Loved it

You and and L.A. are the only writers in this fandom that are well written and worth taking the time to read. I loved your story. Thanks for giving Nuada the type of ending his story should have had.

I am so glad Nuala finally got to see another side of her brother, probably one she had convinced herself didn't exist. So glad Dynala and Liam are all right and that those two idiots are dead. Hellboy's bipolar bit about Nuada had me cracking up.

Dynala is pregnant with TWINS? I'm so proud of Liam for standing up for his mother the way he did - he shaping up to be quite the little warrior. Nuada must be so scared but I know he wll extract his revenge. Very cool that Abe will be helping (I think) Oh and yeah, I really hate this Wyward dude.

Oh no poor Corrigan! I really liked him :-(

You are brilliant! I love Liam AKA mini-Nuada. Great job weaving the movie into this effortlessly and still keeping him in character.

They got married! I'm so happy he came to his senses. The image of Prince Nuada Silverlance milking a cow is seared into my brain forever LMAO. And the thought of him being able to let his guard down for a while and actually live life and be happy-made me so happy.

Ok...so I just started reading this and I have to say that I am so pleased I found your little jem. You've captured our dark prince's essence very well, and have done a great job at explaining his action and the motivations behind them. This is my favorite chapter so far - the dance with Tipper was adorable, and then his asking Dynala to dance made me giggle like a little girl.

Excellent story :)

Loved this story!

Oh FINALLY a fanfic that might have Dylan's children in it, but, I am confused, I guess she changed her name. THIS ONE IF AM READING. SORRY TO SORT OF SKIP AROUND BUT WELL ...I was trying to figure this out. I read LA's story, love her as a person, though we have nevermet, just communicated in emails and facebook and stuff. I think she isone of the most talented writers out there and thanks for this prompt, because I have been pestering her to death to allow Dylan and Nuada have a family. Maybe she will work this in somehow, hope so. GOODDDYYYYY. A story I have been looking for. I have also got to read rest of'CAves and RIvers' so will be busy all the darn day. Yahhhhh. I review every chapter. so let's get it started, yeah, let's go. Doing happy dance, and ifyou read this C and I know you do, I'm grinning.

Back for one of my favoritest chapters! I think this is actually my favorite chapter. Or it's tied with chapter 7 and the blessing. That *is* chapter 7, right? Not 8? I'm pretty sure that's 7.

"When he heard the troll grunt and growl in unwelcome wakefulness..." Hehehehe. Wink was up all night knitting a tea cozy, lol. No wonder he's so grouchy.

So just to warn you - there will be a lot of quotes with me gushing about how wonderful you are. I hope that's okay. D

"Then they slipped out the door and into the misty predawn quiet." Your word choice - I loves it. Just saying. Misty predawn quiet. *sigh* Why am *I* writing Once Upon a Time, again, and not you?

"Nuada took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out slowly. "No."

Incredible, that you can convey such pain and anguish with such a simple action. You and Alydia Rackham would get along well, I think.

"He could not let his eyes trace her features and know that she was beyond his reach, that he did not deserve her." Again with the anguish you portray so well! Gah! I adore you so much. For real. And I am listening to the PERFECT song for this moment. "Science and Magic" by Patrick Doyle from the Thor soundtrack; it's purely instrumental, and SOOOOO sad!

"No, the blame rested solely on his shoulders." Yeah, 'cause you're being STUPID, Nuada! Blergh. Boys. ( -_-;)

"The anguish in her voice tore at him like claws in his gut." What was I saying about masterfully expressing torment? You, you, you! YOU! *whispers earnestly* GENIUS.

"Nuada wished that she had been angry; if she had been furious at his treatment, he could have mustered his pride and resisted. But her pain made him weak; this last desperate question burst the dams containing his emotions." YOU! You are a true kung-fu winner. You probably don't even know what that means, but it's a compliment. Literary kung-fu winner - that's you. OMG! And that is SO him, too. If she was angry, he could be a jerk, but he hurt her feelings, so he feels like a jerk even though he's not really being one. Love how guys don't make ANY sense - have you noticed?

