Many Journeys by Elleth

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Fanwork Notes

Originally, this was meant to harbour Elleth's own feeble attempt at drabbling, based on Dawn Felagund's idea to write daily drabbles using the word of the day from www.dictionary.com as inspiration. However, since the drabbles haven't been updated since September 2007, I decided to make this a gathering place for various ficlets and ficbits that won't stand so well on their own.

As of February 2014, all future fics over 1000 words are going to be posted as standalones rather than in this collection.

A small note for the squeamish... I am was, when this started, incapable of writing anything more explicit than what is generally considered appropriate for a teen audience. Nonetheless I will mark stories containing violence or other possibly objectionable content with an asterisk (*) in the chapter title so they can be avoided.

The title of this series was taken from The Later Quenta Silmarillion as printed in Morgoth's Ring (History of Middle-earth Volume 10):

"In her youth she [Nerdanel] loved to wander far from the dwellings of the Noldor, either beside the Sea or in the hills; and thus she and Fëanor had met and were companions in many journeys."

That said, I would dearly love constructive criticism... and now please have fun reading.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

A gathering place for ficlets of varying length written in response to prompts, prods and as gift ficlets.

New (added December 2024):

Instadrabbling fics from the SWG server event on February 17, which I never uploaded here, as well as a couple of shorter ficlets from November 2024.

Major Characters: Aerin, Amarië, Amras, Amrod, Anairë, Aredhel, Arien, Aulë, Belen, Brodda, Caranthir, Celegorm, Curufin, Daeron, Dwarves, Ecthelion of the Fountain, Elemmírë, Elenwë, Elwing, Erendis, Eärwen, Fëanor, Finarfin, Findis, Finduilas, Fingolfin, Fingon, Finrod Felagund, Finwë, Galadriel, Gwindor, Haleth, Idril, Indis, Lalwen, Lúthien Tinúviel, Maedhros, Maglor, Mahtan, Mandos, Meleth (Elf), Melian, Meril, Míriel Serindë, Mithrellas, Morwen, Nellas, Nerdanel, Nienna, Nienor, Nimloth, Nimrodel, Númenóreans, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s), Rían, Sons of Fëanor, Tar-Míriel, Thuringwethil, Uinen, Vairë, Valar, Varda, Yavanna, Manwë, Andreth, Vána

Major Relationships:

Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Crossover, Drama, Erotica, Experimental, Fixed-Length Ficlet, General, Het, Horror, Humor, Romance, Slash/Femslash

Challenges: International Day of Femslash, Tolkien Femslash Week Bingo

Rating: Creator Chooses Not to Rate

Warnings: Character Death, Mature Themes, Sexual Content (Mild), Sexual Content (Moderate), Violence (Mild), Violence (Moderate)

This fanwork belongs to the series

Chapters: 104 Word Count: 29, 303
Posted on 20 August 2007 Updated on 21 December 2024

This fanwork is a work in progress.

Table of Contents

Carnistir is going to be a big brother, and Nerdanel offers comfort. A double-drabble.

Good days and bad days in the House of Fëanor.

Nerdanel and Fëanor, and estrangement.

Nerdanel, the Darkening, a candle.

Mahtan's apprentices and gossip about certain young lovers.

The death of Fëanor.

Nerdanel, Finarfin and Eärwen, and the aftermath of the Darkening.

A lesson, not only for young Maedhros and Maglor.

Nerdanel, Fëanor and a promise.

Nerdanel, Fëanor, and letters from Formenos. 350 words, recycled from an older drabble I wrote ages ago.

A strange take on the Prophecy of the North, from Fëanor's point of view. Possibly AU.

Aulë, Fëanor and Nerdanel. A contest in three pieces of dialogue.

First shadows gather on the Blessed Realm.

Caught in Angband, Maedhros receives comfort from an unexpected source. (Implied torture, but nothing graphic.)

Carnistir, and a simple way to restore peace between his parents.

Nerdanel's story, and her reaction to the Silmarils.

