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Burden of Guilt by Linda Hoyland	8 Review(s)
Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 4/15/2007
Phew! A happy ending and all's right in the world. For the moment .... (doom-laden music.) Faramir is so forgiving that he has a tendency to make a bit of a door mat of himself. And we know what happens to door mats - they get people's feet wiped all over them. Hopefully, over the years, his self-esteem and self-image will improve and be bolstered to the point where he can see his own worth. A project for his king and his wife to work on! Author Reply: Many thanks for your much appreciated review.I fear the doom laden music is all too apt. You are right about Faramir. Tolkien said in a letter he was very,very merciful.I have based him on someone who was truly lovely but also much put upon. I think building his self esteem is a project for me too !

Raksha The Demon	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/18/2006
A long, entertaining and ultimately satisfying story. Faramir was so surprised and delighted by getting prezzies from Aragorn - did Denethor only give him a new nail-clipper every year for his birthday or something? Who was the most guilty? Mahrod of course, and he met his proper fate. Faramir and Aragorn unneccessarily borrowed a lot of guilt. Note To Faramir: Hopefully you've learned your lesson about keeping secrets from both your wife and your doctor/best friend/liege-lord! Note To Eomer: How's that brain transplant from the horse working out? I hope Firefoot isn't attacking all the other stallions. Be a good Horse-lord, or we'll return the brain to Firefoot and give you one from a chicken! Note To Arwen: Maybe you should think about starting Self-Help Groups for Angsty Kings & Stewards. Dark times ahead for our heroes; and especially Aragorn? Uh-oh; did Elrond finally send get that Imladris Library Overdue Books fine sent to Aragorn before the ship sailed to Valinor? Seriously, what evil lurks now in the hearts of Men, or at least fanfiction writers?! Author Reply: MAny thanks for your most amusing review.Your comments have given me so much pleasure and often made me laugh out loud.I truly appreciate that you have taken the trouble to review almost every chapter of this story twice, something which no one else has done. I read your review over the phone tonight to an ailing friend and though she knows little about LOTR, it made her laugh about the nail clippers. Thank you so much for all your help and encouragement.

Lady Saruman	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/18/2006
The story has finally concluded, and thankfully with a happy ending, but I see that this happy ending won't last for long because its sequel will be another "Burden of Guilt," except this time the guilt is based on treason rather than the guilt in this story. All of these chapters were my favorites, but the special ones was the first one and the whole part about the mud bath, including Eomer butting in. Despite that, I really enjoyed this story. My opinion of who felt the most guilt probably was Aragorn, because when he learned of what happened, he started feeling guilty and even when Faramir had forgiven him, he refuses to accept that fact and he won't forgive himself until probably after a long time. Eomer didn't really feel that guilty because he didn't realize his fault until the end, and Eowyn felt guilty too, though not as much as Aragorn, because she wrote the note about Faramir not respecting her honor. In this story, the main characters mentioned all felt some kind of guilt (except for the little infants). Arwen, being an elf, would be more emotional than a human and so therefore she would of course share her husband's feelings and guilt. Well, this story has pointed out some character traits about all the characters: Aragorn's kind-heartedness and sacrifice, Faramir's willingness to forgive and forget, and others. And it turns out that your story was a success after all? Remember how you said that you didn't think anybody would read a story filled with guilt? Well, the effect was quite opposite of that. The story was interesting throughout the whole way, and as we all know, people tend to go for the angsty stuff unless they're the kind who like jolly, non-violent, and everything-goes-right stories. Conclusion: Thank you very much for this wonderful story, and we all hope to hear from you soon. Please post the first chapter of "A Web of Treason" and then get ready to answer all of the reviews from your awesome friends, admirerers, and all the other readers. Once again, my greatest thanks!!!!! With much love, Lady Saruman ^_~ Author Reply: Many thanks for your much appreciated review,kind words, and all your comments throughout this story which I have appreciated.I love the way you have picked up their main character traits,which I hoped my readers would. Aragorn did indeed feel the most guilty, as he never intended his best friend to get hurt. I hope to start posting the sequel soon.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/18/2006
A moment of contentment and harmony. Good to see Faramir and Aragorn enjoying themselves. And a most satisfactory ending. Although it won't last.... Author Reply: Many thanks for your much appreciated review and your interest and support throughout this story. I'm glad you enjoyed the final chapter. I know I'm mean to torment them in future but it makes ( I hope) a good yarn !

