The ending statement of this fic- "The moment I escape from this body with its defiled hands cannot come swiftly enough."- coupled with Amrod's understanding- '"I had no choice—"... "I know," he softly says.'- makes me wonder whether all Elves (on either side of any of the Kingslayings) felt similarly.

Masterfully done.

Wow. Just . . . wow. A fine companion piece to "Runaway Star." I'd never thought about Sirion from this angle, and the idea that not everyone knew what was going on . . . thank you for the eye-opener. I'm wiping my eyes. Well done.

Oh, Im so glad you have written a story again!

This is touching, even morte than the forst one, because here we have to deal with the feelings of the true innocent, the young defender of his home that turns into a murderer in spite of himself. How becoming, when he killed Amras and saw Amrod in front of him, as if it were his vicim alive again..

Dont know what else to say, but very very good. Thank you for writing it.

An excellent counterpart to Runaway Star, representing the right of the other side to be 'heard' as well. The shocking appearance of the other twin was a great moment, and the 'I know' just before the dealing of the death blow was chilling.

A very good study in the involuntary loss of innocence, too - yet another thing the Feanorians whill have to answer for.

*shivers*

That was just... beautiful? terrible? terribly beautiful? I don't know. I can't describe it. And the fact that the poor guy doesn't even have a name that we are told - he's just another nameless soldier who dies. And your descriptions - they bring the horror of war home. I'd agree with the reviewer who said it was disturbing, but I also mean it as a compliment.

I am in awe. Where did you learn to write like this?

(Now I'm going to nitpick my own nitpick, the mark of the truly obsessive...) What I didn't make clear was that by using a geographical marker several hundred miles too far north, it makes it seem like the Second and Third Kinslayings are being conflated here. (Aside from the fact that Serech instantly brings to mind either the rescue of Finrod or the defense of Turgon at the Fourth and Fifth battles.)

What you might do just to make clear that this is 3rd Kinslaying, is put in a couple references to the seacoast and the southern latitude, and to which population movement your narrator & his family came with, either as original tribes, or with Cirdan, and how the later influxes of first the Doriathrin refugees, and then the fugitives from Gondolin, came and merged with the local peoples. That would help keep it clearly defined in time/space for the reader.

Very disturbing.

(Oh... please take that as a compliment)

Very well written, and nice to see that the Elven reverence for life and the conflictedness over taking it, even in defense, indicated in Silm.

One nitpick, not even with the story, but with the summary - the second Kinslaying took place in Doriath, not at the headwaters of the Sirion. The two major actions which took place at Serech were during the battles of Dagor Bragollach and Nirnaeth Arnoediad, due to certain geographical factors and interactions of terrain that are probably intensely boring to any but military history nuts (even of imaginary military history) like myself. Sirion does pass through Doriath, but nowhere near the capital (it divides the Brethil district from Doriath proper) and the Fens are far to the north, adjacent to the Ered Wethrin on the west, whence the headwaters of the river begin.

(-Speaking purely as someone who has spent far too much time staring at maps of Middle-earth.)

Quite haunting - with all the tales of glorious victory and death, you reduce the story to its simplest level, that of one nameless kid, and it becomes more real. The jewel must seem, from the point of view of the common folk, to be a rather foolish reason to fight, to give their lives.

Oh. My.

I honestly didn't think you could match "Runaway Star", but you've done it- and then some!

Such compact, powerful writing. The Elf's reaction to his first killing was almost too vivid, too believeable ...

"What now do I do? Apologise? Ought I to ask his pardon for spitting him like an animal?"

" " "Please…" Please? Please live? Please die?Please forgive me? "

Him thinking that Amrod was Amras' fea was particularly upsetting.

The same story, and yet entirely different- just one more tragedy of war. Absolutely captivating.

Now I'm going to go huddle in a corner and cry.