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The King's Commission  by Larner 5 Review(s)
Queen GaladrielReviewed Chapter: 8 on 3/17/2006
*gasp* What? Ririon was the...Oh my goodness! I'll never cease to be amazed by how you tie all this together, and now I'm *really* in awe of all the careful planning and rereading you had to do to write The Acceptable Sacrifice.

I love how quickly Aragorn gets to the heart of the matter, so:

“The worst he will face,” Aragorn commented, “will be the expectations by others that he is and will be helpless. I have seen such before,
and suspect that you two,” with a glance at Ruvemir and his sister, “have a full appreciation for how it is generally expressed..."

True enough, both of Ririon and, alas, of Ruvimir and Miriel--who probably get the worst of the two. I once had a girl tell me I was freaky because I was blind, and it struck me as so funny that it's still a standing joke with me and a blind friend. LOL! I don't know why--no one else thought it was funny, and my brother was boiling angry and tried to defend me, and I couldn't help laughing outright. I think, though, that it was because it was said without a thought and came from a child much younger than myself with obviously no manners, and at first it didn't even click that she was talking to me. But it would be quite different to be called freaky because you look different, and to see others receive such unfair or sometimes even cruel treatment just makes me so mad!

This Taurielen (I did look this time :)) sounds like an interesting person, and I'm going to have to try the listening to the eggs thing again. I did that once, and everyone actually ate them and said they were good, but they were runny. I had to choke them down and think about anything but what I was eating. But then, I'm the girl who can come within a hair's breadth of ruining a sandwich...LOL!

Author Reply: Yes, I DO tend to tie them together, don't I? As I said in the author's note in The Acceptable Sacrifice, often a hint here is expanded on there and so on. The tub of fruit was first mentioned in The Ties of Family, and the quilt with the pink squares from The Ties of Family gets a few laughs in Lesser Ring.

In the listening to eggs, I was relying on what my husband and my friend Cindy both told and demonstrated to me (as well as what we discussed in teaching adaptive living classes). Taurielen was deeply modeled on Cindy, who's a special education teacher and adaptive living teacher who lives in Chicago, blinded due to ROP, if I recall correctly.

I'm extraordinarily short, although I was always properly proportioned until time and chance slowed down my metabolism and I started gaining weight. You wouldn't believe the flak one can get just from being short. Believe me, between me, my friends, and my students, we have heard it all. And you will find I tend to put advocacy messages into many of my stories.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/15/2004
I'm glad Ririon has a promising future ahead of him. Shame to think, though, that without the illness-induced blindness, he could have remained a pot-boy at an inn throughout his life. On such things are chances set.

I'm glad Frodo's pictures emerged undamaged.

It's really funny to imagine the King and Queen sneaking off to a room in an inn to get a bit of time to themselves. I'm not surprised Elise was taken aback - the Queen as chaperone - yes, I think that will probably satisfy the scandalmongers.

Author Reply: I agree. Thanks for the review.

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/14/2004
This is delightful! I so enjoyed the picture of the little group's party--the three Hunters together, Arwen, delighting in being a wife and prospective mother, Ruvemir and his sister, and Elise joining them. All of them able to relax among friends and put celebrity behind them.
I am so relieved that Frodo's sketches were all right. I was quite worried about them.
And I am really looking forward to the journey to the Shire!

Author Reply: Yes, a good night away from protocol must have been welcome, and to be accepted just as guests for a change.

grumpyReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/14/2004
Do hope the Ruvemir and his father take Ririon on as a apprentice. Like the growing courtship between Ruvemir and Elise. Great that Aragorn, Arwin, Legolas and Gimli escaped for awhile and came to the inn. It is wonderful how you show the love between Aragorn and Arwin.

Author Reply: Thanks, Grumpy, for your feedback. I'm just glad they appear to have been happy together.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 8 on 12/13/2004
I think it is lovely that Ruvemir has Frodo's drawings and that he admits that they are better than any he has done. I also like the fact that he is still proud of his talent as a sculptor and says as much. I look forward to his visit to the Shire and I am happy for the child that he will have someone to care for him and to watch over him. I like that he is connected to Frodo in a small way.

Author Reply: Thanks for the feedback. Yes, the acknowledgment of talent is a wonderful thing.

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