Reviews (63)

I loved all of this! Here’s a bunny … tell of the embassy of the Archseraph to Gondor, please.

“If I spoke in cool and measured tones, who would listen to me?” - Point. I like the Seer's practical approach to things. And I LOVE your description of Pallando!

There is more than one way to be a fool - love it! I also love your concept of the glowstones; where they come from and what they do.

Your concept of the Eastern dragons is awe-inspiring. I love it that they can only carry people with a clear conscience. No wonder the Stone feels heavy to Wan, considering whom it might be connected to. Jarin's father seems to have a more realistic view on the situation than the people of Kuz, though.

I love your original characters. They appear so real. The lantern festival reminds me of St. Martin's day. ;)

I've just read this entire story in three or four settings (have to be considerate towards my tired old eyes); now I'm starting it again from the beginning, so that I can savour all the wonderful little details and be able to review properly. Your world-building is awesome, the characters 100% convincing, the descriptions so vivid that one can see everything with one's inner eye, almost like in a movie. I love it that you've brought back the Entwives and the Blue Wizards! If you don't mind, I'd like to link the story to my reading recommendation community on LiveJournal. Not many people visit it, alas, but I would enable the few who do to find their way here. BTW, I seem to remember that you've featured Kuz in one of your other stories but managed to forget which one it was. Would you mind to point me in the right direction? Regards, Soledad

I finally managed to catch this up. Really nicely done. A very different perspective on the war than that we get from canon but quite relevant at the same time. My sincerest thanks for your hard work on this.

I like the way you weave this story in with everything else that is going on in Middle-earth at the same time. And I hope the Seer is right about Jarin and Wan flying together again.

This chapter had me in tears. Happy ones. I suspected I knew what Alatar was feeling, in part because I've written several stories about how people in other parts of Middle-earth might somehow perceive the destruction of the Ring from afar. And yes, it sounds like Diri picked a magnificent setting for his proposal! Lovely chapter. I've enjoyed this story thoroughly and appreciate how it's stretched my imagination regarding Middle-earth. One more chapter, eh? I will both dread (I hate coming to the end of a good book, probably the thing that drew me into writing fanfic in the first place) and look forward to reading it.

Virtuella! This is wonderful! I love how you have taken Tolkien lore and are interpreting it as seen another people. Fascinating. I shall continue to read but I just wanted to drop a quick review. Love it! (((hugs))) MM

Virtuella! I love how you deftly show the trouble brewing towards the west, what will become the Ring War but seen from far off. Nicely done. I love the use of the Blue Wizards as Guardian and wanderer to the Kuz. And that Pallando is the giver of the New Way! So wonderfully crafted. Thank you for this!! ((hugs)) MM

Virtuella! I am loving this. Really well crafted. Original but also with the feel of Middle Earth. Wonderfully done! I shall continue reading.... (((hugs))) MM

The Ezens' cynicism is well-done. I can just see the Archseraph beginning his letter with profuse apologies, which understandably confirms their dour suspicions at the beginning and maybe helps them accept what they do get with more grace than might have been. Ah, irony. It is also ironic to think back to the previous description of Sauron waiting for the defectors' forces to arrive before launching his campaign. “I hear the Hwenti are pretty handy in a tight spot,” said Ezen Gomru drily. They also throw a mean party. Ezen Worig's observation echoes JRRT's description of the Host of Mordor waking up in front of the Black Gate: “I think the ambassador did something to us, to our heads. We were like sleepwalkers out there. Didn’t you feel when the Archseraph came that you had suddenly woken up from a confusing dream?” The Haradrim in my puppy story describe something similar, and they fear, at first, that Elessar will try to steal their souls or take their will captive as the Dark Lord did. It would make sense that the Ambassador would have some kind of mind-control power/hypnotism? but also that his power would be less than Sauron's (and maybe broken by exposure to the Light?). It is a dangerous time of night for me to be reading fanfic and trying to comment. My tired eyes and brain just rendered "bini carriage" as "bikini". The momentary mental image of a Dwarf in a bikini was stunning, let's just say. However, I am happy to say that I guessed correctly about the contents of the package! But how long are Jarin and Diri going to dance around a certain topic, I wonder? I can easily see them happily working together on projects and inventions and such... and their hearts appear to be bound together, at least to this casual reader. Pairs of ducks always remind me of my dad, who was part of a bomber crew in WWII. Whenever he saw a pair of ducks, he always talked about how they reminded him of fighters flying "in perfect formation". With a sudden pang, I remember what happened to all those ceramic birds. But it was worth it to prevent the coup from going forward. ...a-a-a-a-and we find out the Ambassador's fate. Seasoned with a little more irony. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. (Swamp fever sounds nasty. Abandoning sick men? There are words for men like him that I won't type here.) What were the two or three battles? O wait, last we heard, Sauron was hesitating, so does that mean the Siege of Gondor hasn't started yet? So, battles in Moria? The attack that The Rohirrim destroying the Orcs that had taken Merry and Pippin captive? The Ents marching on Orthanc? (Something else?) Pallando and Alatar aren't the only ones who're confused. But then, again, considering the brief glimpse of a bikini-clad Dwarf I had earlier, my brain is not working at optimum right now as it is. However, the idea of an instruction manual for a palantír is amusing. (In one of my past careers, I wrote user manuals in the early days of desktop computers.) Jarin has learned and grown so much. I was touched when she asked the Seer's name and wanted to learn more about her. A preserve of custard apple doesn't sound all that appealing to me, either. But then, the only custard flavour that has ever seemed edible to me was chocolate. But how can I do it? Why do I get the sudden suspicion that something creative is about to happen? Looking forward to more.

