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Partings by Bodkin	32 Review(s)
Ellie	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/20/2004
That was beautiful. Very well handled. Elrond does seem so thin and frail and the twins still seem so strong and hale. Good job! Author Reply: Thank you. The effect of the failure of the Elven Rings seemed to me to loosen Elrond's contact with Middle Earth - and I think he is pained emotionally at the coming parting from his children and feels he is betraying them by leaving. More emotional agony coming.

SharonB	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/19/2004
Poor Elrond ceratinly does feel he is deserting his children. But the twins are right, it is time for him to heal and renew himself with their naneth. And it makes sense that Glorfindel would stay as long as the twins do. And where would he be without Erestor to needle both him and the twins. Ah, Celeborn will have quite a group to marshall along when they leave to sail west. And yes, the flavor of Forever Autumn does also fits the theme of this story. I can imagine that is the way Elrond has been feeling since Celebrian left and now the way the Celeborn will feel until he lives ..... "my life will be forever autumn without you". But I do wish I could have been a fly on the wall for the talk between Elrond, Glorfindel and Erestor when they talked about staying or sailing. Author Reply: Whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation, Elrond was a trebly abandoned child himself - Earendil, then Elwing, then Maglor - and lost his twin and his surrogate father when Elros chose to be a man and then Gil-Galad died. (Not to mention the later loss of Celebrian.) I think he would have vowed to himself that nothing would make him desert his children - and he would have looked on this as abandonment, especially as Arwen could never sail to join him in the Blessed Realm. In one of my very first stories I have Erestor finally sailing when Imladris is abandoned and the few remaining elves retrench to Lasgalen, which, having been shielded by the efforts of the elves rather than magic rings, I think lasted longer, and Celeborn, the twins, Glorfindel and Thranduil being among the very last to sail. I'm not sure Elrond, Glorfindel and Erestor would have needed to talk much about what they were intending to do. I think it would have been clear to them - and possibly decided with no more than a word or two, a look and a touch. Sometimes big decisions are much easier to make than little ones. Yes, the Third Age - the long autumn of the elves, fading into the winter of the Fourth Age.

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/19/2004
What a very sad homecoming for the twins, to see Imladris fading, susceptible to the winter and to time, and their father so diminished. Elrond is wise not to push them into their choice but to allow them to come to the decision gradually. I agree that they would both be Lords of Imladris - they would complement one another perfectly. Jay Author Reply: They have been delaying their return for fear of what they will find - and unfortunately it's even worse than they thought. Elrond is wise. Nevertheless, I think he could do with a bit of good news - I think he would have wanted to stay, and probably promised himself long ago that he would never leave his children, but now he is leaving and, worse, he has no guarantee that he will ever see any of them again. Elrohir and Elladan do complement each other - they are the kind of twins who can perform a task together without actually discussing who does what.

daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/19/2004
‘You will want to change into dry clothes,’ Erestor told them, lifting an eyebrow at the drips they were leaving on the floor. ‘And a bath would not come amiss.’ Apparently some things never change, despite the ring's loss of its power. You are very good at these vivid character-driven moments, Bodkin. And I liked the fact that you explained why Elrond could not stay for his children. Author Reply: No, thank goodness. There are some constants in the world. Life, love and laundry. I think Elrond would have felt terrible about having to leave - I suspect he decided long ago that he would never abandon them as he had been abandoned - and now he is. Thank you. I'm blushing.

grumpy	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/19/2004
such a good chapter, I needed lots of kleenex's for this one. Celeborn and Galadriel are such wise elves. So glad that Aragorn and Elrond talked. They needed to clear the air. loved the conversations between Celeborn and Arwin, and Galadriel telling Aragorn that it could have been Arwin taking care of him when he was young. looking forward to the next chapter Author Reply: I think it must have been quite difficult for Arwen to deal with Aragorn's feelings of guilt - and he probably kept his distance from Elrond because he felt bad about what their marriage would do to him, which would have made Elrond feel even worse. (I think growing up with Arwen as a substitute mother and knowing that she had changed his dirty bottom and scrubbed his teeth and combed the tangles from his hair would have been a real passion killer.) This is such a sad division, because they have no hope of reconciliation while the world lasts.

elliska	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/19/2004
I burst out laughing at the 'a bath would not come amiss' comment. That dry wit fits my view of Erestor perfectly. But I cried through the rest of it. Of all the things that would be hard for the twins to see, I think seeing Imladris entering the unprotected world would be the hardest. Amongst all the hardships they must have seen, they could always go home to the strength of their realm and their adar. Knowing they no longer can would be an eye opening blow. Very powerful. Great job. Author Reply: I like Erestor. Though I think he is feeling the strain of this time, too. The twins must have known intellectually what could be happening in Imladris - they had visited Lothlorien - but it's not the same as actually being there. I think they have been avoiding returning home, because they dread what they will find. And they don't want Elrond putting pressure on them to sail. Elrond feels he is betraying his children, I think. His father left him and I feel he has always sworn to himself that nothing would make him desert his children - and now he is. It must have made his departure even harder. Glad you liked it.

