Medium Dawn Felagund of the Fountain

Last week, Eressetor finally managed to find equal ground with the impetuous Fëanáro, for the benefit of the entire family. Fëanáro's unhealthy obsession over his estranged wife seemed to diminish, and order and purpose was restored to his House with plans for the Spring Hunt.

Until word came from Tirion that he was to attend festival there, and Eressetor made a discovery that caused him to doubt that this was not Fëanáro's purpose all along.

This week, the story comes to its conclusion. Melkor's actions destroy life as they know it for the Noldor, and characters are called upon to make difficult choices in love and loyalty.

Please remember that this story is rated for adults only for reasons of sexuality and mature themes and contains slash. As usual, all comments are welcomed.

My sincerest thanks to all who read this story, offered advice, and made it such a pleasant experience for me to share this work. Honestly, I did not expect much of an audience for a slash novella built on a strange AU premise that I wrote on the request of a dear friend, so it was a most delightful surprise to discover that others seemed to enjoy reading this story as much as I admittedly loved writing it.

Many, many thanks for making the last three months a lot of fun.

( By the Light of Roses--Chapter Fifteen )

In last week's chapter, Eressetor was finally "won" by Fëanáro.

This week, the tensions in the House of Fëanáro continue to escalate as the exile draws nearer to ending and the sons of Fëanáro--and Eressetor--begin to question their fates and whether Nerdanel will resume her marriage with her errant husband.

Only two chapters follow this one, so we draw near to the conclusion of this story!

Please remember that this story is rated for adults only for reasons of sexuality and mature themes and contains slash. My thanks to everyone who is reading along! As usual, all comments are welcomed.

( By the Light of Roses--Chapter Thirteen )

In last week's chapter, Eressetor got thoroughly sloshed and did a regretable thing...or did he?

Waking tucked securely in his bed, Eressetor is not sure whether his romantic encounter with his tormented master Fëanáro was real or just a dream. Regardless, he is certain now that he needs to leave the House of Fëanáro; that his "aberrance" is too much for him to bear here.

Then, he gets a note from none other than Fëanáro, requesting his presence for a private meeting.

This week, we find out the results of that meeting.

Please remember that this story is rated for adults only for reasons of sexuality and mature themes and contains slash. And for those patiently waiting for smut (or for Fëanáro to make his move), it's imminent. My thanks to everyone who is reading along! As usual, all comments are welcomed.

( By the Light of Roses--Chapter Eleven )

Last week's chapter we became acquainted with the sad and sordid past of Eressetor. This week, we return to the present day, where Carnistir is getting ready to celebrate his begetting day. Fëanáro still has yet to receive word as to whether his estranged wife will be in attendance, but in this week's chapter, he will get his answer.

Please remember that this story is rated for adults only for reasons of sexuality and mature themes and contains slash. My thanks to everyone who is reading along! As usual, all comments are welcomed.

( By the Light of Roses--Chapter Nine )

On a personal note, Bobby and I will be leaving for Ocean City tomorrow morning and will be away until Sunday night. Per usual, I am denying myself Internet access, so I will answer all forthcoming comments, emails, and reviews on today's postings of BtLoR and AMC on Monday. My fondest regards to everyone and hopes for a pleasant weekend!

(Me, I'm looking to ride the Crazy Dance now that my ribs don't feel like they're exploding. And beat my high score in LotR pinball. And coax the muses out on the beach. And....)

Last week, Finwë finally arrived in the House of Fëanaro, but--perhaps more importantly--we learned a sordid secret about the elusive Telvo, and Eressetor was forced to come to terms with his own "aberrant" nature as a result. This week, we delve a bit further into Eressetor's past and come closer to discovering why he has chosen exile in Formenos.

Please remember that this story is rated for adults only for reasons of sexuality and mature themes and contains slash. My thanks to everyone who is reading along! As usual, all comments are welcomed.

( By the Light of Roses--Chapter Seven )

Last week, we got a clue as to why Fëanáro has such an interest in Eressetor. Like Fëanáro and Nerdanel, Eressetor's parents are estranged, and as Fëanáro maintains that both he and Eressetor have much to learn of each other, we can glean one aspect of Fëanáro's intrigue. This week, we get more of Eressetor's backstory as it pertains to this.

