What a beautifully crafted, brutally direct tale. I've read through the entire thing in one sitting, and I'm still sniffling from the previous chapter. Well done! I am definitely going to have to see what else you've written now! :-)

Hey! Loved this story! Wanted someone to do this idea and was thinking about doing an fanfic on Nuada's exile myself! So glad someone wrote for Wink! I love his character! Really well done! :D

Hands down the most talented fanfic author I have ever seen. Inspiring!

Why do you make me cry for?

Great story!

This story made made me cry..

I don’t know if you are still here – I hope so – but if feel like I must write something here:
It took me two days, to read this story, and I have to say it is a rare jewel. A really strong one, not only because of the beautiful writing - though my English is self-taught and horrible, so I had to ask the translator for help every now and then - but also because of the good story. At first glance it doesn’t look as something very special, but the way you passed it, and the way you arranged it, make it exceptionally good. I especially liked, that Orchid’s story was revealed in the end, and it wasn’t detailed, it was just enough, to tell us what we need to know, yet to leave a room for interpretation.
The realistically stupid way she died, I also liked a lot. When I say “stupid” I don’t mean it as an offense to you, I mean it as an offense to us all, because many, many, people die, over dumb things, and it’s sad – it’s even sadder that we take it as something normal. I really liked that she didn’t get the epic “I’ll take the bullet meant for you” type of death, and that she didn’t really had any very wise last words to say. It was sadly realistic.
Also you made Nuada’s dialogue incredibly strong. I actually read some of the lines with the voice of Luke Goss in my mind, because they sounded as something that his character would actually say. My most favorites are –I can’t copy them- when he talked about the fairy, and how she was afraid to be alone, and then after the story he said “I let her die alone” and his last words to Orchid. Also some of the lines they exchanged with Wink, were pure gold.

I always like it when Wink is portrayed as the sane creature he is, even if the comical way he died wasn’t actually fit for a trained warrior. I found it strange in the movie as well, but he didn’t have much of a background there anyway. After reading this story, I think it would be more fitting for him to get the epic “I’ll take the bullet meant for you” type of death. You had some great ideas about him and his story, especially at how good of a father he is.

Nuada is a great character, which is loved even now, years after Hellboy 2 was out, and I am almost sure he will not fade. I really wanna see a canon on the background of Nuada and Wink, and what exactly made him take the choices he did. Your version of it is really good one.
Hellboy 2 was probably one of the few movies, where I am actually rooting for the bad guy to succeed. And as much as I wonder what made Nuada so angry at humanity, I wonder twice as much, what made his people stand against him.
Are they really so different from humans, that they’d rather go in piece, instead of marching into a dishonoring, one sided, war? Does that mean that during his exile, Nuada actually became more human, than he’d want to admit? Seriously, if I have a chance to ask Guillermo Del Toro something in my life, would be, why the fay didn’t wanna fight for their existence?
Not even one of them! It’s strange, cause let’s admit it – Nuada is right. And Orchid is right: humans suck. Though many of us aren’t really that bad, many of us are even worse. May be that’s why the character of Prince Nuada will not fade. Just like V from V for vendetta, he caries an idea, and a good message in both, the movie and this beautiful fic. May be his ways were wrong, but his idea is right.
We may not need to be exterminated, but we need o be though a well deserved lesson.

Sorry, I kinda got off topic. Excuse my bad English, and keep up the good work. I hope you are still around, and also to see the sequel soon :)

I only just came across this story, and I haven;t been able to stop reading it since I did. Wow, your writing is amazing! I know you wrote this quite a while ago but I just wanted to let you know, your expression and characterisation, they way the plot developed, all of it was perfect. Great work! All the best and thanks for sharing

Hello again Ariana,

Well, I've finished reading "Orchid", and both sorry to be at the end and pleased with how brilliantly you tied the story up.

I am so sorry that Orchid's brief life came to such a sad end. Your writing of she, Wink and Nuada in the moments of her death is both powerful and sensitive. We tend to be so divorced from death in our modern society (unless you're in the health care service) - having Nuada talk so gently and beautifully to Orchid as she died was poignant indeed.

I also love the way these ongoing representations of exactly why Nuada should wage war on Mankind culminated in the training scene from Hellboy II. That is and will always be an evocative introduction to Nuada, but your back-story gives it another level of emotion. It makes the scene so much more, and I thank you for enriching it with your imagination and talent.

Poor, poor Wink, adopting Orchid as his daughter, only to have her ripped away from him.