"Her next step forward brought her so close to him that he could practically feel her heartbeat." OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG! Step closer, Dynala! He *totally* wants you to. OMG! *squiggle-squirm of fangirl joy* You can't see my eyes, but they are HUGE in my face. My eyebrows kind of hurt, actually, from being up so high, but I DON'T CARE! OMG! Step CLOSER!

"She was so close to him. She gently laid her hand on his chest – directly over his rapidly beating heart – and there was more power in that tender touch than in a thousand blows." OMG! JASPER! HOLY CRAP! YOU! YOU ARE AMAZING! OMG! I'm sorry, I have my caps lock on because THIS IS SO GREAT! GAH! ACK! EEP! OOH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG! JASPER! She is *touching* him! Oh, the thing about the thousand blows is EPIC. Dah-hah-meh-neh-gah (that's the noise I'm making, by the way, it doesn't really mean anything, I'm just stammering out syllables in awe of you).

"...capturing him with her eyes." YES! YES! You are CAUGHT! FINALLY!

my eyes are still ginormous, by the way

"He could do nothing but cover the hand she had laid on his chest with one hand and shakily brush the fingers of his other hand along the satin of her cheek." Dah-hah-meh-neh-gah AGAIN! OMG! JEEZ! A-dah-hah! I know this doesn't really make ANY sense but these are the noises of rapture and excitement and happiness that are coming out of my mouth, just felt like sharing. HO! Holy crap! YOU! I cannot EVEN... this. THIS. Is my FAVORITE chapter. YOU! YOU ARE A GENIUS! The image I am SEEING, Jasper! Have you ANY notion? Dost thou comprehend? Can you even? Do you know what you're DOING to me? SERIOUSLY! OMG!

"Ah, he loved her – perhaps he had loved her ever since he had first heard her voice calling him out of pain and death." Ya think? *Gibbs-slap for Nuada* Moron.

"And so it was that two weeks later, beneath the towering trees of the Greenwood, Crown Prince Nuada Silver Lance, son of Balor, King of Bethmoora, wed Dynala the Healer, Lady of the Greenwood, daughter of Lord Quinlan Strong Tree." YOU EVIL WOMAN! Where is their COURTSHIP! YOU ARE EVIL! I want to see their LOVE! Want to see it blossom and grow! Does he bring her flowers? Do they go on walks? Picnics? Is there more dancing? Late-night stargazing strolls? Throw me a bone, here! I'm DYING!

Don't kill the cow, Nuada.

"Then her face tautened." Is that... even a word? (O.o)

"Nuada!" He turned around and saw that she was grinning. "Come back soon – I have something to tell you when you return." See, as soon as she said that, I was like, "OH! She's pregnant. Hehehehe." And she was. I was so happy.

GAH! This is my FAVORITE chapter! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH JASPER! You make me *sniffle* so happy! *sob*

I adore you. Oodles and oodles.

- LA

PS - wait a minute, wait a minute! Next chapter baby! BABYBABYBABYBABYBABY! YAY!

Hi, Jasper! I'm back for one of my 2 favoritest chapters! Well, one of my... 4 favoritest chapters? Because there's the one with the blessing, the one with the solstice, the one with the confession, and the one where Liam is born. So yeah, 4. One of my four faves! Yay!

"The day of the summer solstice dawned bright and clear." Perfect way to dispel the doom and gloom of the end of the last chapter. Happy sunshine!

"As males often do, the Fae men – elves, dwarves, goblins, gancanaghs, and more – gathered together to discuss politics and troublesome events." You know, I'm suddenly reminded of The Eye of the World. The first book in the Wheel of Time series. Not that they have fae creatures. But just the image I'm getting of the whole gathering. It's very... very Old World. Very epic fantasy novel. Very... I can't even describe it, really. Very Bilbo Baggins' Birthday Party. I love it. It's so joyful and happy. Nuada needs this. Nuada needs to have that, see that joy in his people. Needs to experience it himself.

"A part of him doubted; but he also remembered her gentle hand against his cheek, and he could not help but think that maybe she would have given it to him if he had asked." Which is why you should have ASKED, dummy! *Gibbs-slap for Nuada* Take Corrigan's advice. Go for it.

