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Elf, Interrupted: Book Two: Glorfindel's Quest by Fiondil	18 Review(s)
tkid	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 7/29/2011
"You’re dead," he said calmly as he shook his dripping locks out of his eyes and for the first time since he began the fight, there was a faint light of emotion in his eyes and a small smile crept across his face. Then he sheathed his sword and turned to face a thoroughly shocked Lisselindë, his expression going cold once again. "We fought against your fallen brethren," he said, moving slowly towards her, "against balrogs and werewolves, against Morgoth himself and Sauron. We fought and died while you all sat behind your precious mountains wringing your hands and bewailing the loss of the Trees and did nothing!" By now he was almost screaming. "So, yes, you could do much worse than to be a thrall to Finrod for a year or three, child!" The absolute scorn in his voice left no doubt that he meant the word as an insult. That was awesome! Author Reply: Glad you think so, Tkid. I think it's pretty awesome, too. Thanks for letting me know. I really appreciate it.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 6/7/2009
Just... Wooooah! First the fight, which had me at the edge of my seat hardly daring to breathe. Wonderfully "choreographed", and the fierceness and quickness completely come through! I wonder just how much the Warrior Maiar were only "playing", and how much Glorfindel actually challenged him. Would you care to share what you think? And then this: "We fought against your fallen brethren," he said, moving slowly towards her, "against balrogs and werewolves, against Morgoth himself and Sauron. We fought and died while you all sat behind your precious mountains wringing your hands and bewailing the loss of the Trees and did nothing! You tell 'er, Glorfindel! Lisselindë still has much to learn, and especially to lose her mile-wide streak of entitlement and perceived superiority. When you think about it, in the First Age, the Elves "regularly" had to battle with diverse evil Maiar and managed to hold their own and even vanquish some of them. Whereas in the Third Age, the Balrog in Moria and Sauron were too much for all the Free Peoples to overcome in hundreds or thousands of years, and it took quite a bit of luck and teamwork to finally get it done on the sly. Author Reply: And that's the reaction I want from my readers when they read this chapter, Imhiriel. grin The answer to your question about how much the Maiar were "playing" and how much Glorfindel was challenging them will actually be answered in a subsequent chapter, so I won't discuss it here. Of course, Glorfindel's telling off Lisselindë is merely from his perspective. The Valar were far from sitting around wringing their hands and doing nothing, they were simply not doing what the Elves all wanted them to do, which is not necessarily the same thing. Still, it was a good object lesson for all the Maiar (and Valar), I think. And you're right about the First Age Elves (and their Mortal allies, like Húrin and Beren) had to battle with evil Maiar and other fell creatures more or less on a regular basis and (usually) managed to hold their own. But even Tolkien says that as the ages continued, the Elves of later ages, living in Middle-earth, were not as powerful as the Elves of earlier ages who came forth from Valinor. Even Glorfindel tells the Hobbits that there were few in Rivendell who could stand against the Nine and these were once mortal men, not Maiar.

rick	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 2/3/2009
yes! keep going... Nothing like a good spat to get things out from under the rug. In case you can't figure it out, I really liked this chapter (& the last one too)- can't wait for the next development. Author Reply: Hi, Rick. Oh I intend to, never fear. grin. Glad you liked this chapter and the last one as well. Thanks for letting me know.

Thalanee	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 2/3/2009
It seems that Lisselinde has some serious issues: granted as a Maya she is incredibly old and she did sing before Atar´s throne, but the Ainur are Eruhini just as the Quendi and the Edain, so being a Maya doesn´t make her superior. Glorfindel has some hard work cut out for him... I wonder why people always think that serving someone is something demeaning, something to be avoided... Glorfindel´s lesson was certainly impressive! The Mayar took it serious, I guess, even though they called it playing, but I think if they had really tried Glorfindel wouldn´t have won. Lisselinde is obviously not the only one with issues... Glorfindel is still angry at the Valar... Melkor´s lies still at work? Are we going to listen in on Namo´s words of wisdom? Author Reply: I think the problem many people have is the societal notions as to what is deemed worthy and what is not. Serving is not a glamorous as being the one who is served. People think they deserve to be served by others and find the thought of doing the same to someone else demeaning to their perceived status. Yet, service is actually more noble. The trick it to serve with humility without being servile. As Námo pointed out to Ingwion in an earlier chapter, anything done with love is never menial, howsoever others might view it. I'm sure Glorfindel is not the only Elf with issues concerning the Valar and obviously it is a holdover from the time of the Rebellion. Hopefully, over time, these Elves will come to realize that the Valar were not as unmoved by what happened as they supposed and their anger will be resolved. As for listening in on Námo's little chat with Lisselindë.... only the Muse knows at this point, but I think we might get a glimpse of it in a future chapter. grin Thaks for your thoughts, Thalanee. I appreciate you taking the time to share them with me and my other readers.

