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The River by Indigo Bunting	23 Review(s)
Ariel	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/8/2006
See, this is what happens when you read offline (which I do almost exclusively), you forget to review the good stories when you get back online! This worked well. The story line continues to be compelling and it seems that you have tightened up your narration enough so that it flows beautifully even in a mostly narrative chapter! Good job! You seem to have made excellent use of the critiques people have given you, and WE get an excellent (and steadily improving) story out of it! And POOR MERRY! I knew you were going to leave us hanging! LOL! Write more soon! Author Reply: I’m glad you liked it, Ariel. To be honest, it’s hard to keep all the new things I’ve learned about writing in mind when I’m actually doing the writing. I have to try and remember them when I’m editing. Things that looked fine the first time around can read very poorly upon a straight re-read. Yes, poor Merry. I think everyone and their brother saw that coming. :)

Aya_Shoru	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/6/2006
oh that was sooooo good please update again i really want to read more of this. Author Reply: Thanks! I will update as soon as I can, although it won't happen as often as I would like. I am extremely busy at work right now and am working some very long hours, so I don't have a lot of time to write, but I do work on the story as often as I can.

Nightwing	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/3/2006
Oh, was I delighted to see this new chapter! I really adore this story. You do such a good job with the individual POVs, and I thoroughly approve of the way you take your time with the quiet moments of character exploration. Their thoughts, observations and movements all receive attention, and I am loving every minute of it! The Fellowship members are all so different, all so interesting, it must be great fun to explore them. A good fic should never be rushed simply to get to the next bit of action. So we have a chilly on-edge Pippin doing his best to stand guard and not let the Fellowship down, but the unending hunger of a Hobbit proves a difficulty! Your imagery is excellent: "in his imagination the shadows took the shapes of Men, tall and fell, coalescing among the boulders with lengths of steel in their hands." Beautifully worded. The character explorations give us such a nice look at our friends: the way Aragorn always wakes first, seeming in little need of sleep, the comments about Legolas' strange deep sleep as his body concentrates all of its effort into healing to the point where all else is shut down, Gimli's sense of fairness - no jokes at the Elf's expense until he can respond to them, Frodo staying right next to Sam, anxious and yet with his hand on his weapon, anger simmering. I think, come the final confrontation, Frodo just might get a few licks in after what the baddies have done to his dear friend. He's not going to let Garan hurt Sam again. Oh, and I loved the retelling of how Legolas was found. The Elf thinks fast, keeps his wits about him. Even at the last moment, badly injured and losing consciousness, he shoved his good arm into the downed tree in hopes it would hold him and keep him from going under. Good demonstration of perserverance and smarts, when another would have spiraled into panic or simply given up the fight for life. Sigh... yes, I am hopelessly in love with Legolas, and you write him so beautifully in this story! Perfectly executed segue, having Pippin dozing, thinking of wonderful food, to being wakened by Merry. No need for a scene change! Poor Sam, I feared he would take sick. He will need rest and medicines, not the stress of winter camping and being attacked by murderers. Poor little guy, he feels so conflicted about the role he played during Legolas' fight with the Men. His reluctance to surrender all the details about their captivity and Garan's methods, and what the intentions were for Legolas once he was in Saruman's hands, intrigues me. I'm not certain of his reasons for silence - perhaps it is just too upsetting to talk of just now - so I'll have to wait (just like Pippin) and see what that is all about. I'm very glad that Gandalf was able to reassure Sam that he had not revealed too much to Garan. Oh cool beans, we're in trouble now! Garan and his fellows are a sneaky bunch, I never thought they'd get that close! Merry is grabbed, Aragorn may be too injured to fight (horrible jolt to the head, not good), Pippin cannot find his sword, so already the group's ability to fight is compromised. It is obvious that Garan's presence jolted Legolas out of his healing sleep, and the Elf will do what he can against his enemy, but he won't be at his best. Gah! What happens now? I eagerly await the showdown! This is, in every respect, a fantastic story! Author Reply: The Fellowship members are all so different, all so interesting, it must be great fun to explore them. Indeed, it has been. One of the great joys of this story (for me) has been to delve into the characters’ heads and speculate on how they react to what is happening and to each other. Legolas and Sam have been particularly enjoyable; I would say that their relationship has been uplifting to write. The fact that the Fellowship is such a mixed bag of people is one reason, I think, that Tolkien’s books are so beloved. Here we have five races (counting Gandalf) standing together against evil, succeeding against all odds, and becoming brothers along the way. And they are all so different from each other! They each come with their own baggage – past experiences, prejudices, hopes, fears, dreams…. Yes, they do fuel the imagination. Glad you liked the story of how Aragorn found Legolas. I think he’s showed by now that he’ll fight, quite literally, until his last breath. As for me, my favorite image in that short story was that of Aragorn and Gimli shimmying out on the fallen tree, over the water, to drag Legolas back to shore. I like the idea of the two of them working together, and I also like the idea that one could not have managed it without the other. Ah, teamwork in the Fellowship – I love it. Sam’s getting the next chapter, so you can bet he’ll do plenty of brooding over just what it is that’s bugging him. You’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head: he’s very conflicted about his role in the fight. Killing just isn’t done in the Shire. It’s not a part of Sam’s world at all, and even though he felt it necessary to stop the Men at any cost… now that it’s over, he can’t resolve the conflict. He fears what the other hobbits will say when they find out (Frodo most especially). Of course, they already know, but he doesn’t know that. Yes, it was definitely Garan’s proximity that woke Legolas up. I thought that he and Sam might somehow be sensitive to him; Sam knew that he was there as soon as Legolas did. Bill knew it, too, but Merry just couldn’t react in time. Even with his sharp hobbit-eyes, he couldn’t see him (and there is a reason for that). Garan is tricksy, yes he is, Precious. (Okay, that Gollum-speak isn’t a hint or anything. It was just fun to do.) :)

