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


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

Elf, Interrupted: Book Two: Glorfindel's Quest by Fiondil	15 Review(s)
Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 9/4/2010
But they were not expecting to hear Lord Manwë laughing. "It’s about time," he exclaimed merrily, and he laughed even harder at the shocked expressions on all the elves’ faces. I have to admit, if I were one of the Elves genuinely resentful of the Valar's manipulations, that smile would make me even angrier. It feels like patronising smugness. I want to wipe it off his face, I really do (she blithely says, trembling at the idea of assaulting a Valar). But I suspect, this being one of your evil cliff-hangers, that things will eventually be straightened out to everyone's satisfaction (now, how long it will take, only you know g...). Author Reply: I'm sure more than one Elf wanted to do precisely what you want to do, Imhíriel. grin Apparently, the Valar were expecting something like this, but weren't sure when or if it would happen. We'll see in the next couple of chapters how it all comes out.

Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 6/29/2010
If the Vala find out what they have planned? It seems they have forgotten about the Maia. Of course the Vala know what is about to transpire. How they were able to maintain a calm composure is beyond me. But, as we see, the humor of the situation got the best of them and in the end laughter over came them. Author Reply: Hi Tari. Well, as they say, "out of sight, out of mind", and that's what's probably at work here, although I doubt Finrod is quite that naive. And the Valar are good poker players, as you can, until, as you say, the humor of the situation got the best of them. grin Thanks for reviewing. I much appreciate it.

Hel	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 6/27/2010
Looks like the Valar were waiting for this accusation. But how Finrod and Glorfindel came to think they could keep something like this secret from the Valar I don´t know. Those two more than anybody else should know, that there is always the possibility of invisible Maia being around. The reaction of the elves to the laughing of the Valar at the accusation will be interesting. And I guess some of the elves of Tol Eressea will think the Valar are making fun of them. If this goes wrong the Council will end without a solution and the distrust some elves have against the Valar will become even deeper. And I sincerely hope the Valar miscalculated Selmacas reaction to Vondo. The thought that they took the risk of someone becoming severely hurt of even killed during Vondo´s trip to the council is disturbing. But it´s good that Selmacas is sincere in his regret. I wonder if someone took the time to explain to Selmacas and his wife why they couldn´t visit their daughter. I´m eagerly waiting for the next chapters and the reaction of the elves. Author Reply: Hi Hel. I'm think the Valar have been expecting this for some time, hence Manwë's words. And more than likely Finrod was aware that it would have been impossible to keep such a thing secret especially within the Valar's own city, although I really don't think that the Valar have Maiar hanging about the elves being voyeurs. At any rate, we will see how things go with the trial soon enough, and the entire thing with Selmacas and Vondo will be addressed as well. I think that Arafinwë would at least have told Selmacas and his wife what had happened to their daughter but probably didn't think more about it, since she was now in the care of the Valar and it was up to them to explain things. I'm glad you are eagerly waiting for the outcome of the trial. Thanks for reviewing and letting me know. I appreciate it.

Serinde	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 6/27/2010
It seems that Manwë won a bet and I would guess that Námo too. Poor schocked elves. Author Reply: Most likely, Serindë, but we probably will never know. grin

Aiwen	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 6/26/2010
Given that there always seem to be invisible maiar in the vicinity of Finrod and Glorfindel, I don't quite understand how they would expect to surprise the valar. I am very interested to see what the next chapter brings. Author Reply: Well, Aiwen, we all live in hope and I suppose the adage 'out of sight, out of mind' applies to Elves as well as to us Mortals. grin

