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Legolas's Begetting Day by daw the minstrel	169 Review(s)
White Wolf	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/2/2004
Ending the story with the POV of the mice was adorable, as well as original. The ideas of a whole bunch of little mice running around Thranduil's private study made me laugh. Glad Eilian made it home in time for Legolas's birth. I knew once he saw and especially held that sweet baby, his heart would melt. Can't wait to see what your next story will entail. Author Reply: The mice made me laugh too. It was fun to try to imagine what the world might look like to them. In their view of things, they are, of course, very important, and their names show that. Neither big brother could hold out against the baby for a second. :-)

tigerlily713	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/2/2004
Brilliant ending! Quite different than your normal style, and wonderful nonetheless! I can't wait to see what you come up with next! Lily Author Reply: I thought this story was a bit fluffier than what I usually write, but it was a lot of fun to write some comedy and then the mice. :-) I don't know yet what I'll write next. Maybe the year after Eilian married and Legolas was still in the south? Maybe young warrior Legolas under Eilian's command in the northern border patrol?

LOTRFaith	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/2/2004
cute Daw:-) really cute:-D I loved the little scene with Eilian holding Legolas... That was so cute! And the mice! lol.. That was great:-D In fact the entire story was great! I hope you post another soon:-) But if you don't thats ok too:-D Author Reply: Glad you liked it, Faith. Baby Legolas did not take long to overcome his brother's doubts about him, did he? :-)

Jebb	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/2/2004
A wonderful final chapter I Malantaur certainly knows Eilian well doesn't he! How worried he must have been to let him go off without him and how releived to see the home guard patrol the scene where Eilian meets his new brother for the first time was so sweet and Eilian hasn't stopped looking after him since I suspect Mixed emotions at the present giving for Thranduil and Ithilden knowing that sooner rather than later Legolas will join them in the fight Legolas being prepared to share his puzzle I note Turgon didn't want to help with that and of course Thranduil and Eilian discussing the treasure hunt that elf knows a thing or two about his son as well! And as a lovely final reward we hear about the mice so pleased to see they are doing so well not sure the king will approve of the nest in his library though many thanks as ever for sharing your gifts with others hope there will be more very soon Author Reply: Maltanaur knows Eilian very well indeed, and doesn't hesitate to say what he thinks. But he's also obviously fond of Eilian, which is comforting I think. You're so right about the fact that Eilian still looks after Legolas. He snarks about his father and brother being protective, but he sees the baby and he feels the same way. I had a hard time picturing Turgon sitting still long enough to do a puzzle. Thranduil was a good father to Eilian here, I thought. He went right to what was important for Eilian's character and happiness. Glad you liked the mice. They were a ton of fun to write about!

Rose Sared	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/2/2004
Laugh out loud. Poor Thrandy, more mice. Lovely story, nicely resolved. Thanks Rose Author Reply: I know. I laughed when I wrote it. But this story is about babies being born so I thought Brown-y should have some too. And who knew that her true name was Precious??

Elemmire	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/1/2004
The story was great...but the mice clinched it! LOL! ;), Elemmíre Author Reply: Thank you, Elemmire. The mice made me laugh. And it looks like there will be more soon as babies continue to be born in the palace!

Ms. Whatsit	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/1/2004
I liked the conversation between Thranduil and Eilian--Lorellin was very much a strong "shadow" presence there, even more so than she is throughout most of your work. I really, really liked the image of Eilian holding Legolas, wondering if he'd be lonely in his cradle, and rocking him and crooning to him. That's just...awww. Legolas getting his presents was cute, especially him wondering why his dad and brothers looked sad about him getting the knife. And the mice! Magnificence, Splendor, Brilliance and Precious! LOLOLOLOLOL!!! I like the way you have them thinking of the Orcs and the Spiders and the Elves--and their opinions of the ribbons on their tails. And ending with Precious having babies was a nice touch. This was a brilliant end to this story, daw. Author Reply: It's funny how Lorellin haunts a lot of the conversations between Thranduil and his sons or their thoughts about themselves and one another. I hadn't thought about that, but it's true. I like the picture of this wild young warrior gently tending to this baby. :-) I thought the knife would tie the two parts of the story together -- connect the present day fun with the treasure hunt to the dangerous stuff going on on the day Legolas was born. And it's meant to point to his future too, of course, which is why his family finds it sad. Glad you liked the mice. They certainly see themselves as the center of the universe! But then we all do that, I guess. Did it take you long to realize who Magnificence and company were? I hope folks would see it right away. :-)

erunyauve	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/1/2004
Your orcs are terrific, as always. '“Not you, you fool,” Maltanaur said. “You and I are going home. Your little brother is about to be born, remember?” Eilian looked at him in dismay.' I love Maltanaur! I can imagine how tough it would be for Maltanaur to let Eilian go on alone, knowing he's more a burden than a keeper. 'And suddenly, his heart lifted and he laughed. It made no sense, but instead of feeling heavier, his burden of worries actually felt lighter because this sweet, hopeful little creature now dwelt in the world.' And he has good reason for his premonition. Nassty hobbitses fans just don't understand the book or any of Tokien's mythology, if they think Legolas did nothing for the Fellowship. I loved the ending - of course, I wanted to know how the mice turned out! It is just so fitting that the lost one ended up in Thranduil's study - and quite happy to be there. Author Reply: Glad you liked the Orcs. Turns out crudeness is fun to write. And Maltanaur is also fun to write. He never hesitates to tell Eilian exactly what he thinks as bluntly as possible, and yet his affection for his charge is obvious. It is hard to think of the "sweet, hopeful little creature" being chased by a Balrog or shooting at a Nazgul. I like the image of all the races working together, with each of them contributing to the success of the quest. And I confess to giggling to myself while writing about the mice. Who knew that Brown-y was a "she" and that her true name was "Precious"???

