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The Help of a Friend  by daw the minstrel 26 Review(s)
AliceReviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/30/2006
Oh Daw that was wonderful! Turgon is still delightfully Turgon. His parents are still themselves as well. I'm glad Legolas spoke to them. And also impressed he managed to do it in so tactful a way. I like how he's going to look after Turgon now. A way of preserving a friendship between them even though the friendship will necesarily change as one of them's an adult. I hadn't realized how much I liked Turgon until he came bounding into Elowen and Siondel's yard. I'm glad to know how he and Legolas were reunited.

Author Reply: Glad you liked it, Alice. I deliberately withheld Turgon's name from the summary because I thought people might like being as surprised to see him as Legolas was.

A way of preserving a friendship between them even though the friendship will necesarily change as one of them's an adult

Ooh, that's a good point. I struggled a little trying to figure out how that would work because it's so odd from our point of view.

SocketReviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/30/2006
Oh, I never expected to see the mischevious Turgon again! What a wonderful surprise. Thank you for yet another great story, my friend. I could never tire of your Legolas tales.

Author Reply: Did Turgon's arrival surprise you? I hope so! I've missed him as much as Legolas did, I think, and felt as guilty about his death. I'm glad you liked it.

French PonyReviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/30/2006
I am now officially amused that Elowen is still feeding bread and jam to wandering kids -- just not her own kid. Elowen has a heart of gold, yes she does. She's Super-Nana (well, except for Mom Pony. But still.)

I like the idea that Turgon and Legolas can still play together, even though there's an age difference now. It really shows how close they were, that they can just kind of pick things up again with so little awkwardness. In fact, it's probably better for them that they have this difference. Turgon can still relate to Legolas, and Legolas now has the wisdom and the judgement to calm Turgon down a little and keep him safe. It's sort of what they were looking for all along, only they were both immature kids then.

And Legolas gets sort of a second chance at being a kid again, only this time, it's in a safer place where he can have the adventures he wants without running the risks of Orcs or spiders or bad Men. You really see how Valinor is a place of healing.

Author Reply: I really like your observation about how Valinor is a healing place, and also that Turgon and Legolas are repeating a dynamic, only in a better way. I think that's exactly right, although I hadn't thought of it in those terms.

There's a theory that when you have children, you get to repeat some of the issues of childhood, only from an adult perspective, like separation anxiety or what to do with anger. You think about them for your child and it helps resolve them for yourself. I don't know that that's exactly what Legolas is doing but it feels similar.

NilmandraReviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/30/2006
For Legolas, being with Siondel and Elowen has to be very comforting. Eating jam at their table must make him feel like a bit of home has come with him. And I love Siondel's comment about Mandos releasing Turgon as soon as his parents came! What would Namo do with a child anyway?

So many fun nuances in this story, from Turgon coming back at the same age as his death - a child - and yet everyone else has grown up around him. And he still has no sense! I am glad Legolas will go to Tirion with them. Having Turgon around might lift all of their spirits in the end.

Author Reply: Having Legolas with Siondel and Elowen was comforting for me, let alone him!

I had a lot of trouble with the whole concept of a child in the Halls of Waiting. Obviously it happened, and Turgon wasn't perfect, but how would purification work there? I think he's just happier, free of resentments, ready to go at life enthusiastically. And he loves having a body again.

Legolas thought of himself as being the friend who helped Turgon, but in the end, Turgon helped him.

GwynhyffarReviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/30/2006
I love Siondel and Elowen. They are two of the most caring and wise around - and they don't really beat around the bush about it either. Siondel is always so straightforward, but without the blunt harshness that Thranduil sometimes has. It's easier to take, I think.

Turgon seems to have changed in some ways, but not in the ways that make him Turgon. I especially liked him telling Legolas that he was like Ithilden and rolling his eyes at him!

Legolas and Turgon both needed each other here. They both needed a friend, and Legolas needed healing not only from Gimli's recent death, but also from residual guilt over Turgon. I have to say, I was shocked at Legolas telling off Turgon's parents, but good for him! They needed to hear that and Turgon deserves better.

All in all a great fic, Daw! and happy birthday Bodkin!



Author Reply: I love Siondel and Elowen too. I hesitated over the fact that Legolas is now older than Siondel, but Siondel is still giving him advice, but I thought it would be hard for either of them to change the relationship they had, and Siondel has the wisdom he gained in the Halls of Waiting.

Turgon's parents are getting a second chance here and they need to make the most of it. The twits.

sofiaReviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/30/2006
that was lovely. I love that this story brought Turgon back. And of course he's still unpredictably wild.
Oh! and Happy belated Birthday!

Author Reply: Glad you liked it, Sofia. I wound up with a lot of things to puzzle over in bringing Turgon back. How different would he be? What would it be like to have him be a child while Legolas was an adult? So that was fun.

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