Reviews (182)

Bodkin · 15 April 2007 · Chapter 9999: And the greatest of these is love.

Phew! A happy ending and all's right in the world. For the moment .... (doom-laden music.) Faramir is so forgiving that he has a tendency to make a bit of a door mat of himself. And we know what happens to door mats - they get people's feet wiped all over them. Hopefully, over the years, his self-esteem and self-image will improve and be bolstered to the point where he can see his own worth. A project for his king and his wife to work on!

Linda Hoyland · 13 April 2007 · Chapter 6: Arwen and Éowyn

I'm glad to see Eowyn and Arwen getting on so well.And Hanna has escaped and seized Elbeth? That doesn't sound good. It's not as if she was good at looking after the kid before.Elf/human pregnancy - imagine an extra three months of expecting a baby! Arwen should keep her fingers crossed for a simple nine months Bodkin Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 9/12/2005

Raksha The Demon · 18 March 2006 · Chapter 4: Elven Blushes

Aw! Poor widdle Elfikins, his 'perfection' isn't so perfect anymore. Aragorn was very kind to have sent Gimli away - poor Legolas would just never hear the end of it. I do feel sorry for Legolas; the ailment sounds like Poison Ivy, which I know from personal experience can be extremely uncomforting, last for weeks, be bad enough to leave scars (depending on the exposure, though the scars don't last forever) and itch-itch-itch like crazy throughout that time. Immersion in the ocean can soothe the itch and is generally beneficial, but the Sea is the one place Legolas does not want to visit at this point.

Raksha The Demon · 18 March 2006 · Chapter 3: Sackcloth and Ashes

"”As for you, young man, your father would be ashamed of you to see you looking like this! He had his faults, did Lord Denethor, but he did at least see his sons were properly dressed!” " Snork! Leave it to Ioreth to put the situation into a proper prospective. Will the poor guys just die of embarrassment here and now, or wait until they reach the Citadel?

Raksha The Demon · 18 March 2006 · Chapter 9999: And the greatest of these is love.

A long, entertaining and ultimately satisfying story. Faramir was so surprised and delighted by getting prezzies from Aragorn - did Denethor only give him a new nail-clipper every year for his birthday or something? Who was the most guilty? Mahrod of course, and he met his proper fate. Faramir and Aragorn unneccessarily borrowed a lot of guilt. Note To Faramir: Hopefully you've learned your lesson about keeping secrets from both your wife and your doctor/best friend/liege-lord! Note To Eomer: How's that brain transplant from the horse working out? I hope Firefoot isn't attacking all the other stallions. Be a good Horse-lord, or we'll return the brain to Firefoot and give you one from a chicken! Note To Arwen: Maybe you should think about starting Self-Help Groups for Angsty Kings & Stewards. Dark times ahead for our heroes; and especially Aragorn? Uh-oh; did Elrond finally send get that Imladris Library Overdue Books fine sent to Aragorn before the ship sailed to Valinor? Seriously, what evil lurks now in the hearts of Men, or at least fanfiction writers?!

Lady Saruman · 18 March 2006 · Chapter 9999: And the greatest of these is love.

The story has finally concluded, and thankfully with a happy ending, but I see that this happy ending won't last for long because its sequel will be another "Burden of Guilt," except this time the guilt is based on treason rather than the guilt in this story. All of these chapters were my favorites, but the special ones was the first one and the whole part about the mud bath, including Eomer butting in. Despite that, I really enjoyed this story. My opinion of who felt the most guilt probably was Aragorn, because when he learned of what happened, he started feeling guilty and even when Faramir had forgiven him, he refuses to accept that fact and he won't forgive himself until probably after a long time. Eomer didn't really feel that guilty because he didn't realize his fault until the end, and Eowyn felt guilty too, though not as much as Aragorn, because she wrote the note about Faramir not respecting her honor. In this story, the main characters mentioned all felt some kind of guilt (except for the little infants). Arwen, being an elf, would be more emotional than a human and so therefore she would of course share her husband's feelings and guilt. Well, this story has pointed out some character traits about all the characters: Aragorn's kind-heartedness and sacrifice, Faramir's willingness to forgive and forget, and others. And it turns out that your story was a success after all? Remember how you said that you didn't think anybody would read a story filled with guilt? Well, the effect was quite opposite of that. The story was interesting throughout the whole way, and as we all know, people tend to go for the angsty stuff unless they're the kind who like jolly, non-violent, and everything-goes-right stories. Conclusion: Thank you very much for this wonderful story, and we all hope to hear from you soon. Please post the first chapter of "A Web of Treason" and then get ready to answer all of the reviews from your awesome friends, admirerers, and all the other readers. Once again, my greatest thanks!!!!! With much love, Lady Saruman ^_~

Bodkin · 18 March 2006 · Chapter 9999: And the greatest of these is love.

