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A Long-Expected Wedding by Fiondil	390 Review(s)
Eruherdiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 32 on 7/12/2014
Of course. It's impossible for Finrod to have anything go simply. It would break a law of the universe. Wonderful story. I like the china solution especially. ~Eruherdiriel Author Reply: That's for sure, Eruherdirel. And if it did, the universe might well collapse into a black hole. LOL! I'm glad you enjoyed the story, especially the china solution. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it very much.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 32 on 7/11/2013
I'm sorry to see the story end on such a melancholy note. Poor Glorfindel! Apart, from that, I had so much fun, and for the last several chapters, as one catastrophe after the other happened, I kept changing between helplessly laughing or groaning in commiseration and disbelief that yet another disaster had befallen the happy couple. In fact, this: Arafinwë shrugged. "Oh, I don’t know. A blizzard, maybe." He cast them a wry look and they all laughed, but the laughter died when an ominous rumble filled the air. just made me want to shake Arafinwë and shout, "Noooo, don't say it! Now see what you did! You jinxed it!" But the main point of the exercise and all the chaos and commotion is achieved: Finrod and Amarië are (finally!!!) married throws rice and rose petals! Author Reply: Well these are Elves after all so melancholy is something that happens. At any rate, I'm glad you enjoyed this little romp. It was fun to write and come up with one zany disaster after another and hopefully you can see how it was both the "best of times, and the worse of times". And yes, the main point of it all is that Finrod and Amarië are finally married. Thanks for reading and leaving reviews. I enjoyed them very much.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 22 on 7/10/2013
OMG! Those wedding clothes! And the hat! And the feather! tries to scrub brain It reminds me of one of the more outrageous Tolien illustrators, most notoriously Rowena Morrill. Have you seen her picture of Lúthien dancing, or of Aragorn's coronation?! I just forced myself to go hunting for them because I couldn't remember the artist's name, and it was only "fun" in a masochistic and "car wreck" way. scrubs harder Poor Eärwen. She already had so much stress in the wedding planning and kept many thing she wanted to entrust to nobody else. And then even when she does delegate, she can't rely on her staff. Although I do wonder why she wasn't involved more in the planning for the clothes, particularly as apparently many things are colour-coordinated to match. And to boot, her son and his friends keep throwing wrenches in her works (I almost wrote "wenches" :-)), and now the Valar get into the game, too. I don't imagine it will be a very pleasant first few days among the living for the newly Reborn. And I suspect the political ramifications (apart from the personal) for Arafinwë will have him reeling, as well. Not a peaceful time, for any of them. Glorfindel's descprition at the start of the story was all too apt. However will you manage to resolve all those crises so the "best of times" part of it will also be fulfilled?

