Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

Tangled Web by daw the minstrel	19 Review(s)
Karri	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/5/2004
sigh I want to like Celuwen. Really I do! Perhaps it is simply a testament to your phenomenal skill in bringing characters to life that she just irritates me to no end. Sorry about that. Author Reply: LOL. That's OK, Karri. I suspect that Alfirin occasionally finds Celuwen annoying too.

tigerlily713	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/4/2004
Great chapter! It is almost funny seeing Celuwen and Thranduil arguing. Really, what can he do to her, other than argue back? Ithilden seems much better equipt to attend these council meetings than his father. I wonder though, if given enough time, would he eventually give in to the frustration and treat the matters much as his father does? Anyway, I look forward to reading more! Lily Author Reply: It's almost like Celuwen is taking unfair advantage of Thranduil and knows it and doesn't care. LOL. I suspect that Ithilden would not be able to tolerate these meetings if they happened very frequently. He's too action oriented. But he also is painfully aware of how bad things are at home and he'll do what he can to try to make them better. Next chapter coming up in a couple of days.

Jebb	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/4/2004
This was a wonderful chapter full of little clues I think for what will happen later, I liked the idea of Radagast being a vegetarian it seems right for him and the way Ithilden arranged for his hunters to respect his views Also the scene in the offcie gives an idea of the work load Ithilden undertakes and how much he is trusted by Thranduil. Also smiled at Legola's dismay being caught in the middle and trying to be diplomatic and the way the 'discussion' was ended by Alfirin's entrance it is the quiet ones you have to watch out for it seems lovely thank you Author Reply: I am having fun leaving hints and letting people pick up on them or not. I even liked hinting about my own Rivendell story in which Amdir goes along on a diplomatic mission and runs into elves! This is hobby is so much fun! Thranduil is lucky to have Ithilden, I think. If I lived in Mirkwood, I would want him directing the military, that's for sure. And it is indeed quiet Alfirin who seems to run the household. Who would have guessed?

Duchess	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/4/2004
I hope Ithilden is able to resist being drawn in by Saruman's sneaky tricks he plays! Thoughtful and smart of him to supplement his party's meals like that. I see Tinar is still a putz. Nice to know some things will never change. LOL I was almost feeling sorry for Calith, but apparently he can handle it. snicker Sinnarn is lucky he didn't run into anything on that patrol, he was daydreaming! shaking my head Hope he doesn't break Emmelin's heart, but she seems to be smart enough to be wary of the validity of his attention from what you wrote here. vbg Ack! Poor Legolas, getting drawn into the middle of a quarrel when all he wanted to do was relax after his long day. sympathetic smile Glad Alfirin arrived to keep him from having to actually say anything to that last bit. LOL More please?!? Soon as you're able, of course. ;) Author Reply: Saruman is mighty sneaky. He fooled the White Council for a long time. At least he sort of did. Galadriel wanted Gandalf as the head, so maybe she wasn't taken in but Gandalf was sure snowed. As I look at this review, I realize how many story lines I have going. The first part of this story is the most complicated, I think. After a while, things settle down. I'm working on the next chapter today.

Estel_Mi_Olor	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/3/2004
I really liked that chapter, Daw. Firstly, I liked the order in which you wrote it and the way you kept switching back from Legolas to Ithilden. It gave so much more information on the events taking place than would have been otherwise possible. Saruman is so annoying. I can just see him sniffing disdainfully at Radagast while plotting all the while. At least Mithrandir knows to watch him. But I am very curious as to why Mithrandir wanted the Council so close to Mirkwood. Perhaps he hopes that the members of the Council will feel the effects of the shadow by being closest to it, and therefore support Ithilden in this call for action? That's the optimistic view of events. I know they didn't turn out that way. :) Sinnarn is so cute! Annael really should leave him alone or he is going to scare him away completely, but then again, that's probably his goal. Legolas seems to be do wonderfully in his position of leadership. Thranduil has every right to be proud of him. I was wondering when we'd get to read about Tinár's internship with Ithilden. That argument between him and Calith sounds hysterical; wish I could have been there. I can also just see Thranduil and Celuwen having their heated debate and Alifrin's displeasure of it. One last general comment: You stories are so good, Daw, because you've made the Elves so normal, in a human way. As opposed to having your majestic Galadriel who is far and above everyone else, you have a family, who partake in the same amusements that are enjoyable to us and have the same arguments. It makes the characters so tangible and so understandable, which adds so much depth to the story. And I'm sorry I wrote everything in one huge paragraph... Keep writing! Author Reply: I'm glad you liked the jumping around between characters, Estel. I was hoping it would not be confusing. And Saruman is, indeed, "annoying"! What nerve he had! He was trying to get around all these powerful people on the White Council AND Sauron too. Wow. He didn't care who he made enemies of. Legolas is doing very well. He's close to being Fellowship Legolas now. I love seeing him be all competent. I thought folks might like a glimpse of Tinar and Calith! Thank you for your kind words, Estel. These characters have become very real to me. I'm glad they seem real to you too.

