The Work of Small Hands by Dawn Felagund

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Fanwork Notes

The Tirion Mothers Against Oath-Taking Public Service Award

Fanwork Information

Summary:

Valinor has been plunged into darkness, most of the Noldor have gone into exile, and the Teleri grieve for those lost in the kinslaying. The Valar have turned their backs on the remaining Noldor--left without a king--and chaos rules the streets of Tirion. Can Eärwen, the quiet wife of a third-born prince, find the courage and strength to save her husband's people? 2008 MEFA nominee.

Major Characters: Anairë, Eärwen, Finarfin, Indis, Nerdanel

Major Relationships:

Artwork Type: No artwork type listed

Genre: Adventure, Drama

Challenges: Strong Women

Rating: Adult

Warnings: Character Death, Mature Themes, Sexual Content (Moderate), Violence (Moderate)
Chapters: 11 Word Count: 30, 443
Posted on 2 April 2008 Updated on 18 May 2008

This fanwork is complete.

Table of Contents

Author's Foreword
Departure
Queendom
The Return
The Hungry
Alqualondë

With apologies for the delay in updating this and gratitude to all who have been reviewing it nonetheless!

The Funeral
The Caravan
Máhanaxar
King of the Noldor
Epilogue

Comments

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I really enjoyed this story! I liked how Earwen was portrayed. She is so brave, yet unsure, in here that it helps make her real. The death of her brother, I think, was a good idea because it makes the kinslaying more real. It shows that royalty isn't always saved from death.

When Earwen went to Mahanaxzar, the descriptions for the Valar was just perfect. I never thought of having them appear that way, It adds more mystique to them.

I just love how you portray Arafinwe. You always, I think, nail everything about him perfectly, in every story, you've written, that includes him.

 Can't wait for more stories about them! Thanks for writing!

I have read some of this story before and have been anxious since then for you to finish it and be able to read more. The subject matter is compelling for me. Talk about a perfect gap-filler. We are given no clue as to what happened back home when the story moves across the sea. I am dying to know if you have completely finished it and will be posting updates on a regular basis.

I do have one question that I hope the story will answer, or give me insight into one possibility at least. It has always seemed so strange to me that the wives of the Finweans, with one exception (and a Vanyarin woman at that) would have ended up staying behind when the vast majority of the Noldor left, right down to the women and children.

This is a truly impressive first chapter. I love the way you describe the darkness--the city of light in shadows. Very effective also are the descriptions of the loss of trust and the fear. Loved the details about how Nerdanel’s marriage falling apart was disturbing/frightening for all of them.

I’m absolutely hooked and can’t wait to read more.

Hi, Oshun!

Thanks! Yes, I plan to update weekly or so until the whole thing is finished; then I will probably post the whole thing at once. (Because I always seem to end up posting longer stories over the summer, and I have learned that that doesn't work very well for me.) I am posting it now because, if it is underway already, then I have less an excuse to put off writing it, a very real fear since ... well, it's been in-progress for almost three years now!

I do have one question that I hope the story will answer, or give me insight into one possibility at least. It has always seemed so strange to me that the wives of the Finweans, with one exception (and a Vanyarin woman at that) would have ended up staying behind when the vast majority of the Noldor left, right down to the women and children.

Yeah, I find that disturbing too. JRRT treats women a lot better in the Silm, but they still don't get the best deal. I mean, Melian is a freakin' Maia so why is Thingol telling her what to do and not the other way around??

But anyway. I think that we do have "canon" answers for most of them, not that I think that it makes a whole lot of sense that, after the events leading up to the Darkening, that all of the wives would be such tools as to want to remain with the Valar. (Sorry, that is not very nice ... but Finweans have a habit of marrying women very loyal to the Valar, apparently. See Nerdanel.)

And the one woman who does go gets punished by falling through the ice. Yay.

Thank you again for the review; I can't wait to post more, but I'm afraid to post too much too fast and be rushing to finish! The good news is that I've added a good bit yesterday and today and don't have too much to go.

