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| When the King Comes Back ( Brandy Hall ) by Dreamflower | 2 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 12/15/2007 |
| Ah, I see you and I both saw things like this happening to our beloved Hobbits in MT. It must have infuriated Frodo especially! | |
| Gryffinjack | Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 12/25/2005 |
| It is so strange - this was written before "A Different Kind of Quest," yes? Yet, in chronological order, I have already read about the gifts Merry gave his parents and the stories behind them from having read "A Different Kind of Quest." lol! Although it is amazing how seamlessly you weave earlier and later written stories together, I think you do have a slight problem in this one. In this chapter, Merry says: "But the funny part was when we went to get them, and tried to pay for them. It was the opposite of haggling. The merchants tried to *give* them to us. We explained that they were gifts and we really *wanted* to pay for them. So Gimli suggested a price--what he thought that they were worth, and the merchant came back with a token price. It was so funny! After we finally got what seemed like a real price, and paid for everything, Gimli grumbled for days." However, in chapter 2 of "A Different Kind of Quest," you have written: “Oh, Sir Meriadoc! I would not dream of charging you! You are one of the Heroes of the War! Please, I would wish that you and Sir Peregrin accept these from me without charge!” After all, thought Girion, once word got out that they had patronized him, it would more than pay the cost of the items. Merry and Pippin looked at one another in dismay. Aragorn had told them to allow the people of the City to show their gratitude for all the hobbits had done, and so they had taken their share of free ale, and of food, and the occasional trinket from a grateful wife or mother, glad that her loved one had come home in one piece. But this was another matter altogether. “But these are to be gifts!” cried Pippin, distressed. “Please, Master Girion, we really should pay for these!” added Merry. Girion was taken aback. Truly these pheriannath were strange ones! One would think they would be glad to get such wonderful items for free! He did not understand. But he could charge them a token price. “Perhaps two silver pence apiece?” Unfortunately, this resulted in both his potential customers looking offended. Now he was dismayed, unsure what he had done wrong, and fearful of their leaving without their purchases. A hint of panic showed on his kindly face. Gimli sighed. “Meriadoc, Peregrin, perhaps you would allow me to help you negotiate a fair price?” The two hobbits nodded in relief. While they wanted to pay a fair price for the gifts they were buying, they were unsure of the value of things in this strange land. Gimli knew what Girion had in mind, and didn’t blame him as a merchant, but he knew his hobbit friends would not understand, and they truly wished to pay for the gifts they were giving to their loved ones. He also understood that the value of these things would be high, but not nearly as high as they would have been before the War, when they would have been in more demand. In the end, he negotiated a price of twelve silver pennies for Merry’s spyglass, and thirty for Pippin’s choices, for both the toy and the pocketwatch. Master Girion took out his handkerchief and mopped his brow in relief as they gave him a partial payment, agreeing to the rest when they picked up their purchases in three days. So in other words, they had been offerred the gifts for free and Gimli had negotiated a price the *first time* they went to the shops (the same thing occurred when they went to the jewelers) rather than when they picked their gifts up, as Merry states in this chapter. I think it would be easier to change this story to reflect the chronology of events as indicated in "A Different Kind of Quest." I'm sorry, dear. You handle so many different details over such a vast number of stories, that it is remarkable you don't have even more inconsistencies than you do. I really did enjoy seeing Saradoc's reaction to getting the spyglass. I still love the inscription Merry had Gimli write on it for Saradoc. It's the ultimate compliment a son could give a father, and one that describes Merry's and Saradoc's relationship perfectly. Author Reply: You know, you're right! I hadn't noticed that. I will have to get around to fixing that soon! (And I'm reminded that I need to check up on "Circle of Joy" and see if I fixed the mistake you found there.) Of course, part of the trouble is that none of these were *written* chronologically, so of course inconsistencies will creep in. I worry less, however, about messing up *my* stuff than I do about making sure I keep canon straight. I was checking a detail in one of these the other day, and noticed a "gotten" and an "Esmerelda" I had missed. *sigh* Should have fixed it right away, not sure I can find them again. I don't know why I thought of a spyglass for Saradoc. But for some reason it just seemed the perfect thing for Merry to give him. | |