A moment of contentment and harmony. Good to see Faramir and Aragorn enjoying themselves. And a most satisfactory ending. Although it won't last....

DJ · 17 March 2006 · Chapter 9999: And the greatest of these is love.

This is the second time I've read this, and I think it was much better here than on fanfiction.net. I like the way you developed the relationship between Aragorn and Faramir. The chapter in which Aragorn gives Faramir the thought bond was a favorite of mine. Sharing their thoughts finally let each of them know what the other really thought of them. Of course, they each learned the same thing that they'd been telling each other all along, but which neither of them could hear because they were each preoccupied with their own (perceived) guilt. Those of us not descended from Numenor can learn the same things all your characters had to learn. If you want to know something ask a question. Don't assume. (= ass + U + me) Listen to the answer. I also liked the chapters in the beginning where Aragorn, Faramir, and Legolas have to get back into the city after the goat ate their clothes. The whole episode was funny, especially Legolas using leaves to cover his "elvish perfection" he'd been showing off before. And the leaves left his "perfection" red and bumpy and itchy and very far from perfect. As to who is most guilty--Mahrod, of course. He deliberatly caused Faramir's great injuries--and did it as retaliation for Faramir punishing him (lightly by Gondoran standards) for raping a woman. The drunk who kicked Faramir in his cell is also guilty, but far less than Mahrod. (Mahrod knew what he was like when drunk and instead of putting him into a cell by himself put him in with Faramir.) Eomer also bears some guilt for starting the fight with Faramir. He didn't bother to investigate the situation--not even asking Eowen why she wanted him to take her back to Edoras. He just assumed Faramir was guilt of dishonoring Eowen and took his army and invaded another country (an allied country!) to kill the second-highest official of that country. Only Aragorn's wits, patience, and diplomacy avoided a war. Unlike some others who've reviewed, I don't think anyone else is guilty of causing the situation. Eowen couldn't know Faramir's secretary would find her note, let alone send it. He wasn't her secretary, so why would he be dealing with her correspondence? Aragorn told the guards to take Faramir into his custody, and someone in the King's custody would have been taken to a room in the palace, not to the city jail. He can't be faulted for not double-checking that the guards understood him--he was trying to stop both a fight and a war at the time, and experienced guards should have known what to do. The guards aren't guilty--they didn't hear him clearly in the midst of all the confusion.Could they all have done better? Sure, in hindsight. But they aren't "guilty" just because they didn't forsee all possible consequences. Faramir certainly didn't commit treason by attacking a foreign head of state--he defended himself from attack. The "burdens of guilt" Aragorn, Faramir, and to a lesser degree, Eowen, carried are not "real" guilt, in my opinion. They didn't do anything to cause harm to another. Some of their actions contributed to the situation, but when they took those actions, they could not have reasonably forseen the improbable coincidences that led to unfortunate effects from their actions. Their guilt is "perceived" guilt--they've blown everything up in their minds, and judged themselves guilty. If they talked to one another, if they listened to each other, if they got out of their own heads and stopped assuming guilt, they wouldn't have such burdens. If a certain fan fiction writer didn't put her characters through all this angst... It's all your fault, Linda! Thanks for a great story. DJ

Someone · 17 March 2006 · Chapter 9999: And the greatest of these is love.

It was such a great story! My favorite parts though were in the beginning,with the swimming in the river,the clothing crisis and the goats that caused it! I loved it and wish you luck with any other stories you are writing!

Agape4Gondor · 17 March 2006 · Chapter 9999: And the greatest of these is love.

The Steward nodded for by now he was almost accustomed to the humility of Aragorn’s ways. He could never have imagined his father performing such a lowly task even for Boromir. Would you look at the time!!!! 2am... I was going to read one chapter and then finish packing for my vacation... but I was so drawn into your story and so enjoyed the friendship of Faramir and Aragorn that I couldn't stop reading! Wish me luck in getting ready in just a few hours for a very long trip! I love it when some little phrase kind of knocks me for a loop - the one above about Denethor not performing such a task upon even Boromir surprised me - yet I felt it sounded real and possibly true! Thank you for sharing this tale! Agape

French Pony · 16 March 2006 · Chapter 9999: And the greatest of these is love.

