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Legolas's Begetting Day  by daw the minstrel 169 Review(s)
lwarrenReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/11/2004
I really wanted to review this chapter by chapter, but I also am facing *trumpets of doom*...the start of the school year on the 18th. So I waited until I could really sit down and not rush.

This was a great story, and I especially loved the way you tied the present events and the past (Legolas' birth) together. It made for some tense moments, what with escaping mice, crashing elven musicians, female unmentionables appearing, orcs, and Elian, complete with his "How to Elfling Sit and Have Your Elf Maiden, Too" instructional guide. (I have noticed that he certainly seems to spice up the action, and I have become particularly fond of Maltanaur and Beliond and their relationships with the Princes of Mirkwood.)

And let's not forget birthing baby elflings! The way that sweet child wrapped the entire family, including the reluctant Elian, around his tiny finger showed the closeness of this family (and I always enjoy an appearance by the Queen, though it makes me sad, too. :-/ )

The whole tale (tail?) was terrific, but the ending with the mice was priceless. The names!!!!! How cool were they? Reminds me of a good spider named Charlotte trying to describe her friend Wilber (RADIANT, SOME PIG, etc.*vbg*). I can just see Thranduil when he makes the acquaintance of his Preciousssss *falls off chair laughing*...In the immortal words of that ancient and knowledgable turtle, Crush..."You so rock", daw!!!! Thanks for taking all your readers on a very enjoyable ride!!

linda

Author Reply: My school year starts on Aug 23, so I hear you!

I enjoyed trying to tie the two time lines together. I thought the battle stuff for Eilian gave the story a little more weight than the slapstick of the treasure hunt. And I have to admit, I always think twice before I let Eilian on stage because he tends to steal the show. My beta has suggested that I write a story from the point of view of the wives and the two keepers. That might be fun! Maltanaur sure doesn't hesitate to tell Eilian what to do, but his affection for his charge comes through loud and clear.

I also liked having a chance to write about Lorellin. I hardly ever get to do it and she so plainly doted on her sons. She was good for all of them and Thranduil too.

Using the mice pov at the end turned out to be just a kick. I thought they would be the center of their world, as we all are. And to themselves they're very important, after all. And I think the tale of the mice might not be over yet, given that mouse-lings are about to make their appearance. Poor Thranduil!

LKKReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/11/2004
I had my heart in my throat the entire time I read this, daw. I was afraid that Eilian would be in trouble for not discovering the elflings' mice when he agreed to elfling-sit them for the evening. And then the young scamp goes and gets himself into trouble by abusing the king's crown and displaying an elleth's undergarment! shakes head in disbelief

I liked the contrast between Legolas's world and his friends' world: Legolas not getting to smell meals being cooked; Annael not knowing he shouldn't disturb the guards; Legolas not recognizing a lady's underthing. Close friends they may be, but the three do live very different lives.

Thranduil reacted to the discovery of the mouse quite differently from what I expected. Nice job in surprising me on that.

Oh! And I suppose that Thranduil now has his own Precious, eh? ;)
(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Wonderful story, daw. It was great to read about elfling Legolas again.

LKK

Author Reply: This story was so much fun to write I couldn't believe it. I think I need to do slapstick/underwear display/animal pov more often!

Eilian was a bad boy and bless his father for getting to the thing that really mattered: the fact that he is spending time with a maiden he doesn't care for. That was a good ada thing to do. Thranduil was also a good ada with Legolas, I think. The poor baby agreed to let Blue-y go. It was so sad!

But Thranduil does indeed have his own Precious now, and soon will have a bunch of mouse-lings. :-)

Lily-AnnabethReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/7/2004
Aww. Legolas is adorable :) I especially liked the flashbacks, and also the way you gave the mice' perspective in the final chapter. The interaction between Legolas and his family was well-done as well.

Author Reply: Thank you, Lily-Annabeth. This story was a lot of fun to write. I loved having the chance to show Legolas's mother and the slapstick of the treasure hunt. And the switch to the mouse perspective at the end was fun too, and I thought it was appropriate, given Tolkien's belief that very modest, small creatures could affect history.

The KarenatorReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/4/2004
Hi daw, I'm sorry I'm so late reviewing, but I was afflicted with a case of sea-longing. I almost sailed when I got caught in a rip tide from the tropical storm that was churning off the coast, but a few well placed rocks at the end of the groin stopped me...ouch.

