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The Acceptable Sacrifice by Larner	11 Review(s)
Antane	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/31/2005
I just love the thoughtfulness of Sam taking some of the stuff Frodo is leaving behind so his brother will have them later, especially all the art supplies. So like Sam to think of these things. And I liked when Arwen gave him her gem. Now if that helps show you your particular place in the Song, I wish I had one! :) Happy Yule and New Year! Namarie, God bless, Antane Author Reply: Sam hasn't changed that much from before the quest, has he? He still is looking out for Frodo however he can, and will make certain Frodo has the little things he didn't think he'd want. And so glad you like the gift of the Evenstar gem to Frodo. Wish I had one, too! And a joyful new year to you as well.

Radbooks	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/30/2005
Ah, the memorial idea rears it's ugly head at last. Men and their silly ideas of what is heroic and what is proper for a statue. Of course, you only have to look around some of our cities to see some of the statues and those we have chosen to honor. I was sad when Aragorn did not get even a picture of Frodo, though he was right to give it to Sam - he should have asked if Frodo would have been willing to have another one made. Though I know he wouldn't have wanted to impose on him at the time. It just made me feel bad for him. I like how you write Arwen and so I enjoyed the scene with her and Aragorn and Frodo under the tree when she gave him her pendant. Author Reply: Am so glad you appreciate all that. Of course, in the end Aragorn gets all he wanted and more, including his private statues of Frodo, Sam, and the others, the sketches given him by Ruvemir, and, most importantly, the memorial itself done in such a manner even Frodo wouldn't have objected, probably. I suspect that in the end the sacrifice of the picture to Sam was well fulfilled for both of them. And considering some of the statues I've seen in Europe, I'm amazed at how some sculptors think men ought to be posed.

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/30/2005
Sorry Larner I couldn't R&R while I was at home. Too much competition for the computer and a dad who doesn't really understand my addiction! Great to see the set up for the King's Commission. I can just imagine the indignation of the Hobbits. But what really tugged at the heart-strings was Aragorn giving up the one decent picture of Frodo to Sam. Author Reply: Oh, I can appreciate it, Harrowcat. Am glad you are free to read again. Have been working nights all week, and find it is playing havoc with my posting and reading as well. Yes, the way is paved now for the meeting between the King and the sculptor, and we see the Hobbits' own reactions to what they were shown. You begin to appreciate why Ruvemir was so well appreciated after seeing in more detail what the original artists had envisioned. Anyway, the next chapter is now posted and after tomorrow night I finally have four nights off. HOORAY!

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/28/2005
Such lovely, bittersweet scenes of parting. And I'm glad Frodo got at least a little bit of a volcano glass souvenir. The thing with the monument was amusing, especially Merry's comment that people who stand in "heroic" poses might get the idea from monuments. Off to read the next chapter. Author Reply: I, too, am glad that he will receive the bird. As for the comments--have seen some statues that are so formal as to be intimidating and totally artificial, and it was fun to make fun of them a bit through Merry's comments. Thanks so much for appreciating it!

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/28/2005
Ah yes, the memorial! At the time it was surely a heavy disappointment for Aragorn that the artists of Gondor weren’t able to make at least some useful drawings. It’s comforting to know he will meet Ruvemir of Lebennin some years later! Somehow it is so sad Frodo couldn’t take the bowl with him, although he was probably right it wouldn’t survive the long way. It must’ve been a very wonderful thing! Author Reply: The disappointment now will make the satisfaction when Ruvemir finally is met by the King all the more delightful. Had it been packed right, the bowl would have made it; but he was probably right to find someone else to take it who would care for it, and even more so since it came from him. I have many of my mother's carnival glass bowls, and they mean a great deal having come through her from Granddaddy's collection for the most part.

demeter d	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/28/2005
Yet another lovely chapter, Larner. So many beautiful bits. Frodo beside the tree with Arwen.The history of the Evenstar stone added a nice bit of joining the present and the past. I like the sense that both Aragorn and Arwen had been prophesied for great things. I liked the packing. Ever Frodo discounts his own worth, and ever his friends are thier to look after his interests for him. I especially liked the part about the wheelchairs. You have created a Gondorian culture very farsighted and enlightened. It would be nice if all cultures throughout history had had that level of regard for those disabled and different. Something you might like to read and compare. On fan-fiction.net, I have been reading a series of stories by a young author from Germany whose pen name is Maddy, about Eomer and Lotherial. She puts Lotherial as a healer in the Houses of Healing during the war, who meets Eomer without knowing who he is when she treats a wound for him after the Battle of Pellenor. She is very much involved with treating several of the Rohirrim who were injured in the battle. Later, after they have been formally introduced, and Eomer and party get ready to take their wounded and return home, Maddy's Lotherial persuades Eomer to address his troops and give them sort of a pep talk. She wants him to persuade them that they will still be needed at home, even with their disabilities. She writes a very nice speech where an at first uncertain Eomer rallies to the need and tells his subjects that their wisdom and experience will still be needed, and together they must find a way to deal with their new handicaps. I believe the name of that particular story in the series is "Imrahil's Daughter." Again, Lovely chapter, Larner! Author Reply: What can I say? I've been involved in working with the disabled for most of my life, even before I went to college to study to become a special education teacher. Advocacy is in my very blood, and you'll note I often write the need for awareness into my stories. I've seen the story "Imrahil's Daughter," and I think it may well be on this site as well. I'll have to give it a read when I have time. Glad to see others also are writing works advocating inclusion and mainstreaming our disabled brothers and sisters and children and elders. And thanks so much for the words of appreciation.

