Very good chapter.And it's sad and a little funny whats happening to Estel. 10!

It's over? ... It's over? ... How? This is my second go through of the Buried series, and I have to say I'm enjoying it. But... it's over?
   You were magnificent! Legolas' face was perfect- bared teeth and all! I loved it! How can so much power weave through your words and leave you yet with an easy grace? How can you make it like a movie, to play before your reader's eyes? It was clear as crystal what you wanted me to see, and you were nearly, just nearly, rewarded with embodied tears. Real, true, staining, red-eye tears. Never let it be said I cry easily. I will watch character after beloved character die in fanfiction and only become angry, or shrug it off. Angst? Pulease! But you... I nearly wept. I blinked back a well that was formed. You are perfect. Can I say more? (Probably, I can't help it) I bow to you, and give you my pledge that I am faithfully your fan and loyal subject. I'd stand up to Glorfindel if he degraded your works for your writing. I would shake in my boots, but I would stand. Until I get hacked to pieces. Then watch me try. I could feel the stone wall that keeps in check my emotion begin to crack. I felt little streams come forth. "He crumpled upon the boy he held, and from his mouth came an unearthly noise..." My heart reached out more to Legolas in this chapter (and I thought it was so beautiful when you sent him to fetch Estel's clothes dripping wet in an earlier chapter), his part to play, his lament, his grief, tore my heart and stung my soul. Estel was endearing, and I could not help but sigh in relief when his struggle was over. Such a lad, such a heart. Glorfindel's fears are a fine way to wrap up the heart-pounding race you led, but the end, the true end of Descent "Extraordinary, terrifying, demented puppies." was geunius. Excellent in all senses. You are an extraordinary, terrifying, demented auther, and I could ask for nothing more! (Not extremely insane...)

Weeping,
Elemmire

*Wild, screeching sobs* Not yet, not yet! O you are so wonderful! How can I say that when you destress the boy so? Well... I guess I really enjoy the plot... *evil grin, broken by a sad frown* Ok, to be serious: Pentangle you are a PURE marvel! I have found no one so potent as you in many, many a long wearisome day. In fact, no one has reached this height you so easily achieve, except Tolkien himself, and some times you can waltz passed him (which in my mind, is simply unbelievable) when he doesn't play his full swing. I weep inside, mi'lady, and find no remedy to these burning tears that fall unending for Estel, and yet as well Legolas, then Elrond and Glorfindel. You have lit a fire, and you tend it until it is dangerous. Fabulous. Perpetual. Beyond.

Your endless fan
Elemmire Star-Sheen

(Menelmacar)

Yes! Now comes the full blown excitement! I love the way you brought back our dear Estel. I could think of no better way, my dear Lady Queen, niether could I find a more precious ending to a deadly chapter. It ends with little hope, but still affection and love. Such is your way, Pentangle-linnon. I wish you could find some thought to continue and fill to utter fullness the Buried series, though I know you ended with everything this began with: you answered each question you set out, and filled each gap that this might leave... but I would not put it passed you to make a stunning come back... that would be the day!

Elemmire,
Your loyal fan

Menelmacar

Ai! do not make me cry! Such power your fingers unleash! I hate that Legolas, you made him so well! He was not less than the others, he was worse, so much worse *voice begins to shake with tears unshed* You are so wonderous it is frightening! Glory is laced through your skill, bright and brillant! You are unflagging in invention, and chill my very core. My emotions are no longer mine to command. You choose whether to make me laugh or cry, and when I walk away I leave a piece of me bound to your story.
   I see everything you lay before me: Legolas criss crossing over the gravel, swiping his hair out of his face, Estel watching with pale death as his heart was torn. That part was sheer beauty! The runes marking the pain, the ash ever growing. The voice of both the false and true Legolas... I weep, and I am left to bear this weight alone,/I cry, I see the strips of heart, as in silver they shone./A dagger finds my unguarded soul/And I am at your mercies whole./

Still mourning,
Elemmire

(Menelmacar)
 

"taking comfort for once instead of giving it." Yes, agreed. The previous day piece was beautiful, and the part with Estel was heart-breaking. I could feel his pain and fear, and the cruel wit you had to portray in the false Elladan and Elrohir gave way to such an emotion in me, I hardly knew before that I had it. His fears are so believable, and probably true if Tolkien had been graced to agree with you, that you can hit the heart with a poisoned arrow. You give me hope. An undeniable 10. I never want it to end.

Your BIGGEST fan,
Elemmire

Amazing! It is everything that I remember it; chilling, sweet, masterly, unmarred... I loved how you made Sadoreth want the one with "the yellow mane." That was utterly clever, having a horse think in "horse terms." I am still shocked at how good you are- nay, good is not the right word... flawless, faultless. You picture Estel wonderfully, your skill with keeping character is irreproachable, I love the heart you give Legolas(the right heart, may I add), and the way you ease through your writing... none to fast or to slow.

