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The River  by Indigo Bunting 14 Review(s)
nancylea57Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 7/17/2008
are you aware that you have sam ask for his stockings and pants?

Anso the HobbitReviewed Chapter: 4 on 3/17/2006
Oh! Of course there had to be trouble afoot! I just hope that the Fellowship will manage to reunite before they meet trouble. I do like your Sam! He's just as I see him. :)

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 4 on 11/5/2005
That's my Sam, from his unwavering cheerfulness to his insistence that he take care of Legolas' leg. I'm worried about these annonymous men and that Legolas and Sam are once again on the same side of the river with them. Hopefully, they'll find the Fellowship first.

Author Reply: I love the idea of Sam sitting on Legolas in an attempt to hold him down. :-) As for the rest - read on, GamgeeFest! I really enjoy reading your comments.

PeriantariReviewed Chapter: 4 on 11/1/2005
Wow~ i loved this chapter so very much~ I would've expected a longer recovery tiem for both but i'm glad that both are able to recover quickly and be on their way to find the Fellowship too.
SOme of my favorite parts:
And Frodo will need that loyalty ere the end, I deem, thought Legolas, looking down at Sam. A little gardener you may be, Samwise, but look what a garden you now tend!
So very true~ Very well-said. :) Lovely phrasing and lovely use of what garden Sam tends now. :) :D

Legolas had known that he had done wrong at the very moment he had finished speaking. His heart burned with remorse for the wounded look in Sam’s eyes, and he chastised himself for not guarding his tongue. Sam was the last creature in Arda for whom he bore any ill will or resentment, and Sam certainly did not bear any of the same for him. Legolas had no illusions about the high esteem in which the hobbit held him. Upon departing from Imladris, nearly three days had passed before Sam had even spoken to him. Every time he had locked eyes with Sam, the gardener had gulped like a fish out of water, blushed, and looked away. In truth, they had not conversed for any great length of time before today, and Legolas regarded their nascent friendship as fragile. What had possessed him to speak so rashly?
I love your going into LEgolas' head-- done so very well and i'm so impressed by this chapter you did in Legolas' point of view. You made me really like Legolas a fair amoutn more indeed.

And men being around? O_o i guess this calls for a long story indeed~ And them being on the other side of the river is indeed another problem to be faced.
Question though-- was Feidrun mentioned in FotR? I didn't remember reading about it.. or is it something you creatively made up?

I'm going on to the next chapter... despite the time. :)

Great story~ i love it to bits. :)

Author Reply: About the recovery time…. I thought about that for a while. It didn’t seem necessary to beat the characters up; they’ve got enough ahead of them as it is. I think that any serious injury sustained should be sustained for a good reason, say as a plot or character development point, and not just to make a character suffer. I’ve read some stories that border on masochism. My goal is to write a story that is both plausible and a good read, with minimal sensationalism. (I do agree that it would have been credible to have Sam and Legolas come out of that river with more than a few broken bones, though; I just decided not to do it, for the reasons stated above and also because it would have needlessly complicated things.)

I liked the lines that you singled out, especially the one about Sam being a gardener. Interesting that you say I made you “like” Legolas more! From what you’ve written, it sounds like you’re more a hobbit/Aragorn fan. Legolas seems to have more than his fair share of fans as it is already. :-)

This story isn’t going to be exceptionally long – at least, not in the vein of some of the epics that I have seen – but I hope it will still be satisfying. And to answer your question, no, the Feinduin is not mentioned in FotR. I made it up. There’s an author’s note describing it just before Chapter 1 begins.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/31/2005
Just managed to get back here tonight and I enjoyed chapter four very much. It was nice to find that Sam and Legolas had survivied as well as they did. I am enjoying their conversations and they seem to work very well together. Sam took the bad news about their situation quite well. Good thing that Legolas fed him first. LOL I loved Legolas's doubt in his own efforts and his thoughts on hobbits. Great chapter!