DJ	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/17/2006
This is the second time I've read this, and I think it was much better here than on fanfiction.net. I like the way you developed the relationship between Aragorn and Faramir. The chapter in which Aragorn gives Faramir the thought bond was a favorite of mine. Sharing their thoughts finally let each of them know what the other really thought of them. Of course, they each learned the same thing that they'd been telling each other all along, but which neither of them could hear because they were each preoccupied with their own (perceived) guilt. Those of us not descended from Numenor can learn the same things all your characters had to learn. If you want to know something ask a question. Don't assume. (= ass + U + me) Listen to the answer. I also liked the chapters in the beginning where Aragorn, Faramir, and Legolas have to get back into the city after the goat ate their clothes. The whole episode was funny, especially Legolas using leaves to cover his "elvish perfection" he'd been showing off before. And the leaves left his "perfection" red and bumpy and itchy and very far from perfect. As to who is most guilty--Mahrod, of course. He deliberatly caused Faramir's great injuries--and did it as retaliation for Faramir punishing him (lightly by Gondoran standards) for raping a woman. The drunk who kicked Faramir in his cell is also guilty, but far less than Mahrod. (Mahrod knew what he was like when drunk and instead of putting him into a cell by himself put him in with Faramir.) Eomer also bears some guilt for starting the fight with Faramir. He didn't bother to investigate the situation--not even asking Eowen why she wanted him to take her back to Edoras. He just assumed Faramir was guilt of dishonoring Eowen and took his army and invaded another country (an allied country!) to kill the second-highest official of that country. Only Aragorn's wits, patience, and diplomacy avoided a war. Unlike some others who've reviewed, I don't think anyone else is guilty of causing the situation. Eowen couldn't know Faramir's secretary would find her note, let alone send it. He wasn't her secretary, so why would he be dealing with her correspondence? Aragorn told the guards to take Faramir into his custody, and someone in the King's custody would have been taken to a room in the palace, not to the city jail. He can't be faulted for not double-checking that the guards understood him--he was trying to stop both a fight and a war at the time, and experienced guards should have known what to do. The guards aren't guilty--they didn't hear him clearly in the midst of all the confusion.Could they all have done better? Sure, in hindsight. But they aren't "guilty" just because they didn't forsee all possible consequences. Faramir certainly didn't commit treason by attacking a foreign head of state--he defended himself from attack. The "burdens of guilt" Aragorn, Faramir, and to a lesser degree, Eowen, carried are not "real" guilt, in my opinion. They didn't do anything to cause harm to another. Some of their actions contributed to the situation, but when they took those actions, they could not have reasonably forseen the improbable coincidences that led to unfortunate effects from their actions. Their guilt is "perceived" guilt--they've blown everything up in their minds, and judged themselves guilty. If they talked to one another, if they listened to each other, if they got out of their own heads and stopped assuming guilt, they wouldn't have such burdens. If a certain fan fiction writer didn't put her characters through all this angst... It's all your fault, Linda! Thanks for a great story. DJ Author Reply: Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed and interesting review.It is much appreciated. I am delighted that someone has noticed and thinks that this version of the story is better than on ff.net as I worked hard to polish it. The guilt and depression suffered by the characters made them see things in a distorted way. I had great fun writing the swimming scene and Legolas and the leaves.We have a problem in the UK with giant hogweed growing on riverbanks, which would cause a painful rash if touched. I admit it puzzles me why some of my readers blame Aragorn, who unlike MAhrod never intended harm to Faramir. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed the story.I am busy dreaming up plots to further torment the poor characters !

Someone	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/17/2006
It was such a great story! My favorite parts though were in the beginning,with the swimming in the river,the clothing crisis and the goats that caused it! I loved it and wish you luck with any other stories you are writing! Author Reply: Many thanks for your much appreciated review .I'm so pleased you enjoyed the story.The goats part was great fun to write. Thank you for your good wishes, I hope to post more stories soon and hope you will enjoy them.

Agape4Gondor	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/17/2006
The Steward nodded for by now he was almost accustomed to the humility of Aragorn’s ways. He could never have imagined his father performing such a lowly task even for Boromir. Would you look at the time!!!! 2am... I was going to read one chapter and then finish packing for my vacation... but I was so drawn into your story and so enjoyed the friendship of Faramir and Aragorn that I couldn't stop reading! Wish me luck in getting ready in just a few hours for a very long trip! I love it when some little phrase kind of knocks me for a loop - the one above about Denethor not performing such a task upon even Boromir surprised me - yet I felt it sounded real and possibly true! Thank you for sharing this tale! Agape Author Reply: Thank you so much for your much appreciated review.I am honoured and humbled that you should spend so many hours reading it ! I'm so pleased that you enjoyed the story and hope you will in future read more in the series,my personal favourites apart from this one.are "The White Tree" and " At the Rising of the Moon" ,both short stories. I wish you a safe journey and enjoyable trip.

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: Epilogue 2 on 3/16/2006
Well, it's been a long, interesting ride. It's good to see that some good has come out of this unhappiness for Aragorn and Faramir. They've really tested each other, and they have a bond of trust that's even stronger for what they've endured. I must say, your take on these characters -- Aragorn, Arwen, Faramir, Éowyn, and Éomer -- is an unusual one. Their emotions run very high and are very close to the surface at all times. They act on their feelings and then often regret their actions later on. There's something very medieval about that style of writing, I think. It's not realism, but it makes for a very compelling story, and it's a style of writing that people really haven't made much use of for a couple of centuries. Who's most guilty? Mahrod, of course. In fact, I think he's the only really guilty one, objectively speaking. Mahrod is the only character in this entire story who acted maliciously. The others acted impulsively, or did stupid things, and often made bad situations worse by doing so, but they did not do so with malice aforethought. I think that the only thing your canon characters could be guilty of would be bad judgement and hotheadedness. And those are hardly crimes. Author Reply: Thank you so much for your much appreciated review. I have read and enjoyed many medieval sagas, the Arthurian romances and Icelandic sagas, so maybe that shows in my writing. I'm pleased you have found the story interesting.

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