Hildigrim	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 6/26/2010
Well, the theological waters are getting pretty dangerous here, absent an AU tag, and I am going to decline to wade in. On a narrower, craft-related point: I was not sure to whom Sador was speaking after Eärwen's wise remark: "Yet, I cannot believe they actually intended for Selmacas to attack that poor ellon," Eärwen said. "That smacks of cruelty and indifference and I have never known the Valar to be either." "You think they wanted Selmacas to attack Vondo, or at least hoped he would?" Sador asked, his expression one of shock. "But why? Why subject an innocent Reborn to such trauma? Why would the Valar deliberately goad Selmacas into attacking Vondo? I saw Selmacas’ face as he was taken away. He was terrified and rightly so." As written, it appears Sador might be ignoring the Queen and speaking to someone else -- which would be unwise. If he were speaking to her, he would be suggesting she didn't mean what she just said -- which would be "unwiser". The "yet" and the second sentence made me read Eärwen's remark as estopping the proposition Sador advances in his response. Best wishes . . . . Author Reply: Hi Hildigrim. Sador is addressing his question to the group as a whole, neither speaking directly to Eärwen nor really ignoring her. In effect, he's asking for clarification, upset by the thought that the Valar deliberately arranged for Vondo to be harmed. He is probably interpreting Eärwen's words as opinion rather than hard-cold fact and is responding accordingly. I hope that makes sense. As for the theological questions... well, this entire story is AU if you consider that the only two things that are true canon-wise in this story is the fact that 1. Glorfindel died in Gondolin; and 2. he was reborn and sent back to Middle-earth. Everything else is just my take on what he might have been doing and experiencing between those two events. grin Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate your comments.

Mîdhaer	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 6/25/2010
Did Finrod seriously think the Valar didn't know what he was planning!? Something tells me Manwe was well aware of what Finrod was planning. I'm surprised Glorfindel hasn't accused them of manipulation. I am assuming he was just waiting for a good opportunity. I think that the elves should move the Council elsewhere, so the Valar can't be quite as manipulative. I am also waiting to see the elves' reaction to Manwe laughing at them. I have no doubt they will not be happy. It would be quite interesting to see how Glorfi and Finrod will react, and what Manwe will do next. I'm hoping the Valar weren't hoping the elves would accuse them of manipulation. If so, I don't think anyone less then Eru could prevent a second rebellion. Author Reply: Hello Mîdhaer. I suppose that Finrod had a faint hope that the Valar would not know about it, or a fool's hope. I have no doubt the Valar were well cognizant of what was going on and were willing to play the game by the Elves' rules, as it were. How Finrod conducts the trial and how the Valar respond will be revealed next week. I doubt there will be a second rebellion, but certainly there will be some hard truths spoken on both sides. Thanks for taking the time to read and review, Mîdhaer. I really appreciate it.

