Reviews (97)

Author's reply

Merry-Frodo banter is always fun to write. Every time those two start at each other, it's nearly impossible to get them to stop, unless one of them manages to stump the other, as happens here. And that is of course the point of their bantering - to see who can stump the other first. :) Sam is sometimes too concerned about being a 'bother'. That unfortunately won't change anytime soon, but hopefully this will at least teach him to ask for help when he needs it and accept the help when offered. Merry is the closest thing to a brother that Frodo has and he's learned to read Frodo like a book. He's also used to being the one to cheer up Frodo and he shows here that he can always find a way to make his friend smile and not be so hard on himself. He's matured a lot over the last year and the closer he comes to his majority, the more he begins to show those qualities that will one day make him one of the most beloved Masters. Thank you so much for reading! I'm so glad you are enjoying this. :)

Author's reply

When Frodo and Merry get going, there's really nothing that can stop the back-and-forth bantering. lol Merry will be learning a lot more about Sam now that he's actually realized that he needs to just step back and pay attention, and that will also help Sam to relax and learn about Merry. The 'no pranks' rule won't be too hard for Merry since it has been quite awhile since he's played one on Sam. Besides, he still has Pippin and Frodo for victims when he wants to be mischevious. :D I think Sam wins the 'most stubborn' award, though Frodo is a close second. Frodo's just more picky about when he chooses to be stubborn, while Sam is more steadfast on sticking to all his rules of propriety. But alongside their stubbornness is their generosity and care for each other, and that will win out every time.

Author's reply

Mending rifts is often a rather clumsy-feeling affair. One can never be entirely sure just what the right thing is to say, and we can oftentimes even manage to make things worse, but Frodo and Sam come through just fine. Their friendship is solid enough that they would never have let that get between them for too long. Merry's insights certainly acted as a catalyst though and helped to progress things along.

Author's reply

Yes he has. His only thought was to keep Frodo from possibly getting hurt or cold himself. He didn't think what it would have been like for Frodo to discover that Sam has been injured all this time while Frodo was inside, warm, cozy and eating to his content. He won't be making that same mistake again, not after such a lecture.

Author's reply

Merry's always been observant and yet he still manages to miss things. Now that he's really starting to pay more attention to Sam, there won't be much that will get by him and he'll find that he'll learn to understand Sam much more quickly now than he was before. He has heard Frodo become cross with Sam only once before and that was after the prank Merry played on Frodo. He never before knew Frodo to be angry with Sam because of something that Sam himself did. For the first time, he's realizing that their seemingly perfect relationship is far from perfect. Sam is getting smothered with attention - which he deserves! He also needs to get out of this mindset that he is supposed to be doing for everyone else but no one (outside of his immediate family anyway) is supposed to be doing for him. I might eventually write something about Halfred and Astrid, but right now I'm just waiting for the bunny to bite. :)

Author's reply

Thank you so much, Ami! I'm glad you're enjoying all the details and the story. It's been fun for me to get back to writing a longer story. I nearly forgot how involved they can get! Sam is rather guilty of a double-standard, but it's not entirely his fault. He's just so used to Frodo not making a big deal of the class difference (and Pippin also usually ignores it with ease) that it throws him when Merry clearly is making an effort not to let it get in the way. Sam doesn't even realize how his own behavior makes Merry feel that it is something that needs to be taken into consideration. That class mentality won't really go away for Sam until after the Quest but Merry will soon figure out a way to deal with it. Next chapter has been posted. I hope you enjoy it!

Author's reply

Gardenerishness? I love that! Sam can be incredibly arrogant/stubborn at times, and usually at the worst times! He's so used to taking care of things on his own, and so set on keeping his place, that he just cannot contemplate asking for help from his 'betters' and certainly not if it's something he can handle himself. He's just as guilty as Merry when it comes to letting class difference get in the way. You're right about Frodo. Had the situation not been so dire, he would not have been so upset. There's more than just Sam's untimely pride at work here but Sam certainly did need that tongue-lashing. LOL Frodo's always more than willing to take Merry down a peg or two when he thinks Merry's head has grown too big for his shoulders. And when Pippin isn't following him around like he's the sun, he never hesitates to point out when Merry does something foolish.

