolkiens writings somewhere? More please, Lynda Author Reply: I'm not completely certain where the idea came from that Elured and Elurin, Elrond and Elros were twins as well as Elrohir and Elladan, but I'd always thought of these other two pairs as such. But I do think that the matter of the oath of Feanor would be part of the dynamic that led Elros to choose as he did. I may write more, or be drawn away into other writing--you never know where my muse will draw me next! Heh!

Inzilbeth	Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 10/29/2008
The Silmarillion fleshed out can sometimes be too painfully tragic as you showed so well here. So Elrond already has some idea of what Elros's choice will eventually and a very interesting reason for Elros to be swayed against being an Elf. You really capture the whole tragedy of Maedhros's and Maglor's plight especially where you remind us that their father is not even around to receive the Silmarils should they ever reclaim them. Author Reply: Thanks so, Inzilbeth. So much in the Silmarillion is tragic, and the plight of the sons of Feanor, particularly the last two of them, has to have been among the most tragic of all. What a vow to have holding them! I have written more about Maglor, although it will be a while before I post what I've written, for it is tied to another story I'm working on. Thanks again!

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 10/29/2008
Oh this is so sad. When love and duty clash the result is anguish for all concerned. Author Reply: I so agree. It was an ill-advised vow, to say the least. And now these are caught between the love they feel for these who rescued them and care for them so and the hatred they feel for their actions in attacking their mother and slaying her folk.

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 36 on 10/29/2008
An interesting look at Elros choice and the horrors these twins were brought up amongst. I find the Simarillion very dark but fascinating.An excellent story. Author Reply: Thank you indeed, Linda. I, too, find the stories from the Silmarillion rather dark in much of it.

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