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Healthy Respect by The Karenator	14 Review(s)
White Wolf	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/20/2008
This story is absolutely adorable. It doesn't seem to matter whether children are human or elven or some other race. They all think alike! I live in the country and even though I've never had quite the experience Daeron had, I still have a healthy respect for all spiders. What a wonderful and entertaining read.

moonshine4488	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/8/2006
Hello! Wow was I happy to read this. I miss reading about Daeron and Legolas. I was actually thinking about them the other day. I had planned on re-reading some of the older stories about them when I saw this one. lol. Great story! Author Reply: I can't think of a nicer compliment than to know you were thinking about my characters and considering going back and rereading some of the older tales. Thank you. I'm so tickled. I'm especially glad you enjoyed this story. It was fun to write, and I have to admit I enjoyed hanging out with Legolas and Daeron again. Thank you, Moonshine. It's always a pleasure for me to hear from you.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/2/2006
Well - who can blame Daeron for dreading spiders of all shapes and sizes after an experience like that! It's not as if he was fond of them in the first place and after Spike (great name for a spider) had wrapped him up, it's hardly surprising he couldn't sleep alone for months. Perhaps Legolas's experience - agonising though it was - contained too much unconsciousness for him to get the true dread of having a monster spider, who is, to the youthful mind, halfway between puppy and balrog IN YOUR ROOM. This was just such a delight. I knew I missed Daeron's perspective on life, but I hadn't realised just how pleasurable it would be to hear from him again. Wonderful story. Great characters. Not excluding the late Spike. Author Reply: Thank you, Bodkin. I'm sorry I'm so late responding, but well, you know...RL is kicking my rear. I don't blame Daeron for fearing spiders myself. And I don't have the excuse he does. I just don't like them, for whatever subconscious reason I harbor. I don't think Daeron liked spiders much to begin with, but this experience pushed him over the edge. Though, if Seregon would sleep with me for months, I might consider allowing Spike to spin his web around me. As long as someone rescues me quickly. I don't think Legolas got the full experience either. He was horrified when he saw the web, but it wasn't him wrapped up, so he shook it off with the ease only a kid can have. However, Daeron didn't forget. And never will. Nope, never. Thanks again. I'm so glad you enjoyed Daeron and Legolas and their adventure. I truly appreciate you reading and reviewing.

lwarren	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/24/2006
Hello, Karen! It was so great to see a story with your name on it again! I have sorely missed the antics of Daeron and his royal cousin! Some things..er, elves...don't change either. The thought of these two 'scholars' diligently working on their reading assignments thoroughly touched the teacher's heart in me....g. So, by the title we are to finally learn where Daeron comes by his 'healty respect' for arachnids (and it didn't start with Legolas throwing one on him at dinner, either! I rather thought there was more to it than that! LOL) Now let me get this straight, the younglings want a puppy, do they? And they are responsible, are they? Not? Hmmmmm, how to prove that they will take proper care of a baby animal....snaps fingers Of course! Find an orphaned baby animal and keep it safe and healthy and hidden until they can present it to their elders! Yep, sounds like a plan to me.... Holy jumping warg spit! A baby spider the size of your palm? Karen, you must inform the elflings' tutor that he needs to add a unit on the life cycles of spiders to his curriculum. Even I know that is way too big for a normal wood-spider! Daeron seems to be already twitchy about creepy-crawlers - oooooh, and the little web-weaver likes him best...not good, not good at all. Spike, huh? And he looks like his nana forgot to comb his hair? ROFL Ummm, sorry...now...where were we? Take the little web-slinger home - make it a bed-n-breakfast box, complete with room service - and keep it under Daeron's bed. Never mind that it doubles it's size in just a couple of days....that just proves how good they are taking care of it! Enter Seregon to the sight of his baby brother wrapped in websilk like a Yule gift for Spike! Uh, Aldamir...could you come in here and help me out, please? You've got to hand it to Seregon, he's is one cool elf. Not so the Naneth - or Legolas! Enter Thranduil with a sword! sigh Let's play that scene again...Enter KING THRANDUIL WITH A SWORD! YEAH!!!!!! Chop, chop, dead Spike (R.I.P) and sorry, guys, NO PUPPIES for you until you can tell a normal spider from one of the deadly ones! giggles wildly As you can see, I thoroughly enjoyed this little piece of Mirkwood History. I now understand Daeron's completely logical reaction to even a small spider 'scudding across his hand without a care in Arda.' Hey, if it has 8 legs, ICK! You do such a wonderful job with the humor, and also the relationship between the cousins. I really liked the fight at the beginning, and I'll bet they are like my kids...they can call each other every name in the book, but let anyone else mess with one, then all come to the rescue! Seregon is a good big brother to sleep with his little brother AND read to him. I'm glad Daeron comes to appreciate him more later on! Aldamir is still taking responsibility for everything. Thranduil is still the KING (along with that bulging vein, which luckily, did NOT make an appearance here), and Erelas is still a hoot (really, Spike and Spider once the guys do get their puppies? Brothers...) And Legolas, the Helpful has an IDEA for 'curing' Daeron of his squeamishness...yeah, that's right, Daeron...RUN! This was wonderful and funny and warm, Karen, just what the daw ordered... Happy, happy birthday DAW! Linda rubs hands together and smacks lips Sooooo, who's birthday is next? Author Reply: Linda! I was so excited to hear from you. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you, but RL has been very busy. But there was some good in that too. I've been to Scotland! Beautiful county and beautiful people. I meet Dot! It was great fun. Oh, yeah, the story. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. You really do have the little rascals' number. But then, if anybody would, you would. You're right that they need a lesson in the life cycles of spiders. In fact, I've heard your name mentioned around the palace. Expect to hear from the queen soon. The pay isn't good, but the scenery is great. Enter Thranduil with a sword Seregon isn't nearly the warg Daeron thinks he is. He'll come to appreciate his older brother later, but at this point, Seregon's just a bossy pain in the rump. A pain that sleeps with him so he won't be afraid and one that reads to him every night, but Daeron only notices Seregon when he goes into bossy mode. Poor Seregon. I felt a little bad making the root of Daeron's phobia so serious since Legolas put a spider on him in 'Serious Trouble' and everyone got such a charge out of Daeron's reaction. I soothed my guilty conscious by telling myself that a lot of time had passed and everyone had lost the horror of finding Daeron wrapped up like a 'Yule present for Spike'. Thanks again for taking the time to review...and a great review, it was. Hope the new school year goes well and you have a wonderful class of scholars. Okay, a class of moderately well-behaved hooligans. It was so good to hear from you. Feel free to jump in with a story of your own any time. Birthdays not required. :>)

