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| Just Desserts by Lindelea | 6 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 11/4/2005 |
| Aha--this is the reason for the hatred of those who have broken the King's edict. I can now understand. Bless Aragorn for being wiser than I (and in more knowledge of his cousin's reasons for unreason here). I wonder if Haldoran will offer his own back to the smiters--it might clear both his mind and his spirit. I love Aragorn. Author Reply: What an interesting idea, Haldoron giving himself up. At first I thought it was unworkable, but then I figured a way to work it in... You don't think such an act would be out-of-character as he's been drawn thus far, do you? | |
| Dreamflower | Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 11/4/2005 |
| Well, now Aragorn is taking a hand. And we see that this is perhaps, not the first time the Steward has been overzealous and inflexible. So his son was one of the Guardsmen killed trying to steal the gold offered in payment in "Rope"? That certainly accounts for a good deal; his dismissal of Bilbo too, accounts as well. Bilbo's self-effacing and droll way of speaking, and the hobbit way of making light of things, led a good many I am sure, to misjudge him and his accomplishments. But his beginning statement "interfering little"...whatever he was going to say, Aragorn did not want to hear it. But it speaks to something just a little darker--prejudice. This is clearly a Man who knew nothing of the people he was guarding over the years, and he obviously developed a somewhat contemptuous attitude to them. Not a Good Thing. Author Reply: Yes, his son was one of the guardsmen killed by the ruffians who were after the gold in "Rope". (When you think of it, something like eight or ten Messengers lost their lives, and each had a story of his own, and loved ones...) "Prejudice" is a strong term. Certainly, he has formed an impression of hobbits, and has pre-judged them from his limited exposure, but that "Interfering little..." was more frustration speaking than an opinion of all hobbits. However, it probably only confirms Elessar in his resolve to send his cousin away on sabbatical, with select company. He's not so much "contemptuous" as "patronising". He was not one of the Rangers who went South in the War of the Ring, but rather stayed behind to help guard the families of the Dunedain--I don't know how well this fits into canon, but I have an idea that the guards were pulled from the borders of the Shire with the increasing threat, about the same time Halbarad rode with his group of thiry southwards, and that they had to evacuate the remnant of Dunedain to Rivendell, where they joined the Elves in fighting when Rivendell was attacked. But that's all conjecture on my part; I haven't made too much of a study of the Northern Rangers outside of reading part of Leaward's fascinating take. In any event, it is clear that he needs to get to know a few hobbits personally. He's rather shy, would you believe it? ...and has stayed in the background whenever the hobbits visited the King at the Lake. Author Reply: When I went off on that "not one of the Rangers who went South" tangent, what I meant to say was that he therefore did not see the great deeds of hobbits, or hear of them at first hand, and he had his own concerns, what with fighting for the survival of his kin, and of Rivendell itself. And he's such a pragmatist, that never having seen the Black Gate or the Morannon or Sam and Frodo's battered bodies, he cannot conceive that what the people in the South went through was worse than the battle for Imladris or the atrocities the Northen Dunedain faced before they fled their isolated villages. | |
| harrowcat | Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 11/4/2005 |
| Oh poor Haldoron. What a sorry mess. I feel so sad for him. All closed in on himself and feeling such a failure after a bright and promising start. But Aragorn is still on the case so all is not lost. Author Reply: Yes, all is not lost. Aragorn, after all, is a Master Healer, though self-admittedly not so great as Elrond was. Still, he does pretty well for himself, don't you think? | |
| Bodkin | Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 11/4/2005 |
| Well, OK. I can feel sorry for Haldoron too. But the trouble is that his heartbreak and hardening - and his justice - isn't confined to a personal level. When he, as Steward, chooses to be harsh, it is everyone who suffers - some personally, some, like Aragorn, by reputation. I hope that Haldoron manages to find the fire with that warrant - and stagger as far as the square to speak to Baranurthon and his assistant before anything else happens! It wouldn't be a good idea for him to meet a cutpurse preying on drunken men of wealth at this particular moment. A holiday. Listening and talking (- to hobbits?). Good idea. Does the Steward have no wife? Or is she, like his son, dead? No other children? He needs something to soften his heart and given him a better understanding of people. Very interesting. Very, very interesting. Author Reply: It wouldn't be a good idea for him to meet a cutpurse preying on drunken men of wealth at this particular moment. Sheesh, I never thought of that! I'm afraid the Steward is alone in the world. His wife died giving birth to his son, and when his son was murdered, it sort of cut the heart out of the man. Now whom do we know that's good at softening hearts? | |
| FantasyFan | Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 11/4/2005 |
| Ah, so there is a reason for the Steward's harsh and inflexible manner. His son has been killed, and he can't get over the pain of it, and bitterness robs justice of mercy, leaving only vengance behind. I wonder if this is what Pippin would have been like, had Farry been killed by the ruffians. You see how real the possibility is in Runaway, and there are echoes of it in Ferdi's attitudes towards men. How hard it is to keep looking for good, when the all too frequent consequences of evil cause real and personal pain. Frodo had figured out how, and so was even able to extend mercy to Saruman, but we mere mortals have a much harder time with this lesson. (Even though I'm still not reviewing often, I am reading and enjoying.) FF Author Reply: An interesting speculation, about Pippin. The prospect of losing Farry (in Runaway, and in Glisters) certainly did make him hard and cold, didn't it? I hadn't made that connexion but it is a logical leap. Forgiveness is a big issue around here, where siblings keep outraging one another. Am learning a lot. Glad to hear you are still reading (and enjoying). | |
| Pearl Took | Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 11/4/2005 |
| Poor Haldoron. I figured there had to be some reason for his coldness as I couldn't see Aragorn giving command of his northern city to someone like that. He has definately lost his perspective. Well done as always! Author Reply: "Lost his perspective" sums things up perfectly! I think he's going to have an attitude adjustment in his future. Don't you think it would give him a turn to spend time with a hobbit who thinks all men are ruffians, ergo Haldoron himself is one? *g* | |