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Time's Turnings  by daw the minstrel 21 Review(s)
pipinheartReviewed Chapter: 11 on 10/12/2005
Legolas actions were reported to his family and Ithilden knows his worth and my transfer him after all, one thing Legolas has been beging for.
Eilian done well, he is not a bad diplomate...

Author Reply: Thranduil should be proud of them both.

KarriReviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/21/2005
It seems a little sad to me that Legolas performing his duties well catches everyone so much by surprise. A great chapter, though. :-) Thranduil's reactions to Eilian's report were otherwise amusing. I feel badly for Ithildin, though, who wants so badly to close to his son.

Author Reply: I don't know that they're exactly surprised that Legolas did well. I think what it is is that they're not used to thinking of him as the competent warrior. That's not how they picture him, so they have to kind of adjust. That's how I feel about my son sometimes. I know he's smart and capable, but he catches me by surprise sometimes. I still think of him as a kid.

Ithilden is being so careful with Sinnarn, and Sinnarn is just so difficult right now. Fortunately time will cure what ails Sinnarn!

meckinockReviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/20/2005
LOL. Come on, admit it. You said a bad word when I posted chapter 12 before your reviewed this one. :-)

You're an android, aren't you? When they come to your house to get your computers, the truth will come out.

I think the prostitute story is one of those what will never grow stale -- at least in Eilian's eyes. And they all do need to see that Legolas is good at what he does, but I think that's hard for family sometimes. My mother is still wondering when I'm going to get a real job.

My mother wonders the same thing. :)

Author Reply: LOL. It's the sudafed.

meckinockReviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/20/2005
Legolas better hurry up and get some dirt on Eilian or he's going to get mighty sick of that prostitute story. And Eilian - good thinking. Never lie about something Ada's going to find out anyway. It's certainly no surprise to Thranduil that Beliond is good at "finding" things! It was nice to see Thranduil proud of his second son for once. And it's good that everyone is finally coming to terms with Legolas's job description (as well as the realization that he might actually be GOOD at it!). Lorellin's conversation with Ithilden was very poignant.

Author Reply: LOL. Come on, admit it. You said a bad word when I posted chapter 12 before your reviewed this one. :-)

I think the prostitute story is one of those what will never grow stale -- at least in Eilian's eyes. And they all do need to see that Legolas is good at what he does, but I think that's hard for family sometimes. My mother is still wondering when I'm going to get a real job.

NilmandraReviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/20/2005
I like how Thranduil knew exactly how Beliond 'found' that letter :) I rather suspect that Thranduil might sit down with Maltanaur and Beliond and drink to oldtimes, and we would learn of many things that they know about each other.

Tinar is a jerk, btw.

And I nicely imagined that unwritten scene in my mind!

Author Reply: I'm guessing that the keepers could tell great tales about the king if they were indiscreet enough. Of course, Thranduil knows they're not, or he'd never have handing his sons into their care.

You just keep imagining that scene.

Tapetum LucidumReviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/19/2005
Your little interlude at the warrior's camp was great! Having Legolas so eager to spend just a little more time with his brother was sweet. His restraint about not interrupting his captain also showed his new maturity. Praise from Eilian is very heartwarming. It was clear how much the youngest looked up to his older sibling. The relationship between Maltanaur and Beliond is really developing. I enjoy their little conversations. I would think Thranduil was quite the mischief maker when he was young.

Throwing Tinar into the scene was like icing on the cake. He always makes me laugh. I feel so bad for his poor wife. She must have a very dull life if darning his leggings makes her happy. Poor Eilian and Maltanaur - it must have been a long trip back to the palace.

Eilian used good judgement in relaying his trip to Thranduil He told the truth and left out just a few incriminating details. He did a good job walking that line. It was much better to clear the air before he went south. No one would want the wrath of Thranduil hovering over their head for 3 months. I think the iron merchant is going to have a very hard day.

Ithilden's little flashback to his Naneth was sweet. She did a great job using "Mommy Guilt" to see the error of his ways. It is a lot more effective and painful than yelling and screaming. I am looking forward to seeing how Ithilden deals with Sinnarn!

