Oooh, I really would like to see Hyacinth learning something - but she seems to be terminally stupid. Although probably not quite stupid enough to put herself somewhere she could become an orc's lunch.
It would be rather nice - in a few years (possibly post-Ferumbras) - for Pearl to give those pearls to Begonia (was that her name?), who had spent years serving the old bat with very little respect, consideration or reward.
Good thing that Merry got to lie down so he can sleep - he's running on empty now.
And poor Reggie. Although he makes the rod for his own back - Hyacinth is a bully and would probably back down if he faced up to her, but his response just encourages her to do her worst behind everyone's back.
Author's reply
She does learn--just not what she really *needs* to learn. But at least she has learned that actual murder is probably too risky to attempt again. And she is stupid, as well.
Hmm...I'll have to give *that* particular bunny some thought...I like that scenario!
Yes, he's exhausted. He will be very glad, I think, to go home.
Poor Reggie, he simply takes the line of least resistance for the most part--for a number of reasons that seem good to him, but probably are not, really. His problem, I think, is that there really isn't *anyone* he can confide in. Paladin might listen sympathetically, but imagine his reaction if he learns *why* Reggie got turned off of Hyacinth. And Ferumbras is too selfish. So Reggie bumbles along without any help or advice.
Whoa! Nobody wants to be the Thain, do they? And Ferumbras does have an ulterior motive for wanting to clear Pearl’s name. He wants to be rid of the title and foist it upon Paladin, and he can’t do that if his daughter’s been disgraced. Sure seems selfish to me, but then you can’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes. Not most times, anyway. I have to admit that while I used to dream about things like being the President when I was a little girl, I wouldn’t want that job anymore. Being a leader in such a high position seems to really take it out on people. I doubt that any President, regardless of his circumstances, gets much rest – especially in these days of constant news coverage, quick travel and even quicker communication. Maybe Ferumbras feels some of these pressures. Maybe it’s not really that bad and he’s got a self-interested streak, like his mother. Surely she rubbed off on him in some way.
I wonder why Laila hates Paladin and his family so much. I don’t recall that you’ve said why thus far.
Author's reply
You've got it, exactly. And to top it all off, hobbits are by nature not interested in power (with rare exceptions like Lotho--or Hyacinth--or Lalia) and so find jobs in which they must wield it onerous.
I do have a reason for Lalia's hostility, going back to Paladin's father. But it was in a "backstory" file that I lost last year to computer woes. Perhaps I will be able one day to re-create it enough to tell the story.
Merry mentioned Ferumbras in this chapter, which reminded me of something I wanted to say about him. You’ve left his character rather ambiguous for the time being, and I’m curious to see how he’ll turn out. It’s hard to tell how important Pearl’s reputation is to him. I think he’s probably telling the truth when he says that he doesn’t think she’s blameworthy, but I feel like he ought to be doing more for her. I thought, as some of the characters did, that Pearl skipping the feast would make it look as if she had a guilty conscience, but I hope that Reggie has been able to make a dent in that rumor. You say that nearly all of your hobbits are inherently good people, so I’m hoping for good things from Ferumbras.
Really it was pleasanter here, and the company was undeniably superior. This is a sweet line. You write the affection among the members of Pippin’s family very well indeed. You’ll make me a hobbit fan yet! Oh, and I hope that Begonia finds some happiness by the end of the story. She sounds very lonely, the poor thing.
P.S. Forgot to italicize The Lord of the Rings in my last review. Gah! It bugs me when I do things like that.
Author's reply
Yes, well my Ferumbras *is* ambiguous. He's not wicked, like Hyacinth, or my other evil OCs, the Bankses, but he *is* weak and a bit selfish. After a lifetime of being squashed by his mother, he wants some peace and quiet. He doesn't wish Pearl ill--he likes her, and he does think her blameless, but it's far less work for him to delegate "all that stuff" to Reggie. And Ferumbras also has poor people skills--well, look at his mother, I'm sure she didn't really teach him anything about how to be nice, so he just kind of flails around, and often reads people wrong. You are quite right about the feast--but he is just seeing it from the shallow perspective of "out of sight, out of mind". A totally wrong way to handle this.