Dot	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/3/2004
Y’know, I wouldn’t like to be the one trying to plot this story! There’s so much going on already and it hasn’t even really started. You do such a great job, though, in not losing readers but engrossing us instead! I’m loving the Ithilden part of this story. I had to smile at him wanting to sleep under the stars. Can you imagine… Everyone else probably thinks the wood-elves are mad enough without him doing that. Anyway, it sounds like Thrior has well and truly taken control of this mission. It’s fascinating to see the way Ithilden ponders who’s present and how to achieve what he wants through them. He’s definitely right that Mithrandir is his best hope to start with. His first meeting with the other Council members was hilarious, with them all sitting there looking startled. They obviously didn’t expect anyone from Mirkwood to turn up and when they saw Ithilden they must have thought for one horrible moment that Thranduil did come after all. I thought it was rather amusing to see how relieved Elrond was to hear that he hadn’t. I’m beginning to wish Thranduil had gone now, just to annoy them. Still, Ithilden has an advantage over Thranduil other than patience and hope – the others can’t possibly be as prejudiced against him. Although, he may find at first that he has to do some work to make up for his father’s sharp tongue. “He had met Glorfindel when he had gone to Imladris with his father for the White Council’s first meeting, and he still felt like an excited elfling on seeing him.” How strange it must be to see historic figures wandering around in front of you… “He sends his most sincere regrets that he is unable to attend.” Openly lying. Very good. And I see Galadriel isn’t above doing so either! “[…]but if Curunír had been one of his officers, Ithilden would have been double checking every report he made.” Wow, I’m impressed. Ithilden obviously has a lot of experience reading people and his first response to Curunír is interesting. Of course, then there’s the power of the Voice. Still, Ithilden is very astute and first impressions can last. I love the way he just seems unsettled by the wizard’s whole manner but can’t really narrow it down other than that. “Do not ever touch the papers on that shelf again, Tinár!” Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather at the thought of Calith being anything other than gentle and discreet. Tinar must be driving him insane. “Scourge to the enemy” indeed. And he shut the drawer on Tinar’s fingers! LOL! I bet he wanted to do that for ages. Poor Todith. Whatever did he do to deserve Ithilden’s job. I imagine Thranduil “overseeing” his actions could certainly take it out of even the most hardened warriors. Oh well, at least he’s giving Legolas more responsibility, even if it is largely because he’s worn-out! Annael seems to be rather undecided about Sinnarn. I think Sinnarn is going to have to put up with him hovering for a while yet. Clever Legolas to send them off together on patrol. So the bodyguards have to stay with their charges even in Home Guard territory? I thought it was funny that Legolas thinks Nithron has a thankless job – I seem to recall Beliond being less than enamoured when he was first assigned to Legolas. It’s so sweet how excited Tonduil is! That’s definitely an elf in love! It’s a little odd seeing these two doing business together. When I see Tonduil I always think of the blue feathers in their braids! I though he really brought home the current state of the Realm. “We have lost a number of horses lately.” That’s so frightening when he puts it like that. And it seems as well that they really are having problems paying even for necessities. “I doubt if there