Well well well, elfies in the mud. *pats Gofi*

He can be so preciously sulky sometimes. ;))

Somehow a hungry Erestor amuses me. I don't know why.

I especially loved the last couple of lines though. The reactions alone explain everything.

*pokes Eönwë and nances off*

Is it just me or did Elrond have a Yoda moment? "Cloudy it is". *snortle*

The raconteur was really fun; the young elves teasing eachother and the older ones gettin' all cranky and sarcy. Good stuff.

I love the conversation between Celeborn, Gilgalad, Cirdan and Gildor. Very good, very funny and I really hope Celeborn gets some sleep.

The part at the younger end of the camp was good too. I don't really want to think about Elros's meal though _ ...

Interludes are good. Cranky elves are also good.

Elrond doing his predictions is amusing, and the dog-meat...

But cranky elves are certainly everywhere.

Nemis did all the appropriate raving, so I'll just agree with her. All the parts in this chapter are bringing something to the characters, either Elrond or Gil-galad.

Very good chap!

What can there possible be wrong with armour? He he.

Bit of a scary last covnersation between Elros and Elrond. But very good.

Oh that was fantastic! (I don't think I ever read anything like this before *G*)

Glorfindel is an evil Elf. He can pretend he's innocent, but he's not fooling me. *g*

Too short! :P

But, you said it, lots of humour.

I'm liking Celeborn though. He's fun. Especially cranky.

*gives him his own tent*

*blinks rapidly* Great story...really! I say this all the time but this is by far one of the most interesting

LotR stories I've read. And hey, who couldn't be entranced by Elrond, hmm?...;)

I found DM 17 to be an extremely touching chapter, reflecting on some of the

issues that are inherent to LOTR but not always discussed - it looks at the

horrors of war: the loss of human life, the quasi-sacrificial killing of

healthy young men to further a cause... the hopelessness of the situation, and

the helplessness of those who live.

Reading it, I couldn't help thinking of Prof. Tolkien's experience in WW 1,

which made DM 17 feel especially poignant.

I also found that the Eärendil subsection was handled masterfully: it's

wonderful how you revisit an event that Tolkien readers know well, but present

it through a differently coloured filter.

Once again, it's a reminder that all our actions impact not just on ourselves

and those we are in direct contact with, but also others... where and when we

least expect it.

In my opinion, it was an extremely good reflection on how nobody lives in Ivory

Towers (no Elwing pun intended) - how we all, intentionally or not, interact

with the world, and leave our mark on people we only fleetingly touch.

*bows in thanks for the chocolate elfies* Ack, Elrond had such a decrepit education. Poor elf, all that time, having no one to look to except for Gil-Galad *shudder*. Perhaps that explains why he was so..umm..disintered during all that, there's actually no one to plead to is there?

So he is now suffering from repression. Still, you must show us Earendil..please...he is the star, surely he can see everything. I am still quite antagonistic toward Gil.

And those two stupid elves who doesn't move Malanthir when Elrond ordered. A thigh wound, a thigh wound! The arteries, the veins there..Do they even belong in the healer's tent?

More, more, the suspence does not ease with each chapter, humph.

:D Hey Kal :D Just wanted to jot down a little thought regarding the latest

uploaded chapter:

I was fascinated by the way you interpreted how the exact same event, when

experienced by two people, can impact them differently.

I really loved looking at Eärendil through the eyes of one son, and seeing his

evaluation make sense... and then looking through the eyes of the other son,

and having the opposite feeling make perfect sense, too.

Reading this chapter, I felt like I was standing on a set of scales - tipping

one way and tipping the other, trying hard to reach a balance.

In my view, DM 16 commented well on how a person's actions are difficult to

judge, as so many of the consequences of those same actions are left up to

chance.

Even now, about an hour after I finished reading, I still haven't decided how I

feel about DM-Eärendil. I am still trying to strike a balance. :o)

All this, of course, works because of your previous characterization of Elrond

and Elros (and your version of their life-story). One knows their path (and

their past), so one understands their present.

Really nice work.

I'm speechless. I'm in awe. That was fantastic. the scene with Elrond seeing Earendil's star was so harrowing, abruptly realising that his father's never coming back.

The wee Gil-Galad scene was good too. The urge to kick him is decreasing ever so slightly.

I wish I could be as eloquent as you in my reviewing as you are in your writing, I really can't do justice to this chapter, so I'll stop rambling.

Wonderful chapter. As others have said, it illustrates how the horrific experience of war serves as a crucible for those strong enough to rise above it. You have set the stage wonderfully, and given meaning, to the development of Elrond as a master healer.

Fav line:

"He sat there, much longer than he should have, feeling the hand he still held grow cold. The moans of the living slowly penetrated his consciousness and he forced himself to continue the work, his brain functioning, but his mind closed down, numb."

It just doesn't get any better than that.

And, because I can't resist, some thoughts on the whole Elrond/Gil-galad/Eärendil angsty thing. I find it all very depressing - Elrond yearns for a father, and has blamed Eärendil for not returning to him, but now he finds that his sire was *not permitted* to return to him. On the other hand, the foster-father had the opportunity to be there for him, and was there physically (and I don't intend any innuendo there, so stop your snickering!), but was emotionally removed. Quite the painful contrast. *hugs Elrond yet again*