I like to show affectionate families. I really dislike fic in which one or both of either Pippin's or Merry's parents are unkind or even cruel. That's simply *not* hobbity, sorry. I hope that you *will* be a hobbit fan--so far you've got the characters of our four lads down pat in your own story--especially Sam and Merry--and I think you could easily do justice to other hobbits as well!
I hope you will like how things go for Begonia!
And don't worry--I don't usually even write the title out, I almost always abbreviate, LOL!
Huzzah! I’ve got a little down time, so maybe I can get through a few more chapters. This was a nice little interlude. Merry’s story was a pleasant change of pace from the machinations of the Great Smials (and one of its less savory occupants). It’s good to see Frodo getting into some mischief instead of being melancholy. There are few characters out there that seem as doomed to glumness as he is, but he isn’t/wasn’t always that way.
I didn’t know about Tookish naming customs. Thanks for enlightening me! I had noticed that there were lots of flower names, and of course Pippin’s immediate family is full of P’s, but I had forgotten about how widespread the gem names were. Even though I’ve read the books more times than I’ve got fingers, I’ve never delved too deeply into the appendices. I’ve been through them, but I don’t study them unless I’m looking for some facts out of curiosity or for a story. I did read The Silmarillion once, and I’ll probably never do it again. It may be heresy among the faithful to say so but I thought it was boooooring. It’s the main characters of The Lord of the Rings that I love (the Fellowship, mostly, with some Faramir/Eomer/Eowyn thrown in for good measure), and The Silmarillion contains very little of any of them. Anyway, I’m rambling. Great story!
Author's reply
My Frodo, at least, during his growing up at Brandy Hall, had periods of severe depression in the springtime, near the anniversary of his parents' death, but the rest of the time, especially after Merry was born, he was a more or less normal child--a bit more serious and studious sometimes, but intelligent and with a streak of mischief. And after he was sixteen, and his spring depression got bad enough one year that he ran away to Bilbo, he began to spend that time of year in Bag End, where he had fewer reminders of the tragedy. I think that he had long periods of time in his life when he was mostly perfectly happy.
Oh, well, I spend a lot of time with the Tale of Years, the Family Trees and the Shire calendar, but I tend to neglect the rest of the Appendices rather badly. I've read the Silm twice, (compared to about two dozen times for The Hobbit, and over 50 times for LotR) and you are right that many parts of it *are* boring--especially to a hobbit fancier like me. But it has some interesting bits as well. You might like "Unfinished Tales", though, as it does have stuff in it about the Fellowship and so forth.
GamgeeFest
· 13 July 2006
· Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Well so far, Merry is the closest to guessing what Hyacinth had been up to. No one will ever guess though. It wouldn't ever *occur* to them to consider such a thing, even in light of all the gossip Hyacinth has been spreading around. Rather ironic really, she's been trying to get everyone to believe that Pearl purposely let Lalia fall, and here she was about to smother Pippin.
Author's reply
Yes, that was a lot of irony, I thought.
No, Merry couldn't have guessed. Hobbits are simply not accustomed to that sort of perfidy--after all, they've *never* had a murder in the Shire, according to JRRT himself.
PIppinfan1988
· 13 July 2006
· Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Too bad Merry didn't guess the *real* deal that went on while Hyacinth was watching over Pippin! I'd like to see your Merry unleashed on Hyacinth...then again, he's not quite old enough to do what he did to Clovis and Cado--and she doesn't have the right equipment. Too bad.
I feel so bad for Reggie--he deserves someone so much better than her.
Pippinfan
Author's reply
It's probably just as well--he's far too young yet to deal with the sort of trauma that kind of anger would bring him. To know someone would deliberately try to do something to his Pippin? Well, the Banks only more or less accidentally nearly killed him--I'm not sure I'd *want* to imagine his fury if he could have read Hyacinth's mind!
Yes, Reggie really got a raw deal.
Hyacinth’s hopes fell. A mere sunburn would not be fatal.
Gasp! That $*?@&!!! And I suspect she'll get worse before she gets better. Someone's going to deserve her comeuppance, even if I do feel a little bit sorry for her, being bossed around by her sister-in-law. But it sounds like she's reaping what she sowed, and no more.
Author's reply
Oh, believe me, she gets *infinitely* worse.