Oops, accidentally posed the earlier review before I finished reading the chapter. I have an idea about the "memento". We'll see if I'm right. I'm sorry for the women and children who are waiting for their men to return. "the story of the elves and their killer booze" sounds like an awesome topic for a raucous drinking song. Or maybe an anti-drinking song? By the way, the pun is awesome in its awfulness. And now I will retire the word "awesome" for at least 24 hours due to overuse. It's rather satisfying to see Sauron hoisted on his own petard, or whatever the saying is. Nice tie-in to the main story. Lastly, "step by hairy little step" is... quite evocative, for starters.

I suddenly saw in my head what needed to be done and I did it. Considering the topic of discussion, these sound like the words of a very secure man. Or maybe I mean "self-possessed" or "well-grounded". Though he may also have taken a page out of his wife's book, from the conversation. So that's what's happened to the ambassador. (Did, perhaps, steam come out of his ears, or does that only happen in cartoons?) Interesting penal code. It sounds similar to the Shire as I've written it, except for the idea of banishment which I don't remember if it came out of my own head or if I can hang the idea on the hook of something JRRT wrote or hinted at. Though not really a solution, I suppose it might work mostly as a deterrent for a peace-loving people. Re: Jarin and language. I remember when I started dreaming in another language (call it "language 3" for reasons that will hopefully become clear a few lines down), and then thinking in that language instead of my mother tongue (aka "language 1") during a year-long study abroad program. Getting the jokes is an interesting measure of fluency; I hadn't thought of that, but it would require close acquaintance with local idioms. A phenomenon that has fascinated me for years is that when a friend and I were travelling and met some folks from another country (whose language I had learned in high school; call it "language 2"), to talk to them, I had to translate my thoughts internally from my language 3 to language 1 to language 2, and do the opposite when translating what they said to us. I could not translate directly from language 3 to language 2. I am still not sure why. Unless the roads are smooth or the supply carts have springs or some other form of suspension, I'd imagine riding in a cart to be rather uncomfortable even if it spares Jarin's legs. Like the nightly light parade, it probably helped. Oh! watching someone throw pots on a potter's wheel has always fascinated me. A glassblower is similarly fascinating. This is a strangely beautiful thought: Strange how they looked the same even so far from home. The light of the Powers, shining on all. And now Tilar's trial. Hmmm. Maybe a just punishment would to be send her off in Sauron's direction, following in the Ambassador's footsteps (or the footsteps of those who carried him away, that is)? Hmm. A "dragon" scale that weighs the conscience, eh? They're putting her on a weight-loss diet of sorts. Just a different kind of weight or mass or something. Aha. Here, too, it seems, "the love of money is the root of all evil", perhaps? (On a personal note, I find this discussion depressing, considering the state of the world today. I won't say what modern-day person(s) Olan reminds me of because I don't think RL politics belong in a fanfic archive, but he is a bright spot nonetheless.) What will the Ezens say? It's the burning question of the day... or week... or month... or whatever. Lovely chapter! Looking forward to more when you have the time and inclination to write and post.

This in one of the best chapters in this story! Hamujil and Majani are so sweet together. 𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘒û𝘻𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘒𝘳â 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘒𝘳â 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘒û𝘻. I liked the interaction Jarin had with the Kra. It is nice to see they accept her as one of their own. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘰-𝘥𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵. This made me laugh so much, and I don't even know why. In fact the whole paragraph on Ezen Kemra is amusing. 𝘐𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵í𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. I like your characterisation of Sauron, this version feels very close to the canonical one. The last paragraph was so powerful and is really the culmination of all the efforts of Alatar, Pallando, and the Kuzeen. Will the Ents be re-united with the Ent-wives? I really hope so!

