Comments

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You're right: there's always something novel to say about this episode. You showed very clearly how naive Maedhros (in particular but I think it applies to all the exiles) was as to what to expect of Morgoth, to think that death was the worse he would have to face. The brothers' discussion show that they are beginning to learn. I always like Maglor portrayed as the strong leader he had to be to take up the terrible responsibility of picking up the pieces and making the awful decision to leave Maedhros in Angband (I detest the weak, autistic Maglor of some fics). You leave no doubt about his capacity to rule and his reluctance at the same time.

The frequent depiction of Maglor as weak and indecisive, and of the other brothers Feanorian as overly nasty and ambitious (in the sense of \"Oh, let\'s not save Maedhros, because with Maglor we have a leader who\'s easily manipulated) were part of the reason why this story was originally written - I don\'t like those readings either, and I\'m glad that \"my\" Maglor comes across as someone who, even in such difficult situations, is perfectly capable of holding his own. :) Thank you!

I liked very much the detailed description of the whole process of rescuing Maedhros (bleak and gruesome that it is). It makes Fingon's actions more corageous and daring and show the terrible difficulties of the whole expedition more  accurately and , yes, realistically. Nice twist to explain the harp, too.

This is very well done. There are a lot of stories about Maedhros on Thangorodrim, but I am enjoying seeing one that is detailed and doesn't turn it into a story of romance between Maedhros and Fingon with everything else secondary. The description is very well done, and I like the characterisation. Thank you.

It continues to be very interesting to see how you join up the dots! Perhaps I'm saying the obvious here, but this particular source material is very difficult to turn into a realistic story at this level of detail because it keeps slipping into the mythical. I think you are very good at solving the problems that entails.

Poor Nelyo. Even knowing he's been freed doesn't make me feel much better. :( Well, know what am I supposed to do, hmm?

Anyway, there were a lot of aspects about this fic which I enjoyed. One of the first would have to be Ambarussa's distress about dear Nelyo- I'm not sure why, but I never really imagined they were all that close. That the three bad boys of Feanaro's weren't complete monsters was also a plus for me.

A long time ago I read a fic dealing with Findecano's reaction to finding out that the brothers didn't try to save Maitimo, and I found his anger to be not fitting. I'm not sure why, but I always expected him to be more understanding, and I didn't particularly care for the presentation. This fic totally sold it for me, and bringing up the parallels of betrayal made it click this time around. Love it.

And... I don't know if I should admit this; my Feanorian muse is going to kill me. But you're the first author to make me like Nolofinwe even the slightest bit. *cowers from the barage of curses and pointy, shiny things my muse is raining on me*

In all seriousness, I mean it. I've always found him stuffy, obnoxious, arrogant, etc etc. You've managed to portray him... I don't know. And the not so subtle reminder to Findecano that not only did Nolofinwe lose a brother, but so did Findecano- most fics from this era neglect the fact that Findecano recently lost his youngest brother (or don't follow the canon where he exists). That Findecano is (or seems) more distraught over Maitimo than his own brother's death is really poignant and adds a layer of character to him (intentional or not) that I adore.

Nice work; thank you for sharing it with us.

Thank you for such a lovely and extensive review! ^^ I'm afraid it'll take a while yet until one gets to feel a bit better for Nelyo (but at least he will get to smile eventually! Yes, I'm breaking all the rules!)... I'm so glad that you enjoyed the read so far and I'm very excited that some of the more 'unusual' ideas work for you! Personally I'm not exactly a fan of most portrayals of the brothers Fëanorion, particularly the "three bad boys", and I'm probably weirding out a lot of people by attempting to keep even Caranthir likeable. Your saying that this is actually a plus for you made me smile like whoa. Like you, I'm also firmly on the Fëanorian side of things so I'm not particularly fond of Nolofinwë, and in fact I was slightly worried that I had portrayed him too negatively for most tastes in this story. It's a relief to hear that you actually found him more likeable than usual! And of course I'm thrilled to hear that you bought Findekáno's anger (and grief). So... yeah! Thank you for letting me know! :)

Well, I was surprised to see see such a quick update; I thought I had somehow missed a chapter when I first read it.

I forgot to say in my last review that this fic also offers the most realistic portrayal of Nelyo in Angband that I've ever read. A lot of times authors get bogged down in the squickness of torture (or maybe BDSM is the point of Angband?), but you moved the plot along nicely and didn't completely turn me off from reading because I needed to wash my brain. If Tolkien had ever gotten around to writing out the entire Silmarillion... and had indulged my Fëanorion obsession... I feel like it would have gone similarly to your version of it. But we all know he was firmly not in the Fëanorion camp, so...

Anyway, as for this chapter. Nolofinwë continues to be a dark horse favorite (wtf?), though I will admit to wanting to strangle him when he sent Findecano away (he can sleep there, and you can serve him breakfast in bed when he wakes up, jerk) and when reading that letter (because I have long, long suspected that Nolo did try to hold Nelyo hostage, and I can't remember if another author gave me that idea or if I came up with it myself). (Rule of thumb: don't mess with my Fëanáro's kids. Not even Tolkien is spared from my wrath. Fingolfinians beware.)

