How unfortunate for Ted Sandyman. Like Freddy, I despise that hobbit, but no one deserves that sort of treatment. I'm glad, though, that Freddy is starting to understand the folly of seeking vengenance, even if he still can't help feeling cheated in some way.
Author's reply
This is one of the things that I had planned from the first time Freddy showed up in "A New Reckoning", I knew what fate Sandyman had met (to have died the same way that Folco did, only worse) and that Freddy would be present at the discovery of the body, and that it would provide this insight for him.
Now there are two more things I planned for him, still to come.
Larner
· 25 May 2005
· Chapter 11: Chapter 11
Ruffians and half orcs, to whom such torture would have been welcome. And Freddy realizing that Frodo was right. Yes, this is right.
Author's reply
Yes, they would have welcomed a chance to torment a hobbit--especially one that had labored under the illusion that he could tell them what to do, as Sandyman, one of Lotho's chief hobbit henchmen, had done.
And yes, Freddy is finally freed of thinking that he needs revenge, and finally understands the power of letting go. I think pity enters in here, although I do not believe he will ever be able to go so far as forgiveness, as Frodo would be able to...
Larner
· 25 May 2005
· Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Aha--your Ted Sandyman left the Shire. Interesting. Wonder what happened to him? Ill companions, or taken by highwaymen of some sort?
Author's reply
Yes, he decided to get while the getting was good, *before* he could be tried and condemned--rather what Dago attempted and failed to do.
Larner
· 25 May 2005
· Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Aha--could this be the body of one of the Old Took's sons--the one who disappeared and never came back, or the one who went to sea? Interesting.
Author's reply
No, the body's not so old as all that.
You know, Hildifons never *did* return, but according to the Family Tree, Isengar must have at some point, for it gives a date of death for him, and says "he went to sea in his youth". But it shows no wife or descendants for him...
Larner
· 24 May 2005
· Chapter 8: Chapter 8
Yes, that sounds just up Lobelia's alley, wishing ill at a wedding. As for Otho, you'd think he'd be glad Drogo's heart was given elsewhere; but malice is malice.
Author's reply
As you said "malice is malice". I think that for Otho, as well as for Lobelia and Lotho, once their hostility was wakened by someone supposedly slighting them or taking or even appearing to take something they wanted, it never went away.
Drogo *never* was interested in Lobelia, and it was her insistence on pursuing him that led him to make his first visit to Buckland and thereby meet young Primula...(That's in my Mathom, "An Appeal to Family")
Larner
· 24 May 2005
· Chapter 7: Chapter 7
The idea of a tattoo must have been interesting for the Hobbits.
Author's reply
Interesting in more ways than one. I suppose I should make it clearer for those who have yet to read the previous story: hobbits use tattoos for one thing only--they mark the back of the hand of someone who has been permanently banished from the Shire, so that they cannot come back in a few years and take up residence in an area where no one knows them. To see a tattoo used in a *decorative* fashion has got to interest these criminals...
Larner
· 24 May 2005
· Chapter 6: Chapter 6
A lovely memorial for a friend.
Author's reply
It is, a memortial of a sort.
In my Shire, Freddy and Folco were to one another, much the same as Merry and Pippin to one another. Folco's murder hit Freddy very hard and was the catalyst for his becoming a leader in the rebellion.
But until after the Shire was free, he had never had any time to properly grieve because of the Troubles. In my story "A New Reckoning" it is Merry, Legolas and Gimli who enable him to begin this process, and his leaving the Shire is a part of it.
Larner
· 24 May 2005
· Chapter 5: Chapter 5
It would be quite the thing to think about indeed, knowing the one you were jealous of had fallen under a troll and almost died, and had so changed he thought nothing of stabbing trolls in the first place.
Author's reply
Absolutley. Cado's been hearing off and on about what Pippin and Merry did while gone, but up until now, he has not been sure what to actually believe. These first hand accounts have to shake his thinking up a bit.
Larner
· 24 May 2005
· Chapter 4: Chapter 4
Romances between Hobbits are always pleasant.
The Bankses do have some growing up to do.
Author's reply
I think so, too. I've had Viola in mind for Beri for some time now...
They do. Whether or not they *will* is the question.
Bodkin
· 24 May 2005
· Chapter 11: Chapter 11
Freddy has it in him to be a Very Wise Hobbit. I love the way he recognises that Frodo is right in his 'no vengeance' rule. It is infuriating, but the only way not to become what you hate is to hold off from that kind of behaviour. Folco's death is horrible. But I'm glad that Freddy sees that the torment of Ted Sandyman doesn't make it any less so and, in fact, only increases the horror.
Freddy might find it easier to heal now he understands that.
Good chapter. Horrible, but good.
