At the Last Minute by Rhyselle
LisaG · 1 March 2010 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
My heart was breaking for poor Aragorn...how sad he must have been to have just lost his mother and come home to none of the usual Yuletide festivities. He's got a wonderful family and good friends to do all that for him. :) *sniff!*
nautika · 12 January 2009 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
I have a complaint with this fic! It didnt go on and on! I love it and I'd like to know what happens over the next year or two. *taps foot and waits for sequel* nautika :D
Levade · 1 November 2008 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
What a terrific story! Sad, funny, beautiful (Glorfindel floating in a pool...that hair...), the twins, Legolas, Elrond... I think you hit every lovely thing I adore about Christmas, including easing the grief. My father died right before Christmas four years ago, so it's easy for me to empathize with Estel. To lose the only blood parent you still had, that's tough. Leave it to his elven family to make up for that. :) Also, it was just a wonderfully happy read. Glor and Legolas in the kitchen, getting chewed out by the cook, LOL! Elrond in the attic, looking for a way to ease his "son's" grief. *happy sigh* Thank you for such a lovely tale. I hope you write many more! Peace, Levade
Grumpy · 29 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
I am glad that Estel got his Yule after all, and that the elves went to the trouble to give it to him. Loved the line about the ginger biscuits only being for good boys and elfings.
RemusCDLupin · 25 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
I love it hun. Bauetifully done as usual. And you'd better have some of those cookies left for when I come to visit! :-P
Minnie · 25 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
Hi, I so enjoyed this a real treat, full of tears of joy and sadness in equal measure the elves really did pull out all the stops for Estel this time and no effort was counted too much it seems I particularly loved Legolas and Glorfindel here (what a surpise) And for Estel a reminder that although he has lost his mother there are many others who love and care for him
Neilia · 25 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
I enjoyed this Yule tale very much. Thank you.
Ainu Laire · 25 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
What an absolutely lovely tale! I enjoyed it quite a bit. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
Author's reply
I'm so very pleased you liked the story! Our Christmas is going well and happily. Merry Christmas to you!
Kitty · 25 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
No wonder Aragorn was so sad and disappointed - he has obviously dragged Legolas back to Imladris only to seek comfort in the Yule rituals he had shared with his mother for so long, and then to realise nobody had done anything ... poor guy. I was so glad all of them understood and acted at once to cheer him up, and that even Elrond realised on his own what was wrong. Loved Legolas and Glorfindel here. The image of Glorfindel floating nearly asleep in the water and being rudely awakened by the snowball and then going for his sword ... *LOL* But it was so sweet that these two warriors at once went to make the cookies for Estel, even if I got the feeling no one of them had any experience in baking. It's probably a good thing that the cook heard them and took over. I could see Aragorn brighten up when he entered the Last Homely House after the hunt and saw that they had decorated everything in his absence. It was what he needed, I think - to feel at home, loved by his elven family, to not be left alone to mourn his mother. To know they did this all for him must have made him very happy. And he got to kiss Arwen :-) Wonderful story, Rhyselle! (Belated) Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year!
Author's reply
Thank you for your review, Kitty. :) When I started to write this, the only scene I had in mind was the one of Glorfindel in the thermal pool. I thought at first it would be a tale about him, but then I woke up in the middle of the night having dreamed of Aragorn and Legolas rushing to cross the mountains--and the rest of the story began to slowly flow. I did have fun writing it, and I'm so pleased that it has been well received. It's still Christmas here where I am, and there's the 12 days of Christmas to come still with Twelth Night at the end of it, so I feel justified in wishing you the Merriest Christmas! Happy New Year too!
Larner · 24 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
Tastefully done. And love how all worked together to ease Aragorn's longings for a Yule at HOME. As for Arwen's gift---- BTW, Arwen would have been carrying the Ring of Barahir at the time, I think, as he'd given it to her as his pledge to her, IIRC.
