Reviews (18)

Author's reply

Thank you dear! This remains one of my most surprising stories to have written. I didn't think myself capable of it, in fact wasn't aiming for this at all, but I was delighted to see it unfold before my eyes. Faramir and Pippin gave me, and the readers, a wonderful gift here. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Author's reply

Thank you so much for the review! I'm so thrilled that you enjoyed the story! I don't often write Quest or post-Quest fics, so this was a change for me. I enjoy seeing mature!Pippin, and I imagine that in becoming friends with Faramir, they would have spoken often of Boromir. That prank Borry played on Vaclar perhaps explained why he bonded so quickly to Merry and Pippin - he was a bit of a rascal himself as a youth. :)

Author's reply

And thank you for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed this and welcome to Stories of Arda. ^_^ I thought it would be nice if Pippin also had a horn and after rereading the Pelennor Fields chapter in ROTK, I was convinced that Pippin would cherish such a gift and that Faramir would be perceptive enough to think of it.

Author's reply

Thank you! I'm glad you liked my portrayal at Faramir. I always see him as attentive, caring and compassionate. He would have quickly learned the best way of dealing with his hobbit friends. I imagine that the story of the horn's origins would have been greatly overexaggerated over the years, rather than completely forgotten altogether - hobbits being so keen on their history, after all. They probably have Pippin going off to battle and meeting an elf who turns out to be his long-lost cousin (several times removed naturally) since Tooks are part-Elf after all ;) and getting the horn that way. lol Thanks for reading!

Author's reply

Hello Lilan! Denethor is a tragic figure. I can't help but think of King Lear or some other Shakespearan character whenever I read this part of the books. I was greatly disappointed at the treatment he received in the movies; non-book readers assumed that he was made from the get-go, which wasn't the case. It's a shame Denethor couldn't have realized Faramir's worth before it was too late, but at least Pippin was able to understand Denethor's thinking once he got to the Black Gates and wished that Merry could be by his side for the last fight. Through Pippin, we too are better able to understand Denethor as well. Thanks so much for reading!

Author's reply

I had to hunt down a cousin chart myself to figure out all the relations presented here, lol. It can get a bit complicated, especially going backward up the tree (your mom's cousin is actually your 1st cousin once removed, for example) but I finally have it completely figured out. I'll email you the links. ^_^ I'm very pleased the way this turned out. It was one of those stories that wrote itself, and those tend to be the better ones, in my experience. I actually had to go and reread the first few chapters in ROTK that dealt with Gondor before writing this, and the writing style that Tolkien used there just natuarally took over the story, not that this is anything close to what he could have written, had he a mind to. Thanks for reading this! I look forward to your reviews as well. ^_^

Author's reply

Hello Jedi! I stressed over the beginning of this story quite a bit, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!

Author's reply

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

Author's reply

Pippin has matured a great deal over the course of the War. He's certainly not the same hobbit he was when he left the Shire. Grief mixed when joy is one of the most prominent themes of the sixth book. Their victory came with a great price and everyone has someone to grieve, but that doesn't, nor shouldn't, make your joy any less. Faramir understands this more than the hobbits and he acts as a mentor/counselor to them during this time. I always thought that Pippin should also have a horn, and the description of Pippin's reaction to the horns at the Gates and in later years solidified that. This is a gift Pippin would have been eager to share with his family; he knows it is too great a gift to keep for only himself. Thanks for reading. :)

Author's reply

Well, of course it would have to be an Oliphaunt horn. Now the hobbits can go home and say, "See, they *do* exist." lol. They have, or will have, Merry's horn to serve the purpose of rousing the Shire. Pippin is the musical talent and has always used that talent to bring joy and laughter. He would think of no other reason to use his horn.

Author's reply

Thank you so much! This is my fic attempt at writing Faramir and I'm glad you approve of his characterization here. Boromir is a topic they would speak of often, I'm sure. It was fun to recount "It's All Relative" and get a little look into his childhood with Faramir's memory. The horn is indeed a positive reminder of the good that was accomplished with the war.

