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The Wars of the Valar by Fiondil	17 Review(s)
6336	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 10/12/2010
Goodness has it been two years since you wrote this? Foe some reason I keep coming back and rereading this chapter, it is so sad and yet so beautiful. I am glad Namo is able to start with fea who need consoling and not judging, that would have been too cruel and although Atar can be harsh when he needs to be he is not cruel, I leave that to Melkor! This is the next one for the e-book. Lynda Author Reply: This was probably one of the hardest emotionally speaking to write, as I recall. I know I felt pretty drained when I got it done. And yes, at this time, there is only compassion and consolation and not judgment for these particular fëar who are truly innocents in the very real meaning of the word. Anyway, it is hard to believe that it's been 2 years since I wrote this story, but time does go on and there are more stories to be told. grin I am seriously thinking of getting an e-book for myself for Christmas, so I can put not only my stories onto it, but other people's stories to read again and again without resort to the internet. We'll see if I'm still on Santa's "Good Boy" list this year. LOL

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 5/17/2009
Oh, God! Before reading the chapter, I scrolled down to get to the link for leaving reviews, and accidentally read the translation of the Quenya sentence, which was a real shock to the system and made me break out in chilly goosebumps. I had to steal myself before starting on the chapter, all the while dreading what was to come. I feared you would not approve and ask us to tear them down." I chided Námo a few chapters back for his thoughts about his Máyar, but now I have to chide the other side: How could Maranwë think Námo would order him to tear down the gardens? He should know his Lord better than that. Oh, and it's just as harrowing as I had dreaded... But to lighten up the mood for a moment: When Calmo asks, "Why does it look like us?" does that mean Valar have also pointed ears? I can't remember if you've ever said anything one way or the other. I kept holding my breath during the chapter, as if I myself were there and had to be careful of not spooking the fëar. Nay, Child, Atar exclaimed. Thou wilt not speak of this to anyone. Now Námo felt shocked. Well, me, too! And yet, of course it must be so (although the thought never crossed my mind). How terrible for Námo! "He’s been bereft of his hröa which should never have happened. Now this is indeed a riddle I'm very curious about learning your answer to. We really needed the peace of the preceeding few chapters, Fiondil! What a shock, but truly well-played! Author Reply: As you can imagine, this was a difficult chapter to write and I really didn't want to but knew it had to be written. According to Tolkien, the Valar and Maiar when the incarnated took the forms of the Children, and most often those of the Firstborn, which makes sense since they did come first. As for the riddle... there isn't any really... the Firstborn were never meant (originally) for death or the severing of the bodies from their souls/spirits; it's an unnatural state for them. Melkor's interference however has changed all that and of course we know for a fact that Elves can indeed suffer death of a kind. As shocking as this chapter is, I'm glad you liked how well it was written. Thanks.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 12/29/2008
Ai! The first of those Melkor intended to twist to orcs? Alas! But better this than that loss of self. And he begins to know one of his main tasks from now on. Author Reply: Yes, better that than the alternative. And of course Námo begins to come into his own at this point.

Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 12/22/2008
So, the first elf has arrived and poor Namo wasn't quite ready. I like the idea of the elves and humans going to the same place. I believe that to be the case in heaven. I thought Eonwe would be there to record the oaths of the Maiar, but I don't think that would have been necessary. They will do what they are created to do, and with great joy. Author Reply: Well the elves and mortals start out in the Halls of Mandos but mortals then leave the Circles of Arda completely while the fëar of the elves remain in Arda to eventually be re-embodied and returned to Life. That is the real difference, but I hope that when the End comes both Children will be reunited. Heaven won't be Heaven without elves as far as I'm concerned. grin As for Eönwë, he doesn't need to be physically present to record an oath, so I think in this instance Atar merely told him to record the oath. And since this oath was strictly between Námo and his Máyar it would never be revealed to any of the others... a sort of "Seal of the Confessional" type of thing.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 12/21/2008
Seems the Mayar designed the Gardens of the Reborn here? Sounds like these groves where they lived after being released from Mandos. Oh Fiondil, what a way to introduce Námo to the arrival of the Firstborn! Poor guy! It must have been such a huge shock to be confronted with this frightened fëa and to realise who and what that was! Not to mention the fact that his Halls were destined for the Firstborn, too. But he held himself admirable, and his own experience with Melkor might really help him to understand how these new arrivals feel. "Nay, lord," Maranwë said. "Thou dost deserve all our love and devotion, for thou’rt the only lord we desire to serve now and for all the ages of Atháraphelun and beyond." That was lovely - and I think Námo needed to hear that, considering the insecurity he sometimes shows. Author Reply: Yes, these are the Gardens of the Reborn. And now you know how they came to be. grin Yes, it was indeed a shock for our poor Ayanuz, but as you say, he held himself well and he was able to call on his own experiences to help with the new arrivals. Maranwë and the other Máyar are just what Námo needs. They are loyal to a fault and will never let him down. They may be few in number compared to the Máyar of the other Ayanumuz, but in this instance 'quality' not 'quantity' counts for everything.

