Lera
· 16 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
This is so exciting. I'm absolutely loving this story! What a hilarious touch to have Legolas looking for "Hobbit." And yet it's perfectly in line with his character that he'd look for a lost child.
I thought what you showed of the magic of the white counsel was perfect, coming at it from Eilien's point of view.
Sorry my reviews haven't been very consistant. But I always read the new chapters and am enjoying this very, very much.
Author's reply
I feel bad laughing at poor earnest Legolas, who would never let a child go unprotected. And yet, it makes laugh every time I have to type "Hobbit" as if it were a name.
I'm glad you liked the magic. I chickened out of showing it directly. I just couldn't imagine how to do it. This story has lots of magic actually, much more than I usually write.
Thanks for the review, Lera. I'm always happy to hear from you but I understand that you have a life too!
The Karenator
· 16 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Hi daw,
I'm back. Late is better than never, I suppose. But I will return to the home of my woodland kin this weekend. Ah, the song of the trees....
Anyway, enough mooning over fir and hemlock....
I'm still so impressed by how well you've woven this tale from the Elves' point of view. It's difficult, I think, to separate what we already know from what it must have been like from the view of a group who have no idea what is going on. Giving the 'child' the name Hobbit is such a wonderful stroke. Your take is so original and utterly fun! I know I keep telling you what a good job you've done with this material, but I just can't get over how much detail and originality you've given to the tale.
The spiders are properly disgusting. What a difficult menace to have to fight. I keep wanting to pull out a can of Black Flag Spider Killer. I swear by it at the mountain house. I asked them to stay out...it was a fair warning, I thought! But to have to battle giant spiders that eat every living thing is just too horrifying for me (and Daeron) to even contemplate. You've made them truly creepy. And the Dwarves have now taken refuge in the king's 'safe' area. Even if they are trespassing, I doubt even Thranduil would want them to become spider snacks. And I have loved how the Elves think these Dwarves are such bad parents for letting little 'Hobbit' roam about so freely.
Gelmir! You wouldn't, would you? With Elrond to look after him, I'm SURE he'll be fine. I can't imagine how Ithilden and Eilian must feel knowing that Sauron is gone. They must have a sense of the forest inherited from Thranduil that the others don't have. I imagine they really did feel a weight lifted from them. Like Eilian, I wondered what Thranduil must have sensed at the time Sauron fled. Now, what exactly is worrying the good gray wizard? Just the resistance Sauron offered and then the suddenness of the departure? Interesting. I feel like I've missed something in the HOME....which would not be unusual. There's so much to remember, and I'm low on memory. :>)
I looking forward to what happens next. Carry on. Karen
Author's reply
I hope you're having a good time in the mountains. It sounds wonderful!
One of the things I've found from reviewers is that those who haven't read The Hobbit react very much like the Elves do. They can't understand what's going on! I feel bad. I should be able to help them more.
And I keep giggling myself every time I write about Hobbit the Dwarf-child with the negligent parents. LOL. When I planned this, I somehow didn't realize how bizarre it would be.
It is pretty amazing that Sauron left. Of course, he also left some bad stuff behind but things were better for the Elves for 10 years or so, says Tolkien.
You're find on HoME, I'm sure. What I want you to associate with Sauron's flight is what's happening at home with the Dwarves and particularly with Hobbit. Think about it, Karen. What did Bilbo do to get away from the spiders? What was Sauron looking for? If Thranduil sensed Sauron's departure, what did Sauron sense? ;-)
Nilmandra
· 16 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Legolas searching for Hobbit made me giggle even today. He is so sincere! Poor Legolas - I have the feeling the dwarves will be finding some mirth in this one.
Elrond gota bit of a cameo! He did good. Already I can see Gelmir is feeling better.
Author's reply
I love Legolas's protective instinct, and it is too bad that it just comes out funny here. He's doing his best! He just never read The Hobbit.
