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In Darkness Buried Deep  by GamgeeFest 8 Review(s)
PeriantariReviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/28/2005
And when he was lifted from the ground, he thought himself floating upon a cloud or perhaps upon an eagle’s back, far above the earth and with no fear of falling.

Lovely foreshadowing~ i loved, so very loved the whole ethereal dialogue that you have in this part. "aww Frodo! hang in there!"
And i love Sam's song from Cirith Ungol put in there too--i love that bit from the books so much. :)

Author Reply: I think I overdo the foreshadowing at times in my stories, but I just can't help myself. This one though was very much intentional, as were most of the others. In fact, I think there was only one unintentional foreshadowing, and that was Frodo's words to Gil after getting out of the forest, about how "all he did" was go somewhere everyone else had the sense to stay out of and how that isn't courageous. Frodo never could see or appreciate how strong he really is.

The Cirith Ungol song is easily my favorite, and is obviously where I got the title for this story from. It was only fitting that it be included here, especially since it was Sam who was to be Frodo's protector.

RenaissanceGrrlReviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/17/2005
That was out of the ordinary for you--but I rather liked it. ^_^ Nice tie-in with "When One Door Closes..."

Author Reply: I figured Frodo was far enough gone at this point that he would be able to "hear" his parents speaking to him. If he hadn't been able to hear them, he would have given up, and likewise wouldn't have crawled out in the open where he could be found.

Aw, yes, Frodo's protector. It will be a long time before Frodo realizes who it is. ;)

AndreaReviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/14/2005
Well, seems I've missed another great story. But it's on my schedule now ;-)

"It is only in the heart of darkness that one may find light, and light is the key to hope."

This is really beautiful! Only someone who has come to know the darkness can really appreciate light. Maybe, in some way, it was good that Frodo went into the forest, for in even darker times he can remember that he made it through!
He's out of danger now, I'm sure, and his rescuer has come - whoever it is, very likely Tom Bombadil. I'm really curious about the next chapter!

Author Reply: "When One Door Closes" is just a short vignette, but it did rather come in handy for this chapter. Frodo's parents hardly abandoned him. They wanted to ensure he would be looked after, and they were more than satisified with the answer.

Exactly! Frodo has a much darker road than this to travel, and remembering that he made it through this will help him when it comes time for the Quest. Knowing that his protector, chosen for him by his parents, is there with him will help tremendously also.

It is Tom indeed. He always seems to show up just in the nick of time, doesn't he? lol

Thank you so much for following this story. :)

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/14/2005
This experience should be helpful to Frodo. Provided he survives to remember it, of course.

The atmosphere in Brandy Hall must be terrible - so many people so worried, not just about Frodo, but the rest of them, too. And Edon has thrown off Fuchsia's spell, which can only be a good thing.

Author Reply: Frodo will survive it, and he will remember a good deal of it. It may take some time for him to make sense of it, but he will come out of this a bit wiser than he was before.

Brandy Hall is at a low point. Half the Brandybuck line lost in the forest, on what can only be considered a fruitless mission, can only cause everyone to worry about what will happen if they are never seen again. There is protocol for such an event occuring, but as something like this would have never happened before, no one will be entirely sure of the rules, other than the Master himself. He asked Saradas and Merimac to stay behind for just this reason.

Thank you for reading! :)

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/13/2005
Aha, Tom has come, and we have a good deal of foreshadowing.

And love the description of the fear of the women left behind and how it has communicated itself to their infants as well.

Edon is coming on, at least.

Author Reply: Tom to the rescue. I'm not a fan of Tom's but there was just no other way of getting Frodo out of this forest alive. I also like the idea that Tom helped Frodo prior to the Quest and that maybe Tom recognized him later in LOTR.

Infants are very good on picking up the emotions of those around them, especially when the emotions are so high as they were that night. I've heard infants cry like that, when everyone around them are distraught. It's heartwrenching.

Edon is getting there, but he still has one more door to walk through. Then we'll see what he's really made of.

Thank you so much for reading. :)

TheHobbitWaffleReviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/13/2005
Again you have left me in suspense. Good Heavens!

Another amazing chapter! I never seem as articulate as I'd like to be in reviews, so I'll just end it before I ramble ^^

Author Reply: There shouldn't be too many suspenseful chapters to come, so you'll be able to relax soon enough. :) Please, feel free to ramble. Those are my most favorite reviews.

Thanks for reading this and for your reviews thus far. They've all been delightful to receive and read. :)

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/13/2005
Beautiful, beautiful chapter!

I love the glimpse of the women-folk, trying to make it through their worry, and then getting up and going about the business of the Hall.

And I am so glad that Edon is over Fuschia. She simply wasn't the right one for him.

And the last part, with Frodo: I just adored the reference to "When One Door Closes..." and the gentle advice of his parents, and the song from RotK. Oh it was lovely!

And now he's been rescued, dare I hope--by a certain someone?

Can't wait for more!

Author Reply: It was time to check back with the women and find out what was going on on their end. They're not having a very good time of it either, and anything that keeps them busy will be welcomed at this point.

Edon and Fuchsia go together like peas and ... tartar sauce. :D Fucshia is way out of Edon's league and what's more, she doesn't trust him. Piper is more suiting for Edon, if she decides to stick around after what's to come.

The addition of the song caused a whole new epilogue to be written, which meant the original epilogue was turned into a full chapter. So four little lines got you 7 more pages of story. :) The reference to "When One Door Closes" was also added after the original draft. Frodo needed to know, at what is possibly his lowest point in his young life, that there is hope for him and that he won't always be alone. Knowing that there is someone out there, even if he doesn't know who that someone is, will help make life more bearable for him.

Yes, it's Tom, just in the nick of time. :)

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/13/2005
Out standing! I loved the dream/vision and how it refers to your other wonderful story, "When One Door Closes..." So very moving and I do hope that Frodo will remember what he was told later when he does meet his protector again.
I am glad that Edon is over Fuchsia. She seems the shallow type in many ways and he is better off without her. Also I think it might improve his chances for a friendship with Gil if she is no longer between them.
I am enjoying this so much and I rec'd it and put a link to the story on my LJ. Hope you don't mind. Keep it coming!

Author Reply: Thank you! This was the snippet of song I added in, that then caused me to write an epilogue. That should answer the question if Frodo remembered or not. I wasn't originally intending this to be so connected to "When One Door Closes" but in the telling of it, that's what happened. I can't remember exactly when that part of this chapter was added into it, but as this is ultimately about Frodo's feelings of abandoment and fears of loneliness, it seemed more than fitting. Frodo needed to know that there *is* someone out there who will take care of him, no matter what. That promise is perhaps the only thing that got him through the rest of his years at Brandy Hall.

Fuchsia, as with Gil, doesn't exactly display her best side when in Edon's presence. She does have a good many qualities, but she doesn't trust Edon any further than she can toss him. Edon is definitely better off without her. She's too high-class for him and he's always known it. What is it about the unattainable that makes people want it all the more? Thankfully, Edon has come to realize that he was wasting his time; his newfound interest in Piper no doubt helped that revelation come about. However, this won't help Edon win back Gil's friendship, as they were never truly fighting about Fuchsia in the first place. There's a much bigger obstacle standing in the way, and we'll finally find out what exactly that is in the next chapter. :)

Thanks again for reading!

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