Author's reply

You're quite welcome, and thank you for reading. I've never attempted writing Faramir before and I hardly ever do quest or post-quest fics, so this was a first for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

Author's reply

Thank you for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

Author's reply

Thank you, Shirebound! I did want Pippin to receive a horn of his own, but there had to be a reason he wouldn't use it at the Battle of Bywater. Tolkien's description of Pippin's reaction to the horns, summarized in the story, gave the perfect reasoning for why Pippin would choose to use it only in times of joy and celebration. Thanks so much for the quotes. Each of the hobbits would have their own conflicts that they need to work on and resolve after the war. The summary was a last minute addition, and I'm glad you liked it. And of course, any time Boromir can be tormented with complex hobbit family trees is a good one, lol. I actually had to hunt down a cousin chart to figure all that out and I put the link up on my LJ if you want to take a gander at it. ^_^

Author's reply

One of your favorites? Why, thank you! I am very much honored. If this story was to wrap up all these problems, it would have to be about 50 chapters long, lol. This is just a glimpse in the post-war life of the hobbits, Pippin most particularly. But it's a good starting point for whenever I manage to get time to start working on my post-war fic that's been meandering around in my head for the last year or so. Faramir and Pippin actually were supposed to be talking about their fathers - I imagine they would have much in common in that department and that would be a good way for their friendship to take root and grow. However, as you can see, they simply refused to cooperate with me and started talking about everything *but* their fathers, lol. This is a much better conversation, and anything that can bring up hobbit family trees and Boromir being tormented by them is worth letting the characters have their way. ~_^ And I have to wonder how Pippin's descendants were able to use the horn, not having Pippin's advantage of greater height and therefore arm length. They must have mounted it on something that could be wheeled about at their convenience.

Author's reply

The war matured Pippin more quickly than anything else could have. It started with the Palantir; he doesn't really do anything silly or immature during all of ROTK. And long years of avoiding punishment for pranks has made Pippin very good at evading topics, lol. Faramir is quite astute in his observations. He has a way of seeing what isn't said and understanding the deeper meanings behind the spoken words. As a captain of rangers, who has had to question countless men and prisoners over the years, he has learned to pay more attention to the more subtle nuances of speech: vocal tone, facial expressions, body language. Most of us do this unconsciously, but when done with purpose, it can reveal a lot that is generally overlooked. And it seems the servant has picked up a few of these skills as well, lol, no doubt from many years of trying to anticipate the Steward's wishes before they are spoken. I always felt that Pippin should have his own horn, but there had to be a reason he wouldn't have used it at the Battle of Bywater to keep everything in canon. The idea of his using it as a way of celebration rather than calling up arms came from the first paragraph of "The Pyre of Denethor", where Tolkien describes Pippin's joy at hearing the horns of Rohan. There could have been no other purpose for the gift.

Author's reply

*blushes* Why, thank you Dreamflower! I thought it would be interesting to introduce this story from the viewpoint of an outsider, to see how someone else might look upon these two and what their thoughts might be. Faramir's a quick learner, among other things. He's learned all the ways of hobbits (though they will undoubtedly still surprise him in a pinch ~_^ )and he's learned when not to push a topic. That is what Faramir intended when he gave that bit of advice, for Pippin to tell the other hobbits. Dreams are frightening, but if the hobbits can remember that those things are now in the past, it should be able to relieve some of that fear. As for the gift, well, Merry couldn't be the only one with a horn, lol. So much of Pippin and Merry's separate journeys mirrored each other, I thought this would be one way for that to continue even after they had been brought back together. I did have a back-up phrase that I could have used if it came to that, but it wasn't really fitting for the story.

Author's reply

Thank you for your comments! I'm glad this put a "big grin" on your face, and knowing that you enjoyed this has put a big grin on my face as well. ^_^ Faramir and Pippin must have spent a good deal of time together while in Gondor. That they became close friends can't be disputed. Faramir isn't one to let the actions of Pippin go unrewarded either, and this was a chance to see just a glimpse of the two of them together and their growing friendship.