Thank you for reminding me that Elrond would be handy in taking care of Gelmir. How could I have not realized that???
mysticheero
· 16 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Hey-dee-who me darlin'
I love the latest chap. I've been readin' since ye first posted and its only just occured to me that I haven't actually reviewed ye before - I'm sorry. That was careless of me, but I hope to make amends by giving ye a nice long review and review each further chapter ye post for this.
Well, where to start - outside of I love it!!!!! - um yes. I only just figured out that the Dwarven group is the lot that go to the Lonely Mountain and that the child is Bilbo. How thick can I get? Anywho, I love the development in this fic - its not going to fast or dragging its butt either - so the speed is just perfect with pleanty to keep the reader occupied. I've just had a talk with my very cool english teacher, about creative writing and original stories (like the one I did for me coursework ((its a novel so I had to hand in a single chapter of my choice!!)) ) Anywho, yeah, I hope that ye post more to this delightful fic soon, I just love it to peices. Toodles and Ta me dear.
Keep on typing the honey
Author's reply
Glad you like it, mysticheerio. I had a wonderful time planning this story and picturing how people would react as it gradually dawned on them just who the Dwarves and the "child" were. From the Elves' point of view, this whole group is very mysterious and a little threatening. And poor Legolas. He's so earnest about making sure little Hobbit is safe and he is wrong, wrong, wrong in his assumptions.
Pacing is tough, especially when you post chapter by chapter. You have to make each chapter interesting but you also have to move the story along. So thank you for your kind words.
I had never done any creative writing at all until I started writing fanfic about a year and a half ago, and I'm really enjoying it.
Rose Sared
· 16 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Thank you daw, I needed that pick me up after a rotten day of family traumas - who'd have a family I say. Then I read your fic and feel much better - if thrandy's fam can cope so can I. (faces into sun with chest out)
ahem
Thanks again for the escape
Rose
Author's reply
Nobody knows how to get at us like our family does. My son can walk into the house and have me shrieking for his amusement in about three minutes. (He's clever.) I hope your family is not facing the same sort of threats that Thranduil's is! Although, I'll bet that for Legolas the worst part of the day wasn't the spiders; it was having Thranduil tear into him like that. Ah well. They'll all get over it.
caz - baz
· 16 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
that last bit was so tense. well now they all should be happy - well not Gandalf.
i'm relieved everything worked out.
i wonder if Thranduil knows. he probably does.
well i'll be off to "revise" now.
Author's reply
I think they all ARE pretty happy, Caz-baz. You're right about that. It must be almost unbelievable to them. Of course, the Orcs and spiders are still there and Sauron just went somewhere else to cause trouble.
Hope your exams are over soon.
Manderly
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
This chapter was so packed with excitement that I was near suffocation from holding my breath by the time I finished it. You really created some pretty terrific images - a flood of spiders!? Just the mere thought is enough to stir up the nightmares. And the trees so thick with webs that the light is blocked out? Yuck and yuck again!
The battle with the orcs was pretty amazing. Not being able to fight from the trees must had caused havoc with the elven fighting strategies. For a moment you had me worried about Gelmir. I am glad you decided to be merciful.
Amazing chapter!
Author's reply
The spiders were pretty disgusting. Tolkien says there were "hundreds" in that colony. The thought of hundreds of normal sized spiders has me cringing, let alone giant ones.
I seriously considered offing Gelmir. His life was hanging on by a thread there. But there's a much bigger battle to come at the end of this story and I didn't want to detract from it. So Gelmir lives!
sofia
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
i think its starting to make sense to me. the dwarves and the 'hobbit' are the same people in the book 'The Hobbit', right?
Poor Gelmir, I wonder why Sauron just left so suddenly. Does Suruman have something to do with it?
Update soon.
-sofia
Author's reply
Yes! You are looking at the story of "The Hobbit" from the Wood-elves' point of view instead of Bilbo's. Excellent! Knowing that should indeed make the story make more sense.
