Dreamflower
· 6 February 2005
· Chapter 3: Halfway to Teatime
Of course this would be Merry's reaction--that he should have stayed by Pippin's side the whole time, beyond reason (and if it had be reversed, I daresay Pippin would have had the same reaction)--but Pippin was right. This, in a way is very much an echo of the Quest in more ways than one. Merry and the horn-calls of Rohan came in the very nick of time to the Siege of Minas Tirith as well. It seems that Merry's rightful role is to "ride to the rescue" rather than be there on the spot at the time, but it's not something he will easily admit to. Separation from his cousin does not sit well with him. I hope that his family is able to deal with this touch of the Shadow that seems to have come on as a result of all this.
It's possible that Merry and Pip might need to have a little private heart-to-heart. Wonder how Sam's going to react to this news?
Author's reply
Ah, yes, Sam. I'd imagine the messengers ought to be reaching Hobbiton about now.
I hadn't thought of Merry as always riding to the rescue, at least not consciously, but you are right! (And sometimes the tables are reversed, and it is Pippin who rides to the rescue. But more often Merry, it seems.)
Thanks!
Bodkin
· 6 February 2005
· Chapter 3: Halfway to Teatime
I think Merry is in need of a bit of care and attention too. He does like to have the cares of the world on his shoulders.
Listen to your cousin, Merry. If you had been by his side, you would both have died - stop feeling guilty.
"‘You look like something the cat dragged in.’
‘Bless her heart,’ Pippin said. ‘At least she didn’t leave me lying about in the yard.’ "
Well, Pippin can manage humour, so maybe he is beginning to recover - although worry for Merry will probably bring him round more quickly.
(The tip of the ear kiss - as the only place he is not too injured for it to be painful. Is it Indiana Jones that reminds me of?)
Author's reply
Yes, the tip of the ear kiss is a tip of the hat to Indiana Jones. Fond memories, those.
Hai Took
· 5 February 2005
· Chapter 3: Halfway to Teatime
Poor Merry, feeling a bit guilty about not being taken to supper was he? I hope he isn't affected too much by the what-ifs!
I did like your description of the argument between Merry and Pippin about Merry being with him. Saradoc finding it a bit amusing and all. Looking forward to more!
Author's reply
O those dreadful what-ifs! No wonder there's a hobbit proverb about them bringing one's head down to an early grave.
Thanks!
Grey Wonderer
· 5 February 2005
· Chapter 3: Halfway to Teatime
Merry is so full of guilt and fear that he is nearly in worse shape than Pippin at this point. I am very glad that Saradoc is watching him so closely. I suspect his dreams will be as dreadful as Pippin's will. Loved Saradoc's reactions to Pippin's fussing over Merry and trying to reassure him. This is another good chapter so naturally, I am anxious for more. Greedy, aren't I?
Author's reply
I suspect Merry's dreams *would* be dreadful if he'd let himself sleep.
Ah, how I love a greedy reader. Especially when they use feedback to spur me on to further effort. Go ahead, crack that whip. I'm a glutton for punishment.
Larner
· 5 February 2005
· Chapter 2: Breakfast in Bed
I so love your Esmeralda. Quite the Took.
Author's reply
Yes, have neglected Esmeralda dreadfully, and her one of those delightful Tooks and all. At least I figured out a "nickname" for her that I could live with. If only I could do the same for Eglantine.
Larner
· 5 February 2005
· Chapter 3: Halfway to Teatime
You write so well!
Poor Merry, cursed with such a strong sense of responsibility even when he's done what was needful to begin with.
Author's reply
Thank you. Guilt is a funny thing, always ready to oblige even when not wanted.
Connie B.
· 5 February 2005
· Chapter 3: Halfway to Teatime
Merry has really got to lighten up. He is so hard on himself. Yes, he's always been the protective older cousin, but there are limits to everything. He can't spend the rest of his life rescuing Pippin's butt from every trouble he lands himself in. Saradoc knows this, and so does Pippin, I think. Now it's just getting Merry to see that fact. I know it takes several years for this fact to sink through that thick Brandybuck skull.;)
Thanks for a chapter that really got involved.
Connie B.
