i agree! it was hell at The High King and I was screaming at the book when Coll died. anywho great story!

(gasps)you have captured my heart with this one, my love. Personally I always thought the reason Dallben sent eilonwy to Mona was - aside from the fact that she is of noble birth and deserves a higher education than can be given in a farm - to breed a ruler out of the girl since there was a possibility this would become so, and this is shown in the ending where Taran, before stepping out of the threshold as king, turns back around momentarily with the worry that he is too reckless for rulership, and Eilonwy consoles this fear by telling him if ever he has trouble in matters of state, she will give him her advise. true, both Taran and Eilonwy were a big IF, but a wise man is always prepared. but the extra you proposed here with her presence dulling his wits (lol)distracting him (because of puberty?) was an awesome touch, never would have thought it.
I loved this, "There was something that felt whole and complete about the house when a girl was in it. He was glad she was there, for all their sakes, even though he knew it was primarily for Taran that Dallben let her stay." I could just imagine taran belching, years of habit, and eilonwy nagging at him for his lack of manners lol cute.
Oh, I suck at reviews, all I know is I love the way you portrayed the characters' interactions during their years in the farm.
I liked that you mention Coll's fatherly love for Taran, though we all know it, it's to be expected, Alexander never gave that sort of depth in their guardian/ward connection between them until, perhaps, Coll died. here it's alot more father/son with Coll's special care for Taran's feelings and the loneliness he feels after he's gone. it's totally how i've imagined - or perhaps prefered it. Perhaps i feel so strongly about it because of my own lack of father/child connection with my old man, added with the prydain chronicals being a passion of mine since preteen years, I have always focused on Coll and Taran's relationship. In any case, I LOVED it, and I'm truly happy to have read this.
My favorite part was when Dallben first came with the baby, Coll's pain and his decision to love the foundling initiated by his wife's memory - that almost broke my heart if I wasn't so proud...i stared at the screen, eyes watering, eyebrows knitted together, chest aching - "wtf kind of sissy am I?" ahem, i straightened and carried on more dignified...until I came to this: "But the child, although clearly startled, clapped his hands and squealed delightedly as though he thought they’d caused the phenomenon for his own amusement."
My own imagination led me to a scenerio where Dallben finds him during a thunder storm thus the name - but this was - Wow!- funny, delightful; I was so charmed I laughed out loud, once again leaning into the screen - ahem - then i took mind of my composure. I suppose that's it- I lost myself with the story, completely immersed in the enchantment of the story with a dopey look on my face - you did it. one of you best works in MY opinion. this one truly affected me, my love. Thank you!

Wise but not preachy, which is something I appreciate greatly about your writing. Again, it fits so well that it seems to have grown there naturally... Sparkling and deep.

This is an absolutely lovely story.

I love the interactions between Coll and Dallben the whole way through. You handle their characterizations wonderfully. The opening scene, to begin with is full of such splendid little details of everyday life at Caer Dallben. Hah, the image of Coll mending tack "in an oily heap" at the dinner table is both a little horrifying and completely accurate - the kind of thing my dad would totally do if my mom would let him get away with it. I also love the fact that you have Coll refer to Taran just as "the boy" here. It's so sweet and fitting. And it's so amusing to see Coll just assuming that Taran and Eilonwy are going to be getting married right away, completely ignoring the matters of nobility and birth that weigh so heavily on Taran. Aw, if only...

I also really like that you acknowledge the weird awkwardness of Achren living in Caer Dallben. Darn creepy sorceress woman.

All of Coll's memories of his late wife are so sweetly portrayed. She seems like such an interesting person, and such a good match for our dear Coll! I was especially touched by his thinking that she would have been so much help in dealing with Eilonwy. I rather think that Eilonwy needs that sort of practical feminine influence, rather than what she's getting from the ladies of the court at Mona. Clearly Eilonwy has no use for the trappings of nobility, but it certainly couldn't hurt her to have a female role model whom she would respect. Really, throwing dishes at people is an unwholesome and unattractive habit in a princess or a scullery maid.

I also really adore your whole discussion of Eilonwy's influence on Taran. Really insightfully done.

"...Dallben, who had so little sympathy for the pangs of youth that Coll sometimes wondered if he had skipped his own entirely."
- having read "The Foundling", this, of course, makes me giggle.

