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Second Mum by Larner	13 Review(s)
Antane	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 6/24/2007
Merry's letter was very nice, so responsible, and loving of his Frodo. I do hope it did happen this way - that he was able to warn his parents and the four of them didn't just disappear. Love most though that Esme was aware of Frodo on the Quest and at the Fire and the sight and dialogue of the Western Shapes - Valar or Maia I assume? - was very interesting. Namarie, God bless, Antane :) Author Reply: I've always thought that some means of advising their parents that those accompanying Frodo out of the Shire would have been tried, and such delayed letters so no one was likely to ride out to Bree after them seemed the most likely means of notification; and Merry is the one of the three with the most forethought as far as thinking beyond the quest itself. So it appeared to me that his letter would try to tell the most without actually giving things away. Baylor once wrote a story in which Merry speaks to Saradoc about the probability that he will be leaving with Frodo, impressing his father with the concern and forethought he displays, and so I added in the hint of the talk that the two of them had in the barn that morning, just before the four of them disappeared into the Old Forest. Had one been able to See Frodo just after he and the Ring claimed one another, what would they have perceived? Frodo had a great deal of willpower, we know that; would the Ring perhaps have considered him as Its new Master? How would it have remade him? So I found this image of Frodo as the Lord of the Ring, with the Ring Itself seeking to crown him with power unmentionable, utterly corrupting him once It was done--only It was interrupted before It could complete the process. Yes, the greater Western Shape is Manwe; I'm still undecided myself as to who the other Shape might have been, whether Eonwe or another of the Valar--perhaps even Este. But at that point the Ring needed to be removed from Frodo immediately--there was certainly no time for subtlety in its removal. A most terrible but necessary of amputations.

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 6/7/2007
It must have been very hard for those left behind to wait and wonder. Author Reply: It must have been very difficult--I'll agree with you there, Linda. And since Tolkien didn't tell us about what "really" happened in most of the Shire during the time we get to fill in the blanks.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 6/3/2007
You managed to describe the time the Travellers were away from Esme’s POV very well, highlighting some events to explain what happened in the Shire – Lotho and his crooked contracts, the Men turning up and taking over, the dark sky, all that. I remember Maggot knew Tom Bombadil, so it is plausible they got some news about the lads by way of Maggot. Though I am not sure if it was reassuring ... and the same goes for the news from Bree. Seems I have a bad character – my favourite part was the way Saradoc told Marco Smallburrow off. That was truly fun! They did a great job in preventing him and his precious Lotho to take over too much :-) The Bucklanders did a great job in keeping the ruffians out. After these bits of foresight it was no wonder Esme was so much more understanding than her brother and sister-in-law. She must have realised she saw something that truly happened, and I think it gave her a bit of an idea what Frodo went through. Look forward to her first glimpses of her lads and what she is thinking then. Oh, and Sara and Esme dancing in the end was a lovely image. Author Reply: I wrote a long response to this yesterday, just in time for Hughes to go offline again! Now to try again. For those left behind who cared for our lads, that thirteen-month period where they were gone must have been very difficult to deal with, and for Esme, with three of her lads she loved dearly and Frodo's special friend missing and knowing her brother and his wife were also terrified it must have made it worse. Esme's already overheard Maggot speaking with two Big Folk; she probably guesses who the source of his information this time might be. And I do believe Goldberry would nudge Tom to pass on word that the last they knew the four of them were alive and well and getting on with things. And if there were indeed individuals originally from Bree living in Brandy Hall I'd think that before the gates went up their relatives have done their best to make certain they were okay, and again they'd bring news that might or might not be reassuring. I doubt it's having a bad character that makes both of us like seeing Marco getting what he well deserves when seeking first to connive and then to intimidate the current Master and Mistress--folk like that need to be caught out and given a reality check from time to time, after all. And I'm certain that Sara would have been as effective in his way as Paladin's folks in theirs of keeping Lotho's at bay, particularly with the advantage of having the river as a natural defense, The moments of insight must on one hand have been reassuring; but on the other frustrating as she has no idea what she's seeing or its meaning, although the one of the coronation must have been very reassuring and moving. And once they knew their lads were back, apparently safe and whole, and were actively seeing to it the bad times were over, they must have overwhelmingly wished to dance with joy. So glad you, too, feel it's right.

