Reviews (25)

Larner · 27 June 2005 · Chapter 7: Ale

Ah, dear, Merry has as yet to completely learn the lesson.

Dreamflower · 27 June 2005 · Chapter 7: Ale

Poor hungover!Merry, and lovely stern!Frodo. Just delightful! (I always love Frodo being the prim protective older cousin *grin*) And now Gimli's encouraging him--he'd better watch out for Frodo himself if he's not careful, LOL! I really am loving the way you do these, with the early experiences feeding into the later ones. It's very nice.

Larner · 19 June 2005 · Chapter 6: Burrow

I love that it's Pippin and Sam alone who might rise before dawn. Very fitting for Sam, I must say. And now Pippin and Gimli are getting Merry up for the next stage in the quest.

Dreamflower · 19 June 2005 · Chapter 6: Burrow

Poor Merry! All he wants is to snuggle up and sleep,LOL! This is another delightful little insight! I love the way he resists as long as possible!

shirebound · 19 June 2005 · Chapter 6: Burrow

You loved to sleep, to feel the softness and warmth of the pillows and blankets and bed around you. Since you had grown out of that overly energetic part of childhood, you felt the bed was a place of freedom, where you could think and dream. Your energy still came by the bucketful, and once you were awake and up, it was no less abundant than before, it just didn´t start quite as early in the morning as it once did. What a wonderful description! I know we can all relate to that. And ohhh, a perfect ending. I love the image of Gimli "counting hobbits", and making sure everyone is accounted for.

pipinheart · 13 June 2005 · Chapter 5: Pippin

very sweet... Merry watching after poor pippin after he was so ill. Pip sure can't play like the other little ones... But he has Merry to watch after him.....Nice job...

Larner · 8 June 2005 · Chapter 5: Pippin

Lovely, gentle connections between childhood and the time of the quest.

Andrea · 8 June 2005 · Chapter 5: Pippin

"Sometimes he had to be allowed to be a lad, and seeing to it was your job, as much as was looking out for him and caring for him when he was ill." And that Merry did, throughout his life! Merry has always felt responsible for Pippin. And during the quest his attitude has not changed, on the contrary, it has become stronger. And so we have this perfect link between little Pippin and Pippin the Trollslayer, being carefully watched by his older cousin. And it feels as if time had stood still. Thank you :)

Dreamflower · 8 June 2005 · Chapter 5: Pippin

AAaaawww...there is just nothing quite so sweet and touching as young Merry sitting by little Pippin's sickbed and worrying about him. You do this so well. You loved your little cousin more than life itself, and sometimes your heart was so full of love for him that you couldn’t understand how you had any room left for the others you also loved, but of course you did. Of course he did. All our lads had such huge hearts!

Stormscrystal · 8 June 2005 · Chapter 5: Pippin

That is just so sad. And it also shows the love and devotion Merry has for his Pippin. I don't know what Merry would do if Pippin died.

Grey Wonderer · 30 May 2005 · Chapter 4: Broken

I love the tie from the past to the quest in this one. Great job.

eiluj · 29 May 2005 · Chapter 4: Broken

"I´m hungry. What is the time?" How typical -- how appropriate -- for a hobbit to wake after an injury and immediately say this! And if they don’t immediately make a statement about hunger, they *do* ask about the time -- which after all directly relates to food: how close is it to mealtime, and which meal will it be, and do I need to ask for a little something between now and then?

shirebound · 29 May 2005 · Chapter 4: Broken

"`m sorry Merry, I broke you." Pippin said, snuggling in beside you. As you woke up, you couldn´t feel your arm, and thought for a moment that it was broken all over again, but then you became aware of the sweet smell of athelas lingering in the air, and as your eyes focused, your gaze met Pippin´s. "I´m hungry. What is the time?" Oh, this is wonderfully sweet and poignant. What a marvelous link between these two incidents.

pipinheart · 28 May 2005 · Chapter 3: Mapping

This is a very sweet one...it shows the relationship of Merry and bilbo. And you can see the love there. Nice work...

Andrea · 27 May 2005 · Chapter 3: Mapping

Well, we could all learn a lesson from these two! Always be patient with little children and their questions! They will be happy to have so much attention, and when they grow older, it will pay off nicely! Thank you also for giving me a little English lesson! Never before have I heard the word "hilly"! It's so easy to turn a noun into an adjective. English is fascinating, isn't it?

Dreamflower · 25 May 2005 · Chapter 3: Mapping

This was a nice little story to take for my lunchtime reading today. I do love the way you are doing these, showing how Merry's childhood experiences fed into his experiences on the Quest. Merry sounds a lot like me when I was little. I remember arguing when my first grade teacher was saying "apples are red" and I told her that sometimes they were green or even yellow. LOL! And, like Merry, I liked to be *right* (I still do, but I think I've learned to be a *leeeetle* bit more tactful than I was then. *grin*)

Larner · 25 May 2005 · Chapter 3: Mapping

Lovely interactions between Bilbo and Merry.

Lindelea · 25 May 2005 · Chapter 3: Mapping

O I love to see Merry's mind working, even as a little lad, the logic of his conclusions, and Bilbo's patient teaching. And then the way you tie the past together with the Quest is very well done! I am thoroughly enjoying the chapters of this story.

shirebound · 25 May 2005 · Chapter 3: Mapping

Merry-Bilbo scenes are so rare! I really enjoy things like this, where an adult realizes the value of a childhood lesson... and a patient teacher.

Dreamflower · 17 May 2005 · Chapter 2: Letters

I love this so much: from the description of young Merry as an easily bored, and so potential troublemaker of a student, because he was so much brighter than the rest, to the very adult and seasoned young Knight, who could be of just as much service to his King with a pen and a brilliant mind as he could with a sword. And yes, I would not be a bit surprised if Strider had a hand in that.

Larner · 17 May 2005 · Chapter 2: Letters

Ah, yes, Strider could very well be in the conspiracy with Gandalf, couldn't he? Nice tying together of childhood and maturity.

Lindelea · 16 May 2005 · Chapter 2: Letters

Ah, I sense a conspiracy... Eomer, Elessar, Gandalf... surely Pippin is in on it, too, and Frodo? (And Sam, following his Master as ever) And let us not forget Gimli and Legolas, thinking up more letters that Eomer needs written...

Lindelea · 16 May 2005 · Chapter 1: Flying

Beautifully and realistically written! I remember that scarey feeling, first time wa-a-a-a-y up there on a horse's back. And Stybba, just like the ponies at home... awww.

shirebound · 16 May 2005 · Chapter 2: Letters

I really like how you keep showing that Merry's past experiences influence his present ones. And oh, that sneaky King! What wonderful therapy for Merry.

shirebound · 11 May 2005 · Chapter 1: Flying

That's a sweet story, Anso. It's nice to think that, with no hobbit company in Rohan, Merry's pony may have brought back to him happy memories of the Shire, and his cousins.