Parmalokwen	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 6/25/2010
Hm. Seems I've been gone a long time. Lots of catching up to do. Composite review of the past, um, 40 chapters: It's good to see Glorfindel grow up, even though it's a pity to split him from his friends, even temporarily. They're so much fun together. Leaving for Middle-earth will be a real wrench, however exciting the challenge. It's a bit silly of Varda to get upset about dirty floors when she left all that space dust floating around between the stars! Marthchall's attack was a result of Valarin nudging? Well, that explains why there's been so little talk about repercussions. His will was interfered with. Mánatamir gets the Maiarin Best Actor Award for his impersonation of an elf. I knew there was something off about his showing up in the story, but he managed the elf act so well that I was actually watching Cundu for signs of Huan-like sentient behavior. (Speaking of Huan, have you ever considered bringing him back? The idea of Huan as a ginormous Reborn puppy wreaking havoc in Lorien fills me with glee.) Gurthalion's Demons was a really intense chapter. Poor Vorondil! And poor Gurthalion! Good for him for killing his memory-orc. I do not expect this to be his last battle with it, but having killed it once with Finrod's help hopefully it will be easier to do so again. And poor Finrod-- I do not envy him the headache! I like Vondo. Seeing him and his family together is fun. And nice solution to the name problem-- "Vorondil-the-elder" and "Vorondil-the-younger" is so cumbersome. Twelve years sounds like such a dreadfully long engagement. It was a neat trick when Amarie's mother was pushing them before they were ready, but now it must be just frustrating. Could they elope once the council business is done and then have the formal celebration on schedule? That's what my aunt and uncle did. They had a six month engagement but got impatient, so they went to Las Vegas and partied with the family later. I've heard a lot of wedding stories lately. I got married was a month ago. Morcocáno! Hasn't he disgraced himself enough already? It's a good thing Nelluin is there for damage control. Sador and Alassiel, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I- oh, fine. They're very cute together. Really. Finrod's not the only one unhappy about Vorondil's legal status. I am, and have always been, utterly creeped out by it. I always understood slavery to be something the Dark Side characters/peoples did in canon-- Morgoth, Sauron, the Easterlings, the Corsairs, and Númenor AFTER it went bad. So to see it happening in Valinor is rather disturbing. I realize that Vorondil was twisted up in a very bad way and Finrod is doing quite a good job of straightening him out, but why did the Valar have to put their relationship in terms of master and thrall? Putting Vorondil in a position where half the continent (including Irmo's maiar) considers it their right to treat him like dirt was never conducive to his correction, especially given that it was his mother's hatred of him that twisted him in the first place. The decision has all the feel of a decision made in a fit of temper after Finrod denied them the opportunity to get rid of the obnoxious little snot (which he was, then). They can't mistreat Finrod because they need him for various things, but Vorondil's fair game. The little S-O-B's not supposed to exist, after all. (My apologies to female dogs everywhere. They generally manage not to make their pups crazy.) That Finrod had to defend Vorondil against Irmo's Maiar only supports my impression of the Valar's attitude, and it becomes that much harder to believe that the Valar are being honest when they defend Vorondil. There's also the matter of precedent-setting-- this event justified what Ingwë did to Glorfindel, which I also consider problematic. Manwë stuck between Galadhwen and Morcocáno? Hah! I liked his and Námo's reactions. And I think Námo's right-- the Valar neglected the situation on Tol Eressëa for far too long, and I for one don't buy their excuses. They would have risked nothing to deliver a stern "thou shalt not be a bully or an opressor over thy neighbors" three hundred years ago. If that didn't work they would at least be able to say they tried. Instead they did nothing, and a lot of people have suffered for it. Several people were almost murdered. I'm not surprised the Nandor aren't interested in having a king--they were quite content to be autonomous in Ossiriand. Galadhwen's self-nomination: Completely unsurprising. Marthchall: Interesting. I fully expected the people of Angobel to speak like the Nandor, not because they were necessarily successful self-rulers in Beleriand (their experiences wandering post-escape probably varied a lot) but because they were betrayed by their own kings, who cast them out when they were most in need, out of paranoia. Morcocáno: Complete shocker. At last we know what he's good for! I’d wondered. I'm glad to see he isn't a complete moron. While Falmaron's forgiving attitude is admirable, the circularity of his logic is somewhat alarming. He would never have needed to recover from a loss of innocence if he had not been attacked in the first place. There's an additional problem with choosing a temporary Cano until the other kings start showing up, : The conflict of who to choose is going to happen all over again once that happens. The Sindar won't be interested in following Fingolfin or Fingon, the Noldor won't want to follow Thingol and they won't even know who Denethor is, Orodreth has a deficiency of confidence and would be even less happy than Finrod, and nobody except his own most loyal followers will be willing to support that notorious isolationist Turgon. Gil-galad, Oropher, and Amdir-Malgalad-Whoever aren't even dead yet. The Sons of Fëanor, of course, are not even worth considering. If Finrod won't do it, I would vote no king at all, ever. Round Arda: YES. A thousand times yes. All roads are bent, and always were. My husband and I reached this conclusion after examining the