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Time's Turnings by daw the minstrel	25 Review(s)
Nilmandra	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/6/2005
I think the part that I enjoyed the most in the Legolas-Beliond squabbles is that you managed to make them both 'right'. Legolas does need to be allowed to act as a warrior and 'Nana' needs to quit hovering.....and Legolas really did need Beliond to get him out of some misunderstandings there! Beliond going rigid when Legolas reminds him he is not his adar was telling of a reminder that not even adars can keep their sons safe all the time. Yet, Beliond was kind in not further embarrassing an innocent Legolas as to what the prostitute wanted! Author Reply: Beliond has quite a delicate task, when you think of it. He has to keep Legolas safe and he has to be firm to do it. Legolas has to follow his orders sometimes. Eilian follows Maltanaur's sometimes -- orders of the "don't even think about it" kind. But Beliond also has to gradually let Legolas take over control of his own actions. And if he makes an error, he probably wants it to be on the side of being too careful. The results of being too loose could be disastrous. And of course, Beliond has his personal history, which clouds his judgment to some degree.

perelleth	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/6/2005
Oh, my! cross-cultural learning is such a difficult subject!!! The thing is, despite such experiences with men and dwarves (cheeky dwarves!) we get to see the same unprejudiced Legolas during the Quest...he's truly a very special person. The common room "arena" had the atmosphere of an old far-west movie, it was fun to read!. The plot is getting dark enough, but I cannot help foreseeing more funny situations, such as these two caught up at the merchant's while they heatedly discuss their own duties and boundaries, and being brought to Bram, Eilian choking on his wine at the situation... NO! that would almost certainly cost the four of them a life long posting as Tinar's personal guard or something!!!! Anyway, it's a curious thing that King Bram should have a southerner among his advisors... am I being prejudiced? Eilian is doing fine, I think, for the situation is quite tricky, and the signs are confusing...Maybe Thranduil and Ithilden did not think he would be considered a lesser messenger because he is not privy to the King's council, so men can now think the King is truly deceiving them... Oh my, I'm getting paranoid! it's been a bad bad week!! Please, go on! the plot and the unfamiliar setting make it even more exciting than the rest!!!! :-) Author Reply: Legolas was raised in one of the few areas of ME with Men, Elves, and Dwarves living near one another, so he could be less isolated than, say, the elves of Lothlorien were. I think of him as someone who is pretty open to other races, although Tolkien does show him as wary of dwarves at the start of the quest, so I try to make him happier with men than dwarves. I've given him several encounters with them so that he'll be ready not only for the quest, but even for the Battle of Five Armies. LOL at being Tinar's personal guards! Surely not. Surely they can manage better than that. The spice merchant's brother is an aide to an advisor, not an advisor, and he's an easterling, not a southerner. I wondered the same thing you did, but I thought a lot of men got driven into Dale and Esgaroth when the Balchoth were sweeping through the area south of those towns, so newcomers might eventually get accepted. What Bram is doing is trying to figure out how much Eilian actually knows about Thranduil's plans. I think he's decided that Eilian is honest but he might worry that Eilian isn't really in his father's confidence.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/6/2005
How many time did Legolas blush in this one evening? It must have been quite an education for him - though not one that Thranduil was likely to have provided. It's probably as well that he had Beliond with him during his encounter with a lady of easy virtue - he would have been Very Surprised if he had agreed to walk her home. Well, the Easterling definitely seems to be at the heart of the trouble. Winding up drunken men to challenge our heroes is not a good thing - but I am worried that using the opportunity to spy out the herb shop is not the wisest plan either. I hope Beliond's experience pulls them through this safely, with plenty of added respect for his talents from Legolas as a side effect. And that Legolas behaves with maturity and skill so that his keeper realises that he can be trusted to behave with some sense. That inn must have been horribly smelly to the elves - and I was most amused by Legolas's reaction to ale. Which is tongue-curlingly disgusting on first exposure. I'm glad to see Eilian's flirting skills are coming in handy. Perhaps, if he, Bram and the queen get past the dance, they might actually be able to say something valuable to each other. I hope Maltanaur has spotted the spice merchant's brother, while he is keeping an eye on his Thranduilion. If the Thranduilionnath call their bodyguards 'keepers', what do the keepers call their charges? Author Reply: LOL. If Legolas had accepted the walk home (the lady needs an escort to walk home in the dark, thinks Thranduil's gallant baby), he would have been very surprised indeed. But he had work to do and stuck to doing it. Beliond must have had a scary few seconds though. The Adventure in the Herb Shop has yet to be written, but I'm hoping for some fun times. I love your last question. Hm. I don't know what the keepers call their charges. Maybe a little keeper scene would be amusing sometime!

