Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

Stirrings of Shadow by Fiondil	8 Review(s)
Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 2/21/2009
I love it that Thengel won't stoop to the level of his enemies,a lesson leaders of today could all do well to heed. As always I love the scenes for Aragorn and Widfara.What a wonderful twist at the end! Author Reply: Hi, Linda. Thanks. I'm glad you like scenes with Aragorn and Wídfara. Wídfara has sort of stolen the story away from Aragorn in some ways, I think. grin Certainly, he is people's favorite OC here. And it is a pity that our leaders today have not heeded the lesson Thengel gives here. Perhaps if they did (or if just some of them did), we would be living in a saner world. Glad you liked the twist at the end and that you are still enjoying this story. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it.

george	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 1/26/2009
Hi again! I saw your author's reply so I went back and reread the chapter and it does read more naturally to me now. Now Thengel's loss of temper and Widfara's almost youthful sense of betrayal do the job of really bring across how shaken they feel, I think, rather than you just saying that they were disheartened (on a side note it is also interesting how everyone's feelings of betrayal highlight just how much trust warriors placed in the etiquette of war). I can feel the grim mood around the fire listening to the enemy singing a lot more now! I also thought it was interesting how in accord Gilhael and Aragorn are--when Widfara asks the same question twice (which is a nice touch to his disbelief, btw) and the two rangers give the same answer, just swapping reasons with eachother! Author Reply: Hi, George. Thanks. I'm glad that the revision reads more naturally. I appreciate you pointing out the flaw in the chapter. In a warrior society, there are certain conventions which are kept to. That the rebels in Edoras refuse to adhere to those conventions is a shock to Thengel's men. Such things are not supposed to happen (unless one is fighting against orcs or Sauron).

rick	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 1/13/2009
yay! I love it when the cavalry comes over the hill in the nick of time. Be interesting to see how the Thengel/Aragorn/Denethor triangle plays out. Author Reply: Thanks, Rick. I hope to have the next chapter up before the end of the month.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 1/12/2009
The first meeting between Aragorn and Denethor. And Aragorn is evidently feeling a few chills... but then his line would have a predisposition for precognition, in addition to the healing, wouldn't it? And we also all know how it all ends between the two of them, don't we? I wouldn't wonder that the possibility of _that_ end wouldn't echo back in time. (At this point in time there is no bad karma between the two of them. But Denethor is going to choose to nurture jealousy and enmity, and will make some less-than-happy choices; influenced by Sauron, yes, but that influence wouldn't have abrogated his free will....) So even with that path not-yet-trodden, the horrifying _possible outcome_ (at this point in time) still has the power to chill. It is a great pity that Denethor made those choices that led to his ignoble ending. Yet I wonder if not Aragorn might not also have influenced the beginning of that path? It seems that he feels the chill of that outcome _we_ know, and who know if that didn't influence _his_ attitudes as well? (Thinking about precognition and possible paths to the future is as bad as contemplating quantum physics. I suspect I need to roll a sanity check... ;-) ) Author Reply: I am not sure if Aragorn has had a premonition about Denethor at this point or not, but certainly their meeting is momentous and of course Aragorn is meeting the man whom he thinks could one day be his steward if he ever becomes king as Elrond foretold. At this stage Denethor is still untainted by Sauron and there is nearly 60 years before the Ring War and all that came of that for them both.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 1/12/2009
These have arrived just when needed, it seems. And it sounds as if the Dowager's men have as little honor as does she! Now, to see the new strategies set in motion, and the interaction between Aragorn and his so-distant cousin from the south. Like as brothers or close kin, it was said--in looks and interests, at least. Now to see if that almost-sibling rivalry is obvious from the beginning. Author Reply: We will see in the next chapter how these two men react to one another.

george	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 1/12/2009
YAY! I'm always so glad to see an update from you! Quite a rollercoaster ride for Thengel and his men here, and I'm excited to see how you involve Denethor. Somehow I never imagined the two meeting until Thorongil arrived in Gondor, but it will be very interesting to see how this earlier introduction affects the way their relationship unfolds, and Thorongil's eventual reception in Gondor. Just one bit of concrit--it feels like you overstate that Thengel's soldiers are demoralized. It seems to me that if you just went a bit more into describing the compelling reasons you have for them being demoralized (the sense of treachery, their losses, the singing) it would be less report-like and create more of a mood that would suck the reader in. Everywhere else in your story you've definitely 'shown' rather than 'told,' so I figured I'd point it out here. Can't wait to find out what happens next! Author Reply: Hi George. Thanks for your concrit... I will look over the chapter again and see if I can change it up a bit as you suggest. This was not an easy chapter to write and I wasn't sure if I was pulling it off. Obviously not. grin As for Denethor and Aragorn... there is nothing in canon that specifically states that these two did not meet until Aragorn went to Gondor and given the storyline that I have developed here, Denethor's presence in Rohan at this time would make sense. We will see how their relationship unfolds and what that means to Aragorn's future soon enough with the next chapter. Author Reply: I've gone in and made some changes to the text per your suggestions. Not sure if it's an improvement but hopefully it's closer to what you were expecting.

Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 1/12/2009
Wow - what an exciting chapter to read - and probably felt the same for the writer! I could not believe the treachery - but Gandalf had said,one time, that treachery was always there enemy. It was good to 'hear' the Gondorian horns..... But I got chills when I realized 'who' from Gondor had come to succor Rohan. Needless to say - I CANNOT wait for more..... Author Reply: Hi, Agape. It was pretty exciting to write and I wasn't sure if I really pulled it off as there's not much detail about the attacks themselves. I was more interested in exploring the effects of the attacks on Thengel's army. And chills, huh? grin That makes it all worth while. I hope to have the next chapter up very soon. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

Elentarri	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 1/12/2009
Yay! Thank you. It wasn't there a while ago :-) Think it has something to do with the 8 hour time difference :-) Author Reply: You're welcome. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Return to Chapter List