Former SWG user

16 years 1 month ago

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I really enjoyed this, but the tone of the story is just so sad. I like how you went into depth on what the wives of Finwe's house felt during the events preceedingt he Rebellion. Also, I really love how you wrote Arafinwe. He is so unsure and ashamed, I think. Thanks for writing!

Hi, Alquawende!

Thanks for the review! I\'m glad that you liked it. :) Arafinwe is one of my favorite characters to write, so I\'m pleased that he works here as well. As for sad ... yep, I\'m afraid it\'s what I do best. ;)

I\'m going to try to update weekly until it\'s finished. Thanks again for the feedback on this first chapter; I hope you like the rest too!

Former SWG user

16 years 1 month ago

Permalink

My goodness! I nearly fell out of my chair at this: So any story in The Silmarillion must have passed from its original source through to Bilbo, via the Elves of Rivendell. This complicates canon immensely because what is written has likely been subjected to the biases, errors, and exaggerations of numerous narrators in the course of transmission. It also supposes that we can only know what the historians and loremasters of the original age themselves knew or were willing to reveal. My use of this idea in filling in the stories of The Silmarillion has been the subject of contention to some less flexible-minded individuals. I doubt that this story will be any exception

That is exactly what I have always thought and exactly how I view the Silmarillion, as historical, but prone to the biases and errors which are rife in all historical documents. Sorry, I just had to say that, because it is precisely my own feeling; except your wording is a lot more eloquent!

Yay! And I almost fell over to hear you agree with this! :^D Welcome to the Legion of Heretics, then! There\'s a few of us on this site who take this view (Oshun and Pandemonium are two who come first to mind), and I must confess that we sometimes like to poke canatics with sticks. All in fun, of course. ;)

I\'m actually in the process of writing an immense essay on \"Laws and Customs among the Eldar\" and how it is flawed precisely because of its narrator, and how it deserves a very liberal interpretation ... or sometimes to be disregarded entirely. Eru, I could go on about this for hours, so I\'ll spare you now, but I\'m heartened (though not entirely surprised, given the stories that you write) to find another \"heretic\" in our midst. :)

Thanks so much! :) I\'m going to try to update about weekly until I finish, then I\'ll probably post everything at once. Experience has taught me that keeping a posting schedule over the summer (which I\'ve had to do for the past two summers) doesn\'t work too well for me.

I loved this sentence in particular:

"...when self-preservation becomes chief in our thoughts, decency, it seems, is the first bit of extra weight sacrificed..."

so true (not only among Elves though they could be somewhat justified by the chaos they are going through).

The question why the women of the royal family stayed behind (and that could include the Feanorian wives) is worth asking: shock? fear? loyalty to the Valar? Nerdanel's  decision makes sense based on her previous history and Earwen's after the Kinslaying but Anaire's is harder to understand.

I'm eagerly waiting for the next chapter

Hi, Angelica!

Thank you, thank you! :) Unfortunately--and I know I don\'t need to tell you this--history and modern events are studded with evidence of how focus on self-preservation quickly ushers out human decency. I think this was as much of a problem for the Eldar as for us.

On Anaire ... this quote might shed some light:

Fingolfin’s wife Anairë refused to leave Aman, largely because of her friendship with Eärwen wife of Arafinwë (though she was a Noldo and not one of the Teleri). But all her children went with their father….

(HoMe XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, “The Shibboleth of Fëanor,” pages 344-345)

This is what I used for this story. (I have author\'s notes for the story that I really need to add to the Foreword ...)

Thank you again and take care,
Dawn

Former SWG user

16 years 1 month ago

Permalink

I am so enjoying this. I have to say that over the past 6 months - since I really started to seriously read fanfiction, I have been so put-off by the poorly written Sue's ( who serve no purpose but wish fulfillment ) that I gave up reading anything which revolved around female characters. ( Though I have always wanted to find some good Morwen and Nienor stories ).
However, in one of those strange events which sometimes happen, I've been offered two writings by yourself and another author on here which deal with female characters within days of each other. And they are both so good that my faith is restored. I still think it's incredibly rare to find such writing but at least it is around! This is wonderful, I love the characters and how you almost climb into them and draw out their emotions.