Author's reply
Ah, yes. He really doesn't learn to let go until "Rope", and even then he doesn't really let go, he just holds himself back so that it *appears* he's let go.
Am I making sense?
Thanks.
Author Reply: p.s. forgot to say that Pippin will be doing some protecting of his own in this story. Turn about is fair play, as they say.
Pearl Took
· 5 February 2005
· Chapter 3: Halfway to Teatime
‘My thanks,’ Pippin said, and Merry nodded and lifted the cup to his cousin’s mouth for him to sip, watching closely that he should not tilt it too far and inundate Pippin or spill the tea.
I love "inundate"!!! wonderful word.
I have the feeling that something is flowing just below the surface here and that it will soon bubble up to the surface. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment.
VWD!!!!
Author's reply
Ah, thank you. I had a different word but then "inundate" came to mind; one of those moments of serendipity (if that's how it's spelled).
You're right about something flowing just below the surface. It will surface in dreams (already has, as a matter of fact, as Esmeralda has already told Saradoc).
Saoirse
· 5 February 2005
· Chapter 2: Breakfast in Bed
I forgot to say something in the review I just left for your latest chapter (terribly like me, I have it in my head to say... and then it just slips away, and here I am now) so I figured why not review again and say it here! I just wanted to say how happy I was to stumble across this delightful fic! Because I just absolutely adored 'Seeing the Forest...' it has to be one of my very favorites, glad to see you continuing it! I would say update soon but... you always do! :)
Author's reply
Happens to me all the time. Other authors could tell you about the "p.s." reviews I send...
Glad you liked "Seeing the Forest". I thought perhaps it was too graphic, for very few people commented on it.
Thanks!
Saoirse
· 5 February 2005
· Chapter 3: Halfway to Teatime
Oh Lindelea, yet another wonderful tale from you. I just loved Merry in this chapter.
And I also loved the way you described the Tookish lilt to Esmeralda's voice, and in a chapter before this how you had Esmeralda scolding Pippin to not fall out of the bed again, just as if he were once more a tween. What a mess that was! lol Great job. :)
Author's reply
Ah, thank you. It was indeed a mess!
It is fun to look at Esmeralda a little more closely. I find her and Saradoc to be fascinating characters.
Bodkin
· 4 February 2005
· Chapter 2: Breakfast in Bed
Poor Pippin. (I'll have to go back and read over the Orc tale.) He's not dealing too well with the stress of the attack, but I suppose he's not had long yet. I love the way Diamond and Esmeralda are looking after him, but I have a feeling that he will be involved in the joys of childbirth shortly.
Author's reply
Yes, if you read the Orc tale you'll have a better idea of what he's been through. I had never written so "dark" before that story. And to think it all started with a joke; a friend kept nagging me to tie up Merry in a story, and just to be contrary I made sure he wasn't tied up, but that Pippin was.
Childbirth is still a month away, according to "Jewels". Goodness I hope this isn't going to take that long!
Hai Took
· 4 February 2005
· Chapter 2: Breakfast in Bed
Oh dear, poor Diamond! I'm glad Esmeralda was able to swoop in and rescue her from the Healer!
There was rather a mess, wasn't there. Pippin falling out of bed and maid and Merimas getting tangled on the floor and Ossilan, trying to find out what is the matter with Diamond and why Pippin is on the floor!
Looking forward to more!
Author's reply
Y'know, I haven't written much about Esmeralda lately. It has been interesting to sit down and take tea with her, so to speak. Thanks!
FantasyFan
· 4 February 2005
· Chapter 2: Breakfast in Bed
This is a marvelous chapter. I can understand why Diamond is laughing and crying at the same time. The scene is right out of Abbot and Costello - a cascade of falling hobbits and breakfast everywhere, all caused by the need for a bedpan. At the same time, seeing Pippin on the floor, tall and strong and totally helpless, would have caused a pang in pretty much anyone.
I'm thrilled to hear this story will feature my favorites, the strong women of the Took and Brandybuck families. I know their menfolk appreciate them, and love them deeply, and rely on them for a lot of things, but these women have a strength that is as deep as the earth itself, and as inconspicuous as dirt. I do like reading about them.
