Larner
· 21 October 2012
· Chapter 16: Sleepers Wake
Between Black Riders and certain Peredhil, yes, there were some Big Men involved both in the bad and the good of the situation. Glad they are waking at last, and they need the extra rest to finish throwing off most of the effects of the Black Breath.
Author's reply
Yes, Merry and Eowyn didn't have a quick recovery, as I recall, but suffered some lingering effects in the days following their healing.
Wonder how they'll manage to sort out the memories of the Big People involved?
Thanks!
harrowcat
· 14 October 2012
· Chapter 15: With the Brightening Morn
I've finally gotten around to reading this fabulous and very convincing tale. Now please tell me that we won't be waiting too long for updates ;) RL permitting of course!
Author's reply
Thank you!
Yes, this year I've managed to set aside a little regular reading/writing time (as opposed to last year's mad scramble once the school year began).
Glad to have you along for the ride. (and belated happy birthday!)
Dreamflower
· 14 October 2012
· Chapter 15: With the Brightening Morn
I just noticed that you seemed to be either missing a chapter or have misnumbered your last chapter, dear!
Author's reply
Thank you for the catch! Have fixed it now.
Larner
· 12 October 2012
· Chapter 15: With the Brightening Morn
I HOPE the Black Breath is dissipating, much as it appears to have dissipated for Merry in Bree. One worry lightening, at least, as the morning grows brighter.
Author's reply
Yes, exactly! I think the brightening day, the rising sun, adds to the healing begun with athelas. Light driving away the darkness, as it were.
Thanks!
Larner
· 12 October 2012
· Chapter 14: Elusive Thought
I managed to miss the last chapter of this, I see. Frodo needs to be warned, but how can that be done when no one knows exactly where he, Sam, and Pippin might be along the way to Buckland, or which route they might have taken. And now, between tiredness and worry, the thought is gone. Poor Paladin!
Author's reply
That was a problem! How do you warn someone who's in transit? Poor Paladin, he needs a night's rest to sharpen his brain, I think. (Add to lack of sleep the oppressive atmosphere of Dark forces in the Shire, and I'm sure he's not thinking as clearly as usual.)
Dreamflower
· 12 October 2012
· Chapter 15: With the Brightening Morn
Oh how lovely to see a new chapter of this up! Wonderful!
It took me no time to recall the previous events, and appreciate what's happening now!
Author's reply
It is so nice to have a little regular time set aside for reading and writing again. Looking forward to catching up a bit!
Thanks for your encouragement.
Dreamflower
· 28 September 2010
· Chapter 14: Elusive Thought
Oh, poor Paladin, so very exhausted! And of course, he wanted to warn Frodo. I worry about what's clouded his mind...is it mere fatigue or something more sinister as the wraiths move about the Shire in their search?
So glad to see another chapter of this!
Author's reply
Well, I don't think fatigue is completely to blame, though if you asked Paladin, he'd probably say so. What is that old ditty? By the pricking of my thumbs...
Soledad
· 26 September 2010
· Chapter 14: Elusive Thought
Hmm, very mysterious. Just what was that idea Paladin seems to have forgotten?
His interaction with Eglantine is very sweet, BTW.
Author's reply
He was going to send a quickpost rider off to warn Frodo that somebody was after him. But then his solid hobbity common sense took over, dismissing the thought without his consciously thinking it over. He'll think it over again, consciously, and more than once in the days to come.
Glad you liked the interaction with Eglantine. I shook my head a little at the menfolk, before going out to do chores, insisting that the womenfolk rest a bit (although the hired hobbits *did* lie themselves down for an hour or two, after coming in from the search, so I suppose it wasn't completely unequal, and Paladin as Master could get away with insisting that others rest while he neglects his own).
Thanks!
I'm very sorry for being so terribly amiss with my reading lately. But I'm still loving this story, and this particular chapter, where Elladan gets to be awesome, is a special delight for me.
I'm happy that the lost have been found, even though there will be consequences. But Hobbits are a hardy folk. They'll deal with the memory, I guess.
Author's reply
I have been hit or miss in replies, I see. Many apologies, and belated thanks for taking the time to comment.
Celeritas
· 26 September 2010
· Chapter 14: Elusive Thought
Eep! I have a feeling Paladin's going to be kicking himself for that one when he finds out what Frodo's done... (And even if Frodo weren't there, surely Merry and Fatty would be off settling things in?)
Another fairly tense chapter--it could have been relaxed, but you chose to emphasize that despite the worst danger being past, everyday life still has to go on. Thanks!
Author's reply
He probably will be kicking himself, true. I'm not sure he's thinking as clearly as usual. I think a part of his mind is disturbed by the presence of such evil in the Shire (call him extra-sensitive by means of his Tookish blood and prescient dreams, if it's not too far-fetched), and yet he's a practical hobbit as well. He can't completely dismiss his foreboding out of hand (and Tolly's and Ferdi's strange "nightmare" fed that fear, if only momentarily), but he can't put his finger on what's wrong, either.