Then one of my goals has been served. :) Thank you!

This story was started for the very first challenge on SWG, back in September \'05. My friend/comod Jenni (digdigil), who used to create all of the challenges, thought that there weren\'t enough good stories about female characters, so we should encourage that. Because it was our first challenge and I was the group owner, I felt like I should try it, and that\'s how this story started ... of course, it\'s taken three years to actually finish it. ;)

Female characters get roundly screwed in general, imho. My husband and I were watching a movie the other night, and, at first, the female lead was such a wonderfully confident (and not really attractive) woman ... but an hour later, she was huddled on the ground letting her husband do the \"man\'s work\" of killing the enemy while she wept and screamed, and, of course, she almost got everyone killed because of those uncontrollable maternal instincts. And that\'s bloody typical. /rant And that\'s one of the few things that I don\'t like about Tolkien\'s stories either, that the female characters are so poorly--or stereotypically--represented. I know I keep saying this, but why does Melian take orders from Thingol? Huh?? It\'s something that I have to work on with my own writing, where I\'ll admit that I love writing the boys and tend to wave off the women. So I\'m really pleased that this story is working out for you. :) It\'s been a great experiment for me.

*Raises fisted arm in the air and yells YES!*

 Whew.  Now that my cry of adulation and vigorous approval is out of the way, I can get on with more measured comments.

I'm ecstatic to see that you've made The Work of Small Hands public.  We - along with others here - have discussed the paucity of fully realized female characters* in Tolkien's legendarium at length.  Just as with the history of our primary world, my suspicion is that the male writers of Aman and Middle-earth's histories overlooked many women and their power behind the scenes.

The two chapters of WSH already go a long way toward rectifying this unpalatable situation.  You've given each woman clearly identifiable personalities with just a few strokes of the digital pen: Indis with quiet restraint, brash Anairë, Nerdanel – her famous logic now horribly adrift and Eärwen, the reluctant leader designate who must reconcile her beloved Arafinwë’s kind and sunny demeanor with the blood on his hands.   Anairë’s care of Eärwen during her deep depression – very believable, both in terms of the actual care and the characters.  And that final scene in Finderato’s bedchamber and the childhood toy that was dropped but that her son was going to take with him to the Outer Lands – oh, man, break my heart!  All of these highlight your mastery of prose and storytelling

On a more analytical level, the thought-exercise behind the darkening of Valinor is well executed in Chapter 1.  I can see that you’ve placed yourself in that “what-if” scenario.  You will not be at all surprised to know that I nodded in strong approval when I read your treatment of Alpaher’s death – that it was likely peritonitis that did him in, again consistent with the humanity of the Eldar, indefinite longevity notwithstanding.

Needless to say, I am eagerly waiting for each chapter to be posted and the story to unfold.  I loved immersing myself in Aman with your fellows in Another Man’s Cage and their surrounding stories. Their personalities and character are now engraved in my head, but it’s about time that the women step to the fore.  Thank you for bearing down and bringing this story forth.

*I’ll risk a little SSP (re: my WIP which albeit narrated by a man still has women figuring in it prominently) by noting at least Tolkien named a few of these Eldarin wives unlike the anonymous broodmares wives of Elendil and Isildur.  And our newest member of the SWG Heretics Club - Fanari - might just be talking about my skeptical Noldorin smith who makes her opinions known through retrospectives in the aforementioned WIP. :^)

Thank you, thank you! :^D I suspected that you\'d like this one for a variety of reasons. (I actually mentioned it once long ago in an email, though I\'m not sure if you remember that; it wasn\'t called \"The Work of Small Hands\" then but was between names and commonly referred to as \"my Darkening of Valinor novella that refuses to be finished.\")

