Oh, this update made my day! :)
I really like Erunyauvë so far! She seems so fun, and not what you expect from a Maia of Nienna, but it feel very right at the same time. Though poor Celebrían must be suffering from quite a lot of culture shock from having Maiar and Valar taking such an interest in her... I'm glad Erunyauvë will be staying for a while!
And oh, you've had Elenwë be Reborn! Her meeting with Celebrían will be interesting... and so will Arafinwë's, as soon as he gets that message!
In short, I really loved this chapter, and I'm really looking forward to the next! :)
The healing is definitely beginning, as it should. And to find herself knowing anticipation is certainly worthwhile. I love the Maia.
Author's reply
I'm quite fond of her myself, considering that she was never planned to appear in this tale. *g*
Larner
· 20 January 2012
· Chapter 19: Swanhaven & the Doom of the Noldoli
It was a terrible time, but good came even out of the ill deeds of the time. And I'm certain Celebrian will find good comes of this visit to Eressea.
Author's reply
She will learn a great deal there, and she will enjoy most of it, I deem.
Larner
· 20 January 2012
· Chapter 18: The Secrets of the Queen
At last all alike know Meril's story.
Author's reply
Yep, there was quite the guesswork going on, especially when this story was first posted to FF.Net. The Silmficcers had the wildest guesses about her indentity, and I was quietly laughing to myself.
Larner
· 20 January 2012
· Chapter 17: The Flight of the Noldoli
A terrible time, and quite the encounter between Feanor and Eonwe. At least all knew that if they went without the blessing of the Valar, they did not go in enmity.
Author's reply
Not yet, in any case. Welcome back!
Fiondil
· 18 January 2012
· Chapter 19: Swanhaven & the Doom of the Noldoli
Sorry I didn't get to this sooner, Soledad, but I've been busy this week getting my sequel to "Elf Academy" ready for posting. A rather interesting perspective on this very crucial moment in the history of Arda. It was fun to see the similiarities and differences between your version and mine in my story "In Darkness Bound". And the Maia at the end sounds like a rather intersting person and I look forward to seeing more of her.
Author's reply
Hi Fiondil, never mind the delay, I'm just getting around to read your new story, too. I'm glad you liked my account on the Kindslaying - this was a part that caused me much headache, especially Galadriel's supposed role in it, which, in the end, turned out differently than originally planned.
The Maia was actually a last-minute addition. I needed a way to lead back the main storyline from the events of the rebellion to Celebrían's personal journey, and a deus ex machina was needed. She is named after a fellow Silmfic writer who has already forgotten more about the Elder Days and Elven languages than I can ever hope to learn, so I thought she would be a good template. ;)
Anonymous
· 15 January 2012
· Chapter 19: Swanhaven & the Doom of the Noldoli
Ah, so a lot more things become clear, at last. I've wondered what your views were on Galadriel's involvement in the kinslaying; its even more shocking that she slayed one of the Teleri and not the Noldor, as most have her do. But it works very well for your universe.
I really liked the Maia showing up at the end! I hope we'll see more of her. :)
(One other thing I should mention, I noticed that Meril's name becomes 'Merlin' in some places, so you might want to change that!)
Author's reply
It does? Drat, it shows that I write lots of Merlinfic, too. Thanks for warning me! *runs off to correct stupid typo*
Yep, we'll see more of the Maia yet. She has a history with Meril.
Author Reply: It does? Drat, it shows that I write lots of Merlinfic, too. Thanks for warning me! *runs off to correct stupid typo*
Yep, we'll see more of the Maia yet. She has a history with Meril.
UT frog
· 8 January 2012
· Chapter 18: The Secrets of the Queen
I am thoroughly enjoying your very hard work. The research alone is impressive. You write with power. Until I started reading Fiondil's works on Aman, I would never have glanced this story. I am very glad you are working on this again. Your work is much appreciated.
Author's reply
Thank you for taking the time to review. :)
Yes, this is a very research-heavy story, and the fact that there are so many different versions doesn't make it any easier. I'm glad that it has finally unblocked itself and hope I'll be able to work on it more regularly in the future.
Fiondil
· 6 January 2012
· Chapter 18: The Secrets of the Queen
An interesting retelling from various points of view, Soledad. Still getting a kick out of Legolas' repartees. I'm looking forward to hearing Meril's side of the story.
