Reviews (317)

Author's reply

It’s great to hear from you again, Lamiel! I’m glad you liked the chapter – I was nervous about it. It’s certainly more intense than most. Although several of the others have had their brief moments, none of them have contained such sustained tension. You’re not the only reviewer to comment on how Sam’s decision to stay is in line with his character in the books (Shelob, the tower, etc). I agree that the smart thing to do as far as self-preservation was concerned would have been to run, but that’s not what Sam could do while Legolas was being attacked. He wouldn’t be Sam otherwise! Please do make suggestions if you feel the need or desire to; sometimes, as in this case, they can be very helpful to me. I know what you mean about flashbacks being difficult to write. Whenever I write them like this – the character thinking about his or her past actions instead of actually “flashing back” into a present tense that has since gone by – I get stuck in that “had” rut. I had (ha ha) never thought of trying what you suggested; I’ll have to take the paragraph in question and see what I can do with it. It’s interesting that when I write scenes like this, I have usually slipped into the simple past tense by the end of them. I’m sure that I had to go back and check this particular paragraph for tense consistency; I know I’ve had to do it with other, similar scenes. But if I can get your method to work to my satisfaction, that would be great. It certainly would make for cleaner writing! I’m glad you liked the tension – and the trees. (That was the part of the chapter that really made me nervous. I had no idea how it would be received.) Heh – here I am, getting spoiled by positive reviews. It’s been a while since I had a real flame. They're not very nice, but they keep you humble. :) The next chapter should be up very soon – possibly this weekend, but more likely early next week. You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve managed to type in the last few days - but it's a lot. The chapter is nearly written, but I punched it out so rapidly that it will probably bear careful rereading. I don’t want to use the same adjective twice in the same sentence. Now that’s embarrassing. :)

Author's reply

Ha ha! I'm glad you liked it. There's not really a good deal of levity in this story, but I got to inject a little bit at the beginning. Thanks for dropping by!

Author's reply

Nice to see you again, Grey Wonderer! Oh, I’m glad you could feel the desperation. That’s exactly what I was going for. I’m glad you liked the trees, too; for a long time I was sure that everyone was going to think that part was ludicrous. About the dogs: Garan’s reason for leaving was twofold. First, he did want them back; he doesn’t believe Sam’s story that he and Legolas are alone. He thinks there are more hobbits and Elves out there, and that they’ve got something Saruman wants. He feels certain that Sam will crack and confirm this, so he wants the dogs around for tracking purposes. The other reason he left was to leave Sam and Legolas alone with Dorlic. Sam has gotten used to the idea that Garan is only going to attack him and not Legolas; by leaving them alone with someone that wants to do Legolas in, Garan is turning this belief on its ear. He thinks it should certainly throw Sam off-balance, perhaps enough that he will talk the next time he is given the chance. If he won’t talk to save himself, maybe he will talk to spare his friend further pain. And with Garan not around while the actual torture takes place (at least this first time), there is no one that Sam can appeal to. Garan is the only one of the Men that he has spent any real time with. I’ll get the next chapter up as fast as I possibly can. I have been writing nonstop in my free time for the past few days, and I am on fire. :)

