yIxk3x94 · 20 January 2016 · Chapter 1: A Bell Tolls
This info is the cat's pajasam!
Light on the Way by Larner
Reviews (61)
Tari · 21 September 2015 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
Alas, I have reached the end. Thank you for a wonderful ride.
Author's reply
And thank you for your responses to my writing!
Tari · 17 September 2015 · Chapter 5: “In Whose Mighty Company”
Wow! The redemption of Denethor was beautifully handled. He is healed. I never felt the animosity toward him that others felt. Unbeknownst to him, the palantir had him under its control.
Author's reply
At least Sauron, through the offices of the seeing stone, had him enthralled, and used the truths it showed out-of-context to increasingly isolate him and lead him to despair and suspicions of others, even his beloved son.
Tari · 15 September 2015 · Chapter 2: Time of Honor
Enough already. I'm reading this on my lunch hour at work. People will think I'm crazy if I sit here crying. How were you even able to write it?
Author's reply
This period had to have been so difficult for Arwen. For the first time she has a deep emotional investment in a mortal, enough to appreciate just what true grief is. I just had to explore it further!
Tari · 15 September 2015 · Chapter 1: A Bell Tolls
You almost had me weeping. What a beautiful tribute to Aragorn.
Author's reply
Forgive the tardiness of responses. Have been fighting a frightfully sore shoulder, and for the last two months haven't had a lot of tolerance for much writing beyond what was necessary. I found the Master's description of the death of Aragorn to be so moving, and wanted to explore it a bit further. Thank you so!
Windsinger · 7 August 2013 · Chapter 99999: Author's Notes
I did remember reading this when it first appeared. I really liked it then and still do. How nice to have someone as talented as you, take Tolken's story beyond death. You have done a great job of making at least one version of what waits for us after death seem real and believable. As well as very desirable. Nice job ---- thanks for the re-do (although I would have to compare it to the original to find the changes).
Author's reply
I didn't keep a copy of the original against which to compare this, I fear. Mostly it was cleaning up language usage and removing the majority of initial Ands, and in a few cases making it more obvious who made statements that had not been clearly attributed to any of the conversants. Thank you so for your kind words. This was one of my first stories, and I rejoice to have it greeted with such kindness as it receives its appropriate editing. I've never thought of being dead to be that frightening. Now, the process of dying can be pretty awful, of course. But I had to find a way to help Arwen realize that what she'd chosen was nowhere as awful as she'd imagined.
FantasyFan · 7 August 2013 · Chapter 99999: Author's Notes
Larner,thank you for completing and posting this story. A long time in the making, but it is very nice, comforting really, to see that people are still thinking and writing seriously about the world of Middle-earth. I have always enjoyed your thoughtful tales. I read the whole thing over this morning. And of course I cried through the entire time, which is exactly the wrong reaction. The story is hopeful, more than anything else, a joyful expression of the fulfillment in death. But I cried anyway, selfishly I think, because although death is not the end (I firmly believe that, in or out of middle-earth) there is still great sadness in grief for those of us who have still incomplete vision as living mortals. We miss those who have gone, and the waiting is hard. Your final deposition of Frodo is interesting. He has become the Nurturer, which I can see as a logical extension from what he was and became. He was a caretaker in life in that he was the ultimate "responsible one", and he rejoices to do this now freed from any burden of guilt or sense of sacrifice. It's a little tough though, to think of each person defined by only one characteristic in the ultimate afterlife. A major part of his character was endurance, despite pain and loss of hope. There's nothing to endure now, nevertheless can't that be somehow acknowledged or celebrated? He was also the "wise one", referring to his judgement I believe, but he also had his own considerable talents as a scholar and historian. Plus, what about his enormous compassion and mercy, pivotal to the success of the quest? I suppose they can all be rolled up into the one designation, yet they are separate character traits. Perhaps we just aren't given enough time with him in this place to see it all. It's interesting to think about, though. Thanks again for yet one more lovely story.
Author's reply
Thank you so. I began editing this about four years after I wrote it, then set it aside for a time, then finally finished the job last week. I wanted so to finish the story of Arwen and Aragorn, and to give them peace and joy together in their new estate. I know that both as a parent and as a teacher I've had to practice endurance, hope, frustration, compassion, joy, pain, and wisdom; and my own scholarship was constantly being tested, and particularly by my stepson. All of it goes into nurturing others, I found. I appreciate your frustration that I've apparently limited Frodo to just one aspect of his personality, but I was trying to think of a True Shape that somehow captured all that he was, and this was what I could think of at the time. Again, thank you so for sharing the thoughts the story inspired in you. I so appreciate knowing that I'm capable of inspiring strong emotion via what I write.
galath · 7 August 2013 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
Oh! Larner what a story! The heartbreak and joy of life,love and death.It was great to have just about every one in this story. Thank you for a gripping and beautiful tale. A speechless Galathil
Author's reply
And thank you for letting me know how this made you feel, Galathil. It was fun working in all our favorite people as well as I might, and I felt that this side of the story needed telling, not just Arwen's grief at losing her husband and her bliss, but her greater joy at learning what comes next!