A lot of writers (I'm not one of them) still stick to the Gil-galad son of Fingon version for a variety of reasons. I have no problems with it myself, but I made a conscious decision from the very beginning that in my stories he would be the son of Orodreth and Finduilas would be his sister, as Tolkien apparently intended when he died. I don't think it matters which version you choose so long as you're consistent.
Author's reply
Oh, I'm very consistent with it, no worries. *g* Part of the reason why I do it is that the Silm version makes him part of Fingolfin's House, and I'm very fond of that branch of the family. Yes, they had their faults *coughsTurgoncoughs*, but both Fingolfin and Fingon were great heroes and, IMO, good Kings, and I preferred the High Kingship to remain in their line. Perhaps the Professor's late efforts to make all good things come from Finarfin's line has to do something with it. I'm definitely no fan of Galadriel.
Legolas does grow on you, doesn't he? I did not originally intend to give him such a large part, but the sneaky Elf simply took over when I was not paying close enough attention. ;)
As for Meril's side of the story - she has just made me write something about her confronting Maedhros, which I hope to finish and post on the weekend. Really, these characters keep doing what they want, half the time. How are we supposed to keep a coherent storyline going?
Anonymous
· 6 January 2012
· Chapter 18: The Secrets of the Queen
I was so happy to see this update!
Oh, so we finally know just who Meril is! Gil-galad's mother, of course...
Despite the darkness of the tale that's being told, I must say how I love everyones interactions, how well they know each other, and how they tease each other. :) I also loved the descriptions of all the beautiful clothes!
Poor Celebrian, she's hurting so much, and is so alone, really... I hope that she can start to heal and make good friends soon - I'm really looking forward to her meeting Olwe and Arafinwe. :)
I hope you continue to be inspired and post the next chapter - or other stories - soon!
Author's reply
I had my great, evil fun making her GG's mother - it's so annoying that mothers and wives are barely around and even less frequently given any names in Tolkien's tales. And Meril was a character that had fascinated me from the first time I came across her in The Book of Lost Tales. It is a shame that she got ejected from the later mythology.
I've already written small fragments about Celebrían meeting Arafinwë, but they will belong to a later chapter. I hope I'll be able to come up with more, soon.
Thanks for the kind words and the encouragement. It's greatly appreciated. :)
Fiondil
· 2 January 2012
· Chapter 17: The Flight of the Noldoli
And with such a surprising acknowledgment, how could I not return the favor of a review for this story? LOL! I've read this all in one sitting and have enjoyed it very much and look forward to seeing how it ends.
I really liked the way you blended the earlier versions of events and characters into the received canon. I'm sure you noticed while reading "In Darkness Bound" how I incorporated some of the same material into that story. It's interesting to see how we chose to use and interpret these materials to tell our stories. I did so primarly to flesh out the meager details in the "Silmarillion" without necessarily taking them as given, since I stuck as close to canon as I could, at least with respect to the events surrounding the Darkening and the Flight of the Noldor.
I especially love your rendition of Legolas Greenleaf. His sardonic wit and probing questions make a lovely counterpoint to the tales being told, forcing the storytellers to actually justify what happened. I hope he continues to be the voice of all of us who have asked the same questions about the Darkening and its aftermath.
Keep up the good work and may your Muse never fail you.
Author's reply
Credit shall be given where credit is due! I was close to despairing with this tale - perhaps not my best, but one of my favourites - and I'm not sure I'd have been able to unblock it without the inspiration I found in your special corner of Tolkien's universe.
I'm very fond of the fairytale-like world of "The Lost Tales" - they captivated me when I first read them, in German, twenty-some years ago and always wanted to write a story in those settings... well, more or less. When I first posted the story to FF.Net, someone even asked if I'd bring back Gimli the blind Elf, too. *g*
In any case, I'm pleased that you like it. Coming from someone like you it means a lot. Writing in a third language is not easy; I'm always afraid that things won't get through to the reader quite the same way I mean them.
galathil
· 2 January 2012
· Chapter 17: The Flight of the Noldoli
I have just reacquainted myself with your story and I am loving it.I agree with
Shemaza, do't leave it for another 6 years.I really hope that the next chapter is really soon.LOL Galathil.ps Happy New Year
Author's reply
Happy New Year to you, too. It seems the story has indeed unlocked itself for the time being, so I hope to post Chapter 18 in a day or two. Thanks for reading and reviewing, the muse appreciates the attention, capricious creature as she is. :)
Shemyaza
· 1 January 2012
· Chapter 17: The Flight of the Noldoli
I am so delighted that you have decided to continue this delightful story. Please don't let it be another six years before you update. You have at least one avid reader here!
