That's cute - Thorn and Trotter brothers. :) My nieces and nephews have been partially homeschooled and my closest LOTR friends have been. There's certainly something to be said for that!
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
I think all hobbits who *were* schooled were home-schooled. In my Shire, literate parents teach their children, unless the task is handled by older siblings. And those who need to learn more than the "three Rs" have uncles or cousins who tutor them. The only exception is for hobbits who may not have literate parents-- in that case, they are sometimes taught by an employer (like Bilbo and Sam-- that arrangement was not all that unusual in my Shire.)
Celeritas
· 28 May 2009
· Chapter 17: I Become a Ranger
Secretly I was hoping for some sort of Ranger Initiation Ceremony, but this seems more authentic. ^_^
The idea of Ivorwen being a terrible cook tickled me (having a hobbit around certainly does help with that!). We don't know too much about her and Dirhael but what you've written does seem to fit in and put a little more life in them.
Nice chapter; can't wait to see what Trotter does on the patrols (okay, so I've already seen it on your journal, but I couldn't wait to see it yesterday!).
Author's reply
*grin* I think the Rangers tend to keep things low-key, although I am sure there are lots of "little things" the old hands put the new ones through on the trail!
Sometimes these ideas just come to me-- I don't know why Ivorwen told me she couldn't cook...
*grin* Another chapter up soon!
Antane
· 28 May 2009
· Chapter 15: Interlude: The Dúnadan
I didn't hit me until your reply about Thorn that he is *the* Arathorn! I didn't realize the timeline of events here. So that makes him even cuter and it's fitting that his son and Bilbo would be fast friends as well!
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Yes indeed, he is Aragorn's father!
Larner
· 28 May 2009
· Chapter 17: I Become a Ranger
Oh, I love the place he is forging for himself among he Dunedain of Eriador, his babysitting, and his obviously growing love for Arador. And now he IS a Ranger indeed!
Author's reply
Yes, now he really *is* a Ranger!
Celeritas
· 27 May 2009
· Chapter 16: My New Home
Hurrah! I really like your take on how the Rangers' day-to-day lives would actually have worked, and I really liked your description of the setting! Is there any chance you're going to do more with this setting after the fic is done?
Author's reply
Thanks! I tried to think it out logically, but not to "overthink" it, and I hop it sounds reasonable!
As for Two Rivers, I've no idea! It's not impossible, if the right bunny comes along!
Raksha The Demon
· 26 May 2009
· Chapter 16: My New Home
I love the idea that Arathorn and Hildefons were friends; I can really see it. We don't get enough stories about Arathorn, particularly in his childhood; so this glimpse of Dunedain family life including Aragorn's grandparents and father is very welcome, and well-done. Now I'm wondering if Aragorn ever met his aunt "Oriel".
Author's reply
I'm glad you like my idea of Arathorn's childhood. As for Aunt Oriel, I would not be a bit surprised...
Larner
· 26 May 2009
· Chapter 15: Interlude: The Dúnadan
The perfect interlude, Dreamflower! Yes, Thorn's son is now a friend to Trotter's nephew!
Author's reply
It was inevitable that Bilbo would speak of Trotter to his friend the Dunadan! And of course there had to have been just a little overlap.
I thought that would give a certain amount of symettry to the story!
Elflingimp
· 26 May 2009
· Chapter 15: Interlude: The Dúnadan
Oh! These last two chapters were beautiful, I am so dense sometimes I did not realize who Thorn was! LOL! Hugs The Imp
Author's reply
LOL! Yes, Thorn is little Arathorn, Aragorn's papa! You were not the only one!
Celeritas
· 26 May 2009
· Chapter 15: Interlude: The Dúnadan
Good thing you got a grace week! I like the side note of Rivendell's excellent weather (Ring of Air must be helpful like that), and the idea that young Estel knew Trotter is touching.
Author's reply
Well, I had established in the prologue that Hildifons was still alive up to about four years prior to Bilbo's initial arrival with Thorin & Co., so that would have made little Estel about six or seven at the time he passed.
I will probably have some little anecdote-like side-stories about that and a few other things I will be skimming over in this story.
