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Elf, Interrupted: Book Two: Glorfindel's Quest by Fiondil	15 Review(s)
Eärillë	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 2/20/2010
Ah. I wish I read more of Vairë's Loom before this... Oh well. Later. I cannot fit so much reading in. Awwh. The dinner must wait... Then again, this chapter was... interesting, to say the least. Quite surprising, and it was a kind of eye-openner too. I am glad Haldir was well into reconcilliation with his father, and Olwë forgave Celevern. (I hope I was not misspelling the latter... But knowing me, I probably did.) It would have been much worse if Celevern went out from Lórien in his spiteful self, like when Glorfindel and Sador encountered him the first time out of Mandos. Uh. I think I will refrain from imagining that... It must have been rather difficult for Olwë to do that - forgiving people who had ransacked his realm and killed his people... But yes, the returning Teleri who harboured no ill feeling towards the Kinslayers helped, much. I love how this goes... Umm. But I remember something unpleasant coming on some time during this visit... Well, we cannot always get what we want, can we? I was surprised when Haldir addressed his parents as Atto and Emmë. Finrod and the others addressed their parents in a more formal tone, even when they were only with family... or so I remember. Why so? I am glad the women in the company were striking off quite well. Will there be something from their point of view some time? It would be quite interesting... LOL And I did not quite expect Arafinwë to yearn to seek out his wayward sons himself, and in a manner much younger than he was also. Then again, I would imagine that just sitting there doing nothing must be boring, and life as a king was no less so. Besides, everyone has their own childish moments. I am looking forward to how the six hunters would react to Olwë and Arafinwë. grin (And I forgot that Olwë was in the contingent! I thought Ingwion and Lindarion were there to replace their fathers... And where were they? Whoa. My memory of this story is quite rustic after a long time of hibernation. Sorry.) - Rey Author Reply: People address their parents differently under different circumstances. Finrod, as a prince of the realm, is more likely to be formal even with his parents, especially in public venues, than someone like Haldir. Also, keep in mind that in our own world, in earlier periods of European history, it was considered normal for children to address their parents very formally while the parents might address their children with less formality. This is true in some cultures even today.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 6/23/2009
A sad tle, but it does appear he knew a fulfilling life nevertheless. Now, for Pelendur to stop popping all the Noldor who left into the same basket, and to come to accept his son as he is! Author Reply: Someone said that all tales are sad. grin But at least in Haldir's case, there is a happy ending in that he is reunited with his beloved Gwilwileth. Pelendur, of course, has a lot of rethinking to do, but hopefully he'll get there and by the end of the Progress he and Haldir will be reconciled, or at least well on the road to it.

Thalanee	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 6/23/2009
"keep the reborn occupied and out of trouble" That´s a mighty goal the elven kings have set themselves. If they´re going to succeed though... my money´s one the reborn! I really had the urge to give poor Celepharn a hug there and the tale of Haldir and Gwilwileth was very touching. In some way I understand Haldir´s reasons for acting like he did. I had a similar argument with my parents about my choice of profession: my father had his heart set on my becoming a lawyer but I wanted to study archaeology. The arguments I used were similar to what Haldir said:becoming the person i want to become, living my own life and dreams, you know. He´s still not overly happy with my choice, but at the same time he wishes me well. Having that example before my eyes I´m sure Pelendur will come to accept what happened. After all he loves his son and that is all that ultimately matters. More please! ;-) Greetings, Thalanee Author Reply: Ah, archaeology! I so wanted to study that, but my parents insisted I do English instead. "With an English degree, you can do anything!" they said. That might have been true in the 60's but by the 70's when I was in college, it was less true. Ah well.... some thirty years later I finally put my English degree to use by becoming a teacher of English as a foreign language, but I so wanted to do archaeology. sigh I'm sure Pelendur will come around eventually, once he sees Haldir being who he is and seeing the respect others give him. So, your money is on the Reborn, heh!? grin Not even Námo would take that bet. lol Glad you liked the chapter, Thalanee. Thanks for letting me know.