   I would like to see your hand at poetry. You have the perfect flow and imagenation to out do Robert Frost. How can you work such magic over your words? You have been gifted by God, Pentangle, don't overlook it. Do you have a book published yet? (Yes, I expect it of you) Because you need one... you'd hit off better than "Eragon" or whatever junk is befouling the Fantasy realm of books these days. I gave Belly Butter to someone who doesn't know who Estel is(by that name), or Elladan, Elrohir, Glorfindel, Erestor at all... really, she only could of known Elrond! And I don't know if she recognized him even. Yet she loved it, and my, she has good reason to!

Elemmire

(I found out that Elemmire was actually a male name... opps. I'm a girl. Forget not Menelmacar!)

I must give you cheers again! Start to finish, it was captivating. Estel's words in his stupor are hilarious! I couldn't get over it, and read it to my little sister, who gave a small laugh. (I am terrible at reading allowed what I so enjoy. Books, though, no prob, Nob) My heart actually raced as I read Elrond's part. I have but one simple request- please forego the aterisks. It distracts from your unending talent, even though it does its job. Italicizing may not be simplier, but as you know, it is not hard, and it gives it a tad taste of... well, it makes me think whoever does it cares more about the quality of their works. * are just more, review-like.

   Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for bringing such a lovely piece to life. One question, not in a bad way 'tal, but do you believe in Jesus Christ? Na Elbereth veria le, na elenath din sila erin rad o chuil lin.

I Melain berio le,
Elemmire

I have no little love for you. My love stretches far and has found the place farthest West from the East, which has no boundries.  Blessings rain upon you.

Mae govannen, a pleasure to have my aching fingers curled over the keyboard again, reviewing for the second, enabled day in my (short, as of yet) life. You chilled my heart the first time I read this, Pentangle! When I read the clip of the two Elrond's I was a slight confused (as intended, not wrongly on your part), but thoroughly excited about how on earth you could make it work, because I had total confidence in you, for I had been reading the now finished Enchained when it was yet in... a full two chapters. I had found an unimpressible hankering for your writing; both style and plot. So I read everything you had up on Fanfiction (a pure delight, -rubbed slightly raw by unneeded language-) then came here, practically starving for more!

   But on subject, this is majestically alluring. You draw in the reader from the first paragraph ("It was hard to be sure with all these people around") to the last.

   I had read a ton of your answers to reviews (I am *so* darn jealous of the people you answered) and picked out one that said you want to make your writing better from the critiquing of others (aye, it is hard to do you're own critique, and I praise you for wanting critique) and it made me look harder for mistakes. They were precious in the coming. I want you to know, I have never, ever thought that of anyone I have read in Fanfiction or here. Ever. There was always something, because it is my nature to tell everybody what they did wrong, searching mercilessly for mistakes. You, you just... wow.

   First thing is the first paragraph. You gave the funny and still pitiable roll about Estel's perdicament. You had a beautiful flow, but then a line just kind of fell with a *klunk* to me. You said "-with all these people around." It did not work out so well, it just didn't quite fit, like a stuborn puzzle piece with the right picture on it, yet it refuses to allow you to push it in fully. It always has one end sticking up. I thought it would work better to replace "these" with "the." Even that doesn't really go, but I thought it went enough. You were telling it as a narator, but kind of dumped the roll with the "these."

   I know. I'm picky and strange at noticing that. Blame my Ada. He likes English to be flawless. Mix tenses? You get a half an hour lecture (not in wrath, just the blah blah blahs). Say 'and then there was this house we saw...' or such, and he asks, 'Where? I don't see it.' Yeah, he does. Even I do some times now. (If anyone who reads this does not get what my Adar would mean by that, it is the "this." "This" is the right here, right now, kinda thing. [And the people who actually took English raise their eyebrows, thinking, "She has no clue what she's saying."])

   Ok, I am so off topic. Critique, right? Yeah, the second and last thing confused me a little. It was not very important, it is pretty much a question. In this chapter, you use the name Aragorn. Is that to mean future Estel, being a king or Ranger, or what not, or that right then Estel. If it is Rangery Aragorn, you should of added a "later-in-life" sort of thing in the sentence, to which the name Aragorn would be absolutly appropriate. If it is that moment Estel past/present wondering, then you should not have used Aragorn. That's it. I throw my hands up, for I may offer no more noticed mistakes! I can only tell you how august and supernal this is! You haunted me in the beginning, you interested me in the middle, and made my fingers sink into the table at the end. I give nothing more than applause. When Legolas spoke to the healer, I could feel the hair standing up on the back of the frightened Elf's neck. You give the perfect picture, and I love you to death... which may or may not be a good thing. I give this a 10, though I wish I could make it a million. Even still it scrapes to low.

Your fan and ever-rambler,

Elemmire 

That was excellent! Already the first paragraph had me hooked: At least he thought he was alone. It was hard to be sure with all these people around. This phrase is pure genius, it builds up tension and the utter impossibility of it is intruiging!

Sadoreth's interaction with Estel was beautifully done, because of the POV. I'm sure we'll see more of those two in the future. They're obviously a match made in heaven:) I especially liked that throughout the whole story you never really let go of the sense of irony. It lightened up poor Estel's "dreadful time in Mirkwood".

And the image of the White Road, very suggestive! If only I hadn't had a "Wizard of Oz" flashback in the middle of the chapter. Sometimes, my mind actually scares me:)