Celeritas
· 6 March 2009
· Chapter 22: Deadly Perils
Wow, it's been a while since I've reviewed!!!
Your writing in this chapter has a great immediacy to it, and the sheer terror of being confronted by one of the Nazgul (much less interrogated!) and being unable to do anything, even curl up into a ball and cry, was incredibly well-handled. You sure know how to put our favorite Ranger through the wringer!
Author's reply
Hi Celeritas, nice to see you back! Thanks for your review, I'm glad it all seemed convincing but this is definitely the very worst I would ever put him through. Poor guy!
Linda Hoyland
· 4 March 2009
· Chapter 25: Isildur's Bane
I love the way you show Aragorn's thoughts as he sits by the fire.I do believe he would have thought those things and had a moment's temptation.
Author's reply
I'm so glad we see this the same way. He really was in a very perilous situation that night and I'm sure the apparently easy option must have hovered in his mind. Thank you for your review.
Larner
· 3 March 2009
· Chapter 25: Isildur's Bane
A subtle saboteur, the Ring. It knows Men and how easy it is to suborn them--or most Men, at least.
Excellent thoughts and considerations going through the head of Aragorn son of Arathorn that night.
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Larner. I'm sure even Aragorn had to have his moment of weakness.
Estelcontar
· 3 March 2009
· Chapter 25: Isildur's Bane
I think you did a great job with The Ring. You wrote a very fascinating piece, which even though it does not involve action at all is very, very absorbing. In fact, I always like these pieces which show a character's inner conflict much better than I do the purely action ones. And you always manage to give us a very truthful portrait of what's going on inside Aragorn's mind. As usual, you did it again here.
I liked the introductory, descriptive paragraphs because in them you managed to reproduce very faithfully the mood of the book , and to give us a wonderful glimpse at how anxious and fearful Aragorn must have felt keeping guard over the hobbits at the Prancing Pony.
As for the temptation itself, I think it's spot on. I'm sure that's just how Aragorn must have felt when tempted by The Ring. Well done.
Author's reply
I'm very relieved you find the level of temptation here about right. I felt Aragorn should be tempted at some stage in the Quest and this first night always seemed the most likely time to me when he was under enormous pressure and did not yet know his hobbit companions very well. I'm so glad you liked this and thank you very much for your review.
Cairistiona
· 3 March 2009
· Chapter 25: Isildur's Bane
There are so many things to like about this chapter... the sense of dread hovering over everything, Aragorn's fear--enough to actually make him feel sick, and then the temptation from the Ring itself, if he didn't already have enough to battle.
Two things strike me most:
"A nauseating wave of fear swept over him and refused to subside. He wondered how could he possibly hope to keep the Ring from falling into their hands if they all attacked the inn together. The answer was terrifyingly simple. He could not."
That is such a chilling set of sentences... you have to wonder if it's not the effect of the Nazgul already hitting him as they draw near.
And then this, my favorite line in the entire chapter: "Isildur’s Bane would not claim Isildur’s Heir."
Aragorn's strength of character summed up in a single sentence. Wonderfully done.
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Cairistiona for your review. It must have a very scary and lonely existance trapped as he was, guarding something so important as the Ring. I'm glad his strength of character came through as this was surely one of his toughest tests.
shirebound
· 3 March 2009
· Chapter 25: Isildur's Bane
He wondered how could he possibly hope to keep the Ring from falling into their hands if they all attacked the inn together. The answer was terrifyingly simple. He could not.
Chilling. Ohhh, what a long night, and what an inner battle.
Author's reply
Thank you, Shirebound, that night must have felt never ending to Aragorn, sitting awake in lonely vigil.
Larner
· 24 February 2009
· Chapter 24: Strider
And it is good he did seek to find them as he did.
Author's reply
Yes, absolutely! What would have happened if he had gone to Sarn Ford instead?
Thank you for your review.
Estelcontar
· 24 February 2009
· Chapter 24: Strider
Another most wonderful chapter. Strider gives us a most enlightening glimpse of what Aragorn might have bee doing before he met the hobbits.
I enjoyed your version of Aragorn's meeting with Gildor. I loved the detail of Gildor sending messages to the wandering companies.
I'm glad you showed Aragorn's fear for his men. I think he must have been indeed very worried about them after he learned that the Ringwraiths had been seen in the Shire. I really enjoyed the glimpse you gave us of his meeting with the Rangers guarding the Brandywine Bridge, it sounded so very true to life, and illustrated so well the self-sacrificing lives of the Northern rangers.