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/5/2005
What a delicious setup. Beliond and Legolas are heading out for a night of adventure and wacky hijinks while Eilian exchanges pleasant, witty, sophisticated banter with the King and Queen all night long. The Wood-elves as screwball comedy! Perhaps Katharine Hepburn could play the Queen. . . Legolas certainly got himself an education in the few hours he spent in the inn, now didn't he. Cooking smells, unwashed bodies, ale, drunks and prostitution, all in one swell foop. Beliond seems to be perpetually hovering on the brink of a coronary. One can only imagine the fireworks if he'd been assigned to Eilian. He and Legolas are going to need to sit down and work out their boundaries sooner or later. Thirty years, and they still haven't talked? Males! Beliond'll have to learn that Legolas's job involves a certain level of risk, and that he'll never completely be able to keep the kid out of the action. And Legolas will have to learn that Beliond can be a resource as well as a ball and chain. Is Nithra (or whatever her name was; the little girl that Legolas was kidnapped with) still alive? Is this the town where she lives? It'd be amusing to run into her. . . she'd be solidly middle-aged by now, I think, probably with children, possibly grandchildren. The spice merchant, who seems to be bad news, but you never can tell, is already bringing back interesting flashbacks. What a shock for Legolas to see his darling little girl friend as a grandmother. Author Reply: Yeah, things are popping in Dale. We'll see how it all works out. My outline for this next part is a bit sketchy. That tends to happen when I outline the story ahead of time (which I do). As I get to the later chapters, I find it's less detailed. Beliond and Eilian would have been disastrous together. Clever Thanduil to give his second son into Maltanaur's keeping. But in Beliond he saw someone who had lost a son of his own and would protect Thranduil's baby with a ferocity that would scare away most enemies. Legolas and Beliond do need to negotiate a little. I think that Legolas's declaration of independence here will help. Nithra lives in Esagarth, not Dale. I thought of her and Rodda too (he's the little boy in "Good Neighbors" and also lived in Esgaroth). She'd be in her 50s. Rodda would be older yet -- in his 60s probably. An encounter between Legolas and either one of them would really drive home the different time scales for men and elves, but I don't have any plans for that right now.

Alice	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/5/2005
Oh, Eilian, flirting with the King's wife? Not a good move, boy. Though nice try with the weeding of information. Interesting tidbit indeed. One hopes that Bram knows this only through merchants' loose lips gaining knowledge from elvish gossip. I pity the poor spy otherwise. Well, look who finally asserted his rights. Right on Legolas! Beliond needed to be told. Which he's graceful enough to know, if not graceful enough to not look at men like they're orcs. (sigh) I love Beliond and all, but he's not someone I would want to be aquainted with. That scene with the scarlet woman was really funny. (snicker) Poor sheltered Legolas. I think Beliond should so totally use this information to blackmail him though. Because they would never, ever shut up about it. I liked how the dwarves helped out the elves. Granted, they threw in an insult, but it was good of them nonetheless. Beliond's still suspicious though. He's just going to loooove Gimli. Poor Beliond. He lets Legolas loose for an adventure and what does he do? Brings home a dwarf, falls in with men and hobbits, and decides that a change of address is necessary. Anyway, I look forward to the next chapter. The Inn scene was wonderfully set up by the way. Update soon! Author Reply: Eilian is just making friends, like he always does. :-) He'd be cautious around any married woman, I think, but he certainly enjoys female company. I so agree about Legolas. He needed to assert himself. It was the only way things were going to change. He couldn't expect other people to hand him his independence. On the other hand, he does need Beliond, if only to explain what's going on in the common room. LOL. Legolas knows about sex. But he thinks about it like an elf and men are just foreign and strange. I suspect that Beliond and Gimli might clash strongly. Should make for an interesting time in Ithilien. Glad you liked it, Alice.

Manderly	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/5/2005
OMG! I just realized that I spelled Eilian's name wrong. What was I thinking of? (gives wrist a big slap). I must have been laughing too hard. My apologies! Author Reply: He forgives you. He sends you a nice kiss.

Manderly	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/5/2005
I hope you had as much fun writing this chapter as I did in reading it. The giggles were bubbling up quite uncontrollably throughout. Poor Legolas. I don't suppose it was quite the way that he wished to be introduced to the coarser ways of Men. You've really captured his endearing innocence and unworldly ways, everything from ordering the food, his reaction to the ale and (oh, major giggles) his encounter with the soliciting female (and what the dwarf said!). His line of vision when the woman stood by him and the subsequent blushing (the giggles are starting again) - priceless. Even Beliond cracked his impassive mask at that scene. The evil part of me wants Eliond to find out about this incident - his teasing would no doubt be hilarious. Thranduil's reaction to his baby's encounters would be priceless as well, if he ever finds out. So the two elves are off to break into the spice shop. I will hold my breath for the next chapter. Author Reply: You're so mean to poor Legolas! I can't let Eilian know about this. He'd be on Legolas forever and ever! Legolas was experiencing a little culture shock, but in the long run, it'll make him better able to function in places like Minas Tirith. :-)

Elena Tiriel	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/5/2005
Well, that's quite some pub Legolas and Beliond visited... What's it called, Ye Olde Tipples & Nipples? - Barbara, enjoying this story tremendously... Author Reply: LOLOL. That's clever. Legolas's education was certainly added to, although I suppose not as much as it might have been if he'd accepted the invitation to go for a walk with the lady of the evening. Glad you like it.

Sofia	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/5/2005
For some reason I think Legolas and Beliond will get caught or find something shocking. -sofia Author Reply: Well either of those options would be fun! :-)

Brazgirl	Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 2/5/2005
That scene with Legolas and the woman was too much fun. Beliond certainly wnated to tell more... he wanted to give Legolas a lesson! Very nice, Daw! Those men were so typical! They need to drink to gather courage to speak. The whole interaction was very nice. I think that mechant was making people's mind in that inn... I wonder what Beliond was up to. Really, I laughed so hard when the woman touched his nose! It happens to me that Eilian wants to charm the queen... I am sure he will succeed.That was not good to hear about the king of Dale speak about Thranduil's court like that... seems that something is going on there. Excellent chapter. Author Reply: LOL. Legolas knows about the birds and the bees. He's had girlfriends. And he knows that men use prostitutes (which puzzles elves) but it just didn't occur to him that that's what this woman was. In truth, I think even human males may not recognize a prostitute the first time they lay eyes on one. The merchant is up to something, and Legolas and Beliond are off to find out what it is. They hope. :-) Glad you liked it, Brazgirl.

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