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Paths Taken by daw the minstrel	30 Review(s)
shana40347@aol.com	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/22/2005
Legolas needs his father to be more invoved if only he'd take the time... His older brother Has a love interest, nice for him. Author Reply: Ithilden's courtship of Alfirin is long and slow, but in the long run, she'll be very good for him, I think. Legolas does need his father, but Thranduil is pretty busy.

meckinock	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/22/2004
Hi Daw, Uh, better late than never? I've been on the road a lot lately. It was great to see Ithilden and Thranduil butt heads. One of the most delicious aspects of your stories is the way you show us the characters through on another's eyes, and we get to see the same situation or conflict from two (or more) different perspectives, each of them perfectly reasonable, of course! Spectacularly hilarious portrayal of the mercurial disposition of a near-adolescent. I admit I skipped ahead and already know where this is going, and it makes me laugh in anticipation! mrk Author Reply: I'm glad you found Legolas funny. His family doesn't always agree with you, I'm afraid. And one of the fun things about writing these stories is exactly what you named: trying to make all of these characters equally reasonable and flawed, so they are interesting in themselves and with one another. Hope you have a good time as you continue to read.

Kalima	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/13/2004
Hey, Daw, good stuff! I usually don't start reading fics unless they're finished (sometimes I start them inadvertently, thinking they are one-chapter stories), but I'm enjoying this and will read as I can. I just capture and release spiders in my home, but I admit that the big ones really "creep me out," as my son might say. And tolkien's giant ones would terrify me. I could hardly stand the movie scene with Shelob. Good choice of dangers! (If your aim is to give your readers some interesting nightmares, but hey! We come here for the emotional roller coaster ride, do we not?) Author Reply: I'm just sorting through reviews and found this one which I had missed before. I hope you continued to enjoy the story, but if giant spiders creep you out, then maybe not!

lwarren	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/7/2004
Yay! Another story - I swear I go into withdrawal when you don't have one going on! :-) Ai, an almost-teen Legolas - I foresee....problems (as if cleaning up vomit and bedpans doesn't indicate some already grin). Bless his heart tho', I guess sometimes he feels like the only interaction he has with his Adar is disciplinary. Ithilden noticed, too. And as for Ithilden -- ah, young love and long silences.....and pesky brothers! This looks to be great - lots of family interaction and more between Legolas and his oldest brother! Again - YAY!!!!! linda Author Reply: Poor Thranduil. He has so many responsibilities that when things are going well with Legolas, he does tend to ignore him. And Legolas is the first child he's raised on his own. Nana was there when the other two were this age, so he may not realize all the attention they need because she did some of it before.

Tapetum Lucidum	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/5/2004
Hooray! Posting a new story already? That is great! It is a nice change of pace to see Ithilden arguing with Thranduil. It seems Eilian had cornered that market for a while. It must have been hard for Thranduil to accept his son as a peer but his eldest is definitely proving himself. Thranduil deserves a relaxing ride through the forest after dealing with politicians all day. His comment about their attitudes was great! Commanding the realm's troops must be very stressful at this period of time. It would be almost impossible to keep the forces of evil at bay with limited resources. Dealing with the dwarves wasn't exactly Ithilden's first choice either but necessity is a mother. I can't believe he is using his little brother as a way to catch glimpses of Alfirin. That is really sneaky. At least he seems to enjoy his youngest brother's company. I would be thrilled to finish a sentence like that in the infirmary. Trust me, cleaning bodily fluids is not a fun job. I don't think Legolas was rude, he just wanted to get home and away from the hated infirmary. I think Ithilden was being a bit high strung. I doubt the youngest son of Thranduil is clueless enough to believe Ithilden's only motivation for showing up every day is to see him. I think he is suspicious of his eldest brother. No young one likes to be told "NO" when he wants to do something. You can't really expect him to take it gracefully. I think we will hear about the tree house until Legolas figures out a way to spend the night out there. Eilian is right - Legolas does need more of his father's valuable time. He is lucky to have two older brothers to help look out for him. Talking about archery is always a way to brighten the elfling's day! Author Reply: I enjoyed not writing for a few days and then I really started to miss it. I'm trying to be conscientious and work too, but man it's tough! I suspect that Thranduil did indeed have trouble accepting any of his sons as an equal. Ithilden comes the closest, but one reason I wanted to write this story was to watch that coming into being a little. Once Ithilden started working from near home, there must have been some negotiating. Legolas definitely does NOT want to go back to the infirmary to work. He needs to be a good boy for a while, but he and Thranduil are somewhat less than enchanted with one another at the moment. It's the age.

