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A New Reckoning  by Dreamflower 11 Review(s)
LarnerReviewed Chapter: 48 on 9/28/2006
Excellent! Now to find Dago. Too bad for Opal, though. I grieve for what she's been through and what she will know now.

And so this is how Hyacinth left the Great Smials, eh? Very appropriate; and perhaps the lasses will now have a chance to grow up and gain some empathy or something.

Author Reply: Yes, poor Opal. And yet, as I hinted, this might actually be the making of her...

This was what caused her banishment from the Great Smials. Fortunately for her, the depths of her perfidy were not revealed, or she probably would have been banished from the Shire altogether!

Perhaps they will. They are Regi's daughters as well, and now they'll have a chance to learn that.

AspenJulesReviewed Chapter: 48 on 7/5/2006
I LOVE that all the 'culprits' have to do is look at Frodo and they spill the beans! What is it, do you think? That they think he can see through them anyway, and so can't lie convincingly? Is it a legacy of the Ring, or the strengthening of his Elvish qualities due to the refiner's fire that purged away so much of the rest of him?

And great decision by Paladin, to simply turn them over to those to whom they did the most wrong. That really would be a scary thing to those who had experience with the Ruffians, and also it's ironic justice... that the one who is largely responsible for putting all the hobbits of the Shire at the mercy of men is now at the mercy of Men himself. Truly wonderful story writing, Dreamflower! ((Hugs!))

Author Reply: Is it a legacy of the Ring, or the strengthening of his Elvish qualities due to the refiner's fire that purged away so much of the rest of him?

Both, in a way. I think the Frodo who came out of the Quest had become, because of his experiences and his sufferings, one of what JRRT calls The Wise (like Elrond, Galadriel, or Celeborn). His strength of Will, and the clarity of his insight would make him a bad one to try and lie to.

And for the rest, as to turning them over to the Men--well, that *is* who they committed their crime against--and it will be extremely scary.

PIppinfan1988Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 7/31/2005
Thank you, Eglantine!!! Somebody had to do it. She ought to have done the same as Merry, seeing that for years Hyacinth wore the breeches in her family. Oh, I’m bad.

Go, Paladin! Let the king do justice on Clodio--and his sons.

Pippinfan

Author Reply: Eglantine and Paladin are going to waste no more time dealing with nasty relations. Frodo was stuck with S.B.s and the Tooks were stuck with Hyacinth and the Bankses.

And the king's justice is what "Road to Edoras" is about...

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 48 on 6/23/2004
Being eaten by a passing troll is one thing - still seems quite a good plan, though it might not do much for the plot! But hobbits are nicer than Men and more balanced in their dealings with people - I can't see Paladin just saying Go! - without having something to do with 'where' in his head. - He (and even more Pippin) wouldn't be able to deal with her sleeping in ditches or starving. Plus the Shire is quite a male dominated society (politically rather than crushed and hard done by hobbit lasses) and I think that they would find it harder to banish Hyacinth than the Bankses and Bracegirdle. (Especially as her offences are the not really the sort of thing you can put down on a charge sheet - being horrible, not bringing up your children well, despising your husband, etc. About the only thing she actually did, was ill-wish Pippin - and, at nearly thirty years ago the Statute of Limitations has probably run out on that one.)

Still maybe the passing troll will come along and remove the problem.

Author Reply: Actually, Paladin knows very well what she will probably do. And though he and Eglantine do not want to deal with her, the problem will be delegated to someone who can. No, they would not leave her to starve in a ditch--after all, even though she is a poor example of one, she is a mother.

I think the revelation of the ill-wishing put some of her subsequent behaviours into a new light; in other words, when Pip was born that was just the start of it.

However, I will keep the passing troll in mind if I run out of other ideas.8-)

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 48 on 6/23/2004
Such drama! Great chapter, from Pippin calling his father "Thain" to Clodio fainting. Where will Hyacinth go if she's turned out of the smials? I'm sure she has family somewhere, but will they want her? I feel sorry for her. This is a very rude awakening for her.

I hope they'll be able to find Dago. He's gotten a bit of a head start with all the commotion going on.

Paladin can't let a few ill-minded hobbits get him down.

Author Reply: Thanks. I thought I'd better try and get through the rest of the night. I feel like I have been on this one day *forever*. Yes, Hyacinth has family. They *may* condescend to take her in. I don't know if she is actually awakened (in the sense that she learned something) but she knows that the blinders are off for several people, and she won't be getting her way with them anymoe.

I'm still deciding what to do with Dago.

Paladin is a little down right now; after all it's being betrayed by family and that's rough, plus he's been up now for almost 24 hours, so he has to be tired. But he'll bounce back once the unpleasantness is taken care of.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 48 on 6/23/2004
Horrible as Horrible Hyacinth is - can Paladin really cut her off from her family and throw her out of the Smials with nowhere to go? Isn't that being equally mean? And isn't a large part of the reason she is so horrible that everyone has let her get away with her nasty ways for so long - so don't they share the responsibility for it? So she wanted Reggie to become Thain - it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that she could have become reconciled in time if she was dealt with intelligently at the time - ignoring her for the next twenty eight years is probably not going to have done much to improve her attitude.

