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When the King Comes Back ( Brandy Hall ) by Dreamflower	4 Review(s)
Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 12/15/2007
Great minds do tend to think alike, don't they? Yes, they'll most likely always know some nightmares--when the weather changes, when they're under stress, when things seem to be going too well, near and on anniversaries.... PTSD is such an insidious condition! And of course Pippin realizes when his Merry is in distress.

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 12/26/2005
What a deliciously angsty chapter! You worked the sleeping arrangements out very nicely. But four grown hobbits in one hobbit-sized bed? Small hobbits may be, but that small? I am glad for the talk between Frodo and Esmeralda. She really does fit the mother role for him and he needs that sometimes, especially now after his journey. Poor Frodo, still missing his parents so - his injuries and the Ring must have made him think of their loss all the more. Beautifully executed dream sequence! Nice and concise, yet full of emotion and import. "Screaming his cousin's name in anguish, Merry suddenly awoke to an unfamiliar darkness, as around him voices began a familiar litany. “It’s all right, Merry,” Frodo’s voice, gentle and calm, his arms finding Merry in the dark to hold him. “It was a dream. Come back to the light.” “We’re here, Mr. Merry, don’t you fret,” Sam’s voice, confident and kind. “Merry?” That wasn’t Pippin’s voice! It was supposed to be Pippin’s voice. Where was Pippin’s voice? “Pip?” Merry whimpered, as Frodo rocked him, making soothing sounds. “Pippin?” “Strike a candle, Sam,” said Frodo. “What’s wrong with Merry?” said not-Pippin." This was a brilliant sequence! It shows how normal it had become for one of the four travellers to have a nightmare and the other three to comfort him. And what a comfort those other three were. It is not just the comfort of anyone they seek, but the comfort of the other three travellers. "Merry opened his eyes to see Berilac peering at him in confused concern, while Frodo and Sam still held him close. “Merry, are you all right? What were you dreaming?" Suddenly Berilac found himself the object of three reproachful gazes. He felt alien, an outsider, who had stepped where he didn’t belong. “What?” he said defensively, “My mother says you should always speak an evil dream to keep it from returning.” Merry gave a bitter laugh. “I’m sorry, Beri, but this dream has been spoken before,” said Frodo softly. “And it’s not the only dream’s been spoken,” added Sam, “nor Mr. Merry the only one to have them.” Berilac sat down abruptly, stunned at the implication. “Oh.” Frodo looked at him, blue eyes full of pain. “It’s just part of a price that had to be paid.” Part of a price? thought Berilac. His eyes strayed to Frodo’s right hand as it patted Merry’s head soothingly, and not for the first time that day, he wondered." Poor Berilac, he had no hope but to feel like an outsider desperately wanting to be let in. That connection between Merry and Pippin is so powerful! For Pippin to feel Merry's troubles through such great distance, they really do share a soul. I love the relationships you have created between all four of the hobbits. And the rest of the Fellowship as well. This was a really brilliant chapter that was a pleasure to read again! Author Reply: Since I think the idea that hobbits sleeping alone is a relatively recent social development, I think in rural families the beds would have been fairly large to accommodate three or four hobbits at a time. Only in wealthy families like the Brandybucks and Tooks would such things as guest rooms with only a small bed sleeping single be found. This is part of my personal take on the reasoning behind the so-called hobbitpile. And it's not too far off. When I stayed at a farmhouse with my own cousins, the beds were very large, and we always slept three or four to a bed. Occasionally even more, though that often resulted in a lot of silliness and horseplay. His parents' loss was Frodo's first great trauma. Nothing that came after, no matter how horrible would ever change that. In some ways, the depth of that loss I think, rather enabled him to be able to bear all the other losses he had later on: the Ring had a hard time threatening him with worse than he'd already known. Yes, when they are beset with night-terrors, it's one another they want, not just anybody. And Berilac had no notion that he could not offer the right kind of comfort or understanding. Pippin would certainly know if something were troubling Merry, and even if he did not know exactly what it was, he could usually make a fairly astute guess. Miles would be no bar to that, for in M-e, as Faramir said "Night oft brings news to near kindred."

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/24/2004
came back here to say how much I enjoyed the surprised reaction of Frodo when he learned that he had also been missed. Must have been very hard coming home to no one special relative or friend. His closet friends were with him and Bilbo stayed in Rivendell. You did make me think on this. Author Reply: This was one of the things that came to me at the time I realized that Frodo would be the last of his line. It just seemed so sad. I had Aragorn writing to the fathers of Merry and Pippin, though not to the Gaffer, as he was illiterate (and I'm fairly sure that's the kind of thing Aragorn would find out about) but of course there was no one for Frodo. I do think his loneliness played a large part in his difficulty healing. Yet it's also clear that Frodo's was a bright spirit that caused people who knew him and met him to love him dearly, so I felt that there would indeed have been those in the Shire who did miss him after all.

greenjay	Reviewed Chapter: 11 on 3/23/2004
These are wonderful stories! with flashbacks to quest days and angst for each other. I hope you continue this one, and maybe have more on the same, or similar, stories. Author Reply: There's a lot more left of this one, and I have another I'm working on. I'd like to get someone to beta it for me, though, as it's a bit different from these first two. ( Pre-quest, not post )

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