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Sundry Scrolls II by Raksha The Demon	10 Review(s)
Sneha	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/24/2015
I stumbled upon this today and it made my day! You have captured so wonderfully the hope, the confidence of a young Aragorn. He is light in heart, newly come to his heritage and hardly tested. I always felt he must have looked so young to Arwen and I did not think he truly understood what he was asking of her or Elrond. He gained much more wisdom over the years, somber confidence before meeting her again. Aragorn was so restrained in the books but his words to Galadriel, "long have you held the only treasure I seek" betrayed his devotion to her! Loved it! Author Reply: Whoops; I'm sorry I missed this review. Thanks so much for leaving it. Yes, this is a young and still somewhat innocent Aragorn, full of confidence, his strength not yet fully tempered by the wisdom of years. I'm glad you enjoyed the ficlet.

Little Dwarf	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 6/29/2008
A wonderful look at a younger Aragorn, determined and clearly in love... sniff The book Aragorn betrays nothing of his love for Arwen; the movie Aragorn is very romance-oriented, being sentimental but not overly so. Your young Aragorn was well-balanced, though I'm certain that becoming King meant much more to him than a means of conquering Arwen's hand. Am I wrong to think that this happens before their troth? Because from this:"She had looked upon him as if he were a clever child when he spoke his admiration. Ah, but he was patient." I gather that, as this point, his love for her was still one-sided... I also loved the description of the peaceful and secluded life of the people of Bree and their ignorance... And the contrast reminds me of some fanfiction ideas I had... :) Author Reply: No, you're not wrong to think that this tale happens before the trothplighting of Aragorn and Arwen. I think Aragorn is about 25 here, give or take a year or two. If he'd asked Arwen for her hand at this point, she still would have said the polite equivalent of 'Dream on, kiddo'. It's only after Aragorn has acquired 25 more years of military and other-cultural experience, not to mention a little humility and a lot more wisdom, that he is at last a match for the nearly 3000-year-old Peredhel princess. But one of Aragorn's more endearing qualities is patience, and I think he would be willing to wait. Aragorn also seemed to have tremendous self-confidence; and that would give him the conviction that Arwen would accept him in time. I would enjoy seeing what those fanfiction ideas of yours are...

obsidianj	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 5/18/2008
Awww, this is sweet. How many times over the years will Aragorn sit in lonely places warmed by thoughts of his love alone? I like it how the musings lift his spirit and make the lonely post more bearable. His ideas for a big family are adorable and still show how young he is. Author Reply: Sorry I'm so late in answering. Aragorn is still quite young, isn't he, and not that removed from the boy who fell head-over-heels with the vision of Luthien in the groves of Imladris - he hasn't seen that much of the world, or known much of the pain that life, and that world, can inflict. Right now he has his dreams, and his considerable strength and unusual patience, and that can be enough; which is what I wanted to capture. Young Aragorn is also a rather endearing sort of fellow to write! Thanx much for reviewing, obsidianj!

meckinock	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/28/2008
Big dreams. I'm happy for the young lad that he doesn't yet know how long it will be or how many trials he'll endure before he realizes them. This is a sweet moment. Author Reply: ah, the serene confidence of youth - for young Aragorn, the future is far away; and he is not thinking of how wearying it will be to survive on dreams, hope and faith for seventy more years. It's a good thing he's such a strong man in all ways... Thanx for reading and reviewing, Meckinock!

