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In Darkness Bound by Fiondil	8 Review(s)
Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 7/6/2013
While reading about the pillars bordering Formenos acting as a barrier, I had been having the niggling sensation that this sounded somewhat familiar, and while reading this chapter I finally knew why: it reminds me of the pillars in the TV series "Lost", that IIRC "the Others" had erected on the island as a barrier. I kept waiting for someone to dare to go between two pillars and get zapped...! ;-) You captured very well the total confusion and cluelessness of the Elves in how to deal with a death, emphasised by some of the very stark, horrific yet mundane details of a what a corpse is. I wonder if Míriel had any foresight when she made that diaphanous cloth and knew it would be used as a shroud one day. I haven't read BolT except in some excerpts, so I don't know the particulars, but I find it interesting how what Fëanáro says hear sound so much like a dress rehearsal for what what he is going to say later in Tirion. One last thing: in ch. 50, you twice write "access/accessing", when I think you meant to write "assess/assessing". Author Reply: Hi Imhiriel. Never saw "Lost" so I can't say I borrowed the idea from there. grin I'm glad you think I captured the total confusion of the Elves on how to deal with death, particularly since Fëanáro and his sons never encountered it. Elves of an older generation, like Finwë, must have experienced people dying during the Great Migration for any number of reasons considering how dangerous the place was at the time, but none of those born in Aman would have. And Fëanáro's speech is taken directly from BoLT. What I like about the Histories is that they contain so much more than what we find in the Silmarilion, details that help set the scene and the characters more than what we see in the published text. That is especially true for this story, though I stayed very much with the Silmarillion for this part of the story since there are aspects of the Darkening that Tolkien eventually abandoned and so I do not use here. At any rate, thanks for pointing out the error. It's been corrected, and thanks for the review. It's greatly appreciated.

Sitara	Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/28/2011
I've always avoided to think about how Fëanáro returned to his defiled home and how did he react upon seeing his father's body. I think you've done a pretty good job picturing his and his sons' actions in respect to putting Finwë to his resting place. Huh..something tells me that Indis the Fair would be quite put out for not being invited. As would be the rest of the clan. Only when I think about it...after all that grief over Miriel and her choices, now Fëanáro has to see his father's desecrated corpse and see how horrible was his death...And from now on, all that he shall know would be only pain and suffering, for ages and ages. Give me a Vala to strangle, please! Preferably Námo. "grin" Author Reply: I'm glad you like how I portrayed Fëanáro and his sons in this chapter. I don't think they were thinking of anything but the need to deal with Finwë as quickly as possible. At least those of Formenos were on hand to lend them their support in their grief. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/27/2011
Alas for the grief felt by all. Too bad he feels he must reclaim the throne, for his half brother will give it over with no argument, I deem. But Melkor has now earned the name of Morgoth indeed. Author Reply: Very true, Larner. Fëanáro doesn't know his half-brother as well as he thinks he does. He should have known that Ñolofinwë meant every word of the oath he gave him before the Valar. And yes, Melkor has truly earned the name of Morgoth. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Erulisse (one L)	Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/26/2011
The death of Finwe and theft of the Silmarils and other jewels here clearly have thrust a knife through Feanor's heart, yet he has to be strong for his people and, more specifically, for his sons. That first twist of the knife was at the festival, when the darkness came and when the initial news of Finwe's death was delivered. The second, and unintentional twist of the blade, was when the guard at the gates of Formenos called Feanor "Your Majesty...". It must have hit him like a load of stone. It brought mere words into true reality and then that reality into anger and focus. Having his sons trying to internalize the reality of their anatar's death as well, pushed him outside of himself and back to the role of father. I think that helped pull him through the terrible things that he had to do - washing, preparing and dressing the body, deciding how his own beloved father would be memorialized and entombed, and determining his next actions. The grief and control of Feanor comes through so clearly in your words throughout this chapter. But that control is borderline madness and will soon shift to true madness through grief and shock. I am curious about timeframes and distances here. How long would it take to get to Formenos from the festival grounds? Rigor generally sets in on a body (at least a human body) after 2-3 hours, increasing in intensity for 12 hours and then gradually decreasing over 72 hours to disappear at the end of that. Given that it is a two-way journey from Formenos to the festival and back, how many hours have actually passed between the murder of the king and the arrival of Feanor afterwards? One of the things that drew me into your tales several years ago when we first started corresponding was your grasp of the language. Here, the two new terms that you introduce to us - tulma and hahta - are perfect for their usage. The idea that new terms had to be invented because death had not existed in Valinor prior to this time was a precious nugget of thought that helped to make this chapter so believable. And Feanor falling to his knees in sorrow when he is finally alone and able to grieve in private was one more window to his soul. A beautifully crafted chapter. - Erulisse (one L) Author Reply: Hi Erulisse. Thank you for your lovely review. It is a heartrending chapter, to say the least with all its pathos. In answer to your question about timeframe: it normally takes half a day to travel between Ilmarin (Vanyamar) and Valmar and that's by horse. The Elves walking that distance probably took a bit longer. Formenos is several hours further north (again by horse) from where the road branches off so you are probably looking at about a full day or sligtly more than that having passed from the time Finwë is killed to when Fëanáro and his sons return to Formenos, probably closer to a day and half if they were forced to stop and rest the horses along the way. With no experience of death and its aftermath, the Elves of Aman would not have had the necessary language in place; they would have had to create new words to cover the experience. Fëanáro, being the loremaster that he is, would be up to the task even in the midst of his grief. Thanks again for your comments, Erulisse. I appreciate them very much.