Please remember that this story is rated for adults only for reasons of sexuality and mature themes and contains slash. My thanks to everyone who is reading alone! As usual, all comments are welcomed.

( By the Light of Roses--Chapter Five )

Last week, Eressetor had a rather eventful meeting with his master Fëanáro, and we saw (maybe?) a suggestion of a spine. This week, we delve further into the strangeness that is the House of Fëanáro in exile and Eressetor's own efforts to cope in any way that he can.

Please remember that this story is rated for adults only for reasons of sexuality and mature themes and will contain slash. My thanks to everyone who is reading alone! As usual, all comments are welcomed.

( By the Light of Roses--Chapter Three )

"By the Light of Roses" is a story--really, a novella--that I wrote for Alina's birthday. It was way back in December that she lobbed this particular plotbunny at me in the form of a challenge to write a story in the Alina!verse. In the Alina!verse, Erestor was a Noldo born in Aman, loyal to the House of Fëanáro, who later served Maglor in Beleriand, explaining how he came into Elrond's service. This explanation was neat and sensible and appealed to me as an author.

Those who know Alina and me know that we share in common the fact that our minds are both pretty much perpetually in the gutter, right there next to the Wrigley's Spearmint wrapper and the crumpled can of Coors Light. Given this fact, the Alina!verse also has one other interesting aspect: Erestor was not just loyal to the House of Fëanáro, he was the lover of Fëanáro. And this was Alina's challenge to me: to write this pairing. Not to have them fantasize it or dream it, but that they must actually do it.

For quite some time, I boggled over this task. I am not much of a slash writer simply because I tend to stick to my Felak!verse where homosexuality certainly exists but doesn't form a center to the story. Yet here I was, with a challenge to not only write slash but to write a pairing that--until beginning this project--really had never crossed my mind. It demanded a pretty tremendous backstory: How an ordinary Elf like Erestor would come into such high regard by one such as Fëanáro, who, in addition to being rather important in the Noldorin scheme of things, was obviously heterosexual enough to be the father of seven children. The more I thought, the more bunnies flooded my office. Erestor began to develop a backstory, as did Fëanáro. Certain other characters demanded a part in the action, and before I knew it, I had a story formulated that would never fit the confines of what might be reasonably called a short story.

So I let myself go and let the story write itself. I started with a vague outline just so I didn't end up with another AMC, clocking in at 350K words, but I let the subplots have their way, and some interesting ideas revealed themselves. The final story ended up at fifteen chapters that are between six and eight pages a piece in manuscript format, meaning that the chapters are much shorter than that which I usually offer. Per usual, I will post a chapter a week here. Since the recent restrictions on the Internet at work, I will be posting on Thursday nights rather than Friday mornings in order to keep Posting Friday as intact as possible.

Before I offer the story, here are the obligatory warnings: This is a slash story, people, meaning a story that explores homosexual relationships. If you do not like slash, then do us all a favor and do not read it. If you decide to read it anyway and find yourself offended, too bad. You've been warned. Complaints about the content of my stories will, as always, be ignored.

I am also giving this story an adult rating. Certain chapters are certainly family-friendly but the very theme of the story is one better suited for mature audiences, and so I will not be rating chapters individually and I will not be offering PG-13 versions.

That said, this is not a PWP. Or--at least--I hope that it is not. It was not my intention to write hott Elf-on-Elf action so much as to explore how this particular pairing would influence the characters on the individual, familial, and societal levels. I don't know how well I did with this, but such was my aim.

I can't help also thinking that it is somehow appropriate that I am posting this story on my sister Sharon's birthday. I know that she will never read it because she is not interested in Tolkien or fan fiction (or even Elves!), but she is largely to credit for it anyway. When I entered this fandom, I was one of those who didn't mind slash--live and let live, I have always said--but maintained that I would never write it myself. Now, there are certain opinions that I have that beg for expression, and as always, I have chosen to do so in my stories. And so it seems that I have become a slasher after all.

Comments--both positive and negative--are welcome, as always. Posted chapters will be undergoing their third and hopefully final revision, and so I welcome an input readers wish to provide.

My sincerest thanks go to Alina and Sharon, for inspiring the ideas on which this story was based.

( By the Light of Roses--Chapter One )