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The River by Indigo Bunting	17 Review(s)
Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 11/28/2006
I can appreciate Sam's worries. How wonderful that Legolas could manage the defense he did, and that Aragorn was able to take out Garan. One would-be necromancer less in the world, and am glad he's gone. Now, only one left. Hope they find him before he is able to do more mischief. Author Reply: Hello, Larner! I do apologize for taking so long to reply to your review. It’s nothing personal; I got busy writing and neglected just about everyone. I am glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and I think we’re all glad that the wicked witch is dead. I think I probably could have made him a better villain if I had been writing longer, but c’est la vie. I’ll just have to apply everything I’ve learned to a new story, whenever I get a good enough idea. :)

Lamiel	Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 11/28/2006
Hooray! It is such a delight to see this story updated again -- and such a lovely long chapter too. I didn't want it to end, but of course it must. You have such a nice ear for Tolkien's dialogue, and the descriptions are fully developed without being overly done, and the characters are so true that it is a real pleasure to read. Sam's fears and confusion over his role in Jakov's death, and what he might have done if Garan had not been stopped, are heartwrenching. Of course he mourns the loss of his innocence, just as Merry and Pippin are in shock after their taste of battle. Bad enough to fight at all, but at least when fighting Orcs one has the certainty that they are truly evil. With Men there is no such comfort. The fight scene was a testament to your mastery of perspective -- even under the most difficult of circumstances you manage to stay true to the central character's POV. I can't tell you how much that impresses me. I am grateful, though, that we did learn what all had happened once the dust settled. Near as I can tell Legolas shot Garan, but Aragorn finished him off. I wonder why Legolas shot the guards first, rather than Garan directly? It seems that he ran the risk of Garan knifing Merry during the delay. Perhaps he had another concern that I'm unaware of at the moment. In any case I can't help but think that although Legolas usually makes a clean kill, there was some poetic justice in Garan's suffering before the death blow. But Brund got away. H'm. Legolas is right -- he's hard to predict. But I have the advantage of knowing that this is a story, and I'm guessing that for the sake of the narrative he'll show up again. I can hardly wait. Author Reply: Greetings, Lamiel! I apologize for taking so long to respond to your review. I got busy writing. Well, I’m glad you liked the chapter, and if you didn’t want it to end, just wait until you see the next one. It’s loooong, and if it’s not as exciting as the last one, I think it’s still got some nice stuff in it. It’s difficult to write a “short” chapter that includes a conversation between eight people. I think you’re right about Sam’s confusion over what he had to do to save Legolas. It would have been much easier for him had it been an orc that he had to kill (although if he and Legolas had been captured by orcs, Legolas probably would have been dead from the get-go). I am honored that you think the changing perspective works well. This might sound a little bit boastful, but really, it hasn’t been too hard to do. It has made two things difficult, though: 1) remembering who knows or doesn’t know a certain piece of information, and 2) deciding who gets what chapter! Legolas does a little ‘splaining of his actions in the next chapter. Pippin does agree with you, by the way, that Legolas (and Gandalf too) ran the terrible risk of Merry being slain, but Legolas does have a reason. I didn’t go into the whole thing about Garan’s death agonies in the next chapter, but I might in the one after. But just in case I don’t…. Legolas didn’t really mean to make him suffer, and he did shoot where he intended to – but Garan was thrashing around and managed to put a different part of his body in the path of the arrow. He’d already been wounded by both Merry and Pippin, so that was about all he could take. In my mind, Garan’s ‘never-ending scream’ wasn’t really that long, anyway. It just seemed to go on and on to Sam. Yup, Brund got away. But the story is nearly over!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 11/28/2006
Oh yes. I'm so pleased to see this! Sam really needs to talk to someone about that sneaky little voice that's trying to erode his self-worth. The hobbit done good! The hobbit did exactly what he needed to do - for Frodo, for the Fellowship, for Legolas. And I think Legolas needs to tell him that. And he and the elf were amazing - the bow and arrow team, par excellence. Poor Merry and Pippin will be going through similar angst, I daresay - although I think Boromir might well be only too experienced in dealing with the shock of first battle in young warriors. While, much as I am delighted that Garan is decidedly dead, I'm not at all convinced that the Fellowship's troubles are at an end. Brund might end up causing a lot more difficulty than they hope - and, I dunno, Garan gave up just too darned easily. I mean - it was only a sword in his heart! Fingers crossed that some food and a good night's sleep will get them all back on their feet. I can't wait to find out what happens! Author Reply: Hello, Bodkin! My apologies for the very late reply. No offense is meant; I started out on the replies and quit about halfway through – mostly because I was plunging ahead on the next chapter and didn’t want to take time away from it. Writing replies takes time! Yes, the hobbit done very good! He never would have forgiven himself if he had left Legolas to his fate, so really, he had no other choice. But he knows that he had to give something up to do it, and now he’s sick at heart. Knowing that he made the right choice doesn’t help much when it came at such a high price. Legolas knows what Sam sacrificed for him, and he’s not going to forget it. He’ll help as much as he is able, and so will the others, if Sam can bring himself to tell them what happened. I find it more than a little bit poignant that he is taking such pains to hide it from the Fellowship when everyone already knows. As far as Boromir is concerned, I agree that he would probably have some experience in dealing with young, inexperienced recruits. I enjoyed giving him those few lines; I thought he handled Pippin very well, giving him some comfort while still managing to guide him. Pippin may be young, but he can’t be mollycoddled. He wanted to come, and though he may not have truly comprehended what might lie on the road ahead, he’s in the thick of it now. He’s got little choice but to live through this event and soldier on.