And it goes without saying that I really enjoyed your take on how anxious Aragorn must have felt while waiting for the hobbits outside Bree. He was so aware of how much hung on the balance that that waiting period must have been one of the most anxious moments of his life, and you've manage to convey that most accurately.
But above all, the detail of Tom catching Aragorn's eyes and smiling broadly just made my day.
Well done again
Author's reply
Thank you so much for your lovely review, Estelcontar. This must indeed have been one of the most anxious times of his life and yet he betrays very little of what he must have been going through in his encounter with the hobbits.
I think Tom meeting Aragorn will have to be another story for another time but it was good to just have a moment between those two. I'm glad you enjoyed.
Cairistiona
· 24 February 2009
· Chapter 24: Strider
This is such an excellent showing of what had to have been a frantic time for Aragorn. It makes me out of breath reading about his striding... and trotting!... all over Buckland, ridden hard by worry and anxiety over missing Gandalf and missing hobbits and the very real possibility of Wraiths overtaking his men. I absolutely love how you worked Tom Bombadil into the end, with him spotting Strider lurking in the shadows, and then Strider slipping unseen into the shadows of Bree. So evocative! Wonderful stuff, as always. :)
Author's reply
Oh thank you so much, Cairstiona, for your lovely review. It's easy to forget when we see Strider sitting quietly in the corner of the Prancing Pony exactly he came to be there and how frantic with worry he must have been.
I really wanted to write an exchange between Tom and Aragorn but unfortunately Tolkien left no scope for that at all in the hobbits parting so a glimpse and a grin was all I could manage!
shirebound
· 24 February 2009
· Chapter 24: Strider
Oh my, events truly are beginning to race, after so many tedious years. And of course I'm so glad to have hobbits back into this marvelous tale.
(I haven't thought about my ficlet "Guarding the Shire" in quite awhile, but you bring it back to me. I like to think that the hobbits finally got a chance to say 'thank you' to the Rangers who safeguarded them for so long.)
Trotter, LOL. You rascal. :)
Author's reply
It would be nice to think so, wouldn't it?
I'm afraid there are only a couple of very hobbity chapters to come [Aragorn recalling Sam and Frodo after Mount Doom, and his giving the Star of the Dunedain to Sam]. I decided that if I wanted to see the light of day ever again, I needed to stick with exploring Aragorn's peripheral story and not try and rewrite LOTR from Aragorn's POV! Hobbits do get mentioned throughout though.
Thank you so much for sticking with this tale. Aragorn did, after all, evolve from a hobbit!
RS
· 18 February 2009
· Chapter 23: The Journey to Mirkwood
Grueling, absolutely grueling. I am exhausted just reading this.
I can't help but giggle at the thought of Aragorn tossing Gollum over his back like a sack to carry him. Poor Gollum...not to mention Aragorn!
A wonderful chapter and picturesque (and exhausting) trip across Middle Earth!
Author's reply
Lol! Yes put like that is does seem rather a funny idea!
I'm so glad you enjoyed this long old journey. I was almost as relieved to reach the end of it as I think Aragorn must have been.
Thank you so much for your review.
Larner
· 17 February 2009
· Chapter 23: The Journey to Mirkwood
A marvelous and realistic telling of what probably happened. Well, well done. Excellent descriptions and well within character.
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Larner. Being realistic and within character are very much my primary aims so I really appreciate your comments.
Estelcontar
· 17 February 2009
· Chapter 23: The Journey to Mirkwood
I liked very much your version of Aragorn's journey to Mirkwood. I think you did a great job of portraying how hard both mentally and physically that trip must have been for him. It must have been a most harrowing experience, and you can feel that in your story.
I liked the idea of him finding some rest in Lothlorien, and with the Beornings because, if he had not, the ordeal might have have been too much even for Aragorn. The encounter with Rumil, Orophin and Grimbeorn provides a much needed and well deserved rest to our exhausted ranger. I loved the bit in which Aragorn laughed aloud with joy at meeting Rumil and Orophin, and I enjoyed the pet joke very much. The bit about the honeycakes reminding him of his childhood and of Gilraen is very touching, as is the scene in which he takes strenght from his memories of Arwen.