Linda Hoyland · 7 August 2013 · Chapter 5: “In Whose Mighty Company”
It is great to see this wonderful story again.I first came to know and love your writing from this and Aragorn releasing Denethor really stuck in my mind.
Author's reply
I'm so glad that you rejoiced to see this again. I suspect that we create our own hells or purgatories, and that we may need the intervention of others to help us find our way out of them. Denethor had given way to his fears, and must have been caught in the horror of experiencing such a terrible end to this life. I always felt that as much as his suspicions and envy and even fear of Thorongil helped drive him to choose such an end as well as the horrible images Sauron had been feeding him, Denethor would not easily give over his own fantasies until he who had been Thorongil came to assure him of his continued love and respect for the capable being Denethor had been through most of his life. Thanks so very much, Linda--you know how much I appreciate the feedback.
6336 · 23 January 2009 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
Snif, this is deffinately a three hanky tale! So sad and yet so joyous! Lynda
Szepilona10 · 20 May 2008 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
This was a very good story! It was also very sad and I was crying at the begining! God bless! ~Szepilona10~
Author's reply
Somehow I didn't respond to this one. To learn I have managed to move another so is always the greatest of accomplishments. Thank you!
Halrohir · 3 December 2007 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
My dear Larner: I have completed reading, start to finish, your enchanted tale of the departure of the Fellowship and those heroes and heroines to their Great Reward and Promise. I stand humble and in awe of your talent. You have kept faith with The Professor's noble work, his tone, his guiding hand. It is no less than inspired. I rejoice to have read it, and will eagerly devour all of yoru work that crosses my path. I Am HALROHIR
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Halrohir, although thank also Imroihil for the aid she gave in making it better. Aragorn I've loved since I first read the books; to imagine how he and his beloved Arwen left Middle Earth was a joy. Thank you so for the compliments.
Queens Reader · 21 October 2007 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
Just re-read the entire story for at least the third time- it feels like Christopher Tolkien may have found this in some hidden cupboard of the family house and published it. Thank you Larner for a well crafted tale of 'what happens after'. With gratitude, QR
Author's reply
I am so very honored, Queen's Reader, to realize you've enjoyed this so. And to be compared to the Master himself is an even greater honor. Frodo, Aragorn, and Sam are my favorite characters in all of Tolkien's works, and this story had been working on me for some time before I sat down and wrote it. And I offer many thanks to Imrahoil, whose input was vital in making this what it resolved into. Again, thank you so very much for the feedback. I'm always glad to know that people so enjoy my work they will read it again.
Elflingimp · 28 December 2005 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
That was the most beautiful story I have had the joy to have read!! Thankyou so much for sharing it I have always had a great curiosity about what happens after they died I would also like a story about the ending of the world when all are reunited a huge task no doubt, once again it was beautiful!
Author's reply
I am honored you enjoyed it so, Elflingimp. I found it a joy also to write, although I assure you it had a good deal of editing even after it was posted. As for writing the End of Days--that would indeed be an undertaking, although I may tackle it in time. I read one such story which was humorous, and all the Firstborn were trying desperately to learn from Legolas some happening he was trying desperately to keep secret with no success, and the Hobbits were keeping all at it so they could continue to raid the dessert table without worrying about having to leave any for the others gathered in the Halls of Mandos. You might also enjoy my story "Fostering" in which I expand on some of the themes here just a bit in the last chapter.
