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Bridges by Bodkin	71 Review(s)
Gwynhyffar	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/17/2006
awwww. Yay! As much as I really really disliked Taryatur for so long, I can't help but like him now. He's still pig-headed and testy, but then so are some other elves who I really like! Author Reply: On the surface Taryatur has been very dislikable! Especially for anyone taking Legolas's side. But he has his reasons for being the elf he is - even if they aren't always very logical. He is pig-headed and testy still, but I think he - and Legolas - have both lost some of the scales before their eyes and have discovered that they have more in common than they wanted to admit. And that they can support each other - which will, hopefully, improve their relationship considerably.

Lianna	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/17/2006
It's good to see them home again, more or less in one piece. I really like the complexity you have given Legolas in Reflections, Sweet Woodbine, and now this story. He is one of the characters whom Tolkien left frustratingly mysterious. Your take on him, and glimpses you give us of his post-LOTR future, are very satisfying. Author Reply: Thank you! I'm sure they're glad to be home, too! And I was glad to see that they remained carefully friendly, too. I'm hoping that what they've learned of each other will stick. I'm pleased you think that Legolas's character has become more rounded and complex - complex characters are much more interesting. In some ways having a fairly blank canvas is good - you can add the brush strokes you want as long as it fits with what is already known. I think he is a fairly straightforward elf on the whole - but no-one could get to be x thousand years old (about 1500 in my mind) without layers.

SurgicalSteel	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/17/2006
I enjoyed this very much! It was nice to see Legolas and his father-in-law come to the knowledge that they may not always agree on everything, but they at least understand one another. The dialogue and the manner in which the understanding grows slowly I found to be very true to life. Author Reply: Thank you - I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Legolas and his f-in-l have always had a difficult relationship and it didn't seem likely that one adventure would overcome it all - but they have made a start. I think they have both seen the other now, without all the prejudice that has made it so hard for them to break out of their pattern of behaviour. And they are male. They might let slip a few more serious remarks, but they would shelter behind less intimate words most of the time.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/17/2006
sighs contentedly Wonderful end to this tale, Bodkin! It is a relief to know they are out of their prison, and even more so to watch Legolas and Taryatur together. I was truly glad Taryatur didn't get angry about Legolas' offer to talk about his experiences but thought about it. It will not only improve their relationship further, but help Taryatur to cope with his trauma. As he himself said, for Legolas it was always easier, because he had - and has - others with the same experiences to talk to; something Taryatur had not. Anyway, the first tentative steps towards a friendship are there, and even if it may need some more years, I think they have reached a level of understanding that serves as basis for more. Really, it was sweet that Taryatur refused to stay in bed because he wanted to see for himself how Legolas was, worried they wouldn't tell him the whole truth. You know, after this story I am beginning to truly like Taryatur, and that is something I hadn't expected after the first glimpses of him. And I trust you will in time tell us more about the two and their relationship. Thank you for a very interesting and intriguing story! Author Reply: Getting them out ended up being quite a problem for those attempting rescue - it was clearly a job for engineers and ropes - but the made it in the end. Taryatur has had a layer of his protection rubbed away, I think, and come to understand rather more of what he shares with his son-by-marriage. And he felt as if a weight had lifted. Partly, I suspect, because he knew that they would be rescued, but partly because he was able to mention some things he had been keeping to himself for over two ages. I think they have stopped the war - it might take rather longer to become an alliance, but they are both willing to make the attempt now and that's a big thing. Taryatur started as a bit of a joke - the ultimately awful father-in-law - but he has grown on me. The more you think about people, the more they tend to take on a personality - and this poor elf is prickly and difficult, but honest and loving and straight as a die. And with some experiences that he has never been able to come to terms with. I'm sure there will be more about them in future. Thank you for reading - I'm pleased you liked it!

Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 9/17/2006
Well done! she sits back in satisfaction Yes, indeed, well done. The repartee between the two as the rescuers worked above them was absolutely delightful. I think some of the best lines I've read! And the mechanation that was made to save them sounded quite interesting. I'm glad his wife got 'into the picture' so to speak. She is no fool, is she. And the ending was perfect. giggles I found myself, however, holding my breath as the trunk was removed. Very, very nice story. Thank you for sharing it! Author Reply: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. The poor rescuers found themselves with rather a job to do - I hope Thranduil treated them to a good celebration with plenty of wine in gratitude! Taryatur and Legolas were, I think, more comfortable in talking to each other - if they were still truly hostile, they would have been more polite. But they have had their eyes opened a bit, even if they are sitting in the dark. Elerrina is quite mechanically minded and has been raised with people who are creative around forges and kilns. I reckon she still makes her glass - what she works on is fairly small-scale and I can't see Legolas - or Thranduil - wanting to deprive her of it. Haven't worked out the logistics of it, though! I'm glad you liked the ending.

elliska	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/10/2006
There are so many things I loved about this chapter. Little things that showed Legolas and Taryatur coming together like Taryatur's prayer that Legolas live and his fretting over whether he should have stayed or gone for help, his laughter instead of anger when Legolas glared at him and his comparing him to his own son. And of course the discussion about Beleriand, concluding with Legolas saying what Taryatur had always said about Elerrina--that was great! And I loved how you showed so many aspects of people's personalities--Taryatur feeling better when he grasped some control by finding the leaves', Camentur cheering up the wives when Thranduil knew he'd been demanding a search earlier. And I loved the scene where the forester and young elf find them. It seemed very elfy the way they listened to the trees and all the young elf's thoughts about the forest (particularly liked the observation about birds). And all the details of finding the knife and the blue cloth were very well done. And the whole conversation when they found Legolas and Taryatur. Great! Again, the way it revealed things about the people talking was really well done. I love Thranduil in it--perfect! Great chapter! And I'm glad there is another one. :-) Author Reply: Thank you, elliska - and I'm sorry to be so long getting back to you. The last weeks seem to have been so busy and I don't have enough time to indulge in what I want to be doing! I don't reckon Taryatur and Legolas would be immediately able to leap into best buddy mode - but the more they see the other as a real person rather than a stereotype the better able each will be to make allowances! I imagine the foresters as being particularly close to the song of the forest - but that song must be slow and take a very long view of life ... not as long as an elf, perhaps, but certainly longer than short-lived and short-attentioned creatures. I can't imagine that a fly would be able to convey much of an impression about what was happening... I saw a TV programme once that showed that people move so slowly in comparison to insects that we barely move at all - and that's why we so rarely manage to splat them - they are on hyper and we are on super slow-mo. I've actually managed to finish the last one now! I just need to go away and then come back to give it a reread before posting.