Another favorite that is slightly surprising is your Moryo. He lives up to Tolkien's 'strange' epithet, but is not the blood-drinking monster of so many fics. Everytime he speaks, it's a little gem that makes me glad I read this fic, despite some misgivings from reading the summary (like I said before, these era fics can degenerate into the realm of squickness very quickly.)

The other thing I love about this fic is the extent of Nelyo's injuries. Erm... sorry, Nelyo. But all the fics I've read of Nelyo after Angband either skip the immediate aftermath (to when he is bitter and trying to recover) or deal more with the psychological wounds he recieved (guilty). It never really ocurred to me that after and indefinite amount of years of staying at Hotel de Morgoth he'd be... well, injured. Weird. I always think, "Oh, yeah, missing a hand. Stupid Findecano. Poor Nelyo. Let me make it worse." But, yeah. Torture -> injuries. Strange concept, but you pull it off.

Other tidbit that I adore. Findecano thinks of Nelyo as "Russandol", whereas Nolo sticks with "Maitimo" and the brothers call him "Nelyo". I use similar distinctions myself, and love seeing it in other people's work.

Other thing, not so surpising: your Curufinwe is to die for. ("Well doubtlessly I don't understand!" XD Precious.)

Ahem. Okay, I'm done.

"Quick" is relative - I posted the last chapter before this one back in June, so it's been two full months!

Let me thank you again for your extensive review! First, it's a bit of a relief to hear that you don't mind the lack of... um... more detailed gore as far as Angband is concerned. When I started writing this story (2006), I hadn't read all that many "Maedhros in Angband" stories in the first place, and those I had read (IIRC) either didn't deal with the torture aspect at all or had very little. Back then I kind of meant to rectify that, because I just didn't think it realistic that Morgoth would be happy with just saying "Hah, gotcha" and then hanging Maedhros on the mountain and more or less forgetting about him, although that's the only part that's mentioned in the published Silm.
Afterwards - in the past few years - stories that focused on the torture aspect in really brutal, squicky, gory detail became fashionable (or I only then discovered them), and I was torn between "Oh shit, I'm much too harmless, must make it worse" and "But I don't want to!". In fact, that is part of why it took me so long to bring myself to publish this story: Because I just couldn't decide what parts to elaborate on and what to leave "as is"...
Anyway. So it's nice to know that you think it is just right. ;)

It's also nice that you continue not to hate "my" Nolofinwë despite his behaviour in this chapter. It's funny, I'm used to seeing him portrayed as this pure, perfect kind of person, so I was rather nervous that my version might come across too negatively when I was just trying to make him, you know, a normal human(...oid) being with flaws and strengths.
Personally I don't think Nolo would keep Nelyo hostage, though. In the
Silm, we aren't even told just where Findekáno takes him. I first came across the idea that he first came to Nolofinwë's camp rather than that of his brothers in the artwork of Jenny Dolfen, but I figured that it made a lot of sense that Findekáno's impulse would be to take him "home". Besides, after dealing with the aftermath of the Ice, I suspect the healers at Nolofinwë's camp are rather more experienced than those on the other side of the lake! But at any rate, in theory Findo might as well have brought Nelyo to his brothers at once. Either way, I think his state is pitiful enough that Nolofinwë's cautions are justified (Nelyo will protest them on his own soon enough!), although it certainly isn't nice to keep the Brothers Fëanorion from visiting.

Curvo is another character where I'm afraid that my portrayal deviates too far from the "usual" (whatever that may be ;)) - sometimes I feel like I took all the "blood-drinking monster" bits away from Moryo only to heap them onto Curvo and Tyelko, who surely don't deserve it either - so I'm glad you like him the way he is. ^^

And yay for name geekery!

Finally, don't worry about writing so much. I love getting long reviews. They allow me to ramble at length about what I was/am/might be thinking. :D

You have got to stop updating behind my back; it really isn't fair- well, wait. Nevermind, continue updating behind my back, it's always a pleasant surprise.

Once again, I felt determined to strangle the majority of Nolo's people, but that's just my bias, not your writing, so I'll content myself to restraint and not contemplate cybernetic murder.

You have managed, again, to take fic from this era to another level; while many authors like to focus on Nelyo's long, hard recovery and his bitterness and despair resulting thereof, you have (again) painted what I feel is a more realistic picture based on what the Silmarillion actually tells us. Predictably, I loved it.

I also loved the healer and Findecano's not understand why Nelyo refuses to scream/cry when in pain; it's a much more realistic portrayal of the psychological scars he has, and the one I found most poignant (though the line about maybe not being beaten today was, also, amazing).

Thank you for continuing to share and update behind my back. =)

And I did it again! *shifty look* You think I should attach an alarm bell to the story or something? ;)

I'm afraid you'll come to dislike Nolo (and his people) a bit more yet - but that is intentional. They're not meant to be extremely understanding - after all, they've gone through a bit of a hard time themselves, and though they've had the advantage of being able to deal with the trauma more or less collectively whereas Maitimo has to deal with it all by his onesies, I don't think they realise that. (I don't think even Maitimo himself realises that it's perfectly ok to be a wee bit traumatised after his experiences...)

There will also be a lot of long, hard recovery and bitterness and all that good stuff - occasionally I despair of this story because the only things that happen in Part Two seem to be healing, lying around, moping, arguing and angsting. You'll probably grow bored soon. >_>

You're very welcome, at any rate - and thank you so much for continuing to comment! ^^

I had this whole, long review typed in... and when I hit 'Send', the site told me I was not logged in and not allowed to access that function.

