A Matter of Appearances by Lindelea
Larner · 5 September 2006 · Chapter 39: Halfway to the dawning
Yes, he's too young to know that satisfaction and to need that reassurance; but he's far from the youngest or the most innocent. And Aragorn has read in his heart what was needful for the child. And now we're off to the celebrations. Hooray! Am in Gresham.
Author's reply
We have violin lessons at 2, so perhaps we could meet after 3? Will call you in the morning. (Am on dh's computer so I can't email you at the moment.) Ah, Aragorn.
Pearl Took · 5 September 2006 · Chapter 39: Halfway to the dawning
"Farry nodded, and in a voice that was much too old for such a little lad, he said, ‘Good.’ And Pippin buried his face in his son’s shoulder, and breathed the living scent of his son, and felt Farry’s breaths filling his small torso, and relaxing again, one breath after another, steady breaths, and Farry’s hands came together to grasp his father’s hands, holding him, and they were warm and strong in their grip." Done and Done! I loved nell and Ferdi in the previous chapter, them just getting cuddly and the Little Lass decides she's hungry. Very typical of babies ;-)
Author's reply
*Very* typical. Babies seem to have a built-in "inconvenience radar". LOL!
Bodkin · 5 September 2006 · Chapter 39: Halfway to the dawning
The High King is very wise. Faramir needed to know - really know that Red wouldn't be back. He might have been able to cope with the survival of Brawny who didn't threaten him directly - but Red is a creature of nightmare. Farry might be young, but he has seen more than many hobbits ten times his age. And sitting on your Da's lap with a fully belly and a warm fire to comfort you - what better way to look into a Palantir? And I love the observational nature of the first paragraph - rather like describing the movements of an aristo who had just come off rather the worse for a confrontation with Madame Guillotine. I do think Berendil's blade through the heart would be enough to convince even Tolly that these two wouldn't walk again. I sense winding up. I hope Ferdi is recovered enough for the naming of his little lass - and that Pippin returns in time for the burying of the poor young ruffian - one who was too good for the company he kept.
Author's reply
What better way, I ask you? Perhaps the very first cinema, ever invented. Ah, yes, the first paragraph. It is easiest to write such things at a little distance, I find. We are winding up. It ought to have been just one very long chapter, but our Internet is really being ticklish and so am having to break it up and feed it through the phone line a little bit at a time.
Dreamflower · 5 September 2006 · Chapter 39: Halfway to the dawning
Yes, it was disturbing to everyone--all of it--but it was necessary, too. The hobbits most affected by this regrettable incident *had* to know that the worst of the Bad Guys would not be returning to carry out some horrible revenge. Farry, especially, after his ordeal needed to know that. Poor Tolly, yet he was very brave. And for Pippin to be able to endure the palantir, and to allow Farry to see it, just shows both how desperate he was, but also how much love and trust he has for his King.
Author's reply
EF has been telling me too many "returned from the dead" plots she's read/seen lately. It was getting so bad I was tempted to put a silver spike in Red's heart. But all's done and don't have to think about him any more. Nice summation in the last paragraph of your review. Desperation, love and trust. That was the crux of the scene.
harrowcat · 5 September 2006 · Chapter 39: Halfway to the dawning
'The night is darkest just before the dawn'. And that is the feeling that I get from this chapter. I think that any victim of crime or assult would feel exactly like Tolly , Faramir and Pippin. Great idea to use the Seeing Stone and I love Pippin's first reaction to it. 'The burned hand teaches best.' I agree that Berendil really should have questioned the ruffians first but I don't think that I could have coped with reading an intererrgation scene as well. (Nor could you have borne writing it.) So more scruffy 'Rangers' lurking in corners will have to make up for it! *G*
Author's reply
Good observation, I hadn't thought of that. You're right, the Light is coming, leaking into the story, and it won't be denied. I could not write such a scene, as you surmise. I find I wouldn't even want to imagine it. But I do enjoy imagining scruffy Rangers, I find.