Armariel	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 6/2/2007
Yay! They're baaaackkk!!! What a harrowing time for the shirefolk, the dark time from their pov.....Wow, is that Lotho mean or what! And those ruffians in the hazel thicket really got it! Whee!! Esme must have really been through it. Got more than she bargained for. But at least Merry did leave a letter. ~~~{~@ Author Reply: Yes, in my view the conspirators did leave letters, although the Gaffer never got his. I don't think they would have left their families totally without an idea as to why they felt it necessary to leave, after all. The question as to why Lotho was moved to try to make himself dictator of the Shire has always been one to bother us; and if it was to take all recognition to himself, then how would he be likely to feel about those who have not only inherited more authority and prestige than he himself carried, but who obstructed his own attempts to wrest all authority to himself? I bet he was big-time furious, and willing to punish them as he could. As for Saruman--I think he would have wished to get Frodo into his own hands on his return, and believe he wouldn't be above taking hostages to force Frodo into allowing it. Thanks so much for the comments.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 6/2/2007
Maggot's ... 'friend' sounds a useful person to know. And the Forest doesn't sound much worse a danger than hanging around Crickhollow when the Black Riders come a-calling. Not that that makes the situation any less worrying for those left at home. Clever Frodo - giving power of attorney to Saradoc! What a sensible thing to do. Enough to get rid of Marco, anyway! Esme's foresight is useful - although if she didn't really know what was going on, it might not have been that encouraging! Mind you - the other vision was more positive. Nasty ruffians. They got rather too close there - but not for long. Author Reply: I can't see Tom thinking of Old Man Willow as being all that dangerous--more a hassle that needs to be dealt with than something to truly worry about. And you're certainly right that what our lads went through their wasn't anywhere as nasty as what they'd have faced had they had three to four Black Riders confronting them. Everyone seems to feel the concentrated evil of the Nazgul, while Old Man Willow, once reminded of his place, spits them out obediently and goes grudgingly back to sleep, and the Wight just needs the application of a Dunedain knife and a bit of stomping (and daylight) to put him right. I think that Bilbo and Frodo probably learned from Bilbo's first adventure--had Bilbo had provisions made for a POA that first time Otho and Lobelia wouldn't have been able to try to take over Bag End at the time; felt that as legalistic (in its way) as the Shire is that Will would have looked at such a document and just signed it, shaking his head over "Those Bagginses--always planning for everything. Isn't that just like them?" And to find a trip to the hazel thicket has become potentially dangerous would have been a shock; but wouldn't there be at least a few archers amongst the Buckland Hobbits as well as the Tooks? They do live there by the Old Forest, after all. And by the time Sharkey was there, chances are he was thinking in terms of trying to get control of Frodo somehow, and using someone else to do so seemed likely. Thanks for the comments--you know I appreciate them!