Saruman certainly wants Sauron gone because he wants the One Ring for himself and they've both been searching in the area where it was lost. This is the point in Tolkien's story where Sauron goes to live in Mordor, and Tolkien tells us that he did it more or less voluntarily. I asked myself why. I suppose it could have been because the White Council had the power to actually destroy him if he didn't leave. But Tolkien had also told us that at what must have been more or less the same time (August 2941), Bilbo puts on the One Ring to become invisible in the spider battle. I decided those events were connected and Sauron left because he knew the ring had been found.
Dot
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Y’know, I was watching out for this all day whenever I got a chance but because I was at work I had to print it out to read it ‘cos the computer is for public Internet access, not mine (and apparently reading fanfic isn’t why they pay me) but then not only did most of the paragraph beginning “He gestured toward the trees…” come out with xxxxx through it but Net Nanny kicked in and shut the whole system down! I was so intrigued as to what you could possibly have written but apparently our computer has just developed an objection to talk of scary spiders;-)
And oh how I hate those spiders! You *always* manage to make me freak out with the graphic detail!
You’re right that Legolas is genuinely worried about this Dwarf child. I laugh every time he refers to him as “Hobbit” but really it’s not that funny at all. All of the elves know full well what dangers are in the woods and must be horrified at the thought of a child out there alone. At least Legolas seems to be willing to accept some responsibility on the part of the Elves. He does still seem troubled by Thranduil’s reaction, though. I hate to say it but I think Eilian was always the best off really of Thranduil’s sons – far away from home and the difficulties of playing dual roles. Anyway, Legolas can’t undo anything now and he might as well just get on with things. But who knew it would be so darn difficult to just kill a few spiders and round up the Dwarves?!
Actually, I thought Legolas was brilliant in this chapter. He really assumes control with more ease now and doesn’t really question himself, while at the same time respecting the skills of those around him – like Annael’s tracking abilities. Plus, he’s sensitive enough to put the ‘child’ first, even though he was specifically ordered to deal with the spiders. You’ve brought him a long way!
It’s fascinating to watch the elves’ confusion as they note such things as the large footprints for a child, the fact that he’s light-footed for a Dwarf, and seemingly killed spiders on his own. I always got the impression in ‘The Hobbit’ that the elves hadn’t a notion that Bilbo was there. I mustn’t have read it properly! I suppose now they’ll have to keep looking for him even after the Dwarves are caught. There’ll be utter confusion if they question the Dwarves about a child!!
How frightening that there’s such a massive spider colony now where there was no trace of one only two days ago. It seems that they’ve just missed some very exciting dwarf and hobbit escapades as well! It’s kind of amusing that Legolas worries *now* that the Dwarves won’t be able to fight the spiders. Sometimes I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone reading this. I don’t know how you keep track of everything… I mean, the Elves even hear Bilbo singing! Let me just say that you’re doing an incredible job of showing exactly the other side of the story.
The whole fight with the spiders was just *awful*. Truly horrible. I love that you’re such a vivid writer but when it comes to things like this sometimes I wish you’d just say “There were spiders but the elves killed them.” That’d do me just fine! *shudder*
So they found the Dwarves in the end, eh? It sounds like Sinnarn is quite enjoying himself. But then Thranduil tends to smile rather than frown at him! I presume he did have enough sense to leave someone guarding the clearing…?!
And back to Dol Guldur…
I had a knot in my stomach reading this! It sounds like chaos reigned for a while when those Orcs started coming. But, wow, I’m more impressed than ever by the skill and determination of Eilian’s warriors.
I LOVED the White Council magic bit. I really liked the way you describe it as “darkness were being torn away”, as though there was genuine cleansing of evil. Plus I’d never have made the connection with the Orcs only being out during the day because of the darkness of the place and now suddenly light penetrates and they can’t cope with it.
Poor Gelmir! I’m very fond of him and don’t like to see him hurt. Still, at least he just happens to be in the same place as the best healer there is. Not everyone can say they’ve been treated by Elrond himself! He better be alright because I have my suspicions that there’ll be some killing-off done before this tale comes to an end… It’s quite good of Elrond to see Eilian’s distress and offer to help Gelmir; what Elrond’s just been through can’t have been easy. I suppose he might have been shocked too when he sees the truth of what Mirkwood’s warriors face on a daily basis.