(And yes, it *IS* a good thing! *whew!*)
Andrea
· 26 May 2009
· Chapter 14: A Very Long Night
I'm glad that mother and newborn daughter are well! They had the best healer available.
Trotter and "Thorn" became fast friends. And that's no wonder, for Trotter must have fascinated the little boy with his many brothers and sisters and their funny names :)
I also liked it very much that the hobbit helped with preparing the meal. He was not asked to do so, he just did it. And that was the best he could do under those circumstances.
Author's reply
Yes, Elrohir's arrival was very fortuitous!
I think that Trotter really did fascinate the little boy.
I think that with hobbits, it's the natural thing to do, to offer help with the cooking.
Celeritas
· 26 May 2009
· Chapter 14: A Very Long Night
This was so cute, although I was a little saddened to think of how close Trotter felt to his siblings back home while they all think he's dead and gone. But I liked the similarity between Meldis and Trotter's own mother, who must have been a SuperMum in her own right!
Author's reply
I know. Hildifons still has not thought through all the repercussions of his leaving the way he did. He may be 33, but in some ways he's still young.
I like sensible and level-headed mothers, and that's the way I write most of the ones in my stories, with the occasional plot-driven exception, of course, LOL!
(And I'd say Adamanta Chubb Took was definitely a Super-mum, with twelve progeny to deal with!)
Celeritas
· 26 May 2009
· Chapter 13: A Timely Arrival
Okay, this is the third time I've tried to review this piece and I should not get interrupted this time!
I really liked the budding interactions with "Thorn" (a new nickname already, eh?)--it reminded me of the canonical ones between Pippin and Bergil and the ones fans sometimes think up between young Estel and Bilbo. Somehow I think hobbits get along very well with children. Lovely!
Author's reply
Yes, he already has his nickname, LOL!
I do think they'd get on well with kids. First of all, they are nearly the same size (depending on the child's age, of course); secondly, they would be fascinated with the differences between hobbits and humans. And then, finally, hobbits have their natural empathy and compassion, which helps them to understand how a child feels. (Perhaps also a common feeling of being little people in a big world, as well.)
Larner
· 25 May 2009
· Chapter 14: A Very Long Night
Ah, yes--children and the places that mean the most to them! As I'm certain you recall, in one story children led Gimli to the woodpile, certain he'd find it interesting! Heh!
I quite like young Arathorn, and rejoice he now has a little sister! Very nice! And Hildifons is just the one to keep the little boy distracted!
Author's reply
Yes, a child's version of "important sights" is quite different from that of an adult!
He has a little sister now, and will have a good example in Trotter of how to be a big brother!
Antane
· 25 May 2009
· Chapter 13: A Timely Arrival
Another Arathorn huh? And a cute kid too - I must have missed this chapter and am now reading it after I read the one that followed. Forgot to remark on that one that I loved Thorn showing Trotter all the places he considered important. A child's view of things would be different from an adult and I think probably better also.
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Yep, Arathorn father of Aragorn.
Yes, a child's eye view of "the sights" is quite different from that of an adult!
Antane
· 25 May 2009
· Chapter 14: A Very Long Night
One of 12! Isn't that wonderful! I love the way Thorn was introduced to the brood. And now a new life also has been born. Having a C-section would be risky that far back so it's good this one turned out well! :)
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
It would have been very risky. From what my medical consultant told me, a C-section nearly always resulted in the death of the mother, up until very recent centuries.
I had the scene in mind, of Trotter and little Arathorn bonding over the idea of brothers and sisters, all the way back in the very beginning of the story.
Antane
· 23 May 2009
· Chapter 12: Language Lessons
That's what I need - someone who will teach me Sindarin and Quenya! Lucky Trotter!
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
*grin*
Author Reply: *grin*
Andrea
· 20 May 2009
· Chapter 13: A Timely Arrival
It doesn't look good for Arathorn's mother, but maybe the twins can help her?
Arathorn is a cute little boy.
He mistook Hildifons for a child. Well, he won't be the last child to do so. It might be very well possible that the same thing happened to his son when he met Bilbo for the very first time. Who knows?
