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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within by Fiondil	14 Review(s)
Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 6/24/2014
Well, this should be a surprise even Glorfindel likes ;) Gwyn and his group really went out of their way to welcome the other Elves to Fairbanks, and gave a great demonstration of what they learnt so far. I have to agree, SCA would be a great way to train with swords without any stupid questions asked the way it was at the Academy. Author Reply: Hi Kitty. Yes, it's a pleasant surprise, even for Glorfindel, and the barony people really demonstrated the possibilities and advantages of having an SCA group of their own to start training people. We'll see how that goes as the story progresses. Thanks for reviewing. It's appreciated.

FV_Whisper	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 6/1/2014
Busy week, finally have some time to review! - “I prefer ‘out-of-body-experience’ myself,” Glorfindel said with a scowl. “It sounds much more dignified than ‘slipped your leash’. You make it sound as if I’m one of Ingwë’s hounds being naughty.” - snickers Yes, I can see Glorfindel preferring that! I love it how the SCA set up their meeting with the Elves in style. Most of the Elves seem not really convinced about it yet, but I think they'll turn around in time when they see what a group the SCA can do for their cause. Alex seems to be spring back into agent mode again when first seeing the swords, but he comes around nicely later on. Had to laugh about the comment about all Elves doing from Wales. But Gwyn and Gareth are really turning out to be somewhat of a mystery. What catches me most is how they claim to have some Vanyarin ancestry. That's not the most common to expect among the Elves who remained after all. As intriguing is the part about a heritage they could never claim. There's a lot more to those two and their parents that meets the eye for sure. Author Reply: Hi FV_Whisper. I'm glad you enjoyed the SCA set up. I'm sure the Elves will come around once they get used to the idea. Alex will always be 'Artemus', as Ron pointed out to him back in EA2, but purged of the darkness, so he will always be cognizant of weapons and their uses no matter what, but I think he managed to put 'Artemus' aside long enough to enjoy himself. Gwyn and Gareth are somewhat a mystery even to their fellow Elves, since they know so little of their own heritage, but we'll learn more as the story progresses. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

rikki	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 5/27/2014
I liked this chapter. It sounds from your description the SCA would be a lot of fun, especially if you were a history buff and really into the dressing up and battling with swords and other anarchic weapons like staffs and such. I could see where it could get rather detailed. Traveling around to the different tournaments could be entertaining. Alex looks like he is really getting into the fighting with the swords. At first he is more concerned with the live steel, but later it is like he can see the whole point of the one on one fighting with swords. Here's hoping he and Derek will be willing to join up when the Wiseman version starts up. And LOL! on the elves all pointing to the west like pointing seals. Loved the directionally challenged warrior and how everyone reacted. Gwyn's inclusion of the bowing to the west is very elven. I wanted to go back and read the last 5 or so chapters of this story to bring myself up to date on all the characters you have introduced here. I was trying to place Melisande and couldn't remember her at first. I was wondering why you mentioned her here at the end of this chapter. I am also looking forward to your explanation as to why Gwyn and Garath's parents don't talk about their past. Very mysterious in a way. It would be interesting if it turns out that they actually know some of the Wiseman elves. Lots of questions still to be answered and well as looking to the trip back to Wiseman. Have a great week and I will be here bright and early on Friday. Author Reply: Hi rikki. The SCA can be lots of fun and there's always something going on somewhere every weekend, so you could end up doing a lot of traveling. That is certainly true for the royals who basically spend their six months making a Royal Progress through the kingdom, going from one event to another. Alex, of course, would be a natural. We'll have to see what he and Derek end up doing. I couldn't resist the "which way is West" bit and acknowledging the Lords of the West would be very elven. Minor characters that are only mentioned once or twice can be confusing as to who they are when the seem to show up again. As for Gwyn and Gareth's parents, we'll learn more about them eventually when they make their own appearance, though it will be some time (both within the story and for the reader) before that happens. And the trip back to Wiseman and what follows from that should prove interesting. grin Thanks for taking the time to review. It's much appreciated.

Kevana	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 5/27/2014
This whole chapter was so much fun! I loved the Elves' reactions to all of this, especially the introduction to Gwyn and Gareth. That "heritage we can never claim" bit is intriguing, but I find their parents' take on bloodlines refreshing too. Can't help but wonder just what is lurking in their history, all the same. Anastasia's quite the baroness. This group of folks is so interesting with all of their stories and different personalities. I'm surprised the Elves seem a little reluctant to jump onboard with the SCA, it looks like a perfect setup for what they're trying to do, but maybe Glorfindel and Finrod just need some time to think about it first. Looks like Alex, at least, is down for it! snort Elves and their sense of direction. Better than a compass, huh? I have been kept running from place to place lately, with the holiday and all. Hope you had a good Memorial Day and thanks to any veterans who might be reading this. Take care and have a great, and short, rest of the week! Thanks for the update and looking forward to seeing where they go from here. -Kevana Author Reply: Hi Kevana. I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. It was a lot of fun. We'll learn something about Gwyn and Gareth's parents later on and why they've been so reluctant to share their history with their sons. Anastasia is indeed quite the baroness. I think Finrod and Glorfindel not only need time to process all this new information, but for Finrod, he hasn't quite grasped the concept of an international organization, and Glorfindel lived through the medieval period and it doesn't enthrall him, but I think they will see the benefits of the SCA soon enough and get on board. And I just couldn't resist the whole "which way is west?" thing. I figured it the Elves knew anything, they always knew which way lay the West. The holiday weekend was quite relaxing and enjoyable, thank you. I hope your holiday was equally pleasant. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