Her comeuppance will be a long time coming, but yes, she definitely gets to "reap" the consequences of her greed and ambition.
By the time Bilbo had made his plans for the Dwarves' escape, Pippin was fast asleep, and by the time he was riding the barrel down the river, Merry had finished just about everything on his tray that could be eaten with fingers.
I like this sentence! It's lovely the way you tie the story in with what's happening in the here-and-now. And I have to say "good luck" to Reggie in his efforts to clear Pearl's name. It looks like he knows what his wife's like. Too bad for her he doesn't want to be the Thain!
Author's reply
Oh, I'm so glad that you liked that sentence, since it's some of the new material. Lin thought I had the chapter a bit too short and wanted me to show just a bit of what was happening with Frodo, and with Reggie.
I thought of having Frodo coaxing Merry to eat, as he once had done when the lad was very young. And in my Shire, it is considered poor manners to allow someone to eat alone, so naturally Merry just automatically fell in with Frodo's feeding him...
Poor Reggie--no one really wants to be Thain.
It looks like Pippin is in very good hands, but I'll bet he'll be quite uncomfortable for the next few days. Meanwhile, Hyacinth is going to be making trouble. Watch out, Paladin and Eglantine! And Frodo, Saradoc and Esme might want to take care, too. It doesn't seem like Hyacinth likes much of anyone except for herself and her daughters. I have to admit that it seems more than a little vain of her to name all of her children after precious gems, although patterns in the naming of hobbit children seems common, and gem-names aren't all that uncommon.
Author's reply
Yes, poor baby, he will be very uncomfortable. And you are *quite* right about Hyacinth, who is the worst hobbit I know.
Hyacinth is a perfectly selfish creature. And she's not even all that affectionate with her daughters except when she thinks it will get her something. Her fondness for them pretty much is built on how good they make her look.
Yes, gem-names are very common among hobbits, especially the Tooks. Some names that don't *seem* like gem-names at first, really are: Adamanta is from "adamantine", an archaic word for Diamond; Esmeralda is Spanish for "emerald", and so forth. On the other hand, among the Brandybucks, *all* the *born* Brandybuck females have plant or flower names.
Oops. TMI. Sorry, I get carried away talking about hobbits sometimes...
Well, he didn't fall off the roof - but he did get burnt. Poor Pippin. I think most of us have had a nasty sunburn, on some part of the body, at least once - and they are very painful. He's going to be peeling in a few days!
Author's reply
Yes, sunburn and heat exhaustion. Not a pleasant experience, especially for a young child.
I like your characterization of Frodo. His desire to spend time with two younger cousins who likely idolize him is very touching. Touching, too, is the way his relatives strive to include him, especially when he begins to feel out of place among them. What a nice family.
Author's reply
I'm so glad you like it. For Frodo, Merry and Pippin are like the little brothers he never had. I think *something* has to explain the canon fact that his two best friends--Merry and Pippin--were cousins who were respectively fourteen and twenty-two years younger than he. And it seems to me, that his willingness to spend time with them when they were young, guiding and protecting them, would account for the fact that when they become older, they are willing to leave all they know, and follow him into deadly danger.
In my Shire, Saradoc and Esmeralda were Frodo's foster parents for nine years, and they loved him like another son; and Paladin and Eglantine thought of him as more of a nephew than a cousin.
I like my hobbits nice. Plot considerations have caused me to make a few of them "bad guys". But I like to make it clear that those few are not your normal hobbits. After all, it was their racial characteristic of compassion that made Gandalf decide to befriend the hobbits of the Shire.
Hmm. Pippin's not going to fall off the roof, is he? That wouldn't be good.
I like Pippin's discomfort in his dress clothes. All kids are like that, aren't they? Especially little boys! I also enjoyed Pippin's thoughts at the internment (not that they brought me pleasure; rather, they were well done). It would be quite natural for a child to go to a funeral and think about what it would be like to lose a member of his own family. And Pippin's desire to comfort Frodo - and not doing so because it wouldn't be 'proper' just then - is very sweet. I'll say it again - awwww!
Author's reply
Well, you know by now what happened!
Dress clothes, for some reason, don't seem meant to be comfortable. We females seem to have little better success coping with that reality than males do, LOL!
