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Just Desserts by Lindelea	5 Review(s)
Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/26/2005
I do think Aragorn needs to appoint a NEW Steward for Arnor. This man is a b------. I do not like him. Halladan he AIN'T! Gaack! And I love the healer doing his best to protect both of them, and the tale coming out. Pat poor Diamond on the head, will he? OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!! Author Reply: The man needs a lesson in hobbits. Or several. Or several hundred. Or maybe he just ought to live with hobbits a while, sort of like a foreign exchange student. And in the meantime he needs to learn some realities about women, since he grew up without sisters and he lost his wife too long ago, and besides he was seldom home while she was alive, busy as he was about protecting the Shire... Author Reply: Halladan... Halladan. Can't place that name. Can you help? I am in migraine hangover and my brain is on the fritz.

TopazTook	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/25/2005
What a stupid Steward! I think he needs to spend some time in his own stocks, noting how harshly punishment can be meted out. I am refraining from wanting him to swing at the end of his own rope...because that would be horribly unhobbity...but this guy brings out the worst in me, including a desire for violent vengeance. Ride, Aragorn, ride! Author Reply: Ooo, time in his own stocks, what an interesting idea. I bet all the people he's sentenced to the stocks would love to come around with all their rotten vegetables for a little target practice. The sad fact is that he's somewhat temperate, compared to the justice of the Middle Ages that we've been reading about in history class. shiver Before the Magna Charta, things were a lot worse and justice a lot harder to find. In a weird way, though, (weird and cruel and downright harsh to our modern sensibilities) he is enforcing the King's justice. They just don't have the modern notion of "innocent until proven guilty" or all those other rights, like the right to a public defender if they can't afford a lawyer, and a trial by jury of peers (that was introduced in the Magna Charta in something like 1215 A.D.) and all those other modern legal protections. They don't even have the right to remain silent. At least there's not a lot of torture committed under Aragorn's reign... shiver (Been reading about that, too.) And they try to be "humane" in their taking of life. If you can call it that.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/25/2005
Talk about pig-headed! You know, this Steward is either totally blinded by something or not right bright. He's been told in no uncertain terms that the King would pardon these two; he knows that when it comes to these particular hobbits, the King will deny them nothing, or he should know it. He's clearly giving no thought whatsoever to what the King might actually want, but is bull-headedly going on with what he wants--a reasonable person would not see a problem in delaying until the King's arrival, and if the King disapproved, let the blame fall on the hobbits. It's almost as if he is afraid Pippin is right, and the two would be pardoned, and he can't stand the thought. Reminds me of Jonah... Author Reply: I'm afraid this Steward has a touch of Ferdi's malady, except instead of "All Men are ruffians" his motto is more "All ruffians are ruffians". It makes a weird kind of sense but nothing is ever quite so simple, is it? His story will likely come out--the story is a little more complex than I thought at first, and will not end with the King's return as was originally planned, but will cover some of the repercussions resulting from the choices made by various people--Jack, Will, the healer, and even Pippin himself. Speaking of complexities, how is Cado today? There is a warm spot growing somewhere in my heart with his name on it. Author Reply: p.s. It's not all that clear that the King would pardon Will, or it shouldn't be--perhaps I ought to clarify that in the next chapter; the possibility of pardon for the old man is understandable--he's old, and in ill health, and even if he's a ruffian he doesn't have all that much strength to do harm or time left in which to do it; but Will is young, only 24, and has a lifetime yet to do evil... or so the Steward's reasoning goes. Hobbits are well-known for their soft hearts, their mercy, and while they are admired for what a few hobbits were able to accomplish, the Shire-folk as a whole are not viewed as practical folk in the eyes of most Men. However, Elessar has had first-hand experience, learning about the consequences of mercy, and from two of the best teachers: Bilbo and Frodo. Perhaps he can even figure out the most merciful consequences for his Steward.

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/25/2005
I was actually beginning to warm to the Steward with his fair sense of justice. I found myself actually agreeing that justice should not be prolonged - except ofcourse in this case. I WAS warming to him until that last comment! Bless the healer and the Valar - his potion got to the right man it seems. Come on Aragorn! Author Reply: Think of it more as a lack of imagination on the Steward's part. He is a pragmatist, and the idea that Will is drugged is beyond his comprehension--if he'd been told that Will was given a sleeping draught, he'd have acted differently. But so far as his understanding goes, if Will had fainted the buckets of water would have revived him. That leaves him with a more serious explanation--something is physically wrong with Will, and if that's the case there's no point in curing him in order to kill him. Kinder to hang him while he's unawares. Or else Will is faking, in which case it is a kind of dark justice for him to suffer more in dying than if he just "took it like a man". You almost have to pity the Steward; he's in over his head.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 10/25/2005
A patronising Steward. Patting the sweet little hobbit on the head and ignoring everything she says! After all, it only happened to her, didn't it? How could she possible understand grown up ideas like Edicts and Justice. He is marginally more open around the ears than I thought he might be - at least once the Ernil i Pheriannath started in on him. He does, at least, understand rank. Although he isn't quite bright enough to grasp that this is a situation beyond his control and he will escape it much better if he officially decides that the matter needs to come before the King. And that someone collapsed on the ground, who is not responding to buckets of water and the attention of guards is not faking unconsciousness. Surely there must be some rule against hanging those who won't notice. It must be infuriating to fully adult hobbits to find themselves treated at precocious children by some men. Like the Samuel Johnson comment on women preachers. "Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all." And we're back to patronising! Ride, Aragorn, ride like the wind! Will might still end up jerking at the end of a rope. But at least he won't know anything about it. Author Reply: Poor patronising Steward, he really needs to get out more. Actually, he needs more hobbits in his life. Talk about suiting the punishment to the offence! About hanging someone who won't notice... see comments above, to another review. He thinks he's doing Will a favour, actually. shakes head Another migraine is threatening, so I don't know if the next chapter will post tonight or not. Think good thoughts. Writing is relaxing, to a point, and writing about other people's troubles is a fine way to take my mind from my own. But an aching head makes for dropped stitches. I really wish they'd make caffeine-free chocolate.

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