Firstly, this is by far on of the best stories I've ever read. I've read it twice now and will most likely read it again, but it never fails to touch my heart in all the right places. I'm utterly convinced that this is and should officially be Nuada and Wink's origin story. When I now watch Hellboy 2, I can't unsee this as as the reason behind everything that Nuada and Wink did. And that's fantastic. So thank you for this story. I really appreciate it.

These are the type of stories I love to read. I hope I can see your work in NovelStar. There are also a lot of talented writers in that platform. You may check their group on Facebook.

this is really good!

What a beautifully crafted, brutally direct tale. I've read through the entire thing in one sitting, and I'm still sniffling from the previous chapter. Well done! I am definitely going to have to see what else you've written now! :-)

Hey! Loved this story! Wanted someone to do this idea and was thinking about doing an fanfic on Nuada's exile myself! So glad someone wrote for Wink! I love his character! Really well done! :D

Hands down the most talented fanfic author I have ever seen. Inspiring!

Why do you make me cry for?

Great story!

This story made made me cry..

I don’t know if you are still here – I hope so – but if feel like I must write something here:
It took me two days, to read this story, and I have to say it is a rare jewel. A really strong one, not only because of the beautiful writing - though my English is self-taught and horrible, so I had to ask the translator for help every now and then - but also because of the good story. At first glance it doesn’t look as something very special, but the way you passed it, and the way you arranged it, make it exceptionally good. I especially liked, that Orchid’s story was revealed in the end, and it wasn’t detailed, it was just enough, to tell us what we need to know, yet to leave a room for interpretation.
The realistically stupid way she died, I also liked a lot. When I say “stupid” I don’t mean it as an offense to you, I mean it as an offense to us all, because many, many, people die, over dumb things, and it’s sad – it’s even sadder that we take it as something normal. I really liked that she didn’t get the epic “I’ll take the bullet meant for you” type of death, and that she didn’t really had any very wise last words to say. It was sadly realistic.
Also you made Nuada’s dialogue incredibly strong. I actually read some of the lines with the voice of Luke Goss in my mind, because they sounded as something that his character would actually say. My most favorites are –I can’t copy them- when he talked about the fairy, and how she was afraid to be alone, and then after the story he said “I let her die alone” and his last words to Orchid. Also some of the lines they exchanged with Wink, were pure gold.

I always like it when Wink is portrayed as the sane creature he is, even if the comical way he died wasn’t actually fit for a trained warrior. I found it strange in the movie as well, but he didn’t have much of a background there anyway. After reading this story, I think it would be more fitting for him to get the epic “I’ll take the bullet meant for you” type of death. You had some great ideas about him and his story, especially at how good of a father he is.

Nuada is a great character, which is loved even now, years after Hellboy 2 was out, and I am almost sure he will not fade. I really wanna see a canon on the background of Nuada and Wink, and what exactly made him take the choices he did. Your version of it is really good one.
Hellboy 2 was probably one of the few movies, where I am actually rooting for the bad guy to succeed. And as much as I wonder what made Nuada so angry at humanity, I wonder twice as much, what made his people stand against him.
Are they really so different from humans, that they’d rather go in piece, instead of marching into a dishonoring, one sided, war? Does that mean that during his exile, Nuada actually became more human, than he’d want to admit? Seriously, if I have a chance to ask Guillermo Del Toro something in my life, would be, why the fay didn’t wanna fight for their existence?
Not even one of them! It’s strange, cause let’s admit it – Nuada is right. And Orchid is right: humans suck. Though many of us aren’t really that bad, many of us are even worse. May be that’s why the character of Prince Nuada will not fade. Just like V from V for vendetta, he caries an idea, and a good message in both, the movie and this beautiful fic. May be his ways were wrong, but his idea is right.
We may not need to be exterminated, but we need o be though a well deserved lesson.

Sorry, I kinda got off topic. Excuse my bad English, and keep up the good work. I hope you are still around, and also to see the sequel soon :)

I only just came across this story, and I haven;t been able to stop reading it since I did. Wow, your writing is amazing! I know you wrote this quite a while ago but I just wanted to let you know, your expression and characterisation, they way the plot developed, all of it was perfect. Great work! All the best and thanks for sharing

Hello again Ariana,

Well, I've finished reading "Orchid", and both sorry to be at the end and pleased with how brilliantly you tied the story up.

I am so sorry that Orchid's brief life came to such a sad end. Your writing of she, Wink and Nuada in the moments of her death is both powerful and sensitive. We tend to be so divorced from death in our modern society (unless you're in the health care service) - having Nuada talk so gently and beautifully to Orchid as she died was poignant indeed.

I also love the way these ongoing representations of exactly why Nuada should wage war on Mankind culminated in the training scene from Hellboy II. That is and will always be an evocative introduction to Nuada, but your back-story gives it another level of emotion. It makes the scene so much more, and I thank you for enriching it with your imagination and talent.

Poor, poor Wink, adopting Orchid as his daughter, only to have her ripped away from him.

As I read the story, I often wondered where you were taking it. If you chose to create an alternative version of what was in the movie, I would of course have been pleased to come with you on the journey. But that you instead wove this so perfectly into the canon is better yet – letting Orchid mature and having Nuada fall in love with her (as I thought you might do) wouldn’t have been as perfect, somehow. But having said that, poor Nuada, whose life is still filled with hatred and rage. My heart ached for him in Hellboy II and does so here as well.

Thanks so much for sharing “Orchid” with us! I will go looking for the sequel.

Cheers,

Ya Nefer Ma’at

Hi Ariana,

I came to your lovely story, “Orchid”, courtesy of LA Knight - she lists this fanfiction as one of her four all time favourites. High praise from a successful writer... I was intrigued and made a point of visiting.

I am so glad that I did! I am loving your story. I think that your characterisation is masterful. Your version of Nuada strikes me as being true to the movie character while also more than what we were treated to in Hellboy II. You give Nuada depth and a history that was only hinted at. Your back-story for Wink is equally evocative, and I am so glad that your story gives Wink such an important role.

It is hard to introduce a human into this equation without having him or her immediately slain. You have done this beautifully. I agree that Nuada wouldn't slay a child out of hand, especially if his friend and guard took her in. That he tolerates her and eventually just plain gets accustomed to her presence is very believable - well done indeed. I think that Orchid is interesting in her own right, as well as being a good tool to allow us to experience life with our favourite elf.

I also love your minor characters, and find your writing to be excellent. Congratulations on producing such an all-around excellent story!

I am pleased that I'm not done with “Orchid”, and look forward to reading the rest.

Thanks for sharing your lovely writing and your vision with us.

Cheers,

Ya Nefer Ma’at

I wanted to cry at the end of this, i really did. It was so well written, well done.

Dearest Ariana who fills my fanfic life with happiness every time I reread this fic! I have not forgotten you! I just don't have time right this second to do an in-depth review. So... I just wanted to tell you I love this chapter esp. Nuada's like, "Wait, she wants to be my vassal? What?" And Wink's just kind of like, "Her, duh." Love it.

I will try to review more in detail soon!

- LA Knight

Wow! I am thoroughly impressed by your fight scene here! I'd like to say more, but really, anything I could say just falls short of doing it justice, so instead I'll just say ROCK ON! And may the Muse be with you! :)