Reviews (336)

Author's reply

LOL, I wonder how long it will take for the Northerners to break that habit. "...when the King comes... er, I mean..." Maybe that's the origin of the expression "on the twelfth of never"? I found that idiom on the following page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_idioms_of_improbability Language can be such fun! (Thanks!)

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Kerfuffle jumped into the story without warning, creeping in from the rain looking bedraggled and almost immediately proving her mettle, chasing a mouse hiding among the buckets in the feed room and raising quite a commotion, which is how she got her name. She's an excellent mouser, just the thing every stable needs. Oh! The reunion is coming so soon! I can hardly wait. (Thanks!)

Author's reply

I like to think it (the return of Bill's Voices) might mean that Frodo and Sam (and Pippin) are out of danger, perhaps, and Gandalf has a bit of power to spare as a result. I'm glad to hear that you enjoy Bill's literal-mindedness. I've read that equines, in general, can learn and retain only a small number of human words. However, keeping the company of a Dúnadan (Tolkien said somewhere, if I'm remembering right, that the Dúnedain could understand/communicate with birds and animals) and Elves and a couple of Wizards could have had some effect on Bill's capacity, I should imagine? Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I do appreciate it.

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Oh my! What a wonderful thing to imagine... (Thanks!)

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(I think we all could use some good times after all that's happened...) This chapter and the next few could be labelled as "fluff". It has been a lot of fun to revisit my misty memories of my earliest riding lessons, along with indulging Bill with good company and fine grazing. Thanks so much for staying with me! I appreciate your comments.

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I can assure you that Bill's next encounter with ruffians will be sometime later, when he has the chance to kick out at Ferny when the Travellers reach the Brandywine Bridge. Many of the rogue Men who dared to attack Bree and Archet and the field-workers have now seen the handwriting on the wall and have left for greener pastures. Though there are still some robbers and "dark shapes" lurking in the woods, hoping to accost solitary travellers, Bree-landers are now alert to the dangers outside their fortified town and villages, and they are prepared for trouble – which has the benefit of making trouble much less likely to occur. Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts! I find I'm enjoying the good life right alongside Bill and his current "family".

Author's reply

I think I'm enjoying these days almost as much as Bill is. Whew. Several chapters of pure fluff, that seems to be just what was needed. (Thanks!)

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Alas, poor Bill! My main comfort is that he's in for a joyful surprise when the Travellers return. I suspect that this last battle was the final straw for the ruffians. Though all the villages in the Bree-land had fortified themselves, building or reinforcing walls against attackers and establishing guards and watchers to replace the departed Rangers, the ruffians-robbers thought they could keep raiding the fields outside the towns... until the latest battle showed them that the townsfolk and villagers were prepared to deal with such organized raids. Travellers will still have to be cautious and travel armed and in numbers, of course, as Butterbur mentions to the Travellers, but the bulk of the ruffians (including Bill Ferny) have already departed (or will soon be departing) for the Shire to seek greener pastures and softer prey. Thanks!

Author's reply

I don't think the Bree-landers will even begin to hear about what happened elsewhere until the Travellers return, just from Butterbur's reaction to their storytelling as Tolkien recounts that particular evening in Bree. In reading the rest of your thoughts, I can't help smiling at the surprises and joyful reunions that are in store for Bill. Oddly enough, the onset of October in the real world is making it easier to work the draft chapters into final form. Thus, I have hopes of posting the Travellers' return on or about the same date as is in The Tale of Years. (Think good thoughts. Life has offered disruptions lately that prevented me from finishing my dribbles for LOTR Week – so those have joined the list of WIPs that will be finished, sooner or later, if I have anything to say about it. But, anyhow, I carved out some writing-and-revising time today, so that's something.) Thanks! I appreciate hearing your thoughts.

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Thank you! It won't be long before the Travellers return! The rest of spring and summer, the start of autumn, and then...

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I imagined that half-orcs made up part of the ruffian force plaguing Bree, and that's why their shapes/smell reminded Bill of the shapes in the trees in the Chetwood. And everyone will probably feel better and not know why. They'll probably chalk it up to the fact that the robbers no longer have the nerve to attack the fortified towns or any activity protected by armed guards, even though some continue to lurk in the woods to waylay unwary travelers. They won't know about anything happening in the Outer World until much later, as things stand. Why, they don't even know that the King has come back! (Or will be coming back sometime soon, now that he's accomplished his destiny and saved the world and all that, with the help of a few friends, of course.) Author Reply: p.s. Thanks!

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You're right! It's happening! This is it! (Thanks!)

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No deaths on the part of townsfolk, I'm glad to say, though there are some injuries. Whew. But clear sailing from here on out, and lots of fluff! Thanks!

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Poor Bill. Things are quite confusing at the moment. He may not understand everything until Gandalf returns to Bree and explains to him in person... Thanks!

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I don't know how such things happen! (Sometimes I'll manage to hit a combination of keys that posts a review twice, so maybe it was something like that.) I removed the abruptly-cut-off review. We are in the middle of the final efforts of the Ring-bearer, his faithful Companion, and the dreadful shadow that has followed them to the end. The next chapter (just posted) provides a time clue at the end. The chapter after that will provide more time clues mixed into Bill's narrative that, hopefully, will tie all the timelines (The Black Gate, Mount Doom, Bree) together. We're so close!

