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| Nothing In Haste by Gwynnyd | 6 Review(s) |
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| Lasse | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/30/2016 |
| I really liked the scene with Arwen and Elrond! It was really touching and well-balanced and well-written. However, the rationale at the end is incorrect: Elrond did not set the condition because of Arwen, but because of Aragorn. It was foreseen that Aragorn would EITHER rise to become greater than anyone of his line since Elendil, OR fall into darkness with the rest of the Dunedain. There were no options for "he will be the last direct descendant and the world will go on mostly as normal" or "he might be a regular old chieftain with descendants and the world will go on as normal." It was only all or nothing - Aragorn failing to become king = his death, the ruin of the Dunedain, and as they knew by this time, probably Sauron's victory. So he didn't want to let Arwen marry Aragorn before it was clear that the disastrous alternative future was not going to come to pass. (And in which case, it would not be a happy or even bittersweet reuniting in Valinor, it would be utter failure and the ruin of everything Elrond had worked for in the past 6,000 years, with only a tiny comfort that at least Arwen was still alive.) When he says that Arwen will not wed anyone less than the King of Gondor and Arnor, what he means is that Arwen will not wed Aragorn before he has fulfilled his destiny properly. As Elrond says explicitly in the Appendix: first, when Aragorn is 20: "A great doom awaits you, either to rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin. Many years of trial lie before you. You shall neither have wife, nor bind any woman to you in troth, until your time comes and you are found worthy of it." and then, when Aragorn is 50: "My son, years come when hope will fade, and beyond them little is clear to me. And now a shadow lies between us. Maybe, it has been appointed so, that by my loss the kingship of Men may be restored...To me then even OUR victory can bring only sorrow and parting - but to you hope of joy for a while." (Emphasis on OUR.) | |
| Amy Earls | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/8/2004 |
| Your characterizations of Elrond and Arwen are lovely. I hadn't thought before of the parallels between Arwen at the end of life and Celebrian at the end of her life on Arda. I feel great sympathy for Elrond, caught in a no-win situation. He can't seem to help his political dealmaking, even with his daughter's life, but how can he command the dancing starlight that is Arwen in love? Thank you so much! Author Reply: You're welcome and thank you! I think Elrond would have to be a very practical person and very well versed in politics. He has steered a successful course for more than two ages of the world, but still he loves his daughter and the Professor tol dus that all Elrond's choices were bitter. I'm glad you thought I did a good job of characterizing him. | |
| daw the minstrel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/3/2004 |
| What lovely details in this interpretation of moment in canon. The flowers, the dust on Arwen's hair, even the pen and pen knife -- they're real. Elrond's memory of being doused in cold water struck me too. There's just a wealth of wonderful writing here. Author Reply: Thank you. I do believe the details make a difference in a story, and I try to be very careful to get them right. I really wanted the gold and white honeysuckle to remind Elrond of his wife, but it's an early summer blooming flower and of course, by the time Arwen and Aragron could get back to Rivendell it would be late summer at the earliest. But then I remembered the Ring Elrond was keeper of, so I thought it was a romantic idea that he kept the flowers blooming out of season in her memory. I have no way of knowing if any reader ever picked up on that 'bloomed untimely',but it was fun thinking of those kinds of details to put in. | |
| grumpy | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/3/2004 |
| What a lovely story, and so well written too. I love how you went from Elrond's joy for his daughter, at her finally finding true love, to his dismay that it is Aragorn. Also how Elrond went through his choices of what he could do, and how he came to his finally choice. thanks for the wonderfully story Author Reply: Thank you! Elrond could not have expected Aragron to be in Lorien, so it seemed reasonable that he would jump to the wrong conclusion when he heard Arwen found someone to love there. I'm very glad you enjoyed the story. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/3/2004 |
| Well done. You portrayed Elrond's thoughts and feelings beautifully. What a tragedy for him -- and what a thing to live with. Author Reply: Yes, it would be hard to live with. All the choices he had were very hard ones. As a mother of daughters, I hope I never have to have to make a similar decision. Thanks! | |
| rikki | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/3/2004 |
| This is a really touching story. You have taken the everyday task of Elrond cleaning and then paring the nib on his pen as his mind wanders over the news he has received from Arwen. It shows an elf who has survived yen and faced many hardships facing probably the greatest one of all - that of losing his daughter to Luthien's fate. It touches a spot that is rarely recorded about Arwen and her adar. Author Reply: I'm so happy that you found the story resonated with your emotions and you found it touching. Poor Elrond was left with no good choices. He had already lost his brother to the Doom of Men and now he had to loose his daughter as well. I don't blame him for trying to postpone her decision. Thank you for your feedabck! | |