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| Steelsheen by Ecthelion of the fountain | 6 Review(s) |
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| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 4/4/2025 |
| The world is already showing signs of strain. Darkness doesn't just happen overnight; it sneaks in and can be quite subtle – a shadow here, a shadow there – until suddenly you're aware that things have changed much more than you realized as the shadows were beginning to creep in. Ah, those overprotective big brothers... but Éowyn seems to have her head on straight. “I learn,” Éowyn replied simply. (I had to laugh, though, because my younger hobbits in my stories are often being told variations on "Wait until you're older.") At such a young age, she begins to perceive the cage. Poor lass. But Théodred is a bright spot. Do I detect an adolescent crush (infatuation?) beginning to form? She's about the right age for that, it seems. Elfhild as a sort of Middle-earth vigilante. Robin Hood? (Drawling: Better look out, boys, there's a new sheriff in town.) I've heard from other fanfic writers that Kingsfoil tastes pretty vile, in their view. It sure smells purty, though. (I don't know why I'm talking like a cowboy movie tonight.) Ages in Tolkien's peoples are interesting to ponder. When I first started writing hobbits, it seemed odd to me that fanon had female hobbits marrying around age 30 or older, while male hobbits didn't marry until they came of age at 33 or even waited until they were older (in my stories, 40 is average marriage age for a male hobbit). Until I realized that 30 in a hobbit seems equivalent to about 20 in a human. Thus, Rosie Cotton Gamgee was 37 when she had her first child and 58 (so, seemingly not as old in hobbit terms as it would be for a woman of today) when she had her last! Hobbits' time scale is different from ours. (I'm not surprised that the Rohirrim might be different from what we're used to, as well.) Interestingly, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins was scandalously young (hobbit age: 23/human age: 15) when she married Otho. I wonder if JRRT made a math error or if he had a story in mind? (Of course, Arwen was robbing the cradle to marry Aragorn, and he was 88 at the time! I've calculated that, based on his age when he died, his age at his wedding would be roughly equivalent to a 31yo man of today.) But I'm rambling. The bedtime police (cats) seem to be running behind schedule tonight. | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 3/31/2025 |
| Ahhhh (a sigh of satisfaction), it is nice to return to this tale. I am glad to see you are posting more chapters. Théodred had translated only a single line that night—but that line had opened a door she could not now close. I have experienced this phenomenon. Nice turn of phrase. She was… in her early thirties? Éowyn guessed. It was an age still distant, still unimaginable to her. Time is so fluid and flexible. At age 14, 30 is unimaginable. In a similar way, I have 29-year-old Pippin thinking of Frodo as "old" in one of my stories (even though he's probably "well-preserved" by the Ring, as Bilbo had been, and looks no older than he did at 33, only a few years older than Pippin at the time). “But I grew to love the plains, though the wind whispered things I do not understand.” I wonder if this will be Lothíriel's experience, going from the Sea to the plains when she marries Éomer? Alas, poor Elfhild. But she sounds resilient. I love this description of Éomer: He did not always understand her, but he never failed to stand beside her. And the description of love being able to both "bind and blind" is a lovely turn of phrase. I love the ending of this chapter. It says so much in so few words. Author Reply: Lindelea - Thanks! I have 29-year-old Pippin thinking of Frodo as “old” — yeah, it’s a very similar thing: at a younger age, even ten years feels unthinkable, and someone twenty years older seems terribly old… been there, and this definitely drew from experience! I wonder if this might be Lothíriel’s experience too—it could be, though I imagine it would be easier for her, since travel in her time would be much safer and more manageable. I’d also imagine Éomer visiting her family in Dol Amroth from time to time—after all, that’s where part of his grandmother’s heritage lies. I’m trying to stay as close to character as I can with all the canon figures, and this is very much my impression of Éomer :D Glad to hear you like it! | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/28/2025 |