“It was almost as if his attention were elsewhere rather than on us.” Ai! Bilbo! The ring! You’re such a genius, daw. Hand on heart, there’s no way that would have dawned on me. And so he goes to Mordor and bides his time. Although, I do wonder why when the ring is in Mirkwood. Ah well, at least there are no elves in Mordor. And Saruman is “exultant”? If Gandalf knows Sauron wasn’t completely destroyed, then he must have too and I thought he wanted Sauron overthrown to get the ring himself… Or maybe, being more powerful than Gandalf and becoming quite fond of all things evil himself these days he felt the presence of the ring too. Or maybe he’s just happy that they’ve accomplished something…
It’s quite moving to see Eilian and Ithilden’s disbelief. It makes me wish sometimes that I didn’t know what the future holds for poor old Mirkwood.
I wonder if Thranduil can tell? I’d say he can, surely? Although, he *is* a tad distracted at the moment!
That last line made me smile. I’m not used to Eilian wanting to leave the south and go home. He obviously misses his wife just as much as she misses him. I imagine Ithilden will do all he can to get his brother home as soon as possible.
Whew, I’m worn out after all the excitement of this chapter! Luckily it’s almost bedtime here… I’m really going to have to learn how to sum things up in an eloquent sentence or two instead of rambling on. And on and on…:-)
Author's reply
I emailed you the chapter file, Dot, in case you didn't get it.
Legolas has indeed come a long way. He's almost Fellowship!Legolas now. Being in the Home Guard for the first time has put him in his father's path far more than he's been in the past, and that's giving him some problems that I think he needs to settle in his own head. Because his father is king, he owes a kind of obedience that most adults do not owe their parents, and I think that's problematic. I've tried to show Ithilden as someone who can obey his king but still differ from his father, but Legolas is only figuring out how to do that now. Looking for the "child" first is part of that.
In The Hobbit, it's actually very difficult to tell what the elves knew or didn't know. That's part of the challenge here. They certainly didn't know Bilbo was in the caverns.
The White Council's magic was something I'd been worrying about describing, so I finally decided to just show what Eilian felt but he doesn't see what they did because he was busy with the Orcs. That solved my problem. :-)
I was all excited when I decided to try to link Bilbo's wearing the ring and Sauron's departure. Tolkien tells us very little about it. VERY little. But this made sense to me. It's at moments like that that I realize how much fun it is to try to make sense of canon rather than just go with my first instincts which are probably more predicatable.
Anyway, I loved this review. Pleasant dreams.
tigerlily713
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Curious how easy that seemed to be. I'm excited to read more of anything you choose to bestow us with!
Author's reply
Oh yeah. Too easy. Sauron had been preparing a place for himself in Mordor anyway, and I'm trying to suggest that when Bilbo put the ring on to escape the spiders, Sauron must have known. I'm glad you liked it, Lily.
Jebb
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Another stunner I loved this from Legolas's musing over hteplight of little 'Hobbit' right through to the ousting of Sauron and Eilian's thoughts of better things to do at home!
It obvioulsly still hurts Legolas to feel the full weight of his father's displeasure whether it be personal or offical and I can understand that it would be foolish indeed to court Thranduil's disapproval as Legolas knows too well from his childhood. It must be difficult to be both son and subordinate for his thoughts and experiences will always go back to his childhood and it must double the sting when he feels he has lost his Adar's approval.
I thought the ousting of Sauron was wonderfully handled if I may say so enough but not too much detail and the personalities shone through
If you haven't guessed I am thoroughly enjoying this story
Author's reply
I think you're absolutely right that the double relationship of Legolas and Thranduil (king and father/warrior and son) must make their lives much more complicated and difficult. Thranduil has absolute power over his adult son in a way that most parents don't have once their children grow up. Thranduil and his sons plainly love one another; it's just hard for them to work out the proper role sometimes.