By the way, I absolute ADORE how Corrigan pretends to be drunker than he is and gives Nuada some "brotherly advice," shall we say. I love it SO MUCH. I just love how Nuada isn't alone. It's so hard to be alone, especially THAT alone for THAT long. It's nice to see he's got some friends. I like it.

"Nuada was an excellent dancer, but he did not often fancy it; only at Tipper's firm insistence did he capitulate and join in." Awwww! You should have TOTALLY elaborated on that. It would've been SO CUTE! Did he dance *with* Tipper? That would have been totally adorable. Did he? Did he? Did he?

"Déjà vu struck him – once again, she was cornered by overzealous admirers – and he would have laughed if the sight hadn't made his blood boil for some unknown reason." Sigh. Nuada, my prince, you are so in denial, you're up the river without a paddle. Seriously. Ya love the girl. Just ask her for a dance already. Corrigan, back me up!

Ohmigawsh, I ADORE Corrigan's little spiel. I just... I love him and his wife. They are SO cool. I love him so much. I want a Corrigan plushie. It sucks he dies. I really like him. Expect lots of screaming-via-cyberspace when that happens. But I can just see him and hear him talking. The italics are perfect. "You've got to *establish* yourself." Gah, love it. Totally. I'm grinning just thinking about it. I love that guy.

"Watching all those fellows around her, you look like you're eating glass." Minus the agonized screaming. Anyway, I love this line. Again, brilliant word-choice (both to you and Corrigan).

Kudos for use of the word "swain." And for making Nuada hate Cavan's guts with an unholy passion to rival the heat of a thousand red-hot suns. D

"...by example, to pour salt in the wounds of their shame." Amazing word choice - you does it.

"One of the brazen youths clustered around her actually groaned in disappointment." Tough luck, boyo, hehehe.

"He felt….. oddly victorious, as though he had just conquered some formidable enemy." I am so mean. I read that and started laughing and was just like, "Oh, my gosh, Nuada, you're so stupid." I'm so terrible. It's not his fault he's never been smacked between the eyes with The 2x4 of Love. ... that sounds both ridiculous and painful, I just realized. *face-palm*

"But while the memories of what he had lost pained him, he did not mind discussing them with Dynala – why that was so he had no idea." Same reaction as above again. He's so oblivious, it's adorable. *sigh* I love how it just whacks him right in the face when he figures it out. Though I understand his denial as well. I think I mentioned it in a previous review, that he subconsciously acknowledges he can't afford anymore... possibilities of rejection/pain right now because he's so emotionally vulnerable. Which is why Tipper and Corrigan and Ornat being there is good - he has more friends, he's more emotionally stable, so he can realize and accept that he's in love. Eventually.

I totally wanna do a one-shot about them dancing when they were kids. Pwease?

"Nuada quaked at the realization; it sent him reeling. If he had been flying, he was now being slammed violently back down onto hard, cold earth." FANTASTIC. Seriously, I LOVE it. Because right before he realizes he loves her it's all "happiness-fluff-love-sweetness-joy" which is fine... and then he figures it out, and it's like, "WHAT?" and then it's "pain-fear-confusion-hurt-panic-grief" and it is WONDERFUL. I LOVE THIS. THIS is why this chapter is one of my four favorites. THIS! Oh, oh, oh! Jasper - I cannot even TELL you. I cannot even BEGIN to describe how much I absolutely LOVE THIS PART! OH! *rapture*

Not many writers can have Nuada run and hide in his room and have it not make him come across as a pansy... but you do it. He is so NOT pansy-ish in this scene. It's fantastic. It's great. I love it. He's in so much pain. He's so conflicted. It's awesome. And this just wraps it up perfect: "Far away in the halls of Bethmoora, Princess Nuala lay awake in her bed. Tears were streaming uncontrollably from her eyes, and she did not know why." You are a GENIUS.

Awww, nuts, the end. But wait! The next chapter is one of my favorite chapters too! HA! Hopefully I have time to write the review before my husband comes home!

- LA

So here I am reviewing chapter 11. About time, I know. Sorry. ( But I will try to get at least to chapter 14, if not 16 today. ) Yay!

