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In Darkness Buried Deep by GamgeeFest	7 Review(s)
Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/14/2005
Yes, sometimes the quiet ones will sneak up on you with some observation that will take you by total surprise. And glad Fuschia recognized Gil's need for the reprimand. Author Reply: It's always the quiet ones. It would be interesting to do an introspective on Frodo and find out just what exactly he knows about everyone and everything. He and Sam are similar in this way - they can both make themselves "disappear" and overhear all sorts of things. Though with Sam, it's done with a specific purpose and intention, while Frodo does it out of timidness. Fushcia had some reprimands of her own for Gil once they had returned to the Hall and were alone, you can be assured of that. Whatever Edon might think, she wouldn't have been fooled by Gil apologizing if the apology had been insincere.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/8/2005
Well - maybe Gil's all right. In a testosterone-poisoned kind of way. And Edon has his own admirer. Frodo comes over beautifully as a younger teen, not altogether sure of the rules by which he is playing. And Saradoc and Esme are good guardians - maybe just a little out of their depth with this poor grieving lad. I love the point that the lads want to look brave, but without actually succeeding at their dare. Very true to life! And again, Frodo isn't really old enough to understand that part! Looking forward to more. Author Reply: Gil's not quite as he first appeared to be - and neither is Edon. Gil's at that age where he thinks he knows everything, making him your typical cocky tween, lol. Frodo is quite out of the loop with the rules the older lads are playing by. He might be more observant on some things, but he too overlooks things. He wants to fit in and he desperately wants friends, but he doesn't exactly know how to go about it and winds up tagging along, not an outcast but not really part of the group either. Saradoc and Esme do their best. They want to help Frodo through his grief and want to see him happy again. Frodo constantly shutting himself off doesn't help them and they don't know how to get through to him because of this. Oh yes, tweens and their dares! So brave, aren't they, lol. I can just hear them "double dog dare"-ing each other right now! And Frodo of course takes it seriously. He has much to learn about the boastful ways of tweenaged lads.

Isilhen Daegol	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/7/2005
And the plot thickens... I've got a cousin named Piper. But she's only three years old. She's adorable, though. Yeah, Frodo's a smart lad. He does what I do: he makes himself unobtrusive and people forget about him, so he learns lots of stuff. I agree with Fuchsia. Gil did deserve that... and he deserved Fuchsia's reprimand, too. In any case, this was a good chapter. Keep 'em coming! Author Reply: Frodo's learned that be keeping quiet and playing at distraction that he can overhear and learn all sorts of things. It helps that most people don't even think to notice him in the first place. Yes, Gil did deserve that - and Gil knew it also. He didn't agrue his case, as you might have noticed, because he knew he didn't have one. And he expected Fuchsia's reprimand also; he knows when his lass is displeased with him. ;)

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/6/2005
I love this one! I love the bit where Frodo is playing with the spider. (Shelob will get revenge later.) I love how pleased Saradoc is when Frodo mentions running in the race and training. I love Esmeralda's stern reaction to Gil's confession. I love the fact that Frodo knows who fancies who when the older lads have completely missed the signs. I loved the spooky story of the Took lad who died a year after going into the Old Forest! (Nice little Urban legend, Shire-style.) I can't wait to see what's going to happen next! Author Reply: Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed this! grins Spider/Shelob - look for that to come up again later. :) Saradoc has been waiting for a long time for Frodo to show interest in something, and that Frodo has picked something that Saradoc once participated in understandably elated him. Esmeralda is a bit of a mama bear when it comes to her charges. She's not one you want to cross! (Must be that Took blood ~_^ ) Frodo's very observant and more than a bit intuitive. He notices things others overlook, and of course the older lads aren't paying attention to anything lol. There are a lot of urban legends in this one it seems.

TheHobbitWaffle	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/6/2005
What is Frodo up to? Hmmm, the lad certainly can be tricky! You so a great job with the OC's, they are very believable. Another great chapter. As Rena said, I can never get used to people calling him Sara. That's my name, exactly the way I spell it. So weird. Author Reply: Well, Frodo was originally up to nothing more than what he told Saradoc. But that little brain of his is ticking now and that's not necessarily a good thing. :) Tricky indeed. Where do you think Merry learned it from? lol It's always odd for me to see my name in stories or hear it on tv shows or movies. It is weird. :)

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/6/2005
I love the beginning of this, and Sara's delight at the thought of Frodo coming out of his melancholy, and then Esme jumping to his defense and scolding Gil, although it might have been better for Gil if he had caught up with Frodo and made his apology. The idea of maintenance on the High Hay is a good one--it makes sense, and would explain why there is a gate, and why Brandybucks would be going in. And I loved your tale of Hildigard, and your explanation of how he died young. Frodo is such a dear at this age. I love the way he has noticed the other lass who seems to like Edon. And somehow I get the feeling that Frodo is going to escape the vigilance of the Bounders...(well, of course he is, you said so in the summary...) grin Author Reply: Saradoc and Esme have been hoping for Frodo to improve for so long, that Saradoc jumped at the first possible sign that it was happening. As such, he didn't stop to wonder about why Frodo suddenly wants to be more active. He would have been wise to insist that Frodo wait for him before going off to the field, but his elation clouded his judgment temporarily. Esme is just as much a mama bear as any other mother. She has come to consider Frodo as one of her own and she isn't about to stand by and let someone get away with saying such things to Frodo. Yes, Gil would have been better off if he had gone after Frodo, but he had his reasons for staying and talking to Esme. First, she could have been pretending that she didn't know what had happened the day before. Gil has reasons for believing people would be suspicious of him and try to catch him in a lie, though of course Esme isn't like that. And if Frodo didn't tell her, it would only be a matter of time before someone else did. So, he told her the truth up front. Hildigard came in quite handy in building the legend surrounding the forest. Merry might be flippant about it, but the other hobbits of Buckland rightly feared the forest. The book mentions that gardeners constantly tended the Hedge and that's why it grew so high. They would have to tend the other side also, if they didn't want that side to grow wild and heavy, possibly causing part of the Hedge to collapse. Frodo is the sweetest scamp and scoundrel that ever there was. :) Children tend to be more observant than older people, even tweens, and Frodo has the bonus of being intuitive and compassionate. He would have noticed Piper's starring and what it meant. Frodo? Get past the Bounders? grins

RenaissanceGrrl	Reviewed Chapter: 3 on 10/6/2005
Teeheehee, wee!Frodo's more of a scamp than Merry and Pip ever were. Piper indeed. I don't like Gil. Is that going to change? Author Reply: I've always considered Frodo as a bigger scamp than his younger cousins. Of course, we all know, from Farmer Maggot, that Frodo used to be one of the worst scoundrels in Buckland in his younger day. Merry and Pippin have a lot to live up to. :) Children often see things us older people don't notice, especially when we're obsessing, as Edon is about Fuchsia. You don't like Gil, huh? I don't know. Is it going to change? ^_^

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