News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| The Ranger and the Eagles by Cairistiona | 21 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Baggi | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 5/28/2017 |
| What a wonderful story. It brought tears to my eyes, especially the end. Thank you! Greetings from Germany! Baggi Author Reply: Thank you so much! I'm glad you found it moving! cairi | |
| Layne | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/2/2011 |
| I am so very happy that the eagles came back to pay Aragorn a visit, such a befitting thing to do on his day of joy. Love it that the eagles' kin helped take care of Aragorn during the final battle. And Meneldor! And oh, the king surveying his kingdom, soaring from the back of an eagle, high up in the sky, what a magnificent picture that was! LOVELY. Author Reply: Thank you, Layne! I'm so glad you liked the ending to this... after all those years of waiting, Aragorn finally got his Eagle ride. :) And I have to say, I really like the image of the King surveying his kingdom from on high like that (as if the Citadel isn't high enough! LOL). Thanks for all the reviews you left! | |
| Linda Hoyland | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/9/2011 |
| What a beautiful ending! I can just imagine Aragorn's mix of emotions and his joy to see the eagles again and pleasure in their gift. I've used a pilgrimage up the mountain in one of my stories and am baffled more writers don't use that theme. Author Reply: Thank you, Linda... so glad you enjoyed the story and the ending! Perhaps more writers don't explore that pilgrimage theme because they interpret the canon scene where he climbs the mountain with Gandalf as pilgrimage enough? Hard to say. I do know that I personally find exploring the spiritual aspects of Aragorn and his kingship fascinating. :) | |
| Raksha The Demon | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/9/2011 |
| It's about time that Aragorn experienced some joy; mixed as it is with the sorrows of great loss along the way. And a ride with the Eagles; what a great coronation gift! (not to mention the Eagle-down) I do think that more of the work of clearing the Pelennor and seeing to the refugees would have been undertaken by this time; Aragorn does have a very capable Steward; but that's a minor point. A soaring Epilogue in all respects! Author Reply: Thank you, Raksha, I'm glad you enjoyed the epilogue. Aragorn did deserve some joy at long last. :) I don't know that I agree with your assessment of what would have been done by the coronation. Only five weeks had passed since the fall of Sauron and it was likely only about 4 weeks since the returning soldiers could realistically add their strength to the men that remained in the city in working to restore the Pelennor and the city itself (and the majority of the army probably still was occupied in putting down skirmishes here and there). And four or even five weeks in an era before heavy mechanized equipment isn't very long, even with the most capable Steward directing the efforts. Some or most of the refugees might have returned and those with damaged or destroyed homes given temporary shelter (a tent city on the Pelennor, perhaps?) and bodies would have been burned and/or buried, having priority lest the decay spread disease. But the rest of the detritus--the litter of stones from shattered walls, the remains of siege engines,catapults, ladders, all of that--would be littering the fields for a long time. At the time of the coronation, Aragorn and Faramir both would have been completely consumed with the lengthy task before them, so I don't feel Aragorn's musings, or what the Eagles saw, was off base. At any rate, you may disagree and that's fine. It's a fascinating topic to think about. | |
| Tigger | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/6/2011 |
| Oh!! This was so perfect!! Of all the days for Aragorn to reunite w/Menelris and Durvain, what a gift for it to take place on his Coronation Day. Love, love, love it!! I felt like giving myself a slap upside the head though for not realizing where you got the idea for Menelris' name. ;o) Nicely done there and I adore that another Thorongil was looking over Aragorn and his safety during The Battle of the Black Gate. Wonderful that!! This though... "If it would be permissible, I would gladly fly you over your new city." Aragorn gasped. He had not considered such a thing... his heart leapt at the thought, but would it be proper... I swear the first thing that came into my head on reading that was..."You know you've spent a lot of time around Samwise Gamgee when..." :oD So sorry to see this lovely story come to an end, but what a beyond perfect ending for it. BTW...Their Coronation Gift to Aragorn? That has produced a Plot Bunny that nailed my ankles and is now in the incubation stage of planning. I've got a couple other stories on the go, but in particular I really need to finish one and soon, as I'd like to submit it for this month's Teitho contest. At least I hope I can get it done in time. When I do write the story that will be produced from this plot bunny, if I'm still not able to access LJ, how can I get it to you? I'll be able to post it at the LOTR Message Board/Website I belong to in our Fan Fiction section, so if all else fails, I can put it there and let you know. Anyway, I really would love it to be you to read it for the first time if possible. And on that note...I need to get to bed. Going to miss this story and I hope this isn't the last we see of Menelris and Durvain helping out their Friend among Men. :o) Thanks for the wonderful story!! ((((HUGS)))) Author Reply: Thank you, Tigger! I'm so glad you liked the ending to this. And full disclosure on my part? I didn't really make the connection between my creating Menelris' name and Meneldor until I actually wrote the epilogue. LOL Seriously, I was just going through the Sindarin name-generator (I love Darth Fingon's handy tool) and created a name that approximated "Queen of the Skies". So I actually had a bit of a slap-upside-the-head moment myself. LOL I think sometimes my brain subconsciously "knows" things that I don't realize and pulls them from the soup that is my knowledge of Tolkien without any conscious direction. Weird how that works. And how neat that this inspired a plot bunny! I do like it when my stories stir the creativity of other writers--leads to more good tales. :) As for contacting me, if you have access to email, you could email me the story or email me when it's posted. My email should be listed in my bio/profile thingy here at SoA but if not, it's cefox1@aol.com. Thanks again, and good luck with the plot bunny. :) | |