"...he felt oddly desperate to be with Dynala before he left." Of course he does, hehehe. He's in luuuuuuuuuurve. You know, I've always wondered - why is the word "lurve" pronounced "love?" I know it's how you spell it when someone's making fun of somebody being in love, but WHY? Why is there a "ur" instead of an "o"? It doesn't make any sense. Like February. That word doesn't make any sense either.

Awww! He's escorting her. I love it when guys do that. They say chivalry is dead (or insulting, depending on who you talk to) but I like it. Go, Nuada. Such a gentleman. And I'm glad he's not annoyed by cute little Tipper. She's SO CUTE. I love little kids. For realsies... I'm sorry, I just used the phrase "for realsies." I do that in real life, but I try not to when I'm online because it makes me sound like I'm 12. I swear I'm not 12. And I just felt like saying it; don't hate me, lol.

Do you know how hard it is to type and eat little bits of dry cereal at the same time? But my love for you and your skills and your story compels me. I just cannot stop. )

I like that not only does Dynala have an interesting connection the forest, but that the forest responds to her. To her presence. And I like that Nuada is impressed by that. It's pretty cool, by human standards, but I get the feeling some of the fae might not be so impressed (*cough* Cavan *cough*) - much to their peril, if I recall correctly.

"Nuada sprinted after her; but she wove through the trees as fleetly as a deer, and Nuada found that he could not catch her." And THAT, boys and girls, is incredibly IMPRESSIVE. She outran Ninja Prince himself. Wow. (O.O)

I like that the mom is yelling "My son, my *baby*." Moms totally do that, even if the kid's not actually a baby anymore. I remember seeing that in both the 2000 Grinch movie with Jim Carrey (Cindy's mom says it) and in A History of Violence (Viggo Mortensen's character's wife yells it when her son gets captured by bad guys; what I thought was interesting about THAT was that her son was her older kid). So I do like that a lot.

She is TOTALLY a healer. I love that she saves that kid. Love it. Even though Nuada's being a butt about the whole thing. And how long *can* she stay under water?

"Through his relief, he wondered why she was only using one arm to swim." It doesn't even occur to him that she jumped in to save the kid, does it? Sigh. *Gibbs-slap to Nuada's head*

"She pressed her ear against the boys chest." I think you meant "boy's" instead of "boys." Although knowing me, I'm so behind you already found that and fixed it. But just in case...

"...death hung around the child like a specter." O.O You. Are. Amazing. I love you. And this. THIS. Love. I love. That is just so... shiver-inducing and scary and COOL!

*ahem* Let us continue.

Okay, I like the dad more than the mom. The dad's first thought is for the kid, but in a not-irritating way. "Don't hurt my boy." Understandable. Nuada, at least, is scary as heck. I like the dad okay. The mom... yeah, I don't like her. She shrieks, she insults Dynala. She reminds me of the mom with the baby in HB2. I don't like her either. But I love how Nuada's all, "If that's your wife, I pity you." Ouch, haha.

I love how the kid has some MANNERS. And that Nuada (silently) acknowledges this.

"...a living thing clamoring for the woman's blood." And there you go again with your AMAZING word choice. And kudos for keeping in that, although Nuada is nice (sometimes), he despises humans and wants them dead. Badly.

"Even considering that Dynala had forsaken his cause, and thereby forsaken him, was a wrenching blow. It took his breath away." Really, Nuada? Really? THAT is why you're so angry? He was a little kid. Gah. Boys. ( -_-;)

"She recoiled from him; the sharp move away from him stung like a slap." Yeah, I hope that hurts, you jerk. P Stupid Nuada.

I love Dynala's speech. I love it. I loved it the first time I read, I loved it the tenth time I read it, I love it as I'm reading it now. Even if I didn't know how Sean and saving him and her question about "your son" and Liam fit into the rest of the story, I would still love it. SO MUCH.

"Nuada met her gaze, and there was brutal comprehension there." And this is why a) I adore you and b) I never want to be in charge of anything bigger than my household or maybe a class of Sunday school kids. I can't make brutal decisions like that. Jeez.