I\'m really interested to hear--as SWG\'s resident scientist--what you think of the Darkening itself. This is something that I haven\'t seen treated often in Silmfic (at all, even?) aside from, \"the Darkening happened and ... well, it was dark.\" But it must have been so much more; talk about upending the biological scheme of things, not to mention the psychological impact of sudden and complete darkness to a people that had no clue what that was! (And probably never bothered to think of what it meant for their actual survival ... and those that had were probably all off rebelling with Feanor. ;)

On the SSP ... keep nudging me if you don\'t see anything from me soon. Every time I see you\'ve posted a new chapter, I get a little depressed because I\'m so far behind in my reading. B2MeM is behind me; I\'m slowly building my personal website this month, but once that\'s finished, I really need to sit down and be quiet for a while (ha) and read. I miss it, and your story in particular, as you\'re definitely one of my favorite Silmfic authors. And your skeptical Noldorin smith--the little that I have gotten to know her--certainly begs me to learn more about her. ;)

Former SWG user

16 years 1 month ago

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I continue to love this and your masterful and beautiful use of first person and the wonderful insights into the characters. I actually keep books printed in the 60's and 70's with incredible female characters in them since now there seems to be fewer wonderfully realized one. Most have a lot of Sue traits, even published writers fall into that.
Great to read of women who have inner strength and somehow the fact that there is uncertainty highlights it the more; the depth and the strong roots which have to dig in deeply and find an inner source to draw from.

Thank you again, Fanari. I must confess that I love writing in the first person (and present tense) more than any other style. Both tend to be reviled in certain snobbish literary circles, but I write what feels right in the story. I\'m glad that you like the first person! :)

We just had a discussion on the SWG Yahoo! group about female characters and why so many authors (including Tolkien himself) fall into the Mary-Sue rut when writing women. A couple of us concluded that Tolkien just didn\'t seem to \"get\" women: It seemed impossible for him to imagine a strong female character who wasn\'t perfect in every way, beautiful, and possessed of extraordinary powers. His men are flawed and complex and interesting but his women ... well, look at how many people write about Luthien. And it was also questioned: Why then haven\'t Tolkien fans done more to right this shortcoming in their own creative work? And that is harder to answer. :) (Probably because his men are flawed and complex and interesting! Writing his women requires a bit more work.) But SWG has had such a wonderful multitude of stories featuring women lately that maybe some of us are.

Well - this was amazing. Actually I was right with Anairë in that I wanted to slap Eärwen. But then I also felt for her and wanted to slap Arafinwë on her behalf.
All these intense emotions mean I am completely drawn in, even though they might seem illogical feelings. I can understand why each character acts as they do. And how gritty - how it makes me think about the aftermath and how people dealt with it, like a city after a terrible war, with starvation and shortages. Just amazing writing!!

Hi, Fanari! Sorry for the late reply; I\'ve been concentrating on actually finishing the thing! ;) Thank you again for such a kind and encouraging review. This has kept me going in finishing a story that has been almost three years now in the making.

The intense emotions and illogical feelings are one of the harder parts of this story, as an author. I worry that readers might get fatigued ... but it is hard to inject lightheartedness into a story about the Darkening of Valinor! (I *do* try to temper the constant grief and sadness with the occasional happy flashback.) Thank you again, and if you get to finish the rest of it, then I hope you continue to enjoy it. :)

I feel so immersed in the drama and the tension of this story. My favorite scene here is the part where the four "Queens" of the Noldor argue as to who will lead.  I think it's such a classic scene and in my mind's eye, I could imagine it looking like a painting. It also makes me wonder how different things could have been if the women ruled the Noldor. 

This is quite engrossing, I always wondered what happened to the Noldor who were left in Tirion and what the Valar did to help them.

It's somewhat frustrating for me that the Valar did not help retrieve the Silmarils sooner when they knew that Melkor's scheming was behind it all, and they chose to release him in the first place.  It would have prevented much tragedy (but then, there wouldn't be a Silmarillion). 

Looking forward to more.