storyfish · 4 September 2006 · Chapter 38: In the wee hours
Very nice! I love the warm images that end this chapter--Pippin sleeping with his son and Nell and Ferdi and babe--parents and children reunited. I'm breathing a sigh of relief now, and I'm sure they are too. What's left is just ceremonies--I'm looking forward to reading about the coming naming day and the young ruffian's funeral. :-)
Author's reply
How nice to have your reviews! I'm glad you're settled in. It is amazing to me that summer's over. Where did it go? There's one more chapter after this of loose-end-tying, and then you're right, ceremonies and celebrations to follow. (And that's the part I like best.)
storyfish · 4 September 2006 · Chapter 37: Midnight supper
Oh my, this was a difficult read--shouldn't have read it in my tenuous emotional state right now, so I better hurry on to the hopefully happier chapters ahead. But I do appreciate the way you wrote this the hard way--from the brawny man's perspective, so that I found my sympathy was with him a little, so even though they deserved punishment I was glad--so very glad--they didn't have to suffer the birds, though they had plenty of time to think on that fate.
Author's reply
I think they had plenty of punishment, too, and while the writing of it was unpleasant, I think it was also necessary to the story, after hearing of Red's past and what he was capable of in future if he were not stopped. Thanks!
storyfish · 4 September 2006 · Chapter 36: Late Supper
‘Farry?’ Pippin said, starting forward, and Faramir’s eyes popped open, almost as if beyond his control. ‘Da?’ he said. ‘It wasn’t a dream, then? Da?’ And Pippin stumbled forward, to envelop his son in his arms, and Merry laughed aloud, even as the tears poured down his cheeks, after all he had watched his beloved cousin suffer, and all he’d imagined during the long and anxious hours of following Farry’s abductors. *sniffs* Beautiful! There's tears in my eyes, reading this--I'm so glad Farry's back in Pippin's arms again. And hooray for Strider! And the palantir--I shudder every time I read that word, because of the harm it did Pippin way back during the quest--well, you've made me reconsider its value for good. And I love your descriptions of Aragorn practically flying to the Shire to come to Farry's aid. (My hero!) ...and sorry for the lateness of this review. These last few weeks were pretty crazy--I moved apartments, my parents came to visit, and I transitioned from my summer to my school year jobs. (Yikes!) But I've finally time for sitting down at my computer for a little bit and unwinding... thank goodness.
Author's reply
Goodness, I never saw this review until now! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your impressions. And yes, I think the Palantir in itself could be a force for good in Elessar's hands. And so, your belated review is appreciated and answered even more belatedl!
cookiefleck · 2 September 2006 · Chapter 38: In the wee hours
This chapter was a good companion piece to the darkness of the last one. Sam spoke wisely and with heart, as usual. Excellent, thank you.
Author's reply
You're welcome, and thanks for dropping a note! A little more darkness, in the next chapter, but then we (finally) leave the ruffians behind. All but the young ruffian, for he has yet to be honoured. But no more grisly stuff, thankfully.
Larner · 2 September 2006 · Chapter 38: In the wee hours
I rejoice that Sam didn't let it go on longer. This was bad enough. Sam knows what he's doing, and knows the brawny man isn't likely to change his ways if he hasn't in all the times he was given chances before. Farry is healed and back to being a lad looking to feel important and dashing; Pippin has his lad back; Strider is once again sitting by a fire watching over Hobbits; and Nell and Ferdi have their lives back and a beautiful daughter to name. And the young boy has the honor in death he didn't have the chance to know in life.
Author's reply
Sam is a lot wiser in the ways of Men than likely Tolly will ever be. And yes, all the rest is true, and things are back to being right with the world. And are you in town now? We got back very late from friends' house, but had a lovely picnic on a mountain-top today and a great discussion over coffee afterwards.
Dreamflower · 2 September 2006 · Chapter 38: In the wee hours
Oh, Sam, I love you! He's taking such good care of Tolly. And poor Tolly--Pippin gave him a mighty big responsibility, but really, with Farry in such danger, he'd no choice but to delegate it. And Tolly's dealing with it like a trooper. And poor little Farry, at least now he knows how things truly went for the nameless youngster who helped him. And with his father and his uncle watching over him now, he should begin to feel safer. And I loved this: only Elessar remained awake, smoking his pipe and staring into the fire. That wasn't Elessar, was it? That was Strider, watching over his hobbits... And I really loved the tender interlude with Ferdi and Nell, and the image of them together at the end.