perelleth	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/24/2006
LOLOL! Karen this was so fun!! But then, Daeron always is! Yet the backstory for his "love" of spiders is so amusing! Holy jumping warg spit! Daeron is the greatest hoot in Middle earth, I'm ready to swear! And Legolas with his ideas! poor Daeron, he was being sensible but the fight was lost since the very beginning. When a child that age says he has a good idea... I was laughing all the way, just picturing how Spike would manage to scare Daeron until his coming of age, but I have to admit that he's quite right. I wouldn't want to be cocooned in a cobweb by my pet. I cannot imagine the look in Seregon and Aldamir's faces when they got to see it! And then Legolas hoping that they would be allowed to keep a puppy after all that! Children! On a side note, I think Seregon's so sweet! Sleeping with his annoying baby brother for a whole month! It is great that Daeron learnt to see through his big brother's exasperating ways! Wonderful tale, Karen,we all vote for daw to have many, many more birthdays!!! Author Reply: I love the birthday 'months' we've been having recently. The stories have all been so much fun. Really good stories too. So, when's yours? Throw your month in the pot and we'll see what's cooking. I'm so glad you enjoyed Daeron's last fiasco. The terrible two meant well, but you know what 'they' say about the road to hell. I think Daeron came off as being a little more sensible than usual because he was already squeamish about the spiders. After waking up as spider bait, it was only a tiny step to a full-blown phobia. Seregon and Aldamir sure got a shock. I wondered what went through their heads when they saw Daeron's bed encased in web. With such a shock, I bet they didn't bother to put on the impassive-elf look on their faces. Horror was probably 'in' for that day. Seregon is a sweetheart. He loves the little scamp, but he lacks the finesse of his mother. He just calls 'em as he sees 'em. I've not written these two past Daeron's teenage years, but I think they were very close later. I thought about writing the reunion with their father in Valinor many times, but I've not done it. I'd like to see them together as adults. Maybe someday. Thanks so much for the kind review. Your reviews are always a delight for me to read. I appreciate you taking the time to do them.

