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A New Reckoning  by Dreamflower 6 Review(s)
LarnerReviewed Chapter: 71 on 10/4/2006
And the goodbyes are begun, and the former Banks deflated as is deserved.

Author Reply: Yes, the farewells are being said. Of course, for *these* Travellers, is the assurance of protection by doughty Men, and a time set for the return home!

And the Banks is about to realize that his life as he knew it is well and truly *over*, and he will deflate very rapidly.

PIppinfan1988Reviewed Chapter: 71 on 8/19/2005
Ahh...I see another wedding in the somewhat near future! I love romance stories...*sigh*.

Pippinfan

Author Reply: Somewhat. Though of course, not till after Freddy gets back...

Hai TookReviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/8/2004
Hopefully Freddy will be able to get use to sleeping on the ground! I'm sure he will at some time, but not fun in the meantime! I wanted to listen in as the Fellowship members talked of their journey!

Sam and Rose saying bye to Legolas and Gimli was sad! I wish the two could stay in the Shire forever, but that just wouldn't me plausible, darn it! ;) I do hope to see them again in maybe another story *hint, hint* ;)

I liked Peony asking if there was a way to keep Poppy from going! Good for her to stay firm, and I hope that she is able to have some fun in all of this as well as learning! I guess learning can be fun, and she will probably meet some of the best teachers!

Good for Merry and Estella to wait for Freddy to come back! I hope that Freddy is able to enjoy it all as he aught to when he returns, maybe his loss wont feel so terrible when he returns.

Oh dear, I hope the prisoners can't cause anymore trouble! I hope Denny and Rolly can hold up against any taunts thrown their way! As always looking forward to more, thank you!

Author Reply: I don't know if Freddy will ever get used to it, but he might get resigned to it.

I know it was sad to see them saying good-bye. But I'm sure that the two of them will come back as often as they can, even though they cannot stay for good.

Peony is a more average type hobbit--much more of a homebody. But Poppy is nothing if not determined. It's part of what makes her a good healer. She is going to have fun learning all kinds of new things.

Merry knows how important it would be to Estell to have her brother present for such a momentous occasion.

Well, so far the prisoners haven't been able to do much, but there is a long trip ahead...






























Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/7/2004
Loved the talk around the camp fire. I hope Freddy finds the strength to cross the Brandywine. I am looking forward to more, as always.

Author Reply: I am sure that Merry and Pippin were not wanting to waste any of the time they had left for spending with their dear friends. They would talk and talk as much as they could.

Freddy has more strength than he realizes.

A little more to come soon.

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/7/2004
Being a King did not sound like much fun. LOL, too true. Though I'm sure being the Master has it's down sides, at least Saradoc doesn't have to deal with the stuffiness of courts.

No Angelica to see Freddy off? And I would figure that Rosamunda would prefer the delay in Estella and Merry getting married, if she dislikes Merry so much.

This chapter was so wonderfully written, almost plaintive. Everyone's getting ready to leave and move on with their lives, or embark on a grand adventure. It's going to be hard for everyone to say good-bye, and for us readers to see this story end.

Author Reply: Yes, being the Master can have its down side, and hobbits do have their own sort of formality. (Imagine trying to explain the intricacies of hobbit gift-giving customs, for example.) But nothing like the kind of elaborate pomp Gondor goes in for. Which, let us face it, probably isn't Strider's favorite part of the job.8-D

Angelica remained at home in Hobbiton. She would not have had the excuse of going home that Estella had, and if Ponto did not want to go, it wouldn't have done for her to go on her own. She would have had Estella on the trip there, but no one to come back with.

As for Rosamunda, she is ambivalent about Merry. She knows what a good catch he is socially and financially, which weighs a lot with her, and she's not *completely* mercenary, to her credit, she knows that Estella loves him and he, Estella. And he got somewhat in her good books by the very thing that made Estella upset with him: lighting into the Bankses, to whom she has now transferred the blame for the "bad stuff" that happened during the Troubles. But she still harbors suspicions of his supposed "wild Brandybuck streak",and she does not remember his childhood pranks with fondness. And he lives across the River. She probably won't mind the delay, and it may go some to assure her of Fredegar's safety--she'd reason that Merry would not risk his betrothal to Estella if he weren't certain Freddy would in fact be back in a year.

I am glad that you caught the mood I was trying to portray in this chapter. Our four Travellers are not travelling this time, and are having to say farewell once more to dear friends, especially Legolas and Gimli. But we have a whole 'nother group who are setting out for the first time to become travellers, and have their own mixed feelings.

I'm rather going to be sorry to see it end myself, but I am seeing the goal I set for myself coming in sight.

KittyReviewed Chapter: 71 on 9/7/2004
Sorry for not reviewing the last chapters, I wasn't at home.

I have enjoyed the wedding very much. Doubtless the Shire will remember this wedding for long years, with the men and Legolas there and all. And it was quite sweet how Frodo managed to praise Sam's help during the Quest even then.

As for this chapter, it seems at least one of the prisoners has come to his senses, and I hope they will not dare to say anything nasty to Rolly and Denny Banks again. And I was quite amused about the problem how to feed Hobbits on the road to Gondor, that was very funny. I wonder if the men will ever understand how so little people can eat so much ;-)

Somehow I am a bit sad because the delegation will leave the Shire now, for it surely means this story will come to an end soon, too. I could read on forever. Have you decided about a sequel yet? I still wonder what Éomer and Aragorn will do with the Banks brothers and how the inexperienced Hobbits will go along with travelling so long and far and live with the big folk. I know, I am insatiable ...

Author Reply: That's quite all right. I hope you were away for fun and not toil!

I definitely wanted this to be the most memorable wedding the Shire had seen for years, or will see for years to come! And Frodo will take every opportunity he can get to praise Sam.

I'm not sure Bracegirdle has actually come to his senses, but he knows the futility of trying anything. Marked as they are, they will NEVER be able to settle in any land of hobbits again. Even in Bree, they will know what the marking means.

Yes, feeding a dozen hobbits on a long journey is a real matter of logistics, isn't it? 8-D

I am definitely planning at least *one* sequel, though it is still in the planning stages, and I won't be ready to start posting it for a good while. But I will cover at least the journey to Edoras, if not more.

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