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The Blue Wizard Blues  by GamgeeFest 5 Review(s)
DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 24 on 8/6/2007
If anyone would have insight into how deceit and lies work on someone, it would be Sauron, wouldn't it?

I like your analysis--or rather Sauron's--of Saruman's "prediction". I've always felt that his words were more in the nature of a self-fulfilling "prophecy" than a true one. There was enough of a kernel of truth in it for it to fall on fertile ground, but only when Frodo began to feed and water it with his guilt and self-doubt did it actually begin to come true.

Sauron's discomfort at the possibility of a new name in interesting--looks as though he too suffers from a lot of what Frodo has. With, of course, more reason--he feels guilty because he *is* guilty (unlike Frodo, who felt guilty for something he couldn't help), but he will have to move beyond that himself to realizing that making up for what he did will serve more purpose than worrying at his guilt like a loose tooth.

Author Reply: There's none better than Sauron for explaining the Dark Side of the Force, and especially the motives of the wizards he helped to corrupt. ;)

Frodo warns the hobbits not to heed Saruman's voice, for it is treacherous, and yet I do think that he can't help but listen to it himself, as it speaks to him of the doubts he has already begun to foster.

Sauron at this point needs that guilt, to a certain extant, to keep him on this new, unfamiliar path. He's spent so much of his existence being despised by others that he now finds it to be a security blanket of sorts, a familiar coverlet to wrap himself in even while he begins to shed it. He might even fear that if he begins to gain admirers, that if he accepts this admiration, it will take him back down the path of his power-hungry ways. Now Rick is (wisely) trying to yank this secutiry blanket away from him completely and he just isn't ready to let go yet. Rick, dear boy, will have none of this, as you already know. :D

AndreaReviewed Chapter: 24 on 7/31/2007
Aliesacan and the Blue Wizards of the East

Wonderful title and wonderful name! Bravo, Rick!

But Frodo's dream was really terrible, and the future the Blue Wizards showed him even more so!

Thanks to Sauron he understands now that the future is changeable. Maybe one of the things he saw happens, but he can always give the future a different turn. I'm right glad that Frodo chose Middle-Earth to live there and not the "Valinor Option". The latter will always be open for him.

And if you ask me, of course he should marry and have children. I would love that.

Last but not least, Larner is right with her remark. I asked myself the same question: "To whom does the confessor confess?". I'm sure Frodo would listen to him if he only approached him, and the Great Shaman would give him wise advice.

Author Reply: Sauron might not like his new name, but he's just going to have to get used to it. ;)

The fear of losing the Shire and his friends has been with him from the start. It was the deepest rooted and so would be the last to rear it's ugly head. The Blue Wizards had seized upon it immediately. Thankfully, Sauron knows all about their devious ways, and now Frodo can hope for the future. The Valinor option is still there, and he may still have to take it in the end, but not before he tries to live a normal life.

Frodo would be a remarkable father, and what remarkable children he would have too!

The Great Shaman would have quite a lot to say if Sauron would ask, but the Maia will be getting his wisdom from a different source. ;)

Queen GaladrielReviewed Chapter: 24 on 7/31/2007
Oh, what a terrible dream that was! *shudders* I loved the farewells and the gifts and all that, and the trading of stories with the crew, but my favorite part was, of course, Frodo's and Sauron's conversation. This is what I mean when I say Sauron in some ways compares to Gandalf. Maybe it's because they're both Maiar and both wise, they just remind me a little of one another when in these deep conversations. :)

Oh, and I *loveed* Rick's enthusiasm for the story he's going to try and write! Just chattering away...that's the way to drive someone (some unsympathetic person who can't possibly understand what it's like to have a good story in the mind) absolutely crazy! LOL!
God bless,
Galadriel

Author Reply: Those wizards certainly did find the last hidden seed in Frodo's fears and used it to their full advantage. It's even easier now to see how close they came to overthrowing Frodo and winning that mental duel.

Spending the better part of 10 millenia being evil has certainly given Sauron a clear perspective on the nature of evil. He more than anyone would know the tactics of Saruman and the Blue Wizards and so be able to guess with the most accuracy just what they had been trying to do to Frodo. Thankfully, it's given Frodo some hope that all might not be so dire as he's feared.

LOL! Rick was likened to Pippin before, very early on in the story, and this was a nice reminder of the similarities between the two. Apparently, when excited, they both begin to ramble non-sensically and in run-on sentences. ;D

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 24 on 7/30/2007
Such a wonderful turn of events for Sauron as he finds new meaning for himself in service, and as he helps Frodo put his own fears into proper context and perspective. And so all are reassured, save for Aliescan himself, who finds himself facing his own questions without the open guidance he might derive from the small Great Shaman in his company. To whom does the confessor confess?

Author Reply: Sauron would never have predicted the day *he'd* be giving good advice to ease someone else's fears. On the other hand, no one understands the dark natures of Saruman and the Blue Wizards better than Sauron, which makes him the only one who could have answered Frodo's questions, as much as they could be answered anyway. Frodo now feels he can try to live a normal life, though he may be haunted by these warnings all the same.

I have a feeling that a certain someone won't be allowing Sauron to sulk for very much longer. ;)

AltheaReviewed Chapter: 24 on 7/30/2007
Frodo's dream was terrifying. The blue wizards certainly knew how to get to him. I'm relieved that Sauron's explanation gave Frodo some hope and that Frodo decided to stay in Middle Earth.

Author Reply: The final hold on Frodo's mind is released here as he realizes that even so-called prophecies are not always what they seem to be. It's certainly open to debate whether or not Saruman truly foretold Frodo's future or if he used his Voice one last time, fixing the final nail in Frodo's coffin, so to speak. As such, this would be the final wound to be healed, as much as it can be healed at any rate. Frodo always wanted to stay in ME, he just knew that it wasn't possible. He still isn't entirely sure if it is possible now, but he's going to give it an honest effort this time around.

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