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Chance Encounter  by Dreamflower 14 Review(s)
GryffinjackReviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/28/2006
Bravo, Pippin! That will teach them!

I thought I had reviewed this chapter, but apparently not. You write so many that it is hard to keep up! Do you realise that this is officially my 200th review of one of your stories or chapters here? There have been a few others, but they are not showing up on the counter. At the rate you are going with writing, I'll never get back to A New Reckoning! lol!

Now, with this chapter, where do I begin? I suppose with saying how proud I am of Pippin in this chapter. He really shines!

"Pippin shook his head firmly. "Frodo wouldn't like that. No more do I." There was a brief moment of silence.

"Very well, Pippin, your mercy has purchased his life." And that was not at all surprising either; when it came to forgiveness, Pippin was very much like his Baggins cousin."

I think this is the best moment - I am proudest of the way he showed compassion for the scoundrel and asked that his life be spared. Pippin reminded me so much of Frodo when he did that - you really could see how alike they really are. Thank you for bringing attention to that shared quality.

""You are quite lucky that my young knight did not have his sword. Trollsbane is its name, and Sir Peregrin Troll Slayer its wielder.""

I am so glad that Pippin has a king who appreciates his abilities and regards him so highly. I expect those swindlers were shocked to find out the stories were actually true!

Poor Legolas and Gimli - they never stood a chance at keeping Frodo away, especially once he knew the truth.

"Frodo, you are my oldest cousin here. But I am not *just* your baby cousin anymore! Here in the White City I am a Knight of Gondor, I am a soldier and a Guard of the Citadel. I have *responsibilities*! And I have a King who trusts me to carry them out! Those Men were planning on taking advantage of us just because they thought we were small and innocent. There is no way I was going to allow that!" Pippin drew himself up proudly, and even though he was not in livery, he looked every inch the Knight. "Strider asked me especially if I was *sure* I wanted to do this. He did not order me to. But if he had, I still would have done it gladly. He is my King and liege--and yours too, I might add." "

Pippin really gave Frodo a dressing down, didn't he! Pippin has now shown Frodo and later on Merry that he is indeed all grown up and not a little faunt needing protection anymore. Perhaps they now really will accept that he is indeed a Knight of Gondor with responsibilities that he must fulfill, no matter how dangerous. I really enjoyed seeing Pippin put Frodo in his place. It's so nice to see Frodo not being so perfect.

Oh! Then there was Frodo's losing his temper with Aragorn! Excellent! I love it when Frodo is not acting as controlled as he normally tries to be.

This was a wonderful chapter from beginning to end!











Baggins BabeReviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/22/2006
I meant to review this when you posted it, but life got in the way. *sigh*
They say the way to Hell is paved with good intentions. :-))

This was brilliant! Those horrible Men will now have to remember never to underestimate hobbits again, and I'm glad Aragorn made sure they knew that Pippin really did kill a troll. Pip certainly proved himself a fighter when Minastir grabbed him - well done, Pip!

I enjoyed Frodo being angry and I thought Aragorn was very wise to stay out of hobbit family business. He's not silly, our Ranger-King, is he? Even sounds slightly wary of our beloved hobbit when he loses his temper.

Author Reply: Oh, I don't think that those Bad Guys will make the mistake of underestimating hobbits *again*--but hopefully they will not get a chance to, anyway. Aragorn telling Minastir that Pippin actually did kill the troll was Marigold's idea, and I thought it was a brilliant stroke!

It is fun to see Frodo lose his temper once in a while, isn't it? And yeah--I think if I were Strider, I'd be a little wary of Frodo in a temper as well.

PIppinfan1988Reviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/21/2006
"Sire," said Pippin, without taking his eyes off the fallen Man's, "could you please take charge of this wretch who thought hobbits were simple and helpless?"

and...

"Frodo, you are my oldest cousin here. But I am not *just* your baby cousin anymore! Here in the White City I am a Knight of Gondor, I am a soldier and a Guard of the Citadel. I have *responsibilities*! And I have a King who trusts me to carry them out!"

Hot dog--go Pip!!! *doing a victory jig* That's it--get'em!!! I LOVED those moments! I could NOT wait to read this at lunch; I was *living* for this scene. :-P That was the one thing that I really liked about the EE DVD in the movies; Merry clinging to a Man and making minced meat of him with his sword. No, I'm not a violent person (and I certainly don't believe you are, either), but never under-estimate a hobbit's abilities. :-O

Yeah, Pip's not the baby anymore, though he's still the cutest, lol. ;-)

Pippinfan

Author Reply: *grin* I think that maybe you liked it?

I do like to show that Merry and Pippin have learned to defend themselves well enough to take care of such a situation!

"Still the cutest"? *giggle*

lovethosehobbbitsReviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/21/2006
I really am loving this fic. Can't wait for more.

Author Reply: Thank you! 8-)

GamgeeFestReviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/20/2006
That was a pretty sad and pitiful tale, lol! All it was missing was a homeless puppy lost in the rain. Or maybe one of the kids could have been crippled, Middle Earth's version of Tiny Tim. "Eru bless us everyone." ;)

I'm glad Pippin stood up for himself against his well-meaning but overly-protective cousins. He really has grown up, to be able to do that. I can see why it would be hard for him once they've returned to the Shire to have everyone thinking of him as a kid again.