Author's reply
I'm so glad that you liked it, Larner. This is the ninth Christmas since my mother passed away, and as we prepare to celebrate with my own children, I have many annual traditions that remind me of her. I remember how difficult it was that first holiday without her--and seeing and using the very special things that she always put out helped to ease my pain. Once I finally figured out what Glorfindel and Legolas were up to in the kitchens, the rest of the tale fell into place, just in time to post today. :) In regards to the Ring of Barahir, I went with the idea that Arwen returned it to him when he had to leave Lothlorien, as it was specifically an heirloom of his house and a sign of his identity as Heir of Isildur, and not actually something that he had the right to give away, even to the love of his life. I like to think that, perhaps, he somehow, afterwards, obtained a proper betrothal ring for her, but the Ring of Barahir would always mean something very special to each of them besides it's original representation of the Oath of Finrod to the House of Beor. Merry Christmas!
LOTR lover · 24 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
A lovely story, Rhyselle! It raised my spirits at a time when they were low, just as the elves' combined efforts raised Estel's. Merry Christmas and thank you!
Author's reply
I'm so very glad that my story was able to raise your spirits. I hope that the upcoming year holds bright days and happy times for you! Merry Christmas!
rikki · 24 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
What a wonderful tale of Yule and making things right for Aragorn when he came home unexpectedly. Your scene of Glorfindel and Legolas sneaking into the kitchen to try to bake the ginger biscuits that Gilrean baked for Aragorn was rather funny. As neither elf could bake, one can imagine the disaster that awaited them until the cook rescued them. Though I bet they had fun rolling out the balls of dough and who got to lick the bowl? I could imagine the wonderful smells of ginger and cookies coming out of the oven. I loved all the elves working together to create the celebration that Aragorn had celebrated with his mother. The House must have been beautiful with the boughs of holly and pine and the star that was lit would have been very special. Thanks also for the recipe of ginger biscuits. I can't wait to get home from my Christmas travels to try these out. Happy Yule and a Joyous New Year to you!
Author's reply
Hee! I would expect that if they'd not managed to awaken Glassiel with their fumbling about in the kitchen, it would have ended up looking much like mine did when my youngest child "helped" me with rolling and cutting out scotch cookies recently... The Star of Earendil came out of nowhere as I was typing. Suddenly I could see it made out something like white pauaa shell edged with mithril and I knew that it had to find a place in the Last Homely House. I hope that you have a lovely Christmas and return home safely from your travels. Happy New Year!
Fiondil · 24 December 2007 · Chapter 1: At the Last Minute
This is just as lovely a piece the second time reading it as it was the first time, Rhyselle. I loved the image of Glorfindel floating in the hot pool and Legolas throwing a snowball at him. And a wet, naked Glorfindel with a sword in his hand is just to awesome. *grin* The scene with Legolas and Glorfindel in the kitchen was funny, especially when the cook shows up wondering what these two warriors are doing invading her domain. And I loved how everyone plans to distract Estel long enough to decorate Imladris without him knowing it. It must have been heartwrenching for him to come back to Imladris to find that none of the Yule decorations were up and realize that the elves had only done so in previous years for his mother's benefit and his. Those of us who are not home for the holidays or are unable to celebrate them as we are used to usually take comfort in the fact that our friends and family are still celebrating Christmas or whatever as usual and we can take comfort in that. I think Estel had that same thought and when he walked into the Last Homely House and saw nothing that spoke of Yule it was more of a shock than he was expecting. I'm glad that Elrond realized this on his own and was setting off to retrieve the Yule decorations from the attic even as Legolas and Glorfindel were approaching him to bring him into their own Yule-for-Estel conspiracy. Elrond's admonishment to Legolas to "hasten slowly" was a nice touch. Well done and Merry Christmas.
Author's reply
When I first heard the components of the challenge on that Skype chat, as soon as I heard "Naked Elf" I immediately had that image of Glorfindel floating in the thermal pool--and the rest is history. *grin* I was rather surprised when Elrond insisted on doing his part on his own, as that had not been in the initial idea of the story, which focused specifically on Legolas and Glorfindel. I, too, was very glad that he came to the realization on his own. I admit that my mental image of the elegant and reserved Lord of Imladris poking about in an attic looking for a specific trunk made me smile, but I couldn't seem to describe it adequately and so left that to the reader's imaginations. I appreciate your read-over of the first completed draft. Your comments helped me to refine it and fill in the little bits that made it a better tale. Thank you! I know that it's been Christmas where you are for nearly 12 hours now, so I'll wish you a Happy Christmas Day, and a Prosperous and Happy New Year!