Note to the Reader:

This story is a bribe of sorts. My editor-friend, who has been very busy elsewhere, has agreed to take up her quill once more to strike at, er, improve upon stories. Truth is, she's bored but she won't admit it. She does, however, insist on payment in the form of another Ferdi-story, one she hasn't seen before.

Since we've already talked over "Farry and Ferdi Go to Gondor", that one wouldn't do, sad to say. *sigh* It is so much easier to edit a draft than to make up another tale out of nearly whole cloth and just a hint of a thread out of another story, but we must take our blessings as they come to us. 

So you may thank EF, who insists on remaining nameless (something to do with relatives laughing her to scorn for such a frivolous pursuit when she could more profitably be typing something for pay), for this story.

If notes are needed in any of the chapters, they'll be added here. If, for example, there is a complaint because there is not enough background in the first chapter to make this story understandable, I'll try to scare up some "background" and put it in the Notes.

Some are not comfortable with the Shire consequences for anti-social behaviour as put forth in stories like "Runaway". Be reassured that very little of that comes into play in this story, except perhaps in passing references to past events.

PG-13 rating is at the moment merely precautionary. Angst forecast: Likely. (ETA: PG-13 rating is well-deserved. Angst forecast: Yes. Definitively.)

Lastly, thanks for reading. Comments are always welcome.

(And I must admit, writing a "Ferdi story" is not too much of a chore.)

By the way, if you haven't read Runaway and are curious about it, you can find it here at Stories of Arda: Runaway. (Co-author: Jodancingtree)

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As the birthday lass is highly addicted to cliffhangers and stretching out suspense to the twanging point, this story turned out to be both longer and darker than what I usually write. I almost deleted it after it was finished, as a matter of fact, but for something Larner said. After going through it again, I've found it has good points that might make it worth saving. I don't have the time to edit and tame down the darker bits, though, so proceed at your own peril. I've changed the rating to R.

I have read even darker stuff in RL news accounts, so I don't consider the goings on in this story to be over-the-top or, sadly, unusual on the part of men who have given themselves over to evil. However, the men portrayed here are truly evil, whether they pursue profit at others' expense, or for twisted reasons of their own (perhaps akin to the Pilgrim's insanity in As the Gentle Rain). In any event, some of the chapters here are difficult reading. Warnings appear at the top of the most difficult, so that if you wish you can skip to the next chapter and avoid gruesome details. (That's what I'd do.)

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Addendum

Drat. This story was supposed to be that hinted at in Where the Love-light Gleams.  The story that I set out to write was this: Ferdi, as a result from a blow to the head, suffers memory loss and is catupulted (in his mind) back to the times of the Troubles, to the middle of the struggle to keep Men out of the Tookland. A comedy of sorts, astonishing as it may sound. I even told Dana that this was that story, while recounting the plot to her. But over lattes with EF the character of the story seemed to change, and I was asked to stretch myself as an author, in a manner of speaking, and so this story may be a bit darker than originally planned. Apologies to those seeking lighter fare. Sometimes stories seem to take on a life of their own, and together with the fact that A Matter of Appearances is a birthday present, and thus follows certain suggestions/requests on the part of the recipient, the comedy is going to have to wait. I suppose the "good news" would be that there will be another Ferdi story to be written, one of these days, if all goes well. Perhaps even for another birthday-present. Time will tell.