Author's reply
I won't, I promise! In fact, the next chapter is almost finished - Christmas break is such a useful thing, and I hope to have it done and posted today. Or, at the very least, in a couple of days. One has to roll with the waves when they finally come, right? ;)
Anonymous
· 1 January 2012
· Chapter 17: The Flight of the Noldoli
Oh, I was so happy to see this update!
I don't know if you remember me, or not - I'm the anon who once commented at your Tolkien community at Livejournal about how much I loved your Tolkien stories, this one espeically, and it's made my day to see this update! :)
I'm really enjoying seeing the story of the Rebellion anew, with the elements from the Book of Lost Tales included, and Legolas of Gondolin. I really like the way you write his character. And, of course, the mentions of Glorfindel and Eonwe were stunning, as always. :)
I hope that you will be inspired to continue writing this (and more Tolkien fic, I hope!), I would love to see more of it, and see Celebrian meet Olwe and her other kin in Valinor. :)
Author's reply
Thank you! :)
I really hope that this story now has successfully unstuck itself - I've already written a page or so of the next chapter, and even some of a future one. This promises to be a long tale, with loosely connected parts, and yes, Celebrían will eventually meet both Olwë and Finarfin and their families.
Thanks for commenting. Reviews, especially positive ones have become so rare lately, I was beginning to lose hope that anyone would still actually like my stuff.
Mila
· 23 October 2009
· Chapter 16: Spoken in Vain
Wow what a story i love the book of lost tales and you change a little here and you did wounderful work you need to update beacuse is unique
Author's reply
Thank you. I honestly intend to pick up the story again - just waiting for inspiration and a little inner peace... This tale needs a specific mindset to be written, and I'm not in that mindspace right now.
Jen
· 23 October 2009
· Chapter 16: Spoken in Vain
Hello Soledad i really love your the idea of the story and is very interesting i also like that you write about Celebrían . i read that long ago and all the time check the story in hope you will continue that beautiful story
Author's reply
So do I - that's why I've decided to post it here. I intended to kick it into gear around the end of summer, but then suddenly a great deal of real life problems interfered, and I lost my impulse again. *sighs*
walkerskye
· 16 July 2009
· Chapter 16: Spoken in Vain
call them ripples or echos, the choices made by one generation flow into those that follow - not just in the tales of LOTR, but of life. so far your tale is would around about choices leading to sorrow. those are the tales of carried shame and guilt. you keep mentioning how there has been forgiveness, mostly, but that some still hold to old grudges. but to forgive is also a choice, with merciful consequences that can also flow for generations. you hint at the fact that the Noldoli learned later of the mercy of Eru. might that theme be a direction you could go? the core story is about the choice Celebrian must make - could the stories of forgiveness inform her choice as much, or more, than the ancient stories of wrath? I hope this helps a bit. bottom line is, I love the story so far and can't wait to see where you go with it. what does Celebrian choose in the end? I'll wait, with what patience I can muster.
Author's reply
Sorry for the late answer - I somehow managed to overlook your lovely review. Interesting aspects are you offering... I hope inspiration will hit, soon. I so wish to continue this story, it's one of my personal favourites.
Larner
· 14 July 2009
· Chapter 16: Spoken in Vain
I pray that it now flow for you once more. Some tales, I've found, need ignoring for a time, then a fair amount of poking to get themselves finished!
Excellent look at the situation!
Author's reply
Thanks, Larner. :)
I'm off to my well-earned holidays starting tomorrow - I hope that the beauties I'm about to see will inspire me to return to Elvenhome. I love this story very much myself, so perhaps after coming home I'll be able to finally continue it.
Larner
· 14 July 2009
· Chapter 15: The Darkening Fire
Grief is now poured upon grief, and in the end the hope for the Trees to be restored through the Silmarils was vain as they had already been stolen away! Alas!
Author's reply
Yes, well, people rarely think straight when they're upset or grieving, I'm afraid. Not even the Valar, who ought to know better.
Dís Thráinsdotter
· 14 July 2009
· Chapter 16: Spoken in Vain
It is bad to take Gods name in one´s mouth in vain, or the Devil´s name for that matter. Sometimes the making of an oath crushes people and it seems to have ruined the lives of many. I guess it was the effect of Melkor´s lies that came to their fruitision that time.
