Reviews (165)

Raksha The Demon · 1 April 2006 · Chapter 20: The Exhale Begins

I love seeing stories where Faramir goes into warrior-mode and shows how good he is at it, despite his preference for peace. Excellent depiction of action and battle! And more Faramir, whether in war or peace, is always good to read.

Lyn · 25 March 2006 · Chapter 22: Strained Reception of The Unforgiven

Excellent! Just one comment: VIAL means a narrow glass tube used to contain liquids. (vile is akin to evil and uses the same letters)

RS · 24 March 2006 · Chapter 22: Strained Reception of The Unforgiven

Oh My Gosh! I hope you're doing well! Accidents are not fun! I love Advil..it works GREAT! Tantur reminds me of a little puppy dog--always a tag-along. "Strider? Should we let him catch up?" Made me laugh! I knew right away that he was talking about Tantur! It's funny that they never once thought of him during their capture and escape from the Corsairs. What a sight to see. The king and Legolas pelting each other with twigs..it's a good thing they did not have rubberbands in Middle Earth! Ok--I really need to know what happened between Eression and the twins! Apparently Eression was not a very good guy once upon a time if he is getting dagger eyes from the twins (is that another story?) Very uncomfortable situation indeed! I like the fact that the Dunedain Rangers are residing in Rivendell (I assume) or at least patrolling with the Elves. Lothlorien was kind of eerie with the Elves not being there, especially seeing Galadriel's mirror. "It fades in the absence of it's lady". Very sad. That shout of warning, was it from the trees or someone left in Lorien? OHHH.. wait a minute!! The only person who says Lads is...my favorite Dwarf..Gimli!! Is it? When you get better, please post!

Imbecamiel · 24 March 2006 · Chapter 22: Strained Reception of The Unforgiven

Well, I think I'll have at least a few minutes of computer time here, so I thought I'd drop in for a quick attempt at a review ;-) Oh! Wow, a car accident is *certainly* quite a valid excuse for not updating precicely on time! I hope you're not hurting too much... Is the damage to your car very bad? Yipes... LOL! Oh, I laughed so hard at the picture of Tantur discovering the PRINCE of Ithilien and the KING of Gondor busy throwing twigs at each other. I can just picture him starting to think, "And here I thought I was performing such a despicable act, attempting to assasinate the king... Now it appears I've been doing the people of Gondor a FAVOR! This guy is NUTS! Go figure. Just when I resign myself to becoming a loathsome traitor, I discover I'm doing a great public service instead..." *giggles* Ooo, and Vardnauth makes his reappearence... And it would seem this time he's found a much more acceptable outlet for venting his frustration! I'd applaud, only I rather doubt he's going to reform and simply confine himself to killing Corsairs in the future... Ah well, I suppose these cool villains do have a certain reputation to maintain. *g* OH! Malvegil's reception of Eression... *bursts into hysterical laughter* Funny, funny, funny! These rangers do tend to go a bit... strange, when left on their own too long. *g* It's so terribly sad, though, that the twins are still having so much trouble forgiving, much less trusting, Eression, even after all these years... Though, I suppose, however used to the human ideas of time they've become with Aragorn, "all these years" aren't really so very long to them. It's *so* hard to see them like this, but at the same time, it does seem so very in character for them... Congratulations on portraying their attitude toward Eression in a way that was quite different from what I'd expected, but at the same time much more realistic than what I'd been anticipating! *sniffles* Poor everyone! *hugggles every elf and ranger she can reach* *chokes* Mortally afraid of dragonflies?! *laughs* For some reason, I can picture that SO well... Hehe... And they've actually managed to reach Lothlorien reasonably healthy and still in one piece! *gapes in astonishment* Oh, there are few things sadder than coming back to a place you've loved, and discovering it's changed so much... *sniff* Wah, now you've made me homesick again! *sobs* It's hard, moving after living in the same place for fourteen years... *sniffles* Ahem. Yes, anyways, at last they've reached the halfway-point in their mission to get Arwen's antidote! LOL, and here, just when he's needed most, Gimli shows up! Yay! Well, I've actually managed to get in a halfway-decent review! But I really must run now... By the next time you update, I believe I may be home again, and able to review properly :-) Lovely chapter, as always! Looking forward to more! (And hoping you feel better soon!) Imbecamiel

Lady Saruman · 24 March 2006 · Chapter 22: Strained Reception of The Unforgiven

Oooooooooohhhhhh that was kinda scary. Gave me the chills. *shudder* I guess it must have been hard for Eression to go meet Elladan and Elrohir after the wrong that he had done to them. By the way, is this explained in your other site story which explained about Bartho and Lindamar? It must have also been hard for Legolas to have arrived to Lothlorien and see all the ruins there because Galadriel had already left Middle Earth and departed to Valinor, along with Celeborn and Elrond. Then he had to cut the tree in order to get the antidote for Arwen, and that MUST have been hard, because, well, after all, he IS a wood elf, and he's been around trees around his whole life, and they're like practically his home, and so he has to cut one of them...I would totally refuse to do that if I were him, unless I have no choice. Vardnauth certainly loves violence. He obviously enjoyed the murder of Ringa, and that was certainly stupid and unwise, though Ringa certainly deserves it. But Ringa was stupid enough to give the Evenstar to Vardnauth, but I guess Vardnauth would have eventually found out sooner or later, so it probably was wiser to give it to him before he becomes pissed off. But I simply CAN'T stand the fact that now he has the pendant. What I also noticed was that you made the twins' decision for them---that they have stayed in Arda instead of them too journeying for The Undying Lands. In the appendix of Tolkien's RoTK, it never said whether Elladan and Elrohir decided to stay or leave, whether to choose to live as a human or as an elf. Haha great story. Now you owe me TWO replys....LOL. I just noticed that I'm the first reviewer again. So my record has broken earlier...that sucks but I know that life can't always go the way you wanted or the world would be messed up right now...so...yeah... Here's some Hershey's for you! _HH_HH__EEEEE__RRRRR__SSSSS__HH_HH__EEEEE__YY_YY__"__SSSSS _HH_HH__EE_____RR_RR__SS_____HH_HH__EE______Y_Y______SS__ _HHHHH__EEE____RRRR___SS_SS__HHHHH__EEE______Y_______SS_SS _HH_HH__EE_____RR_RR_____SS__HH_HH__EE_______Y__________SS _HH_HH__EEEEE__RR__RR_SSSSS__HH_HH__EEEEE____Y_______SSSSS KISSES AND HUGS :) Haha like it? It took me quite a while to make that just for you. :) Of course I might post this to other people too, because they also love hershey's. This'll have to inspire you to keep writing! If not, then I've ran out of ideas...x( -Lady Saruman ^_^