...

Considering one must be logged in to even see the review square...

...

Needless to say, the nice, long review is now lost to cyberspace. Rejoice, however, in knowing that much of it was childish (and repetitive) ranting about how I have no sympathy for those who tripped over some ice while Nelyo got the much more preferrable treatment of being tortured by Morgoth. *sarcasm*

Anyway, the constructive parts of the review were somewhat as follows:

Nolo miraculously continues to not be despised, and I'll probably even miss him a little when we leave.

The opening paragraphs, highlighting how emotionally fragile Nelyo is, are beautiful, and offer a refreshing view of Nelyo after Angabnd- I use the word 'refreshing' a lot, don't I? Regardless, many fics neglect the fact that after living in hell for an indefinite aperiod of years, Nelyo should be able to find something in his new surroundsing to cheer himself up even a little.

You also manage to balance hope and angst well.

...

I can't really remember how the rest of that paragraph went. But, anyways, you do. Congratulations.

I also never considered any possibility that Nelyo's brothers would treat him badly because of how fragile he is, and find Nelyo's belief that he needs to get used to being useless now that he's going to live poignant- and amusing, knowing how it turns out. I'm both looking forward to, and dreading, seeing how the reunion and the rest of Nelyo's recovery will turn out in the Feanorian camp.

The other thing I've just this chapter discovered is the dialogue. It's excellent. It retains an archaic flavor, but it rolls off the characters' tongues and doesn't sound forced at all. So I have something else to look forward to.

Now, I will copy this review before sending, so I don't have to sit there muttering, "No, no, no, no, no..." at my computer. (Also, you can no longer review behind my back: the site tells me when you update. Hah! But continue to update, as I'll likely start forgetting to check my email for ridiculous amounts of time once school starts. Ew, college...)

Oh no! I've had that happen as well, but fortunately some application of the "back" key enabled me to copy (and later paste) the review I'd lost. It's so annoying when you wrote something long and thoughtful and suddenly it's gone...

Anyway, I'm nonetheless delighted to hear from you again (and so soon), moreover as you flatter me so much. As for the ranting, well, there is supposed to be a bit of a clash between the two factions (and their readings of the situation) so taking sides (and talking about it, even when "childish" or "repetitive") is very much encouraged. ;) To be fair to Fingolfin's people, I think many of them do not actually understand the concept of 'torture' so they cannot really begin to understand what Maedhros went through (that's how pure they are...! yeah right).

I tend to be puzzled by fics that mention something along the lines of "Maedhros never smiled again after Thangorodrim". Oh sure, it sounds suitably epic, but... really? really? He returns from hell to (relative) happiness and never once manages to smile? In 500+ years? Come on!
So adding some hope (and even, on occasion, cheer) to the whole angst-laden business was one of my aims, and I'm glad that the balance works for you. :) Also delighted to hear that you don't find the dialogue too archaic.

And... yeah. More recovery, more dialogue, and more angst (and, hopefully, hope) forthcoming. No longer behind your back though? ;)
As usual, thank you!

So it's the night before I get up at four to go start college, and in between feeling prematurely homesick and missing my cat, I've decided to scribble something down while I have the chance.

Once again, your Curvo continues to intrigue me, and, thought we have different opinions on which twin survived, so does your Telvo and his relationship to his siblings. I'm also impressed by Macalaure.

I will now admit that I found this story by searching for Angrod in the character list and am hoping he shows up at some point- the mention of Turgon and Galadriel have me hopeful. Also, it was very mean to leave off when you did, but I suppose it builds suspense.

It also tickles me to see that the Nolofinweans moved into the settlement the Feanorians left behind. That's how I've always seen it, and I'm happy to find someone who also believes that was the case.

I'm looking forward to reading more whenever I have the chance again. Thanks for sharing.

Urgh, getting up at four sucks... poor you!

I do not actually have much of an opinion on which twin survived (they are a sort of blank in my head, I must admit) - I just chose for the name, really (as in, "last" remains "last", and "small" must go >_>). I'm glad you continue to like my Fëanorians, who are a pain to write, especially when they're all talking at once (so many people! eep!).

I'm afraid Angrod's appearances will be as rare and brief as those of Turgon and Galadriel, poor fellow - he may get to glower a bit here and snark a bit there and maybe in the end he'll even manage to smile, but he won't get to play a major role. :( Sorry. I might smuggle a bit on him playing chess with Caranthir or something into the third part (which I should start writing by now, I suspect), as a shout-out so to say, if you want? ;)

Here I'll have to be all arrogant and say "Of COURSE they moved into the settlement the Fëanorians left behind! Pride and hurt feelings are all very well, but when you've just arrived after a hard journey and there's a perfectly nice empty settlement standing around, you can't afford to be all 'ewww! Fëanorian cooties!'" ;) Yes, I definitely agree that they'd recycle the old Fëanorian camp.

As always, thank you for your long comment ^^

I’m loving this story. Here’s why:

 

1) Maedhros’ time in Angband. It’s a perfect balance between telling us what happened without glossing over the details, but without making it too gory. A tasteful description of torture, if you will :P His conversations, if you can call them that, with Morgoth are among my favourite parts. The way he once answered in orcish without even realising was chilling.

