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A Matter of Appearances by Lindelea	7 Review(s)
demeter d	Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 9/7/2006
So good of the Rangers to spare Tolly as much as possible. Still, it is good for him to know as much as he can about the realities of the world of men. After the War of the Rings, many more peoples, for good or ill, knew about Hobbits then ever had before. Even with Aragorn's Edict, the Shire was no longer the hidden haven it had once been. And Sam is just being Sam. He is my favorite character of all the good professor's world. He has lost his innocence, but if anything has deepened his compassion and heart. To help to deal out that kind of a cruel death, even if the Ruffians "deserved" it, would make him like them. And that he would never do. It is good of Merry to comfort Farry about the fate of the young man who saved him. It would be nice if one or more of the Hobbits who had a good look at him had had skill in drawing people. Perhaps then his picture could be taken back to Gondor. It might have comforted a family grieving over a lost son to know that in the end he had re-discovered his humanity and protected someone helpless. His sacrifice is indeed reminiscent of Boromir's. I hope they make it back for the burial. I like the way one fan-fic author has the Edict being amended so that invited quests can be escorted in by Shire officials or their representatives. I think the appearance of King Elessar at the young man's memorial would have made quite an impression. i also enjoyed the image of "Strider" still watching over his friends! Author Reply: You know, I don't think Sam expected Tolly to ask for the Easterlings' solution; he was merely giving the ruffians some food for thought on the journey to the Bounds, in attempt to make them as uncomfortable as possible. He let the punishment go forward, for Tolly was the Thain's representative after all, but I think he was turning over in his mind just how to extricate themselves (all of them, ruffians, Rangers, and Shire-folk) from the situation the whole time he and Tolly were sitting by the fireside. And finally there was nothing for it but to speak the truth, plain and unvarnished. And thankfully Tolly is not such a hard-headed Took as to stubbornly maintain the path he's chosen, all the way to the end, but can listen to reason. And as for the Edict--I keep finding ways to stretch that thing. It is a most inconvenient device. I have given three Men and their families passes to allow them entrance to the Shire, and made Bergil a hobbit (adopted by Sam's family), and even had Pippin extend permission to the King to visit, under special circumstances. O yes, and the King and his Men may enter the Shire on emergency. Um. Sounds like a leaky sieve to me. But for the most part, Elessar tries to honour the Edict. Whew.

storyfish	Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 9/4/2006
Very nice! I love the warm images that end this chapter--Pippin sleeping with his son and Nell and Ferdi and babe--parents and children reunited. I'm breathing a sigh of relief now, and I'm sure they are too. What's left is just ceremonies--I'm looking forward to reading about the coming naming day and the young ruffian's funeral. :-) Author Reply: How nice to have your reviews! I'm glad you're settled in. It is amazing to me that summer's over. Where did it go? There's one more chapter after this of loose-end-tying, and then you're right, ceremonies and celebrations to follow. (And that's the part I like best.)