If he'd gone through with sending off a quick post rider with a vague warning, he would definitely have been kicking himself for the next few days, feeling foolish and wondering what his rashness would have done to his reputation.
What is it they say? Hindsight is 20/20. (Wonder what the hobbity equivalent would be.) Looking back, I'm sure he'll see signs and understand them better, but being right in the middle of it, and nothing really having happened--at least, he has no clue of what happened to Tolly and Ferdi, no evidence, just wild "fever talk" or perhaps (he's still not completely convinced) brandy talking--he's at a loss.
Thanks!
Larner
· 16 April 2010
· Chapter 13: Hunters' Return
I'm just glad they were found safe after all! Now, to see how they survived the Black Breath. Even with a Peredhel's ministrations, they will still be touched by the memories, I'm certain!
Author's reply
You've got that right, for sure.
Thanks! Looking forward to seeing you, and hope things are going better.
Dreamflower
· 10 April 2010
· Chapter 13: Hunters' Return
Well, it seems like Elladan put Ferdi and Tolly into a deep healing sleep, as Aragorn did for Frodo and Sam after the Quest. I wonder, when they waken, will they remember their ordeal? And will the horror of their encounter be completely gone?
I love your characterizations of the sisters Took. Pervinca, rather waspish and clever and prone to be practical (reminds me a tad of her cousin Merry) and Pimpernel, who tends to go to pieces in a crisis!
Of course, news is still to come about Pippin and Merry, whose room has been so carefully prepared...that was such a poignant touch...
Been wide awake since 2, after some rather dark dreams. This chapter was just what I needed to take my mind off them.
Author's reply
Awake since 2, poor dear, and here I sought my pillow at 2, so we crossed paths (in a manner of speaking, hobbitly ignoring such things as time zones). I'm glad to have offered a diversion--know how it goes with dark dreams.
Pimpernel troubles me sometimes, but she is what she is, and even *she* gets annoyed at her tendency to faint when the tension is high.
It'll be interesting to see what they say, when they waken.
Hope you get a chance for a nap today, and sweeter dreams!
Grey Wonderer
· 3 November 2009
· Chapter 6: Things that Go Bump in the Night
Ah, yes and so Paladin has a bit of warning even if he isn't certain what that warning means yet. Sometimes having that bit of intuition must have been more trouble than help. You were worried but didn't know why.
Author's reply
A general feeling of worry is so... worrying. You try to explain it away, but it nags at you. You feel as if you ought to be doing *something*, but what? So you just keep on going about your usual business, but you keep your eyes open, while that spot between your shoulderblades prickles to let you know that it's not *all* business as usual. Something's up. But what?
Grey Wonderer
· 3 November 2009
· Chapter 5: Of Endings and Beginnings
I enjoyed the fact that they drink to Frodo and were concerned about his move and that he be happy. I also liked Paladin drinking to Bilbo's health. If he only knew.
Author's reply
If Pippin was so close to Frodo, I wondered if that might mean Paladin was fond of Bilbo before he went away. *sigh* If he suspects that Frodo might follow Bilbo someday, it might be why he lets Pippin spend so much time with his cousins, storing up memories to call upon later, in the absence of one held dear.
Grey Wonderer
· 3 November 2009
· Chapter 4: In and Out
I love this line:
(Certainly incomers were welcome to purchase property in the Tookland... after having lived there for twenty years or more. Preferably more.)
It shows how very clannish the Tooks are.
I also enjoyed the reference to Bilbo and his money.
Author's reply
It is always fun to sneak mad Bilbo into a story! *g* Sheep, now, that takes a little more finesse.
Grey Wonderer
· 3 November 2009
· Chapter 3: A Problem for the Solving
I like the way Paladin is quick to keep the land in the hands of the Tooks. I also like that he was instantly suspicious of anyone from outside of the area trying to gain a foothold.
Author's reply
Thanks, it fits the little bit we know about the Tooks (Bandobras leading the charge against invading goblins, and Paladin closing off the Tookland during the Troubles). I imagine the encroachment of Men was so slow and gradual that only the suspicious, clannish nature of the Tooks saved them.
Grey Wonderer
· 3 November 2009
· Chapter 2: Leave-Taking
This is so sweet. I think Eglantine sensed something as mothers so often do but couldn't quite put a name to it. Just knowing ones child so well would have clued her into a slight difference even if she didn't remark upon it directly.
I like this because it makes you think about just how difficult it must have been for Pippin to leave knowing that he might not be back for some time. It also shows just how devoted he was to Frodo and Merry not to allow them to go without him.