Sitara	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 6/23/2009
Had I really hated Olwe, Arafinwe or any other chanonical character (Turgon included), my words (as poor as it is in English, alas!) would have been much more harsh, Fiondil. And, while I'm not going to deny my use of contemptuous words, in my first review and not only, I'd say that neither of them were directed to Arafinwe or Olwe. Notwithstanding my more than debatable rights to display contempt at someone, whomever (s)he might be, "grin", I do not feel contempt towards Arafinwe or Olwe. As for Arafinwe, I will concede you a point and perhaps, more than just one point "grin". You're right, even I cannot find a sound (or beneficial) reason for him to prefixe his father's name at his own and Tolkien does indeed say that was Finrod's doing, after the death of his uncle Nolofinwe. Still, I find the matter interesting, although, indeed, I don't think it as being very significant. As in regard to Olwe...I do love Feanor and you know exactly why I admire him. But my love for Feanor doesn't make me to turn a blind eye at his guilt or his faults, nor does stop me from accusing him of murder. More to the point, of criminal recklessness but, at this point, it wouldn't more than playing with words, I believe. So, my words weren't meant to take a part of the blame from Feanor's shoulders to place it on Olwe's. And, because this could mean escalating the scope of this story, I'd ask you for the permission to continue the disscussion on this topic privately. Fiondil, I do know the characters and events are just fiction (but thanks for reminding me, by the way "grin" It was kinda useful, you know) but what is anything but is our manner of thinking and judging things. And, in the real life, to forget that a coin has two faces is a very dangerous thing to do. Most of the times, things are not so simple as they seem to be. Which I'm sure you know and, frankly, I'd be very surprised to not see it in your next project concerning the Darkening. Anyway, rest assured, most likely I'd find another creative ways to split the hairs. "LOL" Author Reply: My apologies if I misconstrued anything you said in your last review, and you know you could have contacted me privately with this. grin I've enjoyed our previous discussions about Tolkien's characters and such. The door, as they say, is always open.

Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 6/22/2009
Ah! A nice chapter - it 'felt' good to see father and sone at least deciding to attempt some sort of understanding... Very nicely written - flowed well - felt good! g Author Reply: Hi, Agape. I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for letting me know.

Hel	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 6/22/2009
So Arafinwë will try to keep the Reborn out of trouble. That will be fun...for the readers not Arafinwë At least Pelendur and Haldir have found a basis to start to think about mending their relationship. But I think once Pelendur stops being offended because his son has a mind of his own and has lived his own live without apologizing to his father for it, they can start to mend their relationship. As for Olwe and his reaction to Celepharn (and the kinslayer generally), it´s good that he could start to leave all his anger and hatred behind before it eat him, and in consequence his family and people, up. It must be much harder for those who survived the killing at Aqualonde with all the memories to handle the emotions than for those who died and passed through Mandos. The Reborn have a wholly different emotial approach to the situation and much more distance. It will be interessting how this situation devellops in the future. Author Reply: Hi, Hel. Yes, I'm sure it will be lots of fun for the readers watching Arafinwë try to keep eight Reborn in line. grin Hopefully as Pelendur observes his son in his 'element', so to speak, he will gain a better perspective and be able to relate to Haldir on a more adult level. You are probably right that those who survived the Kinslaying would have a harder time of it than those who did not and have since been purged of any hatred or anger during their time in Mandos. That Olwë recognized that he had to do something about it before such emotions destroyed him and the Teleri speaks much for his character as a king. Thanks for reviewing, Hel. I am happy to know you are still enjoying the story.