 

2) Morgoth. He was so devious! Tempting with warmth and food and relief and suddenly taking it all away. And I love how gave him a fair voice… I’m sure he could sound as fair as Manwë if he so chose. Which makes him all the more terrible. And of course he’d use his power to keep elves (and later men) alive through years and years of pain.

 

3) Maedhros. Powerless and tormented or weak and healing his strength of will is obvious. Although I find it a bit ironic that it’s Morgoth the one to recognise it instead of his uncle and cousins. Can’t wait to see how he slowly recovers and becomes the terrible one-handed warrior able to keep the fortress of Himring for so long.

 

4) Fingon. Everything about him <3 Even if it’s platonic, my Fingon/Maedhros fan-self was very happy with the way you handle their relationship, from the time Fingon went to see Maedhros at the Fëanorian camp to this last chapter.

 

5) The Fëanorians. It takes little to make me love them ::lol:: But here every brother had a distinct personality and yet they share a close relationship, that much is clear. I’m looking forward to see the development of that relationship now that Nelyo’s back.

 

6) I admit, at first I wanted to hit every one of the Nolofinweans. However, when I stopped to think about it, all I feel is pity: they act that way because they don’t understand. There’s still a naivety in them (the same that drove Maedhros to Angband thinking death was the worst thing that could happen) that neither the Kinslaying nor the Helcaraxë had destroyed, but we all know that what happens from now on will. Still, I’m a little exasperated with Fingolfin, Turgon, etc. Wish they knew how many times Maedhros refused Morgoth…

 

I think that’s it for now :)

And I loved your review - thank you so much! Naturally I feel tickled whenever people tell me that they love my writing, and even more tickled when they take the time to let me know in detail what they enjoyed (or even what they didn't enjoy, for that matter). I'm so glad that the characters work for you! And thank you for picking up on little things like the naïvety of the Nolofinwëans because that's indeed what I wanted to convey - they're not actually unsympathetic, they just don't understand - can't, in fact, because they cannot actually comprehend Angband. >_> But yes, they are somewhat exasperating! It's going to get better, though. Eventually.

I really feel like I should write a long reply to your lovely long review, but I'm afraid I'll just keep on repeating myself, so I'll just say - Thank you so much for your detailed feedback! :)

What really works for me about this is that you've managed to embed a very contemporary view of the events (longtime prisoner of war suffering from both massive physical injuries and serious post-traumatic stress disorder, surprisingly rescued by semi-friendly forces that have little liking for him and his "side", having to return "home" to his own family and political life, knowing that no one can possibly understand what he went through... and trying to insure that no one else will have to suffer the same fate) into the tragic view from canon (everybody will suffer, almost everybody will die, no matter what side of the current political divide they are on right now, and the only thing that is important is that they try to unite despite their personal differences.)

Oh, and the writing is lovely, too!

Lovely story you have here :] After a two-year pause from Silmfic spent in a different fandom, my eye catches the summary of your story, I curiously click the read button- and I'm not only following the story with bated breath from the beginning to the last chapter, but also back to Silmfic with a renewed ardour :] Well- thank you for posting it! ^^

What I really enjoyed here were the characterisations- of both the Fëanorean side and the Nolofinwëan, but perhaps the latter one slightly more. They are so deliciously mean.. ;) Not that they don't have a reason to- athough one would think that seeing the extent of Nelyo's injuries would soften them somewhat towards him. Well, blessed ignorance to what the enemy is capable of excuses them somewhat. But ah, your Artanis is just slapworthy to me- to be honest, I have a hard time reconciling the one from the First Age with the one we see in LotR, especially when reading about how she was ever wiser than her half-uncle. To me, she sounds quite arrogant (the strand of hair request!), proud and unemphatic- what's wise about that? With her loving family, she most likely knows noting about the burdens and responsibilities the Fëanárioni face -_- ... But I digress.

I appreciated that unlike quite a number of fanfics, you don't have a problem with descriptions- a very tolkienesque feature :)

If I were to pick on something, however, it would be the laguage of the conversations at times- too modern and colloquial for my taste. Especially the various interjections don't quite sit well with me, don't sound elvish enough. But then, I'm a hardcore archaic-style fan and most likely in a grave minority, that can't be helped ;) 

I'm wondering if we're going to hear more of Canafinwë's reasons for not attempting to rescue his brother? Due to his being my favourite Silm character, I'm in denial when it comes to the absence of strong enough reasons for his not setting forth; I still desperately want him to adduce an unobjectionable reason so that Findecáno's accusations turn out unfounded, but alas, I cannot think of any... -_-

greetings,

Nólemë

Thank you very much! Glad you're enjoying it, especially since you just returned to the fandom and I wouldn't have wanted you to regret the decision ;)

