Flight To The Ford (FOTR) by Hildie

I do enjoy this chapter! It always goes by quickly...

I feel so sorry for Sam at the first part of this chapter. We have all already noticed just how devoted he is to Frodo (even if Frodo doesn't deserve it). I feel awful when Strider tells Sam that Frodo may have a deadly wound. Poor fellow!

I thought that Tolkien's description of the way the wound effects Frodo is done very well. I love the introduction of Athelas in the book, but also thought it was done well in the film as well. Remember Sean Astin's Sam saying "Ai, athelas, king's foil tis a weed."

Gotta love Bill the pony. Sure he's not a main character but I've always been an animal lover and I remember telling my Dad how glad I was that the poor beast wasn't with that nasty no good Ferny anymore!

I thought that the beryl elf-stone in the middle of the bridge (Last Bridge) was pretty cool, and like Aragorn I took it as a good sign. I was really intrigued by who could possibly have put it there. I initially thought it was probably Gandalf, or someone he had sent.

One of my favorite scenes also comes when Pippin and Merry run back and warn them of the trolls. It seems silly that I even forgot they were in broad daylight and that the trolls couldn't possibly be a danger considering they would be stone and not able to move at all! I love the whole "you could have noticed the bird's nest behind his ear comment" and how Strider broke the stick on the one that was bending over! What a great tie in to The Hobbit! Beck you should really enjoy that one considering you've just finished reading it too! I was glad to see that in the film.

You get your hopes up with Frodo getting slightly better and then they're dashed when he goes back into his dim world of shadows and fog. I remember being really worried about him, and still I get that feeling of anxiety. It seems like it takes forever for them to get from Weathertop to Rivendell!

The Road is so dreadful! I hate it when they have to get back on the road and I have to honestly say that I can feel my own ears straining to pick up the sound of horses hooves! What a great writer to make the reader feel that way! I think that if a horse rode by outside when they're on the road dreading to hear the rider's coming that I"d probably be a bit jumpy!

Now on to the best part of the chapter. I love elves. I am completely enamoured with them. I suppose that I'm a bit like Sam in that respect, and I never can get enough stories of the elves and all their doings. Glorfindel is awesome. I have to say I was a bit sad to see that he didn't make the movie (either movie in fact: cartoon or Peter Jackson's films). We finally figure out who put the beryl in the middle of the bridge and also that he faced down three of the Riders. The most intriguing bit of this chapter to me upon this reading was actually the bit where Glorfindel says "There are few even in Rivendell that can ride openly against the Nine; but such as there were, Elrond sent out north, west, and south. It was thought that you might turn far aside to avoid pursuit, and becoming lost in the Wilderness."

This means that Glorfindel himself could face the Nine all together. How powerful this elf must be! How interesting he is! I was very impressed with him. I liked the description of Frodo's first view of him and how he seemed to be lit up (like Arwen was in the movie).

The hilt that Aragorn saved to show as the knife that made the wound in Rivendell made Glorfindel shudder and we've now seen two great and powerful characters who can't heal it's wound. It is VERY serious and time is running out!

"Fly!" he called. "Fly! The enemy is upon us!" Those words have stuck in my mind since the very first read. I don't know if it's the words themselves or if it was the way that my Dad read it, but I always get this major rush of adrenaline when I read this bit! They've got to run for their lives! FAST! FLY THE ENEMY IS UPON US! Wow! Seriously effective!

I love the way that Frodo tries to fight here, and shows his own strength. There wasn't nearly enough of that in the movie and he often came across and weak. Here we seem him yelling GO BACK and actually fighting against the Riders influence. I love the final description once he's stopped on the other side of the river and what happens when the Riders start to cross. It is so much better this way and not having Arwen speaking an elven spell to get the waters to rise. This shows the power that lies in Rivendell, and the power of Elrond. The bit with Arwen didn't ruin it, but I prefer this way. I love the white fire and the white riders in the foaming froth of the waters white caps! I was also impressed to see that Glorfindel came uncloaked to terrify and run the Riders on the bank into the water. The little shadowy figures holding brands of fire were Aragorn and the hobbits! Well thought up to get that going in time! And again it drives home how powerful Glorfindel must be. The Riders fear his kind.

The first time my Dad read this to me he was reading a single chapter each night. I couldn't read yet, and I remember begging him to not stop at the end of this chapter. The whole "He heard and saw no more." Killed me! I wanted to know what happened! I HAD TO KNOW AND I COULDN'T WAIT A WHOLE DAY! My dad was a master storyteller that's for sure! And that's where this review of this chapter ends! What a wild ride. Not a lot of pages, but a lot of activity and a lot of action and power plays were shown here. Very excellent reading! Gotta love it!

By the way, this was a stream of consciousness, rambling review post. Sorry it's not better written. I did it as I was flipping through the chapter to make sure I got in all the bits I really enjoyed. So there ends the first book (of 6) of The Lord of the Rings. Roll on Many Meetings!