Lady Saruman · 18 March 2006 · Chapter 21: Capture

Huh? I thought I left a review for this chapter right after I read it....oh well. I don't remember you ever mentioning a Hwan in the story. And Aragorn and Legolas's captors are definitely outrageous. They are bloodthirsty, cruel, violent, every bad thing you could think about them. This was a rather funny quote: "Smell something?" Aragorn asked softly. "And don't you dare say, 'You, Strider'." Well, I rather think that if Aragorn didn't mention that at all then that thought wouldn't even have occurred in Legolas's head. So basically, Aragorn is giving Legolas suggestions about what to call him. But it's nice for you to add a little humor throughout all the grim parts of this story. The part that got me mad the most was when Ringa forcibly stole the Evenstar from Aragorn, and plainly was just heartless and selfish because he does not realize that taking a piece of treasure might be taking away that thing that might have been important to that person because of some reason other than for the beauty of it and the money. The Evenstar was Aragorn's only inspiration and encouragement for him to go on and toil with much effort to Lothlorien, then after they come back they can relax and rest all they want. Ringa may have taken the Evenstar because he was attracted by its beauty, but he doesn't know that the evenstar was the only thing Aragorn has to remind him of Arwen on this journey. It meant a lot to him, and taking the Evenstar away meant taking away Arwen herself, though not in HER physical form. Hmmmmm, I wonder. Will they be able to escape, or will they be noticed? *dun dun dun* (dramatic music) See you next time! Hershey's hugs/kisses, Lady Saruman

RS · 17 March 2006 · Chapter 21: Capture

These two always seem to find humor in dire situations! Very Funny dialogue!.."smell something?"..."What would I do without you..".."Horrors". I'm still smiling! But it sure turned to horror when the Evenstar was taken (or should I say yanked from Aragorn's neck). Poor Aragorn! You can feel his desparation and fright! Your description of Aragorn's lethargic state and finally "snapping out of it" was brilliant.."Arwen's in Minas Tirith. And she's alive"...BRILLIANT! I just hope in time Aragorn gets his jewel. Very Good!

Imbecamiel · 16 March 2006 · Chapter 21: Capture

Hey, just thought I'd drop in for one last review before we leave... LOVE the chapter! I'll just have to content myself with one quote this time... //"Smell something?" Aragorn asked softly. "And don't you dare say, 'You, Strider'." A fleeting smile touched the elf's mouth, but his eyes held firm. "Trouble, my friend." // LOL! There's a difference? Absolutely wonderful! I so wish I had time for a "real" review, but I must be off to bed, since we're leaving at 2:00 tomorrow morning... "See" you again soon! Imbecamiel

RS · 13 March 2006 · Chapter 20: The Exhale Begins

AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!! CAN THEY NOT GET A BREAK??? I am sooo frustrated for Faramir, the Gondorion soldiers, and the Dunadain!!! Can they not get a reprieve from this madness?...not even a small victory?? All I see is "retreat, "retreat", "retreat"!!! In the words of Dr. Evil "throw me a frickin' bone" ...I mean Faramir and his men!!! Sigh.. I feel better..had to let that out!! I know, I know..it gets worse before it gets better! You guys are killing me. Talk about angst..I got it. Excellent chapter!

Imbecamiel · 11 March 2006 · Chapter 20: The Exhale Begins

Hey, one post every five days isn’t as bad as all that! Most people I’ve read don’t even *have* a posting schedule, and those who do are usually at *least* a week or more apart - some a month or more apart. So believe me, you’re definitely ahead of the game when it comes to frequent updates! //"An Ent could list our findings in less than three sentences,"// LOL! Love it! Heh, always beware, though, when things start looking too good. If things seem too good to be true, they probably are… Man, now I sound like Bartho. I think he‘s contagious. *g* But at least Faramir’s got the good sense and experience not to take things at their face value, and to keep on looking for trouble, even when everything‘s “fine“! //Faramir looked upward along the ravine's edges high above him, his keen eyes picking out the firm stone and guessing at how much of this maze such an outpost would be able to watch.// I love this line! Something about the way it hints at the vast experience Faramir’s had, arranging sentries and guards, and planning battles to his best advantage… //"What?" Erynbenn asked calmly. His long friendship with Bartho had rendered all talk of disaster commonplace.// LOL, this review’s turning into a regular “Book of quotations from Your Heart Will Be True”… But I just love this line! Hehe, I guess Bartho’s done him good in a lot of ways. Not only teaching him how to fight and lead men, but making doom and disaster such a frequent subject for conversation that it doesn’t faze him in the slightest. *g* //The sea-gray in Faramir's gaze transformed to molten steel.// Ah well, while I’m at it, I may as well just go ahead and quote your entire story back to you :-P I do like this description so much! So often lines like these just don’t work, or don’t quite seem to “click”, but this one just felt perfect. Simple and short enough not to feel clumsy or contrived, but so descriptive and easy to visualize! Ack, and unfortunately, all of Faramir’s all-too-accurate premonitions weren’t *quite* early enough to do them much good… *gulp* Good thing for them they’ve got so many wonderful, experienced solders leading them! You do descriptions of battles so well! Very quick-moving, interesting, and easy to visualize. I've read so many descriptions of battles that I end up just scanning through, trying to get the general gist of what's going on, because it's just so confusing, or boring, or just doesn't seem to *work*, but I enjoy yours! Hmm, just out of curiosity, have either of you ever done any fencing? LOL, and Bartho’s using Erynbenn’s “hedgehog maneuver”! Hehe, and he's still quite determined to make the worst of everything… Ah, but is that the beginnings of a breakthrough I hear? //It was a familiar conclusion. What was unfamiliar was the rush of relief — that he wasn't actually dead yet — and the hope his life would not end here. So far from Minas Tirith.// Haha, there is hope for him yet! If he survives, that is. Speaking of which… You do realize that just because this may be your last fanfic it DOES NOT give you the right to kill anyone off, don’t you? Because… IT DOESN’T! DON’T YOU DARE KILL ANYONE! *sniffs* I LIKE all of them! Of course, villains are always fair game… but NO heroes! Ahem. Anyways, moving on… Have I mentioned that you two write battle *really* well? Oh yeah. I have… Um, well, consider it mentioned again. *g* AAAH! *slams into end of chapter* Ow… *pokes cliffy* This isn’t real… *panics* This ISN’T real. THAT CAN’T BE THE END! What happens to Faramir, and Bartho, and Erynbenn, and Beregond… Not to mention ARAGORN AND LEGOLAS?!?!?! *wails* ACK! *keels over* Imbecamiel-who-is-quickly-going-to-lose-her-reputation-as-the-”sane”-sister… P.S. *sighs* Yeah… It’s too bad our poor puppy has to be the one to test out the fascinating Strider Principle. But then, at least along with the bad luck, it seems there are other things that go along with the name. Such as the tendency for everyone who meets him to love him and want to adopt him… Honestly, this dog is so sweet that everyone loves him, from my mom (who does *not* like dogs, and is particularly frightened of big ones) to my Grandpa (who is not a big dog person, and didn’t think we should get one in the first place) to total strangers, who pet him for two minutes and offer to buy him right then and there, to even *cats* that normally can‘t stand dogs, but are so won over by his sweetness that they‘ll let him lie down with their kittens! Oh, and he’s definitely got the nickname-attracting quality as well. “Estel-puppy”, “Aragorn Elessar” (when he’s very bad), our big “Mirkwood Spider” (hehe, because our mom could never remember his name when we first got him, and kept calling him Spider instead), “Spider-man“, “Prince Charming“… LOL, and then there is the very interesting discovery that Elvish does indeed work very well with animals, even hyper puppies who are so excited they can’t comprehend the meaning of “sit” but will respond to “Havo dad”… Very interesting indeed. Though it does get quite interesting watching LOTR with him. He’s got some pretty decided opinions about those movies. *g* P.P.S. Oh yes, I do remember that part from the scene with Merry and Eomir! That’s cool that you came up with more of a back story for Theodran! LOL, and it certainly would give him lots of reason to be veeery suspicious of anyone wandering around where they’re not expected. Thanks for telling me more about him! Hehe, now I like him even more :-) P.P.P.S. That’s so cool that you’ve mostly taught yourself sewing! Hehe, maybe Nef and I will have to give it a try… Yes, with my mom’s help, we did make some really neat capes for the midnight showing of ROTK. We went as far as we could with it, with long, flowy dresses, capes, Lorien leaf broaches, some pretty elven-style jewelry my sweet brother bought us, and even prosthetic ear tips from a costume shop. Hehe, and of course, our long hair went along very nicely. Only problem being people kept asking us if it was real… *g* It was really great, though, dressing up like that! LOL, and one of the highlights of the evening for us was when Nef and I actually managed to convince one little boy there that we were, in fact, real elves. Hehe, he spent the rest of the time before the movie started gaping at us over the back of his seat… :-) LOL! Oh that’s so funny, though, that you dressed up to go several days later! I imagine you must have gotten some rather strange looks… *giggles* Nef and I thought about dressing up for Narnia, but considering we were going with a group of people from our new church… Our mom “convinced” us it wasn’t a good idea ;-) P.P.P.P.S. Oh, btw… I’m going to be leaving next Friday for Arizona to visit my Grandparents for a couple of weeks. I’ll be bringing my laptop along, but I’m not sure how much internet connectivity or time I’ll have… So, if I suddenly drop off the edge of the earth for a while, believe me, it’s NOT because I’ve abandoned the story or don’t like something! I shall return! And yeah, that is a threat… *eg*