Of songs and joy - young Macalaurë reflects on his parents.

Young Nerdanel and first run-ins with her feelings.

Originally written for 15_minute_fic at LJ, the prompt was 'acquire'. Maglor, and the Silmarils regained.

Another entry for 15_minute_fic, the prompt being 'cut'. Thangorodrim scenario, not for the squeamish. This owes much to Lyra's The Tempered Steel.

15_minute_fic, some silliness for a change. Warning, language, slash and non-con incest of a very mild nature that should render it completely harmless.

A double-drabble AU featuring Fëanor for the lovely Allie Meril who gave me a wonderful quote to work with:

For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.

- Charles Bukowski

Galadriel has come into possession of the One Ring. AU set during LotR, but mentions Silmarillion characters and motivations.

Prompted by Aria: What if Morgoth had stolen the Silmarils but Finwë had lived? A mini-AU in three drabbles according Open Office, and an experiment with PoVs. Warning for character death if you want to read it that way. Thank you for the 2010 MEFA nomination, Dawn Felagund!

Two drabbles according to Open Office. For the Blizzard Challenge at the tolkien_weekly LJ community, a response to clodia_metelli's Dawn & Dusk, with her kind permission: The prelude to and aftermath of the attack on Doriath as seen from a Fëanorian point of view. Implicit character deaths in the second drabble.

During the Dagor Bragollach, Fingon's first official act as High King. A double-drabble according to Open Office.

For Dawn's summer solstice challenge, a drabble (according to Open Office) for each of the solstices and equinoxes, centering around the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

A drabble according to Open Office, written for a Mini Challenge during Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon: Maglor had one perpetual listener during his wanderings. What might she be thinking of him?

We hear a great deal about Elendil and his sons after the Fall of Númenor, but not so much from the other side... a drabble from the far future, written for Zdenka at fic_promptly on DW; many thanks to GG and the Lizards for nitpicking and feedback.

Elwing's last moments at the Havens of Sirion. Written for Zdenka at fic_promptly on DW, picked over excellently by GG and the Lizard Council. Many thanks.

Prompted in moetushie's one-sentence fic meme, "Prodigal - you have given me love - therefore I to you give love! O unspeakable passionate love." Violence briefly mentioned.

Also for Moetushie's one-sentence fic meme, and the prompt: "Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy." Mentions character death.

A three-sentence ficlet. Finrod and Curufin in Nargothrond. Not altogether friendly rivalry. Can be implied slash, or not, as you like it.

A brief, schmoopy curtain fic moment for Maedhros and Fingon, happily ever after. A drabble according to Open Office (even though it apparently went quite wrong this time).

Fëanor and Nerdanel's relationship, in three-sentence form. Expands on an idea from my fic "In-Betweens".

The Noldor welcome the first sunrise. It is a more eerie experience for others.

Finrod and Amarië's last moments together. Double Drabble.

Finarfin's reunion with Galadriel when they meet during the War of Wrath. (Double Drabble.)

What ever became of Daeron? (Double Drabble.)

Maglor wanders. (Double Drabble.)

The news of Fingon's death drive Maedhros to madness. Intended to be disturbing; blood, violence, OC character death. (Double Drabble.)

Galadriel fights alongside the Elves of Doriath against the Sons of Fëanor, who sent her brother to his death. Potentially AU; violence and blood, character death. (Double Drabble.)

Curufin visits Losgar to seek closure only to find that Amras had been waiting for him.  A horror ficlet, features character death and general unpleasantness.

Fingon emerges from the Halls of Mandos.

Elves-in-History AU: Amras and Nellas in the 1920s Chicago gangster era.

Fingon/Maedhros: The Mermaid AU. (Crack!)

Nerdanel, Fëanor, a stranger in a blue box, and just what the title says. Crossover, humor.

A young female dwarf is initiated into the customs of her foremothers, and has a surprising encounter.

Idril and Aredhel, and some of their attempts to escape the laws and customs of society.

