New and Updated Fiction

Amlach seems to be the only one of the early Edain who is explicitly said to have entered the service of Maedhros, so he may have been the first of Men to do so and he may have gone to Himring alone. This story imagines the feelings of an Adan who originally opposed the Eldar and now finds himself spending his life among them, all on his own.

It also tries to answer the question why he picked Maedhros specifically as his prospective leader and whether Maedhros fulfilled his expectations.

I decided it might just about fit the Follow the Leader challenge.

Círdan gives a commentary on the Noldor princes, Lúthien has an idea, and Thingol throws pillows.

A young Fëanor is called from sleep by a voice he's almost sure was real. Almost a double-drabble, posted in honour of Míriel Serindë's bio this month.

Whether it was a vision, a dream or a flight of lunacy—its significance seems to Maedhros too obvious to need discussion.  But that is not quite how it is...

Maedhros/Fingon

Intended for last month's revisited Challenge but I was a bit slow.

In the aftermath of the Fifth Battle, Maedhros reaches a conclusion about his brothers, but the Second Kinslaying forces him to reconsider. A triple drabble

Written for the prompts: Curufin and Ulmo's Palace; for the Probably AU Genfic Swap at Elffetish. One of those cute 'lil elfing stories which contains dark undertones and/or is blasphemous to the Valar.

"It was her labour to see it recorded, and so she would see it done." Vairë weaves the Battle of Unnumbered Tears.

An anthology of ficlets, mostly in multiples of 100 words, here all together for the first time.  (Forbidden Fruit makes its first appearance at a public archive)  Open-ended.

"Natural disaster" is such a broad term... ;)

The tale of the Children of Hurin seen through the father's/enemy's eyes

After the Fall of Doriath, the surviving sons of Feanor retreat to Amon Ereb. Maedhros is haunted by memories of Caranthir and a promise he made to Nerdanel. Amrod persuades him to leave.

Tweaks to canon (compare end-notes).

Although the death of Caranthir and the battle of Menegroth precede the events described in the story, they are remembered in some detail and so have been marked in the Warnings.

It's his call, this time, and it lifts a burden from her shoulders as heavy as the roots of the mountains. But that doesn't mean Miriel has to like it.

The Last Ship is about to sail from the Grey Havens and an unexpected encounter an unexpected encounter leads Celeborn to ponder some new questions.

Maedhros and rock.

MEFA 2010: Genres: Character Study: The Silmarillion, Third Place 

The king and the archivist. Respect, friendship, misunderstanding, making up - all the good things that build a forever kind of love.

Durin's thoughts, on history and his people's place in it. A ficlet of exactly 250 words.

Aragorn, as the first Gondorian king in nearly a thousand years, chose as his wife an unknown lady from an Elven kingdom. Certainly this would create some friction between Arwen and certain elements of Gondor's stratified society. Imrahil has an idea for how to help her, but to put it in motion, he needs help from an unlikely ally - the new queen's father.

Feanor's soul is lost in the Halls of Mandos and in its own faded memories.

From the flimsy boughs of a dying tree, a dark figure listens to the chaos of night unfold around him. He strives to do all that he can, knowing that it is already too late. Luck, however, does not always favour the wicked, and this he knows well.

ALEC March 'Feeling Lucky?' 2nd Place
MEFA 2010 Honourable Mention

"Aulë friend of the Noldor and lover of Fëanor" -Morgoth's Ring

Pairings: Aulë/Fëanor

Was a harp required equipment for Noldorin rescue missions? In other words: Fingon sets out for Angband to rescue Maedhros—but why is he carrying a harp?

For Angelica, who raised the question.

In terms of the series pre-slash, but unobtrusively so.

Another kinslaying may have taken place in Aman, within the very gates of Ilmarin, the mansion of Manwë Súlimo and Varda Elentári at the peak of Taniquetil.

MEFA 2010 - Second Place - Genres: Humour: Parody or Black Humour

The copper circlet that Maedhros wore in Valinor had been made by Curufin.  After their arrival in East Beleriand, Curufin offers to replace the lost circlet by a new one. The ‘copper band’ is also Maedhros himself, trying to tie people together with varying success.

From the viewpoint of Curufin, because in previous stories I’d basically written him off as ‘hard to read’. He and Maedhros agree to disagree about the abdication business.

With a brief glimpse of Celebrimbor and some foreshadowing of later events.

This story has been nominated for the MEFAs 2010 by Hallbera. Thank you very much!

Fixed-length ficlets written in response to the Back to Middle-earth Month 2010 challenges. Please see the Table of Contents for summaries and warnings for each.

Updated with:
The Pendant in the Stream, in which Nerdanel considers her life had she never married Fëanor.
Delvers, in which Maedhros recalls a superstition of the captives in Angband (warning for dark themes).

Maedhros: grim, driven, ruthless, manipulative...

Yes, all that. With a slight difference.

(Slashiness faint and subdued)