Thanks so much! The Valar are a frustrating lot; I agree with you there! Over the years, I\'ve gotten a better grasp on why they didn\'t make war on Melkor right away, but as for releasing him, and into the midst of the same people he\'d been capturing and tormenting only three ages prior ...? Yeah, I\'m afraid that one\'s never made much sense to me! :)

Now I\'m curious how you imagine it! *unleashes plotrabbits upon Moreth* >;^)

Anaire was a character who elbowed her way into this story. It was supposed to be about Earwen and Finarfin. It was supposed to be much more romantic than it turned out to be. Anaire was supposed to be in the background. But you know those cheeky Noldorin women ... ;) And I like it much better this way, actually!

Once more Dawn, you really impress me with the originality of your work! There are a few post-Alqualonde stories out there but I don't think there's one (apart from yours) that really deal with the gritty consequences of the whole event (or only those of the lack of light!). I mean, we are talking about a people here who haven't had to deal with anything like that before. So the picture you paint here seems very, very realistic to me, as far as I can even imagine a complete lack of light (power outages leave me wanting to switch the light on before I realize... oh well, won't work, so much for that ;P)... and to imagine people so used to having light of a kind of - let's say -divine nature around them all the time being thrown into complete darkness... well, that must have been quite traumatic (even if we disregard the events at Alqualonde for a moment which must have been traumatic in their own rights).

I don't think I need to add any comments on your writing style. Let me simply say you're own of the authors I enjoy reading most. And I'm not saying that simply because of your productivity or because we're LJ friends. ;) (Damn, I wish I had the time to write at the moment...)

Anyway, just wanted to let you know quickly how much I'm enjoying this story because tomorrow I'm leaving for a week in Munich. So until next week! *waves* :)

I hope that you had a fun trip to Munich! (And I\'m also going to add, \"Damn, I wish you had more time to write at the moment.\" ;)

One of the things that I used in writing this story was my own experiences on 9/11. Not so much the trauma or the hurt of that day but the loss of innocence. And my own feelings, as a long-time pacifist, for the first time in my life wanting to hurt another human being, much like Earwen struggles with her own emotions toward the Darkening and the actions of the Noldor to, in the end, hopefully, understand her place in the world all the more and the difference that kindness can make, even against drawn swords.

I\'m always surprised that more writers don\'t seize this topic. I suppose that it\'s largely because all the main players go off to Middle-earth, and there\'s so much distraction there: all the wars and betrayals and so on. It\'s easy to forget about Aman, but what a time the First Age must have been there!

Thanks so much! :) I was commenting to UH in the comment below yours that I don\'t know why more people don\'t write about the Darkening and aftermath, and then I realized that it\'s because the House of Finwe--with the exception of Finarfin, who tends to get portrayed as boring, wimpy, or a bit of both--are off in Middle-earth. And, hey, I\'m as big a Feanatic as one can be, but it *is* nice to turn the spotlight somewhere else for once. :)

Thanks so much, Alquawende! I love Arafinwe; I think he gets mistreated by most fans. He\'s a fascinating character and must have been a strong one too, even if he didn\'t realize it right away. (But then, it takes more than a wimp to speak out against Feanor!)

On the Valar, I love writing \"psychic\" communications. I might even overuse these scenes in stories. :^P This story is a perfect example: I wrote that scene the way I did just so I could use psychic communications! Or I wrote a whole novella about Feanor in Mandos having all sorts of weird disembodied interactions with Namo.

As for Earwen, perfectly noble/brave characters tend to be used a lot in fantasy, but I think the real heroes of the world are more like Earwen and only discover their strength through overcoming their doubts. She was a lot of fun to write. I look forward to doing more with her in the future!

Here's me applauding for another brilliant addition to the Dawn Felagund legendarium!

I'll save the comprehensive review for the MEFA08, but here's some immediate yammering:

It would appear that you've applied a lot of what I have read in your Haunted October o-fics to WoSH.  In addition to the well-crafted characters (Eärwen in particular), captivating plot, psychological studies and your examination of cultures (the latter two being your trademarks ;^)), there's a distinctive atmosphere of horror.  This is extremely effective! Honestly, I expected Námo to flick out a forked tongue and burst out with a "Hail Cthulhu!" at any moment. ;^)

On the psychobiological effects of unrelenting darkness - based on what I know, this rings true.  If you wish, we can nerd out on the SWG Yahoo group.  

