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A Matter of Honor by meckinock	16 Review(s)
perelleth	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 8/9/2006
Oh my! This was a tense if amusing chapter!THe back aching fox and the silent tracker of the swollen knee do play their role despite their old age! that was very amusing in a grim way! And I loved Halbarad's mixed reactions at discovering Hurin. pride and fear, both understandable. And of course, the cultural misunderstanding about "honor" Thankfully, they thought of hiding the girl first, and now they will surely have to run for it...The situation looks grim, and the heros are not in their best shape, but this makes it all more interesting! . Author Reply: Oh my! This was a tense if amusing chapter!THe back aching fox and the silent tracker of the swollen knee do play their role despite their old age! Well, you know, they're not 65 anymore. But they still look darn good. And you're right, they realize they are going to have to make a run for it. But you've already seen what happens when they try to... Happy Birthday, Perelleth!

The Karenator	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 7/1/2006
A low growl rumbled in the dog’s throat, his lip quivering to reveal sharp canines that flashed in the light like ivory blades. The horse barely cast him a glance. “Keep it down, shorty. I’m trying to think.” “You could put ribbons in your tail and still not be anything but a hayseed hacking out a third rate review that Flicka wouldn’t read.” The dog sat down and coolly ran his eyes over the big black stallion. “It’s my job to bust the ranger’s chops. I don’t take kindly to having my turf dug up by lacquered, pretty-boy hooves.” “I’m afraid you have no choice,” Dolroval said, not bothering to even cast a look in the dog’s direction. “The queen has requested my aid.” He looked at the dog then. “You do not want to upset her majesty.” The dog knew better than to ignore the woman with the food scoop. Her orneriness could cause him a lot of trouble if she wanted. The last thing he wanted to do was bow and scrap before his first bowl of kibble had settled. He liked it even less when a dandy horse had command of the keyboard. “Tell you what, elf-ride, you do what you say the queen wants. I’ll just take a little siesta over here until her greatness gets around to telling me. Then we’ll see who her pet is.” Ray’s Dog grinned, his teeth gleaming like a razor-sharp picket fence. “Me and the queen, we’ve been together a long time. You,” he said, “you’re just an accident, a rogue character that got too big for his harness.” Dolroval snorted and kept typing. “Pathetic little bum sniffer,” he muttered. The smile fell off the dog’s face like a Wham remake from the charts. “Look here, there’s no need to get your oat bag in a twist. Facts are just facts. I’m the dog. You’re not. Pretty simple concept. Even a tube of glue could put two and two together.” Ray’s Dog jumped up on the sofa, did a couple of turns, then stretched out to catch the breeze from the overhead fan. “Be sure to clean the blood up when her furiousness gets through with you. I hate getting my fur all sticky.” Dolroval snickered and continued to type. ****** The rangers, both less than hale, wiggled around the hill like two worms on a hot sidewalk. Their fist mistake occurred when they foolishly left their highly intelligent horses in a spot where the only members of this rescue team with a lick of sense could be of little assistance. The horses--firm believers in allowing the less clever to learn their own lessons--waited patiently for the rangers to come crawling back, begging for their aid. Fortunately, the horses were near enough to keep their ears tuned for trouble. Johnny Halbarad--often called ‘the PI’ by less scholarly sources--pointed out the lovely young lady held by the odiferous men of base criminality. Aragorn, a man with more names than a herd of pintos, had defied Halbarad’s instructions to do the smart thing and remain with the brilliant steeds, and joined Halbarad in watching the poor girl caught in the beer-swilling rabble’s web. There would be nothing simple about this operation, one conceived to free the young lady and eliminate the riffraff, but the two rangers, one of aching back and the other of swollen knee, agreed a nap would be in order prior to breaking a sweat. As luck would have it, complications far outnumbered the order of ‘the plan’. One could only hope for horse sense, but Halbarad’s youngest colt took it upon himself to barricade himself behind a swath of leaves and challenge the inebriated ruffians with threats of the Seventh Cavalry; imaginary reinforcements, it must be noted. The rangers’ thoughts of a nice snooze fell apart like Mr. Ed’s logic. That left them with little more guidance that to ask themselves the obvious question: What would Daisy do? Apparently, by their reckoning, she would blunder into the midst of an armed gang with more weapons than gray matter--though such thoughts about Daisy would be considered not only rude but bordering on blasphemy. But then, she hasn’t been quite the same since the unpleasant episode at the bridge. Pity, really. It’s considered quite the bad manners to speak of ‘the incident’. By the sheer dumb luck afforded to drunks and small children, the rangers managed to reduce the kidnapping, murdering scoundrels to sacks of dead manure. The girl was saved, but only because Aragorn (of many names) got so overexcited he lopped