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Distractions by GamgeeFest	8 Review(s)
Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 8/9/2009
Interesting how the opinions of other have set Frodo's mind to working. A very thoughtful chapter. I confess that part of the trouble I have had in the past with writing about Sam is that I am uncomfortable thinking of him within a class system. This chapter brings all of that forward. Author Reply: Frodo is not at all happy that others might think of Sam as his 'slave' or even just a servant 'following orders'. Frodo is more than aware of the class differences between them but had always done his best to make sure that didn't matter to their friendship, even when Sam insisted that it did. Now, after the Quest and all they have been through together, they are as brothers to each other. The Fellowship knows and understands this, but anyone else simply wouldn't understand that bond. And Sam is still a servant. And your Sam has always been so wonderfully Sam. :)

	Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 7/27/2009
What if Sam had already been married to his Rose?” “I would not have allowed him to come,” Frodo said. “I told him he was to accompany you,” Gandalf said. “Then you would have just had to learn to live with disappointment,” Frodo said. “I love you, Gandalf, but you are not at liberty to give orders to my servants if I do not agree with them. If Sam had been married, he would have stayed, no matter how great his desire to see elves and protect me." “And Middle-earth would be lost,” Aragorn said. Very true! Also very true everything happens the way it's supposed to. What indeed would Sam have done? He stayed with Rose when Frodo left at the Havens. Would have he stayed earlier? Hmmm.... Namarie, God bless, Antane :) Author Reply: I do think there is a reason Tolkien kept our lads unattached pre-Quest. Hobbits are so family-oriented, and unaccostumed to the ideals of war and sacrifice, that they simply couldn't have fathomed going with Frodo all the way to Mordor, much less to Rivendell, no matter how much they loved him if they had already been married and with families of their own. As for the Havens, that would have been a permanent separation from the Shire and Sam simply couldn't go at that point in time. But remembering that Sam at first thought the destination to be Rivendell, he was willing to go only partway, which would have left Frodo alone somewhere on the East Road, still an odd and dangerous stretch of land. He would have left him and returned to his family, who awaited him completely safe at Bag End and knowing exactly when to expect his return. That says something, if you ask me.

polissak	Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 7/27/2009
I am simply enamoured with this story....i am torn between loving you for writing it and hating you for dragging out the suspense! I look forward to next weekend, and please have a lovely (and inspiring!) week. Author Reply: LOL! It's entirely the hobbits' fault this story is taking so long. I wanted it to be no more than a chapter or two, but they keep getting distracted. ;) But the final prank is coming. Thanks for reading!

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 7/27/2009
So, not only wizards but also kings like to have a hobbit around? I like that very much :-) The slaves of the "good" Houses of Harad seem to lead quite a good life. And if they were asked they would not complain, I'm sure. Still, they are not free! That makes a great difference, at least for those who are free! I very much liked the conversation between Frodo and Adrik. And I hope that what Adrik said about his father helped Frodo, too. ...and he still commands the respect of all around him, just as before if not more so now. Author Reply: Everyone should have a hobbit in their care and a hobbit to care for them. The world would be a much happier place. :D The slaves do seem to lead a good life. It may not be all that the queen makes it appear. One thing is certain - they don't want any of their slaves trying to sneak across enemy lines where the grass might appear greener. So they do have incentive for treating their slaves as well as they do. And yet, slaves they still are. Frodo will be looking into that numbing balm, if nothing else. ;) He unfortunately doesn't feel himself worthy of the respect and admiration showered upon him. He is far too hard on himself.