As I said, Pippin is very sensitive and perceptive for his age. I do think he's a sweet child.
Awwwwww. Pippin is very sweet in this story. I feel sorry for him, first being teased in such a nasty way by Amethyst and her sisters, and then losing contact with a favorite cousin. Merry's behavior reminds me of a certain episode in the Little House books - favorites of mine growing up. Laura and Carrie are at school, and the teacher doesn't like Laura very much. Carrie unfairly gets punished for a ridiculous trifle, and when Laura stands up to the teacher, they both get in trouble. Laura is defiant, and they end up being sent home. Life's not always fair. Some people ought to get their just desserts - and they don't, because it would be wrong to give it to them. I like how Merry handled things after pulling Amethyst's hair - how he decided to take his punishment rather than apologize. What he did might have been immature, but at the same time, he is mature enough to lie in the bed he's made. It's all about choices.
Author's reply
Oh, I remember that! I loved those books when I was growing up! And the early seasons of the TV adaptations were pretty well done, also.
"Life's not always fair" could be one of the underlying themes of this story--it's unfair for Pippin to be picked on, unfair for Merry to be punished for defending him, unfair for Pearl to be made the object of vicious gossip, unfair for Reggie to be yoked to a wife like Hyacinth, and unfair that Begonia had such a hard life with her mistress. Also, I suppose, unfair that none of the hobbits in line for the Thainship want the job.
I like to think this is a bit of Merry's future character shining through here--he's an honorable lad, worthy one day to grow up to be a Knight of the Mark.
Another fine chapter here, Dreamflower. I think you capture hobbit 'voices' very well - a little rustic, very wholesome, and pleasant to read. I liked the way that Eglantine called Pippin 'poppet'. It's just that sort of touch that makes the world you're creating feel real. I'm enjoying your characterization of Frodo, too - how he's only just become a full-fledged adult and wants to be accepted as such by the others. I know the awkward feeling that comes when you're having to relate to family members as an adult when they've known you from childhood. Oh, and I like the way Merry keeps saying "Yes, Aunt Tina" and "No, Aunt Tina". Here's another hobbit who's been taught how to speak respectfully to his elders.
One more comment before I go. I saw how you decided to abreviate 'Pimpernel' and thought, "What, you didn't want to call her Pimp?" 'Pimmie' seems like a good choice.
Author's reply
Why thank you! I strive very hard to capture the tone JRRT uses for hobbits, both the gentry and the working class--it's difficult, being American, to make sure I keep the voices right, and avoid obvious Americanisms and anachronisms. I also like to use old-fashioned endearments and phrases to help make that happen. I'm glad you think that I succeed.
It's hard for Frodo at this point in time--not even of age for a full year, and already the Master of Bag End and the Head of his clan--a clan that includes a few relatives that would be happy to see him fail. Fortunately, there are far more who wish him well.
In my particular view of hobbits, I see them as being not only very clan/family oriented, but the younger know their place in the pecking order. And Merry of course, is a young gentlehobbit. Not to mention very fond of his aunt.
I thought "Pimmie" a suitable nickname. Some use "Pim" or "Nel" or even "Nellie", but I prefer to stick with the beginning of the name for a nickname, as JRRT does with Meriadoc-Merry.
Andrea
· 13 July 2006
· Chapter 19: Chapter 19
If *anyone* should ever find out that she had even considered such a thing... She would just put it out of her thoughts and never ever run such a risk again.
Well, well ... I'm afraid that doesn't work so easily ;-)
Even Hyacinth seems to have at least some sort of bad conscience.
It makes me a little wistful to see on the one hand Merry making "plans for fishing and boating and swimming and pranking" with Pippin, and on the other hand Frodo and Pearl having to deal with the complicated ways of adults. It's really not so long ago that these two were children themselves.
But Pearl has her wise auntie, and Frodo has his Merry. That should do, I think :)
Author's reply
I'm not so sure it's a rudimentary conscience as it is her hobbit instincts rebelling against her un-hobbity thoughts and actions.
Yes, at this point, socially the three cousins are as far apart as they can be--Pippin is still a young child, Merry has just entered his tweens, and Frodo is now an adult. While their love and closeness are as deep as ever, the opportunities to be together are going to be a lot more limited for a few years.