the head off one of the criminals in one fell swoop--an impressive act considering he still nursed an injured hand barely healed from his last encounter with undesirable elements. Some people do not ever seem to learn. The only sensible member of this swat team turned out to be the young colt, a delightful young man with enough sense to invite the horses to join them for counsel. An opinion was quickly rendered and the party—plus the lovely young maiden who seemed less than excited to be parading about in a torn frock—determined that a rapid exit from the locale would be most wise. Unfortunately, the destination left much to be desired. There was not one single accommodation suited for horses of such stature as those accompanying the rangers. In fact, the town of Tharbad only consisted of a name, a smattering of crumbling rock foundations, and few termite-eaten timbers protruding from the ground like weary hitching posts. Hardly a holiday resort. The young colt—a boy who turned out to be quite useful as well as bright--shown brilliantly as a connoisseur of range cuisine, a purveyor of delicious dumplings, smothered with hearty stew and garnished with delicate sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. No one thought to provide the faithful steeds with more than what they were able to forage from dried weeds and tough grasses long gone to seed. Oh, how the wise often suffer to provide guidance to the young. However, the torment was only beginning when suffering at the hands of the foolish. The rangers, not fully in control of their faculties after such a scrumptious meal, rode roughshod into the midst of a dangerous enemy bent on the barbarous institution of keeping cows. Not one single horse was noted in their paddocks. In fact, the enclosures were nothing more than pens. If the absence of equine sense was not enough, there were chickens squawking and pecking about the dirt yard they obviously considered a proper square. These were a people in dire need of a few good mares to teach basic hygiene. To further illustrate their lack of enlightenment, the strange people with cows, did not take kindly to the arrival of the mounted rangers who were towing in their wake the poor girl now wearing the unsuitable clothing of a man. How terribly tragic this lovely young lass should be a foal of such a backward culture. She was a bit on the silent side, but the horses had noted she was most respectful of their wisdom, leaving her fate entirely in their hands, showing this by repeating the phrase: “It does not matter.” This girl exhibited great potential. Pity, it was not observed by her thickheaded kin. If any of the rangers had bothered to inquire, the mounts could have told them that anyone who kept cows and chickens, for Eru’s sake, would not be the sort to concern themselves with silly little details like the girl had been terrorized by Freddy Kruger, and her family treated to a chainsaw massacre. Of course not. These men (and the fact that men were in charge was quite telling about this backward culture) had the audacity to pretend relief at the girl’s return only to propose turning her into cow food. And humans wonder why cows go mad. Fortunately, the ranger’s colt--the bright young chef--had been left behind to take counsel with the horses and to provide a rear guard. The rangers, now having imprudently blundered into a village with all the sagacity of the Hatfields and McCoys, could only hope the fast thinking horses would be able to extract them from this intolerable debacle. Their hope--indeed, the hope of all civilized beings--lay in the hooves of the erudite horses waiting with the delightfully intelligent boy on a hilltop, concealed in a most delicious variety of honeysuckle and young tender poplar trees, the leaves of which go particularly well with a dry red grape grown in the southern regions of Dorwinion. The sea air adds a nice crispness to the body of the grape that lends itself to being the perfect accompaniment to fresh greens, and provides just a hint of a bouquet reminiscent of summer flowers--a delightful combination when on patrol with a bevy of imbeciles. Unfortunately, no grapes clustered about the immediate area just waiting to be admired. Instead, the horses would simply have to save the day without the needed refreshment that comes from the fruit of the vine. Oh dear, what would these children of Eru do without a good horse? Child of Eru comment: Loved this chapter. Of course, I’m Hurin’s biggest fan, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to see his cooking skills. Thanks. That really made my day. Everything about this chapter was wonderful. It was full of excitement and terrific details that made the characters and the landscape come alive. The rangers have gotten themselves into a mess I’m not sure a horse could get them out of. Hopefully Hurin follows orders. Aragorn must have worried that something like this was going to happen for him to issue Hurin such an order. I’m sure in his travels, Aragorn has seen it all. He was a smart cookie to cover all his bases. I can’t wait to see what happens next. As always, an absolutely wonderful chapter! Gosh it was good. Author Reply: Hey, if it isn't the Elvish Mr. Ed, making fun of my Rangers! At least they got their girl back :-) I seem to recall a certain equine couldn't even keep one from disappearing from under his velvety nose. But I'm sure Elrohir's gotten over that by now. This was great, Karen. Thanks for everything.