As I read the story, I often wondered where you were taking it. If you chose to create an alternative version of what was in the movie, I would of course have been pleased to come with you on the journey. But that you instead wove this so perfectly into the canon is better yet – letting Orchid mature and having Nuada fall in love with her (as I thought you might do) wouldn’t have been as perfect, somehow. But having said that, poor Nuada, whose life is still filled with hatred and rage. My heart ached for him in Hellboy II and does so here as well.

Thanks so much for sharing “Orchid” with us! I will go looking for the sequel.

Cheers,

Ya Nefer Ma’at

Hi Ariana,

I came to your lovely story, “Orchid”, courtesy of LA Knight - she lists this fanfiction as one of her four all time favourites. High praise from a successful writer... I was intrigued and made a point of visiting.

I am so glad that I did! I am loving your story. I think that your characterisation is masterful. Your version of Nuada strikes me as being true to the movie character while also more than what we were treated to in Hellboy II. You give Nuada depth and a history that was only hinted at. Your back-story for Wink is equally evocative, and I am so glad that your story gives Wink such an important role.

It is hard to introduce a human into this equation without having him or her immediately slain. You have done this beautifully. I agree that Nuada wouldn't slay a child out of hand, especially if his friend and guard took her in. That he tolerates her and eventually just plain gets accustomed to her presence is very believable - well done indeed. I think that Orchid is interesting in her own right, as well as being a good tool to allow us to experience life with our favourite elf.

I also love your minor characters, and find your writing to be excellent. Congratulations on producing such an all-around excellent story!

I am pleased that I'm not done with “Orchid”, and look forward to reading the rest.

Thanks for sharing your lovely writing and your vision with us.

Cheers,

Ya Nefer Ma’at

I wanted to cry at the end of this, i really did. It was so well written, well done.

Dearest Ariana who fills my fanfic life with happiness every time I reread this fic! I have not forgotten you! I just don't have time right this second to do an in-depth review. So... I just wanted to tell you I love this chapter esp. Nuada's like, "Wait, she wants to be my vassal? What?" And Wink's just kind of like, "Her, duh." Love it.

I will try to review more in detail soon!

- LA Knight

Wow! I am thoroughly impressed by your fight scene here! I'd like to say more, but really, anything I could say just falls short of doing it justice, so instead I'll just say ROCK ON! And may the Muse be with you! :)

(using my husband's account to finish the review)

"Despite the cries of shock, fear and pain, all Nuada could hear was silence as he killed, a terrible stillness inside that even Nuala's gentle mind could not penetrate." Um... I think someone's gone a little off the deep end here. Just a little. I think he might've had a mental break. My favorite book series, the Dark Jewels by Anne Bishop, call it sliding into the Twisted Kingdom. Sometimes the person comes out without harm, sometimes they come out only a little changed, and other times they don't come out at all. I have a question, though, on a semi-different track. Was Nuala actually *trying* to reach him?

I'm glad he didn't kill the babies... but does that mean he killed the little kids? I just... don't see him doing that. In the same way he couldn't kill the babies. Because when he asked Wink why Wink didn't just kill Orchid (who's like, 8), Nuada realizes almost automatically that that would be evil and wrong because she's just a kid. So... yeah. I'm just wondering.

Ew, sharks! Scary! *cringe* I hate sharks!

"Obsessive need" is a good word to describe his thing with the Golden Army. Erm, phrase. And suddenly I'm reminded of, "Hey, Myers. What's a really good, strong word for need?" "Need's a good word." "Meh, too needy."

"He would have to become a monster, to make the choices others could not, to do what others would not." I'm sorry, this is a really powerful line and actually the whole three paragraphs beginning with "The crown... that damned, seductive..." all the way to "Not even Nuala could possibly love him enough to overcome..." are so beautiful and sad and powerful. But that one line, although brilliant and powerful... makes me think of Batman at the end of the Dark Knight. *cringe* Don't hurt me!

I can really see Wink being like, "Whoa, what? We just massacre some humans and then you're like, 'Go away?' What the heck, man?" Poor Wink. Poor Nuada. I wanna cuddle them both. I don't think they'd appreciate it, though.

"Pale hands splashed with dark patches of blood began to shake and Nuada curled them into fists to keep them under control. Waves of gratitude and grief and fear crashed together, sending tremors throughout his body. He would have to do the unthinkable to save his world, but he wouldn't be alone. He could depend upon Wink, his brother-in-soul, to keep him from faltering and fading when all hope was eclipsed by the coming darkness." I'm kinda crying now. I've read this like, 50 times, but it still hits so hard. Oh... *sniffle*

Just to let you know (now that I'm at the very end, and now we have Orchid 2), you did not get into "emo territory." I mean... that's a hard, cruel choice. In no way is his reaction emo. Emotional, yes, but emo, no. Very appropriate and warrior-like, I think. And I like that he's afraid. It's a scary thing, to perform an action that you firmly believe will force your loved ones to completely sever ties with you. So no, not emo. Very good.

