Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

In the Bleak, Cold Winter by GamgeeFest	8 Review(s)
Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 10/7/2006
So Merry has a crush, does he? Interesting. Someone before Estella and a professional lass too! I like it. Author Reply: I thought it would be interesting to explore the possibilities of Merry in other relationships before Estella. With Ella being decidedly unavailable at the moment, Merry needs to have someone to have fun with. I also thought it would be fitting for Merry to like older lasses, just as his father clearly did. And who better to catch Merry's interest than a 'professional' - not to mention extremely lovely - lass? He's attracted to strong women and Willow certainly knows her capabilities and how to use them to her best advantage!

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/4/2006
Poor Merry, being teased in that manner. She is enjoying herself, playing with his crush, although she could do worse, of course. He's steady, a Brandybuck and going to be THE Brandybuck one day, already is knowledgable about herbs, and has a reasonably good head, when lasses aren't deliberately playing with him, of course. And love the teasing and the details of the treatment. Author Reply: Merry's not being given much opportunity to get his hormones into check, is he? At least he's not worrying about Sam anymore! LOL Willow is rather enjoying herself, but she has been the recipient of Merry's flirting for some time now. She has obviously decided it was time to reciprocate, and up the ante while she was at it. :D

periantari	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/30/2006
The latest development between Merry and Willow is intriguing--lol. That subplot is quite interestingly written in here. I loved the details of Willow and Merry both kind of admitting that they're not seeing/interested in anyone...(well at least for Merry that is) The first part with Frodo and Sam---yes, rereading it really melts me once again. :) I love Frodo being there for Sam. There's so much Sam being there for Frodo in LotR, being that Frodo is so burdened down by the Ring that i very much enjoy the rare role reversal that we see. And the added bonus of having them both think about their dead parents and mom is great too. I think that is one thing that brings/bonds them together is the fact that they've lost such close family members. And i love your detail with the herbs and the cast! Bravo for a job well done in researching the medical parts. :) I was surprised in sedating Frodo too--i thought that he would be resistant to that, seeing that Frodo would probably want to be at Sam's side all the time. And being as stubborn as Sam is--i doubt that he would like to take in that nasty smelling/tasting concoction that Willow has prepared. :P And Merry/Willow development is indeed very interesting--how happy Merry is to having Willow exhibit some affection/interest. :) Can't wait for more. :) Author Reply: That subplot is quite taking over the story, lol! Merry and Willow are quite hopeless, really. But it will come back to Sam in the next chapter. :) I also enjoy stories where Frodo can be the supportive and strong one. He's had a rough time of it here so far, but he'll be improving now that he's had a decent sleep and doesn't have Sam crumbling to pieces before his eyes. I don't doubt that Frodo was just as protective and loyal to Sam as Sam is to Frodo. They are both equal in Frodo's eyes and he does whatever he can to help Sam on the rare occasions that Sam needs help. Though Sam was much younger when he lost his mother and can't really remember her too well, it is the one true way in which he and Frodo are connected. They both know what it is like to miss a parent. Sam still has his father and his older siblings, but he can share that lose with Frodo, something that no one else can really do. Researching the medicinal plants isn't very hard, since I have a large natural healing book that I use. Researching how to make a surgical cast was much harder (as was researching what lullabyes are supposed to sound like!) A lot of the stuff with the cast was really just guesswork. That stinky concoction is for Sam only. ;) The sedating tea was actually rather pleasant to drink, and both Frodo and Sam know better than to disobey a healer! Frodo wouldn't have won any protests, had he been coherent enough to think of one. I think flummoxed is the word to describe Merry at the end there! He really thought that putting all his attentions into a 'safe' crush with Willow was the answer to being passed over by Estella. Now he found out that Willow is interested back and he just doesn't know what to do about. :) (((Peri)))

Althea	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/28/2006
I just want you to know how much I am enjoying this story, especially your research into the use of herbs and their medicinal values. It is fascinating to think of how people in earlier times used years and years of collected knowlegde to use in the healing arts. I am glad that Frodo was away somewhere in draemland when Sam's ankle was reset. Poor Merry didn't know what he was getting into, but he handled the job very well. It seems that the next few weeks and months are going to be hard on everyone, especially Sam. I'm looking forward to finding out how he and his caregivers are going to cope with the cast and his limitations. Author Reply: We still use years and years of knowledge, we've just gotten away from the natural herbs that have been used for millenia, which is a shame I think. I love learning about natural remedies and trying to fit that into the hobbits' lives in the Shire. I can understand why Merry would find it to be somewhat mystical in origin, when really it's just centuries of trial and error or even accidental discoveries culminating into the 'everyday' knowledge that the healers now use in their trade. Frodo was nowhere near the mindset needed to endure watching Sam have his ankle reset. Now that he's rested and the current drama is over, he will be his usual self - just in time to help Merry with his drama! Such fun for Frodo. :) Thanks for reading, Althea!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/28/2006
Merry would make quite a good healer himself! Willow did well to realise that young Merry would make a far better assistant than the mature, but far more emotionally involved Frodo. And knocking Frodo out was a very sensible option! The flirtatiousness, on the other hand ... Well - we'll have to see where that goes! Author Reply: Emotionally involved and sleep deprived. Under ordinary circumstances, Frodo would have been far more in control of himself but the shocking news followed by Sam's unprecedented meltdown was more than he could take at the moment. It was best that he take a little nap. ;) And really, it was almost too much for Merry also but he had the lovely healer to distract him from his worries. The flirting is getting rather out of hand at this point! Those two crazy kids are getting quite beyond my control. ;)

