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In the High King's Secret Service  by Fiondil 10 Review(s)
obsidianjReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/28/2013
Loved the cat as tour guide. Although, I would have freaked out if a cat of that size showed up in front of me. But Valandur remembered correctly, they are in Lord Orome's forest. If the kitty wanted to do them harm, it could have attacked them while they were asleep. Nice touch with the shelter in the tree. Now on to find out who's tree house it is.

Author Reply: Hi obsidian. I'm sure I would have freaked out, too, but as you say, Valandur remembered just where they were and whose Forest it was. Val's "tree-cave" as he calls it was introduced in "Elf, Interrupted: Book Two". Glorfindel stayed in one, and who knows, it might well have been the same one. Thanks for reviewing. It's much appreciated.

someoneReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/26/2013
The fire sounds horrible. I hope that the elves have enough food stored somewhere or that they have other good fields somewhere else. Perhaps they will learn after this to prepare for disasters and not rely on the valar to protect them from everything.

Out of curiosity, why are the "rustic" elves speaking in such a strange way? Is it an older form of language or do they have a different language of their own and don't speak Quenya correctly because of that? There's only so much that I can understand of English and interpreting that difference correctly just crossed that line.

There are a lot of people that are going to be unhappy with Valandur and Findis being alone in the forest. Ingoldo and Finwë, for example. How do they even know where to look for? No one has seen them jump into the river and the fire most likely burned all evidence.

Author Reply: Hi someone. The rustics are speaking a dialect of Quenya that would be considered "quaint" by those from Tirion or Vanyamar. There will actually be a discussion about this later on. You will notice that the rustics use "be" where you or I would use "is/are", and that is the most obvious difference, and the dropping of the last sound in "-ing" words is also typical of rustic speech. I hope this helps you to understand what's going on.

We'll find out just how prepared the Elves are to deal with this kind of disaster and we will see how Valandur and Findis are rescued and what other people's reactions to their being missing are.

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I appreciate it very much.

TariReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/24/2013
A romance between Findis and Valandur could only happen in your story. I like the way it's progressing. Their being saved by a cat is a nice touch. Who sent the cat is what I'm waiting to find out.

Author Reply: Obviously, Oromë sent the cat, since Val and Findis are in his Forest. And the romance between them was foredoomed since I have them married to one another in my "Elf, Interrupted" series. *grin* Thanks for reading and reviewing, Tari. I quite appreciate it.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/24/2013
Obviously Orome intends for his unintended guests to return to their own as soon as possible, and the small house in the tree sounds like some I've seen in the Redwood Forest. He's right--she will be safe here. Wonder who they are intended to meet with near this small lodge?

Author Reply: Yes, Oromë wants them rescued soon enough, though not TOO soon. *grin* We'll see who they meet while they are resting at the lodge in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing, Larner. It's much appreciated.

6336Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/24/2013
Yay for helpful kitties and 'tree caves'!

Good to hear your arboreal adventure was inspiring!

Huggs,
Lynda

Author Reply: Glad you liked the chapter, Lynda. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it very much. And yes, my pilgrimage to the mountains and leaf-viewing was very inspiring.

SunnyReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/24/2013
Well, Valandur may not be a master cook (and anyway he hasn't much to work with here) but he clearly isn't going to poison the two of them.
I see that Oromë has sent one of his Maiar to give Valandur and Findis a helping paw. (That kitty can't really be anything else, can it?) ;-) And I'm sure all the Maiar (and the Valar, too) are in stitches over Val's little quip about why the cat is the perfect chaperone! :-D

Author Reply: Hi Sunny. You're probably right about the 'kitty' being a Maia. And I'm sure all the Maiar and Valar got a kick out of Val's little quip, as did the 'kitty'. *grin* We'll see how the two fare in their little 'tree-cave'. Thanks for commenting. It's much appreciated.

KevanaReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/23/2013
I see you did not get carted off by trolls! I am extremely glad. Hope you did have a wonderful trip however!

I do believe if I woke up to a mountain lion at my feet that I would be grabbing for the first weapon I could find at hand. Good to see this particular critter is not only friendly but gifted with a good sense of direction, haha. I feel terrible for Findis though, tromping through the woods with your boyfriend is one thing, doing it on a sprained ankle is another.


Thanks for the great chapter Fiondil! Have a fantastic week!

-Kevana

Author Reply: No, no trolls. Wouldn't have minded being carted off by Elves, though. LOL! As it is I did have a great time and found it very inspiring, though in what manner, I won't say here. Someday, y'all will find out. *heehee*

Anyway, I would freak out myself if a lion mountain showed up, but these are Elves, after all, and they live in Aman, so they're not so easily scared, certainly Val isn't, as we see here. He, at least, remembers whose Forest they are in.

Thanks for leaving a comment, Kevana. I'm glad you liked the chapter. I appreciate you letting me know and have a great week yourself.

UTfrogReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/23/2013
Hope you had a great time in the mountains. Intriguing developments. Clearly they are being well looked after. Also love the developing romance. Great idea to have the trees listen. Seems the message was received by more than one person. Thanks

Author Reply: I had a great time, thank you. Glad you enjoyed the chapter and the developing romance. Yes, it does look as if more than one person was listening. We'll see how things develop in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing, UTfrog. I really appreciate it.

LaerReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/23/2013
Hurrah for the kitty ;) It was a smart cat, with good temperament. I mean it did not get mad and eat them for being so slow or weak (well to it :D ) Glad that they found the resting station no matter who it belongs to. Hopefully both will get the needed rest and she will become well with his 'first aide'.

Author Reply: Hi Laer. Yes, it's a very smart cat. I'm sure Oromë was very careful as to who to send as his emissary. We'll see how Val and Findis fare alone and how they are eventually rescued. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. It's much appreciated.

CairistionaReviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/23/2013
What a surprise... a wild cat there to help! I love how you describe his rather inscrutable gaze. He ended up being a good guide--nothing like Gollum, thank goodness. *g* I'm very much enjoying the budding romance.

Hope your trip was relaxing and refreshing!

Author Reply: Hi Cairistiona. The trip was very relaxing and refreshing, thank you. I had a great time.

Unlike Gollum, the cat owes its allegiance to Oromë, so it's not likely to mess up. *grin* And I'm glad you are enjoying the budding romance. We'll be seeing more of it as the story progresses. Thanks for leaving a comment. I appreciate it very much.

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