This fic has been beautifully done! The tropes and the symbolism are amazing. Nice work.

You write like Tolkien. I am impressed!

Well, altogether I must say you did a fine job with this story.

I was impressed, but also relieved after the second surgery was over. I can tell you wrote the surgery chapters with vivid detail. I wonder how you handled it, without feeling queasy writing it... I have a feeling you may have felt that way, while having a strong stomach and a strong heart to get past it. I was reminded afterwards, before the end of Chapter 11, of a three-shot story I wrote back when I first made my account on this site. It's called 'Tainted Heartbeats', and has about the same angst as this story had... maybe more so, but it was very alternative reality and it must have spooked me as well, since I haven't returned to the story or re-read it in a long while.

Yes, I did read the Epilogue and I'm glad I did. Once again, the comparison of Frodo to a lamb... but I can see now how they are related, given how epic the quest was. Of course, Sam does need to stop being so thick-headed and pay attention. He can't protect Frodo from everything bad, or else Frodo would be useless. And it seems Frodo is the only one that could have taken the Ring to Mordor, since he is the most innocent.

Overall, this story is well-written and, due to how well the descriptions are vivid and I could see in my mind's eye the events of the story and the peoples, and of course I liked how you kept returning to Frodo, even though much of the focus, but not too much, was on everyone else, respectively. Apart from the surgery scenes, this story deserves to be put in my community, as I said before, given how its a needed gap-filler and helps us actually see what was happening while Frodo was unconscious and unaware this had taken place. I hope this is all right with you?

Well done.

-Aria Breuer

Well, so far, this is another well-written story.

I should have realized, given this is a gap-filler to what happened between Volumes 1 and 2 of the book 'The Fellowship of the Ring', Elrond would have to perform surgery to get the Morgul blade out of Frodo's shoulder. I think I was queasy when I read the chapter, but I must have a strong stomach, because here I am at Chapter 7. I think I'll survive the second surgery coming up, even though I'm dreading it. It must be a typical feeling, since I've had the same feeling before in life.

Anyway, as for Chapter 7, I must say one of Bilbo's speeches to Gandalf in this chapter reminded me of a strange, vivid dream I had. Ironically, I was looking at a computer screen and some of the same dialogue was repeated by Bilbo. I don't recall the words too well, but I'll repeat Bilbo's dialogue that was in the chapter:

"You know, I'd never wanted children." He [Bilbo] said. "But the older I got, the more I began to realize how much I needed to feel some sense of continuation – that someone would be there after me…" He sighed. "I guess it finally sunk into my thick head that I wasn't going to live forever. I took him on as my heir because I was fond of him, and thought he deserved more than the hand he had been dealt…" His lip quivered and he looked again on the brink of tears. "But I never realized how much I would come to love him."

That dialogue is very similar to what Bilbo said in the vivid, strange dream. Maybe it's more than mere coincidence how I ended up stumbling across that dialogue as I read this story.

Good work, so far. I'm going to continue reading the rest of the story, but I will say if I can survive a surgery in a story, even with the descriptions of blood, then the story is well-done enough for me. I'm putting it in my favorite stories' list now. Since this story also has Frodo, even though I understand he's unconscious (makes sense, since I too wondered what happened during those four days at Rivendell), and if it continues to be well-written in this steady manner as it has so far (which I have very little doubt), then I will add this story to my community. I'll ask your permission at the end of the story, as I would like to continue reading... great, now I'm sounding like Sam.

Anyway, I hope you keep writing.

-Aria Breuer

"Aint i a stinker?" nice way to break the mood ariel!

This chapter had to be one of the most frightening moments i had ever read in the whole story. it was one of those moments where you begin to wonder if things could ever get better, and fear the possibility of it getting worse.

I feel so bad for Sam here. I know that I personally would never be able to bear witnessing something like this, as I am beginning to cringe just by reading it.

OMG, this is one of the BEST chapters I have ever read! You are a genius, your writing style and imagination is amazing! And the story really fits into the style and context of the book! Congratulations!

that was good...i always wished that tolkien would have written the part where frodo was healed...now this gives me some idea. awesome!

Yes, it was the most loving and honorable goal Sam could set for himself. Even if his wishes for Frodo's happiness were never fully realized, they were made by a loving and faithful friend and he did the best he could possbly have done in that respect.

He mostly succeeded, after all, he did keep Frodo alive through the worst ordeal any hobbit ever went through.

I certainly understand Sam's reticence in burdening Frodo with the ring yet again, but as Gandalf said, who else could carry the burden as well as Frodo had?

Beautifully powerful and amazing.

I could imagine even the powerful Lord Elrond was utterly exhausted by such a hard-fought battle for the young hobbit's life.

Yes, you are a stinker. . .

But I would have done the same thing, it made for a classic cliffhanger.

They are all good friends and staunch allies. They will support each other, as well as Frodo.

No, I did not think that Bilbo would have slept through that exchange, no matter how quietly they might have spoken.

Hard news for him, I am sure.

It is good to know that Bilbo has come to terms with his own frailty and aknowledges the burden has passed on to Frodo. It makes it even more evident that it is the ring's influence talking as he drifts off to sleep.