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Aspects of Aragorn by Inzilbeth	9 Review(s)
Silivren Tinu	Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 12/1/2009
//Aragorn, the greatest huntsman and traveler in this age of the world.// I really can only agree with Gandalf there! What a terrible journey! I was so relieved when he arrived in Lorien, met the Beornings, and was finally rescued by the elves of Mirkwood. I cannot begin to imagine how he managed to keep going all that time, especially since he also had to drag Gollum with him. It was nice to meet Legolas in your story. ;-) A great chapter, and I do not think you could have done this journey justice had this chapter been any shorter. :) Author Reply: Lol! Yes I tried to keep that quote in mind when writing this! I'm sure it was a terrible journey and having Gollum in tow, who after all was been sought by the Enemy, must have made it truly awful. I'm afraid there's not much of Legolas in this story so it was good to find an excuse to include him here. I'm so glad you enjoyed this, very long, chapter!

Mirach	Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 9/9/2009
This chapter was a whole story of itself. It felt just like Tolkien’s own writing: a lot of darkness, but an occasional green valley that returns hope to the heart. Gandalf’s short question: “My dear Aragorn, how are you?” said it everything. Their friendship and deep concern for him, all the deadly perils that he was in alone. My dear Aragorn… Author Reply: Oh thank you so much, to write anything that feel's like Tolkien's own writing has to be the ultimate goal for any of us. And I'm so pleased you liked that line. I just felt all that love and concern myself when I wrote it, it seemed so like Gandalf.

Celeritas	Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 3/6/2009
I'm glad this picked right up from where you left off, continuing right on from Aragorn's injuries. And what a feat this journey was, too! It gives some vague idea of how well-travelled Aragorn actually is, since you actually went along each stage of the trip, reluctant Gollum in tow. I was also interested in seeing that Legolas recognized Aragorn in this story, as that's a fanon that's much up to debate. I think you characterized it just fine, though. Author Reply: It WAS a heck of a long journey and fascinating to put together. I'm guessing that Aragorn in his long travels would have been to Mirkwood at some stage. I can't imagine that Gandalf would have arranged for him to drag Gollum all that way unless he was confident he knew where he was going and could handle the route. As to Legolas, well as the Silvan's of Mirkwood have lost contact with their kin in Lothlorien, I very much doubt Legolas has ever crossed the Misty Mountains at this time. I take the view that he and Aragorn only met a couple of times pre Quest at the most. Thanks for the vote of confidence though!

RS	Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 2/18/2009
Grueling, absolutely grueling. I am exhausted just reading this. I can't help but giggle at the thought of Aragorn tossing Gollum over his back like a sack to carry him. Poor Gollum...not to mention Aragorn! A wonderful chapter and picturesque (and exhausting) trip across Middle Earth! Author Reply: Lol! Yes put like that is does seem rather a funny idea! I'm so glad you enjoyed this long old journey. I was almost as relieved to reach the end of it as I think Aragorn must have been. Thank you so much for your review.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 2/17/2009
A marvelous and realistic telling of what probably happened. Well, well done. Excellent descriptions and well within character. Author Reply: Thank you so much, Larner. Being realistic and within character are very much my primary aims so I really appreciate your comments.

Estelcontar	Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 2/17/2009
I liked very much your version of Aragorn's journey to Mirkwood. I think you did a great job of portraying how hard both mentally and physically that trip must have been for him. It must have been a most harrowing experience, and you can feel that in your story. I liked the idea of him finding some rest in Lothlorien, and with the Beornings because, if he had not, the ordeal might have have been too much even for Aragorn. The encounter with Rumil, Orophin and Grimbeorn provides a much needed and well deserved rest to our exhausted ranger. I loved the bit in which Aragorn laughed aloud with joy at meeting Rumil and Orophin, and I enjoyed the pet joke very much. The bit about the honeycakes reminding him of his childhood and of Gilraen is very touching, as is the scene in which he takes strenght from his memories of Arwen. And I absolutely loved your ending. Aragorn banishing by the strenght of his will his fears and doubts, and exclaiming I am ready is to my mind perfection itself. When I read it I wanted to shout - Yeeeeeeees that's my Aragorn. Author Reply: Thankfully we are given a bit more detail in UT so the story then became a matter of filling in the gaps. I'm so pleased you enjoyed those bits and thank you, as always for your lovely review.

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 2/17/2009
I think you explain well here why Aragorn admits to being brutal towards Gollum as we dislike seeing our hero as less than merciful.Gollum would push a saint over the edge,though,which you vividly convey.It says much for Aragorn's resolve and courage that he succeeded on this mission. Author Reply: Yes, I think he was probably at his wits end by now and determined the little blighter wasn't going to escape. It would be hard to blame him for being less than gentle. Thank you so much for your review, Linda. It's very much appreciated, as always.

Raksha The Demon	Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 2/17/2009
A very credible and thorough account of one of the less glamorous parts of Aragorn's life. I'm not sure it's properly appreciated just how hard the chore of tracking Gollum and capturing him and then bringing him alive across the hostile landscape of the wilderlands had to have been. There are, in my opinion, two essential things that only Aragorn could have done in terms of the great struggle against Sauron, and this mission was one of them (the other being enlisting the Dead to follow him; which stopped the Corsairs who would have otherwise defeated the Rohirrim and the remaining Gondorians on the Pelennor nad taken Minas Tirith). (As bold and ingenious as Thorongil's raid on the Corsairs was, Denethor could have conceivably been capable of it as well; possibly the young Imrahil as well). If Aragorn hadn't found Gollum and delivered him to a safe place (Thranduil's halls) to be held until Gandalf arrived and could slowly prize out the terrible knowledge that Gollum had revealed Bilbo Baggins' theft of the Ring to Sauron, the Ring War might well have had a different and far more horrible outcome. You captured Aragorn's resourcefulness, courage, determination and strength wonderfully here. And it's all very real. Aragorn is not a saint or a parfit gentil knight, he doesn't treat Gollum gently - he can't afford to, though he never inflicts unnecessary pain on him. But Aragorn has lived too hard to regard Gollum with the same hope and empathy as did Frodo (also, Frodo and Gollum were both Ring-bearers; Gollum was in awe of Frodo and Frodo felt a link of more than his natural compassion with the wretch - the sense of their being bound together by destiny and a shared burden). Anyhoo, great chapter! Author Reply: Thank you so much, Raksha, for your very thoughtful review. I'm glad to know that at least a couple of people stuck with this marathon to the end! Yes, this was one of Aragorn's truly remarkable feats and yet, in LOTR, it is very much passed over. More detail in UT, of course, but it's easy to underestimate quite how much Aragorn accomplished in the 12 months prior to the Ring War. I also hoped to show here a glimpse of how hard his 'day job' was at that time. Most of the adventures we read about in fan fic show him with company, be it Legolas, Faramir, E2 and yet we are told that more and more he undertook his journeys alone. Living off your wits, up north in the depths of winter must have been absolute hell. I'm so glad you felt that came through, and you are so right about Gollum. Many times I really had to resist the urge to write dialogue between them since we know this didn't happen. Aragorn developed none of the relationship with Gollum that Frodo did - his task was much simpler after all.

shirebound	Reviewed Chapter: 23 on 2/17/2009
Oh my goodness, what a grueling journey! You told it well, and I think we can all appreciate it better now, having gone step by step with Aragorn. Well done. Author Reply: Thank you so much, Shirebound. It was quite a journey to write it I can tell you!

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