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Testaments of the Past by Dreamflower	113 Review(s)
Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 145 on 9/3/2006
You and Jackie did go through a lot of trouble to produce all this, and I am very impressed, Dreamflower. There would be very few people who would work out all of this if it was not absolutely necessary to insert in the story itself, I think. Some more personal parts of Frodo's last will brought tears to my eyes, but then I had to laugh about him leaving his pipe to Legolas and the leaf to Gimli to persuade Legolas into smoking. That was sweet, though I doubt Legolas will give in. Well, our dear elf will treasure it nonetheless. Author Reply: We intended from the very beginning to have the Author's Notes be a part of the story, so that the readers could see what our hobbits were seeing, even though there would be no way to include all of it in the narrative of the story. At first it was only going to be letters and legal documents, and then we got the idea of showing some of the items as well. It was a lot of fun to do! It took us quite a while to figure out all the bequests, and the three different Wills--post-Party, pre-Quest, and post-Quest. At all of them Frodo was at a different place in his life. The idea of giving Legolas a pipe was Jackie's, and when she told me, I thought it was perfect--it would show that as bad off as Frodo was near the end, he still had a sense of humor!

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/3/2006
Don't truly know what to say. I had never, never expected the object in the box to be that! The image of the chain digged so deep in Frodo's neck that it remained there is so horrible and left me shuddering. Poor Frodo! But thinking back to the pictures in the movie, of the deep wound, crusted with blood, it seems only too possible. Now I feel so sorry for all of them, and I can only say I am very glad the three threw it in the fire to destroy it as far as possible. I am sure none of them could've endured it to have this chain in the house one moment longer than necessary. Author Reply: You know, until I saw the movie, I had never in all those years, thought about the fact that the chain had to have injured Frodo, cutting into his neck, rubbing it raw. That is why I say visuals were the strong point of the films. It did indeed leave an impression on me! It was important that they destroy it, for their own sake, and for Frodo's.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 9/3/2006
Merry looked puzzled. "Where is Pip? It’s not like him not to be in the kitchen at the first smell of breakfast." That's right. I'd expected Pippin to show up long before the cakes were ready. But I can see that his dream somehow disturbed and distracted him. “Besides,” added Pippin, “how do you know he didn’t send dozens* of letters? If they had to go through old Butterburr at the Prancing Pony, Frodo’d never have known, would he?”* giggle Poor old Butterburr will never live it down, I fear. It is good to know the cousins knew the contents of the box so well that they could say with certainty Frodo had taken some of them with him. I think it must be some comfort to them to know he has some mementos of the Shire and the people he loved so much taken to the Undying Lands. I can see them feeling better after dancing around - it lifted the mood considerably. A pity Pippin made the wrong connection after Merry's remark about touching things he shouldn't touch. I am sure as soon as Pip could walk on his own nothing was sure from his hands and his curiosity! The end was something of a cliffhanger. I truly wonder just what could raise such a reaction? Author Reply: Merry and Sam both have wives at their sides, which makes a difference. For the usual nightmares, I think Merry would have sensed Pippin's trouble, and checked him in the night. But this was a different sort of troubled dream, and it was able to distract even Pippin from breakfast. No, Butterburr rather stepped in it when he failed to pass that letter on. It was Jackie's idea that Merry and Pippin would already know what was in that particular box, and would realize from what was missing that Frodo had taken the items with him. Right now, with all the memories, happy and sad, being stirred up, it really does not take much to change the mood. Well, you have seen it now!

Elemmírë	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/2/2006
WOW! Now that's cool and creepy as well. I never thought about what happened to that chain. I guess I thought it fell to the sharp, rocky ground of the Sammanth Naur. No wonder Sam was so upset. And poor, poor Frodo. Hating the Ring, yet lusting after it and all he had was the horrible memories and the Elven chain that chafed severely into his neck across Middle-earth. The chain was indeed, caught in Frodo's hair, and the matted blood where it had cut into his neck. Of course, when he was brought back to the healers, it was removed, and put aside with the other things they yet had. Gandalf and Aragorn questioned what was to be done with it. Aragorn thought it should be disposed of without Frodo ever knowing, but Gandalf thought Frodo deserved the chance to choose what he wished done. He hoped that Frodo would also choose to dispose of it, and thought that giving Frodo the chance to make that choice would help him. However, Frodo decided to keep it, and Aragorn provided him with the small box to put it in. Now that would be an interesting tale to read in more detail: Frodo's healing with Aragorn and Gandalf discovering the Ring's chain embedded into his neck. Their reactions to seeing it like so and their discussion. Giving it back to Frodo and seeing how he kept it from the other hobbits during their stay in Minas Tirith and their journey home. I would love to read more about Frodo's thoughts regarding the chain (as would others, I'm sure) :D So, possible future plot bunny for one of you Ladies?? Looking forward to the next chapter! P.S. That is a very eerie and realistic picture of the blood-stained chain with Frodo's hair, Gryffinjack. It definitely speaks of the emotion that all the hobbits felt--Frodo at not being able to get rid of it, and the others emotional reaction to seeing it after all that time. Gives me the chills.