 

Thank you! *takes a sweeping and melodramatic bow* You know that I love horror and can\'t resist the chance to inject some of it into my Tolkien writings. I\'m afraid that I can\'t help myself! Actually, didn\'t I mention Namo tasting Earwen\'s emotions with the flick of a forked tongue? You might not be so far off the mark. (And, you know, another Tolkien/Lovecraft crossover would not be a bad thing.)

And I have trademarks! \\0/ And two trademarks that I\'m proud to have! At least the psych degree did get me somewhere in life aside from moldering in an old house with a dead bird squashed in the window, writing stories all day. ;)

Shall I start the thread or shall you? ;)

When self-preservation becomes chief in our thoughts, decency, it seems, is the first bit of extra weight sacrificed to the churning, black fear on which we precariously drift. -- You know, it is the mark of a piece of true literature that quotes can be taken out that are not only perfect for the scene from which they come but are also telling of the Human Experience overall. This is one such quote, something you'd see in Bartlett's. I've only read the introductin and first chapter so far, but this, like all of your work that I've read (which is a frightening little; I have so much more to enjoy, like a giant whole-sheet birthday cake), is excellent.

Thank you so much, Viv! That is quite a compliment (and that was also one of my favorite lines, when I was writing it. :) I hope that you enjoy the rest of the novella. This one is odd in that I started writing it three years ago. So the chapter you\'ve just read is three years older than the last chapter; this presented a challenge in fitting my current style to that of three years ago.

Hi Dawn,

Felt a bit "unsatisfied but in a good way" with how this story concluded.  I'm quite a selfish reviewer in that my concern is how a particular work moved me and this one left me looking for more and waiting for what happens next. 

I don't think I've read a serious story that deals with the Noldor in Valinor after the Kinslaying and I hope there will be more to come from you(?) on Finarfin and possibly Finrod after he is re-embodied? 

 

Thanks for the review! :) There does seem to be a gaping black hole in Silmfic as far as post-Darkening-in-Valinor stories are concerned; you\'re not the first person to mention this to me! It seems such a fascinating time; I\'m sorry that more people don\'t take it on.

(I know, I\'m the group owner, I should make a challenge or something. :^P)

As far as other work of mine dealing with these characters, there is Return to Me, in which Finarfin assists at Finrod\'s re-embodiment. This was supposed to be a three-part story from the PoVs of Finarfin, Earwen, and Amarie, but the last two haven\'t been written yet. The Coronation is a slightly different look at Finarfin\'s coronation, also involving Nerdanel. And I\'ve written numerous ficlets that are in my various collections about the House of Finarfin all across time.

But, yes, aside from that, I do plan to do more. :) I think that this house is sadly under-written. Another author to check out, if you like the House of Finarfin, is Ellie. Here is her account on SWG; I think she has much more posted on SoA and OSA; she and I have been known to gripe privately to each other on how Finarfin is too often written off as a wimp or ignored altogether. ;)

This is a beautiful, heart wrendering story, showing the nightmare of the kinslaying from the eyes of the woman who was both Telerin and Noldorin. Earwen is extreamly well characterised which emotions of joy from her husband coming back, to loss, from her children and a sense of duty she does not know how to handle yet.

"Allowing the children of the Noldor to perish shall not bring back our own," I add in a whisper, and his head snaps up; the laughter abruptly ceases. He ponders me. "We have both lost sons. We have both lost brothers. Aman was not supposed to be such a place. We can stop it. We can reclaim our people in the name of compassion and love. But we must do it. No other will."

I think this sums up the story brilliantly. We see that Earwen, despite her losses sees that she with the help of her father are the only ones who can help.

Few writers write stories showing the trials of the Noldor who stayed. This captures all of their trials, even the problem of who is to be Queen, before Finarfin turned from the road. That was slighty funny in a wierd way. I can see it being in a painting!