Author's reply
I do love Sam, very practical hobbit that he is. Got his head on straight. And Tolly... very brave Took, indeed, for Pippin to trust him with this commission. Yes, it was Strider. And yes, I love to imagine Nell and Ferdi together, when all is well (or at least trending that way.) Thanks!
Bodkin · 2 September 2006 · Chapter 38: In the wee hours
Now Red - I don't think even registered why anyone would find his begging ironic. He is a unique case - to himself at least. One who should be able to do what he wants without bearing any penalty. Brawny, on the other hand ... I think he did acknowledge that what he had done was wrong. He knew he deserved the penalty - even if he would have been quite happy to evade it. But he didn't pretend or have an insincere point-of-death repentance. I think maybe, somewhere deep inside him, there is that young man rescued by the kindness of a wandering conjuror, who finds the man he became a revolting perversion of what he was intended to be. Interesting that he should have been so familiar with the Shire and not affected by the generous kindness of the Shirefolk. Most of those who came in during the Troubles could see them as non-human Shire-rats - but how could he, who had experience of their real natures? Sam is wise and kind-hearted as well as being able to act as judge. The ruffians' eventual death is kinder on all of them, not just the villains themselves - and he had the courage to make the decision. Poor Tolly. Good thing he's going home to his family. I'm glad Farry can look on the Tooks' arrows as a kindness to the young ruffian who laid down his life to protect the young hobbit. (A bit like putting down a horse with a broken leg!) It's not as if the boy had much of a future ahead of him. And poor Ferdi will have to give up banging his head - it's not doing him any good! Although the reconciliations with Nell seem to offer him a great way to recover his strength. A pleasant ending - presaging still happier events. Or so I hope.
Author's reply
I think you're right about Brawny, and I think that Sam was right to shield Tolly from the worst, even if he was the one to put the Easterlings into Tolly's head... Poor Tolly, still quite innocent in his thinking, to be unfamiliar with the possibility of an insincere apology. He'd already let two ruffians off scot-free, I think, because either they deceived him or they were genuinely repentant for having strayed into the Shire (Which of those do you think it was?). (Though if the brawny man had been one of them, he'd have recognised him, I think, and turned him over to the Rangers without compunction. He never quite forgave Brawny for being in the batle at Bywater, where so many hobbits were struck down.) I'm not all that comfortable with the idea of mercy-killing, but if it comforted Farry to see it as mercy in the face of inevitable agonising death, when the young ruffian had already made his peace, then it was the right approach for Merry to take. I forgot to put it in the chapter, but Pippin was thinking of Boromir. I hope I remember to put it in the next chapter. I'm not on my computer, so I can't just open the story file and jot a note there to that effect. Pardon my thinking aloud here, but if I read reviews before typing in the next chapter there'll be a hope that it gets in. Poor Ferdi. I think he ought to wear a helmet of some sort. Don't you think? He was going to ask Nell how he banged his head *this* time, but the words failed him. Author Reply: Interesting that he should have been so familiar with the Shire and not affected by the generous kindness of the Shirefolk. Most of those who came in during the Troubles could see them as non-human Shire-rats - but how could he, who had experience of their real natures? I forgot to address this, though it struck me, reading it, and was the first thing I meant to answer. The problem is that he'd been so dehumanised by the company he kept. You see, he saw all their victims this way, men, women, children, hobbits... because otherwise the orders the fat man gave him would have been unspeakable, unthinkable. Yes, he got to know the Shire folk in Robin's company, that summer, but that gave hobbits no more special protection in his eyes than the children of Men would have had. Truly horrible. I remember reading about guards in the death camps tormenting and murdering all day long and then going home to their wives and children. "Did you have a hard day, sweetie?" "Just another day at work, hon. What's for dinner?" (shudder) I don't know how men can look at other people as objects, but somehow they can be brought to it. I don't know if it's ever recoverable, either, short of some sort of supernatural healing of their minds and hearts. Have you ever read the first chapter of Proverbs? We were reading that yesterday, and it struck me, how apt it was, applied to the brawny man and the young ruffian (and who knows, perhaps the fat man, and even Red once upon a time, though I think Red was born twisted, the sort to pull the wings off flies and torture kittens or pups).
harrowcat · 2 September 2006 · Chapter 38: In the wee hours
I am glad that you have balanced the beginning of this chapter with the ending Lindelea. At least I can go eat breakfast without a problem! :) And the ruffians received the Thain's and Kings mercy after all. I quite agree that their imaginings were a great punishment.
