It's good to see that Legolas's mother was not his only source for his mischievous nature! I like the younger versions of much older characters...you have an inate ability of creating your universe within Tolkien's!
Author's reply
Thank you, Laureleaf. Actually, I like trying to fit my original material into Tolkien's world. It give me limits, but it also give me ideas. For me, it's one of the pleasures of fanfiction vs. original fic.
Thranduil is daring enough and self-assured enough to get into trouble with the best of them, especially when he's with his Silvan friends. It's a good thing the sons never find out all this stuff!
Dot
· 20 June 2006
· Chapter 1: Wood-elves
*sigh* This is fantastic.
You write a fabulous Oropher. One of my favourite parts is him caressing the willow branch. You really paint him as someone who so close to nature, with a wildness to his spirit – and we also see fieriness and passion and independence in him. And his stubbornness and ability to exasperate people. He’s such a presence, even though he’s really not the focus of the story.
So that’s what happened to Thranduil’s mother…!
I love the banter between Thranduil, Beliond and Maltanaur. The best line is “Do you suppose the old goat will give us any free time?” and Thranduil thinking for a “mad moment” that he meant Oropher. ROTFL!!
I have to admit, it’s really bizarre seeing Maltanaur and Beliond so innocent about some things. Considering how well-travelled and knowledgeable they become. It’s interesting to think that at this point in time, of all the things that separate them, it’s the experience in Doriath that really sets them apart. It seems to be there the whole time. It’s fun, though, to watch them tease one another about the Silvan/Sindarin differences. And I did laugh at Thranduil trying to look fierce on approaching Amdir’s flet, even though I’m sure that’s not the reaction he was going for. Erm, he might want to learn something about dealing with dwarves about weapons…
One of the most interesting things is seeing Thranduil’s feelings when he’s not in a position to do anything much. We can already see his temper and his cunning - and he’s reserved too in way, which Thranduil of your later stories still is except that he’s grown so much in confidence. He reminds me a little of your Legolas here in the way that he knows how to have fun, but he’s very conscious of doing the right thing. Until his limits are pushed…
And oh my gosh, is that Beliond’s future wife?? I loved that part. Tinondel had a very narrow escape! I’m still grinning at this: “I recognized you immediately. You are everything Arriel described and more.” By the way, Beliond is not going to be pleased that we’ve all seen him blush ;-)
Venison sandwiches, some mead and a little dancing. What more could an elf want? I can see Thranduil adopting some of these practices for his feasts… Does Beliond know he’s missing knife-juggling? Oh well, Thranduil will put them all to shame juggling – what? seven? – one of these days.
I adored the sword dance. It sounds so beautiful and dangerous. And what a wily devil Thranduil can be!
Then the dwarf’s beard drifted to the grass, like down blown from a thistle. That was an incredible moment! Go Thranduil!
“He slipped. He is sorry. It will not happen again.” And go Laegcened too! I feel bad for him, actually. He clearly lays great importance on discipline and obedience. And he’s landed with a bunch of half-wild wood-elves. Considering that I’ve never heard of him before, I’m guessing he doesn’t survive wood-elf impulsiveness at Dagorlad :-(
“My adar says you cannot govern wood elves, only serve them and lead them.”
Ah. See, that’s why people loved Oropher so much and what will make Thranduil such a fine king.
And good old Beliond even managed a quick vocabulary lesson. How I’d love to know what he said!
This was excellent, daw. I loved seeing them in their wild youth, getting used to new things and having a little cultural education. Seeing Thranduil embracing the Silvan folk as his people is wonderful – and I bet in the not-so-distant future he’ll be looked on by outsiders as “exciting, dangerous and slightly mad” too ;-)
Author's reply
Thank you, Dot! Have I ever told you how much I love your reviews?
I had to think a bit to fit characters I'd created into the world Tolkien gave us. I'd already suggested Thranduil was a child in Doriath, so that gave me a time frame. And if Beliond and Maltanaur are Silvan subjects of Oropher, then I thought they'd have been youths in the Greenwood. So that then raised the question of how Thranduil saw these new people and adjusted to them.