are any diplomatic missions in your future.” Certainly not one with Dwarves, anyway. Oh, wait…;-) “Do not hunt nearby,” Ithilden ordered, and then added, “and make sure you are downwind of the cottage when you roast the meat.” I’d never even have thought of that. It wouldn’t do to inadvertently kill and eat any of Radagast’s friends. It sounds as though Ithilden is quite willing to bide his time at the meeting. His game plan seems sound enough, although despite his experience I’d say Ithilden may have met his match here. “I had reasons for insisting that the meeting should be here on the edge of your father’s realm.” Intriguing… That little piece with Sinnarn trying to appear responsible in front of Annael had me in stitches. I imagine there aren’t too many people that Sinnarn would bother trying to impress. He seems fairly serious about Emmelin, and I like the little note of doubt as to whether she feels the same about him. So she’s “cool and sensible”? She couldn’t really be anything else with Annael and Beliniel and parents, I suppose. Legolas just keeps on interrupting arguments today! I actually liked seeing them argue. I’d say Thranduil wouldn’t take the trouble to argue with anyone whose opinion he didn’t respect. And she really is fearless, isn’t she?! Unlike Legolas it would seem. I too can see both their points of view – actually, it really was rather unfair that Legolas was dragged into the argument in the first place. I really like the way Alfirin seems to have a lot of power over them. She seems like the mother figure, the peace-make but at the same time they clearly don’t want to cross her. She’s right too that they should leave their problems at the door. If it wasn’t for her they’d probably all spend a lot more time arguing. She’s so different to Celuwen, who really seems to be coming into her own in the king’s household. I think that even after all these years Alfirin is good for this whole family, especially perhaps Thranduil. Oh – I noticed you changed your OC list back??! O.k., o.k., I’ll stop looking at it…;) Author Reply: Oh, ack! You know what happened with the OC list? I corrected it on the site but not in the file on my computer. I fixed it again. I amused myself in writing about Ithilden and the other Council members. It sounds as if Thranduil is the guy no one wants to sit next to at the meetings in case everyone else gets mad and starts throwing sharp objects. And it's interesting. Ithilden is shrewd enough to feel that something is wrong but he also wants to believe in the Council, whereas Thranduil has given up. Thranduil is now capable of shaking Saruman off as if he were a dog shaking off water. But Ithilden is drawn in. Of course, so is pretty much everyone else at this point. And, btw, we don't call it "lying" when Ithilden says his father is sorry to miss the meeting and Galadriel says it's a pity he's not there! We call that creative diplomacy! I thought that folks would get a kick out of seeing Tinar and Calith again. Poor Calith. Todith needs to send Tinar with a message to the Back of Beyond. Ah yes, Tonduil and the blue jay feathers! What a great youthful experience. Maybe he needs a bachelor party where they repeat it. LOL And when I wrote that thing about Amdir not going on diplomatic missions, it felt like an inside joke for anyone who has read "Question of Duty." When I first started writing more about Celuwen (maybe four or five stories back), I made myself some notes about how she and Alfirin were alike or different and how they would get along. I was afraid if I didn't do that, they would lapse into being just generic females. So I'm glad you see them as distinct. Thanks for the nice long review, Dot. I'm off to write more about the Council.

