Reviews (2,009)

Fascinating lesson. Sure hope Gareth can forgive Finrod's reaction. Probably the hero worship made it worse. Glad to have you back!

So how Gareth has to go to Prince School before marrying his princess? I suppose he just has to deal - but I noticed the way he shuddered at Valandur's list of all his prospective new relatives. And speking of relatives, seeing how Gwyn and the parents react to Gareth's newfound love should be interesting. ;-)

Oh and I forgot, marrying Nell will make Gareth the Twins' uncle. He better prepare himself for that, or else he has a problem lol

This was a really fun chapter. I think had they not been stopped, Nell and Gareth would have been married by the end of the chapter, but all, sometimes things better can be taken slow. The Three Amigos are real youngsters here, all going wild over a kissing couple. They may have picked up something on college by now, but it's clearly something they are not familiar with. Glorfindel is right, they are still so naïve. - Long story, best told by Lord Manwë with comments from the other Valar acting as a Greek chorus - *snickers* Finrod clearly does not know what to do with the situation. he knows what it is, recognizes it, but refuses to take anything a step further. And instead of his many attempts to get aquatinted with modern day life, in his mind he's pretty much still an Elf from Valinor. Even picking up 'native idioms' (*snicker*) doesn't change that. And someone really, really needs to tell them even among modern world royalty, it's not uncommon to marry commoners these days. And actually, I think Finrod is quite afraid of his sisters reaction (as we are all looking forward too) on his. He is responsible for Nell and this is not something both of them could ever think off. Daeron is definitely an Elf of another kind. "Should I prepare a bridal bower for them" *grin* ‘What Eru has joined together, let no Man or Elf put asunder’ Oh my! It's actually the phrase my parents used for their wedding, much to the grooms' family's dismay. And an all too true phase it has proved to be. It's actually not that weird seeing something long though to be forgotten like literally falling in love at first sight showing up again. the first Elves did not know how to find their perfect mate, but both Gareth (having know no other elleth then his mother until only a few weeks ago) and Nell (having grown up at a place where things have been stagnating for Ages now) don't know about how to find their true one either. “Insipid, stupid and silly,” Finda sneered. “I find Mortal females appear to have more brains.” “Just don’t go marrying one,” Glorfindel said with a grin. Better not, or Finrod might not get over it at all! “Well, right now they’re both playing footsies under the table.” lol! And Finda's reaction to that is priceless too I do not see Galadriel past hijacking Vingilot either, but I have the feeling that would be a case if Eärendil say's 'no', it is no and Galadriel will found out not even she can change that. Crises averted *grin* I'm pretty sure Gwyn knows something is up with his brother, but it's indeed something better told in person. same goes for their parents, imagine their reaction 'Mom, Dad, I'm going to marry Galadriel's daughter! *grin* (Also taking into account they don't even know about Nell)

A chapter from Gareth's perspective with a most surprising ending. It's good seeing Gareth taking a step aside from his hero-worship of Finrod and spend some time with the other elves. He needs it. Then I loved the part about the various forms for Sindarin that are spoking among the Elves. I'm sure Valandur had a field day with all the different forms and dialects when he just arrived and found out about them. It's also nice to hear a bit more on the background of the non-original Wiseman Elves. Finlay and Sakari are off, and I hope this will not be the last we see of them. We see again how Gareth is a bit lonely here, but he's settling well with the other Elves. There are some interesting things in his talk with Fnrod. First of all he know finally get's his chance to spend some time with his hero, but it's also clear Gareth is having some problems with adjusting to what it really is to be Elf among the Elves instead of among the mortals and get upset about that. Ah, so Finrod was al ready for a new adventure when Manwë summoned him? *grin* Gwyn and Gareth have come at last to the right conclusion, learn form the other Elves and teach them a thing or two while at it. Gareth seems to be taking things well once that's been settled. O, it's a nice touch seeing Finrod and Gareth going to church together. Last part, that was just quite the surprise! Seeing how sad Gareth was for Serindë already being taking, it's so nice for him to find an elleth of his own now.

....hehehehehe Galadriel shanghai-ing Vingilot to checkout her potential son-in-law XD XD XD I am reminded of a comic I saw which had Galadriel casually leaning on Elrond's shoulder and reminding him that Celebrian is her darling precious treasure and she can read minds. XD

LOL! I have tears in my eyes from laughter. What a good way to start my day. I loved the reactions of everyone, even poor Finrod. To me he behaves like I would when confronted with a situation I hadn't expected: Fall back to how my parents would have handled that(and I always found annoying). I bet once he calms down and has time to think it through, he will come around. Loved the role reversal between Finrod and Glorfindel. For once Glorfindel acts as the voice of reason and the mature individual. Finrod, for all his talk about this being a new age and leave all the trappings of heritage and titles behind acts very snobbish to poor Gareth. Can't wait to throw Nell's and Gareth parents into the mix. I'm not sure his parents will be thrilled with this match either. Not after being so secretive about their heritage. For Finrod's sake I hope that Finda finds a "suitable" match, but I don't count on it...