Anairë has been watching Nerdanel for a long time. (Fluff of the femslashy variety).

Written for Maure on tumblr; strongly referencing the lovely birthday fic she wrote me. After Indis comforted Míriel, Míriel returns the favour.

A year after the Dagor Bragollach, Maglor has a peculiar experience at a celebration.

After his return to Aman, Maglor's wife tries to help him unlearn his distrust.

Gwindor and Finduilas, one evening after his return from Angband.

A sort of Maglor-in-History fic, written for Indy for fandom_stocking 2012 and not posted here before. (Mentions of war and injuries, but nothing graphic.)

Written for Idleleaves for the 2011 fandom_stocking. Maedhros, Fingon, and ways to deal with nightmares. Fluff.

Written for Indy for fandom_stocking 2011. Finwë/Míriel/Indis in a Happy AU that isn't quite our A Kind of Poetry 'verse.

Nellas, Niënor, and a summer night in Doriath. For Elvie, who suggested "Nellas and Niënor doing something adorable" as a prompt. (Can be considered a gapfiller for "Sweet Water and Gold").

This started with a suggestion for Lúthien as a dark queen by Orvandill on tumblr, and continued through a set of graphics. Asking me to resist drabbling in the same universe was practically pointless.

Three loosely connected ficlets, some grisly images.

Elenwë and Írissë share a private moment. Written for Anna for Fandom Stocking 2013.

I would seek Queen Míriel and pay my respects, for she was dear to me. Indis braves the borders of Lórien to seek her heart's desire.

Míriel and Indis, and an understanding - of sorts. Inspired by Vienna Teng's The Last Snowfall. Mild femslash.

Written for Agelast's fic Of Light Beguiled, for Remix Redux. I'd recommend reading her fic beforehand to get context of what's discussed here, and why.

Aerin faces the arrival of the Easterlings in Dor-lómin.

Thuringwethil meets Lúthien.

Young Finduilas learns her first lesson in politics.

Idril, Ecthelion, and the matter of Gondolin's sustainability.

A little exercise fro the meme currently going around on LJ. Femslash edition insofar they're all femslash in idea, even if it's not spelled out obviously in all of them.

After the Darkening and the Exile of the Noldor, Nerdanel makes a new home for those left behind.

Haleth yearns. Or does she?

Vairë kindles Míriel into flame and colour.

Míriel and Indis, on a sad anniversary. For Tolkien Femslash Week on tumblr.

How Lúthien swayed Mandos. Written for Indy at Trick or Treat 2015.

Written for Tolkien Femslash Week 2016, for the prompts:

Story Elements: A flute
Tolkien Quotes: "And Indis hath my love", "May I not now spend my life as I will?"
Book Title: Girl Walking Backwards
Emotions: Hope
Formats/Genres: True Drabble
Lyrics and Poetry: “Let me find you and the song (forever) between us”

Set in the "The Beautiful Ones" 'verse, although a long time after that story takes place. (And yes, I fully intend to pick it up again to finish, although I don't want to make estimates on when that'll be.)

Also for Tolkien Femslash Week, for the prompts: 

For July 16: 
Book Titles: Send My Roots Rain
Clichés: Flowers, Hand-holding
Emotions: Hope
Four Words: “Charade, amber, colony, moment” and “limit, daisies, cotton, hopeful”

For Tolkien Femslash Week, for the prompts:

Formats and Genres: Sapphic Stanza
Tolkien Quotes: “Who now shall refill the cup for me?”

Galadriel to Varda, more or less obliquely NSFW. 

 

For the July 16 prompts of Tolkien Femslash Week

Emotions: Confidence, Courage
Formats: Haiku
Story Elements: Violets
Tolkien Quotes: “Mithrellas, one of the companions of Nimrodel…" 

For the prompts:

Clichés: Breakfast in Bed, Curtain Fic, Gift-Giving, Domesticity
Lyrics and Poetry: “I sing for love, I sing for me, I'll shout it out like a bird set free”

Nellas and Niënor wander in Doriath in summer. References Sweet Water and Gold, where Nellas re-named Niënor Ninglor.