I'm also glad that you like the characterisations. With such well-known characters, it's always tricky to please people as probably everyone has a fixed image in their head. As for the Nolofinwëans, I think only few of them have actually seen the extent of Nelyo's injuries - it was dark when he arrived, and aside from Nolofinwë, Findekáno and the healers, no one has cared to take an overly close look. So mostly they're aware that he is injured, but not just how badly; nor have most of them grasped the idea that someone went and inflicted those injuries on him on purpose. So they're comfortably going on to think "Yes, all right, he got hurt, well the Ice was no picnic either, now can he stop crying and eating our food?". Which is perhaps not nice, but not quite so intentionally mean. ;) As for Artanis, I absolutely see what you mean. I do think she's meant to be seen as fairly proud and unrepentant in the First Age, though - otherwise she'd surely have returned to Valinor after the War of Wrath instead of staying in Middle-earth for 6000+ years, surely a long time even by Elvish standards. Those 6000+ years should also serve to explain her character in LotR - she has mellowed with age, I assume (and she's born her fair share of burdens and responsibilities as well, by then)! I don't see the "wisdom" part in her refusal to hand over a strand of hair either, although I can understand it and it certainly shows her strength of mind. I suppose everything else is just the narrator's bias - both Tolkien and Pengoloð are unlikely to take the Fëanorian's side...

I have to admit that I don't like overly archaic language when it doesn't feel natural (and it didn't feel natural to me in a story that tries to make the mythical more tangible). Moreover, I neither saw the need to make the speech of the Elves differentiable from that of other peoples - as there are no Mortals or Hobbits extant yet, and the rare Dwarves aren't getting a word in ;)), nor do I find it feasible that they should speak differently just because they're Elves, particularly as they are still fairly young and vivacious here. So their language (or rather, its representation in English ;)) is going no further back than perhaps the early 19th century. Some people might still find that too old-fashioned, but perhaps that explains why it doesn't feel archaic enough for you. Sorry about that!

I think the reasons Macalaurë gives against rescuing Nelyo in Chapter 1.II are perfectly sound, to be honest (and as you could see, even his brothers and Nolofinwë eventually agreed!). Findekáno managed to prove him wrong, yes, but the odds of that were (as Nelyo keeps saying) so extremely low that it would hardly have been wise to plan on it. Under the circumstances, Macalaurë did everything right. Sending an army against Angband was out of the question anyway, and he could not have sent any one individual in good conscience, knowing that he'd very likely sent that person to a gruesome death (or to share Nelyo's fate). He could - like Findekáno - have gone himself, but imagine the situation: The Fëanorians have just lost their leader - Fëanáro - and pretty much immediately after their new leader - Nelyo. Losing Finwë was tough; losing Fëanáro, on whose drive they'd probably entirely depended at that time, was tougher; losing Nelyo was beginning to look like nothing would ever be all right again. Now if Macalaurë had run off on a very likely suicidal mission, do you think they'd ever have been able to recover from that? I don't. That'd have been the death blow. So Macalaurë did the only right thing, which must have been extremely hard, but he did it anyway. Findekáno can accuse him of heartlessness all that he wants, but he's wrong.
Besides, narrative necessity demands that it is Findekáno of the semi-hostile group who rescues Nelyo after a long time and by pure chance. Everything else would be unsatisfying. ;)

But now I've rambled on for long enough! Sorry about that, and thank you for your review!

Fruit from the tree of unbearable knowledge....

Not only a prisoner of war for twelve years, but one whose family steadfastly refused to pay the price for him demanded by the enemy, and who now has to face up to all the consequences of that. Although it's what Russandol wanted as well, the "complications" here will last a very long time--- presumably as long as the last of these brothers survives.

Mwa, yay updates! I feel bad, because I read the previous chapter some weeks ago and meant to go back and review it, but... that didn't happen. Clearly.

Painful reunions that somehow caught me off guard for the win! I love Curvo's developing wry humor/poorly disguided coping mechanism.

The other thing that stood out were the little contrasts between the Feanorians and the Nolofinweans: the gold platter instead of one made of wood or clay, the fresh fruit.

The sort of bond between Carnistir and Maitimo is touching (I also liked the Maitimo-Curvo-Tyelperinquar moment), and the tension between Macalaure and Tyelcormo is also intriguing; I'm looking forward to seeing how that develops as the story progresses- hey, question! How far into The Silmarillion is this story gonna go? (Also, I would be amused by Angrod and Caranthir playing chess, if the offer still stands.)

Don't feel bad! You've left so many lovely reviews already.
As usual, I'm tickled that things work for you, and that you notice and enjoy the little details. I'm afraid I can't answer your question yet; initially this was planned to go as far as the Mereth Aderthad, but by now I think that would drag things out too much, and it definitely won't go on that long. I'm not certain just where this story is going to end, though. It might be as soon as Maedhros has yielded the crown to Fingolfin, or perhaps it'll make it to the Dagor Aglareb after all. As I have not yet written anything for Part III, I have no idea! (I'll look for a spot to smuggle more Angrod in, though. If the story turns out to last until the Aglareb, Angrod will clearly get to play a more important role anyway...)

First off, in response to your answer to my previous review... Yes, what you say about the why-not-save-Nelyo thing makes perfect sense. I wondered why he didn't go off alone but the short time span between their leaders' deaths was way too short and if Cáno were captured as well it would indeed seem as if the H of F was dying out one by one. Good point, just what I needed to hear :) Perhaps it's also what Findecáno needs to hear as well? The Nolofinwëans have had enough time to come to terms with Finwë's death after all and never lost their second, and third king...

