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| In the Court of the High King by Dreamflower | 24 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Speedy Hobbit | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/7/2013 |
| I've gotta say, you're quite adept with description! Author Reply: Thank you! | |
| Imhiriel | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/21/2013 |
| I can totally see just how battered the Hobbits must have felt as the went from their first sight of Minas Tirith, to the Rammas Echor to the Gates, up the seven levels, to the Citadel, to the throneroom with its (really!) preposterous opulence into the presence of the High King and High Númenórean court etiquette of the long days of yore. But they hold up remarkably well. And poor Aragorn, having to sit halfway in the clouds and be all formal and stiff. I can understand the Gondorians, they have a king again after thousands of years, so they seek support and counsel in old lore in search of firm footing. But really, time moves on, and I bet Aragorn and Faramir between them have made a firm commitment to blow off the dust and cobwebs of this over-elaborate protocol and get rid of as much as they deem compatible with their offices and duties. If all else fails, he could threaten to don his weatherworn Strider gear again and elope with Arwen to vanish into the mists of Eriador again, I suppose *g*. But actually what I liked best amid all this pomp and pageantry was the detail of Poppy's faint grunt and the popping of her knees. And trust Aragorn to notice it and help! Author Reply: Yes, you've nailed the Gondorian attitude perfectly: rather than move forward into a NEW Age, they want to move backward to the time they imagine as the "glory days" of the Old Kings--and that means dragging out all the old protocol, or failing that, using the strict and formal protocol of the later Stewards (not realizing that particular formality and stratification was an austerity measure enacted because of the Enemy, who is no more!) Aragorn and Arwen had tried for a while to accommodate these hide-bound nobles and courtiers, but it's holding Gondor back. Nothing like the presence of the hobbits though, to give them and Faramir the excuse they need to dust things off. I would imagine that the King makes that threat in his head a dozen times a day, LOL! And he might even be brought to mutter it aloud once in a while if greatly frustrated. Poppy's not young--she isn't especially elderly as hobbits go, but she's well past middle age, and like her author, she has a bad knee and a touch of arthritis. And Aragorn's help was based on the gracious help I was once given years ago by the "king" in Court at an SCA event, after I myself had been called into the presence of the reigning "royalty" and realized to my embarrassment I was not going to be able to stand on my own. My knee audibly popped, too! | |
| Grey Wonderer | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/2/2011 |
| Dear, dear, Freddy. He is so very worried about doing the proper thing. Sometimes I think he is related to Sam. Author Reply: Well, of course all hobbits have a certain sense of propriety. Sam's came from the Gaffer. Freddy's mum is Rosamunda, who is very much worried about "what's proper", so yeah, there is certainly a sort of connection. | |
| Soledad | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/13/2010 |
| Oh, the poor dears! Being outnumbered by all those Big People and overwhelmed by the size of everything. But I'm sure they'll do just fine. Hobbits are a resilient lot. Author Reply: Hobbits are very resilient! And it helps that there are several of them, so that they have each other. Still the size of everything has to be somewhat intimidating! | |
| cathleen | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/20/2010 |
| Ah, I can easily visulaize these scenes and picture the hobbits recalling the things Pippin has told them about his experiences. I laughed over the part about Mistress Poppy and her poor knees, lol! I wonder what excitement such an entourage of hobbits will bring to Minas Tirith? Author Reply: I hope that they will bring along not only some excitement, but a fresh way of looking at things! | |
| GamgeeFest | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/19/2010 |
| Love the delegations arrival to the city. Their overwhelmed and nervous reactions are right on, and the description of the city through Freddy's eyes reminds us how imposing the city can be. The best part of course is their introduction to the King and Queen, and Aragorn and Arwen coming down to personally greet the delegation. If the hobbits thought their wides were widened before, they're in for a surprise. | |
| ecrm | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/17/2010 |
| I'm very happy to see part 2 of the story. I've been looking forward to it ever since I started to read the Road to Edoras. It's fun to see Hobbit preconceptions about stupid 'big folk' being shattered by a place like Minas Tirith. As a student of Roman/Byzantine history I loved the presentation to the King. It seems to me that being introduced by the herald and not having the king speak at all would be exactly the kind of normal procedure used for receiving ambassadors in a realm as old as Gondor. Great chapter! Author Reply: The way I see it, is that after generations of rule by the Stewards, who seemed determined to "freeze" everything at the time the last King vanished (for example, using the chair at the foot of the steps rather than the throne), the Gondorians would expect all those old preserved, but long unused, traditions to be re-instated with all the pomp and formality. On the other hand, I can see Aragorn chafing at that and gradually changing them as he can. The arrival of hobbits-- and not just any hobbits, but kin and friends of the small heroes of the War-- would give him the perfect opportunity to set aside one more stale tradition and set a new precedent. Also, I am quite fond of the herald idea. I confess that there I am very influenced by my experiences in the SCA, and in attending "courts" at events. You can't beat an SCA herald for pomp! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! | |
| Claudia | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/17/2010 |
| wow, this was terrific! I love seeing Minas Tirith through the eyes of hobbits! Everything must be so stately and kingly and HUGE. :) Author Reply: "Stately and kingly and HUGE" Yes. But trust that stately king to make it warm and personal, and to bring things down to te hobbits' size. | |
| Theresa Greenfalcon | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/17/2010 |
| I was *waiting* on this one, and totally missed the prologue and first chapter till now - seeing this COMPLETELY made my day! I'm currently grinning like a loon! Thanks for writing it, Dreamflower! See you on LJ too! [Tracey Claybon] Author Reply: I'm so glad that I "made your day"! That makes ME grin. Thanks for the R&R! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 6/17/2010 |
| The deafening applause makes my heart happy. What a lovely welcome, especially the eyes "filled with warmth and kindness". Author Reply: I think that he would always have a warm welcome for these friends of his friends. And I always think that, like his foster father, he would have been "kind as summer". | |