The Nights Your Heart Shivers by StarSpray

A collection of Middle-earth cryptids! I love how many "lost" characters you brought into this story, with Dior's twins and the Entwives, Maglor and (perhaps? later?) Daeron - and Nellas and Tom Bombadil and Goldberry! So nice to hear about them alive and happy... at least in the beginning! This started out as such a cheerful adventure, and then took a more unsettling turn - but I have to admit that I really liked Eluréd's encounter with the Nazgûl - specifically, the way in which he first falls under their spell of fear and darkness, and then recalls his great ancestors and shows his power! But the ending makes me worry. Is it a dream? Is it reality? And did Eluréd really nearly die?

This starts with such good humour (Elurin tackled to the ground by children and looking like a hedgehog!) and gets so dark. That scene with the Wraiths is thoroughly scary. And rather than having to be hunted down in some dark hollow, Daeron helps to save the day! 

I'd like to see what happens next.

This was very good! It started out so fun, and felt realistic too! All the dialogue, references and the journey seemed to flow so naturally. The scene with the wraiths was done well, with a palpable fear when he first noticed the weaiths in the dark.

It’s a small thing but I like how you referred to the river as being alive ,in a sense. And I loved the idea of the river “getting to know you.“ If I remember correctly, it is never explicitly said in Tolkien’s Legendarium that this is so, but it’s an idea I like and I think it fits really well. After all, for there to be a “river’s daughter” there must be a mother too. And other landscapes(Caradhras) are reffered to in such a way as well.

There aren’t enough stories set in the  Second Age, and the way you subtly made it clear that this is the case was really well done, like I said earlier it felt natural in the flow of the text. 

The ending does make me wonder though. Was is it all a dream? A precognitive dream perhaps? Or did Daeron really just appear in the night? If so, where he and Elúred really singing?

I’m a sucker for anything to do with dreams, and uncertainty of reality, so I thought that was a great, somewhat surprising way to end it. It left me wanting to see more, to see what they said and did upon finally meeting Daeron. 

Well done!

You continued this! Awesome. Really liked your version of Daeron - communicative, competent, not grumpy, and I enjoyed his interactions with the "youngsters". Elurín joining with Daeron's song gave me goosebumps! Great story.

(Now I just hope Daeron won't be cast back into moping and melancholy by the mention of Dor Firn-i-Guinar!)