Hello again, my dearest Seedlings!

Whew! It's been a wild ride since our last Q&A! So much has happened, and now seems as good a time as any to open the floor for more of your questions!

This Q&A will remain open indefinitely, so if you have a question that you'd like to ask our beloved Middle-Earthians, feel free to comment here with it. Who knows? One or more characters might just might answer! ;-)

OoOoO

v3Olympus  asks: 'To Éowyn, what does it feel like to wield the blade once more in battle?'

Éowyn: "Well, I would be a liar if I claimed that there is not a certain thrill to be found in battle. I am afraid though that there is not much fighting left in me. I am, after all, only two and a half years shy of my sixtieth birthday. Any threat to Elboron and his family will still see me reach for Witchbane, even though I be a hundred years old!"

Bergil: "I daresay there is still some fight in you yet, my lady. After all, were you not one of the only people to come away from the siege of Minas Ithil without having been in some sort of mortal peril?"

Faramir, Elboron, Sufyan, and Eruthiawen: "......................."

oOo

spectra6 asks: 'For Lothíriel, how did you feel when you found out that your son, Elfwine, might be poisoned? For Elfwine, how did you feel? Were you scared?'

Elfwine: "Well of course I was afraid! And having numerous physicians all clamouring around me throughout the night hardly made it any easier. Every time I so much as cleared my throat, everyone looked at me as if they expected me to drop dead on the spot... Actually, the thought did occur to me at one point to ask my mother to leave. If I were to have been poisoned, well...no parent should have to watch their child die."

Lothíriel: "As if I would ever have left you." *squeezing Elfwine's hand* "My first reaction, dear reader, was one of denial. I wanted to believe that my eyes were deceiving me, and the stones in the belt had not actually changed colour. But they had, and this can only mean there is a traitor in our midst."

Elfwine: "A traitor who will pay dearly when I get my hands on them..."

oOo

yavanna_kementari asks: 'Here is one for Na'Man. Do you get any quality time with your granddaughter at all, or are Sawda and Túrien a little overprotective? Myriam is so sweeeet!'

Tufayl: *chuckling* "Well well, Na'Man, so someone actually remembered you."

Na'Man: "Ahem. Don't you have your own child to be minding, Tufayl?? To answer the question, yes, I most certainly do get time alone with Myriam. Sawda is often occupied wth matters of city and state, and Túrien along with her. After all, Túrien must learn from her predecessor if she is to one day lead our City of Many Waters. Sufyan often brings Myriam to me during these times, and the three of us spend many hours in the gardens, walking the city, and tending to the Mûmakil herd at the Na'Man Ab Jubayr.

Sawda: "If anything, it is I who often envies my husband the unfettered time he spends with our granddaughter. I am teaching Túrien lullabies in our tongue though, songs which I sing to Myriam at night when we have quiet moments together."

Zamira: "Between two sets of doting grandparents, adoring parents, and enough aunts and uncles in Gondor to fill a howdah, that one is going to grow up quite spoiled, I expect."

Bakr: "Psah! A little spoiling is good, especially when they are so young." *winks*

oOo

v3Olympus (and yavanna_kementari ) ask: 'Eldarion...I'm being nosy and insensitive, but what is your answer going to be? What are you going to tell HER?'

Eldarion: *looking like he hasn't slept in days...which he hasn't* To be entirely honest...I haven't thought about it since we left Minas Tirith. Awful, I know. *holds out his hands helplessly* Even more awful is it for me to admit that, when I imagined my future as a youth, I did not envision falling in love with someone like Galieth."

Almárëa: "But do you love her, Eldarion?"

Eldarion: "...I am very fond of her. She is kind, selfless, and patient, all qualities which are even more valuable than changeable things like beauty and grace. You know as well as I do though, Almárëa, having been told the history of our father and Éowyn, what manner of unhappiness can come from unequal feelings. I would never want to do that to someone as kind as Galieth."

Almárëa: "I personally think you're making this too complicated." *sees the matching bandages on their wrists, and softens* "Go rest. You're too tired to be thinking about such things right now."

oOo

spectra6 asks: 'For Aragorn and Arwen, and Faramir and Éowyn: How is it to be grandparents? Do you feel older than you are? For Eruthiawen: What was Elboron's reaction when you told him that he will be a father?'

Arwen: "Well, considering that I am already two-and-a-half thousand years old...I daresay it does not take much to make me feel older than most everyone around me!"

Aragorn: *raises an eyebrow teasingly* "You know, meleth-nin, in some circles they might call you a cradle-robber."

Arwen: "In my defence, you have always been an old soul, Estel. If anything, I would say that the coming of Myriam into our lives has been like a breath of spring. Children have a way of keeping those around them young, and it has certainly been a blessing to hear the laughter of a babe once more."

Aragorn: "And now we shall have another grandchild to fill the house with laughter and merriment."

Faramir: "Indeed! I am just sorry that it had to be such an ordeal for Eruthiawen..."

Éowyn: *nods sombrely* "You remember how it went much the same with Elboron's birth, my love? It may be that Barahir is to be our one and only grandchild. If that is the case, then rest assured he shall have love enough from both Faramir and I to satisfy half a dozen grandchildren."