Author's reply
"Horrible, but good."
I'm glad. That's just the reaction I was after. I knew it would be harrowing, but it was very necessary.
This is one scene I have had in my mind for a long time, right as soon as I realized that Freddy was going to feature in "A New Reckoning". I toyed with having Mellor and Eradan make the discovery at Sarn Ford, about the same time they captured Dago, but then I realized that it truly needed to be a part of the sequel, and "A New Reckoning" was already much longer than I had planned.
It was always in the back of my mind that Sandyman had met his end at the hands of his former "colleagues". The Ruffians would have seriously resented any hobbit who had been given a chance to tell them what to do, and I am sure that they chose the first moment they could to "repay" him for his "insolence".
It would have been pretty horrific--leaving the Shire to avoid being marked and cast out, thinking he could hook up with Lotho's former henchmen, and then, instead of a welcome, being greeted with derision and torture.
A good deal of this story is to deal with Freddy's healing. This was necessary for him to realize that deep down, he was not a vengeful person. He is on the way to wisdom now that he can put some closure to those vengeful thoughts.
Well, you've achieved the seemingly impossible, and made me feel some pity for Ted Sandyman! No-one deserves to die like that, as Freddy is beginning to realise.
Poor Freddy, having to relive his friend's terrible death. I'm glad the others were sympathetic and I loved Poppy's brisk manner. I really like her.
This is a fascinating and intriguing story and I can't wait for more.
Author's reply
I know. Sandyman is *not* a sympathetic character. But of course he did not deserve to be tortured.
This general scenario, of Freddy being around when Sandyman's fate was finally discovered has been with me since the very beginning of "A New Reckoning", and is one of the reasons I am writing this sequel. I knew right from the moment Mellor and Eradan captured Dago Bracegirdle, that they would be the ones to find Sandyman's body, and that the miller would have been beaten to death just as Folco was.
Poppy is in full healer mode here, and being very professional. It is *her* way of coping with the unpalatable fact of a hobbit being murdered.
Kitty
· 23 May 2005
· Chapter 11: Chapter 11
This is a very bad reminder for poor Freddy and Mosco at the death of their friend Folco. No wonder Freddy felt so sick while thinking back to Folco's horrible death! I can understand perfectly well he wanted revenge, but I am glad he realises this is a way to die which *nobody* deserves. I hope to know Sandyman died the same way as Folco will help him to recover from this traumatic experience. It is good Mosco is there, so Freddy hasn't to explain to the others himself.
Err ... I'm reading in 'Reckoning' again (I know I'm a bit crazy!) and stumbled about something. In the last chapter you mentioned Targon wasn't involved in the battle before the Black Gate because he stayed in Minas Tirith, but in 'Reckoning' ch. 40 he was announced as 'warrior of the Morannon'. Sorry, I don't mean to nitpick, I only thought to let you know, and because I have no way to tell you privately I had to put it in here.
As always, I lood forward to the next update!
Author's reply
Freddy has now really had a revelation about his own feelings and capabilities; I am hoping this will be just what he really needed. He is going to realize that he did not need to do anything to Sandyman himself, but to know his fate and that he did not escape will be enough. You are right about Sandyman dying in the same way Folco did--that has been my aim from the start.
Thanks for the tip-off. I've been checking back through Reckoning myself as I go, from time to time on various things, but that's one I missed. I'll have to fix that. I never mind being told about these little things, and when I can fix them I do. Thanks a lot!
Poor, Fatty. He had to relive nearly everything after seeing the body, but in a way, I think this might have done him some good. He seems to have realized that he couldn't have tortured Sandyman anyway and that no one deserved that sort of death. I like the way you've tied Fredegar's feelings to Frodo's just after the scouring of The Shire. In many ways, Freddy and Frodo seem to be very much alike. I liked Legolas in this even though he only has a few words. I liked the way he led Freddy away. It seemed such a kindness at that point and exactly what Freddy needed. I can almost see Freddy deciding to travel with Gimli and Legolas after this journey because he is becoming so close to them, especially Legolas. Oh, and Poppy's down-to-business manner was perfect. It made her seem very much the professional healer and very tough-minded. I like that about her.
Author's reply
I think this is going to be a real catharsis for him. He is finally able to realized that his dreams of vengeance, while very natural at the time, were not truly something he was capable of.
I do think Frodo and Freddy are alike. My Freddy has always had the same fascination for Elves and old stories that Frodo did, but he had too much Bolger in him to want to leave the Shire. It took the Occupation and Folco's murder to make him feel able to leave the Shire.
Freddy began to form a fast friendship with Legolas and Gimli during "A New Reckoning", and they are beginning to reciprocate. The three are becoming very fond of one another; but Freddy will probably want to get back to the Shrie and Angelica.