Yes, let's agree to disagree on the language issue; I like to project modern speech into archaic words mentally when Silm is concerned, but I understand your approach :) Curvo's juicy choice of vocab made me wince in this chapter, but I like your general characterisation of him, and also, as a Moryo fan, I'm more than pleased about how you write the middle son :) Not that we have any significant canon guidelines as to what he was like beyond 'harsh' and 'quick to anger', but I like to think of him in positive terms- apart from his quick temper, lol :)

In the new chapter, I liked the characterisation of Nelyo the best. And I second the reviwer who wrote they're curious as to what the source of tension between Tyelkormo and Cáno is. Challenge of leadership from the side of the brother known for his impatience, perhaps?

One nitpick, though- oranges? In a northern continent where birches cover the southernmost part? What the? O_o

Phew, glad that Maglor's sense of responsibility suffices to explain his refusal! I think Findekáno (or my version of him, at any rate ;)), if he hasn't by now come to terms with the "abandonment", will understand it at the latest when the crown - and thus, the full load of responsibility not only for himself and his family, but for all of the Noldor - comes to him. Though that is definitely beyond the scope of this story! To myself, I justify Moryo's reputation of harshness and quick temper like this: He doesn't understand (and, accordingly apply) linguistic flouts, that is, all the polite little hedges and circumscriptions others use to make their utterances less blunt. So of course he comes across as rather harsh, particularly among the Noldor, who surely enjoy to clothe their firm opinions in nice words and only speak bluntly when they're absolutely furious with someone. Moryo just thinks he's being more honest than all those bloody sweet-talkers. ;) Tyelko's and Cáno's "tension", I think, still mostly stems from Cáno's refusal to try and save Maitimo. Tyelko was, after all, one of those who insisted on attacking Angband for Maitimo's sake (which would clearly have been stupid), but eventually accepted that rescuing Nelyo was impossible. Now that Findekáno has proved that it was not impossible, he is probably angry with himself because he didn't go off on his own (which he could have done more easily than Cáno). And because he does not like introspection and self-reproach, he projects his anger with himself onto poor Cáno... Your point about the oranges is valid, though of course if we apply the ruler of reality to the Silmarillion, plants - particularly the fruit-bearing sort - are a huge problem anyway. Unfortunately I do not actually know much about palæobiology and related disciplines, but I would assume that in a world left in complete darkness for millennia or decamillennia (from the destruction of the Lamps of Arda until the first rising of Moon and Sun), complex plant and animal life would be pretty rare, or otherwise (if we assume that everything as we know it existed during the Spring of Arda, and managed to hang on in the darkness afterwards) extremely different from what we know today, and also extremely different from what the Elves would've known in Valinor. Very strictly speaking, oranges are no more unlikely (or likely) than apples, blackberries, or even spinach. ;) The Fëanorians, after the burning of the Ships, would've faced an environment no less hostile (and no less cold, come to think of it) than the Helcaraxë; the only advantage they have over the Fingolfinians is that they may have taken more provisions from Aman. Once those provisions ran out... I suppose they could have a fun time finding out which ferns and lichens are edible. Alternatively, they could work out ways to make their familiar crops grow. While greenhouses are relatively recent in human history, they're not actually so complicated that someone like Curufinwë couldn't come up with the concept. Might as well use his brains for something useful... The seismic activity around Angband (mountains erupting in fire, earthquakes, etc.) additionally makes for various interesting scenarios concerning the use of geothermal energy. They grow peppers in Iceland and oranges in Northern Japan; why not, then, in Beleriand? When not taking realism quite so far (but then, who draws the line, and where? ;)), that is, when we assume that the climatical and biological circumstances on our fictional pre-historic Northern continent were roughly like those in modern Northern Skandinavia, we can still assume that it would be possible to have oranges. They naturally wouldn't be indigenous, and wouldn't grow wild (or rather, might grow wild but likely wouldn't bear fruit, or if they bore fruit it would be small, sour and bitter compared to "our" oranges), but a crafty people like that of the Noldor would surely be capable of finding ways to cultivate them. See note on greenhouses above. Besides, if we believe the "flat world" cosmology, our real-world experiences are of little use anyway. ;) In short, anyway, I'd trust the Noldor to manage growing oranges, if they absolutely want them (and who wouldn't? ;)). But of course, you're free to disagree!

Yay, a smiling Moryo. ^ ^ I like the rare occassions in fanfic when he opens up and actually openly cares, and when he shows loyalty to his brothers (especially his seniors whom it seems he respects more than he lets on).

I wonder if Nelyo will ever talk about Angband with any of his brothers. If he does, Moryo definitely seems the best choice for a listener.

Glad you like him! I do think he (like the other Fëanorians, really) cares for his brothers (and, due to the circumstances, particularly Nelyo) - he just has his own way of showing it ;) I don't think Nelyo will ever fully disclose what happened; the brothers will have to do with allusions and the occasional disturbing remark. But I agree that Moryo could probably handle it best, if he did talk...

Now I can review the last two chapters properly :)

First of all, I enjoy the comparisons between the Fëanorian camp with the Nolofinwëan’s: the differences in wealth and craftsmanship. Also, the different reaction to Maitimo’s condition. Yeah, they felt horror and pity (the Nolofinwëans hate the Fëanorians right now, but they surely feel pity, whether they like it or not) but there’s also a sort of admiration, at least that’s what it looked like for me. Respect for their King, who could survive 12 years as Morgoth’s prisoner.