Ack, I'm out of time. Rats! Or else I'd do the next chapter. Gotta go, sorry. Be back when I can to review more (so that you'll maybe begin the Orchid sequel? Please let Nuada find love! And peace! Please?).

- LA Knight

And I'm back! I should've done this ages ago, but I didn't, because I'm a slacker, but that's okay because you wrote me back and now I'm SOOOOO excited because you said my reviews make you happy, so yay!

-

Ew. Hot dogs. I mean, I like hot dogs, but ew. Because there's mustard, onions, and other nasty things. Gross. So gross. I love my hot dogs a bit blackened, with copious amounts of ketchup, and that's it. Ew, Wink. Although I have to mention, I love what you've done with Wink, and how he's so developed here (you've really inspired me to try and develop him in my fic, as well, although I've tried to make him vastly different from yours as father to Tel and Orchid, warrior troll, and shield-brother to Nuada). Yours is the only fic I've seen where he's really developed as a person, beyond the growling/snarling/roaring tusked behemoth in the film. Here he's cultured, wise, skilled both in combat and masonry, loyal and kind. I absolutely love that.

Kudos for usage of the word "pungent." Onions are totally pungent. And so icky. Who puts onions on hot dogs? Sorry, I just can't get over that. Blech. Although I like "the sharp sweetness of ketchup" because ketchup *is* kind of sweet, isn't it? Tomatoes are a sweet sort of fruit/vegetable, and only vinegar and salt keep ketchup from being sweet the way cake or donuts are sweet.

Hahaha! Nuada's outvoted by Wink's appetite. He is fairly massive, isn't he? How many tons of food does it take to feed a troll, anyway? Oh... that sounds like a really bad joke. Blech.

I like that Nuada hates the hot dogs but allows them without even a grumble because Wink liked them. That just shows how much the prince loves him. I wanna say, "Awwww..." but it's not quite that it's cute. Sweet, maybe? I'm not sure. It makes me happy, though, to see how much he cares for him.

Who are the Four again? You didn't tell me in your message.

Two years. He's been with her for two years, and they haven't had a real conversation ever. I can't believe him. Sigh. I love him so much, I really do, but he's a little ridiculous. Sigh.

I can't believe he won't eat the grapes! Stupid, stupid, stupid Nuada! You're going to feel really bad about this, Nuada, I'm telling you now. Just eat the grapes. Come on! Gah. Stupid prince. When he realizes that what happened was because he wouldn't eat those stupid grapes, I always wanna cuddle him, poor sweetheart. He should've just eaten the dumb things. Although this makes me question something. No, not question... I have a question. There we go. It says "... he couldn't bring himself to accept them. It would mean accepting her... she would never be one of his people." Well, when she becomes his vassal, what's his excuse then? Since she's clearly one of his people *now." And especially after he realizes (in like chapter 12, I think) that he... not cares about her... but it's that whole "she was *his* vassal and these stupid humans dared, blah-blah" thing. When that happens, why does he still not eat the grapes?

"His spear spun and flashed through the air, sending glimmers of firelight from its silver length to dance across the walls." Oh, you used the word "glimmers" again! I love that word! And that's so pretty. It gives a sense of elegance to Nuada's fighting prowess (which he has, but it can be hard to show that in writing). Yay for you!

I think Nuada's a little OCD ("...his mind picked over the plan, checking and rechecking it for flaws."). Not that he's out of character. Just a bit OCD. Which, actually, military people often are (both my parents were Air Force, my brother a Marine, my sister in the Army). So that totally works with his backstory.

"The best plans are the simplest, Wink often said..." This just illustrates my point about Wink being wise.

You know, I don't see Nuada saying "blown to hell," but for some reason it works here. So cool on you. )

Quick question, more for Nuada than for you - WHY does all three Crown pieces being in Elven hands mean Balor has to listen to Nuada? What's the prince's reasoning behind that little idea? Because I don't see how the two are mutually inclusive or anything.

"... letting his contempt for the breed lace frost through the word." Wow. Just... wow. So pretty! I love the way you write. Holy crow. D

"The human rested her elbows on her knees with a faint scrape of metal. Her adoration of Wink had gotten so bad that she'd asked him for a metal arm like his own. Wink had tried to explain as gently as he could that since she wasn't a troll, she couldn't have one. She had immediately begged Wink to turn her into a troll..." Just one word. AWWWWWWWWW! Okay, two more words: SO CUTE!