Author's reply

LOL We were going through a monster heat wave when I wrote this a couple of weeks ago. It was between 100-115F every day (plus 100%+ humidity) while I was writing this. Now that it's cooled off to a tepid 85-90F (and about 50% humidity), I'm getting more into the snowy weather spirit! ;) Well, at least *writing* about snowy weather. I wouldn't want to actually *be* in snow. I'll leave that up to Sam. ;) Don't worry too much about Frodo and Sam. Their little tiff won't last too long. And don't worry about Marigold and the Gaffer either. Once they realize that Sam won't be coming home, they'll find something to eat in their larders, though it probably won't be as good as that rosemary chicken. Sam and Merry still have a way to go, but this little accident will wind up helping them in ways that neither imagined. :D Thanks so much for reading!! I'm so glad you're enjoying this!

Author's reply

Let's face it, all *three* of them are stubborn! lol It's a wonder they get along as often and as well as they do! ;) Stubbornness is Frodo and Sam's biggest problem though. You are exactly right. Sam is so used to being subservient and playing the servant that he doesn't even realize that he's doing it. Frodo has another reason for erupting the way he did, that we will discover in the next chapter. As for Merry, stubbornness is the least of his sins lol. Merry was equally protecting himself by bolting and allowing Sam some privacy in his scolding. It's bad enough getting lectured by someone you admire, but to have an audience during it is nealry unbearable, especially for someone like Sam, who thinks that just having someone look at him cross means he's in trouble. I'm so glad that you are enjoying this!!

Author's reply

Sam isn't having a very happy time right now, is he? Frodo could have picked a better time to scold Sam, it's true, but it will all work out for the best later. Frodo's feeling rather guilty himself right now for losing his temper. Besides, it wasn't so much Frodo's fault as it was the mean author's who needed the arguement for plot reasons. ~_^ Merry can never stand to see his cousin glaring at anyone, even when it's not him! He also knew that Sam wouldn't be feeling bad enough for being scolded. Having an audience during it would only make him that much more embarrassed. Thanks for reading!!

Author's reply

LOL. Yes, Sam definitely deserved to be berated for acting so foolishly. He needs to be reminded from time to time that he can rely on his master just as Frodo relies on him for things. Especially in the middle of a blizzard! Merry's no fool. He can never stand up to his cousin's glares, whether they are directed at him or not. He also knew that Sam wouldn't want an audience. And the back door *did* need to be closed. ;) I think we should all have a hobbit to cook for us. True, we might be wider, but we'll be happier too. :D I'm glad all the little details helped bring the story to life! Thank you for reading!!

Author's reply

Hobbit banter during times of crisis can be so arbitrary. It's alway fun thinking up what they might talk about to keep themselves from panicking. They really could have gone off an a tangent with that whole predictable-undpredictable debate. Thankfully, Frodo nipped it in the bud before it could get out of control. LOL! I was worried about that argument. I almost wanted to take it out, or at least make it less intense, but I needed it there for later chapters. I'm glad you felt it was justified, or at least appropriate. Frodo is older and in authority, and it's those exact reasons that Sam didn't automatically call out. Sam might begrudge Merry for not being able to see past the class difference, but Sam does it too. It's just so much a second skin to him that he doesn't realize he's doing it, to the point where he might actually even deny it.

Author's reply

Well, Sam would have *liked* to stop digging, but Merry and Frodo kept *asking* him *questions* and he couldn't *not* answer! ;) He might have been able to find a better way of explaining himself, but it all would have ended in the same result. But just as Merry and Frodo aren't used to Sam being injured, neither is Sam. He's not accustomed to having to seek assistance and not being able to do for himself. He really didn't think it would take him that long to get to the door. Thank you for reading!!