lwarren	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/9/2006
taps chin thoughtfully You know, my father used to threaten to put my sister and me in a locked room alone until we worked out our differences (or killed each other! LOL). It seems that there is something to that, after all! Taryatur and Legolas, forced to endure each other's presence alone and they are actually talking! And neither one can stalk away or storm off in a huff! They have gotten so much out in the open now. "I am a slow learner, but I do get there in the end." At least Taryatur is being honest with himself and his son-in-law now. "We have more in common than either of us has been prepared to admit." Legolas, too! And help is well on the way! I must admit, I had a few nervous moments when I thought the searchers were going to overlook that fallen tree and walk away from our two trapped friends. Pigen and Aelindor were a hoot - but the young one seems to be observant in ways the older forester has forgotten! Thranduil seemed appropriately grateful! :-) That little discussion between Linevende and Laerwen was so revealing and very sad. Laerwen is seeing how the time lost might never be regained where her son is concerned. She did worry about that very thing (in 'Far Horizons' when she and Legolas were first reunited, didn't she?). Sadly, it seems she was right in some respects. Naneth in name only. (Would her bond with Legolas be completely severed at her death - or just diminished over the years? She could hear the trees, but sensed nothing of his pain and predicament. Elerrina fainting I took as part of her bond with Legolas letting her know that he was not at all well. It surprised me than that Laerwen had no such inkling - for that matter, Thranduil didn't either! So maybeeeee - when Legolas and Elerrina wed, the bond between parent and child lessened considerably. Didn't you make that observation sometime in a past story/review? Or am I mixing my universes/authors? Could be - 'confusion' is my middle name! g) I loved the fact that Legolas telling his adar to hurry up so he could take a bath signaled his injury to his father. LOL Thranduil knows his son well! And Taryatur confirming the fact and getting Legolas' disgruntled "traitor" thrown at him. Bodkin, those two are starting to sound positively friendly! satisfied sigh Another great chapter - and I do love the way this 'bridge' is being slowly and steadily and gasp successfully constructed. Wonderful as always! linda Author Reply: A locked room would have been simpler! But I think they would both have been so angry and resentful that it would have only worsened matters. Here, Taryatur feared for his son-in-law and needed to galvanise himself into helping him - and Legolas knows that the danger was real. Then, because they were both shaken out of their usual guardedness, they were able to say a few things that will continue to eat away at their picture of each other. They didn't say too much, of course - they are male - but they both know enough to read between the lines. Aelindor has been a forester for a long time - and I think he (and Laerwen and Thranduil) are very attuned to the trees. At the moment the treesong is very disrupted by the ferocity of the storm - and it is affecting their ability to register things that are out of sync. The younger - like Pigen - are less entwined with the forest and probably better able to disregard the disruption. (That's my theory!) Laerwen is Legolas's naneth - but she has missed those growing years and it is very difficult - impossible, I would say - to recover them. He is her son, but she didn't coax him through adolescence and his early heartbreaks and fears and first wounds. She knew him as a small child - and then as a married elf with a couple of millennia under his belt. It's different. And you're right - I do think parent/child bonds change and become rather more detached when a child marries. Well - who would want to be too closely attuned to an offspring who is in the throes of learning the delights of a physical relationship? It would be icky! Elerrina's distress should, perhaps, have warned them more than it did. But she's fortunate in that this is the first time Legolas has been hurt since their marriage - I doubt she quite realised what her feelings meant. And Thranduil has all the life-long understanding of his son that Laerwen mourns. He knows perfectly well that that airy inconsequence means his son is trying to conceal something from him! Thranduil and Taryatur are parents together - they will gang up on Legolas to make sure his injuries are properly dealt with. And Taryatur and Legolas are - at the moment - cautiously friendly. Their relationship will fluctuate, I'm sure, but they do now have a better understanding - and understanding each other is a good first step.

perelleth	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/4/2006
Well, since I am as done as I'll ever be, I thought I could start catching up with this ;-) Building a bridge between these two is costing the rest of the family a lot as well, it seems! From Thranduil's worries that he cannot chase his son's prblems away, to Laerwen's feeling of inadequacy and guilt ( guilty of having been killed while saving her son's life, poor elleth!) to the in-laws and spouse too worrying for the fabled pair. I like how you picture Taryatur's disappointment and unrest at the beginning. It seems as if he actually knows he's overstepping the line yet he's not able to control his anger and resentment and deeply buried pain. Poor one, he's a terrible company for all involved...except the other child of the company!! And I like the way Legolas and Taryatur find a common ground in danger from which to start behaving civilly, while the rest are doubting between fretting or being calm. I felt deeply for Laerwen here. Thranduil and his foresters made me smile. Their conversation sounded like those between a lord and his foresters, all of them knowing what they are talking about while the rest are more or less excluded from that business conversation... And then the bantering between the two trapped elves. If they want to shock the audience, they just only have to let them listen to their conversations! Not the best of firends, but two people who have begun to understand each other. pity the water is rising and they cannot be left down thre together for another stretch! ;-) Author Reply: Motherhood is about feeling guilty - in some ways. You can never chase away all the shadows ... and it would probably be wrong even to try. Laerwen has missed much of Legolas's childhood and all his youth - and nothing will bring that back or make her part of it. She's bound to realise that and regret it. Perhaps that is actually another bridge they need to cross. What Taryatur dislikes so much in Legolas is really a reflection of himself, I suppose. He hates being reminded of experiences that he can neither change nor accept - he has spent ages (literally) trying to bury all this ... but it hasn't worked, so maybe facing it will be better for him. (Surion only gets a walk on here - but there is the beginnings of an Elflings that deals more with him and his problems. If I ever get to finishing it.) Legolas and Taryatur needed to be forced into some mutual dependence - and Taryatur needed to be the one doing the looking after, I think. And to realise that - actually - he would be horrified if anything happened to his son-in-law. Thranduil and the foresters don't have an easy task on their hands. Moving that tree ... h'mm, it's research on engineering, I think! The rising water might just offer the last breakthrough in the budding understanding - although it would be a pity if it only arrived once the water had reached their noses!