The reunion with his brothers was wonderful, I love how each greeted him differently. My favourite was Carnistir (even before reading the following chapter). Curufinwë and Tyelkormo… they were so self-centred they couldn’t notice how much Maitimo was hurting. Understandable, they love Maitimo, but it says a lot about their personality.  I really liked Varnacanyo and his devotion to Maitimo.

I love how Maitimo keep unconsciously keeps shocking everyone with comments related to his time spent captive: when he said that if he was lucky he wouldn’t get beaten up, that if it hurts then it’s real, and that last one about having been forced to kneel…He’s become so used to all that that he doesn’t notice how it affects those who haven’t experience things like that.

Regarding the last chapter… I like your Carnistir, and his quirkiness. I feel sorry for him. He loves his brother but they don’t exactly know each other. It’s believable, in a family so large, with the age difference and with Carnistir not being the second child (Maitimo’s first brother) nor the last (which is more special that the one in the middle).  Seems as if instead of competing for Maitimo’s affection he has resigned to being overlooked.

Maybe Maitimo’s not ready to talk about it yet, but it’ll do him good. I hope he takes on Carnistir’s offer; he does seem the one most likely to bear that knowledge. Though all the brothers should know, in my opinion.

Yay!

I think the differences between the Fëanorians and the Fingolfinians are vital, and I'm thrilled that you noticed them, even the less obvious bits! I definitely agree that there's a lot of admiration and hero-worship going on among the Fëanorians. And yes, no doubt those among the Fingolfinians who've seen the extent of Maedhros' injuries do feel pity. In general, though, the Fingolfinians are more used to the sight of wounds (as no doubt the Helcaraxë crossing led to a variety of injuries, from frostbite and -burns to broken or crushed limbs) than the Fëanorians, so where the Fëanorians are horrified, the Fingolfinians are somewhat more hard-boiled. (If they stopped to think about how Maedhros came to have those injuries, as in, not by accident but by someone going out of their way to cause him pain, they'd likewise be horrified, though!)

Yay, the reunion scene worked ^^ I think Varnacanyo has spent a lot of time pondering "what if"s, in which his presence invariably would have saved Maedhros, so now he is feeling almost as guilty as Maglor.

Yes, Maedhros is quite good at shocking his brothers, and he doesn't even mean to. It'll take a lot of time until everyone involved has learned to handle the situation... I'm afraid Nelyo won't ever confide in anyone fully, concerning the past; the others - even Moryo - will have to do with allusions - and unintentionally shocking remarks, of course...

Thank you for taking the time to write such a long review! I love hearing what works (or what doesn't work) for my readers. ^^

Poor Nelyo! I feel for you, dude- throwing up the day you get your wisdom teeth out is not the same as recovering from twelve years of torture, but I'm sure it sucks equally when you're in bed. [Erm... that's a bit unclear...]

Anyway, I love the development between Nelyo and Carnistir!!...! It was a really poignant moment.

I really wish I had more constructive things to say..... [but all I can think about is soccer. Darn you Mesut Ozil for being so attractive..............]

And I loved Carnistir disobeying the doctor/healer about the window as soon as he left. Something I think I noticed but might be imagining- from what I can remember, all the chief healers in the Feanorian camp have been male, whereas Nolo's main one was female. Was that on purpose, or am I nitpicking (or imagining it)?

I believe throwing up under any circumstances is rather miserable... though Nelyo no doubt wins the 'most miserable' prize. ;)

Glad you like weird Carnistir! He's a rather weird fellow, but I'm quite fond of him myself. Nelyo probably spoke the truth, too; they may never have spoken so much together before that...

You're absolutely right about the healers. I have to admit that I no longer precisely recall why I did that (I wrote these chapters two years ago and only dig them out for edits and posting now), but I think I was clinging to that line in the LaCE about how technically there's nothing any Elf can do that can't be done by either man or woman [aside from the biologically obvious, I assume ;)], although local and cultural customs may nonetheless consider some professions 'typically male' and others 'typically female'. Healing is listed as an example of 'more likely female', so naturally I had to put a few accomplished male healers in! (There will also be male weavers and female carpenters and warriors, later on.) Of course, this might well backfire; as the 'accomplished' Fëanorian healers are nowhere near as skilled as Istimë, they might make all male healers look vaguely foolish. Actually they just don't know how to deal with things they've never encountered. After the Helcaraxë, Istimë and her team have probably faced a variety of nasty injuries, so now all they have to do is wrap their minds around the fact that this time it wasn't an accident, but done on purpose. Herenyo, on the other hand, likely hasn't dealt with anything worse than the occasional snake bite or broken arm, so he doesn't even know where to start...
Eh well.

Your soccer-induced distraction is completely forgiveable, too. Özil is rather adorable. Thank you for taking the time to review anyway! :)

I loved that Nelyo lied about the loss of his hand; it's something I never considered, the fall-out the must have inherently been hanging over the situation, what with Fingon being descended form Public Enemy number 2 (as far as Feanaro's kids are concerned) and the reactions to kinslaying- I can't imagine the real story will go over too well.

As ever, I'm enoying the interactions between the brothers. Thanks for sharing.... I feel under-achieving. This must be the shortest review I've left yet....