Sitara	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 6/22/2009
I've no doubt that many (if not all) of my fellow reviewers would be happy with Olwe' and Arafinwe's behaviour towards Celepharn, respectively Pelendur and his son. I, however, am not. Or not yet, and I like to believe this wouldn't be about my particular bad mood or that Olwe is not paying the price for something that drives me to utter exasperation when it comes about this fandom: balance,I mean, or, more to the point, the lack of it. I don't have much to say about Arafinwe, for now. I told you once that my opinion concerning him has changed a lot in the last months and to a much more positive note. I think his endeavour to bring peace between Pelendur and his son Hallatiro is a marvellous thing. Arafinwe can certainly understand how Pelendur feels because they both shared, at a point,the same problem with their children. If he can show Pelendur how to move on....I might acknowledge him as the High King of the Noldor. I might. "grin" "I went from an honest desire to see new lands and to carve out a life for myself. Tirion, indeed all of Eldamar, was becoming too small for me and I wanted more." And yet...he's in Eldamar once more. Has something changed, I wonder? Beside himself, I think it didn't. Tirion and Eldamar are still as small as before, even smaller if we're to take into account that Sindar and Nandor had also come to Valinor and perhaps some of them were dwelling there. He was Hallatiro before leaving and he became Haldir in Middle-earth. Now, after death and Judgement...perhaps he's a different person altogether. I know Arafinwe had his own trials to face and this softens me towards him, although..."sigh" I'd still like to find out more of "Arafinwe" being translated into Sindarin as "Finarfin" . Meaning, what is the meaning of Arafinwe having prefixed his father's name at his own? Olwe...I'm not going to belittle his kind attitude towards Celepharn. But I do want more from the King of the Teleri and from the Teleri themselves. In my opinion, their problem is something more than having a hard time to forgive the Noldor and their attitude before the War of Wrath is all the proof I personally need...Weren't there and also suffering because of Morgoth their long-sundered kin? Or Men? Perhaps friends who didn't make to Valinor, left behind along with Elwe or parted from them with Lenwe? Their first thought went then to the same thing as an Age before, not to their kin. And that...that was more than just what the Noldor had done at Alqualonde. "All judgments are rendered, all debts paid." I agree with this. But this works only for the people aware of their own guilt, not for everyone. And...as much as I'd like to comment in regard to Turgon, is there something canonical concerning him ordering his troops to stay and watch at Alqualonde? I mean, Fingon was there and fighting, and, whatever my personal opinions regarding Turgon (meaning, the pot is calling the kettle black), he did love his brother after all. Sorry for the rants. As I'm sure you'd know by now, your stories are actually making people to think and perhaps search, and, in my opinion, this is one attribute marked as "must have" for a ...let's say, more than the average story. Author Reply: I'm not sure why you have such hatred towards certain canon characters, Sitara. I don't think Olwë deserves your contempt, or at least not the Olwë in my stories. grin Over a thousand years have passed since the Kinslaying and more than 500 years since the end of the War of Wrath. He's had plenty of time to think about the choices he and his people made and realize that the Teleri can no longer act as if the rest of the Elves of Aman do not exist. He's doing his best to rectify that and his treatment of Celepharn is one example of it. And quite frankly, Fëanor was clearly in the wrong when he attacked Alqualondë. However much you love and admire him, he had no excuse for what he did there; the Teleri were right to refuse him, fearing that in doing so they might incur the wrath of the Valar and be tarred with the same brush of "Rebellion" as the Noldor. As for Arafinwë, in "Peoples of Middle-earth" Tolkien explains that it was Finrod who was responsible for adapting his father's name into Sindarin following the example of his uncle Nolofinwë who changed his name to Fingolfin. I forget the reason why Nolofinwë prefixed his father's name to his own, perhaps to emphasize that he was indeed a son of Finwë, whereas Maedhros, the nominal leader of the Fëanoreans after his father's death, was only Finwë's grandson. At any rate, Arafinwë had nothing to do with his Sindarin name and actually would have had no reason to come up with a Sindarin version of his name even during the War of Wrath. There is nothing canonical about Turgon's role in the Kinslaying. The Silmarillion only mentions Fingon (and Galadriel), for he was at the vanguard of Fingolfin's 'army'. So, in my version of things, Turgon kept out of it, and probably, by the time he arrived, it was all over anyway. I'm glad to know my tales make you think, Sitara, but I hope you will show a little more compassion towards some of the characters. Don't forget, it's only a story and these people are not nor have they ever been alive (unfortunately sigh) except in our own imaginations (and Tolkien's).

