PIppinfan1988
· 27 August 2005
· Chapter 15: Chapter 15
"Cado shook his head and allowed his father to lean on him. He was worried about the old hobbit. Granted, he’d never been the kindest of parents, but he was family, after all."
Why do I get a "feeling" with Cado...? I said that I would leave you alone for a while, so I'll shut my mouth for now... ;-)
I really liked how you went a bit further than Prof. Tolkien in desribing Rohan and their society in relation to their horses. Well done. :-)
Pippinfan
Author's reply
As I've said before, I've yet to decide Cado's fate.
It seemed to me that in a land where horses were revered, that caring for the horses would be a "high status" job, unlike in most places where being a groom would place one at the bottom of the totem pole. And most especially working with the horses in the Royal Stables, many of which were descended of the Mearas. Just applying a bit of "extended logic".
Kitty
· 26 August 2005
· Chapter 26: Chapter 26
*grins*
A camp full of hungry hobbits, this thought is certainly nightmarish! And hobbits and mushrooms ... *shakes head* I will never understand it, as I myself don’t like them. Chocolate is so much better! Very un-hobbitish, isn’t it? Sometimes I wonder if there is even *one* hobbit in the Shire which isn’t so greedy for mushrooms? (I loved Legolas’ comparisation of that with the gold of the dwarves!)
So, the prisoners want to escape? I suppose even if they managed it, they wouldn’t get far on their own without weapons, provisions and all. Cado shows a bit sense, it is good he doesn’t back up his brother any longer, although I suspect strongly his reason to stay is a certain hobbit lass ;-)
PIppinfan1988
· 25 August 2005
· Chapter 14: Chapter 14
I loved this chapter! LOL...I felt like a fly on the wall, zooming in on the shoulders of each hobbit to read their most secret thoughts. All of them have expressed a like for the Men accompanying them, and that each of them, in their own fashion, has already "grown". Even if they were to turn back now and go home, they would never be the same person that left because of all the things that they've experienced. The same would have been true for Pippin and Merry. Jolly's letter was cute--filled with all those sweet double-negatives!
Keep up the great writing!
Pippinfan
Author's reply
Shoot! Have to start over--I hit the back button by mistake and wiped out my reply! Grrr....
I'm glad you liked the letters. I tried to show a bit of each of them. In a story with such a large cast, it's easy to miss out on some of the characterizations. I hope this helped.
You are right that if they quit now, they would still be changed; yet one of the most profound changes is that if they were *offered* a chance to quit and go home, I do not believe any would take it at this point.
I had fun with Jolly's letter!
PIppinfan1988
· 25 August 2005
· Chapter 13: Chapter 13
What is it about those darned healers (LOL) that make them want to put everyone asleep! The sneaks. LOL, actually, I've wrote a healer or two doing just that. :-) Poor Freddy, though. I *am* glad that she did what she did. I forgot to remark last chapter about Freddy's awakening to the realization that vengeance isn't the way to go. Nice point made on that.
And I love your Viola, too! Feeling so tiny in an ominous room with a bed just as forboding. Lonely for her Mistress...and she's an orphan, too! Gotta love her--she's got guts, too.
Pippinfan
Author's reply
They do that sometimes, don't they? *grin*
Freddy needed this to move on. This is the first of three important things I have planned to happen to him, that will help him be able to put the past behind and get on with his life.
Spending that night alone in that big bed is probably the bravest thing Viola has done yet. I'm glad you noticed!
Anso the Hobbit
· 25 August 2005
· Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Thank you for the mushroom link! That is always handy. :D I really should be better at research for my stories, lol
So, the captives are planning an escape now. Well, I don`t think they will be able to do so, but of course they are tempted. They might be able to live in the wild for some time but sooner or later they will be found out. And it`s only so long that you can live of the fame of relatives, lol.
Author's reply
Well, I find the research almost as much fun as the writing. It's easy to get sidetracked sometimes with these things, but little touches like that can add a bit of realism to the stories.
We shall see, we shall see...
PIppinfan1988
· 25 August 2005
· Chapter 11: Chapter 11
Wow...I tip my hat to authors who can write even *about* the torture of hobbits for "sport"...I would find it extrememly difficult to do so. I shudder to think that this is how Merry and Pippin would have ended up if not for Saruman's orders. Excellent writing. :-)
Pippinfan
Author's reply
It wasn't an easy thing to do. I hate gratuitous hobbit torture, and dislike stories in which that is the main element, IYKWIM, but you are right--this is *exactly* what would have happened, and actually I rather toned it down. Sometimes for the sake of the story there are hard things to be dealt with. But the sorts of creatures--half-Orcs and brutes of Men, that would have taken "Sharkey's" orders in the Shire would not stick at this.