meckinock	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/23/2006
Karen, you're the greatest. Where else can we get great lines like “Holy jumping warg spit?” Daeron and Legolas are an absolute riot. I like it that Daeron is the cautious one this time, but that sort of fits. He's got a little bit of Mr. Doom and Gloom about him, while Legolas is Mr. Happy Go Lucky, what could go wrong. I love how these guys rationalize how they're going to prove to their parents they're reponsible. The confontation at the end was absolutely stunning. Seregon and Aldamir and Thranduil, whipping out swords! A fabulous story. PS I gave my kid a puppy. Author Reply: Legolas and Daeron got a puppy too...later, after the spider webs had been cleared out of the stronghold and out of their heads. Yeah, Daeron was a little cautious this go around. I don't think he was...wiser; he was just already showing a squeamishness for spiders. It bloomed into a full hate affair. Their rationalization made sense to them! I mean, how hard could it be to show the adults that they're responsible? So, they rescue a spider. I can't help myself. Any time I can get a sword into Thranduil's hand, I shove it right in there. He was just on the wrong side of the bed to actually skewer the nasty critter. Thanks, Meckinock. First of all, I appreciate your help, and I appreciate you taking the time to review. I know you've been overloaded with...stuff. You're a good ranger.

Dot	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/23/2006
Right. I’m a big wimp about spiders so if you don’t mind I’m going to write this as I read the story instead of afterwards because if it gets really icky, I may not go back! I can’t tell you how excited I was to see the story alert and learn that we were getting more Daeron! Well, daw was getting more Daeron, but I’m pretty shameless about enjoying other people’s presents ;-) Great opening! I love those kinds of days. LOL at Daeron presuming Legolas was drooling all over the book he was going to read next! He’s such a hoot. Eep, a spider. I’m with Daeron – it’s worse when they disappear because then you can imagine where they’ve gone. Legolas just doesn’t understand. I must say, I really like the way you have the boys argue. They’re best pals but part of that means that they annoy each other and fall out and make up again. Though Daeron’s hilarious in his dignified outrage. I love the way he’s so sure that he has the upper hand. It was very good of Legolas to apologise :-) He’s been dragged up well if he can recognise when he’s wrong and admit to it. “If we found a baby animal in the forest and cared for it, then they would see we can be trusted.” See, that actually sounds like it makes some sense. Yet, I suspect that it won’t quite turn out how they think… (Should I cover my eyes yet?) I’m chuckling away here at this: “Nana said if I did anything stupid again, she was going to have me placed under guard. […]“She said you did something stupid?” “She did not use those words, but that is what she meant.” In truth, Seregon was the one who used the word stupid. He was not as careful about my feelings as our nana. LOL!! I’ve missed this family. I get the feeling that I’m going to wish that Nana Rabbit didn’t come back and they could have acquired some orphan bunnies. And yes… along comes a spider. “His nana did not brush his hair this morning.” chokes Ok, that was almost cute! “If he’s a baby, just think how big he will get.” nods Listen to Daeron, Legolas. Poor Daeron. He doesn’t really want to do this, does he? He’s already a bit squeamish. Spike? blinks Did they just name the spider Spike? And they’ve turned into right mother hens, crooning about how good he is and making him all comfy! I’m a little bit worried about how he’s growing, though. And talk of him leaping. Spiders that can jump would be my absolute nightmare. Hey, it’s Seregon and Aldamir! Two of my favourite people. Have they spotted the spider, then? My entire bed, from the canopy to the floor, was encased in webbing that cocooned me into the center. Oh. Dear. God. That is quite possibly the scariest thing I have ever read. And earlier Daeron said… let me scroll up… he said “How would you like a spider spinning its web around you?” shudder Spike, looking as if he doubled his size overnight, sprang up from behind the headboard and plopped down between Aldamir and me. Ok, I yelped at that. Shrieked, actually. Lord, woman, what are you trying to do to me? Oh wait, I should be focusing on Daeron. He must have been petrified! No wonder he’s afraid of spiders! Hurrah for Aldamir! RIP, Spike. Thranduil’s arms must have been very welcome just then, even though Daeron was close to hysterics. Poor Aldamir indeed. Is he going to get the blame for the spider being there for Legolas and Daeron to find? Uncle sighed and ran his hand over his face. “I would have preferred a puppy.” “Then I can have one?” Legolas asked, hope shining through his hiccoughs like a beacon on a foggy cliff. LOL!! Not one to miss an opportunity, is he! Though, I must say, a cute little puppy might do wonders in helping Daeron to recover. That poor elfling will never sleep again. But then, who am I to argue with Thranduil?! And they do get them eventually. Erelas calls them Spike and Spider?! ROTFL! Brothers… :D I thought the pondering about what Spike meant by “mine” was interesting. He did seem quite fond of Daeron… My heart goes out to him in his trouble sleeping. I don’t blame him. What a pity he lives somewhere that he’ll have no choice but to face spiders, and even bigger ones at that. And Seregon is really very sweet, you know. I love the ending! But I don’t think I want to know what Legolas’ idea is! Excellent story, Karen. Truly horrible, of course, but it was such a treat to have Legolas and Daeron back. I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud! I have everything crossed that we’ll get to see more of them before too long :-) Author Reply: LOL! Dot, you're a real trooper. I'm glad you stuck it out and finished the story. I'm not a spider fan either...obviously. Daeron comes by his phobia honestly. Legolas and Daeron are as close as brothers and argue like they are too. But woe be unto anyone who tried to harm one or the other. Wrath would descend on the perpetrator like a storm on the plains. They can needle one another, but no one else can. I don't know how bad Legolas actually felt about the squabble with Daeron, but he had the good manners to take the first step to end it. Plus, I don't think Legolas would like being at odds with anyone for long. He's a relatively calm sort...most of the time. A peacemaker kind of guy. But he's cranky at times, just like everyone else. Daeron woke him up rather suddenly. That always makes me cross. Yeah...bunnies as pets would have been much better. But where would the fun be in that? Besides, something awful had to have happened to Daeron for him to be so squeamish about spiders. I felt a little bad about making it such a big scare when in 'Serious Trouble' I had Legolas intentionally put a spider on him. I thought that made Legolas look a little mean, but most of the kids I know would think terrorizing one's cousin would be the highlight of their week. So I had everyone sort of forget about the Spike incident...except Legolas. And in the end of this story, Legolas came around to admitting Daeron had just reason to dislike spiders. Poor Aldamir. He always takes the blame when things go to pot. At least, he does from Daeron's perspective. I doubt Thranduil was really angry with Aldamir, but was, like Aldamir said, just rattled by the spider in Daeron's chamber. But to Daeron, his uncle looked like he was ready to bite the head off a snake. Daeron adores Thranduil, but he's a little scared of him when he goes into full-king mode. And yes, Seregon is sweet. He's much nicer than Daeron gives him credit for. I think Seregon just doesn't put up with much of Daeron's trash and Daeron interprets that as being mean. But for Pete's sake, Seregon slept with him for a month and regularly reads to him at bedtime. Seregon is always there for the little scamp. Of course, all Daeron remembers at this age is that Seregon can be stern. I'm scared to know what Legolas's idea was too. I'm sure Daeron wouldn't like it. I'm so glad you enjoyed it...despite the spiders and all. And I really appreciate your wonderful review. You always make my day with them. Thanks again. (Six days and counting!) :>) I'll see you then. Thanks again.

