The destruction of Beleriand after the War of Wrath--and an unusual refugee.

Written for the Season of Change challenge. It struck me that there was one piece of writing that perfectly fit this challenge already--and it had been written by Tolkien himself, but was not in the Silmarillion. I mean Treebeard's song in Two Towers, of course. This story is partly a re-write or remix of that song, in prose and from a rather different vantage point. The Ent in this story is Treebeard (or Fangorn) himself, but he didn't think about himself as Treebeard at the time.

This story was originally written for Dawn's (and "Eli"'s) Create for Life project (12-14 November 2010).

Warning for extreme violence to trees, exerted by natural forces.

Kindly nominated for the MEFAs 2011 by Dwimordene. It won Second Place in the category "Other Beings: General" and also a "Smaug's Treasure" award.

Noldorin prince attempts meditation technique.

Obviously not for purists, although I'm sure the Noldor were capable of coming up with such things without Buddhist influence.

Mature Themes: meditation can be a somewhat hazardous business.

What I was not going to write, but did:

Down.   What Maedhros thought as he jumped.

Out. Up. Fingon takes Maedhros home to Tirion after his reincarnation. Finarfin insists on confronting him.  Told from different points of view (Fingon, Finarfin and, briefly, Maedhros).

Now illustrated by Alasse!

During the Bragollach, a respite in the attack on Himring allows the brothers to voice private regrets and fears.

This would be a songfic, except I wrote the lyrics myself. In other words, I wrote first a poem and then a ficlet to serve as a setting for it. The piece is also closely connected with my unfinished story "The West Wind Quartet" without actually being part of it.

At the Havens, as Tuor and Idril prepare to sail into the West, Sador Labadal's niece muses on her fascination with Idril and the fate of the servants of the house of Hurin.

Originally my project for the International Day of Femslash, which means it's only about two months late. Never mind: as femslash, it isn't PWP, it's NVMHAA (Nothing Very Much Happens At All)--some readers might consider it doesn't even count.

The story also sort of features Fingon as King Arthur--but very much sort of. For reasons that will be obvious to the reader, Fingon doesn't appear in the list of Characters.

Some of this story is a bit grim, but none of the description is graphic.

Generously nominated for the MEFAs 2011 by Elleth; surprisingly, it won Second Place in the category "Men: General"!

Maedhros and Maglor each answer a question at the Mereth Aderthad.

"Musician" was a stand-alone, until I decided to pair it with "A Word In". The two parts are rated differently: see Chapter Notes.

Once again, Maedhros steals a boat, but this time he's got Fingon with him.

Holiday-ish.

Fingon/Maedhros, but nevertheless Teens (anything else must be supplied by your own imagination...)

As tensions are rising between the factions of Feanor and Fingolfin in Tirion, Celegorm comes to see his brother Maedhros at the palace.

Very kindly nominated for the MEFAs 2011 by Angelica; it won Third Place in the category: "Character Study: House of Finwë".

Maedhros looks back from Mithrim, remembering his time on Thangorodrim and in the dungeons of Angband.

Setting: A fortified manor in the south of Hithlum. Time: Before the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

Maedhros arrives from Dorthonion to find out how Fingon's negotiations with Orodreth are progressing. Proceedings that evening are only slightly disrupted by the machinations of a pair of cats and a lot of weather. However, when Orodreth's final answer eventually arrives, his refusal to join the alliance represents a more serious challenge.

(Maedhros/Fingon)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

Yes, all that. With a slight difference.

(Slashiness faint and subdued)

Boredom, like beauty, may be in the eye of the beholder

Maedhros receives a series of messengers from Fingon.

Warnings: gratuituous mention of missing socks and burnt porridge.

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

I seem to remember a note of Christopher Tolkien's saying that his father never etymologized the word Leithian or explained exactly what is meant by the title Lay of Leithian. This may well be wrong, but meanwhile here's this - well, you might call it a meditation.

Intended for the "To Be Free" challenge, although perhaps it doesn't really fit...

Poem (or song lyrics) for two voices. Well, Fingon and Maedhros, obviously.

For International Poetry Month.

It is reported in the Silmarillion that when Finrod Felagund first met the people of Beor, he had been hunting with Maedhros and Maglor, but had parted from them because he was “wearied of the chase”. According to this story, that was the official explanation given out for his abrupt departure but what in fact had happened was that he had a conversation with Maedhros that first surprised, and then upset him...

The “eminently unsuitable” person of the title is Fingon, of course, but as the story is told from Finrod’s point of view, this is not explicitly stated anywhere.

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