I'm glad you liked the ousting of Sauron. I was worried about it and was glad to be able to get away with just showing what Eilian felt rather than having to explain what the White Council did. Who knows what they did?!!
nessie
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Yay! Hehe, I was laughing when Legolas was concerned for "Hobbit" the child-dwarf. Oh, will they all be shocked. I'm glad they finally got rid of Sauron from Dol Guldor, he was starting to make the forest a handful! I hope Thranduil could tell that he's gone, it would probably make him feel loads better. But then he might be even more annoyed that they took action when HE didn't show up at the council, but Ithilden did. GELMIR! Oh, I KNEW it was him that got struck, it's always somebody close to the person who saw it but ignored it so they could survive and stuff. That last bit of the chapter...Is that all males ever think about? Geeze...Update asap, wonderful chapter!
~nessie~
Author's reply
I have to admit I giggled at Legolas too, although it seemed cruel because he's so earnest. And really, if Bilbo HAD been a child, Legolas would be right to be concerned. The adult dwarves had a bad enough time as it was.
Gelmir had the good fortune to be hurt when Elrond was there (if getting hurt is ever good fortune). And that may not be the only thing males ever think about, but it soaks up an awful lot of their brain power, I'm afraid. Hence, they act the way they do. :-)
LOTRFaith
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
lol.. I was reading along and suddenly I'm like oh! I know why Sauron left! :-) lol.. Great chapter~
Author's reply
Excellent!!! I'm so glad it came through. I was a little worried because I had to just suggest it because my characters don't KNOW what happened. Glad you enjoyed it, Faith.
Karri
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Terrific chapter, Daw! Legolas's concern for Hobbit was very endearing. :-) He, Annael and Beliond make a good team.
Author's reply
Legolas is so sweet and so very, very wrong. I had laugh every time I wrote about "Hobbit" the Dwarf child.
Ms. Whatsit
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
And I forgot to comment on the brilliance of the connection you drew between Bilbo putting on the Ring and Sauron leaving Dol Goldur (I'm right about this, aren't I? Please say yes--it would make me feel clever :)). I don't think I've ever read about these events from this angle before. Very original!
Author's reply
Oh yes, you're right!!! I'm dancing around because I MADE IT UP! And it worked!
Ms. Whatsit
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Oh, dear, daw, you had me laughing out loud when I read about Legolas worrying about "Hobbit" and hoping he got back to his "family!" That whole part was brilliant--comic, but still with some undercurrents of seriousness because of the spiders and because Legolas wants to make sure "Hobbit" is safe before attending to the spiders and to help out the Dwarves (insert long, fangirly sigh here!)
I loved Crisp!Business-like!Ithilden giving orders to Mithrandir and the Council members. I also loved poor Eilian worrying about Gelmir--he will be okay, yes? Elrond has his uses. And as for the "excitement of a different sort"...*snort* Yes, Eilian my dear, you deserve it. That was a wonderful last sentence--so very Eilianish.
Author's reply
I know. I laughed too and then felt guilty because Legolas is so earnest and sincere. He really is a good guy, especially since his father was just on his back about the spiders.
Ithilden is used to giving orders and not about to stop very easily. Eilian needs to get home! :-)
French Pony
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Ah, Legolas, Annael and Beliond! So kind, so diligent, so concerned over the welfare of a child. . . and so very, very wrong! I can't wait to "see" their faces when Hobbit's identity becomes clear to them.
But first, the spiders! Man, Thranduil was not kidding when he snapped at Thorin for having roused the spiders. The Dwarves and Bilbo are really lucky that the Elves came through to save their tushies.
And Sauron is gone! Though not by the White Council's efforts, it would seem. Insert dramatic chord here. . . I bet Sauron sensed Bilbo using the Ring and made some weird connection between that and the assault on Dol Guldur. Not only was he not driven out, he's going to be one seriously pissed-off Dark Lord before this story is over.