eliza	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/23/2006
As a parent I have a healthy respect for the words "I have an idea" especially when they are uttered by young boys (or elflings). Great story, I absolutely love when you guys have a birthday. I can enjoy other peoples presents and not gain 5 pounds from cake and ice cream. Lovely characters and I really enjoyed Legolas' cousin Daeron. Write soon Author Reply: The parents of boys need a secret handshake or something identifying. We all know the trouble those words--I have an idea--can cause. Mothers of girls probably have some horror stories as well. But I have only male issue so I can't speak for them. And I, of course, was a perfect angel growing up. Is that thunder I hear? This birthday stuff has been great fun. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's stories too. And yes sirree, no poundage from the celebration. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story. It was a fun one to write. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Daeron loves having a new friend. Thanks again.

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/23/2006
'This one will work'. Really? I'm with Daeron. runs in opposite direction and hides! Author Reply: A sensible decision! Like French Pony said, most of Legolas and Daeron's escapades could be prefaced with: It seemed like a good idea at the time. Thanks for the review.

Elflingimp	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/22/2006
Gosh more birthday presents that belong to someone else that I get to enjoy!I love these stories,that one was really good but I feel the same way about spiders or any insect that gets near me as Legolass cousin does and I have never found a cure Yuck!!! Author Reply: These birthday stories are fun, aren't they? I love reading what everyone else has cooked up. We'll have to see if we can't find more people willing to allow us to use their birthdays as an excuse to play! I feel the same way about spiders or any insect that gets near me as Legolass cousin does I admit that Daeron's fear of spiders is a...'self-insertion'. I'm sure they have a role to play in the whole ecology thing, but I prefer they do it somewhere else...or at least nowhere near me. There is no cure. I'm sure of it. :>) Thanks, Elflingimp! I appreciate the review and the kind comments.

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