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| In Darkness Bound by Fiondil | 14 Review(s) |
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| Imhiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 7/7/2013 |
| Oooh. A very powerful chapter! And much of what I was feeling and thinking has already been mentioned in other reviews. I must say, I'm so glad I know from your other works how the Valar operate and their way of showing the true meaning of serving/thralldom, otherwise I think this chapter would have been nigh unbearable. As it is, it's still shudder-inducing, but I can appreciate the subtleties and true meanings of their doings, and can see beyond poor Arafinwë's schocked and biased experience. And that he is not truly being treated as a dog, collar, leash and all. Yes, as you say it's a kind of twisted arrogance to demand so vehemently on taking on so much guilt, both warranted and not, and practically force the Valar to damn well damn him as he insists. Still: poor Arafinwë. I'm with Shemyaza: it would perhaps have not been a bad idea to deal with Fëanáro in a similar way to show him what that word "thrall" really means he keeps bandying about so ligthtly. Although - it still wouldn't be as bad as what a thrall would be of truly evil masters as he imagines the Valar to be. Harsh lessons, but Arafinwë will not only learn humility, but also shown by Manwë's example how to be a true king and leader. And I was surprised as well that this way where his nickname came from, although in hindsight the clues were there. Author Reply: Unfortunately, the Valar hadn't thought of treating Fëanáro as he deserved and so we have the results of their failure to deal with him effectively. This is a very powerful chapter and it was not an easy one to write, nor were any of the subsequent ones dealing with Arafinwë's "thralldom". Thanks for reviewing. It's much appreciated. | |
| Tari | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 7/19/2011 |
| If Arafinwe was a cat, I would say he lost one of his lives when he was lead into the Máhanaxar. I never expexted Lord Manwe to be so harsh in his treatment of Arafinwe. My heart aches for the poor elf. I do hope something better is in store for him. Author Reply: Hi Tari. Yes, it does seem harsh, but Arafinwe has left the Valar with no choice. We'll see how he fares in his new life, and, of course, we know that eventually he does return to Tirion and becomes the Noldoran, so we know there is a happy ending somewhere down the road for him. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much. | |
| obsidianj | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 7/2/2011 |
| Wow! My reaction to Arafinwe's stubborn wallowing in self-pity was that I wanted to shake him and shout at him. But the Valar obviously found a better way. Shouting and shaking would probably not have worked Luckily, the next chapter is waiting for me. Author Reply: Hi obsidianj. The Valar are only giving Arafinwë exactly what he asked for; nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else. But, of course, as you say, this is probably NOT what he was expecting. Well, we know he learned his lesson and learned it well and you're right that shouting and shaking would probably not have worked, which is why the Valar didn't go that route, though I suspect Manwë and Námo really wanted to. *grin* Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it. | |
| Serindë | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 6/20/2011 |
| You have managed to write one of your very powerful, poignant chapters with emotionally highly charged atmosphere, which did make me shudder. I am not able to decide if I love it or hate it. Probably because I do both. So we now know where "Pityahuan" comes from. I must confess, I am not surprised, I expected something like that. Do not ask me why. Maybe because I have read a historical novel, its heroin throws tantrum and her husband decides that he does not care about things being thrown at him, so he forces her as punishment eat on the floor sitting among dogs. And the Velar use the nickname generally as a mild rebuke - behave yourself... or alternatively they use it with a very indulgent smile, a kind of smile you give your purring cat. And there is the Arafinwes fear of loosing respect of his son and Finrod is prohibited to ask his father where the nickname comes from. So I always presumed that Arafinwe gets a fit during his apprenticeship and his punished is to play a part of a pet dog for the Valars amusement. Humiliating? Yes. But, nothing really nasty or cruel. "Come here, sit down. Good doggy." "Pityahuan, would you like me to give you a morsel of chicken breast? It is very tasty." I imagined a bunch of the loving Valar enjoying themselves and competing among themselves in finding new ways how to spoil their „pet“. But I did not expected that he ends in the fix the first day he arrives at Valmar and that "sitting at the Manwë's feet" was meant literally, not figuratively. As I stated I am of two minds about it. On one hand I am not angry with Valar for treating Arafinwë like that. There is no cruel intention and we know that this time they are getting it right. This time the Valar do not fail spectacularly like in the Feanaro's case. We know from the later stories that they will manage, using their unorthodox methods, to transform the young princeling into a wise King. Moreover they will do it without loosing