Virtuella · 1 July 2010 · Chapter 80: Esmeralda at the Bridge
What a delightful moment, beautifully captured!
Author's reply
Thank you so much!
Dreamflower's Mathoms II by Dreamflower
Reviews (788)
Antane · 1 July 2010 · Chapter 80: Esmeralda at the Bridge
Very nice! Love Aragorn's words to Esme and her thoughts of him. What a day indeed that would have been for them all. Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
I knew it would be a momentous event-- the children will probably remember it forever-- but I wanted to explore it from the POV of someone who, I am sure, never thought she'd live to see the day!
Larner · 1 July 2010 · Chapter 80: Esmeralda at the Bridge
Oh, how perfect. And a joyful Happy Birthday to you, Dreamflower! Joy always!
Author's reply
Thank you very much! And I had much joy on my birthday thanks to all the kind wishes and greetings from my friends!
Lindelea · 1 July 2010 · Chapter 80: Esmeralda at the Bridge
Lovely! I can see everything so clearly--such an exciting occasion, and then for Esme to find out that the King and Queen are not the distant, dazzling figures you'd seem, but real, and warm, and living, and loving... Brought her loved ones through toil and danger, and out of shadow... I wonder what hobbits will say now, instead of "When the King comes back..."?
Author's reply
When I was taking part in the role-play of Back to Middle-earth Month, our team's character was Esme-- and it was 101 year old Esme, who remembered meeting the King the previous year. I really got fond of that version of her, so this is a tribute to that! You know, I can see the saying living on with a new meaning-- instead of something that will NEVER happen, it will gradually become a saying about something that is bound to happen sooner or later, even though it seems far off at the moment!
shirebound · 27 June 2010 · Chapter 79: A Summer's Day Ramble
What a delightful story. It's the small adventures of childhood that give us the best memories, I think. And now I'm hungry for a few jam tarts. :)
Author's reply
Yes, I do love those small domestic adventures just as much as the more serious and perilous ones! *sends you virtual tarts*
cookiefleck · 27 June 2010 · Chapter 78: The Gaffer's Letter
This brought tears to my eyes. I am very glad you "belatedly" chose to tell us this story.
Author's reply
Thank you! I think it was much better as a stand-alone than it would have been lumped in with Pippin's story or Merry's, so I am glad that it was belated as well.
Virtuella · 27 June 2010 · Chapter 79: A Summer's Day Ramble
"The child had his foot in his mouth so often that she wondered he could walk." LOL, that was funny! "The way he said it made Fatty think his friend was hoping he’d say no, they could keep her, as though she were another stray kitten. He tried to imagine what his mother would say if they came home with a baby and Folco decided to give her to Estella for a gift." Oh, and this was quite, quite priceless! Very amusing little story, I like it. :)
Author's reply
I always enjoy writing about my poor, clueless, tactless, yet well-meaning, Folco! At any age, he was a trial to his friends and family, but his sweet nature and musical talent made up for it. And it does make for amusement, doesn't it?
Larner · 27 June 2010 · Chapter 79: A Summer's Day Ramble
I, too, can imagine your Folco doing just that! I'm so glad they found young Blossom!
Author's reply
Yes, it's quite in character for him, LOL! I'm glad they found little Blossom as well, before a "fots" or other danger came along!
Virtuella · 20 June 2010 · Chapter 78: The Gaffer's Letter
Awww, that's sweet, and very considerate of Aragorn. I really like that image of Sam making a rope for him and Frodo to find their way back to the Shire!
Author's reply
It seemed like a very apt metaphor, seeing that rope-making was in Sam's family! And keeping Frodo connected to the home he loved was one of Sam's major tasks.
Antane · 20 June 2010 · Chapter 78: The Gaffer's Letter
What a wonderful tribute to Sam! And what a great idea Marigold gave you that Aragorn would write a letter to the Gaffer so that one would know indeed that his son had given satisfaction. Love Frodo's words before he launched into his tale of Sam's great deeds. Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!
cathleen · 20 June 2010 · Chapter 78: The Gaffer's Letter
Very lovely and so appropriate for Father's Day! I remember the letters Aragorn wrote from the earlier story, "When the King Comes Back", which remains one of my favorites of all your tales. I think that he would indeed, have written to Sam's father as well, with the thought that someone would read it to the Gaffer. Marigold gave you a wonderful bunny and I'm glad you wrote it to share with us all!
Author's reply
I enjoyed writing the letters to Merry and Pippin, but somehow, I thought Aragorn would not want to embarrass Sam's father, who couldn't read, by sending him a letter. Fortunately, Marigold disabused me of *that* idea! But I'm glad I waited to write till now. I think it works better as a stand-alone story than it would have within Pippin's story, or Merry's.
GamgeeFest · 20 June 2010 · Chapter 78: The Gaffer's Letter
(sometimes known as Strider) *grins* Well-deserved praise of one of the Quest's chief heroes, and I love the Gaffer's veiled pride.