| Thorongirl | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/5/2011 |
| What a marvelous story! I get very emotional sometimes when I read a great story, and your epilogue was very stirring. The whole scene at the beginning where Aragorn tries to identify what he is feeling was so well constructed. And yes, joyous. I felt a lump rising in my throat throughout and I couldn't suppress a smile when Aragorn wondered if perhaps the guard might have heard him. That was so realistic. Oh, and thank you so much for the touching (and sometimes humorous) reunion. This story made my heart soar. Your knowledge of your characters and canon shines through with every word you write. Author Reply: Thank you, Thorongirl! I'm so glad you read this story and enjoyed it... I'm always so grateful when I hear that something I've written has stirred a reader's emotions like this did yours. The idea of the night after all the festivities, where Aragorn's finally alone to process everything, has always been near and dear to my heart and it was such a thrill to finally find a story where I could explore the whole gamut of emotions he must have felt. And you know me, there has to be some humor in even the heaviest moments. :) Thanks for the review! | |
| Ainu Laire | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/5/2011 |
| Bwaahhhh! Oh what a fantastic ending! I love the sheer joy you describe Aragorn having... I cannot imagine anything else, now! It made me grin, I'll admit. Hah! He got his eagle down! Very cute. And the whole scene with the four guards at the tree sworn to secrecy, Menelris preferring the name Thorongil and naming an eaglet after him- and said eaglet protecting him in the battle at the Black Gate! How fantastic! If you ever do any post-War fics that have to do with battle, I can see Thorongil the eagle protecting him even then. I want an eagle protector. And the ride, hah, the ride was a great ending. I want to ride an eagle too. I noticed you had this whole little almost mini-series with titles going on, here... first Hobbit, now Eagles... what's next? Ranger and the Ents? Ranger and the Dwarves? Ranger and the Orcs? *said Ranger glares at her* Just kidding, just kidding! *tugs at collar* Man can't take a joke... *whispers* Ranger and the Spiders... Ranger and the Trolls... Ranger and the Balrog... *feels evil glare on back* Right! Ranger and the Unicorns it is! I best get out of here before my sleep deprivation kills me. I look forward to whatever is coming from you next, whether it's another Ranger title or something else! Author Reply: Thanks, Laire! Glad you enjoyed the ending of this wild and crazy ride. :) Wouldn't it be awesome to have your very own Eagle bodyguard? And the titles... it's not really an intentional mini-series idea where I have sixteen more such stories lined out, but it might be a nice accidental series, who knows! If it does, maybe I should go back and rename "At Hope's Edge" to "The Ranger and the Wraith". Naaah. LOL But it would simplify trying to come up with titles. Thanks for the review, and hopefully I can come up with something a little sooner than next winter! | |
| Elflingimp | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/4/2011 |
| Thank you so much for this wonderful story! It is by far one of the best ones I have read in a long while and brings so many emotions to me as I read it.Sniff. Hugs The Imp Author Reply: Thank you, Imp! I'm so glad you liked this tale, and very flattered that you think it one of the best ones you've read in a while. That makes a writer feel very encouraged. :) There's one more little gapfiller "appendix" to go, and then I'll start working on something new... so the stories will hopefully continue, although probably without Eagles next time. Thanks again! | |
| Silivren Tinu | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/4/2011 |
| Oh, that was beautiful! I had so hoped that Aragorn would get to ride on Durvain at alst, though I hadn't expected that he would have to wait until after his coronation! *g* In a way, that made it only better, though. What a perfect way to celebrate his coronation and victory! I love the idea that one of Durvain and Menelris' children was watching over Aragorn during the battle at the Black Gate! Hehe, I can't blame Menelris for liking the name "Thorongil" more than "Elessar". I guess Aragorn will always be Thorongil to the Eagles. ;-) Of course I also loved the gift they had for Aragorn! This was a wonderful ending to your story, Cairistiona! Though it makes me sad that this story has to end at all, I couldn't think of a better way for it to end. Loved it! :) Author Reply: Thank you, Almut! I figured that moving the "flying Eagle ride" so far into the future would surprise everyone, because it certainly surprised me! Stories have a way of doing that sometimes. And you know, one of my own favorite lines in this epilogue is Menelris' very quiet, "Thorongil." hee hee. She's a stubborn bird, Menelris, and will never come around to any name that refers to rocks or walking. Hmm, I wonder if she and Durvain had a big argument about whether to name their little one Thorongil or Strider! *g* Thank you so much for reading this and for all the reviews you've given... each one is greatly appreciated! | |
| Elentarri | Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 2/4/2011 |
| This is such a beautifully written story. Thank you. The ending is really cute - especially the eagle down :D Can you please write a story with Aragorn, Denlad and Halbarad set after "A Star in Midwinter", but before the other stories? :D Something where Denlad is still young and trying to fit in or still learning to be a Ranger...? Happy writing! Tanya Author Reply: Thank you, Tanya! So glad you enjoyed this story. I do have another story started that picks up where "A Star in Midwinter" leaves off... when I'll get it finished is anyone's guess, as it's in the very early draft stage. But I'm definitely working on it and want to get back to "my" Rangers, and especially Denlad. Glad you enjoyed this departure from them. :) | |