OH! Next chapter is the Solstice. YES! I am SO EXCITED! OMG! I LOVE the next 2 chapters SO MUCH! EEEPIES!

- LA

And I'm back, Jasper my dove, with a review for chapter 10! Ta-da!

I'll bet Corrigan looks nervous. I'd be scared of Nuada too, considering the news the poor guy has. And I love how Nuada frowns because he's curious. Who does that? Yet it's totally him. He's such a scowler. And I'm glad Nuada's wary when Corrigan's like, "I gotta ask you something, boss-man."

Awww! He's twisting his hat! That is SO cute. I dunno why, it just is.

Oh, to warn you, Queen of Courtly Romance, it's after 1 in the morning right now where I am and I'm a little... well. Sleep-deprived might partially cover it, lol. Anywho, on with the review.

Now, I'm pretty sure I know what lies Cavan has been spreading, but just so I'm 100% clear - he's saying Nuada's using Dynala as a sort of booty call, basically, right? Is that the term? For a girl you visit when you want physical carnal relations? Although the guy's an idiot. Dynala just got shot. Who has sex when they've been shot? I mean... actually, I suppose that's a dumb question, because guys do it in action movies ALL the time. Sigh. And Piper and Leo do it in an episode of Charmed (so my beta said). Never mind. Sigh.

Corrigan is SO nice. He's just like, "You can stay with me. And your troll can stay, too." I have a real appreciation for people who do that. It always makes me nervous to accept that kind of thing, just because I feel like I'm stepping on people's toes, but I always am impressed by that sort of thing. I'm sad he dies. Wait... he dies, right? I'm not going crazy?

"A dark green flush swept up her neck and face." A very subtle but well-timed reminder that Dynala is GREEN. I often forget, lol.

"A feral approximation of a smile, thin and harsh, spread across Nuada's face." Excellent word choice, here. And I love the word "feral." Especially applied to Nuada. )

"I would be delighted to oblige you now," he proffered." HAHAHAHAHA!

"Dynala had looked up at him, shocked, and he had trailed off." You should take out the two "hads" because that actually changes the tense of your sentence. You go from what I call "past-present" - standard past-tense - to "past-past" - the use of "had" to imply past-tense in a sentence already IN past-tense. I hope I'm making sense here. It's hard to explain... do you get it?

"When Dynala beamed like he had handed her a priceless treasure, he found it impossible to regret his choice." Oh, he's in love. Poor boy, haha.

"Trilling laughter burst from Dynala." Jasper's word choice awesome!

OMG I LOVE WHEN THEY GET TO CORRIGAN'S HOUSE! I read it aloud to my second-string beta and she laughed too. I LOVE IT SO MUCH! OMG! I wish Corrigan was a canon character so you could write a fic just about him. OMG I love him and his wife SO BAD! Gah! That part is SOOOOO FUNNY! XD

Wow. Seven daughters, plus a wife... the guys are outnumbered 8-3. Hehehehe. I love how Wink is like, "Dude, what have you DONE? Females, everywhere!"

Oh, Tipper is SO CUTE. Gah, I can't get over it. And well-behaved, which is weird for a 3-year-old. I mean, not that toddlers are demons or anything, but the Terrible Two's leak into the Terrible Three's a lot. But she's so cute. And she gets him to go to the Solstice Festival, and we know what happens there, muahahahaha. Her dialogue is very spot-on for a child as well. And I love how Nuada's like, "Um... I'm not sure how to deal with you, but you don't *seem* dangerous." Teehee.

"Good cooking, wife." ( -_-;) Sigh. That is so Old People Love. Although when I've made dinner for my husband and his friends, I do enjoy being complimented. But that just reminds me so much of my parents and my husband's parents and a lot of older couples, lol. Actually, I'm reminded of my beta's parents. If her mom cooks, her dad always says, "Thanks for dinner, Wifey." It's so cute.

"But still, he greatly preferred Dynala's small, quiet house and peaceful company." Of course he does. He's in love. Lol. I love how you subtly hint at this fact throughout the fic, but it still smacks him between the eyes when he figures it out, lol.

I love you, Jasper! Huggles!

LA