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| Paths Taken by daw the minstrel | 33 Review(s) |
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| pipinheart | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/23/2005 |
| Poor Ithildren, he and Legolas are having a bad day, they seem to rub each other the wrong way. Legolas is stubron and dosen't listen to well, and wants to do everything his way... Author Reply: Legolas is very stubborn. It's the age, I think. He'll grow out of it, assuming Ithilden doesn't kill him! | |
| meckinock | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/23/2004 |
| Poor Ithilden. His head must just be spinning. What a rude introduction to parenthood, but he did ask for it, didn't he? The way you manipulated the shifting moods of this chapter, from the carefree delight of the swimming hole to the antagonism and frustration of the final scene, was just masterful. I liked how Ithilden, even in his consternation, manages to notice that Legolas at least has learned to move silently in the forest, and his comments about Turgon's influence were amusing. His little scamp of a brother sure made short work of the composure of the commander of all Mirkwood forces, didn't he? Talk about pushing the right buttons....It took a lot for Ithilden to completely lose composure and haul off and hit Legolas. I know physical violence is never the answer and all that...but I can't help but thinking that a similar well-placed slap at this age might have done Turgon some good! Author Reply: Legolas knows exactly what to say or do to make Ithilden turn purple and jump up and down. And what's more, unlike Ithilden's warriors, he doesn't hesitate to do it. Maybe that's a sign that he trust Ithilden to love him anyway. Yeah, Turgon would have been much better off if someone had cared enough to discipline him. Legolas didn't suffer any lasting damage, and Ithilden certainly got his attention. | |
| Tapetum Lucidum | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/15/2004 |
| Sorry, I haven't been able to type this week thanks to a collie that apparently had a very sore leg. Early morning fishing sounded like a lot of fun but fish for breakfast? I don't think my stomach would be happy at all. I think Ithilden is going to hear many things that Annael's adar has shown his little brother. Unfortunately his father has not had the time. It was good for Ithilden to give Legolas some of the responsibility for camp chores and breakfast but he would have had a much happier companion if he would ask kindly rather than order him. It drives me crazy when people do that to me. It is probably all Ithilden does all day. I hope Alfirin has a lot of patience. Ithilden must have been about to pass out when Legolas disappeared. My kids did the same thing to my poor beleagured husband when they went camping next to a gorge last week. It took him 10 minutes to find them and he had to sit down and calm down after he did. They did not make that mistake again. At least Ithiden gave him a good reason to keep his feet on the ground. The brotherly bonding at the pond was very sweet. They had fun just like they intended. Ithilden's protective thoughts towards his baby sibling was very touching. A 12 year old with a hidden dagger. That is not a good thing for the exact reasons you spelled out. Turgon is not exactly a good influence. I hope it wasn't Thranduil's letter opening dagger. I would hate for him to lose it. I loved the line "but the tree up which his brother had climbed was humming with his presence." It was very Wood Elf. Poor Legolas missed his big chance. Now he is going to be even grouchier. Certainly none of Thranduil's sons would take a chance jumping from tree to tree ... He shouldn't have done it but he was just being a kid. The snake joke was great! I thought it was really funny but apparenty Ithilden was at the end of his rope and didn't find it quite as amusing. Well, so much for brotherly bonding. I imagine they will sort things out in the end. Saw Troy last night - it was great! Paris is definitely not Legolas. Author Reply: Does that mean the dog bit you? I suppose that's a hazard of the job, but still, it must not be much fun! My students drive me nuts sometimes, but none of them would bite me! I have had a couple of people rave about how good fish is for breakfast. I don't even like it for dinner. And Ithilden needs to learn how to stop being the troop commander or his private life is not going to run smoothly. He did well to explain to Legolas why scouting from the trees was not a good idea and Legolas stayed with him after that. Legolas does much better when he understands and is not just following orders. I am hoping to go see Troy tomorrow. The reviews have been good. Paris is evidently something of a weakling, but that will be fun! | |
| Any | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/11/2004 |
| Phew! Poor Legolas, poor Ithilden! Legolas was so happy when they started out on this journey - finally some freedom for our favourite little elfling! No Ada commanding him around, no extra lessons for the prince while his friends are playing outside and no one who forbids him to sleep beneath the stars! And then he must learn that his brother is just as bossy as his Ada - setting rules and being overprotective and certainly overreacting here and there. But poor Ithilden, too - After four years of hard work he's finally on leave, and surely he thought he'd be able to spend some quality time with his little brother. Certainly he didn't expect there'd be such a struggle for control. I feel sorry for him. But not too much, to be honest. I mean, hey, it is kinda funny that he waved off Thranduil's "warnings" and now he's experiencing first hand how difficult it can be to deal with a child. Hehe... ;) I