Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

The Road to Edoras by Dreamflower	9 Review(s)
Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 5/23/2007
Wow! Good telling. And I'm glad Freddy was left 'pure' as a Hobbit should be! Author Reply: The shock helped him realize that he really could not have done the sort of vengeance he had always imagined. And Freddy was a good hobbit, he just had to remember that. Compassion, pity and mercy are, according to JRRT, racial characteristics of the majority of hobbits. But Freddy had been pushed to the brink, and nearly forgotten himself for a while. Author Reply: By the way, if you haven't already read them, I have two other stories that kind of go along with these particular three chapters you just read. "An Unexpected Guest" deals with Mellor's efforts to find out more of what happened, and to find out about the ruffians who killed Ted. His quest leads him into Buckland... And "Reaping" tells of Sandyman's last days from his POV. That one, I have to tell you, is very violent and angsty--so much so that I put an "R" on it. It was very hard for me to write, but apparently I needed to do so.

PIppinfan1988	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 8/25/2005
Wow...I tip my hat to authors who can write even about the torture of hobbits for "sport"...I would find it extrememly difficult to do so. I shudder to think that this is how Merry and Pippin would have ended up if not for Saruman's orders. Excellent writing. :-) Pippinfan Author Reply: It wasn't an easy thing to do. I hate gratuitous hobbit torture, and dislike stories in which that is the main element, IYKWIM, but you are right--this is exactly what would have happened, and actually I rather toned it down. Sometimes for the sake of the story there are hard things to be dealt with. But the sorts of creatures--half-Orcs and brutes of Men, that would have taken "Sharkey's" orders in the Shire would not stick at this. But that's the reason for the warning on the chapter. It's not something you want to see unprepared. Thank you!

Anso the Hobbit	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 5/28/2005
Oh, Poor Freddy! But it is against hobbit nature to wish anyone - even their enemy - to be treated like that. Excellent! Eagerly looking forward to more. :D Author Reply: Yes, poor Freddy! In his darkest thoughts, he had envisioned Sandyman recieving the same treatment as was dished out to his friend Folco, but when faced with the reality, he realized that was not what he really wished for after all.

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 5/27/2005
How unfortunate for Ted Sandyman. Like Freddy, I despise that hobbit, but no one deserves that sort of treatment. I'm glad, though, that Freddy is starting to understand the folly of seeking vengenance, even if he still can't help feeling cheated in some way. Author Reply: This is one of the things that I had planned from the first time Freddy showed up in "A New Reckoning", I knew what fate Sandyman had met (to have died the same way that Folco did, only worse) and that Freddy would be present at the discovery of the body, and that it would provide this insight for him. Now there are two more things I planned for him, still to come.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 5/25/2005
Ruffians and half orcs, to whom such torture would have been welcome. And Freddy realizing that Frodo was right. Yes, this is right. Author Reply: Yes, they would have welcomed a chance to torment a hobbit--especially one that had labored under the illusion that he could tell them what to do, as Sandyman, one of Lotho's chief hobbit henchmen, had done. And yes, Freddy is finally freed of thinking that he needs revenge, and finally understands the power of letting go. I think pity enters in here, although I do not believe he will ever be able to go so far as forgiveness, as Frodo would be able to...

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 5/24/2005
Freddy has it in him to be a Very Wise Hobbit. I love the way he recognises that Frodo is right in his 'no vengeance' rule. It is infuriating, but the only way not to become what you hate is to hold off from that kind of behaviour. Folco's death is horrible. But I'm glad that Freddy sees that the torment of Ted Sandyman doesn't make it any less so and, in fact, only increases the horror. Freddy might find it easier to heal now he understands that. Good chapter. Horrible, but good. Author Reply: "Horrible, but good." I'm glad. That's just the reaction I was after. I knew it would be harrowing, but it was very necessary. This is one scene I have had in my mind for a long time, right as soon as I realized that Freddy was going to feature in "A New Reckoning". I toyed with having Mellor and Eradan make the discovery at Sarn Ford, about the same time they captured Dago, but then I realized that it truly needed to be a part of the sequel, and "A New Reckoning" was already much longer than I had planned. It was always in the back of my mind that Sandyman had met his end at the hands of his former "colleagues". The Ruffians would have seriously resented any hobbit who had been given a chance to tell them what to do, and I am sure that they chose the first moment they could to "repay" him for his "insolence". It would have been pretty horrific--leaving the Shire to avoid being marked and cast out, thinking he could hook up with Lotho's former henchmen, and then, instead of a welcome, being greeted with derision and torture. A good deal of this story is to deal with Freddy's healing. This was necessary for him to realize that deep down, he was not a vengeful person. He is on the way to wisdom now that he can put some closure to those vengeful thoughts.