phoenix23531 · 4 November 2005 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
Oh, by Heavens! I had thought to review this story chapter by chapter, but before I knew it I was at the end. I simply could not turn away from it! This has become one of my favorite pieces, and in a very short time at that. I have mourned that Tolkien did not give more detail as to the final ending of such characters as Aragorn and Arwen while at the same time rejoicing that he left it so open to interpretation. This, your interpretation, is simply superb! To draw out each and every little part that moved me would not do justice to the whole piece, and would likely overwhelm your email, but a few extraordinary parts left me deeply moved. In particular (remembered first only because it was more recently read), Arwen's tag-a-long in former Lothlorien. I nearly cried when I read that (a truly remarkable feat, moving me to tears), as I always wanted someone to be there, someone to ease her passing, someone to remember. Also, in the same scene, your wonderful description of the niphredil and the elanor reacting to her presence, and then to her loss, was beautiful. The wonderful construction of the Halls of Waiting, taking Tolkien's own scarce descriptions and molding them with tremendous eloquence into something truly your own and almost tangible, made me smile. Oh, and how could I forget the amused 'fear' that Lord Mandos would have to keep a close eye on a pair of miscreants in his midst. That was priceless, a laugh well-placed! The final reunion was remarkable. I love that you evoke joy rather than grief at Arwen's passing, though I was always saddened that her brothers faced tremendous grief at her loss. Gilraen's greeting to Arwen was one I had never considered, but it was a wonderful thought that the two might meet and rejoice together. And what can I say to the final journey of Legolas and Gimli? This was something I have thought about many times, as I found Gimli's sailing both confusing and wonderful. Legolas' description of how he finds the Straight Path was very well done, indeed. There were so many instances in this tale that were noteworthy for their place in the framework of the tale as a whole, but it would detract from the overall to isolate them. Let me congratulate you on such a wonderful piece that gives a keen glimpse into what Tolkien himself saw as he wrote the Appendices. Thank you for sharing this with us. phoenix23531
Author's reply
I am humbled by your response to the story. The tale of Arwen and Aragorn and the overwhelming grief she felt at his passing has intrigued me for years, and I finally got to play with the ideas. Tolkien was a devoted Christian as well as one who loved Nordic mythologies; that he'd consider an afterlife that included the Hall of the Dunedain and the Feast Hall of the Edain just seemed so right; and yet he'd also wish for the passage beyond to Iluvatar's own presence as well; and so I tried to meld the two views of the afterlife in a way in keeping with his Arda. And so I've melded Christian and Nordic and wholly Tolkien imagery together as I could, hoping that this would be something other would enjoy. As it won second place for romance literature in the Middle Earth Fanfiction awards it indicates that I have managed to please several others. Am glad you liked the boy from the edge of the forest and his place in the keeping alive the memory of what once was; and the reaction of the niphredil and the athelas, which, of course, came directly from Tolkien himself in the appendices. As for Gimli and Legolas, their crossing together to the Undying Lands remains a wonder and a joy. Am so very glad that you appreciated that part, and the manner in which Legolas tries to explain. At least he is not leaving Gimli to grieve alone and fade slowly--and he will have the support of the others who've gone before as they reach the undying lands for when Gimli himself must die. Thank you so much for the feedback, as I truly appreciate it.
Ariel · 18 April 2005 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
*Considers sending Larner a bill for the cost of the many Kleenex she has used through this story.* A lovely tale, satisfying and curiously in line with things I have considered but never really dwelt on. I don't write many of these loftier stories of death and loss and the life afterwards, but I sure gobble them up right enough. I think, being a creature of life and baser matter, I feel unequal to the task of addressing such important stuff, or perhaps I simply feel more at home celebrating life and the legacy of blood. But I find great comfort in stories like this, especially when they are so skillfully and lovingly told and fall in line so well with what I have always half imagined. It's actually 'happier' than what I imagined, but always see these events as if from the point of view of the person left behind, the one still living, the one who can't quite see across that threshold. A friend and I had different views of the Halls and we have just been having a very interesting discussion on the subject, but your story truly melds all that Tolkien wrote (and generic Catholic principles) into a credible and comforting reality. You've even had Frodo moving on from TE and bypassing the Halls entirely, which, I had suggested to my friend, he would probably do having already spent his 'purgatory' in TE. We had decided that both are viewpoints were valid, considering the available information, and so settled to writing our respective stories accordingly, but I am going to suggest she read this tale because it presents a lovely picture into which both of our views fit. I'll make sure she has a box of tissues handy.
Author's reply
I tend to purchase kleenex by the case at Costco, so would willingly send you a box or two. (Smiling back at you.) I am Anglican Catholic, which doesn't exactly accept the RC idea of purgatory as such, although we also don't exactly discount it, either. We tend to take more of a wait-and-see attitude. But, yes, if Frodo had been RC I think he would be said to have experienced his purgatory there on Tol Eressea--he, Sam, and Bilbo. I doubt any of them would have wanted to waste time "establishing" themselves in the Halls of Waiting, but would have been pretty much heading for the Presence as directly as possible, although Frodo still remains with the children I've imagined him having found within Heaven. It can be fascinating when what you read tends, as happened with you and your friend, mirrors recent discussions--have had it happen a time or two myself. I try to look on the deaths of these characters from their own perspective at the time, which, of course, is going to be different from that of those who are left behind. And I think that the Elves would find the differences experienced by Mortals to be a fascinating mystery, and suspect that Galadriel would have begun to envy the experience somewhat. I hope your friend enjoys this as much as you have. Am so glad you found this uplifting and affirming for both viewpoints.