Soledad	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 5/27/2014
Poor Gwyn! If he had self-confidence issues before, they'd be duplicated after Finrod and Glorfindel's high-handed treatment. At least Glorfindel ought to know better. Elven arrogance really isn't a pleasant thing to watch. I especially dislike the way they treat Alex and Derek, who aren't the children all Elves seem to think they are. Just because Elves tend to live for millennia, that isn't their doing, simply their nature. It doesn't entitle them to look down their noses either on Mortals or on younger Elves. Sorry for the rant, but every time I start to believe that they've actually learned that particular lesson, they do their best to prove me wrong. Author Reply: Hi Soledad. I'm not sure where you're coming from, at least with regards to this chapter. I didn't see much high-handedness in either FInrod or Glorfindel, just natural skepticism as to the worth of the SCA with regards to their mission in Wiseman, but I think the Twins were able to convince them how good an idea it is to have the SCA in Wiseman as a cover for training the troops. And I didn't see either one putting Alex and Derek down here. In fact, they were instrumental in finding the Twins and Serindë and that was acknowledged by the Elves in an earlier chapter. Maybe you're reading too much into it. Personally, I thought everyone was fairly well-behaved here. grin At any rate, thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 5/26/2014
Well, well, well. I guess Finrod felt very much at home among this bunch of weirdoes - he ust needed to brush off the courtly graces he used every day at his ada's court. And the reactions of Derek and Alex were quite interesting, with Derek wondering if he had somehow fallen down Alice's rabbit hole, but Alex immediately noticing that a lot of people were carrying live steel. And later, he was watching the fighting very intently - with a professioal interest, you might say. It won't surprise me if he will turn out to be one of the founding members of the Wiseman chapter of the SCA. Heh. I guess anybody who had lived through the real Middle Ages would probably not be interested in a group wanting to recreate that time - when they did not even have indoor plumbing! I haven't missed that it actually took Námo ordering it to get Gwyn and Gareth to join up. And I guess the whole of SCA would sort of have felt like the Leslac version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDe_0mthNBQ Author Reply: Oh, I don't think these people are weirdoes or part of a cult or whatever, Sunny. Just ordinary people with an interesting hobby. grin And naturally Finrod would feel at home, as we see how easily he falls back into prince-mode. We'll see if either Alex or Derek decide to join the fun. But you're right that those who lived through such times would not be interested in recreating them and Gwyn and Gareth did have to be ordered to join, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered. Even so, it took them a while to figure out just why they had joined and to take it more seriously than they were doing so at first. Thanks for the link. Very funny. I've never read Lackey. I may have to check her out. And thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.

Ellie	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 5/26/2014
What a fun fight to watch. Great meeting of the young elves and the old ones. I am sure there are a lot of stories and history that the new brothers will want to hear from the old elves. It was good to see Daeron given recognition and honor that he seldom seems to receive otherwise. Cool chapter and very fun. Author Reply: Hi Ellie. Yes, I imagine the fight was fun to watch and I'm sure once they stop feeling awed by the heroes in their midst, Gwyn and Gareth will be wanting to hear lots of stories from the older elves. And Daeron deserves all the recognition that he can get. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for leaving a review. It's much appreciated.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 5/26/2014
As excellent a means of getting weapons training in as possible, I think! Between paintball training and SCA they will be getting in a full roster of weapons training. And it appears that Gareth has met his match. Tristan and Iseult--a good pair of names with which to conjure. Heh! Author Reply: And right under the noses of the naysayers, to boot! I thought Tristan and Iseult were good names, too. grin Thanks for reviewing, Larner. I appreciate it.

UTfrog	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 5/26/2014
Terrific chapter. I am a bit surprised that Finrod, etc did not immediately see the advantages of SCA in connection to their training. It seems an obvious fit and not unrelated to the tournament in Elf Interrupted I. I certainly enjoyed the reactions of mortals and elves to their mass meeting. I also had a wonderful time catching up on three chapters. Thank you. Author Reply: Hi UTfrog. I think Finrod, initially, just saw "children" playing dress-up. He might not have made the connection that this was not just a local group of Mortals playing games but an international organization and that very concept would not be something he would have, since it would not have been part of his worldview. Once he understood all the ramifications, I think he realized just what a treasure they had here as we will see in the next chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed catching up with these last few chapters. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 43 on 5/26/2014
Oh, you just took me back to every baronial court I ever attended. (I know court bored some people, but it was always my favorite part of an event!) An utterly delightful surprise for the others, and I loved the little touches of humor. One of my favorite parts: "Honor the Lords of the West". Such a lovely touch, and a nice addition to one of the SCA's nicest traditions. These last few chapters have been so fun; I know that it's not true, but they've made me feel like you were writing them just for me. Author Reply: Hi Dreamflower. I suppose I've written these last few chapters for everyone who's ever been or still is in the SCA in mind. I'm sure they've brought back some fond memories for many, even baronial (and kingdom) court. I figured with Gwyn and Gareth leading Gwaith-en-Angbor that they would naturally add the reference to honoring the Lords of the West to the ritual, which I agree is one of the SCA's nicest traditions. I'm glad you've been enjoying these chapters, Dreamflower. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it very much.

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