Author's reply
They will certainly try!
*grin* Well, at four most of them are cute! And while I'm not sure he thought that Hildifons was a child exactly, he *was* the same size!
Larner
· 20 May 2009
· Chapter 13: A Timely Arrival
Ah, poor Hildifons--taken for a child by Arador's child! Heh!
Love the argument as to whether or not to call for a surgeon!
Author's reply
I think that faced with someone his own size, he would take him for a possible playmate, at the least!
That was from a suggestion by SS, who was kind enough to give me some medical advice, both for this chapter and some subsequent ones.
Larner
· 20 May 2009
· Chapter 12: Language Lessons
Finally got to it! Took me long enough!
So, Arador married his son's inlaws to one another, eh? Interesting! And also interesting to learn Dirhael's nickname of "Poet." Nice!
And like how he begins making he distinctions between the twins!
shirebound
· 20 May 2009
· Chapter 13: A Timely Arrival
Awwww! I wonder if Aragorn would like to hear these stories someday?
Author's reply
I'm sure he would! I think he'd like to know about his father's friend!
Celeritas
· 19 May 2009
· Chapter 12: Language Lessons
The Poet is Dirhael! Yes, that Dirhael! *squee*
*cough*
Sorry, just had to get that out of my system. So sad that Trotter can't find it in him to love anyone else... sad and unfortunately realistic, especially for hobbits.
Author's reply
Yes, he is indeed *THAT* Dirhael! I really wanted badly for it to be him, and after consultation with a few other people over the ages of the Dunedain and doing some math, I finally was pleased to be sure that it was possible for it to be him!
"sad and unfortunately realistic, especially for hobbits"
I am sure that there were adolescent crushes and infatuations, but I think in JRRT's world it was a true thing that true love would only come around once. He certainly indicated that hobbits were very faithful in their marriages and did not remarry often when widowed.
Celeritas
· 19 May 2009
· Chapter 11: Interlude: Teatime with the Twins
Lovely interlude here--though of course I'm very curious (and you don't say) what exactly the Twins had to say about Bilbo's uncle.
Author's reply
No, I didn't. Yet you may perhaps discern for yourself some of what they said as you read the following chapters...
Celeritas
· 19 May 2009
· Chapter 10: A Meeting in the Wild
I grinned a huge grin when the Twins showed up. There's nothing, I'm afraid, to make a Took hanker after the Wide World like Elves! And I love the idea that Trotter is becoming quite well known among the Rangers' circle of acquaintances.
Author's reply
Yes, the appearance of a couple of the Fair Folk would definitely attract his attention!
Celeritas
· 19 May 2009
· Chapter 9: I Finally Get to Bree
Hildifons is, I'm afraid, going to find that that warm welcome given him won't last long if he keeps associating with those Rangers! Not, I expect, that he'll care at that point--in fact, he may take their suspicion of him as a badge of honor!
Author's reply
No, he won't much care by then. But his own regard for the Rangers may make the occasional Bree-lander think twice. (I like to think there were maybe a handful of folks in Bree who could see further than their noses.)
There are a lot of years yet to cover!
Raksha The Demon
· 18 May 2009
· Chapter 12: Language Lessons
I loved Trotter's reaction to Elvish as a beautiful language - and he shows his smarts and adventurous spirit by beginning to learn it. And Dirhael wants to get home to Ivorwen - awww, we rarely, if ever, glimpse this couple as kids in fanfic.
Interesting idea that hobbits love only once, however that love is treated.
Author's reply
I knew he'd have to begin to learn soon enough, and his first contact with Elves (okay, I know, Peredhel; but so far as Trotter is concerned, Elves) would be a good time for him to begin.
I am far enough back that these two would be quite young--just come of age, in fact! So it will be fun to include some of their story within Trotter's!
JRRT indicated in "Letters" that hobbits formed very serious attachments to their mates, rarely ever re-marrying after being widowed, and often pining away afterwards. I think that indicated to me, that like Elves, they loved for life. And it occurred to me to wonder what would happen if that love was ever unrequited? It might explain the several unattached hobbits on the Family Trees.