Author's reply
Yes. I'm thinking that in his personal letters to hobbits, he'd revert to the name they know him by best! "Veiled pride". Yes, that's how I see the Gaffer-- very proud of his children, but also very leary in an old-fashioned way of actually coming out and saying the words very often. He'd show with a jest, hobbit-style, or by a pat on the back, but he'd be reluctant to just say it outright.
Antane · 2 May 2010 · Chapter 77: Lessons at Bag End
Still trying to get through my backlog of stories since I gave up reading them for Lent and now have got to this charming little story. I don't like sums either! What a wonderful mentor-friend-father figure Bilbo was to the son of his heart. Both exceptional hobbits! Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
GamgeeFest · 4 April 2010 · Chapter 77: Lessons at Bag End
Those two would forget to eat entirely if not for their stomachs! An intriguing lesson for young Frodo, and one he would not have received at Brandy Hall or any where else, I don't think. And now Frodo has the promise of learning about his father and Elvish! He's going to enjoy this visit, and all the others to come.
Author's reply
Indeed yes! And I think you are quite right about the lesson. The world Outside would only be important in those cases where it affected the Shire, and really there are only two such cases that we know of: the granting of the land and the sending of the archers to the battle against Angmar. And of course, Bilbo's the only one who can tell him about his father-- or teach him Elvish!
GamgeeFest · 4 April 2010 · Chapter 76: Berilac's Errand
Berilac handled both his errands with grace, though the news he had deliver was difficult to tell. I enjoyed the Gaffer and Marigold having a laugh at Lobelia’s expense, and of course the Gaffer wouldn’t blame Mr. Frodo for the trouble, though plenty of others will.
Author's reply
They were very hard errands for him to run, but he's a Brandybuck, so he was up to the task! I thought up that scene with the Gaffer and Marigold a long time ago, such a tiny snippet of scene, but I did not know when or how it happened-- and then it just fitted perfectly into this story! As to blaming Frodo, there are some who will, if only because he sold Bag End to the S.-B.s if nothing else. And a few who will even blame Bilbo! But the Gaffer's instant conclusion that all trouble can be laid at Lotho's door is going to prevail in Hobbiton (at least in my version of the Shire) because most of the hobbits there think there was something suspicious about Frodo selling Bag End to Lotho in the first place and in the second place they immediately suspect that Lotho was behind the raid on Crickhollow. And that idea can probably be laid right at the Gaffer's door.
Andrea · 2 April 2010 · Chapter 77: Lessons at Bag End
Bilbo patted his back, and felt very gratified indeed. It looked as though he had found a kindred spirit at last. How wonderful! I enjoyed this story a great deal! I wonder if Bilbo liked to do sums. I bet not. What's your opinion?
Author's reply
So far, though he has confided to me that Drogo and Frodo did not like it, he has kept mum about his own opinion on the subject. But it would not surprise me if you were correct, LOL!
Larner · 2 April 2010 · Chapter 77: Lessons at Bag End
Having the spirit to defy Hobbit conventions and to WANT to know the history not only of the Shire but of Outside as well--now we see what drew these two together!
Author's reply
I think among the Great Families there was not total ignorance of the history of Outside, but that the learning of any "non-Shire" history was solely on the basis of how it affected the Shire-- so they might know some of the history of the Northern Kingdoms, but remain uninterested in the First or Second Age. Bilbo's exposure to the outer world had opened his own eyes, and I know that Frodo's interest in such things had to appeal to him!
Addie71 · 1 April 2010 · Chapter 77: Lessons at Bag End
This was delightful.
Author's reply
Thank you! *grin*
Virtuella · 1 April 2010 · Chapter 77: Lessons at Bag End
Ah, the joys of 1:1 teaching! :) I like the feeling of quiet comfort and busy minds that permeates this story.
Author's reply
Yes, and I am sure that's how the majority of Shire teaching was done, generally one on one, perhaps occasionally a few, if there were siblings close in age, but nothing like a modern classroom. quiet comfort and busy minds What a lovely way to put it, thank you!
shirebound · 1 April 2010 · Chapter 77: Lessons at Bag End
I do love this story! What a wonderful glimpse into the relationship between these two, and the pleasant structure to their days together. I'l be sure to link this at the Shirebunnies site, if it isn't already there!
Author's reply
I don't know if it is or not! I was searching for another March 2006 LJ post, and came across that one quite by accident! I'm so glad I found it, so I could repost it here! I do love to show the nice quiet ordinary days of hobbit life...
harrowcat · 1 April 2010 · Chapter 77: Lessons at Bag End
I just loved this Dreamflower. I knew that the hour glass wasn't going to be heeded by two such eager students of learning but a young hobbit stomach is a better alarm clock!
Author's reply
I know that hobbits have pocket watches and mantle clocks, but I think the vast majority of hobbits tended to tell time by their stomachs! LOL! I'm so glad you liked it!
