Reviews (49)

Author's reply

You've hit on one of the many reasons I love hobbits. I never seem to get tired of them, and even now, they often still surprise me. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks for pausing to leave an encouraging note.

Author's reply

Actually, in the research I did for this story, I found that some breeds of ponies can run faster than some breeds of horses! I thought the comparisons were very interesting. Also, the fact that Friend had recently recovered from battle injuries and then almost immediately engaged in a 100-mile endurance race, for all practical purposes, might have made the All-Shire Race less of a sure thing. Anyhow, I hoped it might sound that way. (Either that, or he's a little too good to be true. But then, he is a Ranger's horse. I'm sure they're a cut above the horses of ordinary Men.) Thanks!

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LOL! Hopefully it's just ambiguous enough that when the Rangers asks Bandobras to "take care of my friend for me", he might or might not be telling Bandobras the horse's name. And just like Wanderer goes by an alias, it's possible that the horse's name is also a secret, and "Friend" is as good a name as any to call him by. I'm glad you came along for the ride! Thanks for reading and pausing to share your thoughts.

Author's reply

And Dobby will be embarrassed every time Archie plucks the opening chords to that particular song... LOL! He may even feel the need to excuse himself from the room for a bit, as some of my more modern Tooks do when their deeds are remembered. While I know that Wanderer returns at intervals to check on/visit the hobbits of Long Cleeve, and will eventually leave Friend with the north-Tooks for a well-earned retirement, at this point, I haven't caught many glimpses of him and his kin in their home environment or on their home turf, keeping the Bree-land and the Shire safe. I am starting to eagerly devour stories about the Northern Rangers, though, so I'm with you! I'd love to read more about Aragorn's predecessors over the centuries. I figure the Orc-invasion of T.A. 2747 must have been an extraordinary time for the Dúnedain, stretching them to their limits. I wonder, for example, about the impact on them of the news that a party of Orcs had reached the Shire? (They were pretty perturbed in my Fourth Age story where the same thing happened.) Did they have to ask Imladris for help to stem the tide? Unfortunately for the Dúnedain, my brain was taken over by Hobbits, for the most part, decades ago. (I say "for the most part" because Beregond was the first LOTR character to catch my attention and imagination, followed by Faramir, to a lesser degree, and Halbarad, though I've only written a little about Faramir and very little about Halbarad. But Frodo won my heart at Weathertop [in my first reading of the book], and Merry became my favorite hobbit on the Pelennor Fields [again in the book, the first time I read through it], though that may not be evident from a look at my stories.) It is possible that, as I continue to read excellent fanfic, I may find my imagination seized by certain members of other Races in Middle-earth. But I cannot say anything for certain. The nature of the Muse is that I cannot order her to tell me a particular story, no matter how many piña coladas or how much dark chocolate I might offer as compensation. She's stubborn that way. When she deigns to whisper a story to me from her comfortable spot in a dark corner, it usually comes "out of the blue" and often isn't something I ever planned to write. Added to that, she seems to prefer to dwell in the Shire amongst Hobbits. Perhaps it has to do with their lifestyle, like six meals a day and people giving others presents on their birthdays (meaning *lots* of presents all year round!), or her enjoyment of teatime, or something like that... There's a lot more about Ferumbras (who later became Thain Ferumbras II) in the "long form" of this story, currently existing as an outline with about half of the chapters written out in draft form. I may feel encouraged to take it off the shelf and work on finishing it after I've dealt with some of the other WIPs languishing on the shelf. That said, if Bandobras had any of the adventures you've mentioned, the Muse hasn't told me about them yet. We can always hope... Thanks so much for reading and taking time to share your thoughts! Author Reply: p.s. If you might be interested in other Hobbits who visited Imladris and befriended Gandalf, my "Shire: Beginnings" story has a few such chapters.

Author's reply

You know how much I love a satisfying conclusion, where all sad things are undone (or at least as many sad things as possible). That's one of the things I love about your "Quarantined" universe! I have started exploring your stories again. I revisited "Avalanche", "Peregrin Took: Child, Tween, Knight" and "Shelter" last night. Wonderful stories, indeed, and perfect for lifting the spirits.

Author's reply

I'm so glad you enjoyed the story! Thanks for coming along for the ride. :) p.s. I do believe that when Friend grew older, Wanderer brought him back to Long Cleeve to retire, thus allowing Bandobras to continue "spoiling him silly". That's the satisfying ending I envisioned for Bandobras's Horse, anyhow. I'm a staunch fan of happy endings.

