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To Lead His People by Dreamflower	24 Review(s)
Marethiel	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/31/2008
This was so dear. I love the trust and compassion flowing between "good old Strider" and the Guard of the Citadel. :-) Thank you so much for sharing your talent. ~Marethiel Author Reply: Why thank you! It's delightful to get a new review of an older story, and this one is dear to my heart, as I originally wrote it in longhand, while waiting for the power to come back on after Hurricane Katrina. I am so glad you like it! I think the trust and compassion was definitely a two-way street for Aragorn and Pippin!

Golden	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 11/25/2008
This story is great! I love the way you have Strider and Pip interacting and the deepniss that is in their characters. :) Author Reply: Thank you, Jana! I do think there is a deepness to both their characters! I'm glad you enjoyed this; it's a favorite of mine.

Idril Celebrindal	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/21/2007
Oh this was just perfect! I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you! Idril Author Reply: Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it! It's lovely to get a review for an older fic.

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/27/2006
THis was just lovely.I found it from the MPA site, which I'd dropped by to see how my story was faring.This was a real gem to discover.Good luck in the contest ! Author Reply: Why thank you very much! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! It's a very gratifying and unexpected treat to find a new review for a story that's been up a while. Thank you again for reading and reviewing!

Frodo Baggins	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 3/14/2006
Oh Dreamflower! I am forever awed by your power to draw the reader into the moment! You almost had me in tears there! This was such a sweet story about one of the best kings ever instructing a leader-to-be. WOnderfully done! Namarie! God Bless, Frodo Baggins Author Reply: Why thank you! This is one of the stories I wrote by hand, while the power was out after Hurricane Katrina, and when I came back online, I could not wait to type it in and post it. It came to me so clearly, this picture of Pippin and Aragorn on the steps in Meduseld, and Pippin trying so hard to understand what would one day be expected of him. I am very glad that you liked it.