Lady Saruman · 11 March 2006 · Chapter 20: The Exhale Begins

Hey there. It's been a really busy time for me so far...that's why I didn't get to review for more than two sentences in the last chapter. Right now I am still really busy, because I have a lot of homework going on and five projects at the same time, all due at the end of the month. Actually, one of them is due next week. Ah well, I liked your neat little trick with Bartho having to draw his knees up in order to avoid the two Southrons' blades. That was clearly an act by instinct and his experience as a Ranger in the past years. It is suprising how Bartho and his men couldn't spot the Southrons even if they were hidden, because, after all, they still wore red and refused to change their clothing even for camouflage, as you said. There must really be something wrong with them if they like the color red so much that they won't even wear a different color just for the protection of their lives. I feel sorry for Faramir, Bartho, Erynbenn, and all the other men's suffering. After all, they were sneaked up on, and since the attack came stealthily and unexpectedly, they had no way to dodge it, and so somebody must get hurt. In the case of Bartho, half of his men were slaughtered trying to fall back and the ones that weren't were in temporary safety. That just leaves Bartho to face danger himself, unless some of his men come out to help him fight the heinous red-clothing attired brutes. Faramir may be hurt in the face which caused the blood to flow over his eyes and block all his sight, but he kept persisting and never gave up for the sake of his people and his life. That is what I like about Faramir: his nobleness. He could have just fallen back and let his other men fight for him so that he could tend his wound(s) and lay down to recover and rest, be he wasn't that kind of a person to let other people do the work when he could just do it as well. Though he should have tended to that wound, he still stayed behind to defend everybody. Is that noble or what? Like you said, this is the beginning of a war, and I am not sure that they could win either--seeing as they are hopelessly outnumbered and most, if not all, of them are injured. Please update soon! I really want to know what happens then, but probably you're going to make the switchback to Legolas, Aragorn, Tantur, and THEIR enemy. It seems as if all the good people are being pursued by enemies all simultaneously and some of them have suffered from fatal or serious wounds. Bye! Hershey's kisses/hugs, Lady Saruman ^_~

Vilwarin · 10 March 2006 · Chapter 20: The Exhale Begins

Uh, oh, a full battle-chapter. And it does notlook good at all for our side...ahm, the Gondorian side, I mean. This was the beginning of a war — one he was not sure they could win. Oh my, there they have it, it seems as if all turns out in the Queens favour *gr* What a clever place for an attack that lady has. He couldn't actually see them, but that was the fault of the Southrons and their obsession with the distracting color red. It seemed even camouflage was not a good enough reason to change their wardrobe… Granted, they'd snuck up on him masterfully, regardless of their garish turbans. You gave a funny mental image there, hehe. I see that Bartho has not yet lost his humour completely... That little portion of his brain that was freed for frivolous and optimistic thought mused wryly, I wonder what Erynbenn will say when I tell him his trick was well-used… He'll laugh, I don't doubt. Yes, there he is right, everything is good for something, even when this particular 'everything' happened to be originally used in such a way. Ah, well, likely I won't live to tell him anyway. I do not believe that, I am pretty sure that he is going to live, surely he will not leave such a nice lady to her own fate, will he...? ~Vil

RS · 7 March 2006 · Chapter 19: Entering Rohan Means Trouble

Love Strider's and Legolas' banter. Very funny .Yup, it does seem that trouble always follows these two. Tantur is a little too edgy, huh? And I'm sure our heros notice this too. Sigh, I love those Rohirrims. They are so....(what's the word I'm looking for?) heroic?, majestic?, valiant? larger than life?. Anyway, I just love them. "A thunder of hooves.." great description! Your description of "Elessar the Warrior" is brilliant! .. "lethal capability" and "too deadly" hit the nail! Combined with all his other assets, he is just the man of my dreams...oops am I drifting somewhere else? Sorry. Back to the story. Viper in the wheat field? Oh No! Again I applaud you for the action parts of your fic. They never fail to captivate me. So vivid! Never a dull moment! Who is this person swinging his club at Strider? Is it one of the Corsairs or is it Tantur? As usual, will be waiting for the update. Happy belated birthday to your sister!