And I absolutely loved your ending. Aragorn banishing by the strenght of his will his fears and doubts, and exclaiming I am ready is to my mind perfection itself. When I read it I wanted to shout - Yeeeeeeees that's my Aragorn.
Author's reply
Thankfully we are given a bit more detail in UT so the story then became a matter of filling in the gaps. I'm so pleased you enjoyed those bits and thank you, as always for your lovely review.
Linda Hoyland
· 17 February 2009
· Chapter 23: The Journey to Mirkwood
I think you explain well here why Aragorn admits to being brutal towards Gollum as we dislike seeing our hero as less than merciful.Gollum would push a saint over the edge,though,which you vividly convey.It says much for Aragorn's resolve and courage that he succeeded on this mission.
Author's reply
Yes, I think he was probably at his wits end by now and determined the little blighter wasn't going to escape. It would be hard to blame him for being less than gentle.
Thank you so much for your review, Linda. It's very much appreciated, as always.
Raksha The Demon
· 17 February 2009
· Chapter 23: The Journey to Mirkwood
A very credible and thorough account of one of the less glamorous parts of Aragorn's life. I'm not sure it's properly appreciated just how hard the chore of tracking Gollum and capturing him and then bringing him alive across the hostile landscape of the wilderlands had to have been. There are, in my opinion, two essential things that only Aragorn could have done in terms of the great struggle against Sauron, and this mission was one of them (the other being enlisting the Dead to follow him; which stopped the Corsairs who would have otherwise defeated the Rohirrim and the remaining Gondorians on the Pelennor nad taken Minas Tirith). (As bold and ingenious as Thorongil's raid on the Corsairs was, Denethor could have conceivably been capable of it as well; possibly the young Imrahil as well). If Aragorn hadn't found Gollum and delivered him to a safe place (Thranduil's halls) to be held until Gandalf arrived and could slowly prize out the terrible knowledge that Gollum had revealed Bilbo Baggins' theft of the Ring to Sauron, the Ring War might well have had a different and far more horrible outcome.
You captured Aragorn's resourcefulness, courage, determination and strength wonderfully here. And it's all very real. Aragorn is not a saint or a parfit gentil knight, he doesn't treat Gollum gently - he can't afford to, though he never inflicts unnecessary pain on him. But Aragorn has lived too hard to regard Gollum with the same hope and empathy as did Frodo (also, Frodo and Gollum were both Ring-bearers; Gollum was in awe of Frodo and Frodo felt a link of more than his natural compassion with the wretch - the sense of their being bound together by destiny and a shared burden).
Anyhoo, great chapter!
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Raksha, for your very thoughtful review. I'm glad to know that at least a couple of people stuck with this marathon to the end!
Yes, this was one of Aragorn's truly remarkable feats and yet, in LOTR, it is very much passed over. More detail in UT, of course, but it's easy to underestimate quite how much Aragorn accomplished in the 12 months prior to the Ring War. I also hoped to show here a glimpse of how hard his 'day job' was at that time. Most of the adventures we read about in fan fic show him with company, be it Legolas, Faramir, E2 and yet we are told that more and more he undertook his journeys alone. Living off your wits, up north in the depths of winter must have been absolute hell. I'm so glad you felt that came through, and you are so right about Gollum. Many times I really had to resist the urge to write dialogue between them since we know this didn't happen. Aragorn developed none of the relationship with Gollum that Frodo did - his task was much simpler after all.
shirebound
· 17 February 2009
· Chapter 23: The Journey to Mirkwood
Oh my goodness, what a grueling journey! You told it well, and I think we can all appreciate it better now, having gone step by step with Aragorn. Well done.
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Shirebound. It was quite a journey to write it I can tell you!
utfrog
· 12 February 2009
· Chapter 22: Deadly Perils
Very powerful storytelling - well done and chilling.
Author's reply
Thank you so much!
nb
· 11 February 2009
· Chapter 22: Deadly Perils
As you pointed out, he still has a long way to go and hard odds to face before he's out of trouble for the moment--if the muse strikes you, I'd quite like to hear how that plays out!
"Yes I feel very mean not to provide any comfort after all that hurt!" And some relief wouldn't hurt either!
Thank you for sharing your stories.
Author's reply
Thank you so much for leaving a review, nb. The next chapter picks up not long after this with the capture of Gollum though I'm afraid there are still hard times ahead for Aragorn. He will at least find some help on his long journey to Mirkwood.