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 6/22/2009
"Time to mend some fences and keep the Reborn too occupied to get into trouble," Hm ... our dear Arafinwë is taking a lot on his plate, isn’t he? The first half he might be able to do, but the second half is a lost battle from the beginning, and he should know it! Olwë did very well with Celepharn. To admit that it was difficult to forgive the kinslaying, but to make clear that he doesn’t blame him for what happened and that he expects other Elves to try and move on, too, seemed a great way to handle the situation. Him quoting Námo must have been quite a surprise to the two Reborn, but it shows once more how Olwë thinks now, and I think it will help them that he is so supportive and friendly. As for Pelendur and Haldir, that part was well written, too. So Pelendur is still offended because his adult son had a will of his own? You know, I’m beginning to think that these two would have come to blows anyway, even if Haldir had listened to his adar and stayed in Valinor. Pelendur obviously didn’t – and still doesn’t – realise that his son has a life of his own and the right to decide for himself what to do, and that it is none of his business to decide about the career of his son himself. All in all, I’d say that talk went rather well. Pelendur got to hear some things that hopefully will give him something to think about and change his mind in the end. And as I said before, it would be unbelievable if he’d change his mind at once and completely, considering the situation up to that day, so it is a good start that both are willing to try. Haldir and Gwilwileth are talking about having an elfling? Hm ... Gwilwileth might be right that it would help Haldir to mature faster if he had the responsibility, like it worked out for Finrod. But Finrod was much more mature already then. So it could be that Haldir would end up getting his child in all sort of trouble through his bad example grin But I like the idea. Oh, I never realised that Glorfindel knew Haldir that well before! No wonder he ended up in the (nearly) constant company of Glorfindel and his otornor! Author Reply: Well, like all of us, Arafinwë lives in hope. lol Olwë has had over a millennium to work through his pain and anger. As he says, it nearly destroyed him, but eventually he realized that he needed to put it aside and move on, if for no other reason than because if he did not, none of his people would either and they would simply end up self-destructing. I'm sure Námo's words coming from Olwë was both a surprise and a relief for the two Reborn, especially Celepharn. I'm glad you found the tete-à-tete between Pelendur and Haldir realistic and well written. Naturally, for him to do a complete 180-degree turnabout at this stage would have been unrealistic and, quite frankly, from a writer's pov, uninteresting. grin You're right that Finrod was much older emotionally when he took on the responsibility of the elflings; Haldir would probably be too busy playing with his children's toys to be a good father right now. grin But it's good that they are talking about it. Just the possibility of making elflings will be a maturing thing for him. At the time I introduced Haldir in EI1 I was unaware of the true relationship between him and Glorfindel. In fact, I originally had him belonging to a different House. I have since gone back and made the correction so that Gwilwileth tells Sador that Haldir belonged to Glorfindel's House. And actually, Haldir's reaction to Sador mentioning Glorfindel would make better sense; it's not likely he would have known everyone in Gondolin, especially someone who was not a warrior. We will see in later chapters Pelendur confronting Glorfindel about Haldir and their previous relationship as lord and vassal.

Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 6/22/2009
Pelundur has the difficult task of accepting his son for who he is. It is only natural for parents to make plans for their childrens future. The hard part is accepting that that choice may not be what the child wants and being able to accept the path chosen. Author Reply: You are so right, Tari, and I'm sure many people can relate to both sides of this situation. Parents want only what's best for their children, but what they perceive as 'best' might not be what the child needs. It's very difficult for some to accept that a child has made a different choice, not necessarily a worse or better choice than what the parent would have wanted, but simply different, and many parents have a difficult time validating their child's choices. Hopefully, as Pelendur watches his son interacting with others he will come to appreciate the person Haldir has become.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 63 on 6/21/2009
Heh. "Time to mend some fences and keep the Reborn too occupied to get into trouble". I suppose the fences will be mended - eventually. But keeping reborn out of trouble? Good luck, Arafinwë!! (You will need it!) ;-) Author Reply: Yes, he definitely will, considering there are EIGHT Reborn in their party, and only one of them (Finrod) has been 'out' long enough to be considered 'grown up'. heh!

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