Author's reply
O I'm glad you could eat your breakfast! Whew.
harrowcat · 2 September 2006 · Chapter 37: Midnight supper
Oh poor Tolly. Good of Sam to keep an eye on him. I suspect that he might have to do so for some time to come - but he is practised at that! Sensible to send the other hobbits back.
Author's reply
Belated thanks! Poor Tolly, indeed. And I do think this would have been too terrible for the other hobbits to contemplate. It is, perhaps, too terrible for Tolly, who has a record of letting ruffians go.
Pearl Took · 1 September 2006 · Chapter 37: Midnight supper
Surperbly well done, Lin!! "Only to find, reaching bottom, that he’d been wrong about the not-being. His last thought, as his body faded from his consciousness, was that he’d fallen from the frying pan, into the fire..." This was a wonderfully done chapter. I wonder if Red enjoyed his own begging as much as he had enjoyed the begging of his victims. And well done that Aragorn's men didn't really deliver the more gruesome death; they are after all Men of the West. But such a good job letting especially Red think he was going to be eaten alive. MEWD!!!
Author's reply
Whew, thanks. For some reason I don't think Red had a good time. While I would have liked the ruffians to have suffered more for their consequences, I wouldn't want to stain the souls of the Rangers with such a deed on their hands. Yikes, I almost feel sorry for the wretches, when you put it that way!
Larner · 1 September 2006 · Chapter 37: Midnight supper
And do we build our own hells, do you think? What torments has the brawny Man visited upon himself now that he no longer dwells in flesh? Alas that he didn't repent. He was given every chance--by the love of his family, what there might have been of it, by the succoring by Gandalf, by the mercy of Aragorn's justice that branded him but allowed him to seek redemption elsewhere, by the freedom he's known since he joined the Fat Man's company to leave it when he chose.... No, he's built his own torments and deserves them, for as he himself noted, he hated much of what this company did but failed to walk away from it. Glad that again it was only the thought that tormented them, and not the full reality, and that in the end they knew the King's swift judgment and not the prolonged torture given by other lands. Ah, Sam and Tolly, that you must see this.
Author's reply
I wonder... it's too hot to consider metaphysical questions today. It is too bad that he didn't repent. Why could he not even have said that he was sorry for the choices he'd made? Not that such would have saved him. Selfish to the end, I guess. Yes, glad that the ruffians' own thoughts were enough torment. The Rangers are shielding Sam and Tolly as much as they can manage, too.
cookiefleck · 1 September 2006 · Chapter 34: In which a Took considers justice
Yes, I have read rabidsamfan. Sam is my favorite character and I am partial to h/c but enjoy it all. Thank you for the recs and I will gladly check out your other stories. Maybe one of these days I will jump in and write; I have written fanfic but not (yet) in this fandom. Have a great weekend.
Author's reply
Well, I have a little Sam h/c in "Truth", and more in "At the End of His Rope" though that one features mostly Pippin. Still Sam falls very ill of a fever in "Rope" and also has a chance to shine during a Shire emergency. Well, if you do jump in and write, drop me a line. I'm always interested in what a new author has to say, often bringing a fresh viewpoint.
FantasyFan · 1 September 2006 · Chapter 37: Midnight supper
I feel sorry for them. Perhaps I shouldn't, but I do. They all die without even a name. No one to mourn them. No one to even notice. The brawny man recognizes justice. He knows he deserves what is coming, like the good thief. But he never repents, even though it would cost him nothing to do so now. He just looks forward to the oblivion of no more bad choices, and of course he has made his last mistake in thinking this. He's judged not fit for the feast. And so I feel sorry for them. Their crimes were horrible, but the consequenses are more so. Pity, at least, comes from Sam and Tolly and the Rangers in the manner of their death, if not mercy. Mercy we leave up to someone else.