Hel	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 2/2/2009
I get the impression that the warrior-maiar think of any fight in which they didn´t actually try to kill someone or someone tries to kill them as "play". Glorfindel shurely sees the situation different. I´m not even shure he wouldn´t hurt one of them if the maia reacts to late. But unlike the Balrog they can drop their form and leave. Why is Lisselindë starting to glow red? It´s not that she starts to glow when she is angry but I´m wondering about the colour. I´m tempted to retort at her ranting about beeing older than Ea and having sung before the throne of Iluvatar that other Maia and Valar have done that also and it didn´t keep them from fucking things up. And that didn´t even take her own actions into account. Her good intetions of learning about the Eldar didn´t seem to last long. And she has a way to high opinion about herself and Maia in general that she throws a temper tantrum at the mere suggestion of beeing a thrall to someone she thinks of at a child and therefore inferior to herself. The next two weeks will shurely be interesting with Glorfindel teaching the Maiar about the Eldar. I wonder if Nienna´s house still stands afterwards. Wow, that was a really long review. And I just wanted to say that this is a great chapter and I can´t wait for the next. Author Reply: The color red has always been associated with anger and if you've read my "Wars of the Valar" tale you will remember that in their natural state, the Valar and Maiar are spiritual beings with individual electro-magnetic signatures manifested as aurae. Lisselindë's normal aura is a ceertain shade of green but at this point its been 'muddied' by anger which manifests itself as red. Glorfindel is seeing that being manifested. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next and the next and .... grin BTW, a word of caution -- you might wish to refrain from using the F-word on a family-friendly site. I have no objections to the word myself (I use it occasionally when the situation warrants) but I'm sure others might find it offensive. I'm sure you can find less offensive synonyms for the word if you try. grin

Sitara	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 2/2/2009
I must confess that, beyond my childish urge to congratulate Glorfindel for his words, I felt like I was witnessing how the most frightening legacy left to Aman by Melkor before fleeing for Middle-earth strikes again: twisted perception regarding the very nature of the Ainur, and ultimately the very nature of Iluvatar. Whatever reasons may Glorfindel have for his anger (and he does, I'm not denying it), it only seems to me that this is, more or less, the real issue. With all of them, not only with Glorfindel, of course. As for the "mystery of serving", I completely agree with you and your beta. But I understand Lisselinde too. After all, no one ever said that it's going to be an easy road to travel, to serve, and nowadays it's called The Cross, a very fitting name, I think. The Valar know that, you say. Yes, I have the best of reasons to agree once again with you. Sorry for ranting and I hope I didn't caused you a headache with my comments. Author Reply: Well, there are lots of misperceptions about the Valar among the Elves, even those who live in Aman. It is part and parcel of Melkor's legacy that will not be erased before the Remaking. The problem, of course, is that since the Valar are a different order of being from the Elves, they don't necessarily act or react the same way, nor (as Olórin once told Netilmirë) do they always play by the same rules by which the Elves order their own lives. Therein lies the confusion of motives and the seeming uncaring of the Valar as perceived by the Elves. Only in retrospect do you see that in fact the Valar are not as heartless and uncaring as others may think. And I enjoy discussing such issues with my readers. It's what I think the function of the review is, more so than just letting the author know how much you enjoy their story. I believe that there should always be a dialogue between author and reader as they discuss what has been written and how it impacts on everyday living (or not). So they don't give me a headache at all. grin

Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 2/2/2009
Whew! What an extraordinary chapter. The Maia thought they were having fun with Glorfindel, did they. They seem to have forgotten one thing; he is the Balrog slayer. It seems Lisselindë is not the only Maia who needs to learn a thing or two about the Elda. They may think they were just playing with Glorfindel, but I think he can hold his own with any of then. Of course Glorfindel has a lot to learn too. I wonder what the Valar are thinking about all this. "grins" Author Reply: Hi, Tari. Glad you found this an extraordinary chatper. I'm sure that the three warrior Maiar were not 'just playing' with Glorfindel. They have too much respect for him and his abilities, which is why they enjoyed themselves and him. After all, they consider Glorfindel as a 'swordbrother' and treat him accordingly. Glorfindel may have been deadly serious, but in the end he didn't try to 'kill' any of them; he was simply working out his frustrations and the Maiar let him, while enjoying themselves at the same time.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 2/1/2009
Lisselinde does have a good deal to learn about the incarnates, but it appears Glorfindel has his share to learn about the Maiar as well. And it sounds as if the warrior Maiar had a good time even if Lisselinde didn't. Time for both her and Glorfindel to rid themselves of a good deal of resentment. Author Reply: Hopefully they will both learn from each other and be the better for it.

Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 2/1/2009
Well, I've read it again and am still impressed by that battle and what led up to it. I must, however, quibble with the idea that the Maiar were not 'trying' too hard - Glorfindel, if you recall, killed a Balrog - and a Balrog is a Maia.... That Balrog was not playing and had every intention of killing Glorfindel (which, of course, he did) - so I do not believe the Maiar were not totally challenged by Glorfindel and had to give as well as they got... it probably would take at least three to 'best' our beloved golden-haired Elf.... : ) IMHO. Author Reply: I never said the Maiar weren't 'trying' too hard, and neither did they. They simply enjoyed the workout and considered it 'play'. That does not mean they weren't serious about it, for they were and would never insult Glorfindel by not giving their all. At the same time, they weren't out to destroy him either, so I'm sure they didn't exhibit all their powers or prowess, letting Glorfindel call the shots.

Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: 42 on 2/1/2009
I wept as I finished reading this............. I'm not even sure why. This was a spectacular chapter... absolutely your best, IMHO.... I can't find any words to say anything more - I'm blinking tears away - I think it is the beauty of the words and the fury of Glorfindel's actions - just took my breath away. And the beauty of Glorfindel's righteous anger - if that makes any sense. Phew - I've got to go back and read it again for there was way too much to take in at one go.................... sits back and sighs heavily before she hits 'post' Author Reply: Thanks for the praise, Agape. blushes I wasn't sure how this chapter would go but when Glorfindel told everyone to stay where they were and called for his sword, I knew he would be giving us a show-stopping number, so to speak. grin And I know what you means about 'the beauty of Glorfindel's righteous anger'. I felt it as well as I was writing this.

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