I cannot wait to read the next chapter and review, but coursework is beckoning me! :)

 

Lindale

Thanks so much, Lindale, for the review, and especially for your kind comments. :)

I think this sums up the story brilliantly. We see that Earwen, despite her losses sees that she with the help of her father are the only ones who can help.

I\'ll admit that this is something in which I believe very strongly. I am a pacifist, and it dismays me when peoples\' first replies to a situation is \"I\'ll kick his ass!\" or \"I won\'t help because she did xyz to me!\" I have, over my desk in my study, a small notecard that says, \"Peace begins with me,\" because I like to remember this every day. Of course, Earwen is better at it than I will probably ever be. :) I was hoping, through her, to show that heroes don\'t need to wield swords or commit great deeds but must only have the strength to overcome their own hatred and bitterness to reach beyond that. (In addition to being a pacifist, I am also a hopelessly implacable optimist. ;)

That was slighty funny in a wierd way. I can see it being in a painting!

That is so funny because, in a comment a ways down from yours, whitewave makes the same remark about that scene working well as a painting! If I could paint human figures better, I\'d do it, but that\'s not my strength, unfortunately. ;) Yet I\'m thrilled to see this perception twice now because it was something much like a painting that I was seeing in my mind when I wrote the scene.

Good luck with your schoolwork and have a nice weekend! :)

This is a different ending, but in a good way. Unlike many other storys it doesn't draw on and pn, which can sometimes get tedious if it moves to slow.

I really like the last line, it reminds me of a well known quote; Behind every man is a strong woman (I think that is it... :))   and I think this runs true in this case.

Sometimes I feel angry at Indis. Had to say that, don't really have any reasons other than she was part of the Noldor for a long time and although her husband wasn't there... can't reason much more...

I think your portrayal of the Valar was just and whether you meant this or not, I though Mandos sounded creepy. hehe

Lindale

Hi, Lindale! Yep, I totally meant for Namo to be creepy. ;) He\'s one of my favorite characters to write because I can take the weirdness to the extreme!

Part of me isn\'t completely satisfied with the ending but, of course, the canon couldn\'t have it any other way. I could hardly have Earwen rule the Noldor. But I didn\'t like that Finarfin, in the end, would get the credit for Earwen\'s accomplishments. Yet, in part, that is the point: She doesn\'t need those accolades; pride of that sort was why the Noldor fell where she succeeded. I guess that I am a Noldo through and through and wanted to see her recognized more.

Indis is ... interesting. She\'s a character I haven\'t thought much about. However, I\'m considering a piece for Femslash Month, and she\'s one I\'ve thought about, just because she\'d be a change of pace for me. (I\'m leaning more toward Miriel, though.) But there is a dearth of good portrayals of her in Silmfic.

This was just gorgeous. From the so palpable fear for the dark that feels like a shroud around you to her first view on her city, this combined with her memory of her friend Fëanor and how he viewed the city... it feels so hard to conceive from her perception why her friend would do this to her city. Another thing I so loved was the natural tranfer of her coming to beg for aid to the Noldor in turning to a princess of her people, her heart is just fully turned to them, as it should, imho.

Oh my goodness, I really really wanted to throttle the Valar for a moment in how they treated Eërwen. I mean she did so much and she deserves something better then: a) wrong gender and b) wrong house. grmpl. It makes you wonder if it would have made a difference if Galadriel would have done this. It just feels as if she should get what she asks for it and yet you leave us as a reader still waiting for what else must be done by her to rescue those Noldor. Immensely well written Dawn!

Oh the suspense in this chapter! You handled it so well, having Eärwen looking for Anairë in a near maddening rush. And then.. Arafinwë, who has returned to the living. That's such a rush to read because as a reader I just keep on wanting to help Eärwen to find a solution and then just... there he is, bruised, but oh my. Their moment together is wonderful, but I suspect that they still have a long road together, but you know... just that end scene with Anairë looking at them, its a beautiful still moment. Time to breathe, as a reader you will know it will be ok.

