Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! I loved this so much! I swear my heart stopped beating when Aragorn got shot with that misfired crossbow bolt - and poor Pippin! He had a really hard time of it in this story. But I loved the camaraderie of the budding Fellowship: the gentle inclusions of Boromir, Gimli and Legolas (loved Legolas in this!); and the kindly interactions with the elves, Banderion and Galion (I think those were their names; they were wonderful!) and Elrond with Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen throughout. That Yule scene was the cherry on top! Gifting Elrond with the dragon tooth was simply stunning because I loved how amazed he was!

I also really liked the last sentence, referencing 'recovery and renewal'. It was a really nice touch for your two great pieces.

Thank you for writing!

I want Merry's gift...

Fantastic gifts. Fantastic ending. Fantastic story. Thanks. : )

(I wish I could have seen a flabbergasted Elrond! I wonder if we could get Hugo Weaving to do something for us?) : )

That stone is so cool! SO COOL! : )

And what a nice surprise. So glad to hear Pippin got his sight back, even though I knew he would.

“Can’t you get him to talk?” asked Pippin. “Ask Gimli to give you more of that brown stuff from his flask. Cousin Bilbo was quite the chatterbox after a few shots of THAT, as I recall.”

*raises eyebrow*

One more chapter!

“Or,” the Elf-lord continued in resignation, as more people crowded behind his children, “we can just announce a party and hope he will eventually wear himself out.”

Yes, that's probably the best choice of action, seeing as we are talking about a tweenage hobbit here. : )

Angst indeed. You have delivered on your promise. I'm kinda sad about it, even though I know everyone's going to be fine. : /

The watched pot boiled quickly. Love the humor, slight though it is! : )

Ooh. Cool. Stone. Fireworks. Ooh.

You have rendered me (nearly) speechless. Sweet chapter.

Pippin-angst, here I come! : )

Aha! I knew from almost the very beginning that it had something to do with sunrise or sunset, but Aragorn roaring into Frodo's face confused me greatly, and gave me a fit of giggles that I still have not recovered from. Very cool. : )

THE REVENGE OF FRODO! (Insert dramatic music here.)

“Nice crispy bacon,” moaned Merry, next to him. “Pork cracklings. Pork with chestnut stuffing…”

...and tomatoes and sausage, too, I expect! It had to be Merry who brought up nice crispy bacon. : )

Pippin is growing up well, isn't he? Still, I bet the fireworks come into play later on. Watch out for the pig!

One attacker got away. THAT doesn't bode well...

Drat. Not only is Aragorn injured (again!), but now Elrond will have his mischief or whatever disturbed.

The only good news is now we'll probably have Frodo taking all of those nasty tonics. My, how you love torture and injury and whatnot! : )

Hurrah for makeshift duels! My sisters and I tend to get engaged in these; my favorite weapon is our largest frying pan ala Sam. My sisters, though, prefer my mother's wooden backscratcher and my father's black umbrella. I tend to have to play the role of Boromir. : )

“That,” replied Aragorn with irritating smugness “is for me to know and you to find out.”

Sneaky Aragorn. : )

Lovely poetry, Budgielover. : )

Somehow I think Elrond knew exactly what Aragorn and Arwen were up to. How funny. And Boromir's plight was hilarious as well. : )

I bet while the time the feast was over, Frodo wished he had been sat next to Merry and Pippin at the most dignified table, if only so he could elbow his cousins in the ribs. : )

The excerpt from canoeing skills class was most hilarious. I feel sorry for Gimli; why didn't Aragorn make Gandalf join the queue? : )

After all the doom and gloom and near misses of this chapter, it ended in a perfectly light-hearted manner. Thank you. : )

"Merry consoled the tweenager gently then as soon as his back was turned, stomped it deep into the sand."

Me too, Merry, me too. : )