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


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

Lesser Ring by Larner	5 Review(s)
Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 5/6/2006
I knew Sherfiramun wasn't to be trusted; acted suspicious of everyone, and to say such a thing to Pippin in front of all the court as well as some of those who loved him (Pippin) best! Plus, he was rather tempramental, and I'm afraid I'm slow to trust those who become angry over trifles. To get into a temper over losing a sparring match--for pity's sake! How childish! So, Merdirion was that guard! I can't believe it! I thought he was a questionable but almost harmless character, and it's sad to see what he came to in the end--just sad. And that remark about the camel is no longer funny. :( The only reason it seemed so at the time was because it seemed to have been spoken merely to get a reaction out of Aragorn, but if Merdirion can do what he did, I can hardly believe that was its only purpose. I hope that's the last of those dreadful rings. I just love how you use intrigue and mystery in these stories! I knew something was going to happen on that hunt, and I really admire the way it was dealt with. And yes, leave cooking to Pippin when thrown into difficult or interesting circumstances. ...perhaps some rice to have with the duck (“I’m glad Frodo isn’t here so we don’t have to listen to his complaints about it,” he said with a rather sad smile which the King mirrored);... LOL! I wouldn't mind listening to Frodo's complaining, much as I can't stand griping in itself, if he could be there with them. I was obliged to eat rice two meals in a row out of necessity the other day, and while I was making it I realised I'd never eat it again without smiling and thinking of Frodo and his description (and yours) of it being like eating laundry starch--and that's a good thing, because generally when I have to eat plain rice, it's because I don't really have a choice, and of course those are the times when I would rather have anything else. The children's little party and improvized school were so charming--love the conversation there. You capture children perfectly. They're such a joy to write, aren't they? :)Poor Melian--I've tried eating in a reclining position before, much as the people of ancient cultures did, and it did not work. I can't see what Hasturnerini finds so funny about eating sitting up, but it's good that she's happy and laughing again, after such an ordeal as she went through. :) Poor Ankhsarani! I hope she does find happiness with another. Sherfiramun didn't deserve her. The archery practice was great! I especially love Hardorn wanting the ring again and Aragorn's "Use your own!" laughing Such things are heard every day around here, in perfect good humour. I think we all need to have a part of us that doesn't "grow up" and become sober and serious, and these two certainly have. I'm coming to love Aragorn more and more through reading and writing about him so much. And Pippin and Bard taking over the kitchens was priceless! Those poor cooks and taster, never to have tried mushrooms! grin An interesting evening for everyone, especially the haradrim. Love Ruvemir's sculpture, of course! sigh I wish I was as good with clay as he is with stone. My own attempted sculpture has come to nothing yet. I've done it, but I think this try will be a model, as the clay was not forgiving, to say the least; the nose is over-large (that is an embarrassing fault to have), the feet just aren't right, the face is good except the nose and that it stands out too far from the head, the left hand needs more detail--and I found out the hard way that I am not good at closed eyelids. I'm proud of the right hand, though, and don't ever wish to have to remove part of such a tiny finger again. Yes, Elanor and her parents will be glad to see the flowers there, I think. God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: You are going through it quickly, I see. Don't know if I can respond to everything. I doubt that Merdirion when he started was all that bad; but it doesn't take a long time to become corrupted as he did, once due to attrition there were few others Sauron could easily deputize via his Nazgul. And so the humorous comment intended to get a rise out of Aragorn now appears more ominous as we have seen what ambition fed by Sauron's "gift" of a lesser ring has led to. And even with Sauron's own power pretty much destroyed we still see the legacy of increasing megalomania and ambition in action. So glad you enjoyed the invasion of the kitchens and the playing with Aragorn's ring. We do such things. However, the shaft of the ring of Barahir is going to be pretty miserably damaged if Aragorn continues to allow it to be so misused. And I'm sure both Pippin and Aragorn would delight to hear any number of lectures on the tastelessness of rice if they could only have Frodo beside them! Sorry your own sculpture didn't come out well. Tried to do a drawing of the memorial, but the face came out totally as I'd not intended. Will probably try again soon.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 9/20/2005
This chapter just had me all choked up. All the sweet, sad, memories of Frodo, and the grief his loved ones still feel from missing him, yet their generous hope that by letting go, he will have found peace. You show that particular aspect of things so very well. Author Reply: Watching someone you love fade away is, I can say from grim experience, very difficult indeed to do. That all now hope that Frodo's present circumstances have allowed him to heal and to know joy again would be very obvious, I think. I'm glad you felt I handled this well. Thanks so much for the feedback, and again I'm so glad to see you back.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 8/30/2005
Pippins explanations were lovely and impressing, especially about the encounters with the Nazgul und about the Palantír and Sauron, and about the troll. Another interesting look at Hobbits for the Haradrim, I suppose. And I loved it how you included Ruvemir and his work here. But the most fun was Hasturnerinis question what Frodo carried. It may have been not so unusual then and there, but for me it's unimaginable not to know books! Author Reply: The Egyptians didn't have bound books--they wrote on lengths of papyrus which were bound into scrolls. In Gondor they probably had both books and rolls of scrolls as well as the sheets of papyrus and parchment you see Gandalf and the librarian sorting through in the film before he finds the account of Isildur. In Harad, as isolated intellectually as Sauron would have wished them kept, they probably had had little experience with bound books; and as they received gifts of such from Gondor it's likely the children would not have been involved in receiving or examining them. (Or it may be just a plot hole I've left in my own story! Heh!) But there is also the question of whether or not Nefirnerini would have been sure she recognized a sculpted depiction of a book. The Haradri also probably have come to see themselves as the ones who REALLY know about how evil works, as they lived with Sauron overseeing their lives for centuries and the presence of the worship of him and all; to realize this apparently careless, thoughtless Hobbit actually DOES know what evil is from his own experience would be an eye-opener for them--to realize that the other world they'd thought of as free of Sauron's influence was actually as aware of his evil and understood Sauron's true nature as it was must have been a revelation.

lindahoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 8/29/2005
I loved Pippin's history lesson.You write well about Survivor's Guilt Complex and how it tormented poor Frodo. Sam did well to give up the ring so easily. I liked Aragorn's thoughts on Isildur and the ring.I see him as victim rather than vilain.I always enjoy your insights into the characters. Many thanks for your kind review.I fear my typing is dire as I never learned how to do it properly ! Author Reply: All too often survival's guilt does go along with post-traumatic stress syndrome, which there is no question Frodo suffered. I felt that considering how movie-Aragorn felt Isildur was weak, to contrast that to what he saw happening to Frodo would be a good way of showing that he'd not truly been weak at all--only just as vulnerable as any other sentient creature under the level of a Vala (other than Tom Bombadil), and that the realization of this would be a good manner in which to realize Aragorn, by refusing to pick the blessed thing up to begin with and by accepting Frodo's leaving, was doing what he had to do both to remain the hope for the future he embodied and to assist Frodo to do his own job. Frodo would have become a monster had anyone other than Gollum taken the Ring from him--and movie Frodo did head that way until he chose life when he'd come so close to falling.

Tigger	Reviewed Chapter: 30 on 8/29/2005
This was lovely. To see the teaching of Frodo and what he did for Middle Earth handed to the grandchildren of the Farozi and the members of the Farozi's family who are still trying to understand exactly what the tale means. The comparisons between the two cultures and their experiences was facinating to me. Aragorn telling about the collapse of Barad Dur and the Crown Princess (Sorry, I can't remember how to spell the names correctly, so won't butcher them.) telling how she watched the Death Eater's temple in Thetos collapse was so striking and another example of how the two cultures share more than they thought. I loved Melian's delight at discovering the elanor at the feet of Frodo's statue and realizing how much that will mean to Elanor when she sees the finished statue for her Uncle Merry. For Sam as well. I literally had tears in my eyes as Aragorn told of how the Ring tried to seduce him. The pain and also how deeply Aragorn came to truly hate what the Ring did to those he loved and respected....It was palpable. I also really found Aragorn's realization that his history books in his youth only told a part of the story a fitting addition. History books are excellent at telling the facts of events, but the actual emotions of the people who take part in those same events are often missing. I like how Aragorn realized, after seeing what the Ring did to Frodo and Boromir, and also to him; that maybe Isildur wasn't the weak coward he'd grown up believing his ancestor was. I really thought that was a very well done piece of this chapter. As always, looking forward to the next chapter. :o) Author Reply: I doubt Aragorn ever considered Isildur to be a coward; but I wanted something to counter the movie-verse view of Isildur that he was weak. That smile Isildur and Frodo both showed as they took the Ring was not theirs, but the Ring's own smirk proclaiming It's victory over these two heroes. That the description of Aragorn telling of the seduction the Ring practiced on him you found to be palpable is quite a compliment. I would feel he would be all the more angry at the Ring for how it isolated Frodo before and after, causing him to fear attacks from all sides--and that he was right to fear their inevitability. But Its destructiveness would last beyond Its demise, also; for Frodo would also probably resent those who didn't forcefully take It from him while he had It, leaving him to Its torments. Am rather experimenting with that idea right now. Sorry I didn't respond earlier--migraines are driving me back to bed in a moment. It's been three weeks of them at this point, and I could do with some relief.

Return to Chapter List