For the prompt:
Lyrics and Poetry: “And all my swords have turned to words that blow like poems in the wind”

AU; Aredhel/Haleth.

For the prompts:

NSFW/Kink: Breathplay
Emotions: Lust 
Formats/Genres: Drabble Series
Four Words: ocean, thousand, ceramic, fever

Tar-Míriel after the Fall of Númenor. Dubiously NSFW. I think?

For the prompts:

Book Titles: Songs of Silk 
NSFW: Discipline 
Four Words: battalion, unsure, headstart, bliss

Morwen and Aerin perform a necessary exercise. (CW for implied abuse as reason for this scene. NSFW.)

Emotions: Longing
Formats/Genres: Fanon Subverted (the fanon being that there’d be requited feelings for Aredhel if Elenwë had survived Helcaraxë)
Four Words: below, ankle, invisible, glacier

Unrequited Aredhel/Elenwë on Helcaraxë.

For the prompts:

Clichés: Insomnia
Book Titles: The Stone Gods, I Can’t Think Straight
Lyrics and Poetry: "You were the first person on Earth"
Tolkien Quotes: "What is the name of this thing? For in my darkness I lost it." and "Those who hearken to her learn pity and endurance in hope"
NSFW: Comfort sex 
Story Elements: A gold vein

After Fëanor’s death, Nienna offers comfort to Nerdanel. Mildly NSFW, with implied Fëanor/Nerdanel.

For the prompts:

Book Titles: Spring Fire, The Paying Guests
Clichés: Slow Dancing, Forehead Touching
Story Elements: Autumn Light
(Also Fíriel on the Women of Númenor because I was stumped for a character.)

The prayer that Fíriel sings is from her appearance in The Lost Road, but I updated Herendil's name to Isildur as Elendil's son to make this a little less bewildering.

For the prompts:

Emotions: Joy
Formats and Genres: AU
Four Words: Early, skyline, almost, mask and proposal, drifting, lock, mortal
NSFW: Blindfolds

Idril has a proposal for Rían. (AU; Rían lives.)

For the prompts:

Book Titles: The Grass Widow, Waiting in the Wings
NSFW: Foreplay
Lyrics and Poetry: “And I said Venice and you heard Vegas”
Tolkien Quotes: “Their robes the wind, their raiment air…”

Erendis and her maid steal a moment in the country.

For the prompts:

Story Elements: A will-o’-the-wisp, Thunder
Four Words: Thunder, fragment, apple, arch and silver, tangle, rainfall, dormant
Lyrics and Poetry: “But the rain is full of ghosts tonight”

The Lady of the Blue Brooch dreams of her lover.

For the prompts:

Format: Fix-It
Lyrics and Poetry: “Love until we burn up” 
Four Words: Bloom, devour, blinding, alliance and humble, linear, comet, marble

Arwen at the end of her days. Arien will have none of it. (Character death of sorts; the title is from the LotR Musical’s Song of Hope.)

Nerdanel and Curufin's wife, through the ages. Triple-drabble as per GDocs, written for AmyFortuna for Multifandom Drabble 2017.

After the Darkening of Valinor, Findis and Elemmírë set out to do their part in the restoration of Valinor. Triple-drabble.

As summer nears harvest, Morwen and Aerin dance in the meadows. NSFW, for AmyFortuna for Fandom Giftbox 2017.

Whatever happened to the Lady of the Blue Brooch? For Starspray, for Innumerable Stars 2017.

Some magic is altogether worldly; Melian/Galadriel, NSFW. Written for AmyFortuna for Innumerable Stars 2017.

Aerin and Rían change their stories. AU, triple-drabble for Zdenka for Innumerable Stars 2017.

Instadrabbling submission from February 17: The weather is changing. Manwë has something to say. 

Instadrabbling submission from February 17: Modern AU, or something like it. Patience likes to read. 

