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One Who Sticks Closer than a Brother  by Lindelea 5 Review(s)
DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 12 on 3/18/2007
Wheee! You're back! ((((hugs))))

Poor Tolly! I had to go back a chapter, and refresh my memory, to make sure of which part of the flashback I was in, LOL!

I really love Regi in this. He's playing a very dangerous game, for the sake of the Shire and the Tooks. But I'm guessing he was very relieved when Pippin came home.

And poor delirious Tolly!

Author Reply: ((((hugs back))))

I wrote ch. 13 rather "blind" without going back and refreshing my memory, so I only hope there aren't any terrible bloopers. I had a "free" hour and ran with it.

Poor, delirious Tolly indeed! If I'm remembering right, this is a three- or four-day fever, and he's only on the first day. A good thing, probably, considering the amount of backstory yet to be told. (Just *what* ruffians did he safely escort out of the Shire, past the Kingsmen?)

Regi astonished me, in this story, though his actions are simply a logical extension of his putting together the Thain's escort again, after turning over the implications of the sons of the two most powerful hobbits disappearing on the same day, along with the head of the Baggins family and heir to Bilbo's fortune. (And a gardener, but that hardly seems ominous, now, does it? Whew, sure a good thing for Middle Earth that the gardener disappeared too.) He went from there to securing the borders, and putting Ferdi in charge of border security when that hobbit showed a hunter's flair for setting traps. Good fellow, Regi, quite the prop and stay, if that's the right term.

Sorry, am babbling. Bronchitis makes me tired and the meds make me goofy.

Author Reply: p.s. did that make sense?

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/30/2006
Poor woodcutter's family. What choice to they have now? Survival seems to suggest that they will incline towards the ruffians, even though it will go against the grain. After all, what options has Paladin left them? And poor Toddy - he is likely to be embittered by this dereliction.

While as for what is happening now - it's just one darned disaster after another! I doubt there'll be anyone left standing in the Smials soon!

(It's no wonder Tolly let men go free. He has seen good men - and bad hobbit decisions.)

Author Reply: Yes, Paladin would have been wiser to bring the woodcutters into the Tookland. Just think, Men loyal to him, to counter those working for Lotho. I bet more ruffians would have been killed, inexpertly cutting down trees, and maybe fewer trees would have been lost due to inefficiency.

Yep. Tolly has known good men, and Tookish loyalty is not an easy thing to crush.

Thanks!

harrowcatReviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/28/2006
From bad to worse or worst indeed! Now is this memory or imagination.? If the former I do hope we get to see a happier ending.

Author Reply: Tolly's fever dreams are all memory-based, and as for the ending... think good thoughts, and hopefully the Muse will get us there.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/26/2006
Cruelty upon cruelty. They see what Lotho's folks are doing, and they are forced to try to evict Men who are friends. Definitely a lose-lose situation for all.

Author Reply: Truly a lose-lose situation. The woodcutters are good Men, caught in a bad situation... and Paladin's actions, even if they were defensive in nature, merely threw these good men into the path of a wicked master. Breeland is too far, and Lotho's Men have the only game in town. Um. something like that.

(If I had been Paladin, and clearer-thinking on the matter and open-minded with regard to Big Folk, I'd have invited the woodcutters and family to take up residence safely within the bounds of Tookland...)

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/26/2006
Oh dear! Poor Hilly--but at least now they've some clue as to what's going on!

What a sad ending to Tolly's friendship with the woodcutter's family! Another thing *Lotho* was responsible for ruining. And I emphasize *Lotho* because this is clearly early on, after our lads left (they are just now getting word out about Pippin going missing) so this is not something that can be laid on Saruman/Sharkey--he's not there yet, and the Ruffians are following *Lotho's* orders!

Grrrr...(makes me mad at that hobbit all over again!)

Author Reply: Poor Hilly... but how many Tooks can say they blackened the Thain's eye and got away with it, scot-free? Delirium--What an excuse!

And they seem to have gone from questioning to assuming that Tolly's odd behaviour is due to his falling ill as well--which seems to me a reasonable premise. If he'd gone out for any other reason, he wouldn't have dropped his cloak in the freezing temperatures, one would think. (Unless he'd met up with ruffians and left his cloak as a sign, I guess. But Renilard hadn't seen any sign of ruffians, so that possibility hasn't been brought up, and won't be, most likely.)

Yes, this flashback-event is early on, some time in October, I think. But there is a bit more to the story...

(sure hope Tolly doesn't get too waterlogged, there in the tub! they're going to have to lift him out soon.)

Thanks!

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