Aha! The Margaret birth chapter is a How could I forget? And as you say, it only gets more moving as time goes on. I imagine it will kill us all when we reread it after Alred gives Gwynn the Psalter.

I also hesitated on "Alred and Matilda come to say goodbye" [to Colburga]. Definitely not some of my best prose, but we get a glimpse deep into Alred's soul in that chapter.

I could totally do a separate post on "Heart-pounders" or whatever. Egelric's lickin', Malcolm finding Iylaine missing on their wedding night, Kraaia seeing Lena getting killed, some of the rape-ish chapters. The scary, edge-of-your-seat chapters. For this one I was going for tears. (That's why I am thinking... even though it was "sad" that Lena was killed, "sad" was definitely not the mood of that chapter nor many of the following chapters.)

I see what you mean about Seven. The one where Lar tries to tell him the fate of the elves as a (sick and twisted) bedtime story, and he realized that the idea -- too enormous far Lar himself to comprehend -- had just sunk into Seven's wee mind, never to be extracted. *shivers*

I do love that one chapter with Sigefrith and Alred discussing Gwynn's future before the fire. With Sigefrith grudgingly admitting the poetic rightness in that, out of love for Alred and Matilda. We don't see their relationship enough.

I must report that I just reread "Alred sees no poetry" and I cried yet again. The "WRITING in your BOOKS!" exchange, and the "There was much Matilda in it", and the picking the last little joke like a flower and offering it to her.... I'm going to get going again just thinking about it.

I've never cried but I was close to tears with some chapters. I remember Maud's last chapter and she was talking about Athelis, and how Sigefrith told her that Athelis was in heaven and the dogs weren't eating her. When Maud said "Athelis fell and went to heaven?" I knew right then and there that Maud was going to die. I remember just shaking my head saying no over and over again.

The chapter when Lena's killed, sadness was not my first emotion. I was enraged then sad. I never thought Lena could die so early and in such an ugly way. Surprisingly with Sela's murder it had to take the chapter with Vash and Alred for me to understand that she was killed. I remembe being in disbelief because i couldn't believe someone could harm someone as Sela. I've never gotten over that.

Another chapter that had me enraged was when Lili came to Egelric's castle and the chapter that followed. Lili cemented my dislikement for her after that second chapter when she and Egelric were in bed. This was 3 to 4 weeks after the 1st anniversary of Sela's murder. I will always dislike that blond brat.

Heheh, I did not think people would be literally sobbing or anything. I meant the "tears in the eyes" feeling. It is not often they actually spill over for me, but the feeling is there.

The chapter where Edris learns about Cenwulf's death is another good one for the list. You start asking questions in the chapter before it, where her steward seems to be steering her towards the priest and making funny faces. And then as Brandt opens the letter and the tension builds and builds... and finally he just tells her the truth, and THE END. Shock, and a sort of empty feeling, and you just stare at Edris's back as she cries in the last photo, and you begin to realize that he's really gone.

Before I start I should mention that when I say cry I really do mean tears pouring down my cheeks crying. I cry really easily though (that being said it is more TV shows or movies rather than from reading so it is still a skill to get me to cry here). I know there has been at least one occasion of actual sobbing (though not like really over the top... I just mean more than normal crying... like, add the odd gasp in their and a trembling lip I really don't know which chapter it was though. I will have to think about it a bit more.

But crying chapters:

First of all Sigrid hears a call just kills me. Kills me.

Flann enters into the valley is another one, the last few pictures make my heart hurt. I usually think the sims crying poses can be so cheesy but God, they are so moving in the chapter.

I find Pol touches his daughter to be very sniffle inducing too. It is so sad that he was never allowed the time with Ilyaine and that she had to grow up with a distant father when her real father loved her so much all the way along.

Leofric sees the daughter. Hetty's distress always has such a huge effect on me. I think it is because she spends so much time hiding her feelings so as not to bother people so when they come out like this it is doubly upsetting.

Father Brandt finds the reason always brings a tear to my eye. Poor Edris is so excited for the news and then...

Stein is in trouble for certain

I can't remember the name of it but the one were Alwy goes to Egelric and finds that Elfeda has killed herself. That one is so distressing and poignant with Alwy's famous line at the end.

Those are the ones I can think of at the moment. I will keep thinking though.

Ah yes. That was the actual sobbing "noooo" chapter. I could barely even read that one I was so distressed. I am not sure if that one falls more in the heart poundey category. It wasn't really a tearjerker in the vein of the other but I was definitely crying.

The only time I have cried in this story was when Matilda died.