his trust or love and without scarring him for life like they managed to scare Ingwion. But on the other hand I must say that I feel sorry for Arafinwë. Give the poor ellon a break. He does not act out of humility, that is for sure, but neither he seems arrogant. He is stubborn even pigheaded (it is running in the family), to busy indulging with own sense of guilt and to full of self pity, totally confused and clues what to do. His father was a king, but with two older brothers and nine or how many nephew his chance to became a king was only slightly higher than my chance to became the Queen of England. That is nil. He is absolutely unprepared for the role. There was never a reason for him to be prepared. The transition from a cosseted life of a privileged private person into a king would be difficult even under normal circumstances and they are not normal circumstances. He lost his father and he did not have even time to mourn his father properly. His sharp tong mother is no help. She has never become one of Noldor and she moved from Tirion, the place she had never called her own, back to her own family. One can understand his wife's urge to box his ears, but her position did not change so much, she is more grounded in everyday life, she did not see the kinslaying, did not witness the Doom, she does not live with the guilt abandoning their children in the hour of need and she still has her own family. He lost his older brother(s), all his children and practically the whole family and he knows that he will never see them again. He saw the kinslaying and aftermath of the kinslaying and he heard the Doom. And yet, he is not giving up, he is not laying down and trying to fade. The worse thing he does is coming with some seriously weird ideas and refusing even to consider how weird they truly are. But how can he accept forgiveness, when he cannot forgive himself? The whole scene is pretty ambivalent. Arafinwë robbed of his closes and name and Manwë's hand touching his hair. Is it the ultimate step of dehumanisation or better deelfisation, the last step in the transformation of a young prince - I would not call him Noldoran yet - into a pet? Or is it the monastic vows fashion step into a new life when the past is left behind? Or both? Author Reply: Hi Serindë. You certainly raise some interesting questions. I suspect that what the Valar are trying to do here is ram the truth down Arafinwë's throat: this is what it means to be a thrall. Maybe you thought it would be something else, but this is the reality. At the same time, as you will see in the next chapter, they are pretty much at their wit's end trying to figure out how to get Arafinwë out of 'thrall-mode' and into 'king-mode', which is where he should be. It'll take some time for them to figure it out, but, of course, we know that they do. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate you taking the time to do so. | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 6/20/2011 |
| He has chosen this for himself, and because he could not accept forgiveness. Alas! But he will learn.... Author Reply: Yes, he has, and he will certainly learn. Thanks for reading and reviewing, Larner. I really appreciate it. | |
| Kaylee Arafinwiel | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 6/18/2011 |
| Oh...holy...Valar. Literally, I suppose. I read this yesterday, but I'm still having trouble formulating a response, lol. I feel so bad for Arafinwe. I mean...yes, he's wallowing in self-pity, and yes, he literally asked for it, without realizing just what he was asking for, Atto. But I never would have expected this to be the origin of his nickname, not in a million yeni. (And that's a lot.) I might have been upset with Manwe, had I not been writing with Emma about our Thranduil being captured during the Last Alliance. Sauron treats Thranduil in a similar manner to what Manwe's done here...chaining Thranduil to his throne, making him his pet. But the conversation beforehand makes all the difference, and that I know Manwe is not like Sauron, or like Melkor. I trust that he will not actually harm Arafinwe physically, not with the sort of torments Emma's and my story put Thranduil through (or, to go back to your stories, not like Namo suffered at Melkor and his Umayar's hands in Wars of the Valar). I trust that Manwe will treat Arafinwe with love, as he has ever done...tough love though it may be. I wonder what Finrod and Vorondil would think, were they to learn of this... Tye-melin, Kaylee Author Reply: Hi Kaylee. I think you're the first to say they feel sorry for Arafinwë. He is only getting what he asked for, after all, but we can certainly pity him for his stubborn blind pride and foolishness and hope something good comes of it (and, of course, it does, as we see in other stories). I imagine many readers were surprised to learn just where his nickname originated, but there you are. Now you and Emma having poor Thranduil chained to Sauron's throne... that's just plain mean. LOL! I hope someone rescues the poor Elf sooner rather than later. We will see in subsequent chapters that Manwë and the other Valar will treat Arafinwë with as much love as he will permit them to give him, which I rather doubt will be the case with Sauron and Thranduil. *wicked grin* Thanks for reading and reviewing, Kaylee. I appreciate it very much. Tye-melin. | |
| Shemyaza | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 6/18/2011 |