Author's reply

Thank you, estelnalissi! I appreciate your taking the time to review! I’m so glad that you like the story as much as you do; it means a great deal to me to hear that others appreciate it. Garan is not one of the two missing wizards. I never thought of that – but that would a fascinating twist, wouldn’t it? No, the guy’s only human – if extremely foul. As far as the dogs are concerned, they’re not actually a major plot point. Garan doesn’t believe that Sam and Legolas are alone. I’m never going to write a chapter from his POV, so I’ll just go ahead and say that he thinks there are more hobbits (witness his question to Sam in this chapter), likely escorted by a party of Elves. I still haven’t decided just how much he knows about Gandalf and what he is, but he must know something; he and Dorlic spoke about the “old graybeard”. Garan wants the dogs so he can do more tracking if need be; their noses were what gave him confirmation of Sam and Legolas’ presence in the gorge in the first place. The dogs eventually did pass them by – Legolas had them duped – but no matter. Also, Garan felt he had something to gain by leaving Sam and Legolas alone with Dorlic. He’s been getting nowhere with Sam, but Legolas has been the ace up his sleeve. Sam has been getting used to the idea that Garan would be taking everything out on him and leaving Legolas alone; Dorlic, however, has been wanting to kill Legolas since day one. With Garan gone, Sam has no one that he even remotely knows to appeal to. He surely would have pleaded with Garan had he stuck around, which might have been smarter on Garan’s part (he could have tried bargaining with Sam for Legolas’ safety or life), but he was angry and wanted to punish them. Plus, he wanted those dogs. I’m glad you liked the part about the trees. I spilled my guts in another review response, so I guess I can do it again here. The trees acted on their own, feeding off of Legolas’ extreme distress. My feeling is that this could happen where Wood-Elves, very strong emotion, and physical contact are involved. They would not have been aware enough to know that the Men were worthy of hatred, but I think that they could certainly pick up on the desperation of a Wood-Elf who was turning to them for comfort and strength. In this case, it was enough to actually wake them up. You probably won’t be hanging off that cliff for too much longer, by the way. You would not believe how much I have managed to write in the last few days!

Author's reply

Welcome, Ariel! Thanks for stopping to leave a review (and on the first chapter, too! Since there are ten chapters so far, that was really thoughtful of you.) I hope you like the rest of the story!

Author's reply

You’re one insightful reader, Nightwing! You hit on a lot of points in that review, some of which are less obvious than others. I love that you speculate on what happened with the trees – whether they moved because Legolas asked something of them, because they picked up on his mood, or because they were Entish. My thoughts here were that the trees acted by themselves, spurred into action by Legolas’ great distress. It seems reasonable to me that a tree could catch the mood of a Wood-Elf, especially if the emotion is strong and there is contact involved. Garan could blame Daerid and Hoddis for putting Legolas together with the tree in the first place. In my mind, though, he didn’t know that such a thing was possible, even with his so-called vaunted knowledge of the Elves. All that being said, I’m glad you thought this part was “interesting”. I hemmed and hawed over it for a while, wondering if readers would scoff at it. I think that an explanation of what happened (which should eventually come in the story) will make it less fantastic. The last thing I want to do is make Legolas “magical”; I want him to be as real and believable as everyone else in the Fellowship. Thanks for the great comments on the fight. I’ve been aware for some time now that I’ve steered away from describing certain events from the POV of the character they were happening to. The descriptions of Garan’s attacks on Sam as seen from Legolas’ POV come to mind. That things worked out that way was a combination of luck and effort. I will admit that I was not comfortable with the idea of writing graphic descriptions of pain. (I think I’ve mentioned that whole “gratuitous/voyeuristic” thing before.) It’s hard to say where the line is for me, and while I’m nowhere near it, I didn’t even want to get close. I mean, really – who wants to write a detailed description of dear Sam being hurt? Ick. Being tossed about in the river is one thing; being routinely assaulted by a sadistic person is another. Ah, I’m digressing again. I wanted to say that you really picked up on something interesting – that Legolas didn’t make much noise during his struggle. I meant for this to be his attempt to hold on to his dignity for as long as possible. He wouldn’t have been able to stay silent if Dorlic had really gotten to work with that knife. You are exactly right about the “strangled sound” that he made being what set Sam off at long last; it’s the final sign that he is lost without Sam’s help. I’ve only got one more thing to say, and that’s with regard to your final guesses at where the fight will go from where it left off. Have you hacked into my computer and read my files?!? No – I’m sure that’s not it. You’re just clever. :)

Author's reply

That was a really interesting comparison you made between Sam’s actions in this story and his actions post-Shelob. I hadn’t thought of it, but I think you’re dead on. The most prudent thing might have been to go on without Legolas, but he couldn’t do it under those circumstances. You seem to be one of the few who want to get back to the Fellowship. After the previous chapter everyone was asking, “When do we get back to the Fellowship?” but now that Sam is taking action, no one wants to break away. :) As always, thanks for the wonderful, uplifting review, periantari. I can’t wait to post again, because I want everyone to know how things pan out!