Well, it's been a long, interesting ride. It's good to see that some good has come out of this unhappiness for Aragorn and Faramir. They've really tested each other, and they have a bond of trust that's even stronger for what they've endured. I must say, your take on these characters -- Aragorn, Arwen, Faramir, Éowyn, and Éomer -- is an unusual one. Their emotions run very high and are very close to the surface at all times. They act on their feelings and then often regret their actions later on. There's something very medieval about that style of writing, I think. It's not realism, but it makes for a very compelling story, and it's a style of writing that people really haven't made much use of for a couple of centuries. Who's most guilty? Mahrod, of course. In fact, I think he's the only really guilty one, objectively speaking. Mahrod is the only character in this entire story who acted maliciously. The others acted impulsively, or did stupid things, and often made bad situations worse by doing so, but they did not do so with malice aforethought. I think that the only thing your canon characters could be guilty of would be bad judgement and hotheadedness. And those are hardly crimes.

Agape4Gondor · 16 March 2006 · Chapter 0: The King and the Steward

“I am glad to hear that!” Aragorn replied, cuffing him playfully, “You and I we need each other if the Council is not to drive us mad!” Hi, Just started reading this and will probably forget it is here - I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow. But it has a most promising beginning. I have not read the precursor tale - just not enough time in the days... as you probably are well aware of. My take on Denethor and Faramir does not appear to be the same as yours, but I will try to remember to read anyhow... I do happen to very much love all the men of Gondor. As for the quote above... mayhap if Denethor had the support he needed, he would not have gone mad. Just a thought! Very good first chapter! Agape

Lady Saruman · 12 March 2006 · Chapter 60: This Rich and Precious Gift

Noooooooooooooooooooo! This is your penultimate chapter for this story??? This isn't good...but what is good is that there's a sequel. And hopefully there will be a sequel to that, then to that, and keep going until F.A. 120. But, it was still a great chapter. Well, it seems as if Faramir at last got over his painful shyness for the king and do things as he normally would if he were alone or with regular society and whatever his regular customs were. It might seem quite impertinant to the guests and attenders during those past few times because Faramir was hardly able to eat correctly, if he even ate at all. Now that he's normal, Aragorn is relieved because he will now believe that Faramir had truly forgiven him instead of debating whether the words that the steward says were true or just said so that he would not make the king feel guilty. Everybody of royalty (at least, the men) all toasted each other. Aragorn is certainly relieved that there is now no more tension or any hard feelings between Eomer and Faramir, and it's obvious that Faramir thinks so too. I think the reason why Eomer gave such a precious gift to Elestelle was because he might have felt a bit guilty for attacking his brother-in-law without clarifying things out at first. But a gift is a gift. The foal born to Snowdrop will certainly be an excellent gift for Elestelle if she rides as well as her mother did. But, it's surprising that some of the lords of Gondor still have different thoughts amongst themselves: After they left, the Lords of Gondor began to chatter amongst themselves. “Strange that the Horse Lord should give our Steward a fine gift and yet King Elessar who sent him to prison has not even offered an apology!” Devorin of Ringlo Vale murmured to his neighbour. “What can you expect from a Ranger from the North who goes hunting and leaves affairs of State to his Queen?” snorted Fosco of Lamedon who sat beside him."He has even invited a bunch of peasants to sit at his table!" They then noticed Imrahil’s eye upon them and fell silent. Good thing Imrahil stopped them. Otherwise, they would have gone on and on and on with things that might start appearing to be ridiculous and as the conversation progresses, the statements that each man makes will start to venture from the truth little by little, until that man's version of what happened is so far-fetched that it would lead to another terrible misunderstanding. It is good that all is well now. Nothing better than everybody in jolly spirits to end a story. I look forward to your concluding chapter and your sequel to this story! Hershey's kisses/hugs, Lady Saruman ^_~

Bodkin · 12 March 2006 · Chapter 60: This Rich and Precious Gift

Good as it is to see Faramir recovered and Aragorn happy - not to mention everything going well with Arwen, Eowyn and Eomer - they really show their inexperience in this ruling malarkey at times. Denethor would've been onto the Council rumblings like an Argonath. Hammered in the harmony between Aragorn and Faramir and chopped the legs out from under them - and then sent the worst troublemakers off on some unavoidable duty in the post most likely to have them a victim of local politics. Shame Imrahil's been out of town for a while. He would probably be the best person to let Aragorn and Faramir in on a few of the secrets of keeping people in line.