Instadrabbling submission from February 17: Maglor returns to Aman and sings of what he experienced wandering. For the prompt "Wait, this can't be right."

Instadrabbling submission from February 17: "They disappeared like it was magic!", and chat had been discussing animals during the Fall of Númenor, so this came out of it. 

An instadrabbling submission from February 17, for the prompt "an artifact washed ashore". A wanderer in modern day remembers. 

Instadrabbling submission from February 17: Valier discuss the changing mortal world. 

Two instadrabbling submissions from February 17: Indis, Nerdanel, and a good book. Mildly smutty, from the prompts "reading a good book" and "dusk, shattered, tears, silence". 

Written as a Smubble for Wanksgiving 2024, for Pages, SFW. Amarië watches Galadriel win a race. 

Written for Wanksgiving 2024, for the prompt "*puts the tip of my sword in your mouth* enough, you will only talk when I tell you t- stop sucking on it" by Kira_K. Galadriel, Aredhel, a sparring match in Araman and an unexpected turnaround. Mildly NSFW, involves genderplay. 

Why did Amarië choose not to depart from Valinor into Exile? Amarië/Galadriel, with implied Finrod/Amarië/Galadriel in a V-relationship. SFW. 


Comments

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I enjoyed these immensely. Your style and the moods of your work continues to blow me away. Especially "Carom" ... oh my, I had chills! The image of the silence smothering her weeping, coupled with the strength it must have taken to let him turn away ... wonderful!

I look forward to reading more of these, even if you can only update intermittently. ;) Also, I did add this story to the "Taming the Recalcitrant Muses" series since the software is being wonky and won't let authors add themselves. I hope this is okay; if not, just let me know! :)

Heh, thanks. I'd like to say 'I'm trying my best', but that wouldn't be strictly true, because sometimes the scenes just go and offer themselves. :)

Also, I know I haven't said a peep to the slew of your reviews, but read every single one, and they made me a very happy Elleth. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment on everything! :)

Elleth, my word. I am not often rendered speechless but your fiction tends to have that effect on me and "The Vessel" is no exception. It is hard to say what I love about this piece because you are masterful, as ever, in somehow constructing words in such a way that they become emotion itself. In "Discovery," there is such anxiety, hysteria (for lack of a better word); "The New Lamp," I had tears in my eyes by the ending. Your imagery and lines like "They harvest fire," as always, are simply amazing. I am sick with a real PITA cold today and just generally grumpy and needed some Elleth!fic to cheer me up, and I am not disappointed. :)

Dawn, thanks so much! I wish I could reply something even remotely intelligent to this, but as you know the writing just happens (which is annoying since that makes the effect hard to replicate). I certainly didn't intend to make anyone cry, even if I'm glad the story is that effective. *hugs* Get better soon, perhaps try white tea with honey and lemon, it's a miracle cure for colds.

Thank you for the review, and please don't apologize for thinking aloud! In fact, your comment made me wonder about Thorondor's (or Manwe's) motivation for listening to Fingon specifically. (Other than tying in neatly with the Eagle-ex-Machina trend in all three major works, that is! ;)) Hm. There may be more drabbles coming from this, so thank you again.

Thank you, and good catch in picking up on the inspiration for this drabble! It's all a matter of perspective, really - for those Númenoreans who didn't repent, I imagine Sauron and Ar-Pharazôn would be understood to be keeping word and quite possibly be styled as saviour figure - if not for the pesky Valar who dropped a pile of rocks on everyone. ;)

Wow, really impressive description of the first sunrise. Yes, the light might've brought hope to the elves, but it is also very plausible that this new thing can be scary, too. After all, they have never seen something like that before, and nothing prepared them for it. Well done!

It is! Which, incidentally are the exact words Tolkien used to describe Maglor rather than Daeron, and with the possibility of the Houseless - which Maglor might eventually have become - taking refuge in hidden places, wells, old trees and the like, I'm wondering if that was a deliberate allusion or just a coincidence. But with Daeron as one of the Sindar and a greater singer than Maglor... if there is any Elf at Old Man Willow's heart, it seems he'd be the better candidate.