Calenlass Greenleaf	Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 11/28/2006
Great writing. The action was breath-taking. please continue with this exciting story. I'm still here, LOL. Author Reply: Thanks, Calenlass. :) Good to know that you’re still there! Thank you very much for the note. Even if it’s just to say “Like the story – keep it up”, it means a lot. This story seems to have a fair number of people following it, which is heartwarming (the hit count tells me that) – but most people don’t leave feedback. Consider that less than 5% of readers leave reviews, and pat yourself on the back.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 11/28/2006
Wow! What a chapter! It was so exciting to see it from Sam's POV--he could only hear, and not really see what was going on, so of course that ramped up the suspense for us readers! I knew, as soon as Sam began musing on the fact that the Bad Guys thought he and Legolas were dead, that the two of them would somehow play a part in foiling the enemy. But I was stunned at what they did do--Legolas wielding the bow in his condition was amazing! Poor Merry and Pippin, to have blooded their weapons for the first time; and poor Sam, who had done the same when they escaped. Violence is so foreign, I think, to hobbit nature generally--hobbits have to be very desperate indeed to resort to it. But when they do, they do so very effectively. I hope Sam does speak to Legolas--their shared experience will have created a special bond for them, and Legolas would truly understand what Sam is feeling. I was thrilled to see this updated again--this is a WIP that I search for eagerly! Author Reply: Hello, Dreamflower! I love hearing from you; your reviews are always so thoughtful and encouraging. Glad to hear that you liked the chapter! Sometimes I think it’s a shame that I can’t do them from more than one POV. Merry’s take on this chapter would certainly have been interesting, as would Garan’s, but I never seriously considered using the bad guy. This is a Fellowship-only-POV story. As for Sam and Legolas’ part in the fight, I thought it worked for several reasons. First (and most obviously) it’s poetic justice. Second, they were great as the Fellowship’s ace in the hole, even if neither the Fellowship nor Garan knew they were in the equation. Aragorn wouldn’t have run out after Merry with bow in hand; it’s not his primary weapon. So there it was – the thing that Legolas best knew how to use – and since the Men assumed he was dead, he was able to take them completely by surprise. He wouldn’t have been nearly as effective without Sam, though; he would have had to reach the bow and arrows by himself, and he couldn’t have “reloaded” nearly as quickly. Finally, it seemed like the only way out of the situation for Merry short of Gandalf taking a direct hand (which he would have done if Sam and Legolas hadn’t acted). Despite what Pippin and Sam feared, he wouldn’t have let Garan cut Merry’s throat – not without a fight, anyway. I completely agree with you that violence would be foreign to hobbits. I don’t have a grasp of all the details that the true hobbit aficionados seem to know, but I seem to recall Tolkien talking about killing being mostly alien to their race, and that while they used bows and arrows at need, they weren’t much used to fighting. I could get out the books to check the exact wording… but I’m just going to trust that I remember enough not to make a fool out of myself. :) Poor Merry, Pippin, and Sam, indeed. Poor anyone who has to suddenly and unexpectedly defend their life in such a way. Seriously, can you imagine stabbing someone? But back to the point I was going to make. At some point when this story was taking place in my mind, I decided to make it mostly about Sam, and specifically about how he dealt with a situation in which he had to make some difficult choices that were, in many ways, contrary to his nature. Sam is such a fascinating character. He’s such a selfless person, and so gentle-hearted that he seems (on the surface) like just the wrong type for the Quest that he was sent on. And yet look at how things turned out! The Quest would not have succeeded had it not been for Sam – and he surely had to pay a price for his role in it. As a hobbit who would have been happy to live quietly in the Shire until the day he died, he must have sacrificed a good deal of innocence for Frodo’s sake.

Jay of Lasgalen	Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 11/28/2006
It's great to see an update of this, and even better to see Legolas back in action! He's obviously far from well, or he wouldn't have missed the last man, but I'm relieved to see him alert again. I like his unspoken understanding of Sam's anguish - for any warrior, the first time he kills must be a terrible moment. Author Reply: It’s nice to see you again, Jay! About Legolas missing where he aimed…. He hit the first guy and killed him straight off. The second one he shot at was Brund, who Legolas surmises had the presence of mind to move his butt once he realized what had happened to his buddy. My thinking was that he was already moving when Legolas fired, and got out of the way just in time. Bad luck for Our Heroes. And you’re exactly right about Legolas having more than an inkling of what’s bothering Sam (although he’s only got half of the story right now. He knows that the stabbing has deeply disturbed Sam, but he doesn’t know that Sam is tormenting himself over the thoughts that went through his head.) Unfortunately, Sam doesn’t really have the luxury of recovering at his own pace. The Fellowship will need to get going again soon, and they can’t afford to have one of their number stumbling about in a daze. On such an important mission, everyone needs to be dependable.

lovethosehobbits	Reviewed Chapter: 15 on 11/28/2006
So HAPPY you are still hanging in there! I love this fic! Thanks for the rec on the music...I can always use something in the background that inspires me and my muse. Author Reply: Hello, lovethosehobbits! It’s nice to see you here again. I’m happy to say that I seem to be chugging along nicely on the next chapter, so I have high hopes of avoiding another long gap. Three months is way too long to go between postings, but the crazy thing is that when you’re busy enough, it doesn’t feel like three months at all. I hope you enjoy the music. I find their pieces to be so conducive to creative writing that I wanted to share.

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