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A New Reckoning by Dreamflower	6 Review(s)
Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/27/2006
Excellent--Paladin appreciates this is a proper delegation and will come to honor those who honor his son and cousins. Author Reply: Yes, he knows what it means. And as Thain, it's his duty.

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 1/19/2006
One thing that always comes back for Frodo is the sad loss that has shaped his life. "For him, life had changed forever with his parents’ death. The Brandywine had stolen away his connection to other people. Oh, Saradoc and Esmeralda had tried so hard, and he did love them dearly, but their efforts only reminded him of what he had lost. It was not until the day they had put that tiny little bundle of eyes and curls in his arms and said “meet your cousin Meriadoc,” that he had felt not only love, but connection. Someone who was his. Of course, Merry was his cousin, and not a brother, but that had never mattered. He felt as though he belonged to Merry. Later there were a few others who brought him that feeling: Bilbo, Pippin, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn. When he thought about it, it was a pitifully short list. And even though he had developed much stronger bonds with Sam during their dark journey, nothing would change the fact that Merry was the first one who broke his loneliness, and who knew how to do that to this day." You really are exceptional at pointing out just what the death of his parents has meant to Frodo as well as the importance Merry has in his life. Although Pippin is the most like Frodo, it is Merry that broke through the cold, lonely barrier Frodo had put around his heart after his parents died. From the moment of his birth, Merry has been protecting and saving Frodo. I don't agree with Frodo that his list of those he feels belong to him is such a pitifully short list. That is a rather special feeling that one is lucky to share with anyone. btw, what do you call a baby hobbit? Is it still called a "baby" or something else? Poor Paladin and Eglantine - it's easy to see why they would jump to the conclusion that something was wrong with Pippin. Like you said, the last urgent message they had regarding Pippin was a nightmare for them. I'll be so glad when everyone is gathered together! Author Reply: Yes, that is actually no short list at all. Yet Frodo has more difficulty now than ever in seeing his own true worth. A baby hobbit, is I think, just a baby, a babe, or an infant. The only two stages of hobbit life that have unique words are "faunt" for toddlerhood (which begins at age three). JRRT does not say when it ends, but I make it at five, arbitrarily. The other stage, of course is the "tween" years, for adolescence. The rest of the time, ordinary words, such as baby, child, adult are used. It's going to be a long time before they stop worrying when they have an urgent message from Buckland.

PIppinfan1988	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 6/27/2005
This is so great! And poor Sam! I knew Pippin couldn't stay angry with Sam for long--bless him, though he was correct in it. I am really enjoying this tale--and it's written so well, easy to follow. I truly love your world of hobbits...and I'm beginning to understand why. I'm see you again tomorrow. :-) Pippinfan Author Reply: Thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying it--it's the longest of my stories, and I have to confess my favorite among my long stories so far. You are right; Pip couldn't stay angry long, and once he let the anger out, it was over and done with--it helped that Sam agreed with him. Truth is, I often feel that in the matter of Frodo's illnesses, JRRT miscalculated. He seems to indicate that Sam never knew, and of course that Frodo hid it from him. I find that a bit off, as close as they were on the Quest, Sam could read Frodo like a book. So in order to make things work out in canon, I have to come up with excuses for why Sam forgot. shrug On the other hand, our accounts supposedly come from what Frodo wrote, and he was usually trying to downplay his own suffering as much as possible. So it might be that Sam, Merry and Pip did know, but simply allowed Frodo to think they didn't. I usually go with that explanation, anyway.

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/7/2004
Ah, so many insights in the first two paragraphs alone! Merry had learned that expectations are not always met. Merry and Sam are alike in many ways. Merry regretted Sam's inevitable disillusionment. And then Merry's relationship with Frodo. I can just see him studying his sleeping cousin. "tiny bundle of eyes and curls"! What a description! (and the whole discussion of "connection" rings authentic) I'm glad that Frodoin your story is not estranged from Merry after the Quest, as so many other fanfics have tried to intimate. It helped that the message came from a Brandybuck? Ah, now I see, when you said what the last urgent message from Buckland was. Author Reply: My Merry and Sam are long-time friends, and Merry has probably spent a good deal of thought about what they do and don't have in common. Merry is just slightly more cynical and skeptical than Sam, and he knows this. I love exploring the relationship between Merry and Frodo. They have a whole different level of closeness than that between Merry and Pippin--not greater nor lesser, just different. I'm glad you liked that bit of description, I kind of liked it myself! I have read a few like you mention. I can see maybe an occasional hitch in any of their relationships, they are only mortal after all; but I cannot begin to imagine anything that would cause them to become estranged or that would break the bond of love between them!

pipwise brandygin	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 7/22/2004
Frodo's reflections on what Merry means to him brought tears to my eyes - absolutely beautiful. I'm enjoying this so much! :) Author Reply: I do love exploring the relationships between our four favorite hobbits. And Frodo and Merry go further back together than any of the others.

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 4/25/2004
Paladin's reaction was so perfect. His worry was well-founded from past experience. I enjoyed the Frodo POV about his relationship with Merry too. Can't wait for more. Author Reply: Oh, yes. It's going to be a long time before either Pippin's or Merry's parents stop taking alarm at "urgent messages". I love exploring the cousin's relationships. I think in many ways Merry's role is the pivotal one, and his connection with Frodo is very deep.

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