lilandriel	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 12/20/2008
oh, damnit. this is so bitter and painful. you had me practically in tears, which i rather suspect was your intent. superbly written, if everso difficult to read. why oh why is he not allowed to tell Manwe? what a weight to have to carry Author Reply: Essentially yes, my intent was to present you with a real tear-jerker of a chapter. grin Thank you for letting me know how this affected you. It was difficult to write, as well. And as to why he is not allowed to tell Manwë, well, in the Silmarillion he didn't. That news was left for Oromë to give.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 12/20/2008
The first fëa has arrived in the halls, and he is just an _elfling_!!!! wails Now if Oromë can just hurry up and get itchy feet, so that the Elves can be discovered, and the Valar can go off and pry Melkor's sorry a** out of Utumno and all the rest.... Now that Christmas is coming, I hope you will have lots of time for writing :-) sends author virtual box of homemade cookies Author Reply: Well, it will still be a while before Oromë does discover the elves, but once he does... Anyway, thanks for the cookies. I appreciate them and the review. grin

Beruthiels Cat	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 12/20/2008
I knew there would be a part of this I would want to review, but miss mentioning...Namo's vision of the Elf cowering before him would have been so terribly saddening for someone so compassionate...heartbreaking, because he wouldn't understand what he was seeing until it happened. It truly brings to attention how Namo has the most difficult task of all...he's been literally tried by fire. He will bend without breaking, but at such a cost...the ages will be terribly long for him. Author Reply: I suspect you're correct, Cat, about Námo and what he has had to endure and continues to endure. The vision he had while still Melkor's prisoner apparently had remained suppressed all this time, which is just as well. I don't think he would have been able to handle it quite as well as he did otherwise. Once he had Vairë to lean on, though, then the vision and the reality were able to become one. Heartbreaking, to say the least, but at least we know there's a happy ending at the last.

eiluj	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 12/20/2008
Well done. And sad, oh indeed! I suppose some of the poor elf's fear was because it sensed Námo was obviously of the same class of being as Melkor.... shudder I've read, I think, two other fics that mention the rebirth of elves who'd died in Valinor from mischance before the First Age; neither fic addressed the many elves that must have died -- and so much earlier! -- in Middle-earth due to Melkor. For there must have been so many of them -- or at least that has always been my impression from the Sil and other things I've read. Author Reply: Most likely you are correct about that, eiluj. I'm sure most writers are not sure how to handle the topic of elves dying in Middle-earth because of Melkor. Even Tolkien did not delve too deeply into the subject. Still, I knew that it had to addressed in the story and this is the way I chose to do so.

Independence1776	Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 12/19/2008
weeps Yes, I do mean that literally. It is a rare writer who can make me cry. I am very, very glad for Námo's sake that this happened after his wedding, for he needs Vairë's support. "He was not sure what was happening, only that he had a great need to call out what he instinctively knew was a Word of Power in a language he did not know. Even so, he realized that his actions were a summons. He mulled the Word over in his mind and realized that it was a Name." And so it begins. I think it's wonderful that you didn't have Námo or the Maiar recognize the fëa as an Elf. It truly makes sense that they wouldn't know. A child. The first Elf to die is a child. Melkor, I fail to understand how Manwë could believe you had repented, especially with this. "'Others?' Námo whispered in dread. 'There are others?'" As much as I know what Morgoth is doing, reading this reaction just brings the horror back in full force. For now it is enough that thou dost succor those who come, for they will be in sore need of thy healing compassion, a compassion born of pain wrought by the same hands that murdered this Child." nods* Now Námo starts to understand that while he may not and cannot like everything that happened to him, it all serves a purpose in the end. (And the quotation mark at the end of the quote should be an asterisk.) "Thou dost deserve all our love and devotion, for thou’rt the only lord we desire to serve now and for all the ages of Atháraphelun and beyond." And those are some of the words that their lord needs to hear right now. (Of course, that loyalty will last, even though Finrod and Glorfindel will "test" it.) "Then he dismissed the Máyar to resume their duties while he sought out Vairë. When he found her in one of her workshops weaving, he dismissed her maidens who were in attendance and then quietly, tearfully, told her what had happened. Before he was through with his narrative she was wrapping her arms around him while he wept." Absolutely beautiful. This was a hard chapter to read, and probably to write. You did a superb job on it. ~ Indy Author Reply: Thanks, Indy, for your review. Yes, it was a hard chapter to write, never mind read. In many ways, I dreaded having to write it, though I knew it needed to be written. I think that it would take time for Námo to come to the realization that this was one of the Firstborn, since in his mind he was all set for the Secondborn to come to Mandos, having forgotten his vision when he was still held captive by Melkor (one of those memories that did not surface until a situation called for it, as happens with the Reborn). And thanks for pointing out the typo... while correcting that I found another instance where there should have been an asterisk rather than a closing quotation mark. grin

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