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/28/2005
Once again I find that learning English is fascinating. I've never heard the word "kist" before, but I know a German word, "Kiste", and the meaning is exactly the same - chest. Very interesting! "Before the sitting was done the Hobbits were all ready to draw the swords they’d been told to wear and use them on the artists, while at least one of the sculptors had a very strong urge to take one of the swords from one of the Hobbits and use it on Sam particularly, who was not being especially cooperative in any case." LOL! I can very well imagine that scene! Hobbits with shoes? No way! The scene with Arwen was wonderfully done, including the history and purpose of the Evenstar gem. "His eyes seemed relieved immediately, and he looked at the Queen with mild surprise, his thanks in his expression." A very powerful stone! Author Reply: "Kist" was one of the Germanic words added to English during the Saxon invasions. It is rarely used, but usually indicates a trunk-shaped chest with lid, sometimes quite deep, often used for storage of clothing or weapons. It is used fairly often by Rosemary Sutcliff in her works of historical fiction set in early Britain, and I think it would have been appropriate to the culture of Minas Tirith, although perhaps even more so to the Rohirrim. (Rosemary Sutcliff is another of my favorite British authors--I have well over twenty of her books, which are superbly written.) Glad you enjoyed the descriptions for the sitting for portraits intended for the memorial, and the frustration felt on both sides. I admit I made up the history of the Evenstar gem, and have so described it before, now making that description perhaps more clear than I did in previous works. And I think that from the first Frodo would begin to appreciate that the gem gave him some relief. Thanks for the review.

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/28/2005
I love the way you contrast the different personalities of the Hobbits here and the way you link to "The King's sculptor". Author Reply: Yes, I have deliberately helped set things up for Ruvemir in "The King's Commission." And I do think that each of the four Hobbits would think differently about what they packed and why. So glad you appreciate it, Linda.

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/27/2005
I think it would bring great joy to have a hand in the project of designing helps for those who lost limbs or other things in war. And I do pity the poor hobbits in the ordeal of the monument! :-) Shoes?! Oh, for goodness sake! The description of the preparations for the return journey is very vivid, even down to the little glass bird. What a thoughtful gift, and just like Sam. God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: As a special ed teacher, I've had to study the rehabilitation movement. Here in the U.S. it took off after World War I, when strides in medicine and surgery allowed many to survive who previously would have died. That the presence of Aragorn and the sons of Elrond might have had a similar effect, and several found they were as capable as ever if incapacitated in what they would realize were minor ways and therefore would realize they might just do something to increase their ability to function normally seemed logical. And am so very glad you appreciated the presence of the glass bird. Yes, it's just like Sam.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 54 on 12/27/2005
And so we see how things were set up for Ruvemir! What a shame he wasn't available then. But somehow, I don't think even Ruvemir's considerable gift would have been able to sway Frodo, not as he was feeling at that point. I do love the different remarks the hobbits made to the "artists", LOL, but my favorite was Merry with his practical Brandybuck insight: “Why would you want me to stand like that?” Merry asked one sculptor when he was asked to hold his hands in a particular position. “It is a common attitude for a heroic monument,” the sculptor assured him. “But I’ve only seen one Man who’s ever stood like that, and all consider him affected. Is it from your idea of a heroic monument the Man got the idea to stand that way?” snigger The scene of Arwen giving Frodo the Evenstar was beautiful. It is going to do so much to ease his burden, though it can never cure it, it will at least help alleviate some of the symptoms. I do like the accounts of the packing. So thoughtful of Gandalf to make room for the things that the hobbits will miss, and of Sam--though of course, packing things for Frodo is already a habit of his. I also like Merry's and Pippin's cavalier attitude towards their wardrobes. I suspect part of that is the desire to keep wearing their livery as long as possible. Though they are not especially vain, they are proud of their status as Knights, and certainly of no mind to discard it anytime soon. One question: I am unfamiliar with the term "kist". From the context I assume a storage chest of some sort? What is the origin of this word? I can tell that this is beginning to wind down, as they prepare to leave. I hope that you will continue to show the journey for a while yet, though. Author Reply: So glad you appreciate the descriptions and that they appear appropriate to the particular characters. I've seen some statues that had me going, "What?" as the individuals depicted would have been MOST uncomfortable to have had to stand like that in real life, so it was fun to play with that in the descriptions of the work being done. "Kist" is a word that was introduced into English during the Saxon invasions of England in the fifth through seventh centuries. Rosemary Sutcliff used it frequently in her historical novels set in early Britain, and I tend to borrow from her language usages, I'll admit. Certainly Tolkien would have been aware of it. I see the use of such deep chests for storage as being more common in Gondor than perhaps drawers, although perhaps the use of kists and the word might have been more common among the Rohirrim. Anyway, be aware I tend to push the works of Sutcliff--a marvelous writer with a gift for language usage. Her book "Sword at Sunset" is, as far as I am concerned, the definitive Arthurian history. She writes his life and time much as it would have been truly lived at the time. Very historically aware, Sutcliff was. This will continue through the return to the Shire, although focus will change somewhat. The motherly nuzgul is insistent she belongs here, I find.

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