Author Reply: Legolas is coming along. I think he's on the verge of full adulthood. Now if he can only persuade the people who love him to let him make a few mistakes and get a little more experience, he'll be well on his way to becoming Legolas of the Fellowship.

Tinar is another story. Sometimes I almost feel sorry for him, he's so clueless and he has to be himself, which is both his crime and his punishment, I guess.

Eilian reasoned it through and made the right decision about telling Thranduil almost everything. The prostitute is still his own little secret to be taken out and used to torment his brother whenever necessary.

I so seldom get to write about Lorellin that I really enjoyed this chance. Thanks, TL.

AliceReviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/19/2005
Yay, a scene with Lorellin! I really do like her. I love how she leaves Ithilden with a nice thought about him being her favorite harpist. I feel really sad now for Legolas that he had to grow up without her. Stupid orcs. I am however anxious to know what plan Ithilden and Alfirin are planning on presenting to Sinnarn. Especially since we all know he winds up being a warrior.

So we're back with the patrol are we? I really like the scenes of daily life of the patrols. It's fun watching the warriors interact. I like the comradery of it all. Though I personally think that if you threw Tinar into any situation, camradery would arise just from being united against his general presence, as happens with many annoying people. His wife enjoys his mending indeed. Nice to see how well he knows her. Not. I'm begining to wonder if perhaps he took a blow to the head during his formulative years and lost some brain cells. It's beginning to be the only explanation that makes sense. And I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that I know people who are like him that make you wonder that. Good for your writing skills I guess, bad for the world at large that must put up with them.

Eilian is never going to let the whore thing drop. Legolas is going to come back from the quest and Eilian's going to ask him, " So find any pretty scarlet ladies in Minas Tirith?" Oh siblings, such unending sources of joy and irritation. Oh! And perhaps my favorite moment of this story: mentioning Thranduil's juggling of the knives. Even our favorite stormy king was young once. As were the two keepers who were young friends with him. I'm curious about their youth. And Oropher. Perhaps you would like to enlighten us more about the seven knives and other such incidents? Pretty, pretty please?

Oh and I thoroughly enjoyed Eilian's thought processes on telling Thranduil what exactly went on. I liked the style in which it was written. Eilian's POV was distinct in that scene. I liked it.

So, good chapter. I look forward to the next. Which isn't surprising really as my first thought after finishing your latest chapter is, "Great, now I have to wait another 2-5 days for her to come out with the next one." Keep up the good work.

Author Reply: Unbelievable as it seems to me, I almost didn't do a scene with Lorellin. It only occurred to me about two chapters ago that I had this opportunity to write about her and I was wasting it! So she turned up here, thank Eru.

Tinar is really scary. I actually modeled him on someone I know too. I feel sorry for his fellow patrol members. He must be a constant irritant when he's around.

LOL about Eilian's greeting to Legolas when he gets back from the Quest. You're probably right. He and Legolas both enjoyed hearing about their father juggling too many knives just as much as you did. Eilian hasn't brought that up yet. He's saving it for a rainy day when he wants to needle his father.

I'm glad you liked reading about Eilian's reasoning on what to tell Thranduil. I enjoyed writing it. The sole purpose of those couple of paragraphs is to show Eilian's thought process because it's so Eilian-ish. I tend to rush things (as my beta always tells me) and I consciously decided to leave that section in because of what it showed about his character, even though it wasn't necessary for the plot.

I'm working on the next chapter which is the last one in this story, but I have only two pages done. It won't be very long though. I just have a few things to wrap up.

Jay of LasgalenReviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/19/2005
I love the closeness you show between Eilain and Legolas in this chapter - the way Eilian teases his brother, and the way they laugh together about Thranduil and Tinar. And oh, Tinar - saving all his mending so dutifully to take home to his little wife! That was a wonderful scene, made all the better by Eilian's aside. I like the entertainment value of Beliond teaching Tinar how to do his own mending!