| Hmm...be careful what you ask for, you might just get it in spades. I myself do not feel sorry for Arafinwe. He thinks he's being all noble taking on the burden of guilt for all the Noldor both in Aman and Endore, but in fact he is indulging his own sense of guilt and Earwen probably wanted to box his ears soundly. I certainly wanted to. The Valar are naughty, but they know that in order to be a good King he must learn his lessons wisely. Giving him what he thinks he wants and allowing him to see what the word thralldom really means is the only way he will see that his half brother didn't even know the half of it when he bandied the word around prior to leaving. This should have been Feanor's harsh lesson. The Valar should have said "You wanna be a thrall...alrighty then, there you are. No more beating metal and creating jewels under the gaze of Aule or being part of the privileged enjoying their privileges. You want to be a slave? Then this is what it's all about." Instead poor old sensitive Arafinwe, never meant to be king is learning that lesson and it will forge and temper him into a wise King indeed. Olorin cannot help himself, he is an intrinsically a good hearted person, but I imagine he can clearly see the wisdome and clarity behind the Valar's actions. It's gonna be a rough right for Arafinwe though. Right now he is too full of self pity, self loathing and guilt over his own actions to realise the lesson being meted out to him. It's gonna take a while methinks. Author Reply: Hi Shemyaza. You certainly got that right. LOL! So far, no one's feeling sorry for poor Arafinwë, and naturally, they shouldn't. He's too busy breast-beating and wallowing in self-pity (and probably enjoying it on some level) to really deal with what needs doing. Hopefully his time as Manwë's 'thrall' will be beneficial and instructive. Olórin will actually be instrumental in Arafinwë's 'reform', as we will see eventually. But you're right that it will take some time for Arafinwë to 'get it'. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I reall appreciate it. | |
| AzureSkye | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 6/17/2011 |
| Here I was, a nice quiet little lurker, and then you go and write something like this. Um, wow. This was not what I was expecting at all, and yet it fits so perfectly with all the tantalizing little clues sprinkled though out your other works. Poor Arafinwe, to proud to accept mercy when it is offered. He thinks he's acting out of humility and being courageous, and yet all he's doing is bowing to his pride, abet in a far less destructive way than his brothers. I do hope he realizes that. Of course, the king you introduce in EI seems to understand that, so there's hope. And, of course, he also gets to observe how to be a king. I wonder who came up with this plan, it seems a little devious for Manwe, but maybe the Eldest has learned a few things about deviousness in the long ages. Looking forward to how Arafinwe adjusts, though I don't think he's going to remain complacent for long. :) Wonderful (If slightly dark and depressing) story! Author Reply: Hello, AzureSkye. Anytime someone comes out of lurker-mode to leave a review is a good thing for the author; it means that something he or she has written has so moved the reader that they just had to come out and say someting about it. That's what makes writing worthwhile. Thank you. And your analysis of Arafinwë is very astute and quite correct. He is acting out of pride and arrogance rather than humility. As for who came up with the plan, I'm sure it was a joint decision between Manwë and Námo. *grin* We'll see how Arafinwë adapts to his new role over the next several chapters and how Manwë and Námo try to teach him what he needs to know to be the king he needs to be. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate you taking the time to do both. | |
| Fantasia | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 6/17/2011 |
| WOW, speechless. I don't know what to say. A hard lesson indeed. I don't know if I like the Valars' methods, but I do understand their reasons. When you used the name Pityahuan and referred to Arafinwë as an apprentice of Manwe, never imagined this. From now on, I’ll be suspicious of all your little hints, names and backstories. You are an incredible writer. Author Reply: Hi Fantasia. It is indeed a hard lesson, but one that Arafinwë has brought on himself. And the Valar are only giving him what he's asking for, nothing more, nothing less and nothing else. We'll see how it works out for everyone during the next several chapters. Ah, and so you now know where "Pityahuan" comes from. *grin* As Námo would say, nothing is ever what it seems. And thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you think so. And thanks for taking the time to read and review. I really appreciate it. | |
| 6336 | Reviewed Chapter: 83 on 6/17/2011 |
| Tough love indeed! I should feel sorry for Arafinwe, but I don't, he has brought this on himself, his time with the Valar will be well spent, they do love him after all, though he has yet to see it. Huggs, Lynda Author Reply: Hi Lynda. Yes, tough luck sucks sometimes and this is one of them. And you're right about Arafinwë only bringing this on himself. He has no one to blame for this but himself. And we know from other stories that he obviously learned something, since he's such a good king later on. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it. | |