Poppy is very brisk and matter of fact when it comes to things medical. Dealing with a dead body could not have been pleasant, but making it a very professional and objective thing helped *her* to deal with it. It is probably as well she did *not* bring Viola, however.
Bodkin
· 22 May 2005
· Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Leaving Violet to the tender care of Beri. Not that they would take advantage, of course. They're only talking.
I hope nothing goes amiss with the main party in the absence of the six. Or, come to that, to the six in the absence of the main party.
Interesting Frodo'n'Sam story. And a good reason for a Ranger of Ithilien to come north. How are the northern Dunedain planning on building up their ranks? Cos if it's by reproduction, it's going to take quite some time! The southerners might be around for quite a while.
The hobbits are going to find the corpse of a Shire hobbit rather hard to take - even if it is Ted Sandyman.
More soon?
Author's reply
Of *course* they're only talking. Viola is a respectable lass, and Beri is a gentlehobbit! But they are definitely finding a good *many* things to talk about!
I have a feeling it *will* take a good long while to fill up those ranks, and some of the Southerners may end up relocating permanently. Still there could be worse things than living in close proximity to the Shire.
The reaction to the discovery is going to be pretty traumatic...
Kitty
· 21 May 2005
· Chapter 10: Chapter 10
Fast update :-)
Loved Eradans account of his first meeting with Frodo and Sam!
And then this line: Mistress Poppy grumbled that this was unhealthy, and that a body could not survive forever on such a diet. *lol* You know, I start to love Poppy! Imagine what she would have said about the "diet" Frodo and Sam had to live with in Mordor.
So we know a bit about what has become of Ted Sandyman. He was a nasty guy, but somehow I have a bit pity for him. He probably didn't truly know in what he got himself into.
Oh, and if you are in so generous a mood, can I please have a cookie instead of a cigar? I hate smoking ;-)
Author's reply
Yes; I alluded to it briefly in "A New Reckoning" and gave here a fuller account. Frodo and Sam, of course, awed and inspired all the Men of the South who fought in the War.
I can only imagine! But I am also sure that her practical side would have realized it had to be.
Well, I do feel just the least bit sorry for him, but not a lot. He brought it on himself, as did Lotho.
And certainly a cookie sounds a good deal more appealing than a stinky old stogie. Take your pick: virtual chocolate chip, virtual peanut butter, or virtual oatmeal and raisin? *grin*
May I say that I am enjoying the way that you are weaving the tale of the quest into this story as everyone has a chance to share a story? I am also enjoying the little romance between Berilac and Viola. They are so cute together.
I am very glad that this dead hobbit is not a close friend of anyone present. I suppose that Ted met his end at the hands of the ruffians some time ago. It is a shock whenever a hobbit is murdered, but at least they will understand what happened and why.
Author's reply
I am using this story to tell a lot of other little stories. I think that it is one way they would have passed the time on the journey.
I like Beri and Viola myself. We'll have to see where it leads. She *is* still an apprentice, after all. But she's nearing the end of her apprenticeship.
Yes, they certainly will understand. But it's a bit of a trauma anyway.
A hobbit! A mystery! Seems the pleasant journey just got an interesting twist. I wonder if it will be someone that Freddy or some of the others knew or if this unfortunate hobbit will be a mystery even to the hobbits. This is getting very exciting. Hope there is more soon.
Author's reply
Well, now you know.
Stay tuned for Freddy's reaction.
Bodkin
· 20 May 2005
· Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Oooooh! That's an evil cliff hanger.
I like to see the hobbits settling and becoming comfortable with the Big Folk - and they seem to be establishing their own little groups.
And Cado still has an eye for the main chance - I can see him developing his own taste for ornamental tattoos. 'Elvis lives', perhaps.
But the body of a hobbit - I want to know! Take your mind off the heat by typing fascinating tales of hobbits. More! Soon!
Author's reply
They are beginning to get comfortable with their traveling companions, and also are beginning to get a bit proprietary with them, just as the four did with the Fellowship.
Cado's keeping his eyes open. "Elvis lives" LOL!
Here's more.
Kitty
· 20 May 2005
· Chapter 9: Chapter 9
They have found a hobbit? If it isn't one from Bree, but from the Shire, this can probably only be Ted Sandyman, I suppose. It seems he has got his punishment. But then - means 'violence' he has been murdered? Maybe by his own former allies? Can't wait to know more!
Author's reply
Of course, now you know that you called it--you were the only one to guess! Give the lady a cigar! (*shudder* I wonder why that's always the prize?)
Lindelea
· 19 May 2005
· Chapter 9: Chapter 9
A dead hobbit?