Bodkin · 4 December 2004 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
Does Gimli's mortality make him more sensitive at this point? And he recognises the hobbits, when apparently Legolas does not. It's very interesting to get the feeling that the elves, who are the mystic immortals, are the ones here who are earthbound and prosaic.
Author's reply
Yes, I think another mortal will appreciate the spiritual aspects of seeing Aragorn and Arwen and their escort at this point than an immortal Elf. Although Legolas was sensing something at this point, as he found himself weaving Arwen's music into his song. Author Reply: Yes, I think another mortal will appreciate the spiritual aspects of seeing Aragorn and Arwen and their escort at this point than an immortal Elf. Although Legolas was sensing something at this point, as he found himself weaving Arwen's music into his song.
grumpy · 3 December 2004 · Chapter 12: The Cost of Love
great chapters. Love the sailing of Legolas and Gimli. Legolas discription of Aragorn's leaving "more surely then the arrow flies from the bowstring" is so very Legolas. Also how Gilmi wants Aragorn to great him when it is his time to go, even though it will not be for sometime yet. The drawf is still in love with his lady elf.
Author's reply
Who'd have thought the earthy dwarf would be the epitome of courtly love in this book? Thanks.
Imrahoil · 3 December 2004 · Chapter 11: Seeking the Presence
Style, styhyle, stYle. I'm afraid it's not going to stay with me, next time it will be hopping fences again. Huhu, the Mandos Postal Service?! Instantaneous delivery and receipt guaranteed. I wish my provider did work that way.
Raksha The Demon · 2 December 2004 · Chapter 9: Light Returned
Sorry, I was wrong about the fading of the elanor and niphredil - JRRT does leave the possibility open for the loss of those flowers, though he does not state that they fade immediately or even soon after Arwen's death. "There at last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but spring had not yet come, she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea." From the 'Tale of Aragorn and Arwen', Appendix A, ROTK.
Author's reply
I referred to the same section below as the reason I had the flowers fade as I did. Yes, it is very sad indeed, each loss Middle Earth endured as the Fourth Age, the Age of Men, took hold.
grumpy · 2 December 2004 · Chapter 9: Light Returned
what a great couple of chapters, Arwin's leavetaking of her sons and daughters, and of the city. I also love her teaching of the boy in Cerin Amroth. Aragorn hovering arround waiting for her. The whole chapter was beautiful.
Author's reply
I'm glad you found it moving. Thanks.
Imrahoil · 2 December 2004 · Chapter 10: Rejoice in your Daughter
My oh my, you ARE busy. For a change I'm bawling into my tea cup if you want to know. The rather heavy stile you're using here suits the situation perfectly, like it very much. But the counting of the chapters is off. Another chapter coming today?
Author's reply
I fixed the chapter numbering. I'll set it right, then use the down scroll on my mouse without realizing the cursor is still in the chapter area, and I change it unwittingly. Thanks for the review, and hope I didn't cause your coffee the other night or last night's tea to become too weak. Am not sure when another chapter will come.
Raksha The Demon · 2 December 2004 · Chapter 9: Light Returned
This story is getting a bit too sad for me. Of course Arwen died; but I don't recall JRRT implying that all traces of the Elves' existence would fade so soon from Middle-earth, down to the elanor and niphredil. Sigh. The writing, as always, is excellent. I'm just not ready for Middle-earth to lose the elanor for which Sam's daughter was named, nor the niphredil. There should be some remnant of the Elves that endures longer, other than Eldarion's genes.
Imrahoil · 2 December 2004 · Chapter 9: Light Returned
And so it came to pass that Imrahoil tried to sniff quietly into her coffee mug. The dying flowers are a beautiful idea.
Author's reply
The dying of the niphredil and elanor flowers was Tolkien's own idea, which caused me a lot of concern as I'd had Hobbits spreading them all over the place. How do I reconcile the flowers growing at Bag End and in Minas Anor with the dying of the flowers in Lorien? And this was what came out. From the story of Aragorn and Arwen in the Appendices: "There at last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but spring had not yet come, she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea." I think this passage also led to the feeling of lack of awareness of the people of Minas Anor for the Queen once Aragorn was dead, and the forgetting or ignorance of her Elven heritage, and is why I wrote it as I did.
Bodkin · 1 December 2004 · Chapter 8: Leavetaking
I'm glad Arwen knew about the grandchildren (and named them) even if she won't be around to see them. Good think Elladan and Elrohir turned up to follow her - just to see that she is safe through her last days. I hope they then take ship so they can comfort / be comforted by Elrond and Celebrian.