Reviews (344)

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The full nature of this young man will be further revealed, and his muddy thinking uncovered. Sauron might not have cared who ended up on his altars; but I suspect that it made a great deal of difference to An'Sohrabi as he did his best not to allow himself to be corrupted by what he was forced to do. Sauron would have seen to it that those rising to such office as that of the Farozi would have felt drawn to him, would have felt themselves tainted and dirtied and thus tied to the one who claimed mastery over them and their land. That some would seek to privately distance themselves from him would probably have escaped him, as long as the physical forms were followed.

Author's reply

Yes, I can agree to those who found themselves floundering when the Iron Curtain fell. To go from such a controlled environment to having to be responsible for oneself must have been quite the shock. And I'm so glad you appreciate Pippin's questions. Someone needs to see them asked, and Pippin would be the logical one to see the lack of plain Hobbit sense, I think. So glad you responded. Love how your story is going, btw.

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As a special ed teacher, trying to educate the public has been an ongoing part of my job--teaching parents to accept their children, teaching people to develop realistic, positive expectations, teaching the public to accept my students, clients, friends, and colleagues in the community. Evil is, has been, and will continue to be. For the first time the probably more educated general public in Harad is learning just who and what Sauron was, and that he wasn't even on the par of the Valar themselves. This is a big shock to many of them, I'm certain. The story is reaching wider and wider audiences now, and it will have an impact. But so many still aren't willing to listen, even in this day and time! We keep trying to convince ourselves that we have the proper, final answer, and then trying to force that answer on everybody else.

Author's reply

Don't know if Pippin will need it, but he's getting a bit flummoxed now, I think. Glad to see you back! And hug the ball of black fluff when it comes to stay! Drake, eh? Will you give him a drum and a fleet? (Sorry--from now on Drake will ever bring to mind Katherine Kurtz's _Lammas Night_ book in which she references Drake and his drum.)

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What goes around comes around, and I suppose that is as true for horses as for anything else. As Aragorn was supposed to be quite extraordinarily tall, he'd need a horse that would fit his frame; obviously Perdui-bred horses fill the bill! Glad you appreciate the horses and seeing Benai finally start unbending a bit. Thanks for the feedback.

Author's reply

If three circles is the sign of recognition for hidden royalty, how many circles would they make about the last Queen of the Elven peoples left in Middle Earth? Thanks so for the response.

Author's reply

It always struck me that for the Horse Lords, those who appeared to know not horses would be seen as beneath notice, and so small Elfwine's comment grew. And, being Eomer's son, of course he'd have probably been riding since before he could even walk. Gotta be! And as I've repeated, I've had this dream of two on horses, obviously Eomer and Aragorn, sparring in the sand of a desert--this image was bound and determined to make its way into the story. And the rights of the disabled is something that will keep making its way into what I write--an occupational hazard, I fear.

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Ah, Lindahoyland, you have indeed absorbed the natural concern for the lines of succession that is native to your people. If the barge sank, I suspect that Aragorn, Arwen, Legolas, and Pippin would do well at making certain the others were safe. Now, if they all assaulted in the desert---- Thanks for your feedback and keeping me on my toes.

Author's reply

Ruvemir's bitterness is seen in the blindness community, and even among the most capable and integrated of visually impaired folk. The number who face unrealistic expectations, whether they are too high or too low or just not appropriate to the individual involved, is staggering. (Is the special ed teacher coming out in me? It certainly ought to be!) The comment he makes about prejudice openly expressed being more welcome than that hidden behind glib words and locked doors I've heard stated with equal anger by those with disabilities and those who are black. It's a damning statement of the reality of life. Am so glad that at last small Elfwine is coming into his own, for the three small boys have just stayed in Avrieth's shadow, mostly. About time he starts letting these strangers know he's the future Lord of Rohan, I think! Glad you enjoy how I present Eomer and the Rohirrim. So far they've let Aragorn the King and Faramir the diplomat do most of the speaking for the group, for what do they know of living in stone cities or along great rivers? And I've dreamed that encounter several times before I wrote the chapter. I think Eomer was demanding his due.