Author's reply
Yep, the womenfolk have to be pretty strong, what with the menfolk being beset by old fears and nightmares.
Ah, Abbot and Costello, just the effect I was going for. Glad you saw it. And yes, "tall and strong and totally helpless" is enough to give me pangs!
Thanks.
Dreamflower
· 4 February 2005
· Chapter 2: Breakfast in Bed
Poor Pippin, just one big bruise from head to toe.
I loved the part about getting the porridge out of the way first! LOL!
And I really loved the part at the end when Esmeralda is scolding him just as though he were still a young tween.
Still wondering how this is going to fit into his naming of Faramir. I hope we will get to that soon, as my "puzzler" is "getting sore". *grin*
Author's reply
Poor "puzzler". We'll be getting to that sooner than later, I think. I can only take so much angst, you know. Loved hearing about what you loved! Thanks.
Dreamflower
· 4 February 2005
· Chapter 1: The Morning After
Oh boy, two more chapters! And just enough time for them before I go to work! I love this conversation between Diamond and Esmeralda. Pippin's aunt knows him so well, and she's so concerned about the estrangement between her brother and his son. I love Diamond's tart and no-nonsense attitude about it. And I love the healer's discomfort at being privy to such personal discussion.
This is going to be so hard for Pippin to come back from. Orcs. One of his worst nightmares, in the Shire.
Author's reply
Goodness, I missed answering this review!
I love hearing you hit the highlights.
You're right. I cannot imagine Orcs in the Shire (except, perhaps, in the time of Bandobras). It was all I could do to imagine them in the Old Forest!
Connie B.
· 4 February 2005
· Chapter 2: Breakfast in Bed
I thought for sure that Diamond was going into labor this time. Those last few days before delivery seem neverending.
Something told me that Pippin had tried to get up to go to the privy. Poor thing. He must have been sooo embarassed.
I'm still trying to figure out the subtleties of this story. I know that eventually it will all make perfect sense, but for right now I'm looking for clues in everything. Which raises my next question. Pippin was acting like he'd hurt his arm again, did he? Just curious.:)
Thanks.
Connie B.
Author's reply
Sorry, bad phrasing. Pippin was clutching desperately at the *healer's* arm. Changed it to make it clearer. Nothing wrong with Pippin but that every bone feels out of joint and every muscle is in knots and he's covered with scrapes and bruises all over. Poor lad.
Thanks!
Author Reply: p.s. They're going to try to keep Diamond from going into labour at all cost. She's still a month to six weeks away from term.
Larner
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 1: The Morning After
I see I have some catching up to do in some of your other stories. You are about the most prolific writer on the site I'm aware of, I must say!
Author's reply
Goodness! Is prolific a good thing, or a bad thing?
Larner
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 0: Prologue
Lovely scene between the Pippin and Diamond. Pippin, who hates admitting his weaknesses.
Author's reply
Ah, yes. He'd rather make a joke than admit to such a thing. Thanks!
Grey Wonderer
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 1: The Morning After
I have no idea how my review managed to go away when I posted it a minute ago, but I am stubborn enough to try again. You can delete the empties. LOL I enjoyed the way the healer was embarrassed by Diamond and Esmeralda's frank conversation. I also loved how Diamond could see some of Pippin and his father in Esmeralda. Lovely chapter. Glad therre was more posted of this so soon. After my reading session last night I was quite in the mood for more of this.
Author's reply
Deleted empty review. It showed your email address, and I don't know if you're sensitive about such things. Am very glad you're stubborn enough to try again!
Thanks for hitting the high points. Am trying to wrestle the next chapter to the ground even now. If I win, I'll post it tonight.
Pearl Took
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 1: The Morning After
Very intriquing so far. Abattered and abused Pippin, a pregnant Diamond and a concerned everyone else. I'm really looking forward to reading more :) VWD!!!
Author's reply
Thank you, Pearl. I really feel awful, revisiting this event. The Pippin-angst is so thick you could stand a spoon up in it.
Hai Took
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 1: The Morning After
Your story "Seeing the Forest for the Trees" always intrigued me, I was fascinated by the idea of Orcs being in the Shire and the hobbits having to deal with them. I had never thought of the set backs it might have for Pippin. The physical seemingly being the least. I'm glad you have rather taken it up again, through another story! I'm looking forward to more, thank you!