descriptions of Númenor--one would not need to stand on top of a tall tower or climb the mast of a tall ship to see Valinor if Arda were ever flat. I love scientific examinations of canon. Such fun. It IS about time the elves confronted the Valar on their manipulative behavior! The Valar have a lot to answer for at this point, and that includes things beyond the events of the Council. Mistreatment of Vorondil, neglect of the Tol Eressëa situation for the past three centuries, manipulation of Glorfindel and Finrod for pretty much their entire second lifetimes so far, and multiple counts of mismanagement of the Reborn... The Valar have said repeatedly that the Children are an endless source of amusement to them. I think that's exactly the problem. They love the Children, and think they're lots of fun to watch and play with, but it really, truly looks like they don't respect them. Case in point: Laughing at legitimate complaints. Repeatedly. "You're so cute when you're angry" is NOT a statement of respect. In fact, it's one of the most disrespectful phrases I know. I’m looking forward to seeing how Finrod responds to Manwë’s continued failure to take him seriously, and how Manwë justifies his misbehavior. Are the Valar trying to incite a Second Rebellion of the Noldor And Everyone Else With Them? Author Reply: Wow, Parmalokwen! That's some overview of the last 40 chapters. LOL I really appreciate you taking the time to offer your opinion on the many things that have been happening of late in this tale. I don't think I will try to tackle all of them and will limit myself to addressing only a few items. The issue of thralldom is of course a touchy one. I suppose that the Valar could as easily have said that Vorondil was Finrod's 'unpaid servant', but in truth, from the beginning, Finrod's own response to Vorondil has been more a master-apprentice relationship and I think Vorondil, especially now that he is learning to be a Lóriennildo, sees Finrod in that respect as well. What others think is their affair. Of course, it did set a precedence but again it isn't so much the words used as the way people reacted to the situation that matters. Martandur and Míriel treat Glorfindel more like their apprentice than anything else and in fact his duties would have been the same as any first-year apprentice. As for the situation on Tol Eressëa. Yes, the Valar should have acted sooner, but I think they were hoping that the Amanian Elves would do the necessary. And from the Valar's and the Elves' pov, three hundred years isn't that long. When you have pretty much forever to get things done, things tend not to get donoe all that soon. The problem of choosing a Cáno, temporary or not, is the crux of the situation which needs to be addressed. I think a solution will be found. It probably won't be a perfect solution (no solution ever is) but it will be one that most can live with. If the situation ever changes, i.e. one of the kings is reborn, then they will have to deal with it when it does, but that's for the future and they need to come up with something for the here and now. We'll see what that solution will be eventually. The Valar, like all created creatures, are flawed (or they wouldn't be half as interesting as they are) and one of their flaws is seeing the Children as an endless source of amusement. That attitude can get in the way of treating the Elves with the respect they deserve, but at the same time, it may just be that the Valar are purposely pushing the envelope here to get the Elves to stand up to them and demand respect. They may, in fact, be waiting for the Elves to 'grow up' as one of the other reviewers put it. And we will see how it all comes out though it'll take more than one chapter to cover all the bases. I'm glad you are still reading and enjoying this story and looking forward to the next chapters, Parmalokwen. Thanks for taking the time to leave such a marvelously long review. I appreciate it more than you can know.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 6/25/2010
In this trial, Selmacas comes across as a fairly decent sort, one whose reason for attacking Vondo was more or less a sudden and temporary state of insanity. Yet I do wonder about him still – and his wife, too, for that matter. Calalindalë can hardly have developed her rabid hate against the Reborn in a vacuum, and even if her parents may not have encouraged it, it doesn’t seem that they have done anything to prevent that warping of her personality either. And his remark of "Better than he deserves” when he obviously still was angry, yet no longer in the grip of insane fury, is not exactly something to instil confidence. It makes me wonder if Arafinwë’s leniency is going to enable Selmacas to measure out just enough rope to hang himself... Manwë’s reaction must have shocked every single Elf in the room (except probably Ingwion). I am sure the betting has been going on fast and furious among the Valar and Maiar about the Elves’ reactions. And I am also sure that every Maia who is not on duty is hanging around invisibly just to watch the fun. Which must make for crowded conditions... ;-) Author Reply: Selmacas isn't really a bad guy, just burdened with having little or not tact. His actions are deplorable but perhaps understandable, at least from his point of view. Still, we will see how things progress with him. I don't think Arafinwë is going to let him off the hook quite as easily as it appears. It is obvious that Selmacas' trial is merely an excuse for the more important trial against the Valar. I'm sure even Ingwion was a bit nonplused at Manwë's reaction, and I suspect that Finrod was less shocked than most. Certainly the betting was fast and furious among the Valar and Maiar though you would never know from their expressions. grin Thanks for the review, Sunny. I appreciate it.

Edlyn	Reviewed Chapter: 134 on 6/25/2010
Errrrr, make that CAN make Glorfindel behave. Silly typo-itis! Author Reply: Oh I knew what you meant. grin

First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page

Return to Chapter List