Author's reply

Books first--I've been collecting books from my youngest years, and that makes well over fifty years' worth. A few years ago I started a library database for them, and have most but not quite all in it--don't have the most of my little-kids' books I braille for my students. I've had to buy homes to fit the bookcases, don't you know! Heh! I've admitted much of my own writing is influenced by that of others, and one person wrote a very lovely one-shot of Eomer taking the newborn Elfwine out to be introduced to the Mearas, so I've referenced that here in this chapter. It's such a lovely image! But I suspect that the horses and ponies even of the Haradrim would respond to the mastery of the Horse Lords! My special ed background is making itself felt again in the discussion regarding the beggars at the temple, and both the Shire and Gondor will be making even more concerted an effort to give equal chances to all. (And be forewarned the discussion will rise again, for it's not over yet, in Middle Earth or here in our world, either.) I'd thought to pair up Benai with Gilmorien's sister, but somehow it appears Rustovrid's oldest daughter, who is really too old to be considered a child, seems to be eyeing him first. I had to get him also to relax a little, also. And the openly displayed affection of the Northerners has to work positively at allowing the Haradrim to follow suit in the presence of others. And the image of Aragorn and Eomer sparring on horseback has been filling my dreams for nights--it was demanding to be expressed. For Eomer to be out of the city back on a horse again must have felt like freedom, and I'd think he'd feel a bit giddy and want some physical release. He's there, and Aragorn's there, and they're carrying their swords and all.... Am not certain how the priests would interpret the flight of the released doves; but you will see part of that in the next chapter, sans priests, I fear, for now at least. As for the duck, I suspect Ankhrabi will want that recipe, at least! Heh! Thanks for the feedback!

Author's reply

Actually, the offerings of flowers came both from Christian customs as practiced in my church at least (we often offer altar flowers in memory of those lost or in thanksgiving for a blessing received) and in part from Aztec customs. There were certain festivals where the offerings made were not blood sacrifices, but instead the offerings of flowers and butterflies; and I thought that an adapted version of that would probably be the kind of offering one such as Neryet would prefer. That Arwen might have an office to serve to welcome the Vala back to the Presence of the Creator at the End of Days seemed a wonderful one to explore, and that Aragorn would reassure Bhatgebamun's widow as well I thought would be part of the balance of the exchange. Tolkien indicated that Denethor came to realize who Thorongil was, and that part of the reason for Aragorn to choose to leave the service of Gondor was due to the desire not to get into conflict with the man once Ecthelion was dead. Anglachel has written a wonderful story called "The Hands of the King" which looks at the relationships between Aragorn as Thorongil, Adrahil, Imrahil, Finduilas, and Denethor and his sisters (she has given him two, one disfigured from birth who serves as the archivist for the Citadel at the time). I can't completely agree with her view of the politics of the time, but it is a fascinating and extraordinarily well-written tale. I have tried to think of some of how the relationship between the two of them might have developed, and what would have led to Aragorn's perception of rejection by Denethor, and felt that the unwillingness to have himself seen as second-best would very well be part of it, whether it was second-best in swordcraft or in the pursuit of love; that already this was his failing which would lead to his final declaration he would not bow down to this Ranger from the north, last of a ragged house in ROTK. Thanks for the review.

Author's reply

Oh, I know about books, living as I do in my own private library. I swear, my Mother made me do it! Blame her for the fact I have over three thousand, and my husband and friends who are blind for the fact I have cassette books as well as book books. Heh! And, yes, it's fun to see how Pippin and Isumbard reflect the love of Hobbits for comfort and for relief of curiosity! As for Aragorn and his friendships--even as a Ranger having to stay so hidden, he still has had time in his near century of living to develop many, while Sohrabi has not had that luxury, growing up under the thumb of Mordor itself. Horubi'ninarin would have been the first northerner Sohrabi would have met on his own; and that he was willing to defend a stranger and then offered his skill as a healer to the leader of who ought to be the greatest enemies of his people would have made an impression even without the rest of their time together. It was the first chance he and his family probably had seen that there was another way to rule than through force and fear. Thank you for the suggestion, and for the feedback.