Gryffinjack	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 12/16/2005
Oh, my but this is one of my favourite stories! And not just because it's about Pippin. You know, I told you once in one of my reviews that I could easily see Pippin with a dog. And here you have him acting just like a puppy himself, following Aragorn around, anxious to please and for any wisdom Aragorn can impart to him. A puppy or a dog is a very good description of Pippin, including his ability to charm, his desire to play and ability to get into mischief, his boundless energy, his loyalty, and his ability to love. "Never, since the first day he had met Pippin Took, had he ever thought it would be difficult to get him to talk." Now there's an understatement! This story is such a beautiful moment between Pippin and his friend and king. Aragorn is so sensitive to the needs of his little knight that even though he does not understand what the problem is, he recognises that there is one and that he must be patient and genlte in the way he coaxes Pippin into telling what his problem is. The complete honesty and respect he shows Pippin in answering his questions shows what a great man and leader Aragorn is. For Pippin, as intuitive as he is about people, to trust Aragorn so much that he is willing to discuss his problem with him also says a great deal about Aragorn. For although Pippin thinks the best of most people and is easy with his friendship and trust (Banks brothers, anyone?), this is a different type of trust that he does not so easily give. And really, there is nobody better for Pippin to have this conversation with than Aragorn. "“Did you always want to be King?” “No. You must remember that I grew up as ’Estel’. I was twenty before I even knew who I was. I knew that I was a Man of the Dúnadain, and my hope was to become a Ranger and a healer among them.”" Really, there situations are quite similar: neither Aragorn nor Pippin knew that they were going to grow up to be king or Thain until they were older. They did not learn from the time they could talk that this was the case. In Pippin's case, he was already a teenager before he learnt he would one day be Thain and as Aragorn said, he was twenty before he learnt of his future. So both of them began their training rather late in life, and neither one particularly wanted it. "“I can’t think I’d be very good at leading the Shire. Merry, now Merry’s going to be a brilliant Master of Buckland! He’s just perfect for the job, he makes plans ahead of time, and he’s clever, and he’s a good leader. But I’m just not like that. I don’t like to tell people what to do.” ...“But mostly, I’m afraid I will let everyone down, that I will do one of those stupid things that make Gandalf call me a ‘fool of a Took’ and bring disaster on the Shire. And, like I said before, I don’t like to tell people what to do.”" I honestly don't know how Aragorn refrained from hugging Pippin. Although Pippin is right that Merry will be a brilliant Master of Buckland, magnificent in fact, he sadly underestimates his own abilities. This is most likely due to his being the youngest of four children (just like me!), with three older sisters to coddle him (me again!), and constantly being under pressure from his father because his father knows that he must learn to lead his people one day. Combine all of that with a penchant for getting into more mischief than anyone thought possible, and you have a recipe for underestimation of his talents. And if that wasn't enough, there are his two near disasters on the Quest. If you please, what good came out Pippin's dropping the stone down the well? Pippin may not be as good at planning and organisation as his older cousin, but he is every bit as intelligent as both Merry and Frodo. And he can, too, plan things like Merry and be as patient as Frodo - just look at his actions during A Conspiracy of Hobbits. Pippin also has the innate ability to read and understand people, much like Frodo, Aragorn, Gandalf, Faramir, and even Denethor. That is a talent that will stand him in very good stead when he becomes leader of the Shire. On top of that, he has an even greater slice of Took charm than either of his cousins that makes others want to please him. And this is one of the best qualities to have in order to make others follow willingly. "I have seen you wrap both Merry and Frodo around your little finger, even when they know what you are doing.”" Pippin does it at every turn and this reminds me of something I forgot to comment on in A Different Kind of Quest, where Pippin wheels around, shows Legolas and Gimli his most irresistible wide green eye, pouting trembling lower lip look that always gets to Merry and Frodo, and turns back around to the laughter of all. It is a calculated manoeuvre to get his way, yes, but the thing that is unbelievable is that nobody can resist it even when they know that is precisely what he is doing. Now THAT is irresistable charm! Any leader would be in envy of such an ability. Aragorn was brilliant in this story. He truly is a leader, able to find out what the problem is and solve it. But more than that, he is able to make others see things in a way they hadn't previously in order to arrive at a solution. He has a gentle strength and caring that would make anyone want to confide in him. This is a truly remarkable story. Author Reply: You know, I never thought of Pippin as a puppy, but, really you are absolutely right! LOL! He does have that adorable puppy-like quality of wanting to please, and the certainty that everyone loves him. Pippin has an absolute trust and love for the King to whom he's given his fealty. After his experience with Denethor, I do not believe he would ever have repeated that oath to one he did not absolutely love and trust. And Aragorn honors that with love and trust of his own. They do indeed have those things in common. And their reluctance to want to be rulers stems from a lack of the kind of prideful ambition that moved Denethor, for example, or Saruman or even Lotho. And their willingness to put aside their reluctance to benefit their people is a true sacrifice to duty, and yet a joy at the same time. Although Pippin is right that Merry will be a brilliant Master of Buckland, magnificent in fact, he sadly underestimates his own abilities. This is most likely due to his being the youngest of four children (just like me!), with three older sisters to coddle him (me again!), and constantly being under pressure from his father because his father knows that he must learn to lead his people one day. Combine all of that with a penchant for getting into more mischief than anyone thought possible, and you have a recipe for underestimation of his talents. You have hit the nail on the head. And in addtion to being the youngest in his immediate family, he is also the youngest in "family" he has with his cousins, whom he adores and thinks can do no wrong; in his eyes, compared to his beloved Merry and Frodo, he feels himself to fall woefully short. As to the stone, if you think (which I am not sure is correct, but a good many people do think it, and I don't dismiss it out of hand) that the stone woke the Balrog, then if Gandalf had not fallen, he would never have become Gandalf the White, and been able to displace Saruman, nor some of the other things he was able to openly do after his return. Still, I am not sure that this view of things would have been much comfort to Pippin, and I am not sure Aragorn would agree with it, either, so that's why he doesn't belabor the point. But I'll bet it occured to him! Pippin knows his charm works on his cousins and his family. He really has not yet come to understand how deeply it works on everyone else he meets, and he charms most when he is unaware, from the way he got the old farmer to give him the ball in "All You Have to Do Is Ask" to the way he got Menelcar to invite him along on the road in "Life of a Bard". And think of how quickly he was befriended by Beregond and Bergil, or how close he became to Faramir. Aragorn is the kind of leader I wish we had in RL. And so he has all the leadership qualities I value most--I do so wish he were here and now. And thank you.