Author's reply
Funny thing, isn't it? A dark part of me wanted them to "pay" and yet their suffering could not bring any of their victims back to life and wholeness... And the final consequences, as you say, are horrifying. And you noticed, that none of them had a name. That was a deliberate decision, early on. Even they, themselves, were so dehumanized by their chosen profession that they used no names, though they would have said it was a protection against the forces of the law. I feel sorry for them too, strange as it may seem. I want all my characters to make a good end, to find a place made ready for them at the feast, and it is difficult to doom even the evil ones, for I can all too well imagine the circumstances that shaped them. I've never yet been able to write someone who was "pure evil", at least, not in my mind. There is always "background" that the reader never sees. Yet the world of Middle-earth can breathe a sigh of relief, that these two are gone, Red with his disgusting delights, and the brawny man without a conscience.
cookiefleck · 1 September 2006 · Chapter 37: Midnight supper
Very dark and harsh/cruel chapter, but compelling reading, especially the ending.
Author's reply
Thanks. Appreciate the feedback. It was not an easy task, and something I'd rather have relegated to "background", only sketchily written and unpublished.
Dreamflower · 1 September 2006 · Chapter 37: Midnight supper
Dark, indeed. It's hard to let even villains find their due reward, isn't it? But I am glad that Red cracked at the end and begged and groveled. And I am *very* glad we never had Red's POV! *ick* And at last Brawny is realizing that he's getting just what he deserves. I hope that Tolly is not too traumatized by this--but as for Sam, I expected no less. He'd not leave Tolly to face it alone, and he loves little Faramir himself. A very grim, and yet somehow satisfying, chapter. Well done, dear!
Author's reply
Huh, was in the middle of answering this when my Internet crashed. Um. It is hard! I think I learned from your example, though. Perhaps "Red" is one of the ruffians who ran across your Ted Sandyman. (Perhaps not. I'm not going to go back and read that story to look for parallels. Powerful, but I'm filled up-to-here with darkness and need to seek the light.) Tolly, I think, will not be so traumatized by the hanging as he might have been. After all, the hanging itself was a mercy, compared to what might have happened if the Rangers really intended to go through with the whole scenario (which I rather doubt, though if Pippin had asked it, I think they'd have done it). And Sam, well, I have a great deal of respect for that hobbit. He's seen some of the seamier side of life, and he's going to stick to Tolly like a cocklebur, until that hobbit is safely home and warm in the bosom of his family once more. (And Tolly has unexpected joy ahead--his best friend is not cold in the grave!)
Bodkin · 1 September 2006 · Chapter 35: Eventide
Sam's method of tormenting the men is very effective - and doesn't require him to lay a finger on them. (That's how he is like the cruel author!) Glen's is delightfully indignant at the idea of burying a man - but he's the sort who will grumble and do as he's told. I wonder how Ferdi will choose his daughter's name. And if I could look ahead and find out what it will be ... No, I'd rather wait and find out, I think! I do like the innkeeper's spirited daughters - and Pippin's advice of looking for husbands among Bucklanders or Tooks from the Green Hills seems sound! Although I suspect that in many parts of the Shire there are hobbits who welcome strong-willed wives to run their businesses and homes. Nell is relatively content now - a bit more recovery would probably help her - but Diamond isn't going to be happy when she finds out how she's been kept in the dark. Not happy at all!
Author's reply
Awww. Cruel. Yikes. (Can't look ahead. I don't think her name appears anywhere. If I'm wrong, and you run across it somewhere, let me know.) Funny innkeeper. Eldest was exclaiming about how she'd just washed her hair and couldn't do a thing with it, and that little bit of description popped into my head. At least Nell can look forward to a relatively steady recovery, plus lots of help on everyone's part to keep Ferdi from overdoing, a trial for Ferdi, perhaps, but a comfort for his wife, most likely!
Bodkin · 1 September 2006 · Chapter 36: Late Supper
Yeah. Athelas and the king's hands. I'm glad Aragorn was able to remove the ink marks, too - certainly a reminder Farry (and his father) didn't need. And it sounds as if Ferdi's survival will be a pleasant surprise for all and sundry, since even the king's magic ball hasn't shown his unexpected recovery. Shame this will be such a fleeting meeting with Aragorn - and it'll probably take letters to inform him of Ferdi's recovery. But food sounds a very good idea! Well done, Bergil. The hobbits will feel a lot more like themselves once their bellies are full.