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/26/2006
Oh this was a lovely chapter! You must have done a LOT of research for it! I love the way you show Merry's burgeoning fascination with herb-lore! The part with Sam and Frodo, Frodo's lullaby, and the way they spoke of their lost mothers was just lovely. And that lullaby was beautiful--was that your own, dear? And Miss Willow returns Merry's interest, apparently. Hmmm... I can't wait for more! Author Reply: I have an herbal of my own, so much of the research was just looking up sprain treatments. I had to do an internet search for the plaster cast but I could never find any specifics on the plaster is actually made after the gypsum is a powder, so I just took a best guess and hoped that it would sound plausible. The box is more or less my own creation also. I found one little line that mentioned broken limbs being placed in a box and the plaster poured in, but again, nothing as to the specifics. So a lot of guess work here - I'm glad it sounds authentic! I figure that after Merry's first unsuccessful attempts to grow his own herbs, he would have shied away from it but always remained partially interested. This is an excellent opportunity for that interest to be reignited, and it certainly helps having a lovely healer explaining it all! That lullaby tormented me. I knew I wanted one and at first I was just going to find one that was serviceable because I didn't know the first thing about lullabyes. My own mother never sang them to us and I'm really only familiar with a couple of the more silly ones. I finally found a sight that had audio links to some lullabyes and once I had a tune to go by and an idea of the sorts of things that lullabyes are usually about, it wasn't too difficult coming up with the verse. That is one of the reasons it took me so long to post this chapter, as I wanted to wait a few days before going back and rereading it so I would be better able to know what needed tweaking. Between that and the cast, this chapter was very research-heavy! The lose of their mothers is the one real thing that Frodo and Sam have in common and is really what cemented their relationship from the very beginning. Even though Sam was much younger than Frodo and doesn't really remember his mother, he still feels that void from time to time. Sam at least had older sisters to fill that role for him but it still isn't the same. Miss Willow does appear to have some sort of interest in Merry, which Merry was not expecting. Expect some Merry angst in the next chapter! :D

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/26/2006
Ooh, Merry! I don't think she is out to spare your blushes. He has learned a lot in a short space of time hasn't he? And I don't just mean about healing! Great chapter GF. Author Reply: No, she was probably keeping track of his blushes, counting every one! I wouldn't be surprised if she had a quota. ;) Merry is finding this little accident of Sam's to be very educational, in ways he would never have begun to imagine or think possible.

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/26/2006
That was great, GamgeeFest! I still can't stop giggling from that last "flirtatious" situation. Willow is wonderful!!! And poor Merry just doesn't know what to do with himself, LOL ;-) I loved the conversation between Frodo and Sam, and the singing of that lullaby. He was surprised to find that he had all but forgotten how lovely was Frodo’s voice, like a cool summer’s breeze, refreshing and carrying the memory of the warm, lazy day. Beautiful! I can hear him singing! But did he really stole that watch from Old Rory? Cheeky Baggins! And wise Rory! However, I think it was also wise of Willow to give that tea to Frodo. I don't know what he would have done, if he had seen how the healer manipulated Sam's leg. I'm looking forward to reading more, especially about Merry and the beautiful healer :) Author Reply: Willow is a charmer, and what's more, she knows it and knows how to use it! Merry better think quick if he wants to get out of this in one piece, key phrase there being 'if he wants to'. ;) My Merry always seems to be flummoxed by all these pretty lasses. He's completely cock-sure until he finds out that they return his interest, then he gets all tongue-tied and nervous. Silly Merry. :D I always enjoy quiet Frodo-Sam moments, especially when they talk about their mothers. It's the one thing they really have in common and is one of the reasons they have the friendship that they do. I'm glad you enjoyed the lullabye, as I was quite nervous about it. I've never attempted a lullabye before and know very little of them. I think I probably researched that just as much as I did the plaster cast! Yep, Frodo really did steal that watch. It seems Bilbo wasn't the last Baggins to steal a pocket watch (if you remember, he confesses doing so in "The Usual Suspects"). It's common for foster children to steal from their foster parents or other responsible guardians. It's some sort of internal reverse psychology. They're always afraid that they will be cast off, so they steal something, hoping to find out if their guardians are going to toss them onto the next caretaker or rather attempt to reassure them and keep them in their home. Rory was very wise to have done what he did, even though there was no way he could have known what was going through Frodo's mind. Willow's a competent healer and part of that is to be observant of all the people around her, not just the patient. She could see how exhausted Frodo was and that was first and foremost on her mind. She also knew that having to reset the foot, even just a little, would be painful and that it would only disturb Frodo further. As it was, Merry was nearly done in by it. While Frodo would have understood the need to do it and would have handled it well under normal circumstances, he was not in the head space needed to endure that.

Return to Chapter List