LOL “But he kissed her!” Finda protested. “Put a sock in it, my son,” Finrod Loved it. I am sure he is thinking of Nell more as his little sister than anything else. And oh my if Finda does fall for a mortal Finrod will be feeling like such a failure. :( He shouldn't. No one plans on these things. They just happen. Perhaps another ship will arrive with more people for the wedding(s) LOL I am just greedy. I want them all back here helping us. :D

I knew it! Wasn't sure what brother Nell was going to fall for but I am glad it was this one. I am sure her parent's will be there for the wedding. One way or the other :) Loved that Finrod had a chance to talk to Gareth before all this tho. It should be a sign to him that the young male is not a flighty little twirp.

I wish they would stop calling everyone that has a inferiority issues "child". That doesn't help. Gareth feels like a little child compared to the other elves anyway. They don't need to rub it in. Talk about love at first sight... Now to explain to these two that even in the modern world this is not acceptable behavior...

That was a big step for Alex. Confessing to Father Waverly was easy in comparison. This should teach him an important lesson: That he is not alone and he has true friends. Now Alex can heal emotionally. I can understand his feeling of emptiness. This was such an enormous task that once it's done, he has no idea what to do next. Congratulations to Sakari and Ed!

Wow! That was intense. I was surprised at first that Alex confessed to Father Waverly, but then that felt like the perfect choice. I liked the way you built up the sense of urgency with Ash Wednesday. Now we have to see what the elves think of all this. It is always a risk to tell someone your dark secrets, but I think the elves will be understanding... they are also not all innocents, think of Amroth's story.

Alex still hasn't learned patience. He is rather obnoxious to his visitors in the hospital. I can understand that he is not happy to be there, but that is no reason to snarl at everyone. I like the warm welcome he receives at Edhelhond. He should know now that the elves have his best interests at heart. This episode seems to have sped his affair with Felicity along. I don't think he can claim to go on "non-dates" with her now:-).

Good! Alex is awake again. Nice chapter to get all the players back where they belong. It felt strange to have them all scattered around because of Farrell.

*sigh* I suppose, like Nell and Gareth, that I will have to be patient. Interesting twist. I personally don't believe in the whole love-at-first-sight thing, but you're handling the situation well. I can certainly suspend my disbelief to enjoy the story. I was surprised, though, at Finrod's reaction. Why does he care so much about royal blood? ~Eruherdiriel

This was a really great chapter, Fiondil! So the lovebirds have come up for air, and the Three Amigos are reacting like young scientists - the kind that will be crowing about the sliminess of frog eggs and tadpoles, with an eye to slipping the resulting frogs into someone's bed. A wonderful age, but one where the opposite sex is considered to be badly infested with cooties. (And yes, Elennen, I'm sure Gareth's tongue was involved here, from the description I suspect Gareth was trying to lick Nielluin's toes through her mouth, and that she was returning the favor!) And oh, all the kids are so cute here!!! Oh dear, Finrod is certainly being an old fuddy-duddy here, just as Glorfindel says. Part may be because this was a bolt from the blue for him as well - and he is newly come from Valinor, were surprises are small, few and far between. Glorfindel, on the other hand, is an old hand at dealing with the situation when life is handing him lemons. Oh well. I expect Finrod did not expect to step into Celeborn's place dealing with suitor he really doesn't know anything about. OTOH, I hope Gareth won't be scared off by all Nielluin's illustrious relatives: When they marry, Gareth is going to be his adored childhood hero Finrod's nephew by marriage, and he'll be Elladan and Elrohir's uncle! In addition there are all those relatives in Aman, basically most of the Royals there! :-D Hope this won't scare Gareth off, if he starts to get cold feet, just have Nielluin come along and give him another kiss, that will properly scramble his brain! ;-) Gareth certainly has news for his brother, but I can certainly understand him wanting to wait until he is actually gets home to tell him about Nielluin. Loved the little aside about bride-price and dowry, BTW, the concept of drawing up a betrothal contract clearly seems very old-fashioned to him!

No problem. I'll be out of town next weekend, so will have to wait until the next Monday to continue reading. I always look forward to your postings.

rikki- I don't know about you, but I feel that old "classic movie" plotline is a cop-out. They try to make it seem like the moral of the story is Love Conquers All, but then *poof*, it magically turns out there was no obstacle for love to conquer in the first place; it leaves the implication that love would not have, in fact, conquered the gap between the poor boy and the princess. I hope for that reason that Gareth's mystery parents don't turn out to be royalty, or that if they do it's not just in time to resolve the Unsuitable Suitor problem. She's a princess, he's a (from Valinor society's perspective) backwoods nobody, and Finrod, Galadriel, and Celeborn will just have to deal with it.

