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Kingly Gifts by Dreamflower	4 Review(s)
Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/10/2005
You handle the various characters so well! Their different voices, the interaction between them, most enjoyable. I especially liked the exchanges between Aragorn and Eomer. They struck a very good friendship in the books and it's nice to see that you have included that here. "When they had summoned Merry from Minas Tirith in haste, it had been in the fear that he would be bidding farewell to all three of his dear ones." Poor Merry! That trip must have been filled with unbearable pain for him. Unfortunately, this is one instance where all of his Merry!worry is justified, although fortunately all four hobbits survive and get well. I'm glad to see that the rest of the Company took such good care of Aragorn, making sure that he got the rest that he so desperately needed in the days when he had three seriously injured hobbits to take care of as well as all of his other duties. Plus, I'm sure he also kept an eye on Merry's injured arm as well. "It was only a day since Pippin had first awakened. Merry had transferred his attention now to Frodo, and sat by his older cousin, as he had by his younger. Pippin didn’t mind. He could still see his Merry there at the other end of the tent, and it was Frodo who needed Merry now. Besides, all he had to do was moan inadvertently or sigh a bit too loudly, and his cousin returned to him in a flash." How very like both Merry and Pippin! Merry must have felt so useless once again as well as guilt for not having been there to protect the other three hobbits who were his dearest friends. And of course, Pippin would have understood all of this, once his mind was clear, just as he understood why Merry had moved to be near Frodo instead of him. It's as if Merry was watching over Frodo and Sam for both himself as well as Pippin. It was most considerate of Faramir to include clothing that had belonged to Boromir and himself when they were children. As for the small pouch of coin that Faramir included, I think that Pippin would rather not have it. If anything, I envision Pippin as thinking that his assistance in the rescue of Faramir from Denethor's madness was fair payment for Boromir having saved his and Merry's lives. "Right now it was Legolas, who sat between Frodo and Sam, singing in Elvish. Pippin quite liked the song. It was not one he had heard Legolas sing before. As the clear Elvish voice faded, Pippin spoke. “Sing that one again, Legolas, if you please.” The Elf looked over at him in mild surprise. He had been aware that Pippin was awake, but had not realized he was listening so intently. “Certainly, mellon nin.” And he began once more the soaring melody that had caught Pippin’s attention. That’s nice, thought the youngest hobbit. He called me “my friend” in Elvish, just like he does Strider. To the sound of the soft singing, he drifted to sleep once more." I love this exchange! Legolas developed a special fondness for Pippin which we see in the books and it's very nice to see him call the young Took "mellon nin" here. And the exchange between two musicians who share that special bond is marvelous. Merry is, as always, very bright. I like how you have Eomer give him work to keep him busy as per his and Aragorn's plan to keep Merry from exhausting himself worrying over his friends in the sick tent all the time. But even so, Merry knows precisely what they are doing and addresses the situation. "“Oh!” While not nearly as demonstrative as Pippin, Merry was a hobbit, and the only proper response to that declaration was to grab the startled Éomer around the waist in a fierce hug." Very hobbity and very Merry! Oh! And the inclusion of Eothain! We get to see some of those in your On the Road to Edoras! What strikes me about this story is how it is another conspiracy - the conspiracy to honour the four hobbits in ways to which they cannot object. Brilliant! Menelcar Author Reply: I felt that Aragorn and Eomer would have been fast friends. I think they knew they'd be friends from the time they first met on the plains of Rohan, which is why Eomer felt so confident in lending them horses. And now the war is won, and they are united in their pride and concern for their hobbit friends. Yes, the Merry angst continues here. He's had so much hardship in his worry for his loved ones, and of course, though he's now been told they will recover, it must still be hard to see them so broken and hurt. In Aragorn's case, I think Gandalf would have taken extra care to see to his well-being. It would have been most disheartening for the new High King to keel over from exhaustion, and the Wizard would be sure to remind him. It's the old "physician heal thyself" thing here. (I have to tell you--at Marigold's request, I've written a gap-filler for my gap-filler, so to speak, covering the first of Astron in more detail. Not sure how soon it will be posted, but I thought I'd give you a heads up.) Merry indeed had all of them to watch over. Knowing how that Brandybuck's mind worked, I'm sure that whichever hobbit he sat with, he'd be feeling guilty for not being with one of the others! But of course, Pippin understood, and once he woke, he'd be just as worried and anxious about Frodo and Sam as Merry was, so, yeah, he was rather keeping an eye open for Pippin as well. We know the hobbits had other clothing once they awakened. So, where did it come from all of a sudden? It seemed logical to me that it would have been sent from the City, that Faramir was the logical one to send it, and that--since there would be no "hobbit" clothing available, children's clothes would be the next best thing, until they could get back and have some made. And I felt that the clothes that had belonged to him and his brother as children would probably have just been packed away. Also, somehow I had to account for that golden corslet JRRT gave Sam, so again, I thought this made sense. Faramir doesn't even begin to think the money will repay his debt. But he can't be there himself, so he wants to send something. And Pippin (and Merry) will have been told that gifts are customary when one is knighted, so perhaps Pippin won't think of it in that way. grin I'm so glad you like the bit with Legolas singing. In my particular universe--well, you know in the movie, the beautiful song as Frodo and Sam are air-lifted away by the Eagles? In my universe, Legolas makes that up to sing to Frodo and Sam as they lay there recovering, and of course, Pippin listens to it and picks it up. And I do think that Legolas would call Pippin "my friend", don't you? Yes, Merry knows "busy-work" when he sees it, LOL! But really, it was better that being put into a semi-coma, like Frodo and Sam, which would probably be the only other way he would rest. I could just see Merry hugging a startled Eomer! And yes, there's Eothain--he would have been there, of course, as he was a part of Eomer's own eored. LOL! I hadn't thought of it that way, but you are absolutely right!! grin

Isil Elensar	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 8/31/2004
Very, very good. You do much better writing the members of the fellowship than I do. ;-) Author Reply: Thank you very much, that is so kind of you. Where can I find some of your stories so I can judge for myself?

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/5/2004
The Fellowship's jealous of anyone else watching their hobbits! How adorable! I see Faramir found a good reason to spend time with Eowyn. Merry hugging Eomer was cute, and probably the only response Merry could think of at the moment. Good start, can't wait to read the rest. Author Reply: I feel as though the Fellowship has formed its own little family, and the hobbits are the heart of it. They'd naturally be a bit possessive of them. Well, he would probably take any chance he could get, and it was in a good cause. As I said, Merry is a hobbit, after all. What else would a hobbit do if someone said they were their friend? I'm glad you are enjoying it.

SilverMoonLady	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 7/4/2004
Oh, wow! This is very very neat! Is there more to come? I really like the way you portray the characters, with respect and realism, and the relationships among them. Keep up the good work! SilverMoonLady Author Reply: Yes, it's in three parts, and already complete, just taking my time posting it, as it needs a bit of tweaking. I should have the rest of it up by tomorrow at the latest. Thank you for the lovely review.

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