| How interesting! (I'm referring to the note at the bottom of the page just now.) The gaps Tolkien left certainly do beckon to be filled, don't they? I love her grey mare and your explanation of the horse's name. It seems that Éowyn has stumbled across a mystery! At her age, I would have loved to stumble across an old chest filled with mementos and hints about my grandmother or great-grandmother. A surprising number of the books I read as a child featured such trunks discovered by the protagonists in dusty attics. Théodred is wonderful and I find myself wanting an AU where he lives on... Sigh. I must settle for enjoying reading about him as long as I can. Author Reply: Yeah, right? I originally meant to write a very different story, but once I realized how much was missing about Morwen, I felt something else would be truer to what might have really come to pass. And it adds a bit more suspense to the story too :D I also gave Éowyn a different horse than Windfola at this point, since she was only fourteen—she would have had to change mounts by the time of the War of the Ring. And I love Théodred—which makes the later chapters all the harder to bear. :( Thanks for the review! :heart: | |
| Lindelea | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/25/2025 |
| Oh but this is marvellous! The language is rather more formal than might be found in the current popular literature, but it resonates perfectly (at least to my ear) with Tolkien's rather courtly style of writing! (And frankly speaking, though I may be fluent in spoken German as a second language, I wouldn't begin to attempt to write Tolkien fanfic in that language. I know all too well that I lack the skill to do so. By contrast, your prose flows beautifully and sounds fluent, even poetic. For example, "at the very gate of memory", as well as joy finding her and sorrow lying quiet beneath her armor and "golden-haired tempest" and "as one who measured and remembered" and more. I also love that my mind forms clear thought-pictures from your words.) I love the characters and their relationships as you sketch them here! This part encapsulates these admirable Rohirrim so well: When she did well—oh, how he laughed! Once, when she bested him in a bout with the wooden sword, Théodred fell back upon the straw mat with mock despair and cried, “Béma shield me—the lady grows fangs!” And the King, standing nearby, chuckled deep beneath his braided beard. “Aye—may they grow sharper yet.” Very well done! I look forward to reading more. Author Reply: Thank you so much for your generous words—I truly appreciate them! Writing in this style did feel a bit ambitious (even a little presumptuous, especially as a non-native speaker), so I’m genuinely encouraged to hear that it reads fluently and doesn’t add much difficulty for the reader. Language is hard, and Tolkien’s style is no small thing to emulate—so your kind encouragement truly means a great deal. I’m especially glad the imagery spoke to you! And thank you, too, for highlighting that little exchange among the King’s family—it was a delight to write, and I had real fun with it :D | |
| Erulissé | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/25/2025 |
| Oooh exciting! I am intrigued! It reminds me of a friend who did much the same thing trying to learn more about their great grandfather. Except he didn’t need to learn a new language or alphabet to do it. :) I can’t wait to learn more about Morwen now too! Author Reply: Thanks! Éowyn would have had to study Sindarin anyway, as Thengel made it a tradition in his house to know it as well, even though it had little practical use in Rohan, as the scholar noted. But now she would be extra motivated :D | |
| Erulissé | Reviewed Chapter: Prologue on 3/25/2025 |
| This is great! I can’t wait for the next chapter. It reminds me a little of Mirkwoodmaiden’s current in progress story ‘Destiny’s Child’, but it has its noticeable differences. I really like the last few phrases. “Perhaps it was but her imagining, yet in the mirror, behind her, the image of a lady seemed to gather—tall and straight, with dark hair like the shadow before dawn, and grey eyes bright as stars, though her fair face was softly blurred, veiled in mist. My grandmother, she thought. I would learn more of her.” Can’t wait to read the next chapter! Author Reply: Thank you so much for your kind comment—I truly appreciate it! I have not yet read Destiny’s Child, but I’m so glad to know there are other ongoing stories about the Rohirrim (we all love them!). This story is actually the third part of a Rohirrim-centered series; the first two were written in Chinese, centered around Théodred and Éomer, and Théodred and Boromir, respectively—so this one is more of a continuation or a missing piece, though it can stand alone :D | |