Imbecamiel · 5 March 2006 · Chapter 19: Entering Rohan Means Trouble

Well… I’m kinda almost-borderline-sort-of-late this time… *sheepish* BUT I do have a really good excuse! Y’see I was reading “Erfier, Only Mortal”, and I got a bit… um… distracted, and I didn’t want to quite reading, and then I suddenly realized that it was getting late and I’d only written half your review, so… yeah… But I’m here now! And I’m not *quite* late. Yet. *races off to review* LOL, and Aragorn’s got a theory too! *giggles* Poor guy, you’ve gotta find *some* way of explaining a life like that. Either that, or so insane. Hmm, some might debate that Aragorn and Legolas settled on doing both… *g* Which would seem like a good way of introducing the theory which has been proposed by Nefhiriel and myself. Ahem, so then, here it is, the great, the incredible, the brilliant, “Imbecamiel and Nefhiriel theory regarding the source of Strider‘s bad luck” (are you ready for this?): It’s the name. Now, before you simply dismiss my theory, allow me to explain myself. First look at his childhood. Overall, despite a few minor mishaps, there is very little that would be terribly unusual for any other boy. In fact, when his parents were killed, he had the incredibly *good* luck to be adopted by Elrond and his family. Then people started calling him Strider, and just LOOK what happened. Suddenly he can’t go ANYWHERE or do ANYTHING without getting into trouble. (And, even applying it to this particular story, he’s being called by other names, and he’s got the *good* luck to avoid an assassination attempt, and even protect most of his family from harm. Then he goes back to calling himself Strider, and look at all the things that start happening!) Now, lest you be led to believe that this is merely a single, isolated case, allow me to give you another illustration. My dog was a perfectly ordinary (if *very* intelligent ;-) puppy. THEN we named him Strider. Before he was a year old he’d had MORE visits to the vet... First, he got a luxating patella (his knee kept becoming dislocated), which is a *very* uncommon problem for this breed, and even *more* uncommon from this particular breeder. Now, normally, this is a relatively pain-free problem. But, of COURSE, this being Strider, he had to tear some ligament or something, making it extremely painful. The vet had to schedule an early surgery to correct it as soon as possible. Again, this being Strider, he caught pneumonia before the surgery could be performed, so it had to be delayed. After he had the surgery, there were *two MONTHS* of recovery time, during which he was supposed to take it easy. You think ELROND’S got it bad? Try convincing a nine-month-old puppy that not only can he *not* run around, he can’t even go outside off a short leash or walk up the stairs on his own! Then, as soon as he recovered from that, his OTHER knee went out, and we had to start all over again :-P A few months ago, he got an ear infection. Of course, again, being Strider, he couldn't get a simple one, he had to get one that dragged on for weeks. And naturally, he had to get it *just* before we left for vacation, too. This summer my dad let him out of his sight for just a couple of minutes while he was outside. When he got back, one of his front legs was all scratched up, with the fur scraped off the knee. We never did figure out what happened, since it doesn't really look like an animal bite, but it's rather odd for just having fallen or something, too. Then just recently he’s been having some health problems, so we took him to the vet. Again. We found out that: 1. He has mites on his ears. 2. The vet can’t figure out what else is wrong with him, despite multiple X-rays, blood tests and urine tests. However, it is *not* a simple infection, and one of the good possibilities is that he could be having some major kidney problems. I’m beginning to wonder whether we should rename him before anything ELSE happens… Ahem, but anyways, what do you think of our theory? Of course, it still doesn’t explain Legolas’ luck. Unless he’s right and it really IS Strider’s fault... *ponders* Ooo… *winces* Aragorn, buddy, you might want to be careful there. I know things might look like they’re going well at the moment, but this *is* Arwen’s life that’s in the balance here. Honestly, Aragorn, thinking “Well, things are going well, we should have plenty of time…” is almost as bad as thinking “This couldn’t possibly get any worse”! *shakes head* With a record like yours, I’d be more cautious about things like that if I were you… LOL! Even knowing Tantur’s a villain, I’ve just got to feel sorry for him. It’s got to be sooooo confusing, traveling with Aragorn and Legolas… After all these years and adventures, they’ve got far more than their share of inside jokes! *giggles* Oh man, though… If he’s got *any* heart at all, there’s got to be nothing to make him feel more guilty than traveling with these two, and being accepted by them, and actually getting to know the people he’s betrayed and hurt so much - and tried to hurt even more. Hehe, one might think that suspicion was a character trait that came naturally along with the ability to ride horses in the Rohirrim… Either that, or Aragorn and Legolas just look like suspicious characters. Or both. *g* Hmm, looks like Aragorn’s been listening to some of those helpful old proverbs, though - “The best defense is a good offense.” Works pretty well with Theodran, at any rate… Speaking of which, Theodran’s really sweet! (ehm, though I rather doubt he’d appreciate hearing that. Might mess up the whole “stern-manly-dignity” thing he’s got going. *g*) He’s just so… Rohirric. And so completely confident in Eomir! Hehe, I like him so much! Already. Yeah, that’s kinda sad. I like all the characters immediately. Oh well. I don’t really care anyways. At least it’s happier than disliking everyone immediately :-) //"I was pleased to see that the dramatic 'revealing of the ears' strategy still works. Gimli would be proud of you."// ROTFL! Poor Legolas, his anonymity - and freedom from teasing - sacrificed for the common good… Ah well, at least he got to be cool and dramatic while he was doing it. *g* Yay! I’m glad they finally know about Mavranor, though! Even if they can’t do anything much from where they are at the moment, it’s always better when they at least know what they’re up against! *glances at flame-wielding Corsairs* Um… *pokes Aragorn* Remember what I said about it being a bad idea to think too optimistically about everything going well? Well, this may not be the greatest time to mention it, but… I told you so. *attempts to hide smug look* Oh yeah, and while I’m telling you so - you might want to look out for Tantur. ‘Cause he’s a traitor and already tried to kill you and your entire family once and is probably not going to have too meny scruples about trying to kill you and Legolas to get the antidote, ‘cause he accidentally got himself poisoned too, and… Aragorn? Are you even listening to me? *looks around* Guess not. *sighs* Whoa! The action is picking up! And Legolas and Aragorn are hurt/unconscious/generally in a very bad position! Yes! *blinks* I… ah… I mean, I do hope they’re alright? Just not…. *too* alright. *eg* Absolutely wonderful chapter, as always! And VERY MUCH looking forward to more! Imbecamiel P.S. LOL, oh yes, you most definitely do write many phrases that “just reach out and grab” me! You two have obviously put so much hard work into this story, it’s so wonderful to have something so solid and *good* to read - certainly a rare enough find in fanfiction! (hehe, and I’m very glad you like writing Bartho and Erynbenn together - I certainly LOVE reading them!) P.P.S. I certainly will keep your advice about trying different things in mind if I should ever attempt to write anything “real”! Heh, though really, I very much doubt I ever will write anything beyond a short article or two. I’ve got plenty of ideas and inspiration - but only for other people’s stories. Which would be why I’m the editor, not the writer of the family… Ah well, I love my job :-) P.P.P.S. Ooo, a seamstress-in-training-type-person! Hehe, that does sound like a very fun job! I’ve always wished I had more sewing talent… Alas, I’ve never really had anyone to learn from. *sighs* I did love making our elven capes for the ROTK midnight showing, though! Do you mainly use patterns for what you do, or do you make up ones of your own? P.P.P.P.S. Oh, would you e-mail me the Elvish dictionary? I’d really appreciate that! I’ve never heard of that one before. Always looking for more Elvish resourses… P.P.P.P.P.S. I’ll say Chloe’s a great writer! LOL, since my last review, I’ve read five of her stories, and am currently in the process of reading “Erfier”. I’ll have to drop her some reviews, when I’m not in such a hurry just to read her stories. *g* Maybe I really should take it slower and savor the opportunity to read some good new stories, instead of just re-re-re-re-re-reading my favorites, but… it’s easier said than done ;-) Not sure what I’ll do when I finish them all, though. Probably panic. *g*