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 6/1/2007
They’re back! Merry, Peregrin Took, Sam Gamgee, and our Frodo--they’re back! What a terrible year for Esme and all the Shire hobbits! But now the travellers are back and I like it very much that Nilo spoke of "our" Frodo. That shows the respect that is given Frodo in Buckland. And despite the fact that he lived in Hobbiton for many years before he left on his quest, they still consider him a Bucklander! I really like that! Maybe I've already told you, but I very much appreciate that Merry left his parents a letter. I consider that as very likely. I don't care if it isn't mentioned in the books. It's what books are for in the end - to kindle our imagination, to let us fill the gaps in a story or write new ones. Why didn't Tolkien tell us about Frodo's hair and eye color? The answer is quite simple: to leave it to our imagination! (BTW, the new German translation of LotR translates "fair" into "blonde", which I don't believe, but that is a different matter...) Thank you very much, Larner! I'll be on holiday for some time with no internet access. I will catch up with this story as soon as possible. Author Reply: "Fair" can mean fair-haired, with blonde to light-brown hair; or it can mean fair-skinned, one of the paler shades, or fair to look at. As we know that Frodo had brown hair (remember the brown mat the folk at the Prancing Pony came up with to mimic Frodos hair when making the dummy figures to put into the beds in the room they'd been assigned), we don't know what SHADE of brown, although it appears it was a particularly striking brown for them to seek out a mat to match it. So, it might have been particularly dark or particularly light or have a golden or silver highlight to it--but we know it helped make him stand out somewhat from the others. That "fairer than most" I've decided means "fair to look at" and probably indicated a particularly pale skin. As Elves tended to have golden, silver, or dark hair for the three strains Tolkien describes, I decided sticking with the Elijah Wood look fit well, as the Fallohides tended to be identified with Elves, and we are reasonably certain Frodo had a fair amount of Fallohide in his genetic makeup. With the striking dark hair he'd end up being identified with the children of Luthien rather than the Elves of Lorien, I'd think, and I rather like keeping that identity myself. And I agree--Frodo spent much of his formative years in Buckland, and they would rejoice to see both their sons return, I think And I believe our particularly responsible Merry would have let his parents know at least something about what was up.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 5/31/2007
What a summary of a truly horrible year! Poor Esme, three lads whom she loves dearly--her own son, her foster son, and her favorite nephew, all missing. She's had her hand in the raising of each and every one of them. And while she had no such hand in Sam's life, she still knew him for a friend of her own children. How dreadful to wonder and worry, and yet also have to deal with the deteriorating situation in the Shire. I loved the means the Bucklanders used in order to keep the Men out--so very detailed and practical and thorough--in other words very Brandybuckish LOL! And now, the lads are back, and we come full circle... Author Reply: I suspect that the Brandybucks indeed planned for the defense of their lands as best they could, and undoubtedly it's from them Frodo inherited his own tendency to plan as well as he did, particularly once he became deputy Mayor. And, yes, there were three she knew and loved dearly and one she had reason to know the lads respected missing; and all must worry as to where they went and what might be happening to them; and if the Tooks DID inherit a bit of the second sight, how might it have manifested itself, particularly during that time? Those thirteen months must have seemed a veritable lifetime to those who must live through them with little idea as to what was going on. But you're right--now they're back--only not unscathed.

elanor winterflowers	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 5/31/2007
A terrific chapter--I so enjoyed reading! And I found myself both surprised and pleased to know that Merry had left a letter. Back in the day before people I knew then got serious about filling in the gaps, I remember vigorous arguments being brought to discussions about whether or not those left behind knew anything of the Travellers' fates as the year wore on. People were, for the most part, casually willing to suppose that the four of them just disappeared and nobody made a fuss of it--because it wasn't in the book. For myself, though, I couldn't imagine the families passing the year with no news; I always thought it would have been a grinding ordeal, and most especially for the Great Smials and Brandy Hall, whose sons were only sons and Heirs. Your story adds the dimension of the Hall's love for Frodo, which makes it all the more devastating. A wonderful example of the power of vignettes. Perfectly plotted and charactered and, as usual, brimful of enough detail to convince me you live there, and have done forever. Who are you, really? :) Author Reply: I don't quite understand the psychology of those whose complaint is, "But it doesn't say that in the book." I've received that more than once on one site where my stories are reviewed, in fact. Well, if it says the end result happened but doesn't tell you the details as to the particular situation that led to that result, can't we, as individuals seeking to fill in the blanks, do so at our own discretion with a degree of license to create circumstances that fit within the constraints of the times and peoples involved as much as we've been allowed to see? I mean, that makes great sense to me, but not to some others. And on occasion I laugh when someone says that to something that isn't touched on in LOTR itself but is covered in the Appendices or Tolkien's letters and so on. Had a couple people inform me that there was no way Merry and Pippin had any idea as to the Elves' knowledge of the nature of the Undying Lands and Tol Eressëa, in spite of the fact these were friends with Legolas; Sam and Pippin at least had had access to Bilbo's translations of Elven writings, histories, and legends; Merry did research in Rivendell's libraries; and all had the chance to ask questions of Elrond and Galadriel during their journey north from Gondor and later were able to consult with Aragorn and Arwen, the twins, Glorfindel, and Celeborn and any other Elves they might meet over the years. (Much of that is from the Appendices, btw.) So, I wrote that Pippin gave as part of the reason why he was abandoning the Shire after his wife's death the fact he recognized he and Merry were suffering from bouts of the Sea Longing from having consumed lembas, this effect having been described in one of the Master's letters; and after seeing Éomer off he and Merry wanted to be by Aragorn and Arwen, who would understand how they felt. I even gave what I felt was a fully plausible reason how he could have come to the point of diagnosing the condition in himself. The response that allegedly this wasn't supported by canon was amazing. I then took the question to the HASA list and TheOneRing.net to ask opinions there on whether or not this was possible, and the concensus was that my theory was not only possible but likely. Whether or not the two who so authoratively questioned my premise were aware of the debate they generated I don't know, but at least I felt exonerated from the accusation I was exceeding canon. In writing LOTR Tolkien gave our heroes a rather sketchy background, family, land, relationships, physical descriptions. We, as fanfic writers, are giving more depth to the situation out of which they rise than he did. I can write Esmeralda as warm and loving and perhaps a bit overprotective; someone else can write her as bitter and standoffish; another person as a vapid individual who had little to do with the running of the Hall or Buckland's business, and we all stand an equal chance of being right or wrong or anywhere in between. And if I happen to like the idea that Frodo had dark hair and startling blue eyes and bitten nails a la Elijah Wood while someone else chooses lighter than normal hair and brown eyes a la Bakshi and another choses something more middle-of-the-road, that's OUR choice and it's not someone else's place to criticize UNLESS and UNTIL we start openly plagiarizing. So, I have the families given a bit of warning; and I loved Baylor's story in which she indicates Merry did have a bit of a talk with Merry before he left, realizing Merry was planning something and assuring himself his son had reason to do whatever it was he was planning to do; and I have them leaving letters, with Paladin and Saradoc receiving theirs but not the Gaffer, who after all lives just down the Hill from Bag End and Lotho when they're due to be delivered. So--you're getting a bit of an essay--sorry about that, but that question of "But it's not in the book" is one that has meaning to me. And am so glad you like the use of these vignettes. I'm not trying to do in depth--just sufficient moments to give a feeling for how the families are likely to have reacted. Thanks so much for your comments and your patience.