But that's the reason for the warning on the chapter. It's not something you want to see unprepared.
Thank you!
Bodkin
· 25 August 2005
· Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Cado had a smidgeon of a brain cell. I hope he sticks to his guns and Makes Good. He's not the thug that Clovis is, or the slimeball that Dago is, not yet the total grasping dimwit that is Clodio. And it would be nice to have redemption for the only possible one of the prisoners. Cado, I feel, could have been a decent hobbit if he had been fostered early in a decent family. Not a hero, perhaps, but an average hobbit.
I quite hope the two creeps run away and have a thoroughly nasty time. They deserve it.
Legolas makes a good swimming teacher. But I'm glad to see him being dismissed (kindly) so that Poppy and Viola can get down to the serious business of mushroom hunting. (I wonder if he will tell Gimli about the Dwarves' Ears. Just as he is biting into one.)
It must be a dangerous life being a farmer in the times that are (hopefully) passing. It's a bit hard to hide a farm. I don't blame them for facing passers-by while armed with pitchforks and axes.
I hope they calm down though. We don't want hungry hobbits.
Author's reply
Cado's got a long way to go, though. Just being disgusted with his brother is not quite enough. And he's got his own reasons, not just safety, for not wanting to escape right now anyway. But I do like your character assessments for each of the others--thug, slimeball and dimwit, LOL!
Well the two creeps have got an interesting time ahead of them, anyway...
*Snicker* I could see that!
I think that anyone so isolated would be wary. We will soon meet these folks and learn their story.
Hungry hobbits? Perish forbid!!
Hmmmmmm! Why do I have the feeling that Dago and Clovis might do something stupid? *smacks forehead* Because they ARE stupid! At least Cado and his father are showing sense, and it is good that Cado is no longer so influenced by his brother.
Loved the mushrooms - yes, we do have a few 'improper' names for mushrooms in the UK! :-)) Nice that the sight of the mushrooms revived Poppy and Viola!
Lovely chapter, Dreamflower!
Author's reply
Well, Cado's showing a bit of sense, and Clodio's too depressed to do anything. And Cado has his own reasons for not wanting to leave the Men's encampment.
I thought the sight of mushrooms might be a "perker-upper", LOL! I loved all the mushroom names, some of them sounded very hobbity, but I had to rule out any common names that would not have fit into Middle-earth! That site is wonderful.
eiluj
· 24 August 2005
· Chapter 26: Chapter 26
I like that mushroom site also -- apparently one of the most useful for *British* mushrooms -- but I finally broke down and *bought mushroom guides.*
I find the books are infinitely more helpful than what I can find on the web. I now have the Audubon guide (which unfortunately separates text from photos) somewhere; a Dorling Kindersley/Smithsonian title which has the best of both worlds: DK's gorgeous graphics and the Smithsonian's authoritative text; and an info-rich Simon and Schuster guide which turned out to be a 1981 title from Italy, and not as knowledgeable as I'd like about American species -- but when speculating about what the hobbits ate, European can only be a plus.
Of course, it's always interesting when the different books disagree about edibility, quality, or season....
[Yes, someday maybe I too will need to know which mushrooms are available in the spring and which in the fall, and what hobbits might have called them.]
Author's reply
I find the internet useful when I need just a little bit of information--when I'm working on a story, and realize that for verisimilitude I need to know the names of plants that might be growing, or trees, or whether or not beavers would have been indigenous to a region, or what seashells from a certain area of Europe might have looked like, or I want to find a folk song or nursery rhyme that might sound hobbity... I've loads of sites I've bookmarked that I may never use again, LOL! But they are there if I *do* need them.
For anything in depth and of a more extensive nature, books are, of course, preferable.
Canna
· 24 August 2005
· Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Dear Dreamflower,
I love your story. It has become one of the rare ones that I frantically seek out updates for.
I tend to be one of those who reviews very late on a story (or indead not at all!) but please note that I have followed it from the begining and have enjoyed it thoroughly throughout.