obsidianj	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 6/29/2006
I love this story. You paint such a vivid picture of the landscape and the people. Your characters come to life and I love the relationship you develop between Halbarad and Aragorn. I hope you update soon, so that I can see how Aragorn will solve the riddle of his father and whether he can save the girl. Author Reply: Hi, Obsidianj, Thanks so much for your lovely comments. Knowing that I've been successful in taking you on a fun ride makes all the head-pounding worthwhile! I hope to not take so long to update this time.

Estelcontar	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 6/27/2006
What a gripping chapter. I really, really liked the way Aragorn and Halbarad worked together. "Under ordinary circumstances, a pair of Dúnedain could easily defeat a half-dozen men such as these, especially if one of them was Aragorn;" As I liked how with a few words you reminded us how deadly Aragorn can be. You showed us a born leader, capable of acessing a situation, the risks, and coming up with the most viable plan. As Aragorn had to be to survive 89 years of fighting Sauron under disguise, tramping around all over Middle-earth under his various aliases, and leading the Dúnedain of Arnor in their fight against such heavy odds. But he's stubborn too, isn't he? crawling around with a game knee, wielding a his heavy sword with a bad hand, etc, etc.. What would he do without Halbarad? They complement each other rather nicely, I think. I can't wait for the next chapter to see what Aragorn will come up with. Hopefully, we won't have to wait long. Author Reply: Hi, Estelcontar, You've touched on a lot of what I enjoyed exploring about Aragorn in this chapter - he's privately disgusted with his level of fitness but instead of dwelling on it emotionally, he simply catalogues it as one of the variables he has to compute. It's not about him; it's about getting the job done - like you said, coming up with the most viable plan. He's stubborn, yes, but not to self-gratify but because that's what it's going to take to accomplish his mission. That quality in him is what will get him to Mirkwood with Gollum and through the Paths of the Dead and on to the Black Gate. Even Halbarad, itching to mother-hen him, waited until they arrived at a place of safety. Glad you enjoyed this chapter - I'll try not to make it such a long wait this time!