Couldn't be Deagol, could it? That was hundreds of years ago! Who could it be?
Sorry to hear you won't be able to update very very soon...
Author's reply
That was from last week. But I'll probably not get a chance to this week either, since the A/C is out, and I work this weekend...
As to "who?" I will show you in the next chapter, which hopefully will be a bit longer than this one.
Anso the Hobbit
· 12 May 2005
· Chapter 8: Chapter 8
I love how you twist tales of the life in the Shire into this story and it was a very nice view of Primula and Drogo`s wedding you gave! That Lobelia certainly has her ugly hands into a bit too many of the otherwise pleasant events in the Shire! :)
Author's reply
Lobelia had a lot to do with much of the unpleasantness in the Shire. She was after all, a Bracegirdle, and the Bracegirdles had been collaborating with Saruman for a very long time. Dago got his bright ideas from *her*.
Looks like this group of travelers have now gotten a small taste of what Merry, Frodo, Sam and Pippin went through on their own adventure. I do hope that they aren't going through the midgewater marshes!That business with the tatoo is still on my mind and I find myself wondering how it will figure in all of this. LOL You have me thinking ahead. Enjoyed the wedding story also. Seems to have surprised Legolas a bit and I wonder at his being so quiet. I know that elves are sometimes quiet but I do wonder if he has something important on his mind. Freddy's thoughts on Lotho at the end of this chapter brought back your Falco story and I may have to re-read it. Like Freddy, I miss your Falco. The trip seems to be helping Freddy with his own memories for the most part, though. (Hope you have a safe trip and stay out of the marshes! Looking forward to more.)
Author's reply
Relax, they are already far south and west of where the midgewater marshes were.
The tattoo plays a part, indeed it does.
Legolas for the most part is enjoying learning more about hobbits. Legolas is so atypical of the usual Elf--he has a genuine interest in and fondness for, mortals.
I miss Folco too. It's one reason I had that flashback story. I'm hoping to do a couple of young Folco stories.
I did have a safe trip, thank you. And there were no marshes, though I had my share of discomfort.
Kitty
· 10 May 2005
· Chapter 8: Chapter 8
I love the way how you includes this little bits from the past in your story!
As for Lobelia, I fear I start to have some very nasty wishes for her! Menegilda is right, I'm inclined to blame Lobelia for everything that happened, too - she asked for it!
The question at the end what would've had happened if Lotho had survived is an intriguing thought. Probably he would have had to face a lot of hostility, and he deserved most of it, I think.
Author's reply
Thank you!
Lobelia was responsible for a good deal. Did you know that Saruman had been dealing with the Bracegirdles for a very long time?
He would have faced a good deal of hostility--and yes, he would have deserved it (despite what a certain person on r.a.b.t. thinks about him) But I am glad for the sake of the other hobbits in the Shire that he did not survive. If they had taken revenge on him, it would have really spoiled the Shire.
Hai Took
· 9 May 2005
· Chapter 8: Chapter 8
Quite soggy! Well I guess the prisoners got a chance to speak a bit. And I would think that would be better thanhavig to always remain in silence. I'm still holding out that at least a couple of them will learn some kind of lesson.
It sounds like the had a dreary time with the weather. I did especially like this though "But finally being able to have tea made the world of difference to the hobbits," On the spot with hobbit behavior
I love the way you are weaving stories of other times through this one! I liked hearing about Lobelia's giving a gift at the wedding, it certainly wouldn't be below her. It was nice to see how loved Primula was by her family, and that Menegilda helf Lobelia reponsible for her and Drogo's eventual death and anything terrible that might of happened seemed about right. Terrible hobbitess Lobelia was!
The little "what if" there at the end about it Lotho would have lived what woudl have happpened was very intriguing, you know I had never thought what might have happened if Lotho was still around when the Travellers returned. Like Freddy thought, I don't think some hobbits would have been able to forgive him what had happened.
Splendid as always! I'm looking forward to more! Now I must return to the Challenge stories, I think I'm only like half way through with those!
Author's reply
It's possible that one of them *might*, but don't hold your breath.
Yes, a spot of tea just makes the world better if you are a hobbit.
I am planning a good deal of that. I'm taking a leaf from Chaucer, and giving them a way to pass the time on this long journey. I have been wanting to recount Lobelia's breach of manners for a good long while, and it occurred to me that Beri would be very familiar with the story, as his grandmother would have been there. I think that Primula would have been very beloved by all who knew her (except Lobelia, LOL!) since Frodo got that reaction, and he obviously took after his mother.
I think it was for the best that it turned out as it did. I am very much afraid Frodo would have had a very hard time restraining the other hobbits from revenge if Lotho had still been alive.