Wantanelf	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/2/2006
What a pleasant surprise to see this update. I've been with you from the beginning. Sorry I haven't reviewed more often. Today I went back and reread some parts to refresh my memory. You have some wonderful elements. I think you capture the different characters very well. The suspense continues to build. I'm looking forward to more. Keep the chapters coming. Thanks! Author Reply: Thanks, Wantanelf. :) It’s very nice to know that you’ve been here since the start and that you like the story. All the characters in the Fellowship have been intriguing to write (even Gandalf, I suppose, although the process of writing his chapter was like pulling teeth). I will certainly keep these chapters coming until the story reaches its conclusion. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!

Sarah	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/2/2006
yay, an update :D Been waiting for this one for some time now, and now it's finally here! :D happy I hope that you will update soon again, cause I can barely wait for the next chapter :) Author Reply: Yes, I know this update took a while to arrive. I never want it to work that way, but it usually does. I will try and post again as quickly as I can. I don’t think many people know this, but even though eight weeks can pass between postings, there’s never a time when I’m not working on the story in some way, shape or form. Sometimes the words just pour out of me; that’s when the bulk of the chapter gets written. When that’s not happening I’m constantly re-reading my writing, changing words and improving paragraphs. I also do this when I’m picking up again in the middle of a chapter. It gets me back into the right frame of mind and helps avoid repetition. There’s usually a mood at the core of every chapter, a reason for the central character to act/feel the way he does, and all the descriptions I write of that character’s emotions have to fit.

Silvae	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/2/2006
I'm so glad you took up this story again, I love it! And now poor old Strider gets a slice in the jugular and Merry gets offered an extra-close shave... Will the Fellowship deal with Saruman's thugs as "effectively" as Legolas did? Great job! Silvae Author Reply: Oh, don’t worry – I never put the story down, not really. Every now and then it has to sit for a while when I get stymied. It’s amazing how long it took for me to get from the end of Sam’s speech to the end of the chapter. I just couldn’t make it happen. But I finally got there, and now I can move on to the next chapter at last!

