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Dead Steward's Gift  by Stefania 8 Review(s)
AntaneReviewed Chapter: 5 on 3/29/2008
This continues to be an interesting story - now finally caught up again!

Namarie, God bless, Antane :)

Author Reply: Thanks, Antane.

And I owe everyone an update. RL has been problematic the past 6 weekw, but I will have some time next week for a breather. Hang in there with me.

- Steff

AntaneReviewed Chapter: 5 on 3/29/2008
This continues to be an interesting story - now finally caught up again!

Namarie, God bless, Antane :)

obsidianjReviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/28/2008
That was a beneficial use of the soup, but now I have the "aroma' in my nose after the soup so deliberately was distributed in the tower room. That room will need a thorough cleaning now.

So, lovers instead of ghosts. That makes more sense, although in Tolkien's world you never know. Cirri is adorable. He just knows where he would be most beneficial. but why could Bes not just tell Faramir where the Palantir is?

Author Reply: Hi Obsidianj -

Thanks for keeping up with the story. The staff of the Tower of Ecthelion has a mighty cleaning job ahead of them.

Why can't Bes just tell Faramir where the palantir is, you ask. There are a couple of reasons.

First of all, Bes is a domestic. To be sure, she manages a staff of other domestics, but giving clear instructions to her lord Steward would tie the poor woman's tongue. She had a close relationship with Denethor but doesn't quite trust his younger son yet. She and Marod deceived the Keeper of the Keys and most of the Tower staff big time to keep their trysting place safe from prying eyes.

Secondly, Bes has really hidden that palantir in a secret place that would take a lot of describing. (There's a spoiler for you.)

Thirdly, from a story point of view, it's much more fun to have Bes show, rather than tell, Faramir where the palantir lies.

Now I just have to finish that chapter. Sigh.

- Steff

ireneReviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/25/2008
A ghost story, a mystery, a love story (an unusual one) -- it's getting better and better! And this smart pair of private investigators, Faramir and Cirri, is adorable.
Hopefully, there will be some more chapters...?

All the best, Irene

Author Reply: Hi Irene -

There is one more chapter and possibly an epilogue. I wanted to keep this story fairly short and sweet. It's already much longer than i planned.

- Steff

SoledadReviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/19/2008
Took me some time to get back here. Sorry. But I must say, I've laughed my head off when the mystery was revealed. ;))

Author Reply: Hi Soledad -

That you laughed your head off at the mystery revealed is just the sort of news that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Some reviewers have indicated that the story really scared them thus far, but i also want them to not get too scared. I love comedy/mysteries and had a few in mind when I started to write "Dead Steward's Gift."

Thanks for reading. Now I need to get back to your "verse," too.

- Steff

Linda HoylandReviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/19/2008
A delightful mixture of angst and humour.At least the soup came in handy!
Why is Bes still being beaten if she is living inthe tower and not with her husband?
It is plausible that a devoted servant could have hit the palantir in the film version.
As always,I love show stealing Ciri.A cat is indeed soothing at stressful times.

Author Reply: Hi Linda -

Thank you for your comments and a good catch. I had intended to reveal the circumstances of Bes' recent beating in this chapter but forgot, among all the excitement. Yes, nefarious hubby found her at some place in the city, and beat her. I think Faramir will get the Minas Tirith version of the police on him, but maybe outside the scope of this particular story. At any rate, Bes gets a bit more to do in the next chapter before I wrap up the whole story.

Cirri has a bit more to do before I wrap up, as well. Thanks for following along.

- Steff

Agape4GondorReviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/18/2008
Excellent chapter. Very nice to know Denethor had someone he could trust at the very end! I liked having the Nazgul crashing against the Tower window. *shivers*

Author Reply: Hi Agape -

I think Bes may have become the surrogate daughter for Denethor--but I haven't thought that much about their relationship. Maybe she wants her own story after I finish "Dead Steward's Gift?" Movieverse Denethor totally lost it in the end. In the Steffverse, he still had a glimmer of his old wisdom to try to save his treasured palantir, right? Even in book canon, the palantir survives the Steward, though it probably is haunted and unusable. That's a story for someone else to write. I'm filling in a Movieverse gap.

Thanks for reading.

- Steff

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 5 on 2/18/2008
Ah--not ghosts but lovers! And that's one way to dispose of the soup!

Author Reply: Hey, they could share the soup. That was probably Bes' intention, anyway.

My philosophy in "Dead Steward's Gift" is there is a real-world explanation for most of the scarey elements. The palantir, though, is a different story. Which we will get back to soon.

Thanks for reading,
Steff

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