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| Paths Taken by daw the minstrel | 44 Review(s) |
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| Asms2 | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 7/6/2016 |
| This was actually one of the first of your stories that I read. It was before I started leaving regular reviews. I just re-read the second half, and was like, dang this is a good one! Lots of interaction between brothers and father/son. This line really stuck out to me: “Thranduil had a sudden glimmer of how unpleasant it was going to be if Legolas chose to “protest” being removed from the infirmary”. Haha. Poor Ithilden trying to maintain composure after he is bitten. And Thranduil always strikes me as such a good father! He was trying to split time between his kids and did so pretty successfully. You write family dynamics so well! It is a treat read :) Author Reply: Thank you! I just had email from the artist doing the cover for the book I have coming out in the fall, and she wanted to know what inspired me to write it. I said I was always inspired by family dynamics. Apparently, I'm stuck on that because I've been writing it a long time. I wrote this one because I was still trying to get a handle on Ithilden as a character. To do that, I had to write more from his point of view. Before I tried to write, I never realized how powerful point of view is in revealing the character even to the writer. “Thranduil had a sudden glimmer of how unpleasant it was going to be if Legolas chose to “protest” being removed from the infirmary Yes indeed! LOL. Apparently even royal children are capable of making a scene even with a father as intimidating as Thranduil. You're kind to write this now, long after you first read the story. daw | |
| endorearwen | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 8/9/2013 |
| Another satisfying story, Daw! You must have the most interesting children because you certainly have created a truly believable, growing Legolas! The struggles of those in-between years and the necessary consequences that follow ill-considered decisions... I liked the slip of Legolas calling Thranduil 'ada' again at the infirmary - a gentle reminder that he isn't really as grown up as he would like the adults around him to believe! Perhaps he has learned a lesson about his limits and his lack of understanding of the dangers in the world about him. I expected Ithilden to be 'not smooth with the ladies' as you put it in our last communication and hence we get to see the first hint of it in this story! ;-) I will admit, you made me a bit nervous with that double spider bite but I did get that he needed somehow to be back in that infirmary again! The release of stomach in front of the object of his affections was very clever! Learning to live with that little moment of weakness won't kill him in the long run! And of Thranduil? I think my favourite line is from the scene where he and Ithilden talk about the camping trip and Thranduil's concerns about Legolas - “I have always looked forward to Eilian becoming a parent...But I begin to think you may offer me some amusement too, iôn-nín.” That brought more than just a passing smile and I'm afraid the laughter got a bit loud in the house (definitely have to be more careful reading at night...) Well done! Author Reply: I have just one child, a son, and I admit I do draw on my memories of him at this age. He was a great kid, responsible and well-intentioned, but he was, after all, a kid. Luckily for him, there were no giant spiders or orcs in our neighborhood. It takes Legolas a while yet to adjust to the reality that they are in his. I made myself laugh at poor Ithilden here. Puking in front of the girl he'd like to impress must have been just awful for him. Poor guy. He's so honorable and strong and he's prefer to stay that way, thank you very much. Luckily for any children Ithilden might ever have, Legolas softened him up a little. :-) | |
| pipinheart | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 9/23/2005 |
| I wonder if Alfirin likes the Archery master it seems Ithilden feels she does... Author Reply: Ithilden is a dense male! | |
| Emily | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 8/20/2004 |
| I really do love Ithilden. He's wonderful. He's just what I wish my brothers were. The plot was so wonderful. Poor Ithilden. Thranduil's comments about looking forward to Ithilden having sons made me smile. Poor guy doesn't know what he's getting into. Legolas is the one who really tugs at my heart here. I'm the family baby and can relate to a lot of what he went through here. Nothing he does is right, he's always being told what to do, and he's probably at the stage where his voice tends to be whiny. Add to it that he's surrounded by warriors with no motherly influence...yes, it's hard being baby. The prank was perfect. Just the kind of thing a boy his age would go for. Still...ugh...I hate snakes! Give me a spider of ridiculously monstrous size any day over a baby snake. Speaking of spiders... Wow! They creeped me out. Glad they were nice and safe on the other side of my computer screen. Ithilden made me love him more with his rescue. Then brave Legolas stole the show. I simply exaulted when he made Thranduil take Ithilden on his horse. What a kid! I love Annael's nana! I really loved the ending, where she's singing a lullaby to the forest. Beautiful and very Wood-elfy. Author Reply: You are certainly jumping around in terms of Legolas's age here! That's ok. I didn't write the stories in any particular order either. I like being able to go back to Little Legolas after I've written something like "Tangled Web," with its big battle scenes. I wrote this story partly because I wanted to get a better handle on Ithilden, who was much harder for me to get clear in my head than Eilian was. But you better not let Legolas hear you calling him a baby! :-) I'm a middle child myself, so my sympathies are with Eilian. It wasn't until I started writing about the spiders that I realized how nasty they were. Ick. Poor Legolas, caught in the web. It must have been so wonderful when he felt Ithilden's arm around his waist as his big brother cut him loose. I love Annael's family in general -- his father (whom you saw speaking to Eilian in "My Brother's Keeper") and his mother (who turns up in a lot of my stories). Legolas was lucky to have this normal family to go to, not just because his mother was dead but also because they didn't live in a palace and he saw another side of life. | |