I gotta say, if Gelmir has to get it, he chose the best time and place to do so. A short battle, with a happy ending (for now) and with one of Arda's greatest healers at his side ready to help. Eilian, of course, is ready to fall down and scream for a while, and who could blame him, but I'll bet Ithilden is also relieved about Gelmir. He's already sat through one brother losing a best friend, and I'm sure it's not an experience he particularly wants to repeat with Eilian.
And, to answer your observation. . . yes. I've been to some phenomenally weird weddings. I think the weirdest was the Aging Hippie Pentecostal Mennonite Wedding. But the Fainting Bride Wedding was exciting, too.
Author's reply
I felt kind of bad giggling every time I wrote about Legolas thinking that "Hobbit" was Bilbo's name. He's so very earnest about helping the "child." But I couldn't help it. I giggled.
In The Hobbit, Tokien says there were "hundred" of spiders after the Dwarves. That truly gave me the creeps. I can't even imagine hundreds of normal sized ones in one place. Ick! Ick! Ick!
I'm so pleased you drew the connection between Bilbo's use of the ring and Sauron's departure. Both of those events are canon, and they must have happened at about the same time, but I confess to making up the timing here. Sauron realizes that the ring has been found and withdraws to Mordor, where he's had a safe haven prepared for some time now (so says Tolkien).
ValkrieCrow
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
*Grins* I love Tracker!Annael.
Stupid orcs....*grumbles* Too bad they didn't have flamethrowers back then...or sporks.
~ValkrieCrow
Author's reply
Tracker!Annael is wonderful. I think that next to Legolas's brothers, he's my favorite OC. Him or Maltanaur.
Flamethrowers??!! WHAT have you been reading or watching, ValkrieCrow????
daw
Duchess
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
LOVED it! Lots of action, more neat tie-ins with The Hobbit and oh CRAP I can't remember whether or not I'm supposed to know where Sauron went! *trying not to worry about that and failing*
What's happening next? I need more! LOL
Author's reply
LOL. Sauron goes to Mordor. But you KNEW that one. The next time Dol Guldur is occupied, it's by the Nazgul. Not a particularly pleasant exchange, I'd say.
The tie-ins with The Hobbit are a tremendous amount of fun to write. I keep combing through the pages of the book trying to figure out how all this looked to the Elves.
Bodkin
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
You are just so clever! It must have taken a forest to assemble all the bits and pieces. And it is just all so clever!
So the White Council didn't really expel Sauron - he was distracted by Hobbit's use of the One Ring. What they really did was keep him away from Hobbit - preventing him from gaining the One Ring. What a fantastic manipulation of minimal pieces of information.
I loved Legolas's care for poor little Hobbit, despite the residual pain of being lambasted by Thranduil in 'unreasonable monarch' mode.
So many spiders - and having gathered so quickly - very ominous. (Getting covered in spider's blood is seriously yukky.)
Interesting how these elves - so used to being under threat against increasingly dangerous and threatening forces of the dark - should be so thrown by the completely unexpected spanners in the works represented by the dwarves and their child Hobbit.
And Gelmir had better be all right. Just a fairly minor wound, OK? Elrond will be able to fix him up. If you have to get injured, he is probably a pretty good elf to have around.
Author's reply
Oh, thank you, Bodkin!!! I am so glad that you got it! I tried to make the connection between what "Hobbit" was doing and Sauron's disappearance as clear as I could, but after all I couldn't come out and SAY anything because my characters don't know.
Legolas is so earnest in his concern for Hobbit. LOL. It's really a pity to laugh at him.
Elrond's presence is a good thing for Gelmir, don't you think? Plenty of opportunity yet for OCs to die in this story. I have too many of them and I'm planning to clean house just a little.
Jay of Lasgalen
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
Sauron is finally ousted from Dol Guldur! I expect the elves cannot believe it yet - and like Ithilden and Eilian, I wonder if Thranduil can sense it. Poor Gelmir, but if Elrond is there, I *know* he'll be all right - but I liked how worried Eilian was, and the way Ithilden reassured him.