Oh, Finrod! All that talk about being equals in the last chapter, and then we get to the classic "...but I wouldn't want my daughter to marry one" addendum. (Okay, I get that there are political ramifications and scary relatives, but the way he puts things makes him sound, as Glorfindel pointed out, a snob). >Gareth widened his eyes in shock and stepped away from Nielluin. He had been stung by Finrod’s comment and wondered how he could be so naïve as to think that someone like him could ever be considered Finrod’s peer, regardless of what had passed between them the other day. Somehow I missed this line on my first read through, and was disappointed not to see the impact on Gareth's feelings mentioned. But yeah, he's "young", he's surrounded by legends, and then his boyhood hero dismisses him. If he weren't so distracted by whatever the Elf equivalent of love hormones are, I'd be really worried about the blow to his psyche. >“Insipid, stupid and silly,” Finda sneered. “I find Mortal females appear to have more brains.” Funny, we first meet Finda sneering *at* mortals. And surely there's some ellith with personality and brains back in Valinor- but I suppose Finda's introductions are limited to those who have some royal bloodline. If those ladies share his "lovely" personality... (I know he's grown and changed in his time in Wiseman, but he's still got some ways to go. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll get there). >“Just don’t go marrying one,” Glorfindel said with a grin. Finda gave him a disbelieving look. “I’m not that stupid.” Why do I have the feeling Finda's One True Love won't be any more suitable than Nell's?

Finrod ought to know better than to take umbrage at this point. Am looking forward to meeting Gwyn and Gareth's parents now and learning just who they are and how they fit into the schemes of life and relationships! And Thingol would be proud of them, I think. Grinning!

*wipes away tear* This chapter is priceless. From Finrod and Glorfindel's reactions to the couple playing footsie under the table to Galadriel commandeering Vingilot. Honestly, Finrod reacted more calmly than I probably would have, though some of those comments had to sting Gareth. (If he was able to listen to anything other than his heart beating out of his chest and the butterflies in his stomach, hehe.) Good thing Daeron was there to explain. That's a really neat discussion and take on it, by the way. The engagement is a good idea. In a lot of ways, despite their respective maturity/age of consent, I can see how marriage is not a wise decision for the pair right now. Eru can bring them together via mystical True Love bond, but they've still gotta pay the rent. Since you won't see this till Monday, hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed your time away! -Kevana

Wonderful chapter Fiondil. This reminds me of those old classic movies where boy meets girl, families are in turmoil because one of the couple is not good enough for the other and then it is found out that the other person is royal or very rich or whatever the plot calls for and everything ends happily ever afterwards. Poor Gareth worrying about waiting a year to marry when other elves have taken centuries. Wasn't it Celebrain and Elrond that took 1500 years before they married? I have chuckled all the way through this chapter. I have a feeling we are in for a few surprises down the road with this part of the story. I just hope Gareth is forthcoming with Gwyn when they see each other again. Keeping secrets from one's family is not a good idea. Have a good weekend! I think the Cliff House needs cleaning and there are lots of things to do in waiting for Monday.

Hm, good to see Glorfindel as the voice of reason for a change, he can too do mature! Snort! I can sort of see where Finrod is coming from on this, it was some thing of a shock, but once he has had a chance to calm down I think things will be fine. Loved the Three Amigos comments and can't wait for the ructions when Galadriel finds out. Well things are starting to cool off here a little, it has been soo hot lately. Enjoy your break, don't go into withdrawal at being away from the Internetz, see you on Monday. Makes way to Cliff House to discuss wedding plans with the other inhabitants! Huggs, Lynda

Glorfindel sure has matured over the ages, and I love him for being the voice of reason here. He and his gwador are perfect complements, but there I go, forgetting that Glorfindel is perfection himself. And I love it that he stood up for Gareth. Gwador or no, I'm sure Finrod can still be really intimidating when he is in the "Nargothrond king is not happy" mood. Not that I can blame him, but he was being rather snobbish back there, and after all those times he insisted that rank doesn't matter here, etc., etc. Galadriel hijacking Vingilot - now that would make quite a tale, in and outside Valinor. But not too soon, I hope. Poor Gareth needs lots and lots of tutoring by Nell before he will be ready to face the Lady of Light, and the Prince of Doriath for that matter. I always thought Celeborn seemed snobbish and hmmm, would racist be the right term?, in the book and in the movies. Although, with Gareth's mortal upbringing and American background, I bet Galadriel would be in for a few surprises herself. Still, Gareth does need to learn about his elven heritage and culture, history and all that. And I bet he will enjoy the tutorials ;-) Its a pity Gareth's parents have not been forthright about his heritage...but it would be fun to suddenly find out that one of his parents was actually a descendant of Feanor's sons - and therefore has the royal blood of the house of Finwe. That would just show Finrod, HA!

This chapter was so much fun! Loved everyone's reactions, especially Finda's. So Nell and Garath are settled, sort of. It will be fun to learn of the parental reactions, but just this chapter is enough. Hope you have a great weekend.