Andrea · 30 March 2010 · Chapter 76: Berilac's Errand
Very well done! As was pointed out before this story lives of the contrasts. On the one hand we have the beautiful landscapes, the nice weather, the working hobbits as well as the relaxing hobbits. And last but not least, the Gaffer pretending to be deaf to Lobelia! On the other hand there is Berilac's sad errand! Poor guy! But it shows that for a hobbit the well-being of family and friends is very important. I particularly liked it that Sara sent Berilac to the Gamgees to deliver the news directly. That was very thoughtful. P.S.: Good luck to Esme and all the others for the Final Battle :-)
Author's reply
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it all! I had fun with the Gaffer's little scene with Lobelia. She deserved it. Berilac's errand really was quite sad, especially since all was so uncertain, and he could not tell the Gamgees exactly *what* had happened to their Sam! I've always imagined the Brandybucks as exceptionally sensible and also as being somewhat more egalitarian that the rest of the Shire. (Perhaps because they were a colony?) And so Saradoc would feel that the Gamgees had just as much right to know as anyone. (And to your PS: I think the Good Guys are going to win! *grin*)
Thundera Tiger · 29 March 2010 · Chapter 76: Berilac's Errand
Hello! I finally got a chance to sit down and do a review after I saw your livejournal post. This is absolutely beautiful! You've got some wonderful tone contrasts. There's the sheer horror of the message that Berilac is bringing as well as the mystery and the looming sense that trouble has only just begun. But then there's the very mundane and ordinary details of a journey from Buckland to Hobbiton. You play the two against each other so well and both tones are accentuated to the point where the story becomes richer and more nuanced. I love the hints of a backstory that develop, like the fact that Saradoc doesn't confide in Berilac but there are enough hints running around that Berilac can connect it all to Bilbo's disappearance. And getting an outside perspective on the situation from Berilac's limited angle was a wonderful way to portray a familiar tale in new light. But most of all, I love the fact that you've created a scene that makes me go, "Duh! Of course that had to happen!" Except that I'd never considered how news got out regarding Frodo and the others. Many thanks, Dreamflower! This is brilliant story!
Author's reply
Thank you so much! The contrasts were important to me, to emphasize that for most of the Shire, everything was still "just fine". Only in Buckland and the closely adjoining parts of the Shire, where the Black Riders had exposed their true nature, was there any knowledge that something truly *wrong* was going on! I am sure that a sensible hobbit like Saradoc would have felt that it was important to keep the true reasons behind what had happened on a "need to know" basis, and so that's how I portrayed it. It meant Berilac had to deduce things from what he *did* know. He *did* know that the Black Riders were not ordinary Big Folk. The Gaffer did not-- and so his own deduction was logical, if a bit biased. But most of all, I love the fact that you've created a scene that makes me go, "Duh! Of course that had to happen!" Coming from you, that's a high compliment. I cannot count the number of times I've had that same reaction to one of *your* tales!
Virtuella · 29 March 2010 · Chapter 76: Berilac's Errand
A very well presented scene which shows, heartbreakingly plain and direct, that even in times of heroic urgency, comparatively little things matter greatly to people - if you love someone, that someone's safety is your paramount concern. Against sweeping backdrops of grand battlefields, the death of one young hobbit stands out as a stark and haunting deed of evil.
Author's reply
Yes, of course, it was only the first blow the Shire would recieve during that time. if you love someone, that someone's safety is your paramount concern This, I think, is why the hobbits appeal to me so greatly. Each of the four did what they did out of love for individual people and for the home they loved. Sam, Merry and Pippin went on the Quest for Frodo's sake, not for any lofty ideal of heroism or grand ideal. Sam stuck with Frodo because he loved his Master-- it was personal loyalty to Frodo Baggins that enabled him on his trek through the Black Land. And each of Merry's and Pippin's "grand deeds" were performed for personal reasons: Merry loved Theoden and swore fealty to him; he wanted to help Pippin, and rode with the Rohirrim; he was stirred by Eowyn to strike the W-k. Pippin swore to Denethor for love of Boromir, and ran to fetch Gandalf for love of Faramir and marched to the Black Gate for love of Frodo, and struck a troll for love of Beregond. And Frodo? I believe he, too, was moved by his love for the individuals of the Shire, the ones he found "tiresome" and in need of "shaking up", but whom he knew as his kinfolk and his neighbors.
Larner · 29 March 2010 · Chapter 76: Berilac's Errand
It's a difficult errand, but a necessary one. And it was lightened by watching the Gaffer playing the deaf old codger for Lobelia, and seeing her played for the fool she was. The worry is there, and so naturally done! Well done, Dreamflower!
Author's reply
It was, both difficult and necessary. I had fun writing the scene with the Gaffer and Lobelia-- it's a little scene I'd had in the back of my head for a while. But I never really had a logical place to fit it in before! I'm so glad you enjoyed this!