Pearl's aunties will take care of her, indeed. And Frodo is *never* far from Merry's thoughts.
An interesting beginning, Dreamflower! I'm not typically the biggest fan of hobbit stories, but the summary on this one caught my eye. The introduction makes it pretty plain that this Hyacinth is bad news. Poor Pearl, having to watch someone fall down the stairs - and die - and then be blamed for it. I'm very curious as to what happens next. Oh, and I must mention this before I go on: Pippin's feelings of guilt because someone who he didn't like died feel spot-on to me. His parents must be raising him well. Great job!
Author's reply
Well, hello, dear! I'm so glad you were interested enough in this to give it a try. I must confess, I seldom read anything *but* hobbits, although I am trying to stretch myself a bit.
Yes, Hyacinth is very bad news. She is a most unnatural hobbit!
There are any number of takes on Lalia's fall, and Pearl's role in it. We really get so few details to go by. I wish JRRT had actually done a story about it himself, instead of just an anecdote in a letter!
Pippin is a sweet and sensitive child, and not liking someone is rather alien to him--he prefers to like everyone, and for everyone to like him. Sadly, that this can't always be so is a hard lesson for him to come by.
Pearl Took
· 12 July 2006
· Chapter 19: Chapter 19
"He did not often have the satisfaction of putting one over on his overbearing wife. It made it all the sweeter when he did."
Treasured small victories :)
All is ending well . . . for everyone except Hyacinth. LOL
Loving it, just loving it :)
Author's reply
Yes, poor Reggie has to take the victories he can; it will be several years and a lot of heartbreak before he is shed of her.
harrowcat
· 12 July 2006
· Chapter 19: Chapter 19
I am usually the first to find the best in the worst of people and even feel sorry for Gollum but, really, Hyacinth is beyond the pale and deserves all that she gets. Long may she be troubled by her near miss even though she is bothered for all the wrong reasons. Poor, poor Reggie. Have you written about how he came to marry her? (I am ashamed to admit that I have forgotten.)
And I am so glad that Pearl is surrounded by wise Aunts. That gives this Maiden Aunt hope. :) But I am not sure that my only Nephew will appreciate me quite so much.
And I am glad, too, that Pippin and Merry will get to finish their visit together.
Author's reply
Hyacinth is most certainly an unnatural hobbit, and really very selfish and wicked.
I've never actually written the story of it, although I do explain it in a "biography" of her that I posted as an exercise on LJ. I believe it is on the "there and back" community. Basically, she got him to fall in love with her, even though she didn't love him. And it took a few years for the blinders to come off.
Well, if your Nephew is ever framed for pushing an unpleasant cousin out of a wheelchair, you will know just what advice to give him. *wink*
I just couldn't let that pass. They need their time together.
PIppinfan1988
· 10 July 2006
· Chapter 18: Chapter 18
She had never seemed to understand that this was a job he not only did not want, but, so long as he was married to her, would not take. As long as he was able to draw breath, he would never give her the satisfaction of being the Thain’s Lady.
Yes, poor Reggie--being duped by that heiffer. I like his thinking, though. ;-) I have no doubt that Reg would have made a fine Thain if the unfortunate opportunity arose. On the other side of the coin, Hyacinth would have been three times worse than Lalia if she were the Thain's Lady. *shudder the though*
Pippinfan
Author's reply
Poor Reggie. *sigh* He probably *would* have made a good Thain. But, like most of the others in line for the job, he doesn't particularly want it.
Yes, I do think she possibly *could* have been worse. But without Lalia's stranglehold over the Tooks for all those years, I don't believe Hyacinth would ever have got as far as she did in her own nastiness. Lalia fostered an atmosphere of scheming, in which Hyacinth could thrive.
Bodkin
· 7 July 2006
· Chapter 18: Chapter 18
I don't think I'd want to be Reggie over the next few weeks...
Thank goodness for Auntie Peridot's premonition - and Auntie Primrose's arrival. And now all Pippin's protectors are around him and the wicked witch of the Tooklands isn't likely to get another chance at him. I hope.
Author's reply
No, she'll be out to make him all the more miserable, for a good long while.
Auntie Peridot, I've always thought, has a special relationship with Pippin. She's a very gentle soul, and loves music, and she and Pippin have a good deal in common.