Eldarion: "I am sorry to say, dear reader, that Eruthiawen is currently in no condition to be taking questions. So, I will tell you how Elboron seemed to me, when first I saw him after the news of Eruthia's pregnancy came out. In short, he was absolutely elated. That was also about the same time as when he started growing out his moustache in what I can only presume was an attempt to look more 'fatherly'."

Elboron: "What, you do not like my moustache, Eldarion??"

Eldarion: "It makes you look older than me, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that..."

Elboron: "It's hardly my fault that all your elvish blood translates into the most pitiful excuse for facial hair Gondor has ever seen!"

oOo

v3Olympus asks: 'To Sufyan; I get the whole loyalty and family thing but I'm sure Túrien's going to kill you if you don't get back home alive. Is it that hard to not recklessly rush to your family's defense? They want you to live too, you know?'

Túrien: "Seeing as Sufyan is also too unwell to be answering questions, I'm going to take the liberty of answering for him. I've known Sufyan for five years now, and in that time I've come to learn that he lives by a personal code of 'If I can do something, then I must'. He will literally give a beggar the sandals from his feet...I know this because I've seen him do it. So, as much as I am beyond upset at what has happened to him at Minas Ithil...I am also not entirely surprised." *sighs*  

Myriam: *Fusses and points a chubby finger over Túrien's shoulder at the closed door at the end of the hall, behind which Sufyan is currently being tended* 

Túrien: "Shh, şêrînî...we cannot see Äke until later. That all being said, I would also argue that what Sufyan did saved Elboron and Eruthiawen's lives, as well as that of little Barahir and everyone else within the Citadel of Night. As much as I want to be angry at Sufyan for his grievous injuries the loss of Gïdjls...how could I ever be sorry that my sister and her family were saved by such recklessness?" *Hushes a squirming, crying Myriam, and glances once more at the door* "Fear not though, I still intend to tell Sufyan in no uncertain terms what a self-sacrificing fool he is...as soon as we are permitted to see him." 

oOo

spectra6 asks: 'For Bergil Are you afraid of blood?You seems so helplesss, standing in that door. Don't worry,blood is nothing pleasant to look at for me too.'

Éowyn: "Ironic, wouldn't you say, that a seasoned warrior could be so completely undone by the sight of blood?" *raises an eyebrow pointedly at Bergil* 

Bergil: *shrugs helplessly* "Blood on a battlefield is one thing, my lady. It is entirely another to enter a princess' bedchamber and see pools of it trailing behind her on the floor. I have seen many terrible injuries in my time, but there is something about the notion of being so...well...torn from the inside that makes me light-headed even to think about...." *turning a little gray already* 

Éowyn: "In that case, my dear Bergil, are you prepared to admit that women are altogether equal to men in their ability to endure pain and physical hardship?"

Lothíriel: "If you need a little additional convincing, I would be more than happy to retell the story of my own experience with childbirth. Did you know that I laboured nearly eighteen hours to bring Elfwine into the world?! And as he was being delivered, his head-"

Bergil: "No! That is not necessary, Lady Lothíriel, I assure you!" 

Arwen: "Or perhaps I could tell you of our darling Almárëa's birth?" *smiles serenely, a positively evil gleam in her eye* 

Éowyn: *remembering that particular ordeal* "...Hmmm, that might be a tad extreme for Bergil's poor, delicate sensitives." 

Lothíriel: *shuddering* "Agreed."

Bergil: ".........." *swaying unsteadily* 

Túrien: "Sit down before you fall down." 

oOo

yavanna_kementari says: 'Also, not a question but more a compliment: Kudos to Sufyan for your part in the fight against Serthîk!'

Malbeth: "I will be sure to pass your praise along to the Golden Serpent when he is able to receive visitors, kind reader." *looks thoughtful* "'Tis a strange thing...my father raised my brothers and I on stories of cruel Haradrim warriors laying siege to Minas Tirith. And yet now, I can truthfully say that I would be honoured to die fighting side-by-side with Prince Sufyan any day." 

Ohtar: "Speaking as someone who was there at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, it was difficult for myself and many of my generation to accept the peace treaty between Gondor and Harad at first. Princess Túrien's appointment as ambassador and then her marriage to Prince Sufyan came as even more of a shock. Even since the battle at the Sea of Rhûn though, I'll admit that the Haradrim have been nothing but honorable in their dealings with Gondor. I must also admit that, when first Princess Túrien and Prince Sufyan were wed, I thought she was blindly pursuing him for his handsome face and exotic ways. Over the past five years though, he above all his people has shown himself to be a man of the highest quality." 

Malbeth: "At the risk of being too flippant while Prince Sufyan is still in such grave condition...I pray he recovers quickly, so that I might tell him that you called him handsome in your own words!" 

Ohtar: *glaring ominously at Malbeth* "Do so, and I will put you in a sickroom right next to him." 

Malbeth: "I quiver with fear, O mighty greybeard." 

oOo

yavanna_kementari says: 'Actually, Túrien, isn't Myriam really an unusual (I mean in a good way) child? She's descended from the kings of Númenor, the high Noldor elves, plus a line of Haradrim Ramyahs, just about everyone really.'