Elemmírë	Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 9/2/2006
Eeek! I seemed to have missed this chapter! Merry was fairly certain Frodo had not kept all* his aunt’s letters, though, or they would have filled the box by themselves.* LOL! How very true! Dora's letters would have needed their own trunk. Aww, Elanor and Sam making pancakes together. Very sweet. (I picture Sam being a very patient father as described in that scene. He'd have to be with 13 children, after all.) Merry took out another small bundle of letters, and after a glance, exclaimed “Aha! I knew it! I knew Bilbo must have written to Frodo.” “O’ course he did,” replied Sam. “He never said nothing to his kin about it though--said if Mr. Bilbo wanted them to know, he’d write them too.” Yeah! I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my theory that Bilbo wrote to Frodo after he left. There's a line in FOTR where Frodo says to Gandalf, "In Bilbo's last letter ..." --Bilbo had written to Frodo about the Ring, to keep it secret if I remember correctly, but it's never mentioned as to when Bilbo wrote this letter. I've always liked to think that Bilbo wrote to Frodo at least once after leaving the Shire and his lad forever, perhaps when he got safely to Rivendell. “I allus thought it meant that ‘if onlies’ was useless.” I couldn't agree more. 'If onlies' only serve to cause bitterness and despair over what might have been. The trouble is, sometimes it's difficult to avoid that line of thinking. The part with Drogo's skipping stone is so loving and so bittersweet, as it is now a remnant of a couples' never-ending love for each other. I very much like how it's included that Frodo demanded the stone be given to him as a child. Even as a young child he knew what this special stone represented. I wonder what Frodo did with the stone when he left the Shire with the Ring. Did he take it with him and leave it in Rivendell? Did he leave it behind? Ahh, another similiarity in our stories! In my upcoming Dora tale, there is mention of Drogo's pocketwatch, although it's portrayed and received quite differently. :D I really liked how Sam, Merry, and Pippin all continue to comfort each other in both the absence of their beloved Frodo and also when unpleasant memories of their journey come upon them. I also really loved how the children received some of the their honorary uncle's treasures. I think Primula and Drogo would have been very pleased to see such. Well done, Ladies! Author Reply: Yes, I'm afraid that would have been quite true of her correspondence, LOL! I'm glad you liked Sam and Elanor cooking together--I've wanted to show a scene like that for a very long time. Well, I've always thought that if Frodo meant the letter Bilbo left after the Party, he would have said "farewell letter" or "final letter". "Last" letter implies a series of previous letters, and a linguist like JRRT would know that. My idea is that he wrote Frodo when he could, being careful not to be too specific about what he was doing, and to never leave a clue to his current whereabouts. And Frodo, of course, could have sent letters back by Gandalf when he visited. It's true. And yet they are hard to avoid, as Pippin found out in this very chapter. Hmm...that's a good question. Perhaps he left it with Bilbo... I'm glad you are enjoying the story!

cookiefleck	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/2/2006
Wow, this is my favorite chapter of all. I had no idea what was in the box and was thoroughly surprised. Loved Sam's extreme reaction, Merry and Pippin learning more about what happened at Mt. Doom, and the ensuing discussion in which they revealed their guilty feelings. I was not able to view the photo but it is vivid in my imagination from your description. Author Reply: I'm so glad you liked this chapter! We really put a lot of thought into it. Sam, as we said, hated the chain almost as much as the Ring. To lay eyes on it again after all that time had to be hard. You can probably see the picture now. I unlocked the post, which I had accidentally left locked.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/2/2006
You know, I never even thought of the chain at all. Yes, Frodo's fetters indeed. And a thing to horrify the rest. Poor Frodo, but able at the last to indeed cast that fetter off, if not away. And ready finally for the healing he needed. Author Reply: That's what we thought: it's something they thought long gone, and to see it, with its associations with the Ring would really horrify them--especially Sam, who saw day by day how it cut into him. And yes, by leaving it east of the Sea, he left off the last of his fetters.

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/2/2006
I completely forgot about the chain. It would be most disturbing to find that there, after all those years thinking it long gone. Frodo could ever only see his weaknesses and never his strengths. He was able to leave the chain behind in the end and that's what matters most. Author Reply: Yes, that's what we thought--they'd never expect that! And you are absolutely right about Frodo: he was far harder on himself than he ever was on anyone else. He set the standards for himself incredibly high, while making allowances for everyone else. But leaving the chain behind was important as well.

Baggins Babe	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/2/2006
shudder That was not what I was expecting - I have a very grisly imagination! ;-)) The image of the chain still covered in blood and with Frodo's hair tangled in it is very moving and sad. How terrible to have that suddenly in front of them, and to know that Frodo could not bring himself to cast it away. No wonder they were so distressed. Glad you didn't wait too long to update, Dreamflower. I would love to see a picture of the chain but the site won't let me - keeps telling me I'm not authorised. Any suggestions? Author Reply: I'm glad that it wasn't what you thought, too! It was dreadful for them, for they certainly weren't expecting that. But this was kind of necessary for true closure. As to the picture: I accidentally left the site locked. I went back and unlocked it now, so the link should work now!

shirebound	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/2/2006
I know I will find my peace beyond the sea and hope that you, my brothers, will find yours as well. ****** Pippin's eyes brightened at this. "I think you are right, Merry. Just like--like Bilbo couldn't throw the Ring away, but he could leave it in someone else's care, pass it on." What an incredibly powerful chapter! I wasn't expecting to see that 'item' at all. Wow. Author Reply: I'm so glad that everyone was surprised by what was in the box--we hoped it would be as much of a surprise to the readers as to the characters!

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