Vicki_Turner · 4 March 2006 · Chapter 19: Entering Rohan Means Trouble

Ah! I'm dying to know what's gonna happen next!!!!!!!!!

Vilwarin · 4 March 2006 · Chapter 19: Entering Rohan Means Trouble

"You realize that every time we do anything, be it enter Rohan or visit an inn or stroke a hobbit's pony, it leads to trouble. The conclusion is that we do not lead trouble — it already knows where we are going to be and it meets us there." He has finally got it, how clever! In the perfect knowledge of the fact, he should not be so sure with his planning. History repeating itsself, *lol*. Master Elf? He has stolen Gimli's line! Uh, oh, Corsairs again, and in the barley field. NO, Legolas suffering burns and Aragorn being beaten by a club. What will happen? Will he be unconscious, or how can he react! What will Legolas be able to do. Mhu, it is getting worse by the line! ~Vil

Lady Saruman · 4 March 2006 · Chapter 19: Entering Rohan Means Trouble

*snorts even louder than Legolas and Aragorn combined* Well, they still haven't suspected Tantur yet, though Legolas is starting to have a notion. Meeting the Rohirrim is always scary. And poor Legolas is injured! Waaaahhh! Hershey's kisses/hugs, Lady Saruman P.S. Do you have a myspace? -Lady Saruman ^_~

Imbecamiel · 27 February 2006 · Chapter 18: Enlightening Conversations

I’m really sorry I didn’t review earlier. You see, I… I… I can’t seem to remember why I’m so late… *blinks* Oh. That would be because I’m not. *blinks again* Well what do you know… Wow. *wanders off in a daze* *wanders back* Ahem. Let’s get on with the review then, before I *am* late… *g* Poor, poor Faramir! He always takes things like this to heart so personally… It’s really what makes him the man we know and love, but I also think it’s the thing that kept soldiering from being his true career, as it was for Boromir. Though he’s *obviously* a *very* good captain, and wins not only his men’s trust, but their love and respect, he’s never really been able to develop the calluses that would keep constantly being in this position from getting to him so much. Not only does he feel the losses of his own people as deeply as if he were personally responsible, he feels for the enemy as well, and pities them. It’s why I love him so much, and yet, oh, it does make times like this hard for him… *huggles poor Faramir* Leaders like him always need someone like Beregond around to talk some sense into them - and to keep an eye on them when they’re too busy brooding to pay attention to their own safety! ROTFL! That’s it, Gimli, just follow the path of mayhem and destruction, and you shouldn’t stray too far from the right path… Amazing how those kind of intuitions can be so uncannily accurate around those two, isn’t it? Hehe… BTW, have you heard the theory Nef and I have come up with about how exactly it is that Strider gets into so much trouble? (LOL, and no, evil authoresses, suicidal tendencies, and the Valar having a grudge against him are *not* involved.) LOL! Poor Valihondo! As if arguing with any normal dwarf isn’t hard enough, he’s got to reason with *Kori* - and when he’s drunk, no less! //"Please just let me kill him." "Now, Rorin, how would we explain that to Lord Dorm?" "Tell him he ate a bad piece of meat. Happens all the time,"// LOL! Oh, too funny… And obviously Valihondo *does* figure out a lot more than he usually lets on! Good thing for them he’s on their side! I do love, though, the way he never openly says anything about what he knows, or presses anyone for explanations of what’s going on. He just goes around quietly helping them any way he can. He! Erynbenn certainly doesn’t miss much! He figured that one out pretty quickly. *snickers* And Bartho certainly wasn’t about to help him out at all… //It was so obvious, he wondered why he hadn't tried to orchestrate it!// LOL! Ah, that might be because you know your friend well enough to figure out that, while he might stand plenty of teasing on the subject, he’s most definitely *not* the sort to cooperate with any attempts to trick him into falling in love… Oh, I’m so glad someone’s finally talked to Bartho about Lindamar, and his continuing fears! He may not have been able to totally accept it yet, but at least he’s heard it! And he DID admit to *wanting* to love her! LOL, I love his response to Erynbenn‘s delighted “there‘s hope!” - “Maybe.” So Bartho… *giggles* We’ve got a regular Puddleglum here… //"Fidgety, maybe?" Bartho muttered. "Understatement, perhaps? Watch your feet." Bartho sidestepped a tent peg just in time.// Ok, I can’t say exactly why, but I just loved that little exchange! Something about it just felt so… *right*. LOL, now I’ve probably just confused you… But at any rate, I really liked it :-) LOL! And I loved their exchange over Erynbenn’s little flying somersault trick, as well! Oh, those two are just so great together… *g* As wonderful as always - and, also as always, looking forward to more! Imbecamiel P.S. Oh, but you do write female characters incredibly well! No need for you to worry there! LOL, I can see how someone, at first glace, *might* mistake some of your characters for a Mary Sue, because they’re often very strong women, who do wind up actually getting involved in the action (as Findel did). But you still keep them *so* feminine and *real*! You do a wonderful job of writing balanced female characters :-) P.P.S. LOL! I’m glad you enjoyed the “Heroe’s Combat Handbook” so much. *g* Hehe, I’m beginning to think that if I were ever to write anything “real” it would have to be humor - it seems to be about the only thing I can pull off well ;-P P.P.P.S. *blinks* The… “Great Lederhosen-Button-Sewing Incident of 2006”? *looks bewildered* And *what* is it exactly you do for a living? It sounds... hazardous... *g* P.P.P.P.S. LOL, well, what do you know, my attempts actually did manage to come up with the basic idea of Vardnauth’s name, if not quite your exact translation! *is very proud of self* What dictionary are you using? I’ve got one book by… Ruth Noel, I believe it is, but since I’ve discovered that it isn’t actually very accurate, I now usualy stick with online sources, like COE. P.P.P.P.P.S. Ah yes, unfortunately, Kirotis does indeed appear to be out to get Polly. Witness what happens whenever she does something to him: He has a bad shoulder, she slips and twists a muscle in her shoulder; she writes something about him accidentally breaking an important piece of equipment in astronomy class, she touches a telescope in astronomy class, and a piece falls right off and crashes to the floor… Be warned - take care when writing independent and highly spiteful characters! Hehe, poor Polly… P.P.P.P.P.P.S. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHLOE! I hope she had a wonderful birthday :-) Whoa... *blinks* I just realized... I've never read all her stories... How on earth could I have missed doing that? *shakes head* But I guess that means... I've got a whole bunch of wonderful new stories to read now! Talk about hitting the jackpot! *grins like Smaug discovering a whole treasure vault he'd forgotten about*