Author's reply

Yes, I think the manner in which Ruvemir met Aragorn would indeed make him less likely to hold back in developing his relationship. He meets someone he's not met before, has no idea who or what the guy is, but gets just enough hints to intrigue him and willing to ferret out the rest, until the revelation hits and he already has the relationship going. Even then, I think the King tended to hold back just a bit for a time, not wanting to rush into a friendship that might turn into something else once it came out he was King. And, yes, Hobbits are like that, aren't they? Funny and emotive and evocative of great compassion as well as possessing such themselves. Thanks so much for your response. Don't have time to write more now, I fear,

Author's reply

Yes, I, too, felt Aragorn's friendships would all be important indications of his own nature, and would be very deep and fulfilling. And I'm so glad you appreciate the tale of the visit to the temple. I found that somehow the widow of Ankhrabi's brother might need some of the King's healing, and that Arwen might need to bring something back from there as well. Thanks so very much for all the feedback!

Author's reply

I suspect that in close to a hundred years Aragorn has come to collect a good number of things. And, like you, I suspect Hardorn has never used his own ring for his demonstrations, either, and that the argument has become simply a standard feature of the thing--although I suspect that this time Aragorn may actually be serious about them using a different ring from now on! And the idea of the Hobbits somehow getting in there and taking over the kitchens, introducing the Haradrim to the pleasures of mushrooms, was simply too, too tempting to let slip. Glad you enjoyed it!

Author's reply

The Egyptians didn't have bound books--they wrote on lengths of papyrus which were bound into scrolls. In Gondor they probably had both books and rolls of scrolls as well as the sheets of papyrus and parchment you see Gandalf and the librarian sorting through in the film before he finds the account of Isildur. In Harad, as isolated intellectually as Sauron would have wished them kept, they probably had had little experience with bound books; and as they received gifts of such from Gondor it's likely the children would not have been involved in receiving or examining them. (Or it may be just a plot hole I've left in my own story! Heh!) But there is also the question of whether or not Nefirnerini would have been sure she recognized a sculpted depiction of a book. The Haradri also probably have come to see themselves as the ones who REALLY know about how evil works, as they lived with Sauron overseeing their lives for centuries and the presence of the worship of him and all; to realize this apparently careless, thoughtless Hobbit actually DOES know what evil is from his own experience would be an eye-opener for them--to realize that the other world they'd thought of as free of Sauron's influence was actually as aware of his evil and understood Sauron's true nature as it was must have been a revelation.

Author's reply

All too often survival's guilt does go along with post-traumatic stress syndrome, which there is no question Frodo suffered. I felt that considering how movie-Aragorn felt Isildur was weak, to contrast that to what he saw happening to Frodo would be a good way of showing that he'd not truly been weak at all--only just as vulnerable as any other sentient creature under the level of a Vala (other than Tom Bombadil), and that the realization of this would be a good manner in which to realize Aragorn, by refusing to pick the blessed thing up to begin with and by accepting Frodo's leaving, was doing what he had to do both to remain the hope for the future he embodied and to assist Frodo to do his own job. Frodo would have become a monster had anyone other than Gollum taken the Ring from him--and movie Frodo did head that way until he chose life when he'd come so close to falling.

Author's reply

I doubt Aragorn ever considered Isildur to be a coward; but I wanted something to counter the movie-verse view of Isildur that he was weak. That smile Isildur and Frodo both showed as they took the Ring was not theirs, but the Ring's own smirk proclaiming It's victory over these two heroes. That the description of Aragorn telling of the seduction the Ring practiced on him you found to be palpable is quite a compliment. I would feel he would be all the more angry at the Ring for how it isolated Frodo before and after, causing him to fear attacks from all sides--and that he was right to fear their inevitability. But Its destructiveness would last beyond Its demise, also; for Frodo would also probably resent those who didn't forcefully take It from him while he had It, leaving him to Its torments. Am rather experimenting with that idea right now. Sorry I didn't respond earlier--migraines are driving me back to bed in a moment. It's been three weeks of them at this point, and I could do with some relief.