ninqwestilmen	Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/25/2011
May Finwe rest in peace. Feanor carries himself quite well in this chapter, his great love for his father has manifested into a heart-rending devotion that is stirring to see... very touching chapter... Author Reply: Amen, ninqwestilmen. Fëanáro does show his devotion to his father here. I'm glad you found it a touching chapter. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it very much.

Fantasia	Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/25/2011
This is heartbreaking. You can say whatever of Feanor, but he did love his Father, that is for sure. I was moved by his dedication to him, how he bathed and clothed him for his final rest. You are good with the details that they have to find names for the bier and the tomb, because I suppose that were not known in Valinor. That his mother had woven a diaphanous cloth so many, many years ago and was still preserved and used as a shroud, that they though to cover him so the women and children were not frightened. All those little details showed me their grief much better than thousands of tiers. Well done. I think that if I were at Valinor at that point, I will be following Feanor, at least, for now; my confidence in the Valars could be very low. The kinslaying is another matter. Now, the madness continues. Author Reply: Hi Fantasia. I'm very glad that my attention to details is what made this chapter for you. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for people who did not know death having to deal with the death of a loved one. And I'm sure that lack of confidence in the Valar played a deciding role for many who eventually decided to follow Fëanáro to Middle-earth. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I greatly appreciate it.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/25/2011
The King is dead, long live the king! So the journey into darkness begins. A very sobering chapter and I wonder what Feanaro's reception will be like when he gets to Tirion. Huggs, Lynda Author Reply: Hi Lynda. Yes, the King is dead, long live the king, though that is not a sentiment I think the Elves would have agreed with. Anyway, we will see in a few chapters what Fëanáro's reception will be like when he reaches Tirion. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/25/2011
This must be an emotional earthquake for all the Noldor: Their King is dead - unnatural for a people of immortal beings. And so the world will never be quite the same again for them - and even the Light seems to have vanished with the death of the Trees. They may not have had the personal relationship with Finwë that his family had but it is still an emotional earthquake. I can remember when King Olav died in 1991 - he was old, and his health was not good, but he was loved. And overnight the plaza in front of the Royal Palace in Oslo turned into one giant shrine to the beloved monarch, all filled with candles, flowers, pictures and childrens' drawings. Seeing Finwë laid out like that would no doubt have angered all the Noldor - I wouldn't consider it too far wrong to say that the exodus from Aman started there. No doubt all those who saw Finwë's body would have wanted revenge, so convincing those who were there to follow to Middle-Earth would have been fairly easy. And Fëanaro and his sons would have had all those feelings, and on top of that those very personal feelings about the loss of a parent and grandparent, and a great desire for revenge. And for Fëanáro, there was in addition his obsesssion wit the Silmarils. Author Reply: Hi Sunny. Yes, it must have been quite an emotional earthquake for many, and I suspect you are correct to say that exodus began at Finwë's gravesite. I suspect that revenge was on the top of many people's lists, so, as you say, convincing them to leave Aman was probably not that great a stretch, especially for someone like Fëanro with his silver tongue. And of course, he was further obsessed with the Silmarils, which just compounded the problem. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

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