must say, that I can understand why Legolas is behaving so maddeningly. I wouldn't like being commanded around by my elder brother, either. Legolas wants to be free, he wants to have a normal childhood. But he hasn't. I mean, hey, shouldn't he normally have been thaught by his own Ada how to clean a fish? It must be so hard for him to see how many thing he misses in comparison to his friends just because his Ada is the king. And now, that he can finally have a bit of "normal family time" Ithilden constantly stops him and scolds him like a father. It must be so frustrating for Legolas that his family treats him like a baby, really. Okay, Legolas' way to express his frustration probably isn't the best or luckiest one, but, hey, he's a child after all. He's still learning... Can't wait to read how they'll make peace now. :) ~Any Author Reply: These two were fated to butt heads. I could see both their sides when I was writing. And yet, you are so right! Ithilden was just wrong, so very wrong, about how easy it would be to take care of a child. It was easy to be critical of Thranduil until he'd been responsible for Legolas for about 24 hours. And I felt so bad. They were having such a good time fishing and then Legolas got to clean the fish and cook. And they had fun swimming together, but on the whole, they both wound up unhappy. Make peace? Well, I guess eventually. ;-) | |
| LKK | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/11/2004 |
| Bring on chapter 4. LKK *resigned to feeling turmoily* Apparently, I'm so turmoiled that I can't even count straight! LOL I should have said, "Bring on chapter 5." Author Reply: That's what I thought you meant. It's mostly drafted. I just have to ship it to Nilmandra the Cruel and let her abuse me for a while. | |
| LKK | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/11/2004 |
| ~sigh~ Real life is all turmoily for me right now. I keep telling myself that I don't need to add to the stress by knowingly reading something that will add to the stress. I know you write stressful stories; I suspect Legolas is going to behave extremely badly and Ithilien is going to get very angry at him. More family turmoil to come is what I predict. But I can't *not* read your story. No matter how much I tell myself that I should save it for a less overwhelmed time. ~sigh~ You're too good a writer for my own good, daw. I'm hooked again. Bring on chapter 4. LKK *resigned to feeling turmoily* Author Reply: OK. I know it's wrong of me, but this made me laugh. I'm sorry!! I hope you feel better! The thing is, I think of myself as writing these sort of domestic tales of family love, not the big epic things some other folks write. So I am actually pleased that someone finds the plots tense. (And again, I say I'm sorry!!) | |
| White Wolf | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/11/2004 |
| Ups and downs, indeed. Legolas and Ithilden were so happy while they were swimming. And now things have gotten very tense between them. Of course, I know what a handful Legolas can be. Author Reply: It must be very frustrating for them to have these good moments and then see them evaporate. Legolas is a handful indeed, as Ithilden is discovering. We'll have to see what he thinks now about how hard elflings are to manage vs. warriors, | |
| insignia | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/11/2004 |
| Hi Daw Really enjoyed your portrayal of siblings of (considerably) different ages and how they "work things out", or don't! You are very good at presenting sympathetically and realistically their own very different perspectives on the events which take place (I speak as no 2 of a family of 4). Also enjoyed your version of how to hunt deer, not an area where I have any expertise at all so I was impressed by the detail you were able to provide. So ... we have now had the practical joke - should I be linking the availability of antidote for spider venom with an open cut on Legolas's hand? Looking forward, as ever, to the next chapter ... insignia Author Reply: It turns out there's a ton of stuff about bow hunting for deer on the internet. I have this thick notebook of stuff like that, because I am a city girl and have never eaten venison. I'm glad you sympathized with both brothers. I was writing through Ithilden's eyes, but I wanted them both to be plausible from their own perspective. Readers seem to be unable to decide who's to blame, so I guess I succeeded. Yay! | |
| Erendis | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/11/2004 |
| Ah, now we see how Legolas earned his title of "brat". ;) I like how truthfully you expose the joys and tensions of the little trip. It reminds me of my own family camping. We go from hysterical laughter and having the best of time, to harsh words, brooding and yelling. :P But, we do learn some valuable lessons, and I guess that's what both of these royal siblings will be getting soon enough. Good writing, daw. Author Reply: See, I knew there was a reason I was horrified at the idea of camping. My department chair once drove his entire family (wife and five kids) in a van from Iowa to Alaska for a "vacation," camping along the way. If that had been us, Mounties would have found our dead bodies in the campsite with our hands around one another's throats. Ah, yes. Lessons. What you get when you were hoping for something else! | |
| Justafan | Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/10/2004 |
| Heh, I'm loving it! Legolas is behaving so brattily towards Ithilden, but in his defense, Ithilden is rather overprotective and Legolas is just being a child. The grass snake part was a humorous touch :D Author Reply: I'm glad you thought the snake was funny, Justafan! Ithilden disagrees with you, I'm afraid. Neither one of them had a very good time, sad to say. | |