Author's reply

Yes! Go Sam! The Men will most definitely be shocked when they find that he has acquired two very big claws. I agree that Sam probably wouldn’t have gotten too far alone. He had a shot, but he is certainly sick and tired – and if Garan found his pooches, the Men would get on his trail lickety split. I’m glad you think the story is exciting! I went back and reread the last half of the chapter after I’d posted it – with the right background music playing – and my heart was going pitter-pat by the end. And I knew what was going to happen! Somehow, the story always seems a little bit different once it’s been posted online.

Author's reply

Dreamflower, your review literally left me bouncing with happiness. I can see/hear/feel your excitement! I’m so very glad that you liked the chapter that much! It’s extremely rewarding to know that readers like you take delight in something I’ve crafted. I’m sure you know the feeling very well. I’m relieved that you liked the bit about the trees. That section of the chapter made me nervous because I didn’t know how it was going to be received. I know why the trees did what they did (because I’m the author!) but until it gets explained in a later chapter, none of the readers can be certain. I was wondering if people would read it and say, “What the heck!?”, but it doesn’t sound like that’s the case. I must say that you’ve made an inspired guess at what was going on. Garan certainly had the same idea. And yes – Sam is great! Ah, I can’t wait to post the next chapter. :) Author Reply: I have to add: I am not the bouncy type, so that was a job well done on your part. :)

Author's reply

You weren’t the only one who was beginning to wonder. I have every intention of seeing this story through to the end, though. Only some terrible and wildly unforeseen life event could keep me from it, even if I am forced to slow down from time to time. I’m glad that you liked the update so much. It sounds like you know Sam pretty well. I completely agree with you; Sam can make a hard decision when it has to be done, but he can’t leave anyone that he cares about in imminent danger. Another reviewer compared his actions to those at Cirith Ungol, when he first thinks that Frodo is dead and then discovers that he is alive. Perhaps the most prudent thing to do would have been to keep on going with the Ring – after all, that’s probably what most of the folk of Middle-earth would have wanted – but he couldn’t leave Frodo in the hands of the orcs.

Author's reply

Sorry!! I am working hard on the next installment, I promise you. I can also say that even though the next chapter isn’t from either Sam’s or Legolas’ POV, it won’t be a total loss as far as the continuing story goes. :)

Author's reply

Yes, I am back. My apologies for the long absence. Apparently some readers were beginning to wonder if I had given up, but no such luck. :) I just didn’t have much time to write, and I made a whole bunch of changes to the chapter before it was done. I’m with you – go Sam! Yes, he could have escaped, but I thought that doing so while Legolas was in need would have been contrary to his nature. After all, Sam has a big, big heart, bless him.

Author's reply

Sounds like you enjoyed it! Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it was time to break the chapter off. Anticipation is a large part of any pleasure; get everything at once and it’s not as special. That being said, I’ve been very pleased by the response to the chapter thus far. Everyone seems to really be liking it (well, everyone who reviews, anyway), and that makes me anxious to get the next chapter finished. I know what it’s like to be left dangling for too long.

Author's reply

Sorry about that, harrowcat. Even if I hadn’t written part of the next chapter long ago, I still probably would have left the chapter break where it is. I think it makes the story stronger and more interesting, although it stinks to be left hanging for days – or weeks – on end. I know all too well what that’s like. I’m hard at work on the next chapter, though. The next update should come much faster than the last one.

