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Truth Be Told  by Virtuella 5 Review(s)
AkiReviewed Chapter: 21 on 2/28/2022
And there he stood, Éomer son of Éomund, thirty years old, taller than most, wiser than many, well and truly a king.

I am not ashamed to admit that this line brought tears to my eyes. It takes a truly great man to know that he's wrong, admit he's wrong and take steps to correct himself.

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 21 on 4/19/2010
What delightful homecoming surprises for Deoric!

The journey was good for him, for it gave him even more insights into his land and into himself, as well as all the new tales he now has collected.

And the Deoric's journey was good for Eomer-- even though he had probably regretted his hasty words even before the scribe left, it gave him time to think of true solutions to the problems Deoric had presented him with. The new ploughshares and turning the boggy land into farmland will be of great help to the Dunlendings, and will perhaps help with integrating them more into feeling like part of Rohan, rather than feeling as though they only live on sufferance.

And I also like that Eomer has come to the right conclusion about his kingly authority over his people-- not that I'd doubt he would have anyway, for I think he would probably always have been a king who had his subject's best interests at heart. But he's still young and new at it, and perhaps this encounter helped him learn sooner rather than later, that a king's temper has a more perilous reach than the temper of an ordinary man.

And BTW, my first thought about Deoric's decision not to mention his pity for the orc: he's right, that's one Eomer probably still would not understand. But Eomer's brother-in-law most certainly would.



Author Reply: Thank you! I don't know if anyone noticed it, but I've used the double journey structure of the classic Arthurian novel, where the first journey ends in disaster and the second journey is the one that leads to the desired positive outcomes.

Letting Eomer come up with the Categorical Imperative was maybe a bit daring, but I think that Kantian ethics, with their focus on rationality, rules and law, are a suitable moral concept for a king. Should he ever get too inflexible in that respect, he's got Leofred with his Aristotelian approach to balance things out. ;-)

And what would Faramir have to say about the orc? That's a really interesting question!

Mysterious JediReviewed Chapter: 21 on 4/15/2010
I'm glad to see Deoric and Eomer reconciled. I'm sure Eomer will be fascinated by the tales Deoric brought back. Merry will be, too, when he comes for the wedding.

Author Reply: Yes, I think Merry will be interested. Thanks for reviewing!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 21 on 4/14/2010
Ah--he has become increasingly a King worthy of the title, one honorable Men will find it an honor to follow! If Deoric has managed to purge away his sin, then so has Eomer!

Perfect!

Author Reply: Thank you! It's always good for a king to have sensible advisors - and listen to them, of course.

Raksha The DemonReviewed Chapter: 21 on 4/14/2010
A fine chapter, with several characters showing evidence of the growth, prosperity, and new horizons, brought by peace. But the part I loved best was Deoric's dialogue with his mother. His initial reaction of indignation on hearing that Leodred had asked her to marry him was priceless, and perfectly in character - Deoric is very young still; and it's not easy even for adults to think of their mommies as people who need a certain measure of passion/sex in their liveds. Of course it was very easy for Deoric to think that Dirlayn would be happy to remain a widow for the rest of her life. It's to Deoric's credit that he could listen to his mother's sensible and loving explanation and understand that marrying another man would not sully the memory of his father.

And leave it to Faramir to offer some new hi-tech tools; it seems very typical of him; and the good relationship he has with his brother-in-law; that they can discuss ideas and then practicalities that might help people who have been enemies in the past.

Author Reply: Thank you, Raksha! The Dirlayn/Leofred subplot is one of my pet aspects in this story and I'm glad you liked the way I brought it out. It was fun to set up Deoric as an unconscious match maker when he asked Leofred to keep an eye on his womenfolk. :)

And who better than Faramir to bring about some advances in agriculture!

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