Legolas being worried about Hobbit's safety was priceless! But of course when the dwarves are finally arrested, Bilbo disappears - what will the elves make of it when they can't find him again?
Jay
Author's reply
Never mind the elves. *I* almost can't believe Sauron is ousted. I keep looking at the Tale of Years to be sure I read it right.
Poor soft-hearted, earnest Legolas! He will have many worries about "Hobbit" in the days to come.
esamen
· 15 June 2004
· Chapter 7: Battles Near and Far
“At first, Sauron resisted us, just as we had anticipated. But then, suddenly, he seemed to stop. It was almost as if his attention were elsewhere rather than on us. And then he was simply gone.”
Wow . . . this one is leaving me breathless. What a fantastic tale you are weaving! Hobbit and Sauron . . . whew, this is getting hot! I can't wait to read the next chapter and see where you are taking this!
All your reading (and listening) to The Hobbit is certainly bearing fruit. It's so exciting to read a fic like this that is covering new territory -- new for me, anyway. I'll be waiting for the next chapter!
Thanks!
Esamen
Author's reply
The story is a ton of fun to write because almost everything I'm doing is canon but I'm looking at it from an entirely different angle. *I* haven't seen anyone do this before either, so I'm hugging myself with totally shameless glee.
In this chapter, I'm hoping folks who have read The Hobbit will connect the two parts and know that "Hobbit" is Bilbo and that he put the One Ring on to become invisible to the spiders. THAT must have made Sauron spit out his soup. It's canon that Bilbo did that and canon that Sauron left Dol Guldur more or less of his own free will, but the connection is one I drew. :-)
ValkrieCrow
· 14 June 2004
· Chapter 6: The Morning After
*Shivers* Angry Thranduil, not good.
I feel a little bit sorry for Amdir, he only did what he thought was best.
Orcs. Those are fun. Hope to see more soon!
Author's reply
Angry Thranduil -- really scary! I feel a little sorry for Amdir too, and actually also for Legolas and Todith. They did their best but Thranduil is ticked, and he intends to make sure that they're more cautious next time.
I have the next chapter almost done, so you should see a bit more of the Orcs soon!
caz - baz
· 14 June 2004
· Chapter 6: The Morning After
oh god! you've made me really nervous for Eilian. I can't stop thinking that something bads going to happen to him.
i feel really sorry for poor old Legolas getting the run around the other night and then Todith and him getting the brunt of the king's wrath the next morning.
oh well live and learn. never entrust anything like that to Amdir.
i hope nothing bad does happen to Eilian.
Author's reply
I guess I must have had the effect I was aiming at if you're worried, Caz-baz. :-)
I feel sorry for Legolas too. Once things started to go wrong with the Dwarves, it was too late to do much about it. Poor guy. You are so right about Amdir!
erunyauve
· 14 June 2004
· Chapter 6: The Morning After
"The Shadow is affecting you, he reminded himself. You know what that feels like; the Valar know you have felt it often enough. Do not give way to despair this time."
This is definitely one of Sauron's most effective weapons - he really doesn't have to use force in many cases because his enemies defeat themselves.
I loved the bit with Radagast feeding the squirrel. And, as cute as squirrels might be, I can't resist wanting to see Galadriel with a bowl of black squirrel stew.
I have to feel sorry for Amdir, who really didn't do anything wrong. The only way to avoid the trouble would have been to round up the dwarves and imprison them before the wedding started (and I'm sure that's the solution Thranduil would have preferred).
And you can't just leave us (or Eilian) there... .
Author's reply
I always feel bad when I think of Eilian in despair. It just seems so unnatural for him. But it was the weapon of choice, and when the Nazgul arrive in a few years, it will be back again.
Poor Amdir. He was the only one who got chewed out and didn't get to pass it along to somebody else. Well, maybe Thorin. :-)