I like the way you put that--yes, his protectors are in place, and Hyacinth will never get another chance.
Andrea
· 6 July 2006
· Chapter 18: Chapter 18
Poor Reggie, indeed!
In German we call what awaits him "Donnerwetter", which could be translated with "thunderstorm". I think that's very fitting ;-)
She took a deep breath. She had not, after all, *done* anything. Really, she had not. Not a thing.
But she *intended* to do it - that's all I have to know! Hyacinth is not simply stupid, she's dangerous!
I was relieved to see, that not only Primrose but also Frodo and Merry where on their way to look how little Pippin was faring.
Still, there remains the question about the identity of "the guest". I'm really curious about that!
Author's reply
Oh yes! Hyacinth is going to "storm" all over him for messing up her plans! All the more so for her own dirty little secret--she'll be on the defensive.
She *is* stupid and dangerous. Thing is, even *she* will never know if she could have actually gone *through* with it before she was interrupted.
Yes, well, Peridot definitely had a "feeling" about him, and of course, Merry and Frodo would head straight for him first chance they got.
You haven't figured it out?
Elemmírë
· 6 July 2006
· Chapter 18: Chapter 18
Poor Reggie, indeed! I like how he's the sort of unsung hero of the story and how he and Ferumbras both want nothing to do with being Thain. I also liked Merry's rationalization that it was all Amethyst's fault that Pippin got sunburned. He's quite right, in a manner of speaking. (I think I dislike Hyacinth even more than Lobelia ... at least _she_ had the good grace to apologize to Frodo in the end, after all.)
I've really enjoyed your characterization of Frodo. He's no longer an awkward tween, but now the Master of Bag End at a young age, when the rest of his family is much older. It's nice to see that those who know Frodo the best give him the repsect he deserves in his new role, while the other hobbits are still getting to it, as is he. It makes for a very realistic setting and story given the time period it takes place in.
So, is it time to make Pippin well yet?
Author's reply
Yes, he really is the hero, though no one knows quite how much.
I think Ferumbras just selfishly wants to be shed of the job so he can finally "play". Reggie knows that it's what Hyacinth wants, so he'll do all he can to keep it from her.
Well as you say, Merry was quite right!
Lobelia, at least, I do not think had murder in her heart, though Lotho would not have surprised me.
Those who know him best are aware of just what a great Master of Bag End he will turn out to be. He himself, though, is still feeling his way in the job.
Very, very soon! *grin*
harrowcat
· 6 July 2006
· Chapter 18: Chapter 18
Yes poor Reggie indeed but he deserves a medal from the rest of the Tooks! Great Dreamflower.
Author's reply
Well, we *know* Paladin and his family, at least, will appreciate him!
GamgeeFest
· 5 July 2006
· Chapter 18: Chapter 18
I'd hate to be Reggie right about now. Or ever. He got a rather rotten deal in life, being landed with such a wife.
No one would ever suspect the truth of what Hyacinth was about to do. She plays dumb so well that no one would think her capable of such plotting. Loved Merry's scolding look at her, just the sort of thing he would do.
Author's reply
He did get a very rotten deal.
No, no one would ever suspect it. For one thing it is just so far out of Hobbit reckoning to consider such a thing, and for another, as you say, Hyacinth excels at "playing dumb". Of course, she really is not intelligent, but she does have a sort of sly cleverness.
Merry's instincts when it comes to Pippin rarely let him down.
Pearl Took
· 5 July 2006
· Chapter 18: Chapter 18
"She had not, after all, *done* anything. Really, she had not. Not a thing."
Only contemplating and nearly doing the unthinkable, for a hobbit.
Poor Regie indeed! Bless him, he really does deserve better.
Author's reply
Only contemplating and nearly doing the unthinkable, for a hobbit.
And it truly is unthinkable for almost all other hobbits. Personally, I think that when it came right down to it, she would not have been able to bring herself to *really* do it--she *is* a hobbit, and I think if nothing else--for she has no compassion--she would simply have been too squicked by it to go through with it. Problem is, she will *never* know. And whenever she is not trying to repress the memory, she can't help but wonder if she should not have tried to do it anyway.
Reggie did deserve a lot better than Hyacinth.