It is quite refreshing, mainly because of its originality - the angle of Post War of the Rings from a hobbits point of view from ones who were not in the least involved yet become aware/astounded (admit very slowly - yet that is approatiate for hobbits) by the impact of what their race has accomplished or what they are capable of. And they hold a pride in themselves regardless and any perception of others.
I love how you are taking time to flesh out all the characters. And I love how the hobbits have 'adopted' the others of the travelling group as 'theirs'.
Cheers ... Canna
Author's reply
Hullo, Canna! It's nice to hear from someone new (at least new to me, LOL!) I'm hoping soon to be able to update more frequently, but I've had several other projects going, so this story is going slower than my previous fics have done.
I recall that I was at first hesitant to start this sequel, as I was not sure how many people would be interested in a story that was almost all either minor canon characters or OCs, but I got enough encouragement to go ahead with it. You are right--none of them were involved in the War, save as it touched the Shire during the Troubles, and Freddy, of course at the beginning of the Conspiracy. But they are gradually learning. You are right, hobbits are a proud people, but they tend not to be proud of the same things as the other races--a land where gardeners are held in high esteem, as Faramir observed.
I am trying to give some personality to all of them, not an easy task with so many to deal with, though in some ways it is a smaller cast than "A New Reckoning" I have more people to work on, as in *that* story, most of the focus was on our four Travellers and their families, with the OCs on the periphery.
That is a kind of theme I have throughout "my" hobbity universe: that hobbits tend to "adopt" as family any people or group of people that they spend a great deal of time among. To me, it is a part of their hobbity nature--they are, by JRRT's own description a friendly, social race, and so as long as the people they were among were also friendly the rest would be inevitable.
I thank you for your comments; I love to read reviews of any sort, so feel free to drop in again if you wish!
Larner
· 24 August 2005
· Chapter 26: Chapter 26
How nice to see them finding a place to possibly get some supplies, and being as diplomatic about it as possible.
And glad at least one of the prisoners is getting a clue at last. Nice to see some sense growing.
Author's reply
Yes, Aragorn and Eomer chose the Men they were sending carefully and wisely. None of them are likely to go off half-cocked or be demanding; they are very aware that they are on a diplomatic mission.
Cado's got a long way to go. But he has been thoroughly disillusioned by his brother, and he's been wary of Dago all along--Dago after all ran off and tried to abandon them at first. He at least is beginning to understand that he is safer under the protection of the embassy than he would be running about in the Wild, perhaps even ending up like Sandyman.
Lindelea
· 24 August 2005
· Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Whew! I certainly hope the worst is over! Poor Bergil!
And good for Cado... am curious to see how this plays out.
Author's reply
Yes, poor Bergil! But it had to happen, so Freddy could give him the flute--that scene's been in the planning stages for nearly a year!
Cado's got some ups and downs coming. I've yet to decide which of three fates will be his. But Dago and Clovis, on the other hand...
Anso the Hobbit
· 24 August 2005
· Chapter 25: Chapter 25
That is such a nice gesture, for Freddy to give Bergil the flute!
LOL. Mistress Poppy is indeed not the oldest of them but it is understandable that she forgets when Legolas looks so young. :)
And "pitas!, lol! It`s so nice to see all the different ways of cooking that goes on in the group, and I`m glad that the hobbits approved of Gimli`s cooking, even if the meal wasn`t as varied as they are used to. :)
I think it`s wise of them to send someone out to inform the courts at Edoras and Minas Tirith about the delay. I just hope that the scout will arrive safely and that nothing will happen to him.
Author's reply
The plan was for Freddy to give Bergil the flute, ever since I knew Freddy *had* Folco's flute--and under these sorts of circumstances. So this gesture was a long time in the making.
Legolas looks young until you look into his eyes. But yes, it can be a bit disorienting from time to time, to try and remember that.
It was nice of Gimli to cook, since the hobbits were all having their swimming lessons, wasn't it?
Yes, it's necessary to inform the Kings, lest they get worried.
PIppinfan1988
· 23 August 2005
· Chapter 9: Chapter 9
I think I know what's coming up here...I believe you wrote (and mentioned) a challenge tale with the Dunedain making a visit to Brandy Hall within this plot line. I remember it as a nice tale that tickled my fancy, and I am looking forward to reading more of this rendering of you-know-who's demise. Will Poppy and the rest figure out what exactly happened?