Author's reply
Thank you! I never thought I'd revisit this time, until I started wondering just how Faramir Took got his name...
FantasyFan
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 1: The Morning After
I'm always so excited when you begin a new story. Whether it's in a familiar setting and time, like this is, or branching out somewhere new, I always have a sense of anticipation for thrills and heartache and excitement and good old-fashioned hobbitness. I forget to say sometimes how much I feel enriched by your imagination and wit. Thanks for continuing to put these gifts out there for us to squeal over.
This is really a tough time for Pippin, isn't it? He's not too sure of anything right now, except the love of his wife and his cousin. I can imagine that getting over another orc abduction and torture is going to be difficult. I hope Farry's impending arrival helps distract and heal him.
I think you have an error in this chapter as posted. The two lines, "Through it all, Pippin continued to sleep, but the healer did not seem concerned by that fact. Esmeralda laid Diamond’s plate aside and returned to the bedside." are repeated in the thirteenth and fourteenth paragraphs. (Unless Diamond is really hungry enough for two plates.)
Looking forward to the next chapter!
Author's reply
Thanks for the catch. That was supposed to be a cut-and-paste to move the text to a more appropriate place, and it ended up a copy-and-paste, I think.
I certainly appreciate your encouragement. Sometimes RL gets busy, people don't have time to review and I feel as if I'm talking to myself (which I do, but at least I don't answer myself... yet). And my RL has gotten busy too. But so long as people are reading I will keep carving out from RL writing projects some time each day for writing LOTR stories, and posting a chapter as I finish it. (And hopefully enjoying the "outside" perspectives that the reader brings to the story.)
Yes, this is a tough time for Pippin. At a time when the present is full of promise for the future, building upon the past, he's cut off from his roots, after being brought up as a loyal Took. I sure wish Frodo were around for him to talk to... He could use an older and wiser cousin, and there are things he doesn't want to talk to Merry about. Frodo would be a little more detached, and he hasn't had some of the shared experiences that Merry and Pippin have had.
Still, even without Frodo, you'll have some of your wishes: strong womenfolk having their hour to shine. Or so the outline promises. Haven't quite finished the draft yet, though a few of the chapters are written (first, last, and some of the middle).
And it takes my mind off "Thain" which is not going at all, at the moment. We are discussing just how much of the next sheaf of pages is "background" and how much is "story". The scene takes up right after the Thain's bombshell, but it is possible all that will get cut and we'll start off with the ride home (for Pearl, and the Brandybucks, and the Thain, and...). Dunno. Am of two minds.
Thanks!
Mysterious Jedi
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 1: The Morning After
It will be interesting to see how this leads up to the naming of Faramir.
Author's reply
I always had the nagging suspicion that there was some extra significance to the name, and so now I'm going out on a limb and writing about it.
Thanks!
Connie B.
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 1: The Morning After
I don't know what it is, but I realy like this story.
So, is Pippin's problem more mental and emotional, or is it more physical? Enguiring minds want to know.
Thanks for the quick update.
Connie B.
Author's reply
It's sort of fun, returning to the timeframe of "Jewels". Haven't written a "young steward" story in just ages. This sort of spun off the latest Ferdi story ("While There's Breath") though the connexion might be too subtle to notice, really... But this story just sort of grew during the latter part of that story as I was throwing ideas at my editor friend, pondering Pippin and Ferdi's relationship over the years. I realised that I have always shown the relationship from Ferdi's perspective! So it'll be a bit of a treat to go the other way...
Pippin's problem will hopefully become clearer as we progress.
Thanks!
Dreamflower
· 3 February 2005
· Chapter 0: Prologue
All right, now that I've read "Seeing the Forest" I'm all set for the rest of the story. Send it along, ASAP,more please. (*grin*makes puppy eyes*holds out empty bowl like Oliver Twist*)
Author's reply
Glad you read "Seeing the Forest"! I think that story works well, and was suprised that it got so little reading. No, this story is not an attempt to boost readership of that tale... I really did have a flash of "Why *did* Pippin break tradition in naming his son?"
Thanks!