I am so happy to see that these two form an union, both strengths combined: they complete the other. I love this victorious ending, it just feels right to see her so close behind and giving that nudge of encouragement. They als form a symbol to the crowd that in a way the Teleri and Noldo are reunited again, the Teleri this time supporting the Noldo in times that they need each other. In a way it also gives me the feeling that now a new period starts, for all of them and a perfect moment to end it if you ask me. To me the character growth from the princess who would not even consider herself to be queen to the Queen that will pick up that challenge has been an incredible read. She is his strong backbone through all of this, and that is what makes the title of this fic so perfect!

Wow Dawn this was so heartbreakingly powerful! Chilling at times. A story I will not soon forget. While I had previously grieved at the Darkening of Valinor I had not really thought before of what it would have been like for the remaining Noldor during that terrible frightening time. Nor had I given much thought as to who would rule in the absence of all the sons of Finwe as well as their children. 

Anaire showed a strength I somehow had not expected. When she backhanded Earwen, I was reminded of Cher's famous slap (in the movie Moonstruck I believe) and the line, "Snap out of it!" To see Earwen who I have always thought was such a sweet, gentle character stand up to both her father and the Valar was mesmerizing. While this story was mainly about the women I also appreciated watching the journey Arafinwe took of grief and guilt, despair nigh unto death and then finally to a place where he could and did accept the Kingship and the rule of the tithe of the Noldor. 

I just finished re-reading this fic, and even though there were images that remained with me ever since you first published it (the episode with the malnourished baby, and the caravan especially), I had forgotten how engaging this story was, to the effect that it blew me away far more than imagined. It also helps that I recently discovered my own fondness for Eärwen as a character, but if anything that has made me more critical of the way others depict her - but needless to say, your version of her more than convinced me.

I loved how you both emphasized and softened the harsh reality of the Darkening within the fic by contrasting it with happier memories. Even so I was tensing up (from empathy with the characters, mostly), but without images like Eärwen laughing at cloud-watching with Finarfin I'm thinking it might have almost been too dark (pun not intended). As it was, I think you managed to strike the balance just right and all in all it was a wonderful read.

Thank you, Elleth! I remember this was one of those edge-of-your-seat-while-writing kinds of stories. It was a hard story to write because of some of the subject matter.

Rereading some of my older stuff to archive it here, I realized that interspersing the dark present with the happier past is something I do a lot! :D I think I have always been attracted to both what was lost by the Elves and what might have been, and placing the two side-by-side--as well as mitigating the darkness (literal and figurative!)--highlights that contrast. And I like writing the happier times but am really almost incapable of writing fluff or anything that is solely happy.

I find myself fascinated by what the 10% of the Noldor that remained behind faced. It started with Finarfin but has since shifted more toward the Finwion wives, since the women of the House of Finwe almost all remained behind; much of the work must have fallen to them. I regret the way that I wrote Finarfin in this--I took the easy way out and wish I'd done more to represent his character as I actually see him--but still like the way Earwen and Anaire turned out. I'd love to do more with this time period as life continues to smooth itself out *touch wood*.

Thanks again for the reread and the comment! Your words always mean so much to me since I admire your writing so much. :)

This is such a great story! It's always good seeing a story that focuses on the female characters and their actions (so often ignored in the book its self, I think.)

I like the way you portray Earwen's struggle, being torn in different directions by her loyalties and feelings for different people, but I especially like that in the end she's doing what she thinks is right. I really like the way you show her friendship with Anaire, as well.

The idea about food becoming scarce in Valinor after the light of the trees is gone is an interesting one! The scientist in me definitely appreciated it, haha. The idea of Alqualonde giving them fish to sustain themselves was a great solution. The scene where Earwen has to go and ask her father for help for the remaining Noldor is heart-wrenching! But then, so are a lot of these scenes....like where Earwen confronts the Valar. I like the way you showed the Valar's thoughts, too, since it really emphasises how different they are from the elves.

Post-darkening Valinor and often-overlooked characters (like Earwen) are two of my favorite things to read about, and you've got both of them here!

This was an amazing story and thank you for writing it!