cookiefleck	Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 7/27/2009
I enjoyed this chapter a lot. I hope you continue your "discussion" of the issues (e.g., slave vs. servant, individual choice vs. obligation) raised here. Frodo's statement that he would not have allowed Sam to go with him, if married, surprised me. It would never occur to me that that would be a factor. I've never really understood the delayed "coming of age" for hobbits. Did Tolkien mean that they were actually slower to mature (physically... mentally?) than humans, or was the advanced age for "maturity" just a timestamp in a hobbit's lifespan? Author Reply: Thanks, cookie! I don't know if I'll have time to expand on these issues in this story, but they could always pop up in future stories. Considering how family-oriented hobbits are, I can't help but think that it would be a factor. They aren't raised with the notion of war and sacrifice. To leave home and your family when there is so much danger about would be, to a hobbit, unthinkable. That was the very reason that Merry and Pippin insisted on going with Frodo, other than a naive taste for adventure. It is a much different circumstance in post-Quest Shire when Sam accompanies Frodo, he thinks at first, to Rivendell. He was only going to go about halfway, or as far as a fortnight there and back would get him, leaving Frodo quite in the middle of nowhere on the East Road, which would still be an odd and dangerous stretch of road to travel alone. There was peace a plenty in the Shire and no threat to Rose or Elanor while he would be gone, and even then he was greatly reluctant to leave them. So yes, I do think things would have gone very differently if Sam, or even Merry, had been married prior to the Quest, which is why I think the Professor keeps them single and unattached until after their return. The delayed coming of age I feel is more physiological than mental. I think they would delevop slower physically and so come into their sexual maturity at a much later age (somewhere in their tweens), but their mental processes would likely be the same as our own, especially after growing out of faunthood. That way, when they come of age, they would have a much greater wealth of experience to draw upon. Could be why hobbit practicality was so rampant, and why common sense is so lacking in Men - our hormones kick in too early and distract us from crucial formative years. ;) lol Of course, that's just my take on it. I've seen others, all equally valid, some even suggesting that hobbits mature exactly the same as Men but have much more self-control and stricter social mores that prevent them from getting frisky before reaching 33. That could be as well. Looking at the family trees, it's not uncommon for lasses to be married even younger than 33. And Lobelia was 19 and already married to Otho when Bilbo returned from his Adventure - though of course you could always chalk that one up to the professor not having established the 33 as coming of age rule yet and just never getting around to fixing hers and Otho's ages. But then there's Rosa Baggins too, which also could be another typo, but we'll never know now.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 7/27/2009
A lovely, Complex chapter here. And we see the beginnings of Frodo's resolve to make Sam his heir! Yes! Author Reply: I had actually starting writing this conversation for a much earlier chapter, but realized it was too much too soon. I put it on the back burner and actually forgot about it. I luckily ran across while sorting out my notes and realized this would be the perfect place to fit that conversation and expand on the themes within it. Frodo knows Sam is so much more than just a servant. While he might have merely mused about it before, he now realizes that he must make it possible for Sam to have a future worthy of him. :D

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 7/27/2009
I love it when Frodo gets all angry and stern with the King! And of course, he would definitely take it to heart, the news that the Haradrim think Sam's his slave! I must say, the version of slavery practiced by the Haradrim sounds a bit idealized. (Though I am assuming this is just for those houses that were not under Sauron's influence. In which case, they may have gone overboard in their kindness to their own slaves, as a way of differentiating themselves from the others.) Still, as Frodo reflects, slavery is slavery. A good conversation with the guard. I'm sure there were rogues who would have seen the hobbits as vulnerable, and a way to get at the King through his fondness for them! Author Reply: Frodo put on his lecture face here! Aragorn has been warned! ;) Ah, but was the queen being entirely forthcoming with the details? You can bet that Aragorn will be investigating this matter further before he's entirely satisfied with the answers she gave him. Frodo is not entirely convinced either and, no matter how well they are treated, a slave's life is not a free one. I in no way based the Haradrim's slavery system on the American system, which was beyond brutal and a great shame to this nation. I did though include some Native American influences (children of slaves are not slaves themselves, for instance). You are also partly right. The Faithful Houses are oppressed themselves; they would be more sympathetic to the plight of the slaves and very conscientious about differentiating themselves from the Enemy's Houses. A slave who is treated well is not going to cross enemy lines or betray their masters. It will be interesting to see what happens to their system once the Enemy is driven out and the Houses merge... Rogues are always a problem in any city, and during this hectic time of reconstruction, there were bound to be extra ruffians on hand, looking for advantages. The hobbits would look like the weakest link to them. Aragorn would be aware of that and have them followed, if only to keep an eye on anyone who approaches them and report back suspicious behavior of any of the Men to the king. He should have taken it one step further, and requested the guards report back suspicious behavior of the hobbits too! He might have known sooner how close Sam got to the truth. ;)

shirebound	Reviewed Chapter: 21 on 7/27/2009
I just love this conversation between Frodo and Aragorn, especially this: "I did so because you can prepare your entire life for something and still not know what to do once you have it. I allowed it because knowing that someone I respected so highly might be watching me at any moment helped me to keep my bearings." Author Reply: Aragorn, understandably, would be overwhelmed at times, leading his kingdoms, especially in this hectic time of reconstruction. A little bit of insurance in the public relations department would be indispensable to him right now. :D

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