Author's reply

Thank you! I'm so glad it clicked. I've been pondering the Bandobras-thing for a long time. (How did he get a reputation for riding a horse that lasted into Pippin's time? How could a *club* do the damage JRRT described?) In fact, I first wrote about hobbits mentioning Bandobras and his "illegal entry" in the All-Shire race back in 2004! But I didn't begin to imagine how he ended up with a horse until sometime in 2020, when I first started posting this story. (It was deleted in the Breach of January 2025 and recreated since then.) Full disclosure: the melon thing kept coming to mind after I watched The Accountant, where the target melons seemed symbolic as well as practical and have stuck with me since seeing the film some years ago. When I can get away with it, I minimize writing description where the films were very specific (like Frodo's blue eyes; I think JRRT called Sam's eyes "brown" but never named the color of the other hobbits' eyes, unless I missed it) and the books' descriptions were less detailed, to allow readers to give full rein to their imagination and mental picture-building. For my part, when I'm reading, I almost always get momentarily thrown out of my mental movie-building when I run across "Frodo's blue eyes" in a story since my mental image of Frodo (formed decades ago) is quite different from the Frodo of the films. (Don't get me wrong. I found Elijah Wood very cute. He just wasn't the Frodo I'd "known" for decades before the first film came out.) I don't know where the idea came about that the annual archery tournament in the Shire was deliberately designed to train warriors for the defense of the Shire even if the Shire-folk should forget the reason behind it after a long time of peace and plenty. It might even have sprung from our preschoolers' ballet classes where the teacher led the little ones through all sorts of games that would build muscle memory and lay the foundation for ballet skills, eventually, when they were old enough to understand and apply their skills. (These classes were long ago, when two of our wee hobbits – now all grown up – were both under age five.) Anyhow, I've envisioned the designers creating the various events as "games" that would put to use the same skills that hobbits would need in battle. Sorry about the melons. Try not-thinking about a pink unicorn, instead, to distract your imagination? Y'know, I probably read about those changes in the goblin leader's name some years ago, but I had forgotten, including forgetting that the goblin chief had "Golf" in his name! LOL. Aargh. I should have put something in about Bandobras roaring like a bull as he struck off the goblin's head, but it didn't occur to me. I have no idea (at the moment) how he got the name! If the Muse is ever in a mood to answer questions, I will ask her. She's a bit Gandalf-ish in that respect. Not so close as she used to be, but laughs more than she talks these days.

Author's reply

Seriously, I tried not to think too deeply about the melon analogy. The main point is that the first Thain and the chiefs under him designed the annual archery tournament with tests that demanded training in skills that would translate well to the battlefield. They also specified rich prizes for the top finishers for extra motivation in times of peace. By this means, Thains down the centuries were able to ensure that there would always be skilled, trained archers to be mustered in defense of the Shire. (But, yeah. I try not to think of the melons. Ew.) I have the feeling that Ruby and Bandobras have been kind of dancing around each other for a while. The strain of battle certainly broke the ice! (Thanks.)

Author's reply

Thank you! I am grateful for the gaps and also all the hints and clues and crumbs he scattered throughout his works that could be picked up and stitched together to make a plausible gap-filler! (His golf-invention joke always bothered me because I couldn't wrap my head around a club being able to make the goblin chief's head go flying. In many ways, this story is my attempt to resolve the problem to my satisfaction.) I appreciate your coming along for the journey. Just the Epilogue to go, and then this one is finished.

Author's reply

Good thing Ferumbras planned the journey so that the ponies wouldn't be used up by the time they reached Long Cleeve...

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Go Hobbits Go!

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You put it quite well! The Thain is impulsive (which can be interpreted as quick to respond to a situation) as well as decisive (rather like JRRT described one of his descendants, Pippin, on the Quest). He thinks clearly in a crisis. While he would have preferred to keep Bandobras in the Shire, he's no fool, so he immediately began to prepare to send a Muster to the North-lands, whether to escort the Northlanders safely to the Shire to begin again, or to drive out the invaders and secure the North-lands for hobbits. In other words, he's a canny gambler who covers his bets. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Author's reply

Ferumbras dearly loves his little brother and, with his capacity for love and understanding, he will make a fine Thain someday. Luckily, a lot of diverse factors came together in a perfect storm... from the goblins' perspective, anyhow. Bandobras acquiring Friend, doughty hobbit scouts who brought back crucial information, the goblin incursion happening right around the time of the All-Shire archery tournament (which saved a lot of time since all the best archers were already gathered together on the spot). JRRT wrote a lot of "coincidences" into his accounts while making it clear that he didn't believe in coincidence, laying down an excellent foundation (or do I mean "setting an excellent example"?) for stories based in his world. Thanks so much for your encouraging reviews!

