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A Little Nudge Out of the Door  by Jocelyn 2 Review(s)
mistry89Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 3/28/2004
Gandalf said gravely, “The king seems loathe to part with the last of his children.”

With a sigh, Belhador nodded. “Our father will do all that he can to delay our brother’s departure. But it will come. Sooner perhaps than even we had thought. Legolas will desire to explore the world of which he has only heard stories until now. Even as a warrior, I believe he will not remain in Mirkwood. And I dread the day our father is forced to face it.”

Which nicely explains how, in FOTR, Legolas is so very experienced at fighting orcs (presumably he gets a go in Mirkwood) and yet so litlle travelled.


"yet…he could not seem to rid himself of this odd glee at having faced down Queen Elenath. It was a strange sensation. Though elves by nature do not tend toward excesses of emotion--and excesses of behavior still less--Legolas was unusually reserved and serious even by elven standards. He was not easily excitable--his friends often accused him of being blasé."

Aha! Legolas gets a clue! Oh, that's unkind, but this is great, he is at a turning point and it will no doubt shock him as much as it does his family!


*I think perhaps I will enjoy adulthood after all.*
Yup


“I hope this has clarified the matter for you, my son.”
It was worse than I thought. Poor Legolas. Poor Thranduil.

rgbjReviewed Chapter: 6 on 12/24/2003
So now that Legolas can attend the Great Councils he begins to learn more about his father and his dealings with the outside world. It is hard to start looking at your parents as flawed humans and not all-wise elders.
Legolas leads a very sheltered life doesn't he? His siblings and Gandalf feel that he will surprise the king one day. He already has begun.
After this proposal he has a few more dozen to discourage. He is going to set a record in that also.
He has good siblings. They want him to try his wings and fly on his own. They don't spoil him or belittle him.
OUCH He ran through the woods with his eyes closed? It's a good thing he is an elf or he would have gotten a concussion.
I see the king setting himself up for a fall here in trying to rein in Legolas' enthusiasm. I read once about letting children go. Imagine them to be like spring. You hold the spring down tightly and let go very gradually. If you let go too suddenly the spring will bounce all over the place but if you never let go the spring will lose it's resiliency and be ruined. I don't think Legolas will spring all over the place but I can see him being ruined.
Adulthood agrees with him. Time to see what is beyond the borders of the Woodland Realm. But now the youthful enthusiasm has been clouded a little.
Maybe a lot. Be a teacher when he has been the highest scoring contestant in the Gathering Games? But his teachers taught him they can teach others. He has innate abilities that need to be used.
He has really changed from being an elfling. I hardly recognize little Legolas in this very diffident young elf. He used to charge into any mischief full speed ahead. Now it takes him an hour just to build up the nerve to speak to his father.
OK. Now we see what happened to his other siblings. This is a tragedy but probably not an uncommon one in middle earth with all the baddies running around. It isn't the foolish and unecessary risks that the king is worried about. It is his own fear that drives him. The fear of loss of another child. One that was still a child and controlled by him after the Queen died. That is very sad.

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