Almárëa: *holding Myriam up Simba-style in midair over her head* "Behold! I give to you Myriam, daughter of Túrien, daughter of Arwen, daughter of Celebrían, daughter of Galadriel, daughter of-"

Túrien: "You're overdoing it..."

Almárëa: "- daughter of Eärwen, daughter of Olwë, King of Alqualondë and High King of the Teleri! Also daughter of Túrien, daughter of Arwen, daughter of Elrond, son of Elwing, daughter of-"

Elfwine: *laughing* "Well, too late to stop her now!" 

Almárëa: "-daughter of Dior, son of Lúthien Tinúviel, daughter of Melian, Maia spirit of Valinor! Also daughter of Túrien, daughter of Aragorn, son of Arathorn II, son of Arador-"

Elboron: "Good grief." 

Almárëa: "-son of Argonui, son of Arathorn I, son of Arassuil, son of Arahad II, descendant of Arvedui, descendant of Isildur, son of Elendil, High King of Gondor and Arnor! Also daughter of Sufyan, son of-"

Gimli: "Easy there lass."

Almárëa: "-son of Sawda, daughter of Sergul, daughter of Sara, daughter of Sîberiz, daughter of Sorgula, daughter of Yargul, daughter of Yêrkemal, called 'The Deathless' for having survived three months alone in the desert sands!" 

Sawda: "I couldn't have said it better myself." *smiling proudly* 

oOo

16hawk asks: 'Almárëa, what's your favourite part of being an aunt? Also, what havoc are you planning to wreak with Myriam and Barahir at your side? :) ' 

Almárëa: "There's so much to love about being an aunt! Having young children to play with, but not having to be entirely responsible for their care. *hands Myriam back to Túrien, who sticks out her tongue*  Being free to shower them with as much affection and presents as I please, planning all kinds of fun outings to enjoy together when they're older, the possibilities are endless! In a way, it's almost like being a young child again myself, since I will get to tag along on all their 'Adventures with Auntie'. At least, that is, until they get old enough to decide that they want to have their own adventures...

Lothíriel: "That's the part when you might consider having a child or two of your own. Then the fun and games can begin all over again." *smiles* 

Almárëa: "Ack! Don't remind me! I still have another seven-and-a-half years before I come of age at twenty-five, so all the noble lords and ladies of Gondor may kindly mind their own business when it comes to their 'handsome, good-tempered sons'. 

Túrien: "You don't have to be twenty-five, you know, depending on who you marry." *laughs evilly, delighting in a rare chance to tease her younger sister* 

Almárëa: "I DON'T think that this was where the reader meant for this question to go. Now leave off! Getting back on topic, I wouldn't say that I necessary plan to 'wreak havoc' per-say. If a little chaos should happen to arise by happy accident while the children and I are having our fun, that just means we're making memories."   

Elboron: "You're planning to take them riding at full gallop on a 'borrowed' horse, aren't you?"

Almárëa: "I'm planning to take them riding at full gallop on a 'borrowed' horse."

Túrien: *snickering as she remembers*  "Naneth and Eruthia were so angry..."

oOo

Hodophile_SandHiller asks: 'Question for Eldarion: What was going through your head when you heard Eruthia's scream?'  

Eldarion: "I'm be honest; I thought she was dying. None of us knew that she was in childbirth yet, a week early, and so my first and greatest fear was that Easterlings had breached the Tower of the Moon. To be so far away, and yet hear such pain in her voice...always such a quiet, calm voice..." 

Elboron: "I knew Eruthia was in childbirth, and I still feared she was dying! The trials that women go through to bring us into this world..." *shudders* 

Eldarion: "Honestly, sometimes I wonder who the more courageous warriors truly are. I've seen men die on the battlefield, but somehow it's just different when it's your sister who is suffering...or your wife." 

Elboron: *Still pale at the memory of Eruthiawen's cries* "And she'll never suffer in such a way again, if I can help it..." 

oOo 

Hodophile_SandHiller asks: 'Question for Sufyan; This might be a little too sensitive, but how long had you known Gïdjls? How close were you guys?'

Túrien: "Since Sufyan is far too badly injured to be taking questions right now, I will answer for him, as before. How close were Sufyan and Gïdjls? Imagine if you raised a beloved dog from birth, watching its first wobbling steps, first adventures... Imagine if that dog was even cleverer than a dog; so clever in fact, that it could remember people and things which happened years before, and compensate for obstacles before even a rider realized them. Imagine if the entire culture of your people was built around the bond between you and that creature, much like the bond between the Rohirrim and their horses. The relationship between the Haradrim and the Mûmakil may not be the same as the relationship between two humans...but it is weighed as no less valuable, only different. 

And so, needless to say, when Sufyan awakens...he will almost certainly be devastated at Gïdjls's death. Mûmakil are very long-lived, and Sufyan entirely expected to pass on Gïdjls's reins to our children, and them to our grandchildren afterwards. Gïdjls was family to Sufyan, and he will be mourned accordingly." 

                                                                                    oOo