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In the High King's Secret Service by Fiondil	9 Review(s)
obsidianj	Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/24/2013
Valandur seems to be in his element as a teacher to Indil. That should do his self-esteem a world of good. He must have been doubting his own knowledge and competence with all that has happened to him of late. Let's see what he can do with this band of Minstrels for intelligence gathering. It looks like they just went around listening to people with no real purpose. Author Reply: Oops! Somehow I missed responding to this review, obsidianj. And aren't you surprised to be getting a response for a review written almost a year ago and I bet you don't even remember the chapter. LOL! Anyway, we all know by now how Val ended up as the confident and competent ellon that he is and we see him in his element here, much more so then when he was in Tirion. Thanks for the review and I'm sorry again for not having responded to it in a more timely manner.

Cairistiona	Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/21/2013
I love seeing this confident, talented Val. He really does have a knack for teaching and for bringing out the best in people and helping them see it. He's really feeling he's in his element now, which is refreshing after all the fish-out-of-water goings on with the trade delegation. Good chapter! Author Reply: Val is definitely in his element here, Cairistiona. I'm sure he's glad to be rid of the dust of Tirion. Glad you liked the chapter. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it.

Laer	Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/11/2013
Indil is going to enjoy Val as a teacher. :) He brings out the best in people, hopefully he will learn that about himself and maybe build his own self esteem a little bit. Author Reply: I'm sure she will, Laer, and I'm sure once he's settled back into his old routine, he'll find his self-esteem again. The events in Tirion eroded that a bit, but did not destroy it completely. Thanks for reviewing. It's much appreciated.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/11/2013
Looks like Val is enjoying himself - he is certainly sliding right into his new duties as if he'd had an age to practice them! And Indil may have gotten the idea that learning can be fun - with the right teacher and the right methods. And it probably hasn't helped that she has been compared to her much older brother all the time. I wonder at the reactions of Aldamir, Sorondur, Laurelindalë and Nolondilmë at the dinner - has Ingoldo been telling tales or otherwise been slandering Val's honor and abilities? It is clear that the younger members of the trade delegation had not expected to see him again! The meeting with the minstrels was quite interesting. And I guess Artelemnar is going to end up getting trained up as Val's assistant? I guess having a good secretary or assistant will be useful - and will also probably help Artelemnar's career a lot, too! Author Reply: Hi Sunny. He is enjoying himself, more so than I think he anticipated. He's obviously found his niche or Ingwë found it for him. I think the younger members of the trade delegation really didn't appreciate Val all that much, but I think over time they will warm to him. Certainly Aldamir should, having worked with him more closely than the others, and Intarion is already in his camp. And Artelemnar will be most useful to him as we will see. Thanks for commenting. It's very much appreciated.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/11/2013
You know I had forgotten about that, it's kind of hard to be a parent when you haven't been a child! I should imagine the Valar were as confused about the little ones as the Elves them selves. I expect there are a few parents out there who wish they could call on a few Maia to help corral their munchkins! Have a good Veterans Day, Lynda Author Reply: It's easy enough to forget that people like Ingwë had no role models in being a parent because, hey! everyone has parents, right? grin Even Adam and Eve had no real clue, I bet. And I suspect you're right that the Valar were just as clueless, if not more so. I'm sure just about every parent wishes they could call on the Maiar to keep on an eye on their young'uns. LOL! Have a good Veterans Day, too, Lynda.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/11/2013
Valandur is already proving himself to be far more discerning than he'd originally imagined. I can appreciate how the busy nature of the room in which he's to teach his new student can serve to distract her. I was lucky to be far enough behind my older brother not to be compared to him by my teachers, although my younger sister, being only two years behind me, had to work harder to stay out of my shadow--intellectually, that is. Socially she was way ahead of me, however, and she could not seem to appreciate that this was enough! But she was fully as bright as I was, if she'd believed in herself. Love the realization that the songs were being changed to poke fun. And he's smart enough to send his new minions to learn more of the situation. He's off to a good start! And POOH! to Ingoldo and his wife! Author Reply: I was never compared to any of my brothers academically but in sports, as in "Why don't you join Little League like all your brothers?" I gave it a try but I didn't last the first season. Valandur is off to a good start, indeed, and he's earned the respect of the minstrels already, I think. And who cares about Ingoldo and his wife? We know where they ended up, don't we? grin Thanks for reviewing, Larner. I much appreciate it.

Kevana	Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/11/2013
Good thing Val is such a flexible fellow, sounds like he's about to get pulled in about a dozen different directions! Looks like he's enjoying it though. A good kind of busy, and a nice change from what he just endured. Little Indil is a cutie-pie, and if her brothers inspired a plea for divine intervention I can only imagine the kinds of adventures they had. grin And I love the little pack of Ingwë's Irregulars. A happy Veterans Day to any and all veterans! Enjoy your day, Fiondil (and everybody!) -Kevana Author Reply: Valandur is in his element here. He always felt like a fish out of water with the trade delegation. Now he's where he belongs and doing what he does best and Ingwë, at least, appreciates it. And that's a good name for the minstrels, Ingwë's Irregulars, though now they're more like Valandur's. grin Thanks for commenting, Kevana. Enjoy your day as well.

6336	Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/11/2013
Well Valundur seems to be settling in to his new duties and even has some ideas in how to improve the intelligence gathering abilities of his spies, oops, Intelligence Officers. I am sure Ingwe will appreciate his efforts, probably not Ingoldo though! Telling a younger sibling how much better their elder sibling is at something is not the way to go, I know, 'Your sister could read before she went to school, why can't you.' I got it all the time when I was a little girl, took ages before I could read and then one day a teacher was reading aloud to us and had to stop and I realized that if I wanted more I needed to learn, the rest, as they say is history, couldn't keep my nose out of a book after that! Hope all is well with you, Huggs, Lynda Author Reply: Hi Lynda. Neither Ingwë nor Elindis had an actual childhood and they have no older generation to look to for examples. They ARE the oldest generation and being a parent is a new experience that they are still working their ways through, so they are bound to make mistakes, mistakes that many parents still make even today, as your own story testifies. At any rate, they can address little Indil's insecurities better now that Valandur's pointed them out to them. I'm doing well enough. Hope all is well with you, too. Thanks for leaving a review. It's much appreciated. Hugs back.

UTfrog	Reviewed Chapter: 37 on 11/11/2013
What fun Valandur can have with his new duties. I think he will have considerable impact for good in both the short and long runs. Obviously he is a gifted teacher, even if he does not know it. Very enjoyable chapter. Thank you Author Reply: He can have lots of fun, UTfrog, especially teaching the young princess, as we will see. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. More to come. Thanks for reviewing. It's appreciated.

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