Lily	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 5/31/2007
A very good chapter, dear. The darkness closes from beginning to end, until the very last bit lifts the shadowy veil again. I plan on doing a Troubles in Buckland fic myself once I get the ten pages of ideas work themselves into a plot, so I'm very interested to see how others picture what happened in Buckland at the time. Author Reply: Ten pages of ideas already? My heavens--you are thorough! I've read a couple views, and felt enough time had elapsed since they were posted mine wouldn't be construed as possibly a criticism of theirs. But it's fun to see how different people view the same time period or deal with the same situation. Considering the depth you've given to the characters of Merimac, Saradoc, Berilac, and their situation there in Brandy Hall, I'm certain it will be one that will feel very real. And thanks so for the view on this chapter. I wanted it to give a pretty thorough feel for that entire thirteen month period.

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 10 on 5/31/2007
It is just wonderful. I can't imagine how you managed to put all of those events into one chapter. You covered everything so very well. I like the fact that Saradoc and Esmeralda had some news and that some of it came from Farmer Maggot by word from Tom himself. LOL Maggot's words about Tom not having a good grasp of time and the description of the hobbits getting into a little trouble sounded so like the very way Tom must have seen it all. This is just wonderful. Oh, wait, I've said that already. (But it really is worth repeating.) Author Reply: Thank you, G.W. This was at one and the same time one of the easiest and most difficult chapters to write. Considering Maggot's characterization by Tom as one who's wise in the ways of the land and the people amongst whom he lives, I can't see him as being purposely cruel (in one story I read quite a while ago he was downright sadistic); and considering his treatment of Frodo on finding him in his fields he appears to have had a fairly decent opinion of that Baggins rascal to begin with. That he'd be one of those who carried word the four were started on their journey seemed logical. Tom, being Eldest and living almost isolated, wasn't likely to pay attention to calendars, but rather to changes in weather and the rhythms of vegetation and the seasons, and so I chose to describe him this way--more an Elvish outlook rather than a mortal one. And I can't see Tom taking Old Man Willow's vindictive behavior too seriously--I think he'd have more concern for the wights' predations. So glad you found it enjoyable. And thanks for the comments.

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