Baggins Babe	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 5/24/2005
Well, you've achieved the seemingly impossible, and made me feel some pity for Ted Sandyman! No-one deserves to die like that, as Freddy is beginning to realise. Poor Freddy, having to relive his friend's terrible death. I'm glad the others were sympathetic and I loved Poppy's brisk manner. I really like her. This is a fascinating and intriguing story and I can't wait for more. Author Reply: I know. Sandyman is not a sympathetic character. But of course he did not deserve to be tortured. This general scenario, of Freddy being around when Sandyman's fate was finally discovered has been with me since the very beginning of "A New Reckoning", and is one of the reasons I am writing this sequel. I knew right from the moment Mellor and Eradan captured Dago Bracegirdle, that they would be the ones to find Sandyman's body, and that the miller would have been beaten to death just as Folco was. Poppy is in full healer mode here, and being very professional. It is her way of coping with the unpalatable fact of a hobbit being murdered.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 5/23/2005
This is a very bad reminder for poor Freddy and Mosco at the death of their friend Folco. No wonder Freddy felt so sick while thinking back to Folco's horrible death! I can understand perfectly well he wanted revenge, but I am glad he realises this is a way to die which nobody deserves. I hope to know Sandyman died the same way as Folco will help him to recover from this traumatic experience. It is good Mosco is there, so Freddy hasn't to explain to the others himself. Err ... I'm reading in 'Reckoning' again (I know I'm a bit crazy!) and stumbled about something. In the last chapter you mentioned Targon wasn't involved in the battle before the Black Gate because he stayed in Minas Tirith, but in 'Reckoning' ch. 40 he was announced as 'warrior of the Morannon'. Sorry, I don't mean to nitpick, I only thought to let you know, and because I have no way to tell you privately I had to put it in here. As always, I lood forward to the next update! Author Reply: Freddy has now really had a revelation about his own feelings and capabilities; I am hoping this will be just what he really needed. He is going to realize that he did not need to do anything to Sandyman himself, but to know his fate and that he did not escape will be enough. You are right about Sandyman dying in the same way Folco did--that has been my aim from the start. Thanks for the tip-off. I've been checking back through Reckoning myself as I go, from time to time on various things, but that's one I missed. I'll have to fix that. I never mind being told about these little things, and when I can fix them I do. Thanks a lot!

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 5/23/2005
Poor, Fatty. He had to relive nearly everything after seeing the body, but in a way, I think this might have done him some good. He seems to have realized that he couldn't have tortured Sandyman anyway and that no one deserved that sort of death. I like the way you've tied Fredegar's feelings to Frodo's just after the scouring of The Shire. In many ways, Freddy and Frodo seem to be very much alike. I liked Legolas in this even though he only has a few words. I liked the way he led Freddy away. It seemed such a kindness at that point and exactly what Freddy needed. I can almost see Freddy deciding to travel with Gimli and Legolas after this journey because he is becoming so close to them, especially Legolas. Oh, and Poppy's down-to-business manner was perfect. It made her seem very much the professional healer and very tough-minded. I like that about her. Author Reply: I think this is going to be a real catharsis for him. He is finally able to realized that his dreams of vengeance, while very natural at the time, were not truly something he was capable of. I do think Frodo and Freddy are alike. My Freddy has always had the same fascination for Elves and old stories that Frodo did, but he had too much Bolger in him to want to leave the Shire. It took the Occupation and Folco's murder to make him feel able to leave the Shire. Freddy began to form a fast friendship with Legolas and Gimli during "A New Reckoning", and they are beginning to reciprocate. The three are becoming very fond of one another; but Freddy will probably want to get back to the Shrie and Angelica. Poppy is very brisk and matter of fact when it comes to things medical. Dealing with a dead body could not have been pleasant, but making it a very professional and objective thing helped her to deal with it. It is probably as well she did not bring Viola, however.

Return to Chapter List