Virtuella! I have seen this story pop up from time to time and yet never clicked on it till now. I am very glad I did. I love the first chapter. Love the hints at who the blue robed one or who the tree women are. I shall continue to read but I am loving the prologue! Thanks! MM

Oh yikes - what now?? I hope that they are not forced to battle (or whatever will be the equivalent , if they can’t fight them) with their neighbors and former allies. Perhaps the urging of the glowstones, even weak as they are in this form, will be enough to tip the scales in their favor - especially since surely not all of the Kra can desire a rift in their relations…

I never even thought of that explanation for the Unquenchable Light! (Or any history for that particular light after it fell…) Cool.

It was already difficult. That is so often the situation. What's a little more difficulty, I ask you? Besides which, marching into battle for the Dark Lord might have had a much worse outcome, all things considered. Ezen Gomru sounds wise. He's already looked, and he's ready to leap as well as strike while the iron's hot, to mix a metaphor or two. And sprinkle a little magic (or "clever device" if you prefer) over it, rather like sprinkling icing sugar over freshly-baked buns, and it sounds like you've got a winner. Light is better seen in the dark. That sounds like some kind of proverb, or like maybe there's a proverb that says something like that already, but my brain is mush at the moment. Pardon my maunderings. Sigh. I feel for Ninod. I used to try to restore hopelessly broken items, hating to let go of them. But my attachment to "things" has waned with age. People are so much more important. "It’s not as if Kûz has a monopoly on goodness as well.” Of course. It's that all-or-nothing thinking that seems to get us in the most trouble, or at least it seems that way. Ooo! Kiwi! To tell you the truth, there is a fair amount of admiration for you among our men. Even we Ezens feel a little awed that Hamûjil inspires such loyalty.. Sounds like a small bright spot shining in the darkness to me. A bonus? Something good coming out of something unthinkable (to Jarin, at least)? Air mail! (This thought made me chuckle.) And yes, I understand. It finally penetrated even my thick skull. But poor Jarin in general! My heart breaks for her. Sigh. Erkane's situation is a harsh reminder that war is hell. And what if the men never come back? In today's world, so many of them will not. Mention of the "very fine mustache" broke me out of my dark thoughts and made me smile. Let the Hwenti keep the ship; she would have her husband. She's got her priorities straight. I wonder what happens to the Ambassador? (I think that's what his title was?) Does he defect? Does he sicken and die? He'd be stupid to go back to the Dark Lord as a failure.

How did I miss this update? No idea. This chapter has action interspersed with comedy in the most delightful manner. Glad to see Tilar and her new advisor meet their just desserts. "𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘒û𝘻 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳.” ... “𝘌𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳,” 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳. “𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 –” Sure ambassador! There was the last Louis of France who lasted for less than half an hour and then there is this 2 minute Archseraphine. I know, Tilar, we all wanted to become princesses when we were young, but we don't ally with Dark Lords to fulfil our dreams. Better luck next time. As for the ambassador, I believe that Hamujil will be more merciful to him than Sauron, so he better not try to escape. Thank goodness for the quick thinking by Majani and her ladies that saved the day. “𝘞𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳!” 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘣. “𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦?” 𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴, 𝘴𝘯𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳-𝘪𝘯-𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.” Lol! The guard's thoughts and Majani's calm response. I think she is still a little bemused at the absurdity of the attempted coup d'etat. *** Hamujil on the other hand is too very nice and I don't know what to call it... he takes blame so easily or thinks everything is his responsibility? It isn't but, well he is a very nice neighbour. I don't know what to think of the Krâ response. On one hand I think that their accusations are too ludicrous but of course jealousy caused the world's first crime, so it is understandable that the Krâ are moved to war as they feel that they have not been treated fairly by the Kûzeen. Of course, Sauron's lies may have worked to exacerbate the situation. 𝘌𝘻𝘦𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘮𝘳𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘌𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘮û𝘫𝘪𝘭, 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘠𝘶𝘯. Finally a wise council from the Ezen. “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦!” 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘑𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯. Oh poor thing. I feel so sorry for Jarin. I wish she didn't feel so bad, but I understand her horror. Hoping that the saner heads will prevail and the negotiations will be successful. Have a nice day! P.S. I love the new summary. It is a beautiful reflection of the exotic nature of the East. Also, if I may say so, thanks for your work in trying to 'redeem' the East. Honestly, as an Eastern person, the constant negative portrayal in the legendarium is sometimes a bit too much.

This chapter is as much comedy as it is drama. And then we come to the tragedy at the end. Poor Jarin! Can there be any healing possible for her heart and conscience?