Author Reply: It was a very pitiful tale, and if it had been true, Pippin would have helped him immediately. But of course it really was too sad and pitiful to be true. I like your additions--but perhaps Minastir thought they'd be a little too OTT.

It was a moment for Pippin to show his maturity. If Frodo had just been yelling at him, he probably would have taken it as meekly as he usually did when scolded, but he wasn't going to stand by and let Frodo blame Aragorn, and so he found his voice. And it marks a turning point for him, to realize that he can so assert himself in the face of his cousins' occasionally over-zealous protectiveness.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/20/2006
Apparently I've managed to miss a chapter or two along the way--must rectify that! Marvelous performance by our favorite Took, and by the scoundrel cum King standing by the wall on watch. Lovely! And I bet Boromir is MOST impressed!

Author Reply: He did perform pretty well. Of course, his acting skills are part of why Menelcar thought he'd make a good Bard. And Aragorn, I think, relishes any opportunity to shed his King Elessar persona and become Strider again.

I think Boromir would be both impressed and pleased that his training had proved so valuable.

harrowcatReviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/20/2006
Oh this is great Dreamflower. I loved the way that Frodo marched straight up to Aragorn and was firmly put in his place by Pippin!

Author Reply: Thanks. That was a moment for Pippin, wasn't it? *grin*

KittyReviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/20/2006
Ah, *that* was the way they thought to get money from the hobbits? Hmmm ... nice story, though I think I see the holes in the story, too. But of course I know already it’s not true. For someone unsuspecting it could work, and particularly for one who is kind and generous and doesn’t expect others to do something like this.

Pippin did a great job, and I have to admit, I was *very* pleased with the kick he gave Minastir. It was well deserved! And I loved this: "You are quite lucky that my young knight did not have his sword. Trollsbane is its name, and Sir Peregrin Troll Slayer its wielder." Minastir stared in horror at Pippin, blanching. It seems to have sunk in at last *whom* they did approach, didn’t it? *veg*

Of course Frodo and Merry had to react as they did – always wanting to protect their little cousin and forgetting he isn’t little any more. Pip said it very clearly – he is a Guard of the Citadel now and a Knight of Gondor and not so helpless as Minastir and his friends believed. Pippin has truly grown up and matured in less than one year. It is difficult to imagine at home in the Shire he isn’t of age yet!

Author Reply: Yes, Minastir quite correctly thought that the hobbits would be moved by a tale of poor little motherless children and a family torn apart. However, not really understanding the postition of his mark, he left quite a few holes in the story.

*grin* I have to give credit to Marigold, there. She thought it would be great if the swindler found out he'd misjudged, and that Pippin had, indeed, slain a troll single-handed. So I added those lines.

Naturally; truth is, if it had been Merry or Frodo in *his* position, it's quite possible Pippin would have reacted similarly, though I think he'd have been a bit less vociferous about it, not as used to such a role. But he really has grown into the role he'd been given, and his cousins needed to understand that.

AndreaReviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/20/2006
You know, don't you, that you will get this same lecture from Merry, only worse, when he finds out."

Pippin's green eyes grew wide. "Perish forbid!" he said.


That was great! It turned out to be really dangerous, but with Boromir's good advice in mind Pippin managed the situation firmly.

Of course, Frodo and Merry are angry at first, because they love their little cousin and want to protect him whenever it's possible. But he's little no more, he has become a real knight of Gondor - and I'm proud of him :)

BTW, I like the idea of Merry cursing in Rohirric ;-)


Author Reply: Well, Minastir turned out to be just a bit more desperate than the King and the others had anticipated.

Yes, Boromir tried to give his pupils every advantage that he could, LOL!

Those two will never react well to their cherished young cousin in danger, but now they've learned to hold those reactions in check, for Pippin is now able to handle himself for the most part.

*grin* Well, he's been hanging about with all those horse-soldiers. I'm sure he's picked up a choice phrase or two.

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 8 on 1/20/2006
I loved Pippin being grown up and taking Frodo to task. And wryly debating with Merry over their relative positions in this post-War world.

And a nasty trio of confidence tricksters have been collared. The one who resorted to a blade, though, might be a good actor, but he is pretty intellectually challenged. I don't know how he thought he would get away with that! I'm glad that Pippin put his foot down about the death penalty.

Author Reply: He has grown up in a great many ways--it was necessary to assert this to Frodo, though I think if Frodo had simply been yelling at *him*, he might have taken the lecture with his usual aplomb. But to have Frodo angry at King Elessar did not sit well with him. And he *knows* what to say to Merry--never a doubt of that.

Well--I think Minastir had never been cornered before, and he thought he could use Pippin as a shield to get out of the City. Rank misjudgment on his part all the way around. But that comes of thinking you are cleverer than you actually are. If you're a rogue, you tend to think anyone who is not a rogue must be a simpleton--clearly not true.

I can't see any hobbit approving of execution, and to have thought it was on his own account would have disturbed Pippin horribly.

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