nessie	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/3/2004
Saruman is such a snob! I'm glad Mithrandir persuaded them to have the council there, it would be much more homelier (I'm not entirely sure that's a word, but oh well) than Isengard. I found the thing between Calith and Tinar amusing. Well, sorry this review's going to be cut short, but this was a great chapter anyways, keep up the good work. Update asap! ~nessie~ Author Reply: Well, Tolkien calls Elrond's house "homely" so I don't see why you can't say "homelier." I'm sure the elves are happier in the woods than they would be at Isengard. Calith and Tinar may amuse you, but they're driving Todith crazy. I think he may be about to send Tinar on a loooong trip.

Ms. Whatsit	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/3/2004
Oh, dear, poor Annael. Sinnarn is going on a charm offensive, isn't he--and he's just Eilian-ish enough, and Annael is just nice enough, for him to succeed. Annael's wife might as well start planning for her daughter's wedding. "“He sends his most sincere regrets that he is unable to attend,” Ithilden said untruthfully. He could have sworn that Elrond’s shoulders relaxed slightly in response to his answer." LOLOL!!!! I love imagining Elrond staying awake at night wondering what Thranduil would say at the Council. I can just imagine him, Galadriel and Glorfindel gossiping about our favorite Elvenking behind his back. "if Curunír had been one of his officers, Ithilden would have been double checking every report he made." That's a great way of expressing Ithilden's distrust. There was a fair amount of foreshadowing (or maybe I was imagining it) of what happens in later fics like "A Question of Duty." The bit about Thranduil expecting Legolas to sit quietly while his elders made his decisions for him, for instance--it was ironic considering that we all know Legolas is going to go off to Mordor with the One Ring without asking Thranduil first. And the bit about there being no diplomatic missions in Amdir's future (didn't he go with Legolas to Rivendell?) Also liked Celuwen and Thranduil arguing, Legolas staying diplomatically out of it (smart elfling) and both of them shutting up when Alfirin is around. Alfirin does seem the type to want to avoid political debates at dinnertime. Celuwen, on the other hand, would probably thrive on it. Author Reply: I think that if Annael's daughter has made up her mind to accept Sinnarn, Annael is not going to have a chance to stop it. And if he believes that she loves Thranduil's grandson and will be happy with him, he won't even want to stop it, I'll bet. Thranduil would probably be not a lot of fun to be at a meeting with. Not that Curunir or Galadriel would be a ton of laughs either, in my opinion. I think that would be one of those meetings to which I'd have to take my laptop and pretend I was taking notes when I was actually going wireless and reading fanfiction. You are so clever, Ms. Whatsit, to see the looking forward to the Council of Elrond. I thought it was sort of an inside joke to write about Amdir being unfit for diplomatic missions involving dwarves when I did, indeed, send him to Rivendell. And you cannot know how much you pleased me by seeing Alfirin and Celuwen as different. When writing about the wives of characters, it's hard to avoid making them generic females, I find.

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/3/2004
I loved the reactions and relief of the other other members of the White Council when they realised Ithilden was representing his father. Thranduil doesn't do diplomacy, does he? Ithilden should go with his gut instinct - don't trust the white wizard! - but he got sucked in by the Voice. Tinar was - well, Tinar - but I would have loved to be a fly on the wall and seen what happened in that outer office! He should learn to keep his hands out of things. Everyone has grown into their greater responsibilities well, and I hope we'll see something of Eilian soon? Jay Author Reply: I amused myself in writing about how the other members of the White Council did NOT want to sit in a meeting with Thranduil. I have co-workers like that. And as a matter of fact, I am impatient enough at meetings that I think I may sometimes actually BE the person my coworkers don't want to meet with. I'm thinking Eilian will be in the next chapter. :-)

Esamen	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 6/3/2004
Ithilden had met her too at the White Council’s formation, but he felt afresh the power of her personality when she turned her gaze upon him. “Indeed I am,” Ithilden agreed. “My lord sends his regrets.” He suddenly felt ashamed of his suspicions. The wizard’s manner was graciousness itself. Todith seemed to have no doubt at all that Legolas was not only a lethal warrior but also a competent officer. Legolas rather thought she was right, but he kept his mouth shut. Celuwen did not need his help in standing up to Thranduil You have some marvelous action here . . . so rich with canon and powerfully enhanced with your own imagination! Yes, Saruman is demonstrating the power of his voice . . . and I love the strong presentations of Galadriel and Celuwen. I want to be just like Galadriel when I grow up . . . strong women rule! And I just love Legolas the lethal warrior. He's blond, he's bad, he's beautiful . . . what a guy! Are we going to get some delicious warrior-type dangerous action with follow up H/C? or are we going to focus on character interplay and political strifein this story? Or are you keeping everything a secret for now? Hugs, Esamen Author Reply: I'm glad you're enjoying all these folks, Esamen. And I would say that both Galadriel and Celuwen show that you don't have to holding a sword to kick butt. Legolas the warrior actually does my heart flutter a little. And you can plan on some battle scenes, I think, probably more than one. ;-)

First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page

Return to Chapter List