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In the Court of the High King  by Dreamflower 8 Review(s)
PeguengReviewed Chapter: 15 on 5/17/2013
Awesome... ;) I'm eagerly reading through yer archive her on Arda, and also of other. Thanx to yer posting "it takes a took" on FanFiction i found my way to Arda.. A veritable goldmine of stories.... at yer service ;)

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 15 on 11/2/2012
It's always fun to get a story within a story. Lovely chapter!

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/31/2012
What a fascinating retelling of the goblin war. And golf already existed!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/23/2012
Oh, but I can so imagine Frodo telling this story to Beri and the other children of Brandy Hall! And the enchantment of Frodo's telling stayed with him all this time! Yes, it could most probably have happened just like this!

Author Reply: I think so! Bagginses telling stories at Yuletide in Brandy Hall started Bilbo's first Yule back from his Adventure and continued on with Frodo afterwards!

TiggerReviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/23/2012
But Calion walked behind his parents, lost in a dreamlike daze as he imagined that great hero, Bandobras Took.

Sigh...Been there, done that myself more than a few times over the years after reading a story. :o) I was in that state more than once over the last month actually as I read A Game of Thrones for the very first time. I had to laugh at Mom saying to a friend of ours who'd asked if it was a good book, that I was having a hard time putting it down during the Olympics, so that should tell her all she needed to know...ROTFLOL!!!

I have loved everything about the Hobbits very first Supper at the Embassy. Although, I thought it was rather evil of you m'dear to give us that lovely, indepth look at the prepration of the meal and then...Not a nice Cliffhanger at all!! ;oD

BTW...Have the Hobbits ever heard of Maple Syrup? There are Maples in Middle Earth aren't there? If so, then perhaps the next time Mistress Poppy prepares her Apple Tart/Pie for a Supper/Dinner they could try it over top of the clotted cream and the tart/pie? I've always had it w/Vanilla Ice Cream, but go w/what you've got, right? If you have a chance to try that BTW, it's sweet yes, but oooooohhhh so yummmy!!! It's one of those special once in awhile kind of a things. :o)

So that's the real story behind the Battle of Greenfields. I had shivers down my spine reading it and it was indeed told very well. No wonder Pippin was able to find his courage, look at who he had as Ancestors!! I'll be reading this again and no doubt of that. :o)

And now w/the Supper over and done w/, I do believe we're about to find out what our crafty and cunning King has in mind for Clodio and Dago's sentence. It does sound from the little hints that Dago's going to do something stupid and face the consequences, but I guess that's to be expected from someone like him. I can't wait to find out what happens next. :o)

I had a *very* bad time of things yesterday healthwise, and while I'm feeling a wee bit better today, this has certainly helped to give me a bit of a boost. The fact my Sister, Niece and almost Four month old Great Nephew Parker are coming over to spend the night is also helping. :o) But they're not here yet and I saw this first, so thank you for the uplift. It did help. :o)

Author Reply: I've not read GoT, as I have issues with the author; but I can understand the feeling-- I've often become that engrossed in a story.

Occasionally a chapter goes on too long, and cliffies are the result when I have to find a good dividing spot. I only do cliffies on purpose once in a while.

So glad you liked my version of the Battle. I've only read one other fanfic account of it, but I've had this rattling around in my head for a couple of years, just waiting for the right occasion to write it.

The King has an interesting sentence in mind, one that will put both hobbits to the test and see if they will comply or not.

I'm sorry you were feeling under the weather; we've had a little bit of a tummy bug around here for a day or so too! I'm glad my post was able to cheer you up!

eilujReviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/23/2012
Well, I was thrilled just to wake up to working internet service (hailstorm and local flooding after dark -- and did I mention that the downpour washed the just-applied spray off my poor sick tomatoes? -- then a couple of hours later the Internet light went red and remained so until I mournfully went to bed), but finding this chapter was the icing on the cake, complete with piped garlands around the edge, fancy roses to one side, and lettering reading Dreamflower's Hobbits).

Great explanation of the battle and the circumstances of the invasion.

There must have been a Ranger or someone from Outside to warn them, or the whole Shire would have been utterly destroyed before Bandobras and his group got so far north. And it makes sense that they'd have had help with tactics (here I must mention the flaming arrows). The Ranger's presence is a good explanation for the horse, as well -- and a battle-trained horse, no less! (I hope he didn't fall in the bog too.)

The bog was a great idea. "Greenfields" -- I know just the shade of green. Typical hobbit humor, to name it that.

Bandobras selecting his club of choice for the task.... And then finding there was a convenient sheath for it on the Man's saddle!

And now we know what kept Bandy in the Northfarthing.

Serious kudos, Dreamflower.

Author Reply: Aww...that makes me happy! I too have experienced that feeling when in the midst of disaster, I got new fanfic to read! (Like the time after Hurricane Katrina, when Grey Wonderer mailed me a new chapter of Elanor's "A Secret Gate" AND a bunch of new challenge stories!)

I'm glad you think the explanation makes sense. I had to account for a lot, such as where did Bandobras get the horse, how did he know to go fight the goblins, why was it he, rather than his father the Thain or his older brother the Heir, who led the battle, and what on earth led rise to that silly golf legend? (And no, Balen did not fall in the bog. He was standing still, but the impact from Bandy's swing knocked Bandy off-balance, which is why he fell in!)

I did a little research on bogs and moors before writing the chapter to make certain that my idea would work-- from the pictures I saw, I know it would be hard for me to tell the difference between a boggy area and one that was merely grassy!

The sheath was probably there for the Ranger's sword. And I thought his use of the 9-iron would account for the "golf story". (In "The Prisoner and the Hobbit" Bilbo tells Sauron that his own reading in history indicated that golf preceeded the battle.)

And yep, it was true love!

Thanks ever so much for the thoughtful review!

FiondilReviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/23/2012
Ah... a great tale and well told. Now to see what Aragorn has decided about the prisoners.

Author Reply: Yes. He will be pronouncing his sentence in the very next chapter. It's going to be very practical.

shireboundReviewed Chapter: 15 on 8/23/2012
A great tale! I never even thought about where Bandobras got that horse, until now.

Author Reply: It had to come from somewhere. A couple of years ago, in a B2MEM drabble, I speculated that it might be a Ranger's horse, if a Ranger came to warn the Shire. The rest of the tale has been percolating and waiting for the right time to be told!

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