I am gripped by your portrayal of how the defense of Ithlien may have been - horrendous! This really emphasizes for me why Denethor could have been misled and gave up hope and why Boromir more than the others was tempted by the ring. They had spent years at the front of the conflict with no hope of a peaceful resolution.

.-.

The Poet! Alive and kicking, glad to see that he survived. One of the horrible and beautiful things about this story is how real it is. Often the people that the author cares to introduce by name survive, otherwise why even introduce them? But by having introduced characters die (my heart aches for poor Beldil) you paint a much more realistic picture of the horrors of war.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw you updated this epic fix it again! It has been a while since your most recent update, and even longer since I last read this, so naturally I decided to give it a reread. This chapter, ugh, I CANNOT even! Especially the parts where Faramir fixes Abnormal's mask, and slaps Boromir's hands away to treat his cut... those little details make a good story great, a little lull and sense of peace in the middle of an epic battlefield. I li e them. Absolutely marvelous.

I remembered reading this story awhile back, enjoyed it it very much. I re-read some of the reviews, and found one of mine from Jan. 2008! Really glad for an update, and chap. 25 is a very worthy addition to the tale. Well done!

I just read all 25 chapters in 3 days. And what a thrilling ride its been. You have written this beautifully. The depth of characters. Anakil. The Poet. The beautiful story of the two brothers. Its been amazing. And these last chapters have been both thrilling and grieving. I will eagerly await an update and I'm glad u have restarted writing. This story is worth finishing. And it is lovely.

How had I never noticed this before? Looking forward to diving in...

It is great to see you write again! I've missed this story; it is unique.

Oh my god, Shakes! I couldn’t understand why this story was top of my favourites again! I’m so happy to see you back with this wonderful story!

What a wonderful surprise to see an update! I love your portrayal of the brothers. You stay quite loyal to Tolkien and the timeline while adding your own style. Well done!

Dear Shakes! Thank you, thank you! It's great to hear from you again. It's still a wonderfull story!

Hell yes! I have this story in my notification just for this type of miracle!

Yes! Absolutely still interested! This is the story that introduced me to fan fiction oh so many years ago. I still love it, and it is still one of my favorites. I think I will start over from the beginning before diving into the new, can't wait!

Wow, I had given up all hope on this story. I haven't even read it yet, but I was so excited I had to send you a quick note to thank you. I'm looking forward to reading it after I go and re-read the last few chapters, although I have read it many times in the past. Thanks!

Absolutely amazing to see you working on this after such a long break. Too bad other ff authors don't come back to unfinished works in the way you have. This is a great story and this chapter is fully up to the quality of the previous ones. You've not lost a step. I like the interactions between the brothers and although the material with the poet is a little harder to link in memory, it fits the characterizations of those characters well. Thanks loads for your hard work on this, looking forward to future installments, hopefully not 11 years down the road.