Stories of Arda - Lord of the Rings Fan-Fiction Archive


	About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search

Just Desserts by Lindelea	6 Review(s)
Tari	Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 5/30/2007
The last two chapters were heart wrenching. So hard to read, yet I couldn’t stop. The Steward was getting on my last nerve. Here’s hoping Aragorn can save Wil and Jack. Tari Author Reply: Been out of town. It was so nice to come home to your review! I know, the Steward is drawn very negatively in the first part of the story, but as you'll find, reading on, he's not quite so one-dimensional as he's been shown to this point. Will and Jack's fates were very much in Bodkin's hands during the writing, since this story was a result of a challenge and I asked what direction the plot ought to take. Rather risky, but Bodkin is a trustworthy sort, I have found, and chose wisely in my humble estimation. Hope this makes sense, am flying high on Cherry-flavoured Cola today and it makes for disjointed thought. To get back to the point of this reply: thanks!

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 10/30/2005
Aw! satisfied sigh for this chapter Lindelea. Now, 'the hands of the King...' and all that!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 10/30/2005
Poor Hunethron. It's not really his fault - although I can see Baranurthon's point of view. If you are going to be a hangman, you do want to be the best hangman possible. Do you think his heart will be softened when he learns that Will was drugged into insensibility so that Hunethron couldn't work efficiently? Probably not. And as far as we're concerned, it's a jolly good thing that Hunethron messed it up. I hope someone (Aragorn, please note!) gets round to rescinding those floggings before it's too late. Distraction in the Houses of Healing might be understandable, but kings and hobbits have to multi-task, and there's a squad of guardsman whose compliance with the hobbits' will shouldn't be rewarded with a whip. Haldoron is dim. I think that's his problem. Runs on rails. Thinks Dunedain are better than anyone else. Hobbits are little = hobbits are children. Just not bright. Needs careful supervision. Not the man for the job. Elessar is going to be too far away from Annuminas most of the time to leave it in the hands of someone so rigid. It even took him several minutes for the significance of Aragorn's arrival to penetrate. Dim. Poor Robin and Seledrith - I don't think they've really grasped the change in circumstances yet. And who shall blame them. Quick, get that healing in motion - we don't want any last minute tragedies here! This is so exciting. Author Reply: I think that Baranurthon is one of those men who, whatever his profession, would make a study of the most efficient and effective way to carry out his duties. (He'd probably make a good Steward, as a matter of fact. I think he'd excel at whatever he turned his hand to, partly because he's intelligent and partly because he's dedicated.) I imagine that, had he had charge of Will's hanging, he would have managed to break Will's neck in the fall somehow. He's something of a perfectionist. The floggings are an interesting thing to speculate on. The guardsmen, while bewitched by hobbits, were definitely in dereliction of their duty. If you take away the fact that Jack and Will ought not to have been hanged; if it had been some deserving criminal, mass murderer or such, and they allowed themselves to be so distracted, would they deserve the flogging? Elessar is going to have to employ some wisdom here. Let me know if you think he got it wrong. Haldoron is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, all right. He manages because he's a rule-follower, but original thinking is not his strong point. Poor Robin, he's in shock. He didn't even notice when the King said that Will and Jack deserved full pardon and honour. And Seledrith... she's lost her husband, and sort of found him again (though the betrayal is still in the back of her mind, when she's not overwhelmed by the moment), and then she was told she'd lose him again, taken to the dungeons and hanged in the dawning, and now she doesn't really know what to think. A husband in the hand is worth two in the Houses of Healing, or something like that... Sorry, it's late and while I was thinking of writing I'd be better off going to bed. But I wanted to respond to your review, and let you know how I appreciate your taking the time to input thoughtful feedback.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 10/30/2005
The guardsmen, while bewitched by hobbits, were definitely in dereliction of their duty. If you take away the fact that Jack and Will ought not to have been hanged; if it had been some deserving criminal, mass murderer or such, and they allowed themselves to be so distracted, would they deserve the flogging? That brings on lots of other interesting speculations and thoughts about individual responsibility and orders. There's a play by Max Frisch called Andorra where the soldier excuses having allowed something wrong to happen by saying 'I only did my duty' . . . where does obeying orders end and complicity in evil begin? And whose orders do you follow when orders contradict? You could argue that Haleth's squad was responding to the King's will - they obeyed Pippin: Thain of the Shire, Knight of Gondor, one of the Nine Walkers. They could have ended up being punished either way - for disobeying the Steward or for disobeying the Knight of Gondor. But then, taking the decision to stand against orders you think are wrong often brings about consequences - and they have to be endured. I look forward to discovering what conclusion you come to on the matter!

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 10/29/2005
deep sigh of relief Finally! And now the Steward is going to find out what it means that he disregarded the information the hobbits gave him. Indeed, they had told him all he needed to know to delay at least until the King could hear the case, and he refused to heed them, because what could tender-hearted little hobbits possibly know? It's very clear that King Elessar is not amused. And he's probably going to have to spend a long night in the Houses of Healing, which will not improve him temper in the morning. I wouldn't want to be in the Steward's place right now. Author Reply: What's funny (not in a hilarious way, naturally, but more ironic) is that Baranurthon is quite put out with his assistant because of his incompetence and the agonies he imagines Will suffered. Instead of being killed outright, Hunethon's lack of expertise actually saved Will's life--I'm sure Baranurthon might have been able to compensate for the effects of the draught whether or not he realised Will was drugged. So Baranurthon is furious with Hunethon over his actions, which comprised poor workmanship on his part, and yet ironically contributed to Will's survival. Whew. Convoluted. I wouldn't want to be in the Steward's place either. But let me just say that I think the punishment just might fit the crime. Thanks!

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 18 on 10/29/2005
Okay, my Lord Elessar, let us see the gift used, the Elessar stone augmenting it properly. Haldoran is going to earn a great deal of recrimination, and the interfering guard, I HOPE, even more! Well, well written. Author Reply: I'm afraid the steward is really in for it... demotion, for starters. But then, that's already a plot point woven into a future chapter. Evidently Elessar had already been thinking about this, for quite some time. Author Reply: Am going to include a bit of my email to you, for clarification, for any who happen to read reviews in addition to chapters: This is likely what the interfering guard overheard, and I hope it is plausible that he reported what he heard to the Steward. The way I'd envisioned it, the guard heard the boys talking excitedly, but heard only part, probably something like this: "Jack's here! He's here in the city! My mother saw him yesterday, in the linen shop!" "Jack?" (Impatiently) "You remember! He was in the Shire, he's the one who was after my father's gold, and when he found us he took us hostage..." And that's about all the guard heard, for I'd imagine he hurried to the Steward with the startling news, and didn't hear Farry talk about how Jack and the boys saved Hilly from the bog and them from freezing... And then the Steward sent for Diamond, and questioned her, and asked leading questions, and the rest... So most of the blame falls solidly on the Steward's head, I'm afraid, and that will come out soon.

Return to Chapter List