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


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

In Darkness Bound by Fiondil	8 Review(s)
Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 90 on 8/1/2011
If only Arafinwe knew how deeply the Valar loved him and how desparately they were trying to help him. I hope Lord Irmo's plan works. Author Reply: He will learn eventually, Tari. We will see how successful Lord Irmo's plan is in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

obsidianj	Reviewed Chapter: 90 on 7/24/2011
Finally, Arafinwe seems to be on the way to get out of this hole of his own making. I just hope the Valar didn't miscalculate again. The poor ellon has suffered enough in my book. Author Reply: Well, you will see soon enough just what transpires, obsidianj. The Valar are keeping their fingers crossed, too. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it.

Kaylee Arafinwiel	Reviewed Chapter: 90 on 7/15/2011
'It was then that he smelled the sweet fragrance of lemongrass and oricon, and knew that he had been found.' Aww, yay! well, I'm sure our silly Pityahuan did not think it was yay. pokes Arafinwe But wherever he goes, he shall always be found, because he is never completely alone. Atar at least is always with him, which is a lesson Finrod and Glorfindel will learn much later on. I'm so glad that Arafinwe's starting to come back to himself here. It must have been hard for him, but he's come to a realization of what his 'humility' really was, and I think he's really starting to understand the definition of humility. And obedience, for that matter. :) Well, we'll see. Tye-melin, Atto! Kaylee Author Reply: Hi Kaylee. Yes, wherever he goes, he's never truly alone because Atar is always there with him, though he probably doesn't realize this. And he is indeed beginning to understand himself better and his motives for what he's been doing. We'll see how well he progresses in his lessons in the next few chapters. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Tye-melin!