The scene where Coll tells Taran that Eilonwy is going to Mona is simply beautiful. I love Taran's responses, which are fantastically in character. Silly, darling Taran.

And speaking of whom... the whole scene with Taran's arrival at Caer Dallben is wonderful. The image of Coll holding the baby at arm's length is written was particularly striking, and it made me laugh. I love all the details that you work in - it WOULD be rather difficult to get a cradle down a ladder!

I'm unsure, from the wording, if Rhian had died giving birth or sometime during her pregnancy. It seems strange to me that Coll would speak of the baby as "it" if the baby had been born - even stillborn, you'd known boy or girl, right? Maybe it's easier for him to think of the baby in general terms rather than as a son or daughter that he'd lost.

"He'd spent most of his toddlerhood running around outside stark naked. Coll grinned at the memory."
Oh my! Funny and... well, yes a little horrifying! It can't be that difficult to get the kid some clothes!

And, oh, the lovely image that you end with, of the sunny loft, is also sharp and vivid and beautiful. Fantastic little piece. I don't think I ever would have thought to write from Coll's point of view, and you quite do him justice.

yay! I like it! lovely! i can't think of any thing constructive to say! It's amazing!

Oh, so cute! I love the insight you give us into Coll. Thanks!

“Any child with such a gift will know it is loved,” she’d said.

At about that point, tears actually came to my eyes. Wonderful job. Excellent use of a frame story. Coll and Dallben were wonderful (and of course, Taran/Eilonwy is always welcome reading material).

I always thought Taran was welsh for storm, oh well. I am so happy you wrote this, poor Coll so much love in him. I always cry when coll dies, he is one of the most enjoyable characcters in all the chronicles. I hope you update princess diaries soon. Hows motherly life treating you?

Oh, so very, very lovely, and what a treat. I can't tell you how fast I raced to read this one.

Your prose--already excellent--is just getting better and better. I greatly appreciate the details here. Here's an example: the reference to the "wing-beaten air" when Kaw snatches Coll's cap. Beautiful, and there are a lot more details like that.

How glad I am you chose to write about Coll. I had just been thinking what a great character he is, and how wonderful, it is, finally, to see the world through his eyes.

And, much as I loved the Taran/Eilonwy bits, may I say that my favorite part was the memory of Dallben bringing that baby home? I loved the little convincing details here (shades of a certain eight-month old?). Anyway, I am also intrigued by the way you make Dallben more handy with children, and more practical, than I might have imagined. Well, even someone who "meditates" so much has to have some connection to earth. The cameraderie between the very different old men is great too. They remind me a bit of Garrison Keillor's Norwegian bachelors on A Prairie Home Companion, except Coll is a lot cheerier. Still, that bachelor existence--or in Coll's case, widower's. I love what you do with his wife. Another tragic example of maternal/child mortality in Prydain.

Oh, more please, in whatever form you like--chapter or one-shot. Just more, more, more.

I agree--the High King was good, but in a really painful way, beginning and end. Rereading the quiet (relatively) peaceful parts of works like the Prydain Chronicles and Harry Potter is like taking a nice breather now--a nice SHORT breather.

Lloyd Alexander was AMAZING. He wove his stories together with magic and the loveliest prose, and I think you do the same ^__^ Great job.

Oh the loveliness... oh gosh where to start?
For covering so many different topics you kept it very coherent which I suppose was a very practical achievement, but what I really loved were the artistic achievements. You really do have a lovely way with prose. Your descriptions of mundane things like straw are very beautiful, and I always appreciate authors who can craft bits of humor as well like the details of Dallben's chair. How very touching to step so deeply into the "secondary" character of Coll and see Prydain from his eyes, all that optimism is quite heartbreaking knowing what really is to come. I suppose the truly heartbreaking thing is that his optimism consists of nothing more than a simple, quiet, family life. Sigh. Very realistic, very sad.
I loved Coll's initial reaction to Taran, and the way he wishes his wife were there to help deal with the force that is Eilonwy. Poor guy. He really did play a very important part, raising the future king and all...
I can't say enough about this story! I think your love of the characters and the world really shines through and makes for a really beautiful piece. I feel privileged to have contributed to this creation in some small way :)