Jebb	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/4/2004
This made my day a new story and an elfling one at that loved Ithilden and Thranduil at odds it is good to see them befre their relationship settled into one of mutual respect here Thranduil still has his doubts and his eldest son a desire to be proved right As for Legolas as soon as the name Turgon appeared I knew we were in for trouble Loved the scene between Ithilden and Alfirin so sweet Author Reply: I'm glad you're happy to see the elfling back, Jebb, because I'm happy to be writing about him again. There's going to be a lot of Ithilden in this story, because I'd like to get a better grip on his character. At the moment, he seems to be amusingly awkward around Alfirin. I think he needs lessons from his younger brother and I don't mean Legolas!

Estel_Mi_Olor	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2004
How do you do it Daw? Another fic already? Well congratulations to your organization. I absolutely love reading about little Legolas, he is so adorable! Ah, yes I recall the spending-the-night-in-the-woods-incident very well. Legolas is incorrigible, but then aren't most young children? And now we get to read about how Ithilden met Alifrin! It seemed rather sudden in your other fic...erm not quite sure which one...:) It's nice to meet a clumsy Ithilden who is stupefied by the mere presence of Alifrin. Well, another big cheer for this fic and I can't wait for an update! Keep writing! Author Reply: Legolas is entering early adolescence here. Think of an obnoxious young middle schooler. And I was amused by tongue-tied Ithilden too. His warriors would not recognize him. I think he needs lessons from Eilian!

nessie	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2004
Yay!!!! A little Legolas fic! Or, little-but-not-so-little Legolas fic. This was great! You just gotta love Thranduil. Just something about him...Well anyhoo! This was great an fun like always and can't wait until the next chapter! ~nessie~ Author Reply: Legolas unfortunately is entering adolescence and is doing what adolescents do in trying to break from his father and seize some independence. But what a pain! I'm hoping this will be fun. I'm having fun writing anyway.