Lady Saruman · 26 February 2006 · Chapter 18: Enlightening Conversations

*Jumps all around in delight* You updated! You updated! When you bypassed your three days, I started wondering if you considered discontinuing your story. If you ever did, here's some comments on that. Don't EVER leave your story hanging! It's just too good, and if you break off in the middle of nowhere, then all of us readers will be left in anxiety and wondering what happened to you. But thank goodness that you guys aren't so busy as some authors whose last update was five months ago. This chapter wasn't so dramatic at that, though it is true to its title--there are certainly many conversations. I don't remember if you ever mentioned who Erynbenn is in the earlier chapters, but if you did, then I certainly forgot who he is! He's a clever little thing, being able to determine who Bartho loves now. Sad to say, Lindamar may have been pretty, but she wasn't very smart, according to your other story at ff.net. I think it best that Bartho should now be more careful of who he loves. The first time he met Lindamar, he got brainwashed by her beauty, but she betrayed his love and himself. Probably Arien is the one for him if Erynbenn describes her as 'charming, though bested by Melima, of course, but everything you could possibly hope for in a life companion. She is intelligent, she is not flighty, she is skilled, loyal, humorous, graceful and beautiful.' And by the way, who is Melima? Good job with the dwarves! It seems that Kori and the human have a tussle...LOL Happy belated birthday to Chloe! Hershey's hugs/kisses, Lady Saruman ^_~

Vilwarin · 26 February 2006 · Chapter 18: Enlightening Conversations

Ah, you are back at posting, yeah! I am very glad this chapter starts with good, dear Faramir, whom I respect and love above many. Well, I can feel the pain of such a compassionate as Faramir, whose heart is filled with grief and pity rather than with loathing. A man who hates war but would do anything to potect those he loves. I think that says a lot about him! He carrys so much goodness within him and does not like to kill his foes and is now confronted with such a situation. And of course, as he defender, he blames himself for everything. The poor man, he is just too good for this world. Oh, what a lucky dwarf Gimli is! He would be happy to hear that Tantur was beaten, I think. Good that there are still loyal people in the world. I only hope that Gimli can do something before it is too late. The more I read, the more I appreciate my mobile phone. It really is a nuisance to walk over all of Middle-earth to warn some people who can never go without problems. I can imagine that Gimli curses his fate every so often. Hm, the countryside could be dangerous as well, many places for many people to hide. Ah, it seems that Erynbenn is being and eye-opener for Bartho, hehe. That migt well be what good friends are there for, no? Sometimes, others just see better than yourself.and now he is beginning to question himself. I hope so very much he can bring his heart, and his mind, to love Arien. He does so deserve it. Tent pegs? bad things, those. Camping is fun, but some things are really evil! A well, now let the boys eat before they starve. But...will it be mushrooms? ~Vil