Heh heh! That bit rather snuck up on me, and I loved it immediately; while in the real world (TM) the author just changed his mind, I liked playing with the idea that both versions got told by the characters themselves. I'm weird like that! I do agree, the real story will be rather hard on the brothers...

Even short reviews are appreciated - and look how long it took me to respond! *shame*

I'm happy to see Nelyo's leader personality back, it was quite palpable how the others calmed down. And I just loved the portrayal of Canafinwë in this chapter. Poor man, I'm afraid doubts will follow him around for quite some time still... and Tyelkormo's attitude isn't exactly helping. Good thing that taming his spirit (and later on Curufinwë's- you're going with the footnote in IDK which book, about Curvo being the most 'evil' of the lot?) has now passed into more than capable hands.

I'm especially looking forward to Nelyo's first attempts at wielding a sword, although I daresay there are a few chapters yet before it gets to that. :)

Ah, I'm looking forward to seeing male weavers, lol ^ ^ Female warriors, though? Didn't the LaCE say something about the nissi only fighting as a last resort, in defence? Or maybe I'm wrong, but it still feels somewhat weird to me.

Yes, they're still all very much in the habit of following Nelyo ;) I don't think Cáno was incapable of "taming" his brothers exactly - he just figured that as long as they did what was necessary, he didn't have to further push them. Nelyo, I suppose, is a little more dominant!
I hope I am not going to make any of the brothers actively 'evil', though; they're meant to be a bit (or more than a bit) difficult at times, but never (as yet) outright evil. Curufinwë's absences are quite justified - he does have a lot of work to do, they're at war after all and at the best metal-worker around (or so we assume ;) - he certainly thinks so!) he's probably swamped. As for his disagreements with Tyelpo - well, we don't really know how Elves are supposed to behave throughout their own or their children's puberty and post-puberty, but it'd be boring if there was no friction at all! Besides, the way I'm having the Fëanorians live - all in one house, albeit a large one - is bound to produce difficulties. If we believe the LaCE, marriage - at a young age - is "natural", and the Eldar appear to be neolocal (that is, the new couple don't live with the parents or other relatives of either bride or groom, but make their own home). So all these "old" (even Ambarussa has probably passed his first century) bachelors still living together out of habit or familial piety is a bit of an oddity, and while Curvo may cling to his son (whose mother appears to be absent), it isn't surprising that Tyelpo wants to move out. None of that is 'evil', though - it's just the normal dynamics of a heap of strong wills clashing. ;)

As for the female wariors, the LaCE state that "in dire straits or desperate defence, the nissi fought valiantly" (the "until the last need", i.e. last resort, line refers to healers - of either sex), so one might read into it that there weren't commonly female warriors. The LaCE in the same line refer to women not hunting (since "the dealing of death [...] diminished the power of healing") - but we're told that Aredhel was a formidable huntress, and though I'm no longer certain where I read this, I think I recall that something along the same lines was said of Galadriel. (That makes 100% of the female grandchildren of Finwë...) Personally, I like to read the line about the nissi fighting valiantly to imply that even if they weren't expected to need it, they did get some formal training in the arts of war that went beyond "Grab by the handle, not by the blade". After all, most people don't know how to fight efficiently purely by intuition ;). Particularly among the war-like Noldor in Middle-earth, I suspect self-defence lessons may have been obligatory (my Nelyo, at any rate, will make it so).
Anyway, since swordplay appears to have been theoretically open to women, although it was predominantly done by men (but then, so was sculpting and smithying; hello, Nerdanel!), I think it's fair to assume that one or two of them enjoyed it so much that they decided to make it their profession. That would, of course, bar them from being healers - but not every woman wants to be a doctor, anyway ;)

I decided to copy my MEFA review in here at approximately the point the story had reached when I finalized it. So much has happened during the recent updates that the review is in danger of going out of date!

“The Tempered Steel” is an unusually detailed and realistic retelling of Maedhros’s captivity in Angband, his rescue by Fingon from Thangorodrim, and subsequent events. As such, it unflinchingly deals with all the practical and psychological problems posed by the quasi-mythological source material and attempts to answer both the question just why the protagonists did the things they did—which the Silmarillion often leaves somewhat under-explained—and  how exactly they did it. Although, given the subject matter, there is plenty of pain, angst and emotion and Lyra dodges none of these, she avoids the twin temptations to wallow in descriptions of torture or in sentimentality.  (By the way, the slightly flippant tone of the chapter summaries should not mislead any reader into assuming that the content of the chapters themselves is less than serious). Sympathetic as she is to Maedhros, Fingon and Maglor, she tries to give everyone his due; her portrayal of Fingolfin is especially complex. Lyra’s even-handed description gives room to vignettes of canonical characters that often barely get a look-in in similar narratives (for instance, I don’t think many others mention the reaction of Aegnor to the news of Maedhros’s captivity) and also to the actions and reactions of named and unnamed original characters, among whom the healer Istime assumes especial importance. The plot mostly (so far) follows the published Silmarillion, but Lyra follows the History of Middle-Earth in some genealogical details. She gives great attention to the linguistic consistency of her names (i.e. that even the place names should all be in Quenya, etc.), which I’m sure would have pleased Tolkien himself.  I’m also indebted to Lyra for a mental image of the Noldor of Fingolfin’s party drinking fir-needle tea (for reasons of health).