Serindë	Reviewed Chapter: 90 on 7/15/2011
So there it is. The light at the end of the tunnel. Arafinwe is on his way to healing. Gandalf-to-be with his knowledge of children has found the right solution. Repetitive, stupid and mindless work in combination with sleep deprivation worked as he expected or even better than he expected, since nobody had expected the water dripping Manwë. So Arafinwë was sent to Nienna, where he should had been from the very beginning. I think that his brethrens will be kidding the elder King for yeni to come every time when an Arafirmë visit will be eminent. I understand why the "Children" are afraid of Namo, but for me the really scary one is Nienna with her acerbic wit. I would not want to be in the same galaxy with angry Namo, but it seems me that angry Namo is still preferable to angry Nienna even if she can be trusted to come with a good solution. And to force Arafinwë to take care about himself was a good idea. (An interesting differentiation between being on one's own and being alone. The same goes for alone and lonely. Saint Exupery wrote something along the line: In the desert you can be alone, but you never can be lonely. You can be lonely only among other people.) Arafinwë has learned to be self-sufficient (not an easy task to do it even with Tuitalion help) and gained a bit of self-confidence, moreover if you are not able to take care about yourself, you are not able to take care about other people or about a kingdom. He has learned that there is no job is truly beneath him and how much effort it takes to do some simple things (many times you never appreciate the needed effort till the moment you are forced to do something yourself). If he wants to eat he must cook for himself so he has not so much time to think about what he did or he did not. There is the old saying: if your heart is hurting find employment for your mind, if your mind is hurting find employment for your hands. Or as my grand-mother used to quote a bishop from Brno: "Udrzujte poradek a poradek udrzi vas." Uphold the order and the order will hold you up. If you force yourself to keep yourself and your place tidy, it will prevent you from hitting the bottom. Which is exactly what somebody as traumatised as Arafinwë needed. I think the return to Tirion was the critical moment for him. The ghost town with all its derelict houses and the formerly overcrowded royal palace now quite and empty. Till this moment he was probably able to function more or less normally, but the real shock came after the return to home. The part with Vairë was really fun. I like her kindness and down-to-earth attitude. "My beloved is a masterful tactician, one of our greatest scientists, able to bring order to the higher dimensions with a single thought, and one of Manwë’s closest advisors, yet show him a needle and some thread and he turns white and runs as far away as he can, leaving me to repair his tunics." She was sounding shockingly like any exasperated spouse (although I doubt she does a lot of tunics repairing). I would guess it was an certain eye-opener for Arafinwë who even acted for the first time as "normal" elf. And he was given assistance from above, so he finely came to the conclusion that he must remove his collar. He put the collar on himself willingly so he also must remove it himself. The Valar will respect his free will. Author Reply: Hi Serindë. I think you're right about Arafinwë's return to Tirion being the critical moment for him. It must've really hit home to him as he walked through near-deserted streets to the palace just what he and the others truly did to themselves and to their loved-ones who elected to remain behind. That's when the psychic break began, though it does not completely manifest itself until later, as you see here. And I love Vairë. She's almost as fun to write as Námo, though for different reasons. And yes, Nienna is way scarier than Námo, and for the very reasons you mention. But, she does have a handle on things that makes her very valuable in helping the Children when needed, such as she does here with Arafinwë. And Arafinwë is very close to coming back to himself. We will see in the next chapter how that happens. Thanks for such a lovely review. I really appreciate you taking the time to write it.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 90 on 7/12/2011
Excellent that he recognizes the arrogance of his own form of humility. He is at last growing truly as a person, and finding a sense of worth in true accomplishment. And his love of his wife may well be his saving. Author Reply: Very true on all counts, Larner. Love is indeed his saving grace. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 90 on 7/12/2011
It seems that running away isn't something only the Reborn do... :-P I think Arafinwë's time with Manwë and Nienna necessary in more than one way - the family dynamics in the Noldorin royal family were not exactly the kind to encourage a confident personality in the youngest son - and even less a leadership personality! And now Arafinwë is thinking over his life and putting things into perspective. Perhaps his dream about Eärwen "shook thing loose" in a way, and made him _able_ to see things he could not perceive before? And now carpentry has been added to the list of things Arafinwë is capable of. And while I don't think he will ever be a truly skilled carpenter, it seems that the repairs are at least of decent quality. Author Reply: Hi Reborn. No, that's true, others are quite capable of running away, though Arafinwë isn't so much running away from something as he is heading towards something, at least in his own mind. And certainly the family dynamics of the House of Finwë was not conducive towards teaching Arafinwë leadership qualities. His time with Manwë has shown him what true leadership is all about. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate you taking the time to do so.

bookworm	Reviewed Chapter: 90 on 7/11/2011
urge to hug Arafinwe: Rising exponentially Ah, but it's Love in the end that's his motivator? Earwen is one lucky girl. Elf. Queen. Whatever. I do hope he's better soon (also I am curious to know what's going on with Ingwe, considering how often it gets brought up!) Author Reply: Hi Bookworm. Yes, Love rather than Duty is Arafinwë's motivation. We will get to Ingwë eventually, I promise. We still need to deal with Arafinwë as Pityahuan for one more chapter and then catch up with what has been happening with Ingwion, Ingalaurë and Intarion, for all three will play crucial roles in finding Ingwë and stopping Ingoldo. So, just be patient. There are many treads to this story and eventually they will all come together. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 90 on 7/11/2011
Hm, you coverd a lot of ground with this chapter, I think, finally, Arafinwe is on his way to healing. I was just thinking that all the things he has been learning will serve him in good stead when he goes to Ennorath during the War of Wrath (? I can't keep the Wars of Beleriand straight?), though I suppose he will have people 'doing' for him, but you never know! (Plot bunny anyone?) Huggs, Lynda Author Reply: You have the right war, Lynda. I think Arafinwë would prove himself very self-sufficient, much to the consternation of his lieutenants. grin And yes, he's finally on his way to healing. We'll be seeing in the next chapter how this situation resolves itself. It's high time for him to be helping Ingwion find Ingwë. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Return to Chapter List