cookiefleck	Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 9/2/2006
This chapter was a good companion piece to the darkness of the last one. Sam spoke wisely and with heart, as usual. Excellent, thank you. Author Reply: You're welcome, and thanks for dropping a note! A little more darkness, in the next chapter, but then we (finally) leave the ruffians behind. All but the young ruffian, for he has yet to be honoured. But no more grisly stuff, thankfully.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 9/2/2006
I rejoice that Sam didn't let it go on longer. This was bad enough. Sam knows what he's doing, and knows the brawny man isn't likely to change his ways if he hasn't in all the times he was given chances before. Farry is healed and back to being a lad looking to feel important and dashing; Pippin has his lad back; Strider is once again sitting by a fire watching over Hobbits; and Nell and Ferdi have their lives back and a beautiful daughter to name. And the young boy has the honor in death he didn't have the chance to know in life. Author Reply: Sam is a lot wiser in the ways of Men than likely Tolly will ever be. And yes, all the rest is true, and things are back to being right with the world. And are you in town now? We got back very late from friends' house, but had a lovely picnic on a mountain-top today and a great discussion over coffee afterwards.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 9/2/2006
Oh, Sam, I love you! He's taking such good care of Tolly. And poor Tolly--Pippin gave him a mighty big responsibility, but really, with Farry in such danger, he'd no choice but to delegate it. And Tolly's dealing with it like a trooper. And poor little Farry, at least now he knows how things truly went for the nameless youngster who helped him. And with his father and his uncle watching over him now, he should begin to feel safer. And I loved this: only Elessar remained awake, smoking his pipe and staring into the fire. That wasn't Elessar, was it? That was Strider, watching over his hobbits... And I really loved the tender interlude with Ferdi and Nell, and the image of them together at the end. Author Reply: I do love Sam, very practical hobbit that he is. Got his head on straight. And Tolly... very brave Took, indeed, for Pippin to trust him with this commission. Yes, it was Strider. And yes, I love to imagine Nell and Ferdi together, when all is well (or at least trending that way.) Thanks!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 9/2/2006
Now Red - I don't think even registered why anyone would find his begging ironic. He is a unique case - to himself at least. One who should be able to do what he wants without bearing any penalty. Brawny, on the other hand ... I think he did acknowledge that what he had done was wrong. He knew he deserved the penalty - even if he would have been quite happy to evade it. But he didn't pretend or have an insincere point-of-death repentance. I think maybe, somewhere deep inside him, there is that young man rescued by the kindness of a wandering conjuror, who finds the man he became a revolting perversion of what he was intended to be. Interesting that he should have been so familiar with the Shire and not affected by the generous kindness of the Shirefolk. Most of those who came in during the Troubles could see them as non-human Shire-rats - but how could he, who had experience of their real natures? Sam is wise and kind-hearted as well as being able to act as judge. The ruffians' eventual death is kinder on all of them, not just the villains themselves - and he had the courage to make the decision. Poor Tolly. Good thing he's going home to his family. I'm glad Farry can look on the Tooks' arrows as a kindness to the young ruffian who laid down his life to protect the young hobbit. (A bit like putting down a horse with a broken leg!) It's not as if the boy had much of a future ahead of him. And poor Ferdi will have to give up banging his head - it's not doing him any good! Although the reconciliations with Nell seem to offer him a great way to recover his strength. A pleasant ending - presaging still happier events. Or so I hope. Author Reply: I think you're right about Brawny, and I think that Sam was right to shield Tolly from the worst, even if he was the one to put the Easterlings into Tolly's head... Poor Tolly, still quite innocent in his thinking, to be unfamiliar with the possibility of an insincere apology. He'd already let two ruffians off scot-free, I think, because either they deceived him or they were genuinely repentant for having strayed into the Shire (Which of those do you think it was?). (Though if the brawny man had been one of them, he'd have recognised him, I think, and turned him over to the Rangers without compunction. He never quite forgave Brawny for being in the batle at Bywater, where so many hobbits were struck down.) I'm not all that comfortable with the idea of mercy-killing, but if it comforted Farry to see it as mercy in the face of inevitable agonising death, when the young ruffian had already made his peace, then it was the right approach for Merry to take. I forgot to put it in the chapter, but Pippin was thinking of Boromir. I hope I remember to put it in the next chapter. I'm not on my computer, so I can't just open the story file and jot a note there to that effect. Pardon my thinking aloud here, but if I read reviews before typing in the next chapter there'll be a hope that it gets in. Poor Ferdi. I think he ought to wear a helmet of some sort. Don't you think? He was going to ask Nell how he banged his head this time, but the words failed him. Author Reply: Interesting that he should have been so familiar with the Shire and not affected by the generous kindness of the Shirefolk. Most of those who came in during the Troubles could see them as non-human Shire-rats - but how could he, who had experience of their real natures? I forgot to address this, though it struck me, reading it, and was the first thing I meant to answer. The problem is that he'd been so dehumanised by the company he kept. You see, he saw all their victims this way, men, women, children, hobbits... because otherwise the orders the fat man gave him would have been unspeakable, unthinkable. Yes, he got to know the Shire folk in Robin's company, that summer, but that gave hobbits no more special protection in his eyes than the children of Men would have had. Truly horrible. I remember reading about guards in the death camps tormenting and murdering all day long and then going home to their wives and children. "Did you have a hard day, sweetie?" "Just another day at work, hon. What's for dinner?" (shudder) I don't know how men can look at other people as objects, but somehow they can be brought to it. I don't know if it's ever recoverable, either, short of some sort of supernatural healing of their minds and hearts. Have you ever read the first chapter of Proverbs? We were reading that yesterday, and it struck me, how apt it was, applied to the brawny man and the young ruffian (and who knows, perhaps the fat man, and even Red once upon a time, though I think Red was born twisted, the sort to pull the wings off flies and torture kittens or pups).

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 38 on 9/2/2006
I am glad that you have balanced the beginning of this chapter with the ending Lindelea. At least I can go eat breakfast without a problem! :) And the ruffians received the Thain's and Kings mercy after all. I quite agree that their imaginings were a great punishment. Author Reply: O I'm glad you could eat your breakfast! Whew.

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