Lady Saruman · 26 February 2006 · Chapter 17: Desperate Struggles

OMG! How did the people know you were sick, and I never knew! Okay, I went to ff.net and read your story there. It was really bittersweet. And I see that you're posting late, but I understand. I'm sick too, really badly. Oh, here's an account of our Westward Ho! Day (The thing with the square dancing.)It wasn't bad at all, it was sooooooooooo fun! I loved it, and as you can see, below explains my change of heart about square dancing--but only one condition, as stated below. On Friday we had the Westward Ho! Day. It really wasn't bad like I thought it would be--in fact, I think it was one of the happiest days in my life. The square dancing was actually fun. You see, I think I understand now why I hated the dancing before. It was because during all those rehearsals, I was always paired up with a guy that I didn't know, and so dancing with him felt awkward and strange. But today, I was assigned to a group where the guys there were my friends, and the girls that were in my group were also my friends. But, here is a detailed account of my day: I woke up in the morning at 8 o' clock, since class starts at 9:10 today. I had my breakfast and junk, and here was the trouble. My dad had no plaid shirts, but he certainly did have shirts that looked really western-y, and I had trouble deciding which one I wanted. Then, I had to tie my hair in a ponytail, but I looked so much like a guy! I grabbed the cowboy hat and zoomed out the car. There was a problem with the car for the last couple of days now. The engine kept sputtering and refused to turn on. Now, this car is a pretty old car. We've had it for 10 years--or, rather, 4 months short of ten years, so it's a wonder that it even runs that long. But, it finally turned on, and I got to school, thankfully not late. First, we went to our silent reading class to get our schedules. When I recieved mine, I found that my third choice, which was ice-cream, got crossed out, since we had time for only four periods. The people who decided our schedule for us certainly had hearts. They gave us our last choices for first and our first choices for last--so that we get the best for last. But here was my schedule as follows: Pathfinders, Spiritual Pouches, Applesauce, and Indian Beading. Pathfinders: It was sooooo boring! We were given compass-like objects and we had to follow directions which we got on a piece of paper. This was a bit of what the paper said: Turn right 60 degrees, and walk 8 paces. Turn right 120 degrees, and walk 5 paces. And so on.... It totally didn't make any sense! Finally, we gave up and copied off what my other friends got. We then played MASH (do you know what that is?). My friends paired each other off with such disgusting people! The bell rang, and we went to our second period with wet bottoms from sitting on the grass. Spiritual Pouches: This class was one of my favorites. The teacher explained the significance of these pouches--that Indians used them to hold objects that were spiritual to them. We then got to choose our colors, and the work began. Well, of course we weren't expected to finish within three-quarters of an hour, and so our teacher told us that she would draw us out of silent reading the next week so that we could finish our work. Applesauce: IT WAS ABSOLUTELY MY FAVORITE! IT WAS SO FUN! We got to peel and shred the apples, but we didn't necessarily make the applesauce. First, our teacher taught us how to peel the skin of the apple with a peeler. She was making it really clear, because the earlier periods made a fiasco of it, and well, there were accidents. My friend then accidentally cut her thumb, and she had to stop immediately. She then watched us peel and "shred" the apples into tiny little pieces. Her wound wasn't wide, but it certainly was deep. The blood wouln't stop gushing out, and despite everybody's efforts to stem the flow of blood, it still came out as easily as anything. Finally, after almost an hour, did the blood stop flowing and she was able to do the apples. We only had ten minutes left of the period. This was how the whole process went: 1. We peeled the apples. 2. We then had this apple separating thing that was circular and it had seven "blades" to it--well, they weren't exactly blades, but they were sharp enough to cut into the apple. This was my favorite part. You put the apple so that the core was perfectly perpendicular to the flat of the table, then you fit the apple cutter thing on it. You then push down, and it separates the core from the apple and separates the apple into six pieces. It was a very neat process, and the aftermath of the cutting produced beautiful results. 3. We were given plastic knives so that we have to chop the apples into tiny little pieces. It was fun, certainly, but it sure was messy work! Some guys at a neighboring table decided to experiment, and they broke an apple in half just by using their hands. It was cool, but it created a shower of juice that flew into their faces and a big mess for them to clean up afterwards. Indian beading: This wasn't even Indian beading. We just made bracelets out of regular E-beads and that was it. We were all fooled! We actually thought that we going to get the beads that Indians use. The people who gave us this choice could have taken out the "Indian" part, and we wouldn't have been so decieved. After that, we went into the gym to watch the people from band and auxilaries dance, since they couldn't do it the time that we originally going to do it, due to the fact that they MUST be present during 6th period because they have to perform in the Camillia festival tomorrow. It was fun watching them dance, because we've only seen ourselves dance, and we don't know what that looked like. Then, there was the "Western Costume American Idol" contest. That part was kind of boring, but in the end two people (with really bad costumes, in my opinion) won. LUNCHTIME! At first we thought that it was really going to be good, since all the teachers said thatt it would be. But, in my opinion, it wasn't that good, and some things just make me SICK. We had barbecue beef in bread, which was pretty good, and we also got baked beans, corn bread, applesauce, and some lemonade. Okay, the baked beans were simply disgusting. I thought it would taste like how regular baked beans taste like, but instead, it was disgusting because it was all sweet and stuff. The corn bread tasted like this raw food thing I ate before. The "applesauce", as the teachers call it, wasn't really applesauce at all. It was just the apples that we cut earlier, still in little pieces. The only difference was that perhaps it looked a little bit more rotten, and brown sugar had been added to it. The lemonade just tasted like those bottled lemonade that you could buy at the store, instead of lemonade that we actually make with their own hands. Then, here came the best part: square dancing. I used to hate it, but if you get to dance with a friend, then it can really be satisfying, and the people in our group were hysterical. When the teacher told us to do our own thing, we were to go to the center of the circle (the groups we're in always stand in a circle, if you've ever seen square dancing before, you'll understand me) and do our own thing. When I got called up, I took off my hat and whacked my friend with it as revenge. See, when we had to do that left-hand star and the right-hand star (that's when you all put your hands up inwards and walk the opposite direction of the hand that you're pointing up. E.g., if we have a right-hand star, then our right hand goes up and inward, and we walk to the left.) Well, my friend grabbed my hand (you weren't supposed to though) and pinched it, so I got my revenge by whacking her with my hat. The guys from our group were even funnier. One even jumped up really high (I could have sworn he took kung-fu class) and pretended to kick my partner. That was funny!!!!! My partner's hat fell off and that "kung-fu" guy's bandana fell off. The other PE classes came out to watch us, but this time, we really didn't care. It was fun! After that, the best part came: the teachers had to square dance! It was funny, because five of the teachers were ladies, and so they got to pick their own guys (which happened to be students) to dance with them. That was truly a hysterical scene because the guys were all shorter than the teachers. There was then a guy-girl mixup, because when they had to dance with their corner partner, but they found themselves facing another female because the two boys were somehow mixed up and stood next to each other. But, they still danced. They had quite a large audience, consisting of almost 200 people, because our team was there, except some of them had band and auxilaries, but other people came too. Ah, it was a great day. It was tiring though. >_< We are going to have to dance again, because of Civil War day in March, but for now, we are savoring our moments. The End ^_^ OK, I hope you feel better and hopefully you'll get well soon! And don't force yourself to post if you're not feeling well or if you're busy! -Lady Saruman ^_~ P.S. Here's a mountainful of chocolate to keep you going: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Yum~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hershey's~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~chocolatechocolate~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~chocolatechocolatechocolate~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~chocolatechocolatechocolatechocolate~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~chocolatechocolatechocolatechocolatechocolate~~~~~~ ~chocolatechocolatechocolatechocolatechocolatechocolate~ -Lady Saruman ^_^ I hope you like my mountain! ;)