But enough about my adventures! This story was such a delight. One of the things...among many...I like about your stories is how you weave so many different little tales into it. Eilian was on such a...well, Eilian adventure. And Maltanaur. Have I mentioned how much I love him lately? I think Nilmandra and I are going to have to arm wrestle for him! “Not you, you fool,” Maltanaur said. He's such a dear.

The whole little hunt was so well done. You came up with some snappy little clues. I'm impressed. I only write drinking songs. And ladies' unmentionables... I knew Adar would be frowning. Eilian...Eilian...Eilian...

The birth scene was sweet. There is nothing like a little bundle of baby to reduce a big old guy into a real softy. I really enjoyed getting the chance to spy on the family as they met Legolas for the first time. I have really enjoyed Lorellin being around. It's so sad she's not around to see Legolas grow up. She would have been proud of all three of her sons. And Eilian..the little brother of Ithilden...hates being over-watched and yet he's already in the overprotection mode from the first moment he picks his little brother up. But Ithilden's reaction was the most interesting. He couldn't believe he could ever be so serene as to sleep through being picked up. This commander is always on duty. He 'was' probably born that way.

But my favorite part of the story was the mice at the end. What a wonderful way to end the tale...tail? They were wonderful. I love how you gave them such BIG names for such little creatures. Their perspective was unique and of course, an absolute delight. I loved how they viewed the world. And dear Precious. She knew where the best place in the palace was to be found. The king may not be thrilled to have a family of mice in his study, but she'll be safe there.

I'm looking forward to the next story. You never cease to amaze me with your ability to keep your Mirkwook and her inhabitants fresh and fun.

Carry on and hopefully, it will be soon. Karen

Author Reply: Is that really true about the rip tide? That's scary. [I'm pausing here contemplating how scary that is.]

Maltanaur is great. He's so completely ready to act on his own best judgment and he calls Eilian names and threatens to beat him, but his affection for his charge is obvious. I imagine that's comforting to Eilian who, I think, sometimes feels a bit put off by his father's disapproval. Of course, at the point in the story, his mother was still very much alive. I enjoyed the chance to write about her. I think she and Eilian are two of a kind, much to Thranduil's dismay.

Poor Ithilden. He's taken so much responsibility on himself from a very young age. And he seems to think it's only right that he do so.

I giggled to myself when I got the idea to end the story with the mice. The fancy names came to me fairly late, but I thought they signified how important the mice were to themselves, just like we all are.

Thank you, Karen. Be careful of the water.

ManderlyReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/4/2004
I have just read the last three chapters in one breath and they were just wonderful! I have been away the last week and what a treat it was to come back to have the rest of this lovely story waiting for me. My withdrawal of your young Legolas stories has now been satisfied, at least for the time being. Thank you!

Author Reply: Glad you liked it, Manderly. I hope you were away doing something fun rather than working.

French PonyReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/3/2004
Ahh, mice, the gift that keeps on giving. . . of course one of them would be a girl mouse. How like the boys not to think of that! And their own names are wonderful, just the sort of grandiose things that teensy tiny mice would call themselves.

Anyway, sorry I'm late. I'm visiting relatives this week, and they're scattered through several different states, and they all want a piece of me. My family isn't actually particularly big; they just make themselves big and take up space.

Eilian's flight through the trees was very dramatic. I saw Spiderman 2 with my mom today, and while I read about Eilian, I imagined him swooping through the air just like Spidey. And I loved Lorellin's boasting after delivering Legolas. See, this is why I was looking forward to childbirth as written by a professional. You've had a kid and you know about things like that.

Toy warriors! What a neat present!

And Eilian has really truly fallen in love with baby brother, as we knew he would. I'll bet he's so besotted that he wouldn't even mind changing diapers.

Author Reply: And of course, the girl mouse is pregnant. I think they're born that way. The mice are the center of their own universe (just like the rest of us are in ours), so they needed important names.

I saw Spiderman 2 too and never made the connection to Elves in trees until you wrote that! Eilian did a very dangerous thing and had better hope that Thranduil, Ithilden, and Maltanaur never hear the details.