Raksha The Demon · 12 March 2006 · Chapter 60: This Rich and Precious Gift

Excellent description of the feast, especially the food. I wonder if Aragorn will outdo Eomer in his "surprise" - a Meara foal is hard to top. Nice bit about Arwen's love for her husband, despite the snoring.

French Pony · 11 March 2006 · Chapter 60: This Rich and Precious Gift

Well, the Lords of Middle-earth certainly know how to party. The clothes sound completely eye-popping, and I'm sure that these already handsome people are just stunning when they're all dressed up. The feast intrigues me. I think that Gondor must have been doing some trading with Harad in order to acquire dates, for I don't remember that Gondor owns much territory where dates would grow. That and the abundance of meat tells me that this is the ultimate in rich, prosperous living. Aragorn is really putting it all out there to celebrate. And Eomer's gift is absolutely kingly. He really does know how to be a good ruler.

Bodkin · 9 March 2006 · Chapter 59: Yesterday's Errors

Good to see Faramir is back on his feet - but maybe he and Aragorn are so busy building their own friendship that they are not paying enough attention to the rest of the council. Aragorn soared to power on a huge wave of popularity - it's more than likely that once the gilt has worn off, there will be a bit of a backlash. Still. One thing at a time! It's time to celebrate.

Lady Saruman · 6 March 2006 · Chapter 59: Yesterday's Errors

Ah, nothing like an Elven massage. I really need one right now. I'm glad that Faramir is okay, even if partially. Well, it just shows that Faramir is very forgiving and Aragorn way too reasonable. He just won't forgive himself even if Faramir does, because he keeps bringing up that subject. I appreciate being a reader of this excellent story. =)

French Pony · 6 March 2006 · Chapter 59: Yesterday's Errors

I want Aragorn to come give me a back rub! Well, it certainly took much time and effort, and many tears, but it looks like Faramir is all better. Aragorn was right; he really did need to get back to the Council. Those poor Council members, they're not bright enough to go figure out for themselves what's been going on over the past few weeks. They really do need Aragorn's leadership.

Someone · 6 March 2006 · Chapter 59: Yesterday's Errors

Well,up to this I meant. I'm glad Aragorn kept his mouth shut this time,it could have caused trouble.Faramir is still that loyal and forgiving guy he always is.=)

Someone · 6 March 2006 · Chapter 59: Yesterday's Errors

Touching,great story!I've read all of it now!

Raksha The Demon · 3 March 2006 · Chapter 58: Oft Expectation Fails

I see that Elestelle has the same reaction to being embraced by Aragorn as her father does - makes her stop crying. Snorfle. And more Faramir-stripping in this chapter. One can never have too much Faramir-stripping, even for medicinal purposes. They should offer a course in it at the Houses of Healing. They'd have to turn half the women in Minas Tirith away, or all of them... Irreverence aside, another good chapter.

Bodkin · 3 March 2006 · Chapter 58: Oft Expectation Fails

Lovely to see Faramir and Eowyn being happy together - they're a proper family now and seem to be getting over their early hiccups. That particular elven technique for calming infants would be extremely useful, though. Some mud and a trip to Rohan seem the best outcome for Alis and her child - I reckon she would find it easier to learn to trust the Rohirrim, too. They're less bothered about concealing things and live more communally (or so it seems to me). Fingers crossed for the effectiveness of the elven treatment.

Lady Saruman · 2 March 2006 · Chapter 58: Oft Expectation Fails

I liked the way you made Elestelle refuse to respond to her parent's and yet respond to Aragorn's soothing touch. I think it probably was the Elven technique. Otherwise, she would just scream even more and louder if Aragorn had not known the Elven ways. In that case, then they would need Arwen to come to the rescue. Poor Faramir. Today is the day that Aragorn will see if the infected tissue would heal or if Aragorn would have to cut it out. I know the outcome already, but, of course, it's always nice to stop a chapter at the most suspenseful part so that it'll the readers guessing, unless, they found the other website where your story is completed and if they read it. It was a good thing that Faramir did not have to witness the execution because I don't think that he would have been able to handle so much violence and the shock will make him ill again, if not kill him. After all, he has just recovered from the violence of Eomer and the brutal flogging that he had received from Mahrod. I’m glad that you updated so soon. See you next time! Hershey's kisses/hugs, Lady Saruman ^_^

French Pony · 1 March 2006 · Chapter 58: Oft Expectation Fails

Perhaps, if Elestelle needs Elvish techniques to calm her, Aragorn might try teaching them to Faramir. Éowyn has the advantage of being Mommy, and that's usually enough to calm most babies. Good to see that Faramir seems to be doing so well. He deserves it, after all he's been through.