Imbecamiel · 21 February 2006 · Chapter 17: Desperate Struggles

*slinks in* I did mean to review before the last minute this time... Honestly! I actually started this this afternoon. But then I has Physics class, and then I wound up babysitting three children until ten. So here I am now, in the middle of the night, yet again... *sighs* One of these days I’ll get my act together... Really... Oh man... *moans* A man who's lived a life like Bartho's certainly does have plenty for Vardnauth to work with. And then adding Lindamar into the mix... As if the pain of her betrayal weren't bad enough, even after it's had all these years to fade, he's forced to relive it just as it was then - only now I very much doubt he has even the power he might have had then, to hold on to hope and remember the things that are *good* in his life, not just the bad. Yes - Arien, just in time! You two are wonderful at finding realistic ways for the women to be strong, and take a part in the action, while still staying far from the realms of Mary-Suedom, and keeping true to their character. I do admire your abilities to write women *so* much! One would think that, being a woman myself, I'd have an advantage and find it *easier* to write women. Unfortunately, what one would think is often quite the opposite of the truth... :-P Ah, and now she's crying on him again... Hehe, lucky for him, this time he is *not* bewildered as to the cause or suddenness of it, and knows how to handle it. LOL, on the subject of crying, it reminds me of what my brother was telling me about the church men's retreat he and Dad just went on. They were discussing the right way to handle various tough situations, and the leader said, "Now, what about this: you come home from work, and the first thing your wife does is to burst into tears. What should you do?" And the answer was shouted out... "PRAY!" "Good! And then what?" "Ah... I'm still praying." Apparently it's not only characters in books who find it frightening... *g* *jumps* ACK! Heh, and here we are, back to rule number one in the heroe’s combat handbook: “Never, never, NEVER turn your back on a “dead” or “unconscious” enemy, unless you are absolutely, positively, beyond-a-doubt certain that they are either dead or totally incapacitated. Ways to ensure this include: chopping off their head (Note: in the case of certain undead/supernatural/really really tall enemies or relatives of the hydra, this strategy may not be effective.); burning the body (Note: setting on fire the house it is in is NOT an effective way of doing this. There are too many possible escape routes, and you can’t keep an eye on all of them.); stabbing them multiple times through the heart (Note: in the case of non-human opponents, make certain that you really do know where their heart is located.); severely crippling/removing your opponents legs and/or arms (Note: it is still imperative to ensure that all possible weapons are FAR out of reach of your opponent. This is a precautionary measure the neglect of which has lead to the demise of many heroes. It is difficult to ascertain to what level hatred/determination may affect your enemy’s ability to temporarily overcome crippling.). There are, of course other possible measures of varying degrees of permanency that might be taken. However, it is generally agreed by experts that the safest policy is to first “kill” the enemy, then stab it through the heart with a wooden stake (to reduce risks of vampirism), decapitate, then burn the body until reduced to ashes.The ashes should then be placed in a locked metal box (to reduce risks of an animal or plant inadvertently ingesting them and becoming posessed. You never know...), which can be disposed of safely in a volcano. Of course, there are still risks of the enemy’s ghost decideing to haunt you, but if that happens, you’re on your own. Deal with it.” Ahem. All that to say, BARTHO LOOK OUT! This is really Pippin’s day... er... night! He does quite a good job as a one-hobbit bodyguard service! Good tactics, too... Hehe, I guess if it works for a Witch King, it ought to be pretty effective on an ordinary human. *g* The picture of a little hobbit comforting a cute little girl... Awww... *gets goofy grin at the sweet mushiness of it* *taps foot impatiently* Duurben, where are you... Oh. There you are. *scowls* And about time, too! Ah well... everyone survived, so I *suppose* it can be forgiven... THIS time. Next time, though, you might want to show up five minutes earlier, ‘stead of letting the villain escape. Just an idea... LOL! But of COURSE Bartho is “fine”. He *is* one of Aragorn’s men, after all... *g* And naturally, since he’s fine, he wouldn’t need to stop by the Houses of Healing... on his way to meet Faramir... two days from now... and to be on his way all the faster, he’s just going to jump out the window... Naturally. This guy really doesn’t know the meaning of “take it easy” does he? ROTFL! And how could the weather prediction possibly be good, with Bartho around? Gotta love this guy... *g* Wonderful chapter, as always! Looking forward to more! Imbecamiel P.S. I'm very sorry to hear you're sick! I certainly hope you're feeling better now... Aw, believe me, I *do* know how much work goes into getting a chapter ready to post and responding to reviews (especially when certain reviewers insist on sending you monster epic reviews at the last possible second... *sheepish*) - especially as often as you post! And really, even if you don't always post exactly on time, you've certainly never been terribly late. It's not as bad as all that! P.P.S. Aww... *pouts* No matter how many times I try, I never can seem to be *quite* persuasive enough to get authors to give me spoilers... *sighs* There is one thing I've been wondering about Vardnauth, though, that I *think* you should be able to answer without giving anything away... Knowing your past liking for giving characters names that actually do mean something, I've been trying to puzzle out his. The Sindarin "nauth" (thought) would seem to fit the ending of his name perfectly, but nothing in Sindarin seems to fit the first half quite right... Does it perhaps come from the Quenya "vara" (soiled or dirty) and "nause" (imagination) or "nauta" (bound or obliged)? That would certainly seem to fit... LOL, or maybe it comes from something different that I'm missing entirely? P.P.P.S. *snickers* Ah yes, characters do have an annoying tendency to ignore their creators, don't they? Rather amazing how the moment the get a name, they start to think it makes them independent creatures who can decide for themselves the part they're going to play... Hehe, but at least your characters don't seem to be actually out to get you like Polly's (from S.N.W.C.G.) are. Especially her villain... *shakes head* P.P.P.P.S. LOL! That is a very good point about the hobbits... Hehe, it's so funny, they're one of the few races in ME who are, deep down, *totally* different from what they appear on the surface. Certainly makes for some interesting surprises. *g* P.P.P.P.P.S. Hehe, oh yes, I love that quote about Aragorn, too! You're right, characters who at first don't seem to be good at all, and look threatening, are somehow more comforting in the end, when you actually know they're good. I think it must have something to do with *knowing* they're nicer and better than they appear at first, rather than seeing an apparently good person, and wondering whether they *might* actually be worse than they seem... Besides, they tend to be so tough, you know that, whatever happens, they're not going to crack. And even if no one else does, they tend to be the ones who really pull through in the end. P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Wow! If I'd have known you'd be so interested in our forum, I *would* have given you a link to it and saved you the trouble! I figured you probably had plenty of people asking you to look at their websites or check out their blogs and such, and I certainly didn't want to make you feel pressured or obliged to check it out, just to be nice ;-) I'm very glad you like the looks of it, though! We're all *very* excited to have you join us!

RS · 21 February 2006 · Chapter 17: Desperate Struggles

Whew! That was close. I can rest for a little bit. Hope Bartho has a safe trip. This is so action-packed! Love those dwarves! "Pippin had the warning of a trembling lip"... I LOVE THAT! This chapter was awesome! Thanks for the chocolate! How did you know chocolate was my favorite food group?!

Vilwarin · 20 February 2006 · Chapter 17: Desperate Struggles

Ah, now we see what happened to the dwarves' tools, I would not have tought that. Arien and an old vase, I can so well imagine Vardnauth going down and Arien appearing behind him, that is so female' *lol* Oh, my poor Bartho, Duurben's coming was not a moment to soon! Bartho should have killed Vardnauth when he had the chance to do it! Ah, Pippin the hero, the brave one has deserved a hug. Ha, dealing with upset and crying children is never easy. I am glad that everyone is doing fine enough. Men,always wanting to be too brave for their own good. ~Vil

Lady Saruman · 20 February 2006 · Chapter 17: Desperate Struggles

Oh no, I don't get the choice of giving up square dancing or not--it's part of my history class, remember? I'm not taking classes--this is actual SCHOOL. It's for our Westward Ho! Movement day. And I forgot to mention in my earlier review--Well, Vardnauth certainly didn't walk out of the story unscathed. It's a wonder he survived that fall. Well, as they say, two heads ARE better than one, except in this case, it's two uhhhh....ummmmm..oh yeah! Two FORCES are better than one. *Grin* Thanks for the soda and the ice pack. It didn't help any, since I still need to barf (refer to my review below), but I least I quenched my thirst! *Grins even wider* byebye!