Author's reply

Yes, the export of mushrooms to Harad could indeed prove profitable--if the Hobbits would agree to actually give some of them up, of course! This part was a fun part to write. And I truly felt that the Haradri needed to realize that the Hobbits were capable of defending themselves or just odd folks the King kept around him for amusement only, and that Bard isn't just Pippin's companion, but someone of some substance in himself. As for the Ring of Barahir--well, I think Aragorn himself is realizing it is time to retire it from use as an archery target without further scolding. Nor do I think that in most cases Arwen would sink to scolding to manage her husband, do you? Thanks for the feedback.

Author's reply

I do believe Aragorn has decided to permanantly retire the Ring of Barahir as an archery target unless an object lesson such as what happened with Landrion needs to be given sometime in the future. And I do think Gondor would be a more logical exporter of mushrooms to Harad than the Shire--I doubt the Hobbits of the Shire would allow that many to escape the borders of their land! And I did have a lot of fun writing this chapter! As for the Valley of the Sun--won't tell anyone yet what is going to happen there.

Author's reply

I can't write much now, for I have to get ready to head south for much of the day. Am glad that you appreciate some of my thoughts on the story--it's nice to be able on this site to share such information so easily. I wanted for the Haradrim to realize more fully that the Northerners--ALL of them--truly take self-defense seriously, and that the Hobbits may be short, odd looking, overwhelmingly light hearted at times, and all; but are yet also a true people who are the equal of any other race when push comes to shove. As for the end of the story and the upset in the kitchens, that was just pure Hobbit mischief taking over.

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Many cultures have used tasters at one time or another; and it seemed logical that such would be used extensively in Harad during and immediately in the wake of Sauron's rule--he lied to everyone, after all. And am so glad you enjoyed the light moments--these are fun to write.

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Good grief--I missed this one! Yes, I suspect that Queen Elizabeth would bow to someone she felt truly deserved it such as a true war hero or even someone who risked all saving folk in a major disaster. I see what you mean about the possibility of bowing to a fellow monarch possibly being misconstrued; but I find I like the thought of Aragorn recognizing the sovereignty of others in their own lands. Rather liked the movie shot of him kneeling with the folk of Edoras after Theoden's healing, myself. And it's as important for the Gondorians to understand the Haradrim as it is for the Haradrim to begin understanding the Gondorians at this point. Thanks so much for all your feedback.

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Yes, we had a mushroom attack--had to let them into the story somehow; and I suspect the bag of mushrooms carried among Pippin's and Bard's effects were brought to the kitchen as an afterthought as a result of the conversation with Ankhrabi on the archery range. Am so glad you enjoyed the thought of two Hobbits deficient in Haradri taking over the Farozi's kitchen! As for the archery lesson, I am so glad you find it believable and properly described! I have tried to purge my memory of the awful lessons we got in PE 39 years ago, and yet they resurfaced when I was looking over some of the descriptions of how they trained Mortenssen and Bloom how to use the bow. Found myself comparing my own teacher's technique (which was awful) to that taught to those taking part in the movies, and found all those memories resurfacing. Somewhere my brother obtained for a short time a hunting bow, and I remember trying to draw it. Couldn't do it.

Author's reply

Oh, dear, wrote a long response to this, and lost it when the server went fritzy on me. I remember trying to learn archery as a teen, and how I was constantly losing the arrow because I didn't realize you really need to tilt the bow some, and I'd not draw the string back properly. I was a total disaster. I learned more about how to actually draw a bow from the descriptions of how they taught those using bows in the movies than I did from my PE teacher! And, yes, I think even when he was definitely an adult from time to time the impulsiveness of Pippin's nature would come to the fore. And, of COURSE we have to visit the world of mushrooms when we write of Hobbits from the Shire! Pippin and Isumbard, I found, were just dying to get into the kitchen. And we needed some more reason for the Haradrim to realize these odd small folk are to be taken seriously and not just dismissed summarily.