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The Wrong Path  by White Wolf 5 Review(s)
EruannaReviewed Chapter: 27 on 1/29/2004
I read this last night, and unfortunately did not have time to review, but I want you to know that this is awesome! I am always interested in how authors depict a soul after death. I varies *a lot*. Those poor guys on the ground! And Legolas' poor subjects, and his poor family, and.... POOR x INFINITY TO THE TENTH POWER everybody!!!! (EXCEPT MORDRAUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) As I read this chapter, I was...like...torn! I mean, I am *not* a person who wants to see Legolas die. Y' know, I'm just not. But I would really, *really* have liked him to get to see his naneth...poor guy. //Thranduil knew the instant his son’s spirit left his body.// Ouch. Oh. OUCH. Ah! BIG ouch! Again, very nice job with everyone's personal grief. Once again, the last paragraph where Thranduil cries out the words "little one", made me cry. I really love that part, because of the heartbreaking meaning of the words, and also the way it was only implied that Thranduil said it. And then right back to Legolas. Everything starts changing. That whole scene was so sad...oh my! I love it! And then he makes his choice, and says goodbye to his mother...so sweet. Very catchy last sentence. ;-) I can't wait to see everybody's reactions! And I imagine that there will still be more Legolas angst ahead? (If so, I'm gonna need a calculator for my "poors"!)

You are right; that would have been unbelievably cruel of you had ended the story and chapter 26!!! I too have read some stories where Legolas died and stayed dead; some were very well written, I admit, but I could never really like them. That's the thing I really love about writing. With words, you can make *anything* happen. First of all, that's just an awesome feeling. Second, I am one of those people who thinks that in the movies and even in books, Legolas doesn't get enough credit. It never stops annoying me, but because I can write, I can do anything I want and I can honor him to death! (And often I catch myself choosing to believe that these actually happened, but when he dies or something I'm just like: "Oh whatever, it's just fiction; that's not what really happened.") (!!!) Oh, my wonderful, overactive imagination!

Can't wait for more!

Author Reply: I'm so happy you liked this chapter. It is my favorite, so far anyway. The first sentence, "Legolas's spirit was soaring". came to me, and the rest just flowed into place. I knew, of course, that I was going to bring him back. I just wasn't sure what would do it. When I had Thranduil call Legolas Little One, I knew that was the answer. Legolas would somehow hear it, and that would be the trigger to his return.

I'm glad you liked the grief from everyone's POV. I always like to reveal how characters deal with a tragedy, whatever it might be. Death is so final (for us mortals anyway) that reaction to it is the most powerful emotion, IMO.

I would love for Legolas to have seen his mother before returning, but that would have been far worse, because she would have been so sad to see him go, even though she would want him to live. This way she never knew he was coming, and so didn't have to tell him goodbye. That would have made *me* cry.

The good thing about fanfic is you can write anything you want. You can follow canon or go AU. And, the fact that LOTR is fantasy means you can use magic or other special powers to twist the physical world around to suit yourself.

Legolas never got the credit he deserved, I agree. I had hoped that after the success of FOTR and the popularity of the character, Peter Jackson would have given Legolas a bigger part for the remaining two movies. I know they were all filmed at once, but the cast was called back several times for added scenes. Ah well, we writers can just fill in the parts we would have liked to see (or read), plus doing pre- (like this one) and post-LOTR stories.

I'd better end this, or it will be as long as one of the chapters. I just find it so easy to talk to you about everything.

The start of the aftermath is coming soon.

Sindar90Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 1/29/2004
Hey, this is so sad and beautiful story, i really like this.

By the way: i live in finland!!!!!

Author Reply: Thank you so much. I'm happy you are enjoying the story.

I'm also happy to welcome a Finnish reader. I live in the southern US.

SivanReviewed Chapter: 27 on 1/29/2004
That was described very well.

Between the mandos hall and the other choice. Luckily he had strong connection with his father, that was back him to life.

I have no other words to wrote, but I still love what I read.

Keep up the PERFECT work that you are doing with this tensing fic/story, and keep the chapters coming.

Sivan

Author Reply: Thank you. I love this chapter myself.

Tough choice, but I think that Eru made sure that Legolas heard his father's voice calling him "Little One". He want4ed Legolas to go back, but The choice of whether to continue on or go back was left entirely up to Legolas. Aren't we glad he made the *right* one!

More coming soon.

sofiaReviewed Chapter: 27 on 1/28/2004
really good. At the last chapter i was sad that Legolas would die. But it doesnt really bother me now. This is still an awsome story. So he chose to go back to his deformed body than reunite with his mother in peace? Tough choice. Hope the next chapter is along the way.

Author Reply: Thank you. This is one of my favorite chapters. It was a very tough choice for Legolas to make, and he didn't have long to mull over the consequences of each choice. He was willing to take the chance that all would be well. After all, he was being given a chance to return to those he loves that very few people ever had.

*~SuGaR~*Reviewed Chapter: 27 on 1/28/2004
ha! i knew it, i knew he wouldn't die...at least i knew he wouldn't stay dead!! =) authors like to be as cruel as possible and Legolas going onto the Halls of Mandos living a life of eternal peace and happiness was just too nice wasn't it!?!?!?...but no matter, Legolas isn't dead!!!!!!!!...anymore!!!!!! but what exactly is going on now..."Bitter cold swallowed him, and all awareness fled." =S...is that a good thing!?!?! it'd better be...the idea of living in a twisted and deformed body the rest of his life *shudder* his body would heal wouldn't it...having Legolas live like that for the rest of his life wouldn't be an ideal ending though...it is cruel, but authors wouldn't be that cruel...

argh, it just had to end there...now i have to wait...again!!!!! POST SOON!!!!!

*~SuGaR~*



Author Reply: So, you thought Legolas wasn't going to stay dead. Congratulations. You were right. I couldn't leave him dead, because I just couldn't do it, although I've read some great stories where he died and stayed that way. Besides, there is much more story left. And, there will be more angst ahead. If I was really, really cruel, I'd have ended the story at the end of chapter 26. Now, *that* would have been cruel.

I can't answer your concerns about what happens to Legolas now. But, of course, you know that, don't you?


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