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Neath Anor, Ithil, and Gil  by Larner 17 Review(s)
Susana Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 1/23/2018
I like how it was the two fathers who found their daughters!

Agape4GondorReviewed Chapter: 4 on 1/19/2009
I loved this!!!!! Excellent and I'm so glad the girls got a 'day' out!

Author Reply: I loved writing this one! I'm so glad RS asked for a tale about adolescent daughters, and couldn't think of more representative ones than Aragorn's daughter Melian and young Elanor.

And they needed a day as "normal" girls!

Raksha The DemonReviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/10/2007
A delightful story; though I feel rather sorry for Halgil, who was just trying to do his job!

Author Reply: Glad you enjoyed it, Raksha. Poor Halgil--only trying to do his job....

Thanks for the feedback.

grumpyReviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/7/2007
Delightful story, of the two girls having a day on the town. But it was bad of them to slip the guard. They should not worry the guy so. He has enough problems.
Good thing Strider, "of the citadel" came along before they got arrested.

Author Reply: Well, we all try to slip away from time to time, I think. Yes, the guards of the Citadel have enough to worry about without teenagers thinking to slip away on their own; but that's the way of it sometimes, after all.

And Strider finds his hunting skills work to his advantage even when he's been largely stuck in town for most of the last few years. And of course, he does work in the Citadel for the most part!

Glad to see the note from you! Thanks!

harrowcatReviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/7/2007
Great adventures for both daughters and Dads! Am I the only one who wants to know what Strider might have said to Halgil? Sharp-eyed, even if it takes him a while to work out who Strider is. Drawing the girls out of the crowded market place when he did may have saved them from a lot worse.

Happy Easter - am off to spring clean the kitchen and the dog!
BTW That was my mum's first pressure mapping test - it is new technology here. She now has a back piece in her chair to make her sit upright.
Hope the cable is getting closer!

Author Reply: Yes, a fairly simple adventure for the two of them, and a chance for two fathers who also find themselves at times resenting the restrictions placed on themselves to let themselves loose a bit as well. Halgil has had enough of a shock, I suspect, realizing just who it was he pulled out of the market crowd--I suspect Strider is amused to let him stew in his own juices for the moment.

So--Jet and the kitchen are both getting a spring cleaning, are they? Kerry and Belinda and the cats all got baths--Yogi and Ruffy are due them next. Glad to hear that the procedures are being used there as they are now commonly used in our region of the country, at least. Seattle and Tacoma are our nearest big cities, and both are well known for medical innovation, so such things tend to spread fairly quickly to our more remote area, as we're less than a hundred miles from either.

A blessed Easter to you and your family!

KittyReviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/6/2007
Adolescence is a difficult time for parents and children alike, and even the High King of Gondor and Arnor can’t be immune to these problems *grin*

It was not very nice of the girls to trick their guard, even if it is understandable that they – and particularly Melian – resent to be permanently followed. Luckily Aragorn is not Denethor; I’m not sure I want to imagine what the latter would have done to the guard for losing them.

Not sure what to feel about Halgil. On the one hand he may have prevented that someone tried to rob the girl’s money, on the other hand I was irritated with him for thinking at once because they had money they must have stolen it. And Sam thought obviously the same. And I suppose not only the Princess Melian, but the daughters of at least some other nobles should have a bit money of their own. They seem to have disguised themselves very well as commoners for Halgil to take it this way.

Aragorn and Sam acted very nice and understanding; but I suppose the King isn’t always happy to have a guard trailing after him, too. And I seem to remember he once rode to Eriador without any guard ... ;-)

The end was funny. Oh, I can imagine Halgil’s face as he realised just *whom* he had accused of having stolen money *snicker*

Oh, and in answer to your response to my last review: Yes, I am completely deaf, though I don’t know exactly why. Shortly before my sixth birthday I fell off of a children bicycle, and though I wasn’t hurt, when I woke the next morning, I couldn’t hear any more. It may be the fall had something to do with it, but there are nearly as many theories as I have seen doctors over the years, and some of them are plainly ridiculous. But I can live with that very well. If you want to know more, maybe we should discuss it per e-mail?

Happy Easter, my dear!

Author Reply: Yes, adolescents always find themselves resenting the restrictions they must live under, or so my own children taught me. Aragorn is a reasonable person, and knows that when a child is intent on doing what he or she desires even the best of guards may prove impossible to keep. He expects his daughter to succeed at times in evading them, just as he expects them to seek her out and find her as quickly as can be arranged.