rikki	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/19/2004
Ah, thank you. I know that Tolkien never made a list of who went overseas and who didn't, but I have always hoped that the twins, Glorfindel, Erestor and Celeborn did finally sail after all their sacrifices and hard work. I think this is your sadest chapter. Through your description of winter you have shown time is marching on at an even faster pace for the Elves who have had a long springtime and summer of immortality to enjoy. Imladris is shrouded in ice. Elrond and Galandriel are shadows of themselves and passing on to the West. It is the end of an age of Elves. "If ever we needed proof that the Age of the Elves is past, my brother, then it has been provided to us." I don't know why but I am reminded of the movie Dr. Zhavago (tells you how old I am!) and the scene where Lara and Yuri go to the summer palace and it is draped in ice. Not as severe here, but definitely an end to an era. I could go on for pages, but I am going to be late getting to work as it is. If I am responsible for this, then I am happy while there is no definite ending, there is hope. Author Reply: In my mind all of them sailed - in the end. I think they stayed, at least partly for Arwen, and after she, Estel and their children passed, they had less reason to want to stay. And as the world changed and became more man-centric, they would have longed for the reunions they could have. It is sad to see the refuge of Imladris fading and time coming in to destroy it, but in some ways I find the division of Arwen and Aragorn from the elves to be the saddest, because there is no prospect of a reunion for them. I feel for Elrond here - he had such a rotten life in many ways - everybody who could leave him, did - he was abandoned as a child, his wife was injured beyond his ability to heal, his daughter chose mortality and his sons wouldn't make up their minds. I think he would have vowed to himself that he would never leave them, that he would always be there to support them through whatever they did - and now he is forced to go and leave them behind. I think he would have looked on it as a betrayal of his children. And you are responsible for this one!

SharonB	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/18/2004
Ah, even moe ... this is still great. I'm glad that Galadriel seems more at peace with her decision. But every body feels bad because not everyone they love will go with them or stay with them. In some cases cannot stay ... G & E that is. It's true that both Aragorn adn Arwen are outsiders to Gondor and how right you are that Aragorn may chafe under the protocol of Gondor. Wise indeed is Celeborn to tell Arwen for then to spek to each other of all things so they can suppor each other and find thier place leading the White City. I'm glad you like the analogy of lyrics I quoted for chapter 1. If you are interested it's the first song off an album called Strange Times the Moodies put out in 1999. The theme of the album was about time and change and the coming milleninum. So it does sort of relate to the idea of Partings since it is the change of the 3rd to the 4th age. If you think there are more pieces to this story please do finish them up and post them. Thank you. Author Reply: I think Galadriel is good at hiding how she feels - except from Celeborn - and she is working at easing the parting for A&A and Elrond. The more you think about this aspect of their separation, the more horrible it is. Arwen has been trained by her mother and Galadriel to be not just a lady but a Lady - she knows how to run households / realms, even though they are of the elven variety, and I think she would pick up the traditions of Gondor quite quickly. She knows who to listen to and how to delegate. Aragorn could, I think, be absolutely hopeless at it. He has always done everything himself, either on his own or with a small group of companions. Once the drama of battle and coronation is over (and the reward - the wedding), he is going to find the day to day business of kingship terminally dull. And he will hate being chased around by people all wanting to do things for him - and wanting him to grant honours, lands, trade concessions etc to them. He will need Arwen and Faramir to help him cope. And probably lots of very fast gallops away from the city so he can breathe fresh air. Thanks for the information about the album - I'll look for it. I like an old song called 'Forever Autumn' which is, I think, Justin Hayward. I was going to move to the grey ship next - but Rikki said that the twins should have their own section - which immediately got my mind going, so they will be next. This started with a simple cast of two and it is growing enormously!

Ellie	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/17/2004
"His princess, his Evenstar, his Luthien, his hostage to fate, his gift to the new age... ...tall, his silver hair lustrous in the sunlight, an imposing figure, like a hero of legend, bright and pure and deadly, his eyes filled with the experience of the ages. " Such brilliant descriptions. Wow! Excellent job. I love the closure you give to Elrond, Arwen, and Aragorn. Very well done. Author Reply: Thank you. I'm really happy you like the descriptions. I like to think that Elrond, Arwen and Aragorn managed to come to an understanding that there was no happy ending that would suit everyone - and that they needed to accept each other's choices and make the best of a happiness that would come with grief attached.

rikki	Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 10/17/2004
Wow! What a lovely but bittersweet story. I love reading all your stories, your ability to paint a broad landscape with just a simple description or thought is always enjoyable. It seems that everyone has accepted what they can not change and yet the final sharing words have not been spoken. It was a loving goodbye present that Galandriel gave to Arwen by talking to Aragorn - making him see that Elrond had never stopped loving him and Arwen because of their choices. The bittersweet part for me was the last paragraph where Elrond sees he must talk to Arwen. "She needed to know he understood. Although Estel had not been able to put it into words, she needed to know that he loved her, that he accepted her decision and that he would let her go. He could do that. He must. If he had to sail to join her naneth, leaving their daughter to die a mortal death, the least he could do was to leave Arwen secure in the knowledge that the bonds of love would hold them beyond time and distance until the final day when the world would be remade and they would be reunited." I do hope that you have at least one more chapter to add to this as the only two family members you have not included are the twins. Author Reply: Thank you. I think they all needed to acknowledge that they accepted each other's decision - everyone is rather inclined only to see their own sides. Aragorn was so immersed in his own guilt that he couldn't see that Elrond, too, felt guilty. I hadn't thought about doing a special twins' chapter, but now you come to mention it. . . - that makes you responsible for chapter 3!

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