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


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

Elf Academy Part Deux by Fiondil	16 Review(s)
Laikwalâsse	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/1/2013
poor Alex -he´s going from one surprise to the other and never is he getting a satisfying answer but what can we expect from elves? Liked how Alex observed how Glorfindel glowed in the woods and how easily he walked. It´s really frustrating to be a moratal in their presence. His mentor taught him well - indeed! Gil´s answer was good - an language made up..hah! The scene around the lake was indeed creepy but again what do we expect with elves involved? Yet Alex seemed to have a special sense. You always weave the simple things of moral lifes with the mysteriousness of the elves being..very, very entertaining. Thank you so much. Lai Author Reply: Hi Lai. Right now Alex has no clue what's real and what's not. He has no knowledge of Elves at this point and Gil is correct about how all languages (and history) are made up. And the tarn is creepy not because of the Elves but because of what sleeps in it. Anyway, we'll see how it affects Alex later on and why. I'm glad you find the way I write entertaining. Thanks for telling me. I appreciate it.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/20/2012
Sorry for the late review, had computer problems. Alex is really very convinced that he couldn't be recognised. He may underestimate Ambrose there, from the looks of it, despite having been taught by him. Ah, that song about Rudolph ... reminds me of EA1. Somehow the Elvish version was more fun :) Our dear Alex is jealous of Derek? Well, he should remember that even a good agent can't be perfect at everything. And animals can be quite a challenge. I wouldn't be too surprised if the reindeer just noticed that he's distracted and took advantage of it. We both know that horses are like that, too. Hm, I can see that Gil's career is a bit strange as well – building log homes doesn't have much to do with teaching languages, after all. No wonder Alex is confused. But did he have to say that to Gil after the lesson? sigh Really, for someone who supposedly signed up for the Academy out of his own free will, he's questioning too much. Derek's beginning to wonder already, and I think a successful spy should avoid standing out in this way and drawing attention to himself. When Alex noticed how the tree moved out of Glorfindel's way, I had a sudden image of Thranduil walking by and the trees not only giving way to him, but bowing slightly to him – that would freak poor Alex out! Now that's interesting that Alex reacted to the tarn so strongly. Not sure if I should be surprised or not; never imagined a spy much in tune with nature, but of course, they should probably have a feeling for things out of the ordinary or out of order. Author Reply: Hi Kitty. No problem. Glad to see you back online. Well, Alex isn't perfect and jealousy can strike anyone for any reason. And we will see in a future chapter that Alex acting as he is (i.e., not quite under cover), is due to outside forces who shall remain nameless.grin I like your image of the trees bowing to Thranduil. That would definitely freak me out, never mind Alex. LOL! And as a spy, Alex would need some degree of sensitivity or intuition that is higher than the norm in order to survive in the Game. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Kaylee Arafinwiel	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/14/2012
Atto, Poor Alex, getting freaked out by the Watcher in the Water or its multi-great-descendant lurking in the water (at least, I'm convinced it is). shudder I would be freaked out, too. Ick. I can't help wondering, though, what would have happened if Derek had thrown the rock in... It's a good thing Glorfindel took care of him. Oh, and the line about 'If you start singing that stupid song, I will personally escort you to the gates of Hell and kick you inside,' made me laugh so hard. =D I'm trying to work out who 'Gil' is. One of the newcomers among the Elves? He's an Elf, that much is clear, so he must be new. He's obviously not Daeron, Glorfi, or the Twins, or Amroth. Is he the dad from the group that arrived with their 'elfling' at the end of the other story, or someone else that's come since? Tye-melin, Kaylee Author Reply: Hi Kaylee. I'm sure nothing would've happened if Derek had skipped the stone as the others were doing, but obviously Alex thinks something bad might happen. I'm glad you found the Rudolf reference so funny. I thought it was a hoot myself. Gil is one of the Elves who came to Wiseman at the end of the first story. He came with four others. We'll be meeting all of them by name eventually. Gil's Elvish name is Gilvegil. Thanks for commenting. Tye-melin.

Lady Edlyn	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/7/2012
Well, that was interesting. So Alex can tell that there's something in the tarn... I liked the homage to the scene from FOTR with the Watcher at the gates of Moria, too. I truly hope that Alex doesn't end up having a nervous breakdown over what he's experiencing. I think his inability to settle into his persona is bothering him quite a bit, especially given his past experiences. I also think he's in definite need of some stress relief. I wonder what would have happened if he and Derek had chosen one of the other trails. Would Glorfindel have let them take it or would he have just waited till the next nature walk to arrange for Alex to go to the tarn? Things are just getting more and more interesting, meldonya, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen further down the line. Cheers! Author Reply: Hi Edlyn. Alex is more sensitive than he realizes, so even though he doesn't know why the tarn makes him feel the way it does, he recognizes that it does. And you're right that that he's having trouble settling into his persona mainly because he wasn't at the college from the beginning and is playing catch-up. I don't know if things would have been 'arranged' for Alex and Derek to take the Winterdark Tarn trail at a later time, but who knows? Since they did take it, the question is almost moot. Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.