Author's reply
Partly, yes. But let's face it, the Valar were fairly block-headed, too. A lot of grief could have been spared everyone if they'd tried to see the Elves as the beings they were, instead of considering them children or pretty things for their own amusement.
I'm probably unjust to the Valar, but the way they tried to solve the problems of the Elves in the Elder Days makes me want to tear my hair out.
Sitara
· 14 July 2009
· Chapter 16: Spoken in Vain
I cannot quite believe my eyes. Finally, I managed to find out an unbiased and fair view over what happened at the Darkening. I suspect there are not many tales such as this. I'm a person who dabbled once solely in the LOTR fandom and peeked inside the Silmarillion only out of curiosity over why everyone was enthusiastically (or, comradely, as they would say where I live) pointing a finger towards one Elf. You have my respect and consideration for writing this, Soledad.
Anyway, whatever your own or your characters' particular opinions in regard to Feanor and whatever your muse would whisper you from this point of the story on, I would like to thank you for being fair and for remembering the other side of the coin. Although many parts of HoME 1 were discarded when the Silmarillion was published, I believe they are still very significant for understanding the characters' state of mind.
Excellent job in using both the published Silmarillion and HoME 1 and again, thank you from all my heart. Sorry for my English, I'm not an English speaker.
Sitara
Author's reply
Don't worry, I'm not a native speaker myself, and my English is full of glitches without a beta, too. ;)
I'm very happy that you like this story so much, thanks for taking the time to review. I hope I'll find the inspiration to continue, soon, as lots of intriguing things need to be revealed yet.
Personally, I prefer the older stuff - any older stuff - to the Silmarillion, which I find stilted and pompous in style and really hard to read, no matter in which language, but that's just me.
Fantasia
· 14 July 2009
· Chapter 16: Spoken in Vain
You are very good with this tale, I can see all of them fighting each other about the decision to go or not go to Middle Earth and to taking the Oath. I really never fully understand why the Oath was impossible to break, I guess it is because I grow up learning of the mercy of God and we have Jesus to see that part of him, also, it is a complete different time...I can not imagine God holding you to an Oath that was done in a moment of madness, but I never comprehend the Valars either, with Namo "cursing" all the Noldors, at the end, all of them ,elves and Valars, made terrible mistakes, none, save God, is perfect...I can't wait for the next chapter...
Author's reply
I completely agree with you about the Oath. I once let Elros talk about it with Maglor in a drabble. Maglor whined about going to the Everlasting Darkness when he breaks the Oath, and Elros asked him what makes him think that fulfilling the Oath wouldn't do the same.
IMO, regardless of Námo's "curse", God/Eru/Ilúvatar would never condemn someone for turning back from a wrong path, Oath or no Oath. Even the Old Testament states that God wants mercy and not sacrifices.
Dís Thráinsdotter
· 13 July 2009
· Chapter 15: The Darkening Fire
Feanor must have loved his father very much, if not even the Silmarills were so loved by him. It must have hurt him to hear about his father´s death and he must have hated Melkor deeply. So kan love be the root to grief.
Celebrian had met Celebrimbor and heard about Maglor, I guess she regards them differently from her father. I think she would have loved to meet Elros who would have been able to tell her much about Elrond. I hope you have some ideas so you can write on. *hands out carrots to plot bunnies*
Author's reply
According to the Rules of St. Benedict, everything - even the good things - can turn into desaster, if we are too obsessed with it. I guess, it's true.
Yep, I do have some vague ideas - like Celebrían meeting Olwë before everyone else from Aman - but they're just that: vague. I hope thought that now I've gone through the entire story again (there's no such thing as too much proofreading), I might actually move on with it. *crosses fingers*
Larner
· 13 July 2009
· Chapter 14: First Blood
A sad tale, unfortunately; and he stole even from Orome? No wonder Sauron did much the same from the Rohirim!
Author's reply
Sauron did little more than copying Melkor, I think... even though he seems to have been more of a strategist, actually.
Dís Thráinsdotter
· 12 July 2009
· Chapter 14: First Blood
Those who dared to oppose Melkor were brave indeed, even though they didn´t stand a chance against him. That was the first link in a long and terrible chain of events that caused grief to many. The Valar seem to have the power to make listeners hear and see what they describe and nothing else, a good thing for the teller but not always for the listener I guess. I also see a warning against blindly following anyone here.
Author's reply
Oh, yes. Fanatism is never a healthy thing, and almost always leads to tragedy.