Author's reply
Thank you, I value your thoughts! It helps, in retrospect, to see what stands out, especially when shaping future chapters...
Author Reply: p.s. That mother's intuition... something you can't quite put your finger on, but looking back seems all too clear.
Grey Wonderer
· 3 November 2009
· Chapter 1: A Long-Expected Party
It must have been very difficult for Pippin to sit quietly by and listen to exactly how much his Father was counting on him and know that he wasn't going to be there for any of it.
Author's reply
Oh, my word, I swear I never saw these lovely reviews! So sorry to be so belated in answering! (And to top things off, my "w" key is reluctant to wake up this morning... I wonder who's been eating sticky things and typing at the same time?)
Poor Pip, must have felt as if he was being torn in two, and yet secrecy was so very essential! Though I wonder what the Paladin in *this* timeline might have said, had Pippin told him about the Ring and the Quest. I have the feeling that Paladin, being the kind of hobbit who kept the ruffians out of the Tookland, just might have seen the need for the Quest. Though he might have made things more difficult by sending half a hundred Tooks along with Frodo... Kind of hard to depart quietly with a large bodyguard, even if they are quiet-footed hobbits.
Thanks!
Such horrible Nazgul! I'm glad that Elladan and Halmir 'happened' by. And that the hobbits arrived just at the right time-any sooner, and Ferdi and Tolly wouldn't have been completely healed, any later.
Write more! You know you can't write fast enough to satisfy me, Mom, and I've ripped through everything you've allowed me to read of your stories!
Author's reply
Timing is everything, wouldn't you say?
*sigh* With so much competition for the computer these days, it's hard to promise more, soon, but I'll do my best!
(Has someone been eating sticky food and typing at the same time? The keyboard is woefully recalcitrant this morning!)
Ah-what good luck each party managed to arrive just at the right time. And at least Ferdi was able to withstand the questioning. Excellent to know that Elladan was well in time to help heal the two of them, and that Ferdi was able now to confirm that Frodo had won free.
Joyful Halloween and All Saints to you and yours!
Author's reply
That Tookish iron (or is it steel) will that will stand them in good stead in the months to come. A good thing, too, that Paladin banned Men from the Tookland long before Saruman came, or he might have been influenced by the Voice. (On the other hand, I don't get any indication that Saruman bothered using his Voice on the hobbits of the Shire. Seemed to think whips and clubs sufficient.)
Thanks!
This kind of creepy way of taking down hobbits is a lot more in keeping with the Nazgul's power of fear (with echoes of the Barrow-downs) than the sword-swinging we got in the films. The stones on the eyes were an especially eerie touch.
I loved, however, that healed!Tolly, rather than waking up, just turned to his side and snored. That was incredibly hobbitish.
A really nice update, especially for today!
Author's reply
Hobbitish, yes. How I love hobbits!
Thanks! (Belated... thought I'd get right back to this, but you know what they say about good intentions.)
*whew!* That was tense! Not that I doubted Elladan's skill, but still... poor hobbits, they will have a strange tale to tell when they finally waken. I loved the watchful care taken by Ranger and Elf over the two poor hobbits, and how they covered them up and waited until they were found.
Elladan sent a message via bird? I wonder to whom...
Oh, this story is ao suspensful!
Aiwen
· 30 October 2009
· Chapter 11: Hunters, Hunted
This is very good. You've caught the earthbound nature of hobbits very well. There's a tendency among fanwriters to turn them into merry pranksters without other characteristics, and you haven't done that. I like this story.
Author's reply
Thank you! I try to write the hobbits as I "know" them from the books, and as I remember JRRT describing them. They are very down to earth, and while fond of jests, their waters run quite a bit deeper than the first film showed them.
Grey Wonderer
· 25 October 2009
· Chapter 0: Note: How this story came to be
Dropped by and read your prologue. I have put this on my to-read list. I am hoping for a long reading session sometime over the holidays and I'm curious as to what you plan to do here. I will be back!
Author's reply
Thanks for the good word! I'm hoping for more writing time, but at the moment we're down to one computer for five people...
Dreamflower
· 20 October 2009
· Chapter 11: Hunters, Hunted
This is such a suspenseful chapter-- I do hope the poor hobbits are found soon!
(And once again, the Queen of Cliffies retains her title!)
Author's reply
Ah, Queen of Cliffies... but can I help it when the chapters break so logically at such places? (In the case of this chapter, I was so ill and weary that I was looking for a break just so soon as I could find one, so that I could go back to bed.
On the mend, thankfully. Hoping to dodge more bugs.
Thanks!
Author Reply: Ah, Queen of Cliffies... but can I help it when the chapters break so logically at such places? (In the case of this chapter, I was so ill and weary that I was looking for a break just so soon as I could find one, so that I could go back to bed.
On the mend, thankfully. Hoping to dodge more bugs.
Thanks!