It seemed to me that Oropher might feel as if he were coming home, but Thranduil seemed more controlled than his father, so he might have taken a while. Of course, he was young, so he might be more flexible too.
And I figured Oropher brought some Sindarin with him and some would adjust better than others. Actually, I think warriors like Maltanaur and Beliond learned a lot from Laedcened that allowed them to survive Dagorlad, even though the captain didn't. But man, they must have driven him nuts!
I think that's Beliond's wife, yes. :-)
Elflingimp
· 20 June 2006
· Chapter 1: Wood-elves
That was really exciting I could just picture their dance while I was reading it. I was sure someone was going to get seriously hurt , well the dwarf kinda deserved it, but I cant imagine a dwarf without a beard!! Great story and Happy Birthday Nilmandra!!
Author's reply
Thank you, Elflingimp. I think the guys captain was sure someone was going to get hurt too--at his hands if they not by one another's or the dwarf's. The beardless dwarf made me laugh.
Nilmandra's birthday is actually Thursday, but I couldn't wait to post. I have no patience at all. Maybe I'm a wood elf. :-)
NaughtyNettie
· 20 June 2006
· Chapter 1: Wood-elves
This was great! I loved seeing Thranduil, Beliond and Maltanaur when they were young and had no real worries or cares. And Thranduil wonders where his boys get it from :o)
Author's reply
Thranduil wonders where his boys get it from
Yes, indeed! It's not badness. It's just a wild joy in life in the woods. And this was a time of peace, although Oropher apparently never trusted it completely. So some dancing, some mead, and little dangerous play! Just what young guys of almost any species enjoy.
Bodkin
· 20 June 2006
· Chapter 1: Wood-elves
"Tell you he despaired of your ever becoming even an adequate elfling?”
What a brilliant line. I laughed out loud - and that, let me tell you, is a rare thing! (I think I love Beliond more than ever. And Maltanaur - I'm not surprised Nindwen wasn't rushing into matrimony!)
And the sword dance! Just sparkling. Thranduil seriously doesn't seem as impetuous as his father - if it hadn't been for the influence of certain wood elves - wood elves who are having boot troubles - he might actually have been quite sensible!
I thought we were about to have dagger juggling - but it turned out even more exciting.
I suspect Laegcened and his rigidly controlled braids did not survive Dagorlad, poor elf. Imagine taking a disciplined soldier and putting him in charge of an army of wood elves! Under the control of the more-than-a-little impulsive Oropher. He must have looked on death as a release.
Gorgeous story. Requiring half a dozen more readings to relish the nuances.
Author's reply
Thank you, Bodkin. The Thranduil we see in The Hobbit looked hot tempered and independent to me, but not impulsive or undisciplined, but what little we know of Oropher suggested he was on the wild side. At least to me it did, although we're guessing about most of this of course. I thought it might have taken a while for Thranduil to learn to be a wood elf, but in the end, it's the way elves were meant to be.
And I had the same thought about Laegcened and Dagorlad.
French Pony
· 20 June 2006
· Chapter 1: Wood-elves
I was poking around Wikipedia the other day, and somewhere, one of the articles mentioned something about Oropher and his people having "gone native." I suppose that's accurate, if by "going native," one means leaping in with both feet, arms pinwheeling, yelling "Cowabunga!"
The young folk certainly have quite the circus going on in the woods. All it wants is someone balancing on a ladder while someone else waits to hurl a bucket of confetti over the audience. It's probably a good thing that Middle-earth does not yet have gunpowder, because I can so see Thranduil trying to convince a Dwarf that, really, being shot out of a cannon is fun.
Beliond is certainly the sneaky one, even so early, but he still gets put on report. He'll have many more centuries yet to learn how to be truly slippery, to the point where no one would even suspect him, he looks so innocent. All but his two dear friends, of course, who know him that well.
Author's reply
They'll all have time to learn! Thranduil gets a bit bossier too. And eventually, he even learns to accept dwarves. :-)
You know the most interesting part of this was thinking about what Tolkien said about the languages. It was interesting to me that Legolas calls himself Silvan but speaks Sindarin. That was a nice blending, I thought.