Halgil has just had his first experience with the Royal Princess, although she may well visit the markets alone again, properly followed by a discrete guard, of course. It's likely that Melian has funds of her own, but has not been to the public market in the center of the city before, as she and other lords' daughters would be expected mostly to visit the more exclusive shops in the upper levels. Yes, she may well have been approached by a pickpocket, but I'd suspect that as the King's daughter and Elrond and Celeborn's descendant she would be far better trained in self-defense than most common pickpockets might expect. After all, look at who her uncles are! But Halgil must be in mild shock realizing just how close he came to royal displeasure. Hmm--I just found this plot bunny has reproduced. Help!

And I strongly suspect Aragorn himself feels the same resentment for being always followed as she does--and he is well accustomed to having to watch out for himself, after all. Yes, he himself went off unescorted once as King, and I sincerely doubt he ever regretted doing so.

And I'd be glad to communicate further about disabilities via email. I've had little to do with those with auditory deficits, other than age-related hearing loss or conditions that may be easily aided with hearing aids. Have had a few students I've needed to approach on their good sides, I'll admit.

Author Reply: O, and a blessed Easter to you also. Alleluia!

Baggins BabeReviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/6/2007
“And your father--what does he do?”

The glance the two girls exchanged was suddenly highly amused. “He works in the Citadel,” the taller girl finally admitted.
Well, yes, I suppose he does! Priceless!

Well, the teens and tweens are not an easy time, either for those going through it or their long-suffering parents. No wonder Aragorn is rather exasperated and out of his depth, but he and Sam coped well.

A lovely story and yet more expansion of our knowledge of the lives of our favourite characters.


Author Reply: To tell the truth and yet not to reveal too much is often a difficult balancing act; and that question just begged the response!

And, as a mortal himself, Aragorn is probably more in sympathy with the two girls than Arwen fully appreciates, even if he can't help feeling left out as Melian deals with the changes in perception and appreciation she finds within herself.

So glad you enjoyed it. Glad the challenge was made.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/6/2007
Adolescence is never easy - and I can see that being observed all the time you are outside your own rooms would be very tough on the royal kids. Aragorn and Sam dealt with it quite well - and maybe Melian and Elanor realised that the supervision is more for their protection than to keep them hemmed in.

Halgil may be feeling quite faint now - but actually, he can really congratulate himself on the way he was doing his job. The girls were suspicious characters in their own naive way - and he picked up on that and was investigating as best he could.

I suspect Melian and Elanor were quite glad to see Aragorn and Sam at that moment - just as they would probably have been rather huffy and quite indignant had they been found before Halgil took them in charge.

Author Reply: Oh, I do believe you are completely right, Bodkin, about all of it. And that Aragorn and Sam waited, probably listening quietly and with amusement as their daughters dealt with Halgil, is very likely, listening until they were certain the two lasses were ready for them to arrive and offer rescue from an increasingly embarrassing situation.

And Halgil was just doing his job, after all....

Thanks so much for the feedback.

Queen GaladrielReviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/5/2007
ROTFL! Oh, Larner, that is great, that is really great! And I wonder, maybe you've just given me an idea! (I've been followed around the last three days by a certain relative who thinks I'm extraordinarily gifted and loves to show me off, and who fusses over me unbearably, and somehow she seems to think my talents [such as she makes them] are connected with blindness. Now that is enough to drive anyone insane after a while! Maybe I should try something like this next time, some kind of grandly planned trick...or not...*grin*)

Oh, those poor girls! Granted, what they did wasn't exactly right, but being in their situation (the throes of adolescence, not under guards), how can my sympathy lie anywhere but with them? That was truly clever, and so terribly wicked! LOL! And the end is absolutely priceless! Thank you for a wonderful laugh!
God bless,
Galadriel

Author Reply: Oh, dear--I hope the lady can bear the strain of whatever trick you may be pleased to pull on her. I never quite had the guts to do something to my grandmother or my stepdad's mother, although Heaven knows I was often tempted.

As for what the two of them did--I'd think any adolescent girl in their situation would at least contemplate doing so. For a few hours of what feels like FREEDOM and anonymity, I think they'd try a number of things. And as Eldarion is also approaching adolescence, I think their father will be hard pressed to keep him under watch in a year or two.

And so glad it gave you a pleasant laugh. Enjoy indeed!

Linda HoylandReviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/5/2007
I loved this, so very true to life,and what a clever ruse for the fathers to play the same game !Very enjoyable indeed.I take it you were describing a fathing with the wren on?

Author Reply: Yes, like daughters, like fathers in this case.

I hadn't truly considered the wren farthing, but wouldn't put it past the folk of Bree to use a similar pattern. I must suppose it was sticking in my subconscious, for quite frankly I haven't seen one for so many years I'd quite forgotten about them.

So glad you enjoyed this one and found it true to life, as did I. Was remembering days with two teenagers at the same time, each of whom seemed intent on causing as much disruption as possible. Heh!

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