Dot	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 6/27/2006
Except a fox’s lower back would probably not be aching quite so much after an hour of slinking, he reckoned. […] There was a rustling in the leaves behind Halbarad, and a series of muffled grunts. Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Not exactly shining examples of Rangerness, these two, are they? Still, they do have a fair old bash off the bad guys ;-) I liked the conversation between the two of them as they try to decide what to do. They’re not superheroes – they genuinely need to weigh up the odds and decide whether to take a risk or leave it and they wonder how they’ll manage when Aragorn isn’t at full strength and they don’t have appropriate weapons. I thought it was very interesting too how Halbarad’s experience is so different to Aragorn’s. I had never thought of it like that! But it makes sense. And what a horrible sight they came across in that camp. That poor girl. I thought one of the worst moments was when Malek, the brute, sliced her dress open. And it must have been hell for Aragorn and Halbarad to watch what he was doing to her. Garstic has such an unfortunate name. My brain keeps calling him Gastric. And oh my God, it’s Húrin!! And he’s all alone and completely bluffing about having them surrounded. He’s so brave. Halbarad did a marvellous job in restraining himself and letting his son do what he had to! In fact, he and Aragorn both manage to turn back into the skilful Rangers that they are once they have to. The whole scene was horribly tense. I just love how Halbarad treats Húrin – he offers him comfort, treats him as the man he is becoming and manages to let him go even while remembering the sensitive, gentle boy he was and still is inside. His pride is very clear – as is his love and that desire to protect him mixed with regret that he can’t. This line brought a lump to my throat: But now, he must help him to be a Ranger; to brutally ration his feelings just as he did his water and food and arrows, saving them for a place of safety. It really gives us such a poignant insight into the life that they lead. He looked down at the headless body of Garstic. I’m a little confused with all these people, but should that be Halig? I’m grinning at Húrin’s cooking skills. He obviously kept his word and picked up a few tips since his first patrol :-) I thought it was a lovely touch that they let Yenne sleep inside the shed while they slept outside. Húrin is very good with her. My heart went out to her when she said that it didn’t matter where she was taken – it seemed so hopeless and broken – but I never for a second guessed what might lie ahead of her. I thought you did a great job with the imagery of the Dunlending village – it felt very real. “The girl must die,” Dugaric said. ‘It is a matter of honor." Hang on, what did he just say?? Oh lord. Now how are Halbarad and the gang going to get out of this one? It sounds like Aragorn has some sort of a plan… right? Excellent chapter, Meckinock. It was shocking and tense and thoroughly engrossing. I hope you’re planning on taking some holidays from work so that we get to find out what happens soon ;-) Author Reply: Hi, Dot! For all that Halbarad was energetically rolling his eyes at Aragorn's huffing and puffing, the old chieftain still had a few tricks up his sleeve, didn't he? I got some kind of evil enjoyment out of reminding Halbarad he's not as young as he used to be, either. And I enjoyed war-gaming with them, and then making them throw out their carefully crafted plan on the spur of the moment. The comparison between Aragorn and Halbarad's life experiences sprang from Nilmandra's "Call Yourself Thorongil" as well as my own preoccupation with Middle Earth demographics. I didn't nail down Halbarad's number that he's managed to forget, but I figure it's somewhere between 10 and 20. Which is enough to have given him a healthy disdain for killing without making him quite as dispassionate about it as Aragorn. Garstic, Halig. Dang. You're the first one to catch that. Or at least, the first one to mention it. It's a sign you have too many OCs when you can't keep them straight, or so I'm told :-) I had to borrow Hurin's culinary leanings from Karen's story. I'd have done more with it but Nilmandra was bugging me to post the chapter already ;-) A matter of honor, indeed. I liked exploring how one word can mean such different things to different people. As far as a plan, Aragorn is just hoping right now that Hurin is as smart as he seems. Thanks, Dot. I don't know about the time off work but hopefully things will slow down some.

grumpy	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 6/27/2006
Ah brave, young Hurin, he is his father's son, and his mother's, because he can cook. I liked the moment when Halbarad took Hurin in his arms to reassure him, and found out that the lad is taller then him. I also like Halbarad's mothering of Aragorn's hand. All in all a very great chapter, I enjoyed every bit of it. Aragorn and Halbarad seen to be in a bit of a problem. Can you believe those men want to kill the girl.(of course you can, you wrote it) As if she has not been thru enough already. Men! Author Reply: Hi, Grumpy, I couldn't resist borrowing Hurin's vow to bring decent cuisine to the Dunedain from Karen's story. Glad you liked Halbarad him realizing Hurin was taller than he was; I have some friends who have experienced that firsthand so I enjoyed writing it! I can believe those men want to kill the girl because my inspiration was real life, unfortunately. But don't worry, Aragorn has a plan (sort of) Always great to hear from you, Grumpy!

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 6/26/2006
The poor girl, I wonder if young Hurin could reach out to her to help? I know such customs still sadly prevail in some places. I love the way you have Halbarad waver at killing in cold blood,poor Aragorn has seen too much in his long life. Do you mean "gammy" here "and not nursing a game knee." I always eagerly await your updates,the story is exciting and the characters are spot on. Author Reply: Hi, Linda, Hurin's a good kid. He'll try his best to help the girl, as long as she lets him. She's still very shaken up but he seems to have a way with people :-) Hmm. Sounds like a crossing-the-pond problem. I'll probably go in and change it so it's clearer. Thanks.