| tianaia | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 8/8/2004 |
| i like your story. i like the childlike innoence(sorry but i dont know how to spell that)lol. I said i like the childlike innocence* but i also liked the older brotherly love and then jumped to the responsibility so its like legolas gained some sort of maturity and responsibility under bizarre circumstances. Author Reply: Thank you, tianaia. Yeah, I thought that both brothers had some things to learn here. Legolas did a brave thing in going for help by himself, but he also had to admit that he behaved a little badly. And Ithilden learned that Legolas was not someone to be ordered around like a warrior. They each learned about their own limitations. | |
| mistry89 | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/26/2004 |
| "He would live in the woods forever, he thought dreamily. He would never leave. The path of dreams came up to meet him and he ran along it with his arms spread wide in joy." Oh, that's so very sad - such an innocent wish, and it won't happen. Will go and watch my lovely ROTK dvd to cheer myself up! Thank you, Legolas is learning by leaps and bounds, and a little education is slipping through to Ithilden .... and even all the way to Thranduil. Looks as if it is thrue, you are never too old to learn. I wonder whether Leoglas "does" have that dagger, and when Ithilden remembers to follow up on it? It all reads so easily ... so plausibly, and it requires both the knack and the need to produce that. Thank you again for sharing this story. Author Reply: Thank you, Mistry. I so agree about Legolas's "innocent wish." I was thinking the other day about the parallel between him and Frodo. I was remembering that scene in the FOTR movie when Bilbo says that Frodo is still in love with the Shire. And then at the end, Frodo can never go back and live happily in the Shire again. Legolas is like that too. He can never go back and live in contentment in the woods. Anyway, thank you for your kind words. Easy-reading, plausible stories are what I aim for! | |
| Lera | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/24/2004 |
| I'm very sorry this review is so late, especially since I read the chapter the day it was posted. Bad me! Ok, that ending was so lovely, yet so sad! Legolas singing about living in the woods forever, but we all know what the desire of his heart eventually becomes. I wonder what his family went through, when he left them. So sad. I saw in some of your answers to other reviews that you're thinking of doing the battle of the five armies sometime, and I want you to know that this thrills me to death. Of course whatever you do will make me happy, but the events of the hobbit told from your point of view would be fabulous! God bless. Author Reply: I imagine it was hard on Legolas's family when he left, but it was probably also hard to see him unhappy. He lost a lot in the Ring War. I'm glad you're enthusiastic about my plans, Lera. I'm still thinking along those lines, although I haven't written anything yet. | |
| emjo | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/24/2004 |
| Great story Daw! I loved the way you showed Ithilden and Alfirin's story before their bonding. And I always love the way you show Thranduil and his sons. Once agian great job! Author Reply: Thank you, emjo. Ithilden is still acting stupidly, and I think Alfirin might have to clue him in eventually. If she waits for him to smarten up, she may have to wait a long time! | |
| Estel_Mi_Olor | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/24/2004 |
| That was a touching end to a very sweet story. I love Legolas when he's little! Ithilden and Alifrin are so cute together, and I am very interested to find out how they became sweethearts, and later married. Of course, that would mean that Ithilden would have to master the power of speech around Alifrin. But I'm sure he can handle it. :) Thranduil is such an interesting parent, reminds me of my mother... His idea of "controlled freedom" is interesting, but he better hope the elflings never find out or he will be in big trouble. Legolas is pretty responsible for his age, isn't he? I am not a parent and therefore I don't exactly know the expected behavior at this age. In this fic, Legolas seemed to be acting particularly irresponsible. Well, I won't debate the issue. A great fic, as always. I am eagerly awaiting your next story. Author Reply: Thank you, Estel. You're very funny about what Ithilden has to do to court Alfirin. It doesn't seem like much, does it? But apparently it's beyond him. Legolas is good for his age, but that's not saying much. "For his age" is a really big qualifier when you're at that middle school age. He'll come around though. His heart is in the right place and he has a family and teachers who care enough about him to discipline him. | |
| erunyauve | Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 5/23/2004 |
| Sorry this is so late in coming - I read it right away but my brain has been too scrambled to put together coherent words (very long week at work). I think Alfirin has made her choice - Ithilden can put to rest any rivalry with Penntalion. (Of course, he won't!) I had to love Eilian's letter - he's still a bit of kid himself, so of course he knows what to expect from Legolas. And I'm glad Legolas finally got to sleep on the flet - can I guess that my favorite future member of the Mirkwood Secret Service was camping in the copse? Author Reply: I know what you mean about work, Erunyauve. I've been trying to write some stuff for work and I am so depressed to be doing that instead of elf stories that I am almost ready to give up! Let's set some priorities here. If Ithilden only knew it, Alfirin is becoming more and more attracted to him. But he's such a sap, he can't figure it out. I'm not sure who was in the copse actually. Beliond may have been off spying for Thranduil. | |