Pearl Took	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 10/17/2005
This is most excellent!!! I've always felt that Pip would not feel up to becoming Thain, but I've always known he'll be a great one. Very well done indeed :) Author Reply: For my Pippin, the idea of the Thainship was colored by early and unpleasant experiences visiting the Great Smials when Lalia and Ferumbras held sway. On top of that was his terror at the thought that his father would die for him to take the job on, as well as the decided reluctance to wield authority commonly found in youngest children. And yet he did have what it takes--only needing experience and confidence to give him that boost into great leadership. The Quest most certainly tempered him, and honed his abilities, and Aragorn's faith and confidence in him did even more.

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/28/2005
This is such a sweet little moment between Aragorn and Pippin. Aragorn is of course right about everything he said. Pippin's always doubted himself because his two favorite cousins always seem to come by things so easily, Merry with his cleverness and Frodo with his intelligence and grace. It would be easy for Pippin to look at himself and doubt his own abilities. I'm glad Strider was there to set him right. :) Author Reply: Pippin's admiration for his older cousins sometimes blinds him to his own good qualities. Pippin is every bit as intelligent as either of them, but his mind tends to jump from one thing to the next, in little flashes of brilliance, and his impulsiveness means that he sometimes acts on a "brilliant" idea before he thinks through the consequences. Yet, as Aragorn points out, this is an advantage sometimes--for example, when one is seeking a chance to escape from Orcs. LOL!

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/26/2005
Another lovely story! I'd heard you were busy during your enforced absence, and your readers will certainly benefit, I think. People say a crown is a burden, and so it is, but I find a special joy in knowing that I have the ability to help others, to make their lives better, to protect them from those who would prey on them. Not everyone can have such a privilege.” This is just how I see the Thainship, especially under Pippin. His eyes softened briefly, and he cast a thought in her direction. Such a lovely turn of phrase. “But mostly, I’m afraid I will let everyone down, that I will do one of those stupid things that make Gandalf call me a ‘fool of a Took’ and bring disaster on the Shire. And, like I said before, I don’t like to tell people what to do.” A heart-tugging moment. But that is not the only kind of cleverness. Nice explanation! Wise Elessar. You have a remarkable talent for making people love you, as do your companions. This made me chuckle... yes, a remarkable talent for making people love him, especially when you consider the reams of paper given to stories about him! Author Reply: And of course, once he gained the Thainship, he had Aragorn's example and advice to guide him. I don't believe he truly understood what it meant to lead a people until he saw Aragorn doing it. And Arwen's never going to be far from the King's thoughts. Yes, poor Pippin, so used to being yelled at for his disasters that he doesn't really see his successes. And Elessar has had the entire Quest to observe his small friends and note their remarkable strengths. chuckle Now that I had not thought of. But yes, we do love him, don't we, and the others as well. hobbitshobbitshobbits...

Armariel	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 9/25/2005
awww now isn't that just sweet! heheh Aragorn is the soul of patience, what? And Pippin is just so......Pippin.... Brava! Author Reply: Yes, it did take him a good deal of patience to dig out what was bothering Pippin--hobbits don't especially like to talk about serious things, even when they want to. And I'm very glad that you think my Pippin is "so...Pippin". That really makes me smile.

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