Author's reply

Hm, I see what you mean about the review looking weird. I've had reviews that did that also. For some reason, the punctuation marks in the quote doesn't copy over correctly. But it's fine, no worries :) Hobbits are prone to making jokes when they are especially worried. This is likely the most worried they've ever been, for Sam at least. They're not used to see him injured, much less nearly frozen. It's been fun letting Sam get smothered with affection for once. It's not often that Frodo finds cause to scold Sam. Sam is usually so diligent to never do anything to upset his master, but everyone falters from time to time. I was really hesitant about that part though, but I had to leave it in because it factors in later with Merry and Sam. ;) I'm so glad you're enjoying this!! *huggles* :D

Author's reply

Maybe it was the record-shattering heat wave I was melting in when I wrote this, but the Shire did get extremely cold very fast - living vicariously through hobbits is always a good thing. :) Merry? Impatient? No! Not Merry! :P But there's a reason he tends to be so impatient, another one of his flaws that he will be realizing before the end of this story. Despite that, he is really trying to give Sam time, but it's easy to see how he could get frustrated too. He's used to being quick friends with everyone and he's used to being in charge. This is the first time he's had to step back and let someone else take the lead, and you're right, it is a good learning experience for him. It will be many years before Estella gets the benefit of any of these lessons, but she'll be thanking Sam when the time comes. ;)

Author's reply

Poor Sam is going to be kicking himself over this - once he's able to, at any rate. ;) After so many years of more or less avoiding each other, they're both going to have their insecurities and concerns about the other person. That their personalities are so different doesn't help matters either.

Author's reply

Hello RSF! Thanks so much for stopping by! Well, this is Sam h/c, so there is the inevitable 'h' part. I had to allow him a rare moment of carelessness. Even if Merry and Frodo think Sam incapable of it, he does make mistakes from time to time. It was fun to write about all this snow during our recent heat wave. I don't get snow where I live so it was fun for that reason also. I'm glad this is helping you to cool off! More coming soon! :)

Author's reply

My universe is back? Where did it go? LOL ;) No, I know it's been awhile since I've dealt with the more substantial parts of my verse. There will be lots of Merry-Sam interaction in this one to make up for it! Thanks for reading! And for the feedback!! (I like exclamation points too!!!)

Author's reply

LOL. I told you it grew much longer than I originally intended! It's not extremely long, about 6 chapters, maybe 7. I haven't done a cliffhanger in awhile. I was worried I was a little rusty, but it came out pretty good. :) Merry will soon realize what his biggest obstacle is in regards to Sam and it's the last thing he ever suspected, though it really should have been the first thing he looked at. ;) Thank you for asking for a h/c because it gave me just what I needed to follo up on my previous stories. There was always more to tell on this storyline but I just hadn't been inspired to do so until now. :) I'm glad you're enjoying your b'day fic so far. The next chappie should be up a couple of days. :)

Author's reply

I have been needing to follow this storyline up for quite awhile. I'm glad I finally found the platform I needed to do so. I always try to do research whenever I have Sam doing something in the garden. I am in no way a green thumb and if it's possible to kill dirt, I probably will. Living in a climate where we never get snow and are lucky to even get rain, I really had no clue what anyone would ever have to do in a garden during a "real" winter. A lot of it is based just on what I've seen on TV or in movies, but the actual gardening tips are from some gardening websites I have bookmarked. I was originally just going to thrash Sam. I even wrote the chapter, but in the end I just couldn't do it. I used the excuse that it would be too long and involved, but really it's just because I don't like to hurt Sam. I still feel guilty about Lotho beating him up in "A Tale", and that was two years ago! So he is hurt but it's nowhere near as bad as it could have been. :D

Author's reply

I don't like to hurt my Sam. I did it once for my very first story and I've felt guilty ever since - and it wasn't even a "real" story! I was originally going to have Sam get completely thrashed (I even wrote the chapter), but I just couldn't do it in the end. So he does get hurt, but there's much more comfort in this h/c than there is hurt! Harvest Moon and Walking Trip have been needing a follow up for awhile. I'm glad Periantari requested this because it gave me the perfect platform to discover what their next step was. There are so many things that come between Merry and Sam, the major one being, not their social class, but just their personalities. Merry thinks he's learned his lesson, but he hasn't quite gotten it yet. Thanks for reading! I'm glad to have your input! :)