RS	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 6/26/2006
Yes! My two favorite Rangers are back!! One with a lower backache and the other making a lot of noise due to his injured knee and arm! The opening of this chapter just made me laugh--picturing these two! You sure know how to write creepy and evil. That poor girl. That whole scene freaked me out. Awesome job making me sweat bullets at the arrival of Hurin and getting out of that situation. I love the relationship between father and son. Very touching. I love the compliment Aragorn gave, "He's a very brave young man, with a heart of gold. I can easily believe he is your son but for the inexplicable quality of his cooking." Burst out laughing. I love their smartass remarks towards each other. "It doesn't matter." Very ominous words from Yenne. No wonder! "The girl must die."???!!! Great! Halbarad was right. This was a bad idea. I love the gesture of kneading the bridge of his nose. Let's see how they get out of this. I'm sure Aragorn already has a plan by his comment "..let's hope your son knows how to follow orders." Please hurry with the next update! Author Reply: Hi, RS, LOL about Aragorn and Halbarad sharing Ben-Gay. Maybe they're getting too old for that low-crawling stuff. I enjoy writing a mixture of humor, drama, and suspense, so I'm really glad to hear you mention that you enjoyed parts comprising all three. It reassures me that the mix is working, at least for one reader. Aragorn has a plan that covers the next fifteen minutes. After that, he'll be winging it. Glad you enjoyed :-)

fliewatuet	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 6/26/2006
Yay, an update! The story is taking one interesting turn after the other. First, they encounter a pack of Dunlending trouble makers, and then they run into trouble right within Dunlending territory, which is not a particularly brilliant idea of Aragorn, but I must admit that he has little choice unless he wants to abandon the poor girl to certain death. But it won't help him in his personal affairs either. May I hug Húrin, just for a little bit? Halbarad must be really proud of him, though I have the vague impression that he does not give his son enough credit. But that's probably a father's prerogative. Anyway. To take up with three armed Dunlendings, killing one in ambush and trying to trick the others into giving up? Not bad for one so young! Though it was good fortune that Aragorn and Halbarad where already lying in wait :-) Did I already mention that I really like your portrayal of Halbarad? I think I might have mentioned it once or twice ;-) Compared to him, Aragorn truly seems like cold-blooded bastard. I like it that Halbarad is squicked by the sight of murdered people and that he has qualms of killing men - even if they are by no way innocents - in their sleep. It also fits quite nicely with my picture of Aragorn that he does not share Halbarad's hesitation in that respect. Though I do wonder if he is just an excellent actor (which he must be, to some point, given the many names and disguises under which he has lived) or if his experiences have hardened him so. So, you can see, I enjoyed your latest chapter a lot (and it certainly has given me much food for thought) and now I wonder how they will manage to get away from the Dunlendings with their skins intact :-) Author Reply: You may certainly hug Hurin :-) Halbarad is extremely proud of him. I think he is afraid to show Hurin how worried he was. It was very lucky that Aragorn and Halbarad were there, I think. Even though Hurin was very brave, the odds were not in his favor. Did I already mention that I really like your portrayal of Halbarad? I think I might have mentioned it once or twice ;-) LOL. I'm kind of partial to the old boy myself. One of the things that inspired me to contrast Aragorn and Halbarad in this chapter was Nilmandra's story, "Call Yourself Thorongil." Aragorn is discussing with Gandalf that a life in Eriador as a Ranger is not going to prepare him for his destiny. It made me think that Halbarad had a very different life and to some extent a more sheltered one (if one can ever call the life of a Ranger sheltered) than Aragorn. I don't know if Aragorn is really cold-blooded, or if he's simply all about getting the job done. His mission was to save the girl and he calculated what he had to work with and came up with a solution. Cold calculation, but not necessarily cold-blooded, I think. Glad you enjoyed it, Fliewatuet.

daw the minstrel	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 6/26/2006
As always, I love Halbarad. He's heroic and down-to-earth at the same time, as he compares himself to a slinking fox, one with a lower back problem. And Hurin to the rescue! I loved his appearance. His father must have about died, but the kid did okay. That was a very exciting rescue scene. For reasons I can't explain, I really liked the way Halbarad murmured "Elendil" as he shot. His memories of Hurin's gentleness were so touching as he released him back into the cruel world. Aragorn is clever and brave. I hope Hurin knows how to follow orders too. Author Reply: a slinking fox, one with a lower back problem. LOL. Poor Halbarad. Have you tried crawling since you passed your 40th birthday? Believe me, you'll know what he was talking about! Halbarad really must have just died when he recognized Hurin's voice and realized what he was trying to do. If Aragorn and Halbarad had not been there, one of three things would have happened. Hurin would have surrendered and been killed, he would have fought and been killed, or he would have fought and won, but the girl would probably have been killed. Chilling for his dad to think about. I wonder if Halbarad ever asked him whether he was would have lain down his bow. I really wanted Halbarad to murmur, "Bingo," but of course that wouldn't have worked.

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