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Another Moment of your Time  by Larner 6 Review(s)
KittyReviewed Chapter: 96 on 8/5/2022
That Ultimo is quite a piece of work, isn't he? But he certainly tried to cheat the wrong person out of his shares. Should have remembered who Frodo is related to - and that Merry and Pippin went with him. At least now he's properly educated, if he wants to or not.

Anyway, it's obvious how Frodo takes way too much in stride when it goes against himself, but gets really angry when any attacks are turned against people he loves, like Aragorn. I really hope the other Travellers will keep an eye on that hobbit; I don't trust him at all. And I can't blame Frodo for wanting to curse him, because I wanted to have him slapped down hard for his insolence. Glad Merry and Pippin were there, he'd not dare to do anything stupid with them around.

Sounds like Ultimo thinks he can get his claws into Frodo's shares and maybe more when he passes, or is related to someone who is? He was way too happy that Frodo is not supposed to have an heir.



Author Reply: There were some who refused to acknowledge Bilbo after his adventure, and I wouldn't be surprised if some who blamed Frodo for Lotho's transgressions tried the same with Frodo. Not that Frodo could foresee what Lotho would do, of course. Nor was Frodo aware of Saruman's awareness of the Shire and his corrupt association with Lotho. Ultimately does not appreciate how lucky he was that the Ring is gone.

Thanks so!

periannoreReviewed Chapter: 96 on 5/9/2022
Wow, Pippin has really grown up and he has certainly earned that maturity.
Sam's sensitivity to what haunts Frodo and his open, affectionate support is golden.
You have treated the aftereffects of Frodo's quest in such a way as to show its implications in practical, believable terms. Dear, Wise Frodo has devised a caring use for his shares Aragorn is sure to appreciate.
As always your story enhances my visions of Middle Earth infusing it with reality I know isn't true but love to believe in my imagination and heart. However I still pick and choose what to make permanent in my personal M.E. and mean hobbits like Ultimo aren't welcome.
what's with Ultimo's hatred of Frodo? I miss points more often than I like to admit but why would he hate Frodo? Is it just that he wants to keep Frodo's shares for himself?
Please keep writing.

Author Reply: Not all Hobbits were inherently nice, unfortunately. Bilbo's cousin Otho Sackville-Baggins, his wife Lobelia Bracegirdle, and their son Lotho are cases in point. Otho's father Longo married the heiress to the family head for the Sackville clan, and by joining her family name to his own he joined her as family heads to the Sackvilles. Otho had expected that as Bilbo's closest male relative he would inherit Bilbo's roles as Master of Bag End and the Hill as well as becoming family head to the Bagginses, making him the first Hobbit to head two clans at the same time. Otho was unnaturally ambitious for a Hobbit, Lobelia is generally disliked and a petty thief, and Lotho is a lout who wants to be the boss of all. They appear briefly in the movies, Lobelia calling through the door, and her and Otho striding aggressively into the Party Field while Bilbo and Frodo hide behind a tent. In The Hobbit and LOTR they play far larger roles in the books, with Lotho and Lobelia (Otho had died by the time Frodo left the Shire) buying Bag End from Frodo and Lotho subsequently bringing in a small army of Mannish thugs to make himself the tyrant of the Shire. The thugs were loaned to Lotho by Saruman, by the way.

I suspect that there were some Hobbits who blamed Frodo for the Time of Troubles, as the period of Lotho's terrible rule was called, and that Ultimo was one of these. It was this that motivated him to pretend that Frodo wasn't himself rather than greed for Frodo's tobacco shares. Bilbo faced a period when several people within the Shire refused to admit he was himself, particularly when he found himself having to demand the return of items from Bag End Uncle Longo, Otho, and Lobelia had auctioned off after Longo had Bilbo declared dead as he'd been gone for a year and a day.

I write more slowly than I once did, but then I'm growing older and have too many calls on my time and energy. Am contemplating retiring, but I have a floor to install first.

Thanks again for your response to this story, and I hope you like the one I just posted.
Yes, Pippin has grown a great deal during the time they were gone--and the presence of those swords intimidated Ultimo to stop the pretense.

UTfrogReviewed Chapter: 96 on 2/20/2022
Learner, I was absolutely thrilled to see a new story from you. As one of my favorite authors, I have truly missed you. This lovely story is the same high quality as your others offering great characterization. Thank you so very, very much.

Author Reply: I am finding it harder to focus on a single story as I get older, so it takes me increasingly longer to finish each story. Sorry about how long it's taken to get this posted.

Am so glad you like the characterizations--it's always fun to examine how different folk react to the Travellers. Thanks so.

LindeleaReviewed Chapter: 96 on 2/15/2022
What a lovely birthday surprise! You said you were working on one, but I don't remember you talking about what was inside the package, under the shiny paper and sparkly ribbon bow. What a wonderful story. It reminds me somehow of Frodo talking so politely to the ruffian, and Pippin taking offence at the ruffian laughing at Frodo and calling him a little cock-a-whoop and stepping up, standing up to the bully. (I do especially love Pippin in this.) And Sam's quick understanding - ah, but how well he knows, as the only other living creature in M-e who had borne the Ring for a time, how well he must remember the temptation to power that he himself fought off with the help of a dash of good, solid hobbit sense, and yet he also knows that Frodo had carried the Ring for so many years, at the end embarking on a journey where the Ring would have only grown stronger with every step closer to the Fiery Mountain. And Sam must remember all too well how the Ring took Frodo in the end. Such pity as he must have felt for his beloved Master just now at Frodo's confession of weakness. But he doesn't show it; instead, he provides comfort and some of that solid good sense.

Author Reply: Oh, I am so glad that you like it. It took so long to get it written--and to think I used to crank out two or three stories in a single day!

Yes, I like Pippin in this, too. We know he grew up a good deal during the quest, and I've always thought he had an excellent mind under all the apparent Took foolishness. Now he's putting together details he'd probably not actively thought about for years, and understands Frodo's frustration immediately. I always loved the idea that some Hobbits refused to accept Bilbo as himself after his return from Erebor, and suspect some people would want to do similarly with Frodo. It was fun to play with the idea.

But how long would Frodo find himself reaching for the Ring, only to find the Queen's jewel instead? There must have been times he would want to blast some fools who spouted nonsense or tried to blame him for the Time of Troubles. I suspect he would feel terribly guilty each time he found himself automatically for It.

As for Sam--well, he's always been a wonder!

Blessings on you and yours. Give them my love. I plan to be down for Holy Week.

KatReviewed Chapter: 96 on 2/14/2022
Great chapter. I love how you bring these characters out.

Author Reply: I love imagining Frodo dealing with different people after returning home. As for the lingering influence of the Ring--I suspect it would raise its terrible head, especially early in his return and as the Shire's deputy Mayor, and he'd feel temptation to use It from time to time. Thanks so much!

shireboundReviewed Chapter: 96 on 2/14/2022
Poor Frodo, needing to continue to fight internal and external conflicts in distant lands as well as in his beloved Shire. Bless his friends always, and Arwen's jewel.

Author Reply: Amen! Thanks so much, Shirebound!

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