Yeah, regarding labeling entire nations "evil", I suppose that fits the "good vs evil" theme. But even JRRT opened the door to not all Men in different nations being evil in his exploration of Sam's thoughts in Ithilien: It was Sam’s first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man’s name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would not really rather have stayed there in peace – all in a flash of thought which was quickly driven from his mind. I took "what lies or threats had led him..." in the sense of what we call today disinformation, as in a malicious twisting of facts to manipulate people's thoughts and actions. I can definitely see Sauron and the Mouth of Sauron employing that tactic. Along similar lines, the Haradrim in my stories are a mix of noble-minded and evil-minded people, with strong and weak individuals in both categories. It takes all kinds to make a world. *** As to this chapter, my first thought was to hear some soldier in the back of my mind saying blearily to a comrade as the ships sail away, "...Man, those Elves sure know how to throw a party...!" Uh-oh. Here comes the ambassador. To quote a certain princess, "I thought I recognized your foul stench when I came aboard..." O-o-o-o-o-kay-y-y-y-y. Enter the Tree Women, stage left. (Did I ever mention how pleased I was that you brought them into this story?) Oh! So the Tree Women aren't simply very long-lived, like the Ents in Fangorn, but they've actually planted a colony of sorts and are thriving and growing. Oooo! "pale caterpillars": I'm guessing silkworms? Oh, the Tree Women have Trockenbeernauslese and Eiswein!!! Of course they do. I remember the taste, like golden sunshine. Someone told me that the best of it stayed in Germany and was not exported to the US, so I never bothered to buy it after we left Europe. Wish we were still there, these days. Aha! And the Tree Women (like my Eagles) differentiate between speaking folk and the other kind. (My Eagles are allowed to swoop up Orcs and "drop them on the rocks to break them" but are not allowed to eat them. They probably wouldn't be good to eat, anyhow.) “If you’ve treated them well,” she said, “they must love you and they will follow you.” Why do I suspect the horses won't follow them? our palace. As Buggs Bunny would say, "The noive!" I wonder if Tilar overestimated the support she'd get from others? The Krandi don't even have folding chairs? They sound unprepared for the marching life. "did not quite look right" Hmmm. But "shall we shoot it?" had me laughing, it sounded so much like the little boys I've known. I have to say, if you hadn't mentioned the Krâ being honorable and not evil, I'd be worried about the eight of them coming in out of the dark to meet in the tent. (Shades of Hemry's Dauntless, where the Syndics appear to slaughter all the Alliance leaders who come to parley...) Hahahahaha! Was Dorwinian Wine involved, I wonder? “I’m in a mood to die.” “Excellent.” Sledgehammer! Good name (even if it's not the name). My hobbits have a similar name: Weed Killer (Or "keed willer" if you already happen to have imbibed one over your limit.) Really gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "slaying the enemy"! ("killing your enemy with kindness", maybe?) Okay, I was kind of wary of these elves when Jarin encountered them (if I'm remembering right), but now I'm starting to like them. (Do I have to spell everything out to you? Sheesh, this turned out to be a long review. Apologies if you find such annoying. (I adore long reviews, for my part [especially on one of my own chapters, LOL], but I realize not everyone loves discussing Tolkien's creation as much as I do.)

So little lies make a rider heavier. No wonder the palantír was so difficult to transport! The people on the ships sound reluctant and misinformed. Has it ever occurred to them that their truth might have been twisted? Pallando's strategy sounds interesting. It obviously assumes the Krâ are not evil. The commander definitely sounds confused: he certainly also hadn’t expected this, whatever it was. They certainly were not prepared to meet a Hwenti onslaught. Party hearty? Make merry, not war? (I wonder what the Hwenti would think of being described as "the cavalry coming over the hill"?)

I was going to just read and then try to gather my thoughts, but this was too good to pass up: They had chosen this out-of-the-way spot so that half Levare wouldn’t congregate around them and offer advice. It's so true!!! (I also love the description of the frosted landscape.) (I have to say, I had thought I was seeing some hints in earlier chapters, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions... I am so unfamiliar with Dwarves, I don't know how to "read" them yet. I can't tell when they're joking or serious or just being Dwarves!) Love the magnificent mustache. I wonder if he'd ever shave it off for any reason, and if his wife might not recognize him at first sight before he spoke and she recognized his voice? (Happened to me with one of my close relations after she dyed her hair a dramatically different color. LOL!) Awww. His wife made him put on mittens. I love how protective people are of him. "Don't tell Majani." (snork) I'm with Diri. I'm all for clandestine departures when on secret missions. I worry about the Enemy finding out... For some reason, "bail them out" struck me as jumping out of an airplane with a parachute rather than bailing out a leaky rowboat, and I had the sudden idle vision of a dragon-rider wearing a parachute pack. My brain does odd things now and then... And now, the procession with all the dragons and their riders has me thinking of All the Weyrs of Pern and the grand scheme to use the dragons, working together, to alter the orbit of the Red Star... The breath-taking processional is almost worth the risk of compromise. Almost. Waiting with bated breath to see Pallando's plan play out...