Oy...I'm already on chapter 10...I might have to start pacing myself! LOL--Not! I may flip back and forth between the Shire timeline and the Envoy. ;-) Choices, choices. :-)
Pippinfan
I only got halfway through ch. 10 today, so I'll review that one tomorrow.
Author's reply
Yes, if you read "An Unexpected Guest" you do indeed know what's coming. You can see how it fits in with both that and "A New Reckoning" as well.
PIppinfan1988
· 23 August 2005
· Chapter 8: Chapter 8
Oh, my gosh...I wonder what's up Dago's sleeve with the tattoos.... I had a good chuckle when they all thought for a brief moment that certain soldiers with tattoos were ex-cons, so to speak. I can understand the notion, but still it was cute.
I love these wee side-stories you insert!
Pippinfan
PIppinfan1988
· 23 August 2005
· Chapter 7: Chapter 7
Ah, duck weather. Perhaps they'll see a few swans fly by. Perfect picture of a rainy day...the chosen activities performed by various members. The perfect "weather" for old Dago's wheels to start spinning. *sigh* Will that hobbit ever learn?
Pippinfan
PIppinfan1988
· 23 August 2005
· Chapter 6: Chapter 6
Awww...Folco's tale was sweet...and sad. Aunt Dora's sage advice was quite delightful. Folks today forget that *that* is what the elderly, or "older cousins" did--is give advice to the younger people. Folco was a good young hobbit, but you're right; Captain Freddy wouldn't be compelled to lead the envoy if it weren't for him.
Pippinfan
Author's reply
Yes, Folco *was* sweet and sad.
I took Aunt Dora's characterization straight from FotR: she was constantly giving "reams of advice". I figured she was the Hobbiton version of "Dear Abbby". I always picture her as old-fashioned and rather prim and spinsterish about certain things, but good-hearted and practical underneath.
Poor Folco's fate was sealed from the first story I used him in, "Conspiracy". I got to wondering: why would someone so obviously a part of Frodo's inner circle of friends so clearly have been left *out* of the Conspiracy. As he evolved into an amiable but clueless fellow who could not keep his foot out of his mouth, nor keep a secret under any circumstances, it began to occur to me to wonder how someone like that would fare under Lotho and the ruffians. When the scenario of "For Folco" occurred to me, I resisted it for a long time, but as I began to write "A New Reckoning", I realized that for Freddy to grow, poor Folco had to go. *sigh*
PIppinfan1988
· 23 August 2005
· Chapter 5: Chapter 5
"Cado, too, found himself uncharacteristically thoughtful."
Food for thought for Cado...hmmm. This sounds promising, but I'm still not holding my breath. LOL...I'll leave you alone for a little while about the prisoners. ;-)
Pippinfan
Author's reply
*snicker*
I don't mind; unlike "Reckoning" this story is still going. Who knows, you *might* have some influence--or you might not!
PIppinfan1988
· 20 August 2005
· Chapter 4: Chapter 4
So sorry to leave you in suspense for so long! I thought to write my reviews this morning and then send them along afterward, but an electrical storm came through today and my area lost power nearly all the day long. So, yeah, needless to say, I'm behind now, or I wouldn't normally "jump" to the last chapter that I read...
I'm *really* into this tale already! I'm walking right alongside the wee folk in the ominous Bree market...poor Viola! Freddy is already exhibiting signs of a natural born leader. I am *still* waiting for one of the prisoners to redeem himself, but I am not holding my breat over it, either. I imagine it like what happened to Boromir; he gave his life in defense of another in order to recapture his honor. That was the only way he could regain what he'd lost in his madness over the Ring.
Loving it! :-)
Pippinfan
p.s. Pretty soon I'll catch up to you and then together we'll both wait for the respective author to update her next chapter!
Author's reply
We had some pretty serious electrical storming ourselves today! Fortunately we did not lose power!
I'm so glad you are enjoying this so far; it will be fun to see what you think as you catch up. I am going a lot slower with this than I did with the other story--it's taking more thought, for I didn't have quite so many finished elements in mind with this one.
As to redemption for one of the traitors, there is only one who might be, and I have yet to decide his fate.
Look forward to your catching up! And since you have the prequel so freshly in your mind, I'm thinking that you may catch on to a lot of things other reviewers missed, because some of these things were planned while I was still writing "A New Reckoning".
Oh what a lovely chapter! How nice to see that Freddy is finally overcoming his terror of the water. love the fact that Jolly is a natural too!