obsidianj	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/5/2012
Alex (I like his incognito name more than the real one) seems to work himself into a frenzy. Since he takes his assignment seriously, he sees suspicious things everywhere. On top of that he seems to have a strong sensitivity to the elves and his surroundings, which makes things worse. His questions about the languages were the questions I would have asked when I would have attended this academy to become an elf-guide. Just his tone was out of place. Would it be possible to get a list of characters with their names and elf names that could be updated later as the story progresses? I admit, I get a bit lost with all the names. Author Reply: Hi obsidianj. Alex has no reason not to take his assignment seriously, but events seem to conspire to make him react in ways he normally would not as a trained agent under deep cover. I had thought about providing a list of the names of the Elves and their "mortal" names, but in doing so, I would have revealed the true identity of Ambrose/Ryan and I want that to remain a mystery until it was time to reveal his identity. Even if I supplied a character list at some point it would give away the surprise (if it is indeed one of any reader) so I'm afraid you'll have to make your own list as the story goes along and I give the Elvish and Mortal names of each Elf in the story. grin Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Maeglin Yedi	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/5/2012
I'm so happy to come across this sequel. I really enjoyed the first story, which I read a year ago or so, and the sequel is great so far! It's so good to see these elves again in their Alaska setting, and I love the mystery of Alex and Ryan. Can't wait to see where it is all going. I hope you'll update soon! Author Reply: Hello Maeglin Yedi. I'm so happy that you found this sequel as well. I'm glad you enjoyed the first story and am enjoying this one. I update on Mondays and Fridays, so you won't have long to wait for the next chapter. grin Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/4/2012
Alex is obviously an empathic receiver of some sensitivity, and recognizes there is something there beyond the normal. No wonder he learned well from his former mentor. And he is very sensitive to the presence of the Elves among the teachers, which I find quite interesting. Nicely done, and makes the tarn a good testing device for those mandated to seek out more guardians for training. Author Reply: There are hidden depths to Alex (no pun intended), depths of which even he is unaware at this time. And Glorfindel has apparently decided the tarn was a good testing place to see who among the students were the most sensitive, although it is only one such test and someone like Derek who apparently felt nothing odd about the place isn't automatically disqualified for inclusion into the 'Army of Light' that the Elves are slowly forming among the Mortals. Thanks for commenting, Larner. It's much appreciated it.

someone	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/4/2012
It seems that Alex is getting very close to nervous breakdown, good thing that Glorfindel managed to calm him down a bit. Possibly the stress of having to face the fact that he is not in charge of the situation? Or the tarn really is that creepy... Did Glorfindel let him see him glow on purpose (what I'm really asking is that can the glow be controlled, or does everyone one of the elves guides in the dark see it)? Has the agency looked up everything about everyone at Academy connected with their old, supposedly dead agent, if they even know the old profession of the Sindarin teacher? "--his job was to find out what Ambrose Elwood was doing alive when he should be safely dead--" That was funny and more true than Alex knew, Ambrose would be much safer with Namo than preparing for Armageddon! You know, reading the reviews and the responses for Elf Academy stories is part of the fun. It seems that this story somehow forces lurkers into reviewing, I had to do that in the first story and there seem to be several others with this one. Could it be because this kind of story has been done never before? Author Reply: Hi someone. Alex certainly isn't having an easy time of it, that's for sure. I think the glowing is unconscious on the part of the Elves. It's not something they can turn on or off but I think they can hide it a bit and in normal daylight it would be virtually undetectable by human eyes. We'll see what the Agency has found out about our Elves eventually. Alex will be receiving a package with some interesting information soon. I have noticed that certain stories of mine draw out lurkers. Perhaps it's the humor or the odd twist of the story (Elves in the modern world). I don't really know. I appreciate the fact that something in my stories so touches a person that they just have to come out of lurker-mode to tell me. Sometimes, I never hear from them again; other times, they become faithful reviewers. But getting a note from someone saying nothing more than, "I love this. It made my day" is more precious to me than all the mithril in Moria. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read and review. I appreciate it very much.

Lizbeth	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/3/2012
Another excellent chapter! I loved Gil's response to Alex's interrogation, but I'm also starting to feel a little sorry for Alex. He's having a rather stressful time of it, poor guy... creeped out by Daeron, beaten by Elrohir, told-off by Gilvegil, and "supervised" by Glorfindel. No wonder he's acting strange. I thought the Winterdark Tarn scene was especially interesting. I keep wondering why only certain mortals can whatever it is that hides in the tarn. I'd like to ask you, and also ask if "it" will wake up this time around, but I have a feeling you won't spill the beans just yet. grin Author Reply: Hi Lizbeth. Yeah, Alex is barely holding his own with the Elves and he's only been there 2 days. Some mortals are just more sensitive to things than others. Some people can pick up on 'vibes' that others don't notice. Alex is one of them. And I sincerely hope whatever sleeps in the tarn does not wake up. That would be very bad. Very bad. grin Thanks for taking the time to read and review. It's much appreciated.

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 2/3/2012
I eagerly await each new episode and am detrirmined to savour each chapter but, like a greedy child, I find myself racing through it. Then I have abide patiently until the next chapter! Loving every word and really glad that Winterdark Tarn is still being watched. Is it nastier than last year? Author Reply: HI Harrowcat. Well, nothing is stopping you from re-reading the chapter at a slower pace while waiting for the next one. grin The tarn isn't so much nastier from when we first encountered it, as we're seeing it through Alex's eyes and experiencing what he is feeling. Mortals are going to react differently than Elves to what lies below. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it.

First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page

Return to Chapter List