Branwyn	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/27/2008
A well-written look into Aragorn's motivations during his long watch over Eriador, when his deeds were unknown and unthanked. He dreams of the simple, domestic joys that his solitary watch is allowing others to enjoy. She had looked upon him as if he were a clever child Well, in fairness to Arwen, she must have seen many generations of chieftains come and go. By the way, it had never occured to me that Aragorn had to deal with more than one generation of Butterbur! As if one were not enough! Once again, well done! Author Reply: In The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, Elrond says: But as for Arwen the Fair, Lady of Imladris and of Lórien, Evenstar of her people, she is of lineage greater than yours, and she has lived in the world already so long that to her you are but as a yearling shoot beside a young birch of many summers. She is too far above you. And so, I think, it may well seem to her. I would think that Aragorn probably was far from the first of Elrond's Dunedain fosterlings to become enamored of Arwen. She probably thought of such things as sweet and boyish fancies. And Aragorn was acting like a very young man, wandering through the birch trees, singing for joy, (having just found out that he was the Heir of Isildur) when he comes upon his very own Luthien. There's a lightness to his speech at the time that shows him to be still somewhat callow. However, Aragorn has tremendous confidence, and no intention of letting go of his love for Arwen, however sudden it is. I think the Butterburs were an old family in Bree, and had had the Prancing Pony for awhile; hence I came up with a B-named father or grandfather for Barliman. Thanx for the review, Branwyn!

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/25/2008
Yes, the ancestor of Hope shines his own Hope down on the recently made Man, and there IS Hope for Middle Earth as Hope daydreams in the early evening. Heh! Lovely, Raksha--lovely! Author Reply: Yes, it's a circle of hope indeed - Bless JRRT for giving him that nickname! Thanx for the review, Larner - I'm glad you liked the tale.

Estelcontar	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/24/2008
That is a lovely and poignant vignette. I think you captured very well, the loneliness, the selflessness, the wistfulness and the hopefulness of Aragorn, the Chieftain of The Dúnedain Of Arnor. Author Reply: Thanx much for the review! I was aiming for a combination of wistfulness, loneliness and physical discomfort, as a backdrop for Aragorn's personal self-confidence and hope. (and there is a poignancy about any young man in his twenties dreaming of a love that is, on the surface, impossible) I think all the Dunedain of Arnor must rely a great deal on hope, faith and duty; and pride - they don't seem to have much in the way of material goods or a large population, or even a certain future. I think Aragorn would exemplify those virtues.

Cairistiona	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/24/2008
Ah, what a lovely vignette! Aragorn, sitting out in the dark and cold and damp, watching over the town as the sentinel he is but still dreaming of a home of his own and the elf maiden he loves--you've painted that picture vividly and poignantly. I love the present tense--it seems to somehow drive home the fear he must at times have that he will never achieve his dreams, and yet he is not dismayed but smiles as his vivid imagination takes him far from the loneliness of the night. You've captured Estel--"Hope"--perfectly. And I love that you have him wanting seven kids! Author Reply: The present tense can be fun to use for the sense of immediacy it can give. Aragorn strikes me as brimming with self-confidence and strength, neither of which have been fully tested at this point in his life - of course he'd want to have seven kids with Arwen, just like Feanor, only without Morgoth and Silmarils and terrible oaths, etc. Thanx for reading and reviewing, Cairistiona (that's a pretty name!).

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/24/2008
This was lovely, I could just imagine Aragorn sitting dreaming by the fire. You share my view that Aragorn remained true to Arwen and kept on hoping. Author Reply: Aragorn is young here, I think in his 20's, before the great journeys to Rohan and Gondor and East; so he's full of fire and his dreams are fresh. It was fun to write him at this age, in a moment where he could spare the time, while remaining vigilant, to think of the future he intended to make a reality. Thanx for reviewing, Linda!

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 4/24/2008
This is just beautiful. I love the hints of how long it is until that goal will ultimately be achieved: Bartho Butterbur (old Barliman's father, or even grandfather?)yet he still keeps his vigil. And I love the way we see that his hope is his beloved, even while he himself is the hope of the rest of the world... Author Reply: I think Barliman is about the same age as Frodo, so he would not yet be born in the 2950's, when I envision this vignette taking place. I invented a father with a similar name, the Butterburs being an old Bree family. I'm so glad you enjoyed the piece - the play on words with 'hope' was intentional; what fires Hope when things are drear and uncomfortable; and what fires/inspires Aragorn...all tying in, buoyed by Aragorn's considerable and not unjustified self-confidence and youthful fervor. Thanx for reading and reviewing, Dreamflower!

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