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| The Way Home by Lindelea | 189 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 1/28/2026 |
| Ferny will learn a hard lesson if he tries to reclaim Bill! All that remains now is to take up residence in the stable at The Prancing Pony, and Bill will be well-cared for until the hobbits and Gandalf return. | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 1/27/2026 |
| "He cannot harm you any longer. You have outgrown him and his ways, and he has no place in your life." Sounds exactly like something Gandalf would say. I needn't have worried about what would happen if Bill ever ran into his "old misery" again. Should have seen that coming. What a triumph for the once "only a pony." Greatheart indeed! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 49 on 1/27/2026 |
| I notice that I am no longer pressed against the Ranger's leg – or against his horse's side – but I am trotting freely alongside, matching the horse's strides as we go, my head and tail held high. Not only that, but I have every confidence that even should my old misery sneak into the inn's stables at night to try and steal me away, he will be no match for me – for what I have become. What a triumphant moment and realization, after this long, dreadful journey. I'm so happy for Bill. | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/23/2026 |
| Aha! Now comes the explanation of why he ended up in Bree and not Rivendell. Hopefully he won't have to have anything to do with his "old misery" again. And we knew Shadowfax wouldn't be able to stay with him forever, but I also knew the Rangers wouldn't abandon him :) Almost the same conversation at the end that he had with Shadowfax a couple of chapters ago. I love that. And the way he refers to Elladan and Elrohir as "almost-elves." And the Voices are back, now that Gandalf is back. Must be a great comfort to him. Author Reply: At last, Bill makes it clear why he ended up in Bree and not in Rivendell as Gandalf had suggested. He will have a brush with his old misery as soon as the next chapter. That said, he's not the same pony Ferny once knew. Best of all, Bill knows that for a fact. The two equines grew close in their journey and were reluctant to say goodbye, so hopefully that idea came through in their extended farewells. Bill will be glad to see Shadowfax again, a few months from now, and of course the two will travel together again on the way to the Grey Havens. I can easily imagine them exchanging parting thoughts even as Sam and Pippin and Merry are saying goodbye to Frodo and Gandalf. (sigh) Thanks so much for reading and pausing to share your thoughts! I do appreciate it. | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/23/2026 |
| By all means, do as you previously planned, and write the story all the way to the Grey Havens and back! I want to see how Bill fares at The Prancing Pony and in the Shire, too. Won't he be happy to see Gandalf and the hobbits again! =) Author Reply: I'm glad to hear your thoughts on the matter! Oh, he's going to be so happy to greet them again, a few months from now... A few chapters will cover what happens before that time since I took some time imagining what Bill might have experienced during his wait. But it won't be too long... Thanks! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/21/2026 |
| It's wonderful that "lord Greatheart" doesn't have to take this final bit of the journey alone. And that the Voices are back! Shadowfax will have so much to tell Gandalf when they meet again. Author Reply: I wasn't sure at first if the Voices would return, but in the end, it made sense. Oh my, can you imagine the conversation flowing between Shadowfax and his Rider!? (I love imagining Gandalf's first encounter with Bill when the returning Travellers reach Bree.) | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 48 on 1/21/2026 |
| Won't Barliman Butterbur be surprised to find Bill in his care! At least Bill will be well cared for at The Prancing Pony. At any rate, Shadowfax got him safely to close to where Bree is; the Ranger can take him from there to the inn. He'll be safe there while waiting for the hobbits to join him. Author Reply: The good innkeeper won't know what to make of it! (It'll be a head-scratcher, and no mistake.) Whew, what a relief to know the plucky pony has almost reached safety. He'll have some time to wait for his Sam's return, but his troubles are mostly over. (I ought to end the story with his arrival at Bree, with an epilogue of Sam's return, but the rough draft based on the original outline runs all the way to the Grey Havens and back again. So there's a possibility the story will go on a bit longer. I keep going back and forth on the matter.) | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 1/13/2026 |
| Aww, I was hoping that Shadowfax would see Bill safely to The Prancing Pony! But if the Voices have returned, then it doesn't matter; he will make it there safely. Bree must be pretty near, then! Will one of the Rangers take him there, then, and deliver him to Butterbur? Author Reply: You get your wish! (Not a spoiler, as I just posted the next chapter) If I followed Tolkien's clues and map correctly, they are only a few miles from Bree at this point. The snow on the Road this close to Bree is packed down by local activities, making for easier travel, so it won't take them long to get to Bill's destination. Thanks so much for reading and stopping to share your thoughts. I do appreciate it. Author Reply: p.s. I would have loved for Shadowfax to see Bill safely to The Prancing Pony. However, in thinking through Bill's return, it seemed to me that such a thing would have made more of an impression on Butterbur, and he would have mentioned it when telling the Travellers about Bill's return. It made more sense to me to have a Ranger bring him back since the Breelanders appeared to take the Rangers for granted; notably, the absence of the Rangers seemed to get the Bree-landers' attention more than their earlier presence had done. | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 1/9/2026 |
| “… I am as relaxed as someone can be, holding a sword and anticipating an attack!” “Youngest” has a point LOL Good thing Bill is with the Rangers now that Shadowfax has to leave him. At least he won't be alone. I'm sure the Rangers will take good care of him until they get him to a safe place. Author Reply: I, too, can certainly see Pippin's point of view! "Relaxing" is not the first word that comes to mind when swinging a sword or engaging in any vigorous physical activity, I should think. I learned over my years of jogging/running for exercise that if I didn't run relaxed, I tired much more quickly. Your assessment of the Rangers sounds quite accurate to me! Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts. I appreciate it. | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 47 on 1/9/2026 |
| What instructive, patient, and wonderful lessons Aragorn taught his hobbits. Oh my goodness, what an unexpected joy for Bill and Shadowfax! I'm as thrilled as they are! Author Reply: It was such a relief to come to this chapter! (And here we have the explanation of why Bill ended up in Bree and did not go to "Elrond's house" as Gandalf seemed to foresee. It was an itch I needed to scratch.) (Actually, Boromir was the schoolmaster for this particular lesson, but it could as easily have been Aragorn. Does it sound too familiar in tone? It's not their first training session but one in a series. I had the thought that Boromir saw the need to begin training the hobbits soon after Pippin and Merry were added to the Company, and used the same training techniques he'd honed with raw recruits during his time in Gondor. I admit to being heavily influenced by the memory of film-Merry and Pippin tackling him in the middle of a practice session which conveyed a warm feeling that had grown up between the Man of Gondor and the Hobbits in the Company.) Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated. | |