Still - poor Opal. Such big consequences from such a small beginning.

And I suppose the nasty Bankses and Bracegirdles could think the same. A profitable business opportunity come back to bite them.

Author Reply: You mean you don't want her eaten by a passing troll anymore? 8-) I would not say that she has *nowhere* to go, just that Paladin (and Eglantine) do not want her under their roof anymore. Yes, she was allowed to get away with too much for too long, but she was horrible before that. Sometimes horrible people *are* allowed to get away with their behaviour, because of manners, and people around them wanting peace and quiet. It's possible that there might have been another way to deal with it, but imagine how Reggie felt to learn that was the *only* reason she married him, or that she wished his cousin's only son dead? He would have been too humiliated to confide in anyone, and without guidance, ignoring her was the best thing he managed to come up with. Over time, it turned into a miserable habit.

Big consequences do often come from small beginnings. Bilbo found a ring on the floor of a tunnel and put it in his pocket.

Yes, the Bankses, and Bracegirdle eventually, are definitely getting bitten in the backside by their own doings.

maya_arReviewed Chapter: 48 on 6/23/2004
Good heavens, things are certainly getting fraught! What a welcome back to the shire for our poor heroes.

I'm looking forward to seeing the happy ending - there will be one, I hope?

Author Reply: Oh definitely! I would not leave such a mess, trust me, I love those hobbits too much for that, and I am not that crazy about a lot of heavy angst, so things should lighten up soon, I hope. But sometimes the characters have their own ideas.

Lyta PadfootReviewed Chapter: 48 on 6/23/2004
I just read this story through tonight and could not stop to review - I just HAD to read the next chapter until I exhausted all you've posted. Fantastic! The Banks' and Hyacinth are experiencing overdue justice. I feel sorry for Opal, though. My grandfather lost a leg below the knee to diabetes in his seventies and it was a rough road, even with the support of his wife and family. Opal will not have that stability as she will recover with radically altered family. Hopefully it is not too late for the Jewelery and Reggie will be able to teach them better. I do hope the Bracegirdle hobbit will get caught. Wasn't he planning on escaping via Sarn Ford? I seem to recall Rangers being stationed there...

Author Reply: I'm really glad you have enjoyed the story so far. It has taken me in some different directions than I had intended when I started, so sometimes it surprises me,too.
Opal will have a hard row to hoe, that is certain. But believe it or not, it may end up being the best thing for her. We shall see.
Dago Bracegirdle will eventually get what's coming to him, too. I'm not sure yet exactly where or when, but I have not forgotten the Rangers at Sarn Ford, eiher.

KittyReviewed Chapter: 48 on 6/23/2004
Oh Valar, what a chapter! I love the way Reggie told his wife in front of everyone about his reasons for not touching her for so long. It was well deserved. Now everyone knows about her! To want a baby death is horrible! And Hyacinth herself - her reaction about the fate of her daughter was beyond my understanding. Prospects only - she is a heartless bitch, really! (Sorry, but I don't know any other word for her!)

The Banks seems to be much worser than I had expected. So Lotho couldn't have done all that without Clodio and Dago? That's a surprise! It's a good decision to send them to the men - it will frightening them to death :-) And I hope very much Paladin will in the morning send someone to caught Dago and deliver him to the encampment, too!

I love Paladin more with each chapter - he is a great Thain. The way he and Eglantine dealt with this is impressing! No wonder Pippin is the valiant Hobbit he is - with such parents!

Author Reply: That's the whole point about Hyacinth: she is heartless, self-sentered, and only concerned with the surface appearance of things. When I first thought of her, I was only thinking of her as funny: a silly snob. But somehow she took a darker turn. I guess that is because it's so un-hobbitlike. Your word for it is pretty apt. I only didn't use it because I don't think hobbits would.

Lotho had pretty big ambitions. I don't think he could have afforded to expand so much, and so rapidly outside the Shire without a good deal of money. And while it was obvious that a lot of it was provided by "Sharkey", he must have had extra money to get it going in the first place.

Not sure yet what I've got in mind for Dago.

I'm glad you like "my" Paladin and Eglantine. I think a hobbit as special as Pippin would have pretty special parents.

Hai TookReviewed Chapter: 48 on 6/22/2004
Reggie standing up to his wife and being concerned for his daughter was done very well! I like the way you wrote him with such feeling, makes you pity and respect him! Paladin throwing Hyacinth out of the Great Smials! I guess finding out that she wanted your only son dead when he was a baby might do that to you.

I guess the Banks' will be getting their come up's. Being dealt with by the Men could be quite frightening for them. How they were going to handly trying hobbits is beyond me!

Can't wait for more! You always leave off just the right way! Looking forward to it!

Author Reply: Reggie's finally found his backbone after all these years. And as Paladin said, he doesn't want a viper in his nest.

Just wait until the assembly!

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