Redheredh	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/3/2006
Finally getting time to catch-up on some reviews! I was really worried that you'd have the conclusion up before I could respond to this chapter! Instead you post a short fic, where I shall leave a short comment shortly. :D But, for this post, I would like to say that I really enjoyed Thranduil recognizing Camentur's skill at public speaking. Not only able to sway people, but in a considerate and responsible way. Ha! I was thinking like Laerwen, it seems! Although, she had apparently different reasons. ;) Interesting reversal of roles for Calion! But, he seems to be coping at least as well as Elerrina. Aelindor and Pigen are great examples of Silvan people - two realistic forest-worker-elves. I liked your description of Aelindor's eyes as 'lichen-grey'. They conduct themselves in a very believable fashion and have a realistic relationship with their Elven-king. But, of course, the best interaction was between Legolas and his father-in-law. You continue their new familiarization through a test of trust. And they are applying those principles and practices they probably exercised many times with unfamiliar comrade-in-arms awaiting battle and death. Just fascinating how their relationship is being turned around. Not quickly, but with deliberation. It's very satisfying going through the process with them. Which is only made possible by your talented writing. And they did not waste their good efforts at the end either when rescued. They hold on and build on their progress instead of reverting back to form. I really, really liked that. Another good chapter of an excellent(uplifting) story. You found the good in the bad. Very Tolkien of you. ;) hmmm, h/c? So, did the Professor do h/c... naw! no way! This is just good historical fiction... at a family history level, of course. ;) Author Reply: Camentur might be a kid - in Taryatur's terms - but he's been around court a long time and can be very winning. Poor Laerwen - the more I think about returning, the more complicated the knock-on effects seem to be. Although at least she has the rest of Arda to learn about her son - but she'll never be able to catch up on those missing years. Calion is thriving in this environment - and has even learned to deal with a much older and very experienced wife with humour and grace. Aelindor is quite old and spent a long time around Lasgalen. Pigen is very young, I think, and quite new to his training. And this was a big storm - disrupted the forest a lot. Lichen-grey - well, they had to be woodsy! Taryatur and Legolas are building their relationship tentatively - they are becoming comrades-in-arms and having to lean on each other. Although Legolas is doing more of the leaning - which is good for Taryatur, I think. He needs to have to care for the lad. (Lad, huh!!) And they will still be cautious, even when saved - but with a better understanding of what they share. h/c? Well - that is relationships, in a way. And they couldn't have tumbled down that stone chimney without any blood, now could they? I must get back to trying to get them out before the water rises any more!

Nilmandra	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 9/3/2006
he forest was awash when we – er – took shelter here This made me laugh... how male! The spin does not stop here, but I think it is good spin.. keeps their frame of mind right. In light of this weekend's LJ conversation, let me point out that this is good use of hurt and comfort as a character deepening exploration as well as a twist in plot. The detail level is perfect, not too much, not too little, and they are behaving like I would expect grown males to behave. There is a detached calm too, in how the situation is handled at the end. Yes, the water is rising, and calm words are used that convey the understanding of how serious the situation is or is going to become, without the need for histrionics. I am glad to see Taryantur and Legolas finding this common ground. They have a long time to live related, so they better get used to each other! Author Reply: They have to take things lightly - superficially, at any rate! Hurt and comfort are a handy device at times - it gets people in a certain place and makes sure they can't avoid each other. And here, I think it is very good for Taryatur - he is, essentially, a kind elf and having to be the one doing the looking after will have more of an effect on his relationship with his son-in-law than I think even he realises. It's difficult to stereotype someone you've fought to save. And not too much detail suits me fine! They are both experienced enough not to panic at this point - and the cavalry have arrived with, hopefully, more than enough time to spare. Thranduil knows enough to keep calm, on the surface at any rate - and he can galvanise a lot of people into action. Now they just have to work out how to move the tree. Computer now (fingers crossed) working. Although I had to do the restore factory settings thing yesterday and have now lost all my e-mails! And addresses and such.

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