Ithilwen, *this* is positively lovely. At last, a woman not beautiful or graceful ... but completely understandable. Looking through Curufin's eyes, I could actually see why he loved her. And ah! It's really love- not just lust. Interesting to see the "crude" ways of Men through the eyes of an Elf ... and too, the aloofness of the High Elves as it appears to Men. And the pain when their bond is broken, and he knows that she has died ... gah. *wipes tears*

The pain of "other people". I really really detest people now. I feel so sorry for Caranthir, but maybe it is for the best according to Andreth's debate. Now we have a reason about his black rages. And you provided another interpretation of Feanor and his Silmarils, thank you. Great story, extremely sad, one feels even worse for Meril though.

Beautiful, perfect ending. Caranthir wants to love only the Silmarils, but he can't forger his love for his mortal wife. Only Finrod's philosophies are some comfort.

Haleth's decision makes sense, as terrible as it is that she had to make it. There just doesn't seem to have been another way out. In a way, it was only the same decision as the one she made in the first chapter.

How terrible, for Caranthir to be so sad at his wedding. And I can't imagine his wife didn't know. Poor woman.

Caranthir IS sexist in his attitudes, but I can't see how better attitudes would have made the situation any better - although perhaps he should have known better than to think she would give up her leadership for the sake of a marriage.

I am very curious now what becomes of him. I hope you'll write more, maybe a piece in which he looks back at the end of his life. I wonder if this heartbreak contributed to his fall, or made him less dark than he could have been. I'm not at all worried about her. You showed us in the beginning that she's strong enough to survive, and you showed us all through that whatever happens she will be a great leader to her people.

Wonderful fic. I bow to your writing.

An incredibly beautiful love scene. How wonderful to see dark, cynical Caranthir as a sensitive and intoxicated lover. And, after the first scene, to see Haleth finding such joy in love. I'm glad he remembered to say the blessing. More gorgeous writing in this chapter, especially the star imagery. The image of Caranthir waiting night after night under the oak tree is also great.

this is utterly bizarre! I was reading this passage last week and started thinking about a fanfic based on Caranthir and Haleth, and voila! So good of you to write this as I would never have the patience, nor the thought to actually physically write such a romance.

The 'frame' you set up for this story works very well, the way Caranthir's narration begins with his traumatic celebration, and opens and closes with a reference to the Divine plan. He isn't a philosopher, but in a way he has to be.

You do the unreliable narrator very well. Caranthir veers between being a jerk and knowing that he's a jerk, which just makes him loveable. The moment when he recongizes how condescending he's been is great - although, sadly, he never understands it completely. Haleth is of course delightful, perfectly able to put this Elflord in his place.

Your writing all throough this story is just gorgeous. The last line of this chapter is especially beautiful.

I've been looking forward to this fic since you said a month ago that you were going to write it, and it is even better than I thought it would be. Certainly among the very best fanfics I have ever read.

The beginning - it sets up very well both what sort of person Haleth is, and what sort of society she is in. Something I admire about your writing is your ability to write painful material without flinching, and in this fic you describe an early human society completely unromantically. Haleth herself is no Mary-sue. She makes mistakes, and gets confused, and pays the price. But because you show her at the beginning being terribly hurt and surviving, we know she'll survive what she goes through in this fic as well. On the other hand, showing her willing to choose her honour and pride over the possibility of having a child leaves us with some idea why she makes the decision she does in the end.