Author's reply

I can’t blame you for forgetting the story, daw, what with my not updating for the past two months. I get the feeling that that can occur when updates are few and far between, which is one reason I try so hard not to let that happen. But I hadn’t had so much trouble settling on the final chapter since I wrote chapter 5 (Gandalf), and on top of that, I had no time. It was very frustrating; I wanted to move on with the story, especially since later parts of the plot were fighting to get out of my head. It’s a relief to move on. Anyway, I know what you mean about finding a story that you’ve forgotten. It happens to me sometimes – a story will pop up that hasn’t been updated for a while, and I’ll say, “Oh yeah - that story!” It’s like getting an unexpected treat. I’m so glad you liked the chapter! I spent a lot of time editing it. I had to be careful that I didn’t repeat myself, especially since it was written over so many weeks and in several chunks. On top of that, I’ve always got to be wary of overdescription. I excised a bunch of adverbs and not a few sentences before declaring the chapter complete. On that note, it’s very reassuring to hear that you like Garan (well, you know what I mean by ‘like’. He’s quite the $*?@!.) I wanted a frightening villain, but I didn’t want him to be cartoonish. I wanted to thank you again for taking the time to leave reviews. It’s so nice to have “regulars”. I estimate that only about 5% of readers actually leave comments behind. I honestly don’t think that I would have bothered to write this story out except that I wanted to know what other people thought of it. You – and other readers like you – have given me reasons to keep on going.

Author's reply

Hello, rabid fan of Sam! I'm glad you enjoyed the story the second time through, but I'm sorry you have had to wait so long for an update. Yes, life has been very busy, but more than anything else, this chapter has simply gone through myriad changes. It has gotten very frustrating, but I've kept plugging away at it, and it is finally in one piece (and a very long piece it is, too). Now I've got to edit it. I've been writing it for more than two months now, so I've got to make sure that I don't repeat myself anywhere or hammer too hard on certain points. It's easy to forget what I've said where, especially when the chapter is so long. Right now it's sitting at 10,800 words. Whew! Anyway, I hope very much to post shortly. It's a Sam chapter, too. :)

Author's reply

Sigh. Sorry for the interminable wait, Aelinminr. Chapter ten should be up very soon. It's a good long one, but that's only part of the reason it's taken so long to write. Thanksgiving and Christmas happened, and work is crazy busy, but mostly this chapter has just been a bear. I'd write a chunk of story and then change my mind about something which required me to write that whole chunk over. But the whole chapter is in one piece now, which can be read from beginning to end, and as soon as it is edited to my satisfaction I'll post it.

Author's reply

Thank you for your review, Dairwendan! I apologize for taking so very long to reply. I've been working steadily on chapter ten for the longest time, and my postings have never been so far apart before. Ten is a very long chapter, though, and hopefully that will help make up for the wait. I'm very glad that you like Sam and Legolas together. I like Fellowship stories. In fact, "Fellowship" was always my favorite book in the trilogy, mostly because I love the nine representatives of different races together. It's so wonderful to see them interacting; I just wish that Tolkien had given us more details of those interactions. He certainly was very plot-driven. Anyway, the next chapter should be up very soon. I hope you continue to read and enjoy!

Author's reply

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you, WindSinger. I've been working on chapter ten for quite a while, and though I received a few sporadic reviews since the first rush, I eventually forgot to reply to them. As for Garan seeing the error of his ways - I think he's too far gone for that. It's not that I think he is incapable of being redeemed; I think he would never listen to anyone who tried to turn him from his path. His pride would surely stand in the way. By now he's gotten used to commanding/controlling others, and he likes it. (He'd probably behave much like Saruman did when he was given the chance to turn.) I think that some of the other Men might be more likely to be redeemed, but so far they've chosen to stick with Garan. Sadly, all of them seem to enjoy being the bully. The next chapter should be up very shortly. It's finally in one whole piece with no gaps in the narrative! Now it just needs to be edited, and I am continuously editing, so it shouldn't be too big of a job. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and thanks for reviewing!