Dot	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2004
Woo-hoo, elflings! I actually would have reviewed this earlier but I decided to re-read “Growing under Shadow” again first – and what an ideal way that was to spend a Bank Holiday Monday! I got so engrossed that I think that one of these days I’ll have to re-read them all in order. Anyway, I love your stories about Legolas as an adult but I have to say, I’m really excited at the thought of seeing him as an elfling again! You write children so well. I think as well that we get to see a different side to the rest of his family in the way that they deal with him at different ages. By the way, you did an amazing job in terms of consistency and in bringing the characters right back to where they were at this point in time. I was so impressed by your ability to do that - practical things like the need for spider venom antidote and Legolas’ punishment and then character things like Legolas testing his boundaries and longing to be seen as an adult, Thranduil in his constant struggle between letting go of and holding onto his children as well as his frustration over Legolas’ friendship with Turgon and then Ithilden still having to try to prove himself to a certain extent. Oh, and his increasing infatuation with a particular maiden! I really liked the opening argument between Thranduil and Ithilden. It’s interesting because Thranduil never lets anyone argue with him for very long but I like that Ithilden didn’t give up but rather pressed his point and that Thranduil listened to him long enough to realise that he has to have more faith in his son, or at least show him the faith that he does have in him. “But as the Shadow had spread further and Ithilden had immersed himself in his warriors’ struggles, he had begun to believe that he had a far clearer sense of what they were facing and what they needed than Thranduil did.” I thought this and Ithilden’s subsequent thoughts about his father were fascinating. I had honestly never thought about the fact that Ithilden might feel that he is in a better position to make judgements about the Realm’s warriors. I suppose I just thought of it in terms of it being Ithilden’s responsibility and that was reason enough for Thranduil not to interfere. But I guess he does know the minute details that his father would never hear of. Still, Thranduil strikes me as someone who would want to know everything that happens in his Realm, and he has fought against the Shadow before. But I definitely agree with Ithilden that Thranduil is still influenced by old grudges. It’s a pity, really, but it fits in with what I have always understood of elves, particularly these elves, from Tolkien’s writings and I admit I can’t blame Thranduil either but I can see how it would frustrate someone from a younger generation of elves. How sweet is it that Ithilden hopes to run into Alfirin?? Aaaw, he’s so cute when he’s in love… It sounds like Legolas has done well in the infirmary. I don’t know what I’d have done if my father had ever inflicted a punishment that involved vomit or bed-pans… You have to hand it to Thranduil, he certainly knows how to think of fitting punishments. Even though, something tells me that Legolas’ new-found sense of responsibility may not last quite as long as his father would like… “Do not track dirt on the wet spots.” That’s hilarious, the thought of Ithilden being ordered around in such a manner… I had to laugh at Legolas thinking Ithilden is “bossy”. I suppose to his baby brother it must seem that way, even though he gets so much respect from every other elf. I loved the awkward scene between Ithilden and Alfirin. He’s so besotted! It seems from the way they stood looking at each other that she might just feel the same way too. Legolas really just does not get this whole attraction thing, does he?! It looks like Celuwen isn’t the only one to have memories of her brother-in-law as a rude young elfling! “When it is finished, they are going to sleep in it. Can I do that too?” gulp Did he really think Thranduil would say yes?? I think I cringed when he tried the “and you said” tactic. Thranduil needs to be handled a lot better than that! I’m kind of torn between thinking that Thranduil was too harsh and agreeing with him. On one hand, he could have said he’d talk to Annael’s parents to get the full story because he knows they’re responsible people so it’s quite possible that they would be keeping an eye on them, but Thranduil and Legolas have just recently argued about Legolas being outside at night and he is supposed to be learning to obey his father and it’s entirely possible that with Turgon around they wouldn’t stay on the flet for very long… sigh I’m glad I’m not a parent…;) “How was archery class today?” LOL! Magic words indeed. Thranduil is a wily old elf when he wants to be. “If only he could see that Legolas needed his attention even when he was not in a foul mood.” Is that a hint about the direction of this story?! Just wondering… I’m intrigued by the idea that it’s about a practical joke gone wrong. Whatever do you have up your sleeve?!:) Author Reply: I reread some of "Growing under Shadow" too. That was how come I could remember what was happening. Otherwise, it's really easy to get confused. Reading something I wrote a while ago is an odd experience. It often feels as if I'm reading something someone else wrote. I'd like to explore the character of Ithilden a little more in this story because he's the brother I feel I have the least grip on. I think he's fully adult in his father's eyes and his own. He can argue with Thranduil as if he were more or less equal. But he's also trying to figure out what he has to offer that Thranduil doesn't already know or have. And he needs to be different from his father, even though they are very much alike. Anyway, I'm going to spend time on his this time. He's fairly clueless with Alfirin, unfortunately. Maybe Eilian will give him lessons. You've summed up Thranduil's position with Legolas and the flet very nicely. If Legolas hadn't just crept out to hunt at night, he might have reacted differently. Still, he needs to let the baby go. It's hard when the world they live in is such a dangerous place and the baby is determined to run headlong into it!

tigerlily713	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2004
Yay! A new story! I've always loved reading about young Legolas. He seems a bit of a menace in this chapter. Should make for some creative punishments on Thranduil's part. Anyway, I am excited to see what else you've got. Lily Author Reply: Legolas is at a bad age, the equivalent of a human middle schooler. Thranduil is going to have his hands full for a while yet, poor guy, with no nana to help him. I've missed writing about young Legolas, so I'm happy to be back doing it again.

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