Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

The Last Messenger: A Tale of Númenor  by Fiondil 9 Review(s)
artistic spriteReviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/25/2008
Earnur lives!!!!!!!!

Author Reply: Indeed.

Selene AduialReviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/23/2008
Wow! Talk about a surprise. Now I know why the Valar sent Laurendil over.


Author Reply: We will learn in a later chapter the reason for Eärnur being where he is. There's more to this than meets the eye.

Agape4GondorReviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/21/2008
Taking a few deep breaths..............................

Wow - excellent chapter. I'd forgotten to breathe. What a wondrous sight for Laurendil... now - get them out quick. Before they're discovered! Please.....

I think you like cliff-hangers! Cad!!!

Author Reply: Of course I like cliffhangers. It's my stock-in-trade. LOL! Glad you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tune for more....

NeiliaReviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/19/2008
Oh, what a wonderful twist! Can't hardly wait for more! Love, Neilia

Author Reply: Glad you liked the little twist in the plot. *grin*

AlquawendeReviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/19/2008
I'm so glad that Fiondil is found and alive! Wonder what he's going to tell them about how he got there and everything... Earnur was quite the suprise, but suprises like this are good. Can't wait to read his story of how he got there also. This was a very nice chapter.

Author Reply: Finrod and Eärnur's stories will be told later, though right now they need to escape from the prison, so it will be a few chapters before we find out what happened to them both. Glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for reviewing.

RhyselleReviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/18/2008
The description of the Morimindon was thorough enough that just the thought of it made me feel as if I were cowering in the dark with fear nibbling persistently at my soul. Boromir's words about his own imprisonment, although very simple, were most definitely horrifying, particularly for the young people, who have probably never before had to deal with the thought that sometimes death comes as a friend rather than an enemy.

As serious as this rescue attempt is, I admit that I had to smile when Laurendil explained about how he could find that lone beech tree. It gave us a desperately needed moment of humor in all the suspense and fright, and it was also nice to see how you fit in the information you and I searched out on the web about alders and beeches and other types of trees.

The finding of Fiondil was so nervewracking! I kept waiting for a change of guards to come into the dungeon at the wrong moment. (And, yes, I understand that they are not out of there yet!).

It occurred to me since I read the chapter, that Laurendil's needing to combat the "vile enchantment" was a forshadowing of the surprise you gave us at the end of the chapter. Why would a mortal be housed in a cell that was locked by magic, when his own damaged physical condition and a simple lock on the door would be enough?

The fact that Earnur could smile at his friend speaks much of the resilience of the Eldar, although I hate to think of what condition he must be in physically after being imprisoned in the dark as long as he must have been. "Did you miss me?" Oh, my! My first thought upon reading this was, "Laurendil is going to have some very pointed words with Lord Namo once he and Earnur make their way back home to Aman." Hee! Such a situation, so fraught with danger that would mean their deaths or worse not withstanding, I had to laugh and smile--and cry a bit too--as I read the start of their reunion.

A wonderful chapter!

And, BTW, I have to let you know that I totally forgot that we've only met a few characters so far from canon. The OCs are wonderfully drawn, and I find that I enjoy following their adventures just as much as I do those of the canon characters in LOTR. Great Job!

Author Reply: You are correct that under normal conditions, an enchantment on the door would not be necessary against a mere mortal, especially one who has been tortured and is in no physical condition to escape anyway, so yes, Laurendil needing to counteract the enchantment was a type of foreshadowing. One has to wonder why Laurendil did not wonder more at the presence of the enchantment, but perhaps he assumed that this was simply an added protection against rescue. Any mortal trying to free Fiondil would be unsuccessful even if he did have the key to the cell.

We will learn more about what happened to Eärnur during the last 400 years since he was presumed dead in a later chapter, but yes, I can well imagine just what words Laurendil will be storing up for his meeting with Námo, not to mention the words Eärnur has been storing up for the last 400 years. *grin*

And thanks for letting me know how much you enjoy my OCs and their story. I know a lot of people prefer reading about the canon characters, but after a while I get tired of writing about them all the time and like to use original characters as a nice balance. Thanks for reviewing.

ellieReviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/18/2008
I really like Boromir a lot! He's fun to read about and there's so much more to him that meets the eye at the beginning.

Was not expecting the surprise at the end of this chapter. No wonder they insisted that L go to Numenor! Can't wait for more of this tale!

Author Reply: Boromir's been around the block a time or two, so he's an interesting character. Even I wasn't expecting Eärnur to show up like he did, at least not at first. I kept wondering why the Valar kept insisting that Laurendil had to go to Númenor when any number of elves could have been sent, but as Námo said, his presence would be more important than the message he was taking for them.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/18/2008
Time to get the two of them out of there! And the lost has been found! Hooray!

Author Reply: As to how they accomplish that we will see in subsequent chapters. They're not out of the woods yet.

EdlynReviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/18/2008
Oh, wow! No wonder Laurendil was the one who had to go to Numenor! Eärnur is alive! I didn't expect that at all!

This was an excellent chapter, meldonya. The mood and tension that your descriptions created made me feel like I was one of the group of rescuers sneaking through the dark secret passage and huddling in the hallway. I could hardly breathe whilst Laurendil dealt with the enchantment on the cell door.

The interspersed bits of humour kept the fear and tension of the situation from becoming too overwhelming. Laurendil's explanation of how he could tell the tree was a beech even in the dark was quite amusing. But Ithink the best line was Eärnur's "Did you miss me?" It says much about this ellon that even after so many years of captivity and who knows what distress he still has his sense of humor.

A wonderful job as always!

Edlyn

Author Reply: As Námo said, Laurendil's presence in Númenor would prove more important than the message he bore. We'll learn in subsequent chapters what Eärnur's story is and no doubt Laurendil will have some serious questions for the Valar when he returns to Aman. Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter.

Return to Chapter List