Author's reply

And what are the captives arguing about? About which one of them ought to escape! Each thinks that the other ought to be protected, and as noble as their feelings of friendship are, Garan keeps his power over them if they both stay. I think that Legolas has the win precisely because he brought Frodo into the argument, but this puts Sam in a terrible position. He’s being asked to abandon a friend to the unspeakable. I hadn’t thought of the pair being tied about the waist as being funny, probably because I imagined the rope slanting a bit; besides, since they were both sitting, they ought to be somewhat more level. But your imagery is fun nonetheless. :-) I also think you’re right that Sam would end up being injured by Garan if the inquisition continued, since he meant what he said and would not talk. It’s not that I think Sam couldn’t be broken eventually given enough time and torment, but Garan probably couldn’t manage it before he got to Isengard. Legolas may understand Sam better now, but he can’t know the strength of Sam’s loyalty to Frodo; only Sam can know that. I can’t fault Legolas for thinking that Sam should be the one to go, though. His reasoning is logical enough even if some of it is flawed. Yes – where are the Ranger, warrior, wizard, Dwarf and hobbits, anyway? Don’t they know that Sam and Legolas need them? Sheesh. Whoever is writing this story better give them a good hard shove in the right direction.

Author's reply

Thanks, GamgeeFest. :-) I think the fact that Sam is there with Legolas helps him to keep going; he’s got something precious to keep on fighting for besides his own life. (Of course, if Sam had never talked to him then he wouldn’t know about Saruman, but what’s done is done.) There’s no fair/just/right solution to Sam’s situation, is there? It wouldn’t seem fair to Sam that he is the one being protected instead of the one doing the protecting, and he certainly can’t conscience running away and leaving Legolas alone at the mercy of the Men. But what can he do? Something has to change so that Garan loses his leverage against the pair of them.

Author's reply

Dorlic definitely has something coming to him; we’ll have to wait and see if he gets it. The Fellowship will show up very soon. As I’ve mentioned in other responses, I’m still wavering on whether it’s the next chapter or the one after that. At this point I think I’m leaning toward giving Sam one more chapter before the Fellowship appears. Sam has been brave, hasn’t he? And he wouldn’t describe himself as such, either. He would just say that he did what needed doing.

Author's reply

I completely agree with you that Saruman couldn’t create orcs because, like Sauron, he’s “only” a Maia. But yes – couldn’t he be so drunk with power that he’d think it was worth a try? He might even think that he’d be able to succeed. I expect that Legolas should know – logically – that Saruman couldn’t turn him into an orc, but he’s sick with fear now. It has to be easier for him to sit back and say, “Ha. Saruman can’t make orcs” when he’s not tied up and being brought to Isengard so that he can be experimented on! And simply knowing that he will be used for such a thing – even though Saruman can’t succeed – should be just as repulsive to Legolas as if he really could be turned into an orc. Poor Sam. I really feel for him. There is no easy answer to his predicament, and no answer will be fair. Legolas does have a much better chance of escaping if Sam can get away first, but he also has a much greater chance of dying. He may be right that he can withstand torture better than Sam could, but he can’t hold up forever. And why, Sam would ask, is it right for Legolas to be the one to bear the weight of Garan’s anger? Why shouldn’t he be allowed to be a shield for his friends? Just because he is smaller than Legolas doesn’t make him any less determined to do it. What Legolas is asking him to do really is difficult. If Sam runs, he’ll have to live with the knowledge of what he has done – abandonment, in his way of thinking, to a terrible fate. I don’t know if Sam could ever get over that. How could anyone make a decision like the one that Sam may have to make?

Author's reply

Welcome, Aelinmir! Hmm. Yours is an interesting idea, even if it’s not going to show up in the story. I had envisioned the root as belonging to a low, scrubby bush as opposed to a tree. Even so, Legolas might have been able to take some comfort from it were he not so overwrought and afraid. He doesn’t seem to be in the right mindset to notice the subtle speech of plants at the moment. Other than that, I don’t think the bush/tree could help him much. If this story were happening in Fangorn, though, where the trees are more active… that would be a very different situation! I could certainly see the trees rebelling against the Men on an Elf’s behalf there.

Author's reply

How are they going to get away? Read on! Action is on the way, which I hope will satisfy everyone. I know that I can’t wait to get there. Go, heroes, go!