Author Reply: Thanks, Grey Wonderer! If it seemed like I was badgering you for a review, I apologize. I just wanted to make sure that you knew there was more, since you seemed to want to keep going. I always have to sigh when I get involved in reading and the responsibilities of life require me to put it aside for a while. It’s funny, but I was so insecure when I first posted this story. I had a series of great reviews from another reader on another site, and the last said that she was going on to read the last posted chapter – and I heard nothing from her for about three days. Of course, the first thing I thought was that she had hated the chapter. I was wrong.

I’m glad you liked the developing relationship between Legolas and Sam. It’s been fun to write the two of them together; they are so different in many ways, but they’ve got some important similarities, too. It has been really enjoyable to watch them learn more about each other.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/26/2005
A difficult choice indeed, but Sam and he made the one which makes the most sense; and they are forewarned of the approaching men and thus have the advantage, unless they were seen in the river, which hopefully they weren't. The men were probably taking refuge as well from the rain.

Author Reply: One can only hope! :-)

French PonyReviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/26/2005
It is good to see our heroes alive and basically okay. They're extremely lucky, but they know that. And they are brave and resourceful, but we knew that as well. I'm not sure I like the idea of them wandering out to meet their friends with strange Men traipsing around. First rule of being lost is to stay where you are and let help come to you.

Author Reply: You’re right about that ‘first rule of being lost’ – but Sam and Legolas know that the Fellowship can’t look for them forever. They know Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf well enough to know that they will be looked for, for a brief time, at least, but the Ring is more important than their being found. I suppose that only time will tell them whether they made a good or bad decision with the limited information that they had.

daw the minstrelReviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/23/2005
I like the combination of Legolas and Sam. They're such a contrast, yet they're edging toward friendship here, and there's already mutual respect. They just don't know much about one another's capabilities.

Who are these smelly men? I'm trying to think of what the smell is if it's not just sweat.

Author Reply: I know I’ve said this before in one of my responses, but I didn’t originally know that Legolas would be the one who would be going downriver with Sam. As it turned out, getting to write him and Sam together has been really enjoyable. There’s so much for them to learn what with all they don’t know about each other. You’re so right – they are a real contrast – but they’ve got some important similarities, too. Like the hearts of lions.

Ha! Love your comment about the “smelly men”. My thinking is that there’s just something off about their scent, along with the usual unwashed body smell that Legolas must have to put up with all the time.

ElwenReviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/23/2005
Your first chapter was rivetting! I couldn't read it fast enough. Your second chapter was a lovely insight into Aragorn's mind and his relationship with Boromir. And your third is a beautiful interraction between hobbit and elf. To cap it all, your writing itself flows professionaly, carrying the reader along. I'm not qualified in any formal way but strikes me you should be making a living at this.

Author Reply: Thanks for reviewing, Elwen! It’s great to know that you’re reading – and enjoying yourself! (Chapter 2 is a favorite of mine; I’m very happy with it.) I’m honored that you call this work “professional”; it’s very encouraging to hear. Maybe if I can come up with a good, original idea, I’ll write my own book someday. That would be incredible.

TithenFeredirReviewed Chapter: 4 on 10/23/2005
Oh, it's good to find that Sam and Legolas are relativly OK. I like the way you are developing their relationship, especially they way Sam's natural optimism buoys up the elf as well. The presence of the men is worrisome, though. I think the decision to reunite with the Fellowship as soon as possible is a good one. Cant' wait for the next! ~TF

Author Reply: Everyone seems to be worried about the Men, but then, you’ve all been around the fanfic block a time or two. :-) I didn’t want Sam or Legolas to get too beaten up, as this isn’t a ‘gratuitous suffering’ story. I want it to be believable, interesting, and grounded in realism, so Sam and Legolas are just a little the worse for wear. Thanks for your positive feedback on their rapport, and I’m glad you’re continuing to enjoy!

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