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Benevolence for a Weary Heart  by PIppinfan1988 7 Review(s)
GrumpyReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/7/2007
Oh, Strider did take the right road, to get his horses shoes fixed. A place to stay the night. good food and company, plus parting gifts of food. Good place the Shire.

Author Reply: I'm sorry, Grumpy! My mind is like swiss-cheese lately. :-/

Yes, the Shire is indeed a good place! :-) I'd like to think he would have got the same warm welcome whether in Whittfurrows, Frogmorton, Newbury, or Bucklebury. But I do agree; Bucklanders were better suited to meet Throrongil's needs.

Thank you so much for stopping by to read!

Pearl TookReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/5/2007
Bravo, my dear Pippinfan!! This is such a kind and gentle tale.

“A generous folk, are they not?”

I couldn't say it better myself!!

Author Reply: Thank you, dear mentor! I don't know about *saying* it better, but I know you could write it better. :-)

Your encouragment means the world to me. Thank you so much for reading!

harrowcatReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/5/2007
Hobbits - they feed the soul and touch the parts that other stories can't reach!

Author Reply: Wow...now *that* was eloquently said! :-) Thank you so much for reading!

Baggins BabeReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/4/2007
This is a wonderful tale - I love how the hobbits are so welcoming, despite the forbidding appearance and great size of the Big Person they still offer help and hospitality. No wonder Aragorn loves them!

Author Reply: Nothing pleases me more than to know a reader sees at least one of the points I tried to convey in a story, lol. You spied both! :-)

I did want to display the warm hospitality and gregariousness of hobbits, but I also wanted to portray a younger Aragorn as a bit vulnerable; he is, after all, a mere man and prone to the same heroic deeds and faults as others. Even more so, I agree that he *did* have an enormous love for the Shire and hobbits in general. When he became king and could not keep a close personal watch on the beloved land as in the past, he proclaimed it unlawful for any man to enter therein. I think it was Aragorn's way of continuing to keep the Shire safe from harm.

Thank you for stopping by to read!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/4/2007
Oh, how wonderful! Yes, generous to a fault, I think. And just the right way to encounter his future traveling companion and friend.

Author Reply: I know what you mean when you say 'generous to a fault' and I would agree, yet for as much as that generosity gets them into trouble later in years, I think it is an inherent virtue of hobbits; they could do no less. And *after* the Troubles, I think they'd still be gregarious...albeit a bit more wary of whom they bestow it on.

As I said to another reader, I like to think that there would be a tinge of memeory hidden away deep in Frodo's heart when he sees the Ranger in Bree, or perhaps later when his memory is jogged. I hope to expound upon that bit in the near future.

Thank you so much for reading!

Linda HoylandReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2007
A most enjoyable story.

Author Reply: Thank you, Linda -- gland you enjoyed it! :-)

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2007
I loved this the first time I read it. It's so very lovely in the way that you convey Aragorn's solitary loneliness, and how much the courtesy of the hobbits meant to him. I'm sure that this made a great impression on him years later.

I wonder if he recognized Frodo years later in Bree? I don't suppose Frodo would have been old enough to really remember him--though he might have subconsciously, which might have helped him to trust the Ranger more. Hmmm...

And if I did not already tell you, I love your title for this.

Author Reply: You are so sweet! I didn't expect a re-review, lol, but they're always welcome. :-)

I am glad that you got a sense of Aragorn's loniless because that is what I was after. I really did want the hobbits' generosity to come through, and here is where I must give credit where credit is due to the betas.

I'd like to imagine that there was a wee hint of something vaguely familiar about the Ranger's bearing or maybe his voice when Frodo "first" met him in Bree. LOL, I think you're the one who dropped that bunny in my lap on the challenge site. ;-) Or perhaps it was Aragorn regaling the company with a tale... Something will come along soon -- now that I have my Thursdays back again. :-)

Thank you! As for the title, I initially had difficulties with deciding the right one. I had "weary heart" down from the first paragraph, but it took me several tries to finally come up with the right word to go opposite. I actually had to look up 'benevolence' because I don't use the word often at all (probably because it sounds so much like 'menevolent'), let alone in everyday speech. I think it worked out in the end. :-)

Your encouragement, as always, is like water to a thirsty soul. Thank you!

PF

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