I found the pride and pleasure Eilian and Legolas found in simple 'well dones' from those they really cared about - Thranduil, Beliond, Eilian himself - very touching. They, of course, are the ones whose opinions really matter.

Author Reply: I really enjoyed writing the scene between the two brothers and their keepers. These four have an interesting set of relationships, brother to brother, keeper to keeper, and each keeper to his charge. I wonder how the brothers relate to the other one's keeper? Surely Legolas wonders what Maltanaur has seen?

Tinar is a gift to an author! He's so totally clueless.

Ms. WhatsitReviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/19/2005
Heh. "Yes, Adar, Beliond 'found' a letter. Really. It was just lying around." Thranduil seems to have had a sense of humor about the whole thing.

Legolas is never going to live down the prostitute incident, is he?

And now Ithilden's going to talk to Sinnarn. Dun-dun-dun!

Author Reply: Thranduil probably knows exactly what Beliond is like. It's interesting to think what influence Beliond might have had on Legolas in the long run. Legolas will never be grouchy or a loner like Beliond, but he might be willing to be a bit of a maverick like Beliond is. Going off with the Fellowship took a certain amount of willingness to think outside the box!

perellethReviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/19/2005
Saturday afternoon, home alone for some hours.. no duties... I treated myself to re-reading the whole story, you see, I'm a compulsive reader, and I'm not much used to this "drop by drop" reading, (although I've come to enjoy it, much to my own surprise!)so I tend to lose the whole sense of it all... and this story had much of a latent atmosphere for me to lose it. And there it was. I think it is the way you manage to show the positive feelings, the trust, the love, the learning process, the choices, the mistakes and difficult decissions made out of love, that makes me smile when I finish a chapter and sometimes I catch myself looking at my own experiences. Reading it on one shot made it twofold pleasant!

This story in particular has such a beautiful background of family pictures, it is almost imposible not to be moved by it, beyond the entertaining story and the lovely characters, and all that Beliond/Legolas bickering which, honestly, is real fun. Seeing Legolas and Eilian together was lovely, the chapter opening was quite moving, it's so fluidly written...balancing lightness and that sweet melancholy when someone's departing and someone's staying... simply liked it.

And Ithilden's flashback was so.. telling!!! He's had such a long lonely life before finding Alfirin, that sometimes it must seem to him he's closer to Thranduil than to any of his brothers... I liked very much how you managed to hint at the special relationship he had with his naneth, and how he had expressed his mourning at her passing in such a subtle way: the harp. Moving. I'm sure Sinnarn will eventually appreciate the lengths his father is going to help him...this age or the next!

And...Thranduil tossing seven knives was priceless!!!! I know I repeat myself awfully, but...Do you think Thranduil could be blackmailed into sharing some less-than-impressive episodes of his youth with his sons?I loved "Paths of memory".. maybe a very special Dorwinion vintage would help convince him?

Well, there goes my saturday afernoon! It's been a pleasure thanks to your story. Please make sure you do not run out of inspiration and thanks again!!!! :-)






Author Reply: Your observations about reading in bits are interesting. I too have come to appreciate reading in bits. I think it's partly that reading on a screen feels more confining that reading on paper, which I can carry around. What's interesting is that I too can lose sight of the whole story when I'm writing chapter by chapter, which is why I outline fairly obsessively before I start. That's when I get a sense of the whole story and what it's all supposed to add up to. I like to have a theme that I try to draw through the story. This one is supposed to be about what it means to be an adult among elves whose aging and spread of generations are so different from ours. I'd also like the whole story arc to have a central theme, which would be the creation of Legolas of the Fellowship.

One of the things I'm sorry about is that I have so little chance to write about Lorellin. This was a golden opportunity to do that. I see her as providing a balance to Thranduil (and also for Thranduil--he was a better person when she was around). When she died, the family just lost its way for a while and that affected them all. Legolas suffered because he was little, but I think Ithilden and Eilian and Thranduil did too.

Young Thranduil would be fun. There's a little glimpse of him in Elliska's current chapter that you might like.

You can't know how much I appreciate your kind words.

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