Wow. Three days? Where did he go for those three days? I wanna know! Was he visiting a lady-friend? What's the word you used... leman? Yeah; was he visiting with his leman? Or was he just off sulking because Wink doesn't just like him anymore?

"Nuada wasn't certain how to react to the matter." What are his options? Disgust at a human immitating a fae and what else? Perhaps... approval? *slaps Nuada across the back of the head* Or maybe he could admit it's cute? *double head-slap* Dumb prince. Sigh. I love him, but gah. I'm very protective of children.

"Do you never stop speaking?" Nuada asked." Um, dude - she hasn't said anything to you beyond "we got you one, too" and that was more than a year ago. Jeez, lighten up. Grouchy.

"He was no longer able to scare her into silence with a single look." And he is soooooo disappointed by this, poor baby. Lol.

It's not a scar? Is that canon or is that just in your fic? Oh, I have to say also, thank you for mentioning the temple-whorl, because I didn't actually know those were there (I don't pay enough attention, sigh). So thank you!

"The prince wondered how so many human children managed to survive to breed, with their inborn penchant for driving those around them insane with endless questions." This sounds like a parent to me, lol. Or someone who doesn't like children and their inherent desire to ask about everything, which I personally find adorable, but most people don't. Kudos. I like it. )

Oh, wow! I just noticed that he's imagining fighting velgen and then later he has to fight one. *face-palm* I feel stupid now...

"The first time Nuada was ever caught completely off-guard in weapons practice, it had been while facing off against one opponent, while a third came up behind him and smacked him across the back of the head with a quarterstaff." I love how this comes up a few times later whenever he's completely pole-axed.

Kudos for usage of the word "freshet." I had to go look it up. I love learning new words!

"Adolescents. Human adolescents. Human female adolescents." I love how the thing about that statement that really gets him is the female thing, but that the first thing he growls about is her age, not her breed. Interesting, and so hilarious.

Um... Nuada? Telling her that if you hated her you'd have killed her... not a good way to handle a child. Like, really. *sigh*

"Should he speak to her again?" Yes, you idiot! *pokes Nuada* Move it, buster. (to Ariana) As mentioned in a prior review, getting these reactions out of me is just an indicator that I adore your fanfic. D Like, so totally for real.

"Truly, what did he owe her?" It's called common courtesy, dude. Take notes.

"His eyes were fixed on the ground as the words came reluctantly. Thousands of years of atrocities commited by humans against his people, and he'd seen the face of every murderer in hers. It was unjust of him..." Paradigm shift! Finally! *grabs a bunch of choir kids* Everybody sing! *choir kids sing "Hallelujah" *

"The faces of dead fey marched past him; some he knew well, some he'd known in passing, others not at all. Every one of them was precious to him." And here is why he is both sympathetic and not villainous at all, really. Right here. Because he is driven by love and desperation moreso than hate. By the end he's driven a little bit by craziness and grief, too (in your fic), but here, right here, it's about love and desperation and sorrow and, in a way, fear. Fear that he will fail his people, fail the fae. Fear that he will lose more of the ones he holds so dear (as a prince *should* hold each of his people). It also gives an interesting counterpoint to Balor; I don't doubt Balor cares for his people, but because he is so weary and so tired, he cares more for his own tiredness than for the fae. Which is sad.

Did he make the sculpture? Because I can imagine him doing that (after wiping out Roanoak or however it's spelled and washing off all the blood), and tears running unchecked down his cheeks, but he's still partway inside that odd, icy silence and stillness and so he doesn't even notice them as he carefully makes a memento of his little Orchid. *sniffle* Crap, now I'm tearing up. *sniff*

Wow. The dewdrop thing is so sad because how long must that have taken? To collect dewdrops for her? But he did it because he cared for her. And that just makes her death even sadder, with this new indicator of how much he cared for Orchid 1. '(

"The crystal bottle fell from Nuada's nerveless fingers. Shock and denial fused to block out the world around him, all of reality eclipsing down into that one small area where he could almost hear the soft chirring of laughter. A sudden, awful truth hit him low in the gut." The sudden, awful truth... is it that she's dead? That's what I thought, but I just wanted to make sure.

Kudos for use of the word "gouged" (referring to a well; do Elves not have wells?) and "atrocity."

tbc

I've read your story in one go and I must say the way you pictured Nuada was nearly darn perfect! congratulations on a story well told:)