I loved the ending, with Freddy giving Bergil the flute. Hope the lad will recover all the quicker too.
Would have reviewed earlier, but my dial-up connection threw a wobbly! Technology - pah!
GamgeeFest
· 19 August 2005
· Chapter 25: Chapter 25
Very apt that Freddy would give Bergil the flute. It shows how far Freddy has come to not only be able to let it go, but to give it to someone who will both benefit from it and appreciate the meaning of the gift. Bergil will take all care with it.
Bodkin
· 18 August 2005
· Chapter 25: Chapter 25
I like Legolas being reassuring grand-paternal.
And good for Freddy - swimming determinedly - the more splashing the better. Not to mention his gift to Bergil. A very brave moving on.
Gimli cooking! And using up too much of the hobbits' supplies, too - they will have to find alternative food sources. Get those hobbits out foraging. There must be more mushrooms somewhere. And at a pinch, they could always reduce the prisoners' rations.
I'm glad Bergil is getting better - he should soon be back to full bounce. Kids so often are, while the adults are still shadows-under-the-eyes and yawning.
Author's reply
Good words for it. It reminded poor Poppy of why she had asked him to teach them in the first place. I am sure that when actually confronted with the water, her hobbit instincts balked, and a bit of reassurance was in order.
Yes, determined is the word for his swimming style--not very elegant, but he certainly will not drown.
The gift for Bergil is indeed a brave moving on. This is one of those things I've had in mind for Freddy since I first thought of putting him in these stories. This scene, like the one of being confronted with Sandyman's body, was in my head over a year ago, as I was still writing "Reckoning".
Well, you will see that they are both fishing and foraging this afternoon. Although the Captains only confided their needs to Freddy, you can bet that the cooks have been keeping an Eagle eye on the stores, and know exactly how low they are running.
Now that I have the crucial scene with Freddy taken care of, Bergil will be well fairly soon. I need to get the party back on the Road, LOL!
I thought Freddy was going to give Bergil the flute! I think this shows how very far Freddy has come since the journey began. I loved Legolas's line to Poppy, calling her 'my child'. Sometimes the age of the elves puts everyone back into their childhood. LOL I am still enjoying this very much. I do wonder about the shopping trip to find provisions and how this will go. Oh, and thanks to you and Gimli, I am hungry at 2:12am! His stew and flat bread sounded very tasty to me.
Author's reply
I thought you had guessed from your last review! I was very surprised *more* readers didn't guess--I thought I had been telegraphing it all over the place--it's only something I've been planning since Ch. 23 of "A New Reckoning", LOL!
Legolas said that to remind/reassure her. At that point she needed to be brought back to her childhood, so that she would approach the lesson with less trepidation.
Well, have a snack! It's 3:01am here!
Larner
· 17 August 2005
· Chapter 25: Chapter 25
An excellent gift for the child, and quite the sign of trust.
Author's reply
Very much a sign of trust, and of more. This is something that has been *very* long in the planning...
Kitty
· 17 August 2005
· Chapter 25: Chapter 25
It was only to be expected that the supplies run out because of the delay - they have too much hobbits in the party :-D But Targon and Éothain are right, Éomer and Aragorn will be worried if they are so much delayed. It is only reasonable to send someone ahead as a messenger.
The swimming lessons were fun, even if Freddy and Mosco aren't of the same opinion as I. This was the first time Poppy acted hesitantly. And I enjoyed it so much as Legolas called her "my child". In his eyes they are all children, I suppose - he should be older than all of them together! But I'm not sure Poppy has truly realised it.
And I am so very touched Freddy gifted Bergil with Folco's flute. Even if it is a sign he begins to get over his grief, it is still amazing he is able and willing to part with this cherished reminder of his best friend!
Author's reply
They had *planned* for all the hobbits, but they had *not* planned for such a long delay. They know with Bergil sick, or even when he's recuperated enough to travel, that they will be slowed.
Poppy, as I have said, except for her determination as a healer, is in many ways a typical hobbit--which would include a fear of swimming. Legolas did that on purpose, to remind her of his age, which was the reason she had fixed on him to teach them in the first place. She does realize his age, in her head, but she has yet to come to grips with what it *means*.
I have been planning this scene from the very beginning of "A New Reckoning". It was the reason Bergil plays the flute in the first place. In the next chapter, he is going to explain to Bergil just *why* he has chosen to do that.