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Unfortunately, Bill's connection to Sam comes by way of the power of the Ring. When the Ring goes into the Fire... I'm afraid Bill will be left guessing. At least until a certain glorious reunion takes place... Thanks! I appreciate hearing your thoughts. I am so glad that we're almost there! (But alas, poor Frodo. And poor Sam. And even, poor Gollum.)

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Today is the day! I want to shout the news from the rooftop, but since I'm leery of heights, that's not going to happen. (My neighbors would also be quite puzzled, I'm sure.) That said, Butterbur gave no indication to the returned Travellers that anything special had happened the previous spring. I don't think he even knew that Saruman had arrived in the Shire about a month earlier, or that the Shire's problems were actually much worse than Bree's troubles! (I wonder if Saruman passed through Bree on his way to the Shire, or did he come up through the South Farthing?) As I mentioned in another review reply, Bill may well be the only Bree-lander to be aware of unusual happenings on this noteworthy day. (Will any of the other ponies or horses believe him if he tries to tell them about it? I wonder.) Thanks!

Author's reply

I had actually considered that possibility, but on re-reading what Butterbur told the Travellers on their return to Bree, I don't think such a noticeable thing happened. Thus, as you'll read in the next chapter, the signs of Sauron's fall are subtle. It's quite possible that Bill (because of his connection to Sam and Frodo through the power of the Ring, as well as his connection the Gandalf through the Voices) may be the only creature who has a clue as to what is happening elsewhere in the world, and even Bill does not know the whole story. I also considered the possibility of a messenger arriving from Dale with word of the attacks on Mirkwood, Dale and Erebor. But I couldn't make the timing work. So the Bree-landers are on their own, pretty much, with little idea of what is going on elsewhere. And of course, since that fits with Butterbur's conversation with the Travellers, I think Bill's story will continue to fit into the original story fairly well, and I won't have to label it "AU". Whew! Thanks!

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In the Professor's mentions of Bill after the Travellers' return, the pony sounds both wise and humble. Thus, "insightful" fits, I think! Thanks so much for reading and pausing to leave your encouraging thoughts.

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"One little stumble..." Haha. Rather the opposite of life with Ferny. But then, just as you remarked, our Bill certainly deserves it. Thanks so much for reading and pausing long enough to share your thoughts!

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I hadn't thought of that! But you're right, Pippin must have made a great impression on Bill for the pony to think of him so often. Thank you again for coming along on Bill's journey and stopping long enough to leave some encouraging words.

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I can hardly wait for their reunion! (While Bill's heart is large enough to love more than one person, Sam is the one he loves the most, of course.) It has been fun to imagine Bill's conversations with his mum, seeing how often he thought of her – and the lessons she taught him – while on his journeys. Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts.

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Definitely! Why, it should practically feel like a holiday to our Bill! (Thanks!)

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"At no point in our confrontation do I recall Sauron breaking into song," Aragorn groaned. Yes! That was the story I was remembering! I am grinning from ear to ear, just reading this chapter, and later when I have some free time, I plan to go back and savor the whole story from start to finish. Aragorn shook his head and gave Pippin another hug. "There is no end to the ways hobbits can amaze you." A wonderful moment amidst a host of wonderful moments. (And the hint of conspiracy in the chapter you linked! The expectation that the song would be completely different in tone... *snork* And the suggestion that all bards would benefit from spending time in bed with a fever!) The wine and the thoughts of planning for an appropriate gift at some future time... (Does Elessar attend Pippin's confirmation as Thain in one of your stories?) I'm glad you got a clearer idea of Barliman. I dearly hope his characterization fits the original presentation. Besides that, I still feel uncertain as to my accuracy in reproducing the speech patterns of Bree folk overall.

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(Thank you for your reply. I got derailed, or the Horse of Life threw me, and now I'm doing my best to get back in the saddle, that or whatever metaphor might best apply...) The people of Bree are honoring Bill for several reasons: he fought bravely in the Battle of Bree; he took lifesaving supplies and a message of hope to the people of Archet through robber-infested country; and he was one of a group of rescuers who held a fallen tree in place long enough to dig the trapped Woodman free. Without the pony's strength and determination, the Woodman (and likely more than one rescuer along with him) would have been killed when one of the restraining ropes broke, for the remaining Men would not have been able to hold the tree back from rolling down the slope. In this part of the story, the oppressive force of the Ring prevented the wizard's Voices from reaching Bill, similar to Gandalf's inability to "see" Frodo after "he was saved from a great peril" (I think that might be referring to incident where Frodo put on the Ring at the summit of Amon Hen, encountered the Eye, and heard a Voice – Gandalf's voice? – telling him to take off the Ring?). Specifically, Gandalf told Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas that he knew Frodo had decided to set out alone, yet he did not know that Sam had followed his master. I don't know if I'm thinking of the book or the film, but I seem to remember Gandalf saying somewhere that Frodo had passed beyond his sight or perception when he and Sam entered Mordor. And yes, it has been wonderful to reunite Bill with his dam! Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts! I really appreciate it.