sofia	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/1/2004
i just love the image of three elflings peering over Thranduil's shoulder to see the pictures, that's so cute! At the end with the mice and stuff, that was cute. Though it did kind of confuse me at the part when they started talking about the men and the 'clumsy ones' and everything. -sofia Author Reply: That is a sweet image, isn't it? Apparently even Turgon looks cute tucked up in bed and being read to. I hope you didn't get too confused at the end. I was trying to see things through the mice's eyes and I thought they might have different names for the Orcs and Elves and spiders. Certainly they had different names for themselves! LOL

Dot	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/1/2004
Oh goody, you did update again this weekend! A bank holiday is indeed a three-day weekend. I just spent a lovely day doing absolutely nothing out in the sunshine and now I get an update from you. sighs happily Eilian and Maltanaur just weren’t going to get home very easily. I love your effing Orcs! They’re very real. Poor Maltanaur. He must have been beside himself knowing that Eilian was heading into danger and he had no choice but to let him go, and in fact that his presence could actually endanger Eilian even more. Eilian was SO brave! I like his tactic – take out the archers first. That was a ridiculously dangerous situation, though. Trust Eilian to feel so exhilarated by it. I can tell you, I was very glad when that signal sounded from the Home Guard. Eilian seems to have really got caught up in the excitement if he forgot that he had to get home as soon as possible, whereas earlier it was all he could think about. I was surprised he was still a little reluctant to leave even after he was reminded that he should get back to both Ithilden and his mother – it just goes to show how much his life as a warrior means to him. “In all truth, he thought his father was overreacting, but he did not think it would be wise to say so.” Clever Eilian! Thranduil would NOT appreciate being told that. I like the way Eilian reassures Thranduil how much he loves and wants to protect Legolas, especially as Thranduil accepts that without comment, showing that he can clearly see the bond between his two youngest sons even if he doesn’t always think that Eilian is the best influence for the baby. I thought Thranduil was right to say what he did about Amelith. He really got straight to the heart of the matter – if Eilian doesn’t particularly like her, why would he be spending time alone with her? It must pain him to think that his son doesn’t have respect for maidens, especially when he knows the joy that the right relationship can bring. “How lucky we are to have the brat.” You know, they really are. He seems to bring them a lot of happiness and relief from the difficult lives they lead that they probably wouldn’t have otherwise. What an adorable image of the three elflings peering around Thranduil at the pictures in the book! I have to say, I’m glad you spared us any more of Lorellin’s labour! I loved that moment when both his parents greet Legolas. It’s a lovely thought that despite Thranduil feeling a certain sense of fear and regret for the future, he realises how right his wife was to want to bring another life into the world, some light in the face of the growing Shadow. Yeah, I wouldn’t associate the word ‘serene’ with Ithilden… But his little brother made him happy! How wonderful to see him experience that moment of utter delight. Ah, Eilian. Don’t be annoyed at your father and brother. They need to fuss over you sometimes. It actually touched me that he went to his mother first rather than the new baby, while Ithilden did it the other way around. It’s funny how petrified he was when Legolas started to cry. But it was so moving when he falls in love with his new brother and realises how lucky he himself is. And he immediately goes into protective mode, despite his earlier complaints about the rest of his family doing the very same thing! The gift scene was great. I like the way the gifts Legolas receives reflect the difficult age he’s at now – a mixture of toys and real weapons. I feel sorry for Ithilden being the one who has to give the knife to him. At least for now Legolas is still innocent enough not to see why this gift brings such a sense of sadness to the rest of his family. You made me laugh out loud at the way you wrote the ending! Wow, you really gave them all little personalities a world of their own. And rather impressive names too! I love that they’re so proud of their ribbons. Splendour seems just as impetuous as Turgon. And I notice Brilliance is happy enough to stay at home and Magnificence is definitely the most regal of them! It’s a very clever way of showing what happened to the Men too. shudder “Singers.” That’s just so perfect. There’s Brown-y! It seems Thranduil unknowingly has a new pet and is about to have even more. Or maybe he does know about her. I think I’d prefer to think that he does, actually. It’s so sweet the way she decides that she approves of him! I really enjoyed this story, daw. It was good to get back to elflings for a little while. I can’t wait for whatever you do next. :-) Author Reply: That was indeed a very dangerous thing that Eilian did. He'd better hope that Thranduil, Ithilden, and Maltanaur never hear the details. No wonder they all think he needs someone protecting him. And when he's with Legolas? "And he immediately goes into protective mode, despite his earlier complaints about the rest of his family doing the very same thing!" Clever Dot! That's exactly what I was going for. I thought that Thranduil was just about as good a father to Eilian in this chapter as he had been to Legolas in the last one. In particular, I thought he would concentrate on the maiden -- the behavior that was really important in terms of Eilian's character and his happiness. I'm not sure that Eilian took in everything Thranduil had to say, but at least he said it. Some day it will penetrate! I think they're all lucky to have Legolas -- this innocent child who makes them remember that the world isn't all darkness and sorrow. He makes them play and laugh and just generally see the good that's possible. Of course, even Turgon can do that when he's tucked up sweetly in bed. And it didn't take the big brothers long to fall in love with the baby, despite their earlier doubts about him. Thinking up the gifts was actually kind of hard. I wasn't sure what kinds of things an elfling would play with. Supposedly there were great toy makers in Dale. I have to confess that the mouse part was the most fun to write in this chapter. I've had it planned for a while and kept sending my beta bits as I wrote them so that someone else would laugh along with me and I wouldn't feel like such a fool. Thank you for your consistent support, Dot. The pleasure of doing this is made much greater by readers who tell me they enjoy it too.

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