I was exhilarated and hungry after my son was born. Like Lorellin, I felt that I had done something amazing. :-)

I hope you're enjoying your visits to your family.

emjoReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/3/2004
Once again great story Daw. Please hurry with your next one!

Author Reply: Thank you, emjo. I'm not sure yet what I want to write next, but I'm thinking about it!

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/3/2004
Following on from the Tinar's wife comments - do, please, sneak back into wherever she is named and change it. I cannot remember his wife's name anyway and the irony of Tinar being bonded with Amelith would be just too delicious. They are just ideal for each other. Although I would lose some of my sympathy for Tinar's wife, who currently comes high on my list of 'Elves in Sticky Places'. (Dungeons of Dol Guldur, captured by orcs, being tortured by Sauron, married to Tinar . . .)

Author Reply: I know I mention her name in "The Warrior." Tinar declares that she's timid and needs his guidance. I'm not sure Amelith fits that description! She was pretty bold to say what Legolas should or should not be allowed to do.

KinipelaReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/2/2004
Aw, this was so sweet. I loved seeing them react to newborn Legolas. And Eilien become protective of him was so loveable. I love this family you've created. And it was great to see Lorellin as well. Will we be seeing any more of newborn/baby Legolas with family in the future? I think that might be an interesting dynamic to see. :)

Author Reply: Thank you, Kinipela. It didn't take baby Legolas long to change his brothers' minds about the wisdom of having him, did it? And Eilian apparently sees no contradiction between resenting Thranduil and Ithilden being protective of him and deciding that Legolas needs his protection. :-)

I don't know if I'll write about baby Legolas again. I think I may pick up the story line somewhere else when he's older. But I have to admit I like writing about Lorellin. I've mentioned her in several other stories and this was a nice chance for her to come on stage.

Tapetum LucidumReviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/2/2004
I feel like I just started this story and it is already over. It was a lot of fun!

Your start was great! It made me think, "Wait, I didn't know they got captured!" Then I figured it out. Very tricky Daw! It must have been hard waiting behind the waterfall all night will all of those orcs about. "Why does that not surprise me?" - stolen line from TTT. Eilian's plan was a good one, and very effective. If Maltanaur knew the danger he put himself in he would have killed him then happily faced Thranduil's consequences. It was worth the risk to protect the settlement. It must have been hard for Eilian to leave the battle and go home but it was the right thing to do.

Eilian's little scolding was appropriate - even though I thought it was funny too. "you know I would cut off my right arm before I harm Legolas in any way." pretty much sums up Eilian. He almost destroyed his right arm trying to catch the brat when he fell over the cliff. If he only knew... "I know you are capable of appreciating a maiden of worth when you find one." - Poor Amelith - What a slam coming from the king. Maybe she should marry Tinar, they would be a good match.

Legolas' birth was a very sweet event. Having his tough, older brothers fuss over him was a nice touch. It was wonderful how he was accepted. It is amazing how something so small can cause so much fear and doubt (stolen from FOTR).

The sadness shown by the other members of the family when Legolas opened his knife was very realistic. It was an important milestone for all of them, Legolas is leaving his childhood behind, to his joy and their dismay. You handled it very well. The youngest's cluelessness was very cute.

Finishing up with the mice was a nice touch!

Author Reply: I had this story well outlined ahead of time (including all the clues written), so it was fast to write. And I'm very conscious of the fact that school starts on August 23, so my time to write a lot is running short.

Eilian had better hope that Maltanaur, Thranduil, and Ithilden never hear the details of what he did to lure the Orcs away from the settlement. They would take turns killing him, each in his own unique way!

Oh! Oh! I have to tell you! After I wrote this and posted, I thought "Damn! I should have made the maiden the one that Tinar eventually married. I named her some place and everything!" But I didn't think of it in time.

It didn't take long for Thranduil, Ithilden, and Eilian to forget their doubts over whether having a baby was a good idea, did it?

The knife was meant to draw together the danger of Eilian's adventure in the "past" with the fluff of the begetting day celebration. It seems to me that Legolas's story always happens against this thing that we know about his future.

And the mice were so much fun! I hope it didn't take too long to figure out who "Magnificence" et al were. I had originally just intended to use their color names but then I thought they would have much more important names for themselves. After all, in their own eyes, they are the center of the universe, just like the rest of us.

Thank you for your very kind words, Tapetum.

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