Elflingimp	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/2/2006
Well Ive just found your story and Ive read thru the whole thing in two days! It must be a record. It has made me laugh and cry I have gotten so into it,what a ride and now they are in trouble again? and I have to wait,(which I will)this is one of the best, it has put me thru many emotions,I love it Cant wait for more!(help Im a fanfiction junkie!) Author Reply: Wow! Does this story really take that long to read? Well, I suppose it might – chapters 1 through 14 take up 138 pages in Word (TNR, 10-point font). It’s become a novel of its own, and I never noticed. I’m so glad you’ve had such a good time reading it. I love finding a good story to sink my teeth into. In this story, I have tried to write what I wish I could find more of. I will do my best to update as quickly as possible, though I’m sorry to say that lately it’s been about two months between chapters. I think this chapter may come more quickly than that, though. I’m eager to write the end of the conflict. Hope you like it when it comes!

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/2/2006
Too late last night to leave a review and now too late for work to send a long one.... Loved it that Sam gives the short version of the story but a fuller account might actually have been more useful to Aragorn and Gandalf. Silly Merry - listen to all your companions, especially the four-footed ones! Author Reply: I think Sam gave the Fellowship the most important information as soon as he was revived – that there were four Men left, one of them was a sorcerer, and they would be doing everything they could to finish what they started. Sam was victimized by them, a grave indignity, and he is reluctant to talk about it. Of course, he’s even more reluctant to talk about the fight on the clifftop because of his own role in it. Hobbits are not violent creatures, after all. And yes, Merry should have listened to Bill, although he’s not really to blame for what happened to him. He wasn’t far from the shelter, and Bill wasn’t all that worked up until just before Merry was seized. There is a reason that the hobbits’ sharp eyes didn’t see that the Men were near (which will be explained in the next chapter). I’m glad you’re continuing to read and enjoy the story!

Dairwendan	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/1/2006
I am SO glad to see more of this! I truly love it! Thanks! Author Reply: Thank you very much! Your enthusiasm is really encouraging to me.

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 14 on 9/1/2006
This is a truly well-thought story. I enjoyed Pippin's POV in this chapter and all his daydreams about food. It reminds me of when Bilbo dreamt of breakfast in The Hobbit. :) His feelings of being exposed to spying eyes while at the river was quite real and understandable. I'm not surprised that Sam glossed over all of his own accounts of the attack. He would not consider what he did to be heroic and while he knew it was necessary and he has no real sympathies for those that died, he would still be abhored by his actions. He is not a warrior and to draw blood, even in defense, is not natural to him. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually supresses it to the point that he cannot recall it as it really happened later on. I loved all the details you put in here, they really bring every chapter to life. Frodo's close vigilance of Sam is endearing. The master is just as protective of the servant, something I think too many people overlook. And what a way to leave us hanging. I hope Merry takes this lesson to heart - always pay attention to what a startled and panicking pony is trying to tell you! I sincerely hope the next chapter isn't too far off. Author Reply: Out of all the reviewers, you have made the most accurate assessment of what’s bugging Sam. You are completely right. He has drawn blood - done murder, as it seems to him – and he isn’t able to come to terms with it. Replaying the scene in his head, he doesn’t know what he would have done differently, but he still can’t make it seem right. Because of all this fear and doubt, he is terrified that the others will find out what he’s done and judge him for it. He doesn’t realize that they all think he did a very brave thing. What Pippin can’t understand is why he is so reluctant to talk. If he knew better what Sam went through before he was ready to kill, he might see more clearly. Glad you liked Frodo’s protectiveness of Sam. Frodo is more reserved than Sam is, but he feels great affection for him, I think, and that love and friendship can shine through at a crucial moment. Sam really needed someone sticking up for him even as Gandalf needed to get him to start talking. Really, I think it is better for Sam to at least have made a start. He can’t keep all those dark truths bottled up forever.

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