Author's reply
One of the high points of the story, and one of the reasons I allowed EF to persuade me to write the thing. Well, there is still the possibility for Pippin to carry the news to Aragorn personally, since the royal party will be travelling to the Bridge some time in the next fortnight. Though Ferdi won't be well enough to travel, and so the King won't meet him (this time).
Bodkin · 1 September 2006 · Chapter 37: Midnight supper
Oh my! A few hours of torment seem fair enough. Most of it - apart from the cold - was in Brawny's imagination anyway. And hearing Red beg ... I don't expect he knows the meaning of irony. And really, neither Sam'n'Tolly nor the Rangers were really going to go for the pinning them out for the crows option. (Not that the villains would know that - not having much concept of honour.) And Brawny was once rescued by a travelling conjuror? Name of Jack, by any chance? That one was offered a fair number of chances - and he did recognise his own failings. Red. Mad. By why? Pippin has his witnesses, too, who can vouch for fact that B&R will not be returning to trouble the Shire.
Author's reply
Witness can be important, for closure. There'll be no Talk circulating amongst the Tooks this time, of Tolly letting ruffians go out of misguided pity. Hmm. I think the conjurer was going by the name of "Robin" at the time, but later he did use the name "Jack". And that is how the brawny man came to his knowledge of the geography of Tookland. He spent an entire spring-summer-fall wandering the Shire in the conjurer's company. Ah, yes, the Muse loves a little irony taken with her tea. (And she's had entirely too much dark chocolate, lately. Makes her savage, I think.) Thanks! (Whew, just a couple more chapters and I can call this "done" and work on Dreamflower's birthday present. And then yours, though at this rate it'll be your next birthday before you read it...)
MaidenofValinor · 31 August 2006 · Chapter 36: Late Supper
Strider to the rescue!! Love love love the allusion to Faramir...uh, Man-Faramir. xP I agree with Pippin: Strider is a wonder. And you did glorious things with him, really. Oh, dear. You know something really horrible must have happened if Pippin can't remember his last meal. Haha. This makes me happy and brightens my already bright day. Thanks muchly.
Author's reply
How odd. I was sure I had answered every review on this chapter, but I don't see an answer here. Much belated thanks for taking the time to leave an encouraging word.
Pearl Took · 31 August 2006 · Chapter 36: Late Supper
This was totally fantastic!! I love that Strider saw it all unfolding in the palantir. What had once nearly ruined Pippin now helped save his son. And I love the healing hands of the King. "‘Well, we cannot send the lad back to his mother with ink all over him,’ Elessar said." No that would indeed be too great a burden for Diamond, especially as she didn't even know he was in danger. "Pippin waited, and Merry, scarcely breathing as they watched. And then the King took up the kettle, pouring the still-steaming water into the basin, and then he took up two leaves, wrapped in a cloth laid nearby, and breathed upon them, and crushed them in his hands, and cast them into the water. Immediately a fresh and living scent rose into the air, driving darkness, fear, even despair from Pippin’s thoughts, and a shadow seemed to lift from Merry’s soul, and even Faramir breathed more deeply, and stirred. ‘Waken, Faramir Took,’ said Elessar. ‘Walk no more in blind and silent terror, but open your eyes to love and to light.’ Faramir took another deep breath, and uncurling, he sat up a little, and fisted his eyes as if rubbing sleep, even nightmare, away." Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!! MEWD, Lin!!!
Author's reply
It must have been traumatic for the King as well, watching the young ruffian preparing to mutilate Faramir, and himself too many miles away, helpless to intervene. And the fierce joy that must have blazed up in him, seeing the young ruffian's secret defiance of the fat man's orders. Whew. Diamond will know that her son was in danger, but I wonder if she'll ever know exactly *how* much danger. (Or if she'll "let on"--remembering now that Pippin talks in his sleep... Perhaps she'll protect her husband's belief in her innocence towards this evil, much as he thinks he is protecting her.) Thanks for staying with me to the good part!