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 7/10/2013
It was no great surprise that the china turned out to be ugly. But I would never have guessed that it would provoke such a reaction - poor ellyn! Oddly enough, in Germany we would know exactly what to do with the china, appropriate for the occasion. There is something called "Polterabend" (poltern: to crash about, make a racket; Abend: evening), commonly translated as eve-of-wedding party. It usually takes place in front of the bride's or her family's house. Friends, family and neighbours come, each bearing china, crockery, tiles and similar breakable things (but not glass or mirrors, because that would mean bad luck) and crash the things with as much racket and noise and clutter and mess as possible on the ground. Then bride and bridegroom have to sweep up the mess, and afterwards a "normal" party starts. Of course, normally you would use old or broken or leftover china and shards - but maybe the Elves just don't mention that detail to Almáriel...? Author Reply: There are similar traditions like the one you describe here in America and indeed elsewhere in the world. There's a name for it but I can't recall it offhand. Anyway, you will find out what fate the china suffers by the end of the story, I promise. Thanks for the review, Imhiriel. I appreciate it.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 7/10/2013
Oh, good, I'm relieved the boys told Ëaren about the Valar early enough so she could incorportat that into her planning. I really liked her in this chapter, her and the discussion with the four ellyn. The wedding is slowly shaping up to be more to Finrod's liking and, equally important, to become a general celebration for all, showcasing the rich diversity of the many diffent cultures sharing a home in Aman. Only thing left to hope is that the weather will play along. And I snigger at yet another example of the intransigence of linguists. I wonder if Tolkien poked some fun at himself and his colleagues when he wrote some of those examples in canon. Author Reply: Eärwen is very wise and a good match for Arafinwë. And I think Tolkien wasn't above poking fun at himself and his colleagues. Many of his lighter works contain linguistic jokes, for instance. Thanks for commenting, Imhiriel. I am very grateful.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 7/10/2013
Oh my goodness! I thought the rumours would limit themselves to the "usual" more or less mix of humorous, ignorant, fanciful or mean-spirited. But that rumour went far beyond mean-spirited! Not only is it shocking for the kind of a bit prim society of your stories, but also shows a remarkable sign of contempt of cultures from Beleriand, as if they were wild barbarians. And isn't it ironic, that in "In Darkness Bound", the Noldor left in Aman felt guilt and shame in comparison to the other clans, but here they feel they can lord it over the ones from Beleriand or the Returnees and Reborns. Weeeell, if the Maiar don't heal Intarion because of evidence, they shouldn't have done it for the other ellon either, so he will be able to tell his side of the story with the same kind of evidence. Fresh as I come from "In Darkness Bound", the contrast between Intarin and Ingalaurë then and now is very interesting to observe. This is the first time, actually that I recall you giving us such a direct example of just how a Reborn's character and maturity are affected by their stay in Mandos. Even for Glorfindel and Finrod, you mostly merely had other people remarking on the differences, or showing through flashbacks; but here you have both "stages" directly side by side for comparison. Author Reply: That would've been boring, Imhiriel, to have just "normal" rumors. LOL! And it had to be especially mean-spirited to get the two Reborn riled. I wanted to contrast the Reborn in various stages of "maturity" in this story, from Finrod, who has pretty much reached full maturity (though he seems to be regressing a bit here) to Intarion and Ingalaurë who have only recently been "let out". And we will meet even newer Reborn later just to make things more interesting for everyone. grin Thanks for your review. It's appreciated very much.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 7/10/2013
"Atto won’t let me be a warrior. He says one in the family is enough." I do hope Ingwë didn't really mean that - Ingalaurë deserves to be recognised as a warrior, just like the others. "These rumors happen to be true." This sentence struck me as funny, because the meaning is so ambiguous, isn't it? Normally, it would mean that the thing the rumour is about is true, but here it means that the rumour itself is a thing of fact. And I had to laugh when it it turned out that the plotting of the gang was unnecessary because reality was taking care of it and was even worse. "A little more courtesy, at the very least," Ingwion said mildly Zing! What is it with people and basic courtesy? Honestly! Nice reminder of the Vanyarin proficiency with the fine arts. Is it odd that I dearly want the piece Ingwion played to be played at the wedding, too? Considering I can't actually hear it, and there is not much detail about it in the scene, I nevertheless somehow have an impression of a lovely tune in my mind. Author Reply: Hi Imhiriel. I think at the moment Ingwë is concerned that as a recent Reborn, his sone would be a danger to himself and others if he took up the warrior life. Maybe when he's more mature and responsible, but Ingalaurë does have quite a bit of growing up to do as we will see in later chapters. It is funny that they are trying to make up rumor only to find out that there are "true" rumors out there. And some people are so full of themselves they don't think common courtesy applies to them (though they are quick to demand it of themselves). And I don't think it odd that you would like to see Ingwion play that piece at the wedding. I am sure that the student who composed it would have been in seven heaven at that idea of a prince playing her piece. grin Thanks for commenting. I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 7/10/2013
I bet Ulmo had a lot of fun flinging the fishes out of the fountain! I was giggling as you were describing how more and more fishes just kept flying onto the market g. At that last fish - what a great final act! Oh, I wish I had a good kitchen - and that I actually could cook well - because those recipes sound fantastic. Author Reply: I'm sure he was laughing himself silly, Imhiriel. It was a neat trick on his part. I love to cook myself but my kitchen isn't very good either. The recipes do sound good, don't they? Thanks for reivewing. I appreciate it very much.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 7/9/2013
Judging from the other reviews, I'm in the minority in that I didn't find the food fight especially funny. Oh, yes, the beginning, and the potato peels, and the skillet, and the battle cries. But I really don't like all that food getting spoiled, and all the hard work of everyone in the kitchen disrupted or even destroyed. And the danger of seriously hurting someone became increasingly more likely - you have blunt and sharp instruments aplenty, open fires, and plenty of possibilities to run into or stumble over. To a certain degree, I'm on the side of the cook. I think he deserves to have his work seen as a creative endeavour, and should enjoy a certain degree of creative freedom. And his answer that Amarië doesn't have to eat partridge if she doesn't want to seems reasonable to me; I don't doubt there will be enough alternatives for her to choose. But where he completely loses my sympathy is in his snide and rude tone towards them. They merely requested information, and imparted it to him, and were completely polite towards him. They deserve the same in return, even if he rejects their suggestions. I'm really curious about what Arafinwë is going to do next! And I wonder if the cook will avenge himself on the ellyn by salting their soup and burning (or not burning, as the case may be) their food for the next several weeks... Author Reply: Well, not everyone approves of food fights. grin The cook, however, was being very disrepectful toward Finrod who, as the crown prince, should have been accorded every courtesy. As for Amarië, since it is her wedding and wedding feast then certain concessions with the menu should be made, IMO. She shouldn't have to be served one thing while others are being served something else. Anyway, you find out soon enough what Arafinwë intends and how the cook will react. This will comprise a major portion of the plot. Thanks for your comments. They're much appreciated.

Imhiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 7/9/2013
I wonder if the Valar formally RSVP so Ëarwen knows to include them in the preparations, or if they are going to show up to everyone's suprise and the Elves have to scramble to get them seats at the table and plates and cutlery. "I was only about fifteen, I think, when the Trees died," Vondo said. "I barely remember them." I think that can't be. Having just read "In Darkness Bound", it's still fresh in my mind. So I distinctly remember the family who fostered the elleth Arafinwë brought back from the march, and you wrote in an author's note that the little boy would grow up to become Vondo's father; so long before the latter would even be born, the Trees were already long dead. I wonder who the person is who witnessed the conspirators from the shadows. At first, I thought it might be a Maiar, amused at the elves' antics, but on further thought, I got a more sinister impression... Author Reply: You're right, Imhiriel. I wasn't paying attention when I wrote that sentence. I've ended up removing it completely since it neither adds nor detracts from the story as a whole. Thanks for pointing it out to me. As for the Valar, you'll have to wait and see. grin And you'll find out who was watching the antics eventually, I promise. Thanks for reviewing. It's very much appreciated.

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