Thank you very much, I'm glad the comparison works. I guess it helps highlight the contrast between then and the time of the story, which makes Maglor's misery somewhat more understandable rather than outright woe-is-me angstiness.

As for the situation within the story, it could be anything, really. I was briefly wondering whether or not it might either be the end of the Weichselian/Vistulian glacial period that he strayed into out of whatever climate the mythical pre-history of Middle-earth had, but the Little Ice Age seems more plausible in some respects... ultimately it's up to the reader, though, and I really like your idea. :)

Thank you - and I'm glad you found this detail striking. With the proposed nature of elven marriages (or even betrothals already) it seemed to make a lot of sense especially in this particular situation, even though it did rise from logistic considerations first - I find it hard to believe that Gwindor would not be stripped of his valuables during captivity. 

A mind awash with faeries! I love that description. I like this whole little peace - it's a fascinating idea that Maglor feels the need to have the story "live on" before he can rest! It certainly explains why he spent all those long years wandering and singing.

Yes, I definitely agree - in fact, that was part of my understanding of Maglor's wandering and singing for a while - I can't conceive of him as a completely inactive character, especially since his casting the Silmaril away always sounded to me like he did it with much more purpose than just to get rid of it - it's woe unto world's end for afar casting it, not just by wandering but also by keeping alive and known what transpired, and if he doesn't feel like it's being understood any longer, then it's good to have a philologist with similar interests on hand, I guess... (and then there also is this bit that I'll still need write at some point, about the intersection of a mythical 'age of heroes' and present reality and how Maglor really is a figure straying from one into the other, but that's only hinted at here, and it probably going to work better in a fic than a review reply). Either way, I'm thrilled you like this! :D

Fantastic, Elleth!  I made my enthusiam for these known elsewhere, and I'm thrilled that you collected the ficlets into a cohesive whole, here now posted on a more *ahem* stable archive than the emphemeral T-place.

This is so darkly power and beautiful, and although you might call it an AU, I'd call it an AH...that is, an alternative history, as this flows into Tolkien's legendarium perfectly, i.e., it fits in the same universe.  I cannot help but compare Lúthien's magnificence and power you've shown here to the (now paler) shadow of Galadriel's temptation by the One Ring.

So many wonderful turns of phrase here, e.g., she needs no rock-studded crown to bow her neck, but this last...

And should they try besiege her - she rained sleep upon the greatest of the Ainur. An army is no hardship, especially not since there is one to give her wings.

Wow!  That is oe helluza realization for the Noldor.

All in all, you have the foundation for a fantastic story arc here with the dyad of Lúthien and her "chief lieutenant," Thuringwethil (a fabulous contrast to Melkor and Sauron).  I dearly hope you continue this.

Finally, Dark Muse Approved™?  Nope.  Istyanis Approved™?  Yes!

I like the idea of considering this particular 'verse alternative history than an alternative universe -- and the idea that it fits into Tolkien's legendarium this easily is a huge compliment, so thank you for that! And you're right - Galadriel pales by comparison, doesn't she? One phrase that I had running through my mind while writing this was "I didn't fall to temptation - I rose to it", from Diane Lockward's Eve Argues Against Perfection, and that may be a main difference between these two ladies, quite apart from Lúthien being more powerful due to her heritage.

I don't know if it will turn into a story arc, but the 'verse is too intriguing to abandon, so there will in all likelihood be more, DM's disapproval notwithstanding. ;) Thank you so much for such a glowing review!

Hahaha, I hadn't even considered it that way - of course a fountain would be more heroically sound... as, I suppose, would be the Lord of the House of the Fountain rather than the Lord of the House of the Fishpond. :P (*Idril voice: It will be both! There is no reason to mock dear Ecthelion!*) Either way, thank you! :D