Larner
· 10 February 2009
· Chapter 22: Deadly Perils
An all too plausible first encounter between him and the Nazgul! I'm shivering along with him!
Author's reply
I'm so glad you found it plausible, Larner. I hadn't long read up on Osanwe-kenta when I wrote this and was very concerned to get the mental invasion right. Thank you for reviewing.
Estelcontar
· 10 February 2009
· Chapter 22: Deadly Perils
I imagine this was a hard chapter to write. It was a hard chapter to read too. You've made it all sound so real, I was really, really grieving for Aragorn. I felt so worried and sorry for his ordeal. The details of his capture and confrontation with The Witch King made his struggle feel very immediate, and very painful to witness as it should be. They also highlighted Aragorn's strenght of mind . That and the fact that he ultimately withstood WIKI, remained firm and managed to escape made me very, very happy. That's our Aragorn.
The ending is very lifelike and moving, and the details of the odds Aragorn had to overcome again enhanced Aragorn's will, strenght of mind and determination.
Well I can't say I delighted in reading this chapter, because, as you know, I'm that weird kind of person who delights in reading chapters in which Aragorn is happy. On the other hand, I liked this chapter very much because it draws a great picture of Aragorn's inner strenght enabling him to overcome immesurable odds. That's something we unfortunately hardly ever get to see portrayed in fan fictions. And I'm really glad you showed us that.
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Estelcontar for your lovely review. In writing this I was very keen to try and keep the physical suffering at a realistic level. The most hardy of men he might be, but Aragorn is not superman. You are quite right though that it how he overcomes his ordeals and finds the strength to carry on that is one of the factors that makes him such a great hero.
I too will feel much better when he's had a square meal and some TLC!
shirebound
· 10 February 2009
· Chapter 22: Deadly Perils
“They will come on you in the wild, in some dark place where there is no help. Do you wish them to find you? They are terrible.”
Oh! This was terribly hard to read, but extremely well written. What an experience. How he must have respected Frodo for what he endured on the road to Rivendell.
Author's reply
Thank you so much for reading, Shirebound; I would certainly have forgiven you for missing this chapter out!
'How he must have respected Frodo for what he endured on the road to Rivendell.'
Absolutely, my thoughts entirely. And I'm sure the whole experience at Weathertop was as awful for Aragorn as it was for the hobbits.
Raksha The Demon
· 10 February 2009
· Chapter 22: Deadly Perils
Ouch - Our hero sure had a bad time! He really needs some athelas and hugs from Arwen; though she's several hundred miles away, alas.
A very gripping chapter!
Author's reply
LOL! Yes I feel very mean not to provide any comfort after all that hurt!
I'm glad you enjoyed and thanks for the review.
Larner
· 7 February 2009
· Chapter 21: Roheryn
A wonderful introduction to his mount, and a delightful gift to him from Arwen.
And he must have been happy indeed at that moment! Lovely!
Author's reply
Thank you so much, Larner. It was so good to give Aragorn a happy time for a change.
Celeritas
· 6 February 2009
· Chapter 21: Roheryn
Ah, the shippy bits in this were so good!
I really like how young Arwen appears in this--I imagine that falling in love with a mortal took away some of those years that had weighed on her till then. And Aragorn is definitely a man in this, too, though a proper one who's trying so desperately to hold himself back. ^_^
Also (like many others) found the whole "bath" thing quite interesting. I didn't really have a problem with it because as an elf and a man raised by elves, they both must have taken (and must have been trusted to take) LACE very, very seriously.
Lovely chapter!
Author's reply
I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Celeritas. I must admit I'm surprised the bath thing has caused quite so much comment. I certainly wouldn't want to infect them with present day morals but neither would I want to depict then as Victorian prudes. I guess Aragorn here is more than just Arwen's intended but also a family member returning home who doesn't need to be treated with the formality of a guest.
And yes, I like to think falling in love would turn Arwen into a teenager!
And Aragorn is definitely all man LOL!
As always, thank you so much for your review.
Raksha The Demon
· 5 February 2009
· Chapter 21: Roheryn
Awwww; he's got almost all he needs here - the love of his beloved and the love of his father, and a wonderful horse!
Nice chapter.
Author's reply
LOL! Yes, almost but not quite!
Thanks, Raksha, for reviewing.