Author's reply

Some might see the hobbits' quick and decisive response as uncharacteristic, but I'm remembering that the first Thain was chosen from among the Hobbit chiefs during the recovery period after the Witch-king's forces had overrun the Shire in Bucca's time, and the Thain was "the master of the Shire-moot, and captain of the Shire-muster and the Hobbitry-in-arms". (That's one of the reasons I included the historical overview at the start of this story.) Thus, it is quite possible that even after the Thain became more of a ceremonial position, Thains (and those in training to succeed them) would have had to learn about such things as rustling up an organized troop to defend the Shire! (I love how you phrased that!) There wasn't room to include this detail in the drabbles, but during the journey north, when the Muster stopped to rest, the hobbits practiced with the weapons they received from the Mathom-house, becoming acquainted with their weight and heft. They already used hammers, axes, and bows in daily life for peacetime purposes, so I think they were able to build on that familiarity (as far as an innate understanding of how physics works). I hope this review reply isn't too long and nerdy! I am simply delighting in the details this morning. Author Reply: What I meant to say above was that because the first Thain was chosen after enemies attacked the Shire, they would have been very much aware of the need for a defense force for future generations, and would have set in motion traditions to ensure that the necessary knowledge would carry forward.

Author's reply

This was one of the fun parts to imagine and write down. I loved that Dobby slept through it all. (I've known people who could probably sleep through the end of the world...) Thanks!

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(Oh, I thought you were talking about the gathering of the supplies, but then I saw the second review you left. Thank you for making the extra effort.)

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I find myself liking him more and more as the story goes on. I keep thinking I catch glimpses of future Thains (and Tooks) in his choices and actions. I'm glad you like him, too. (((hugs)))

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What's worth doing is worth doing thoroughly! (A Shire proverb that I made up a couple weeks ago, lol) Thanks!

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Whew, we finally got to the race! That's a relief. Now onward towards the historic battle... I haven't written much about salt mines in the Shire, though I mentioned them in an early story, where I had ponies rescued from the salt mines maintained by ruffian Men under Lotho. In my stories, the Great Smials started as a gold mine, and then when the gold played out, the hobbits turned it into a large, extensive residence that could house hundreds. (That last part is from Tolkien, talking about the Great Smials and Brandy Hall, while the gold mine was my own inspiration.) Thank you for reading and stopping to share your thoughts!

Author's reply

Woohoo! The story just keeps picking up speed from here, it feels like. Thanks!

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Luckily, you don't have to wait long to find out. (It's no wonder to me that Ferumbras was remembered in the historical record as a Thain of the Shire even though his younger brother's feat of riding a horse might have been more likely to be mentioned in conversation.) Thanks for reading and pausing to leave a comment! It's amazing how encouraging review can be...

Author's reply

Very... Tooks can be amazingly creative.

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I love the close relationships between hobbits as JRRT drew them. Thus, it made sense to me that Bandobras had a warm, lively, loving family, and that made leaving very difficult for him. But the mining accident left him with such claustrophobia, he could no longer live and work underground. I think his parents let him go because they thought it might be the only way to save him. And then, after he'd lived under the open sky in the Northlands for five years, they might dare to hope he'd been healed... A lot of that is backstory that appears in the outline and unfinished draft of this story in its long form, but it's hard to include those kinds of details in the short-form version made up of drabbles. Thanks for your comments!

Author's reply

They are truly heroes, though only Friend might be inclined to admit to such a thing. Bandobras would simply brush it off, as hobbits tend to do. Thanks for keeping the faith! The race will be coming up before you know it.

Author's reply

Very entertaining, I think! Nearly all the betters are working off of misinformation. Those betting against Friend think that horses, with their long, gangly-looking legs, aren't as efficient at running as ponies. And those betting in favor of Friend are thinking his long strides will be an advantage – but they don't know he just traveled 100 miles in 2 days, a grueling endeavor. But I think Bandobras has a sound strategy in mind, and he's just hoping that Friend can pull it off.