"In the Shadow of the Forest", by Himring

[hhimring]

B2MeM Challenge: 1) Maedhros and His Various Non-Elven Allies (prompt by the-disposessed). 2) Create a story, art, poem, or another fanwork using the song, a line/lines, or the theme from America's song that opens the film The Last Unicorn (prompt by dawn_felagund).

Format: ficlet

Genre: folk tale

Rating: Teens

Warnings: References to canonical character deaths

Characters: Original female character (Borlach's daughter, Easterling); Maedhros, son of Feanor

Pairings: n/a

Creators' Notes (optional):  Original plot bunny by lignota (I believe she said something like: I would like Bor's people to survive and remember Bor.)

Summary: After the loss of the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, Bor's granddaughter leads the survivors of her people back into the East.


There came an evil day, a day of slaughter.

On the northern plain Bor lay dead and his sons beside him and they called him the Faithful, for he kept the oath freely given and died defending his chosen lord.

Then up rose Borlach’s young daughter and she was but barely fifteen winters old and she said: Lord, give me leave.

And the lord said: What would you, Borlach’s daughter? For I would gladly give you great gifts as weregild for your father but behold I have only my sword and that I must keep and wield.

Then Borlach’s daughter said: I wish for no weregild for any of my kin. But I must ask for leave to depart, although my heart would it were otherwise.

Then the lord asked: Where would you go and what would you do?

And Borlach’s daughter said: I will lead those left to me over the mountains whence we came. In the East, there are trackless woods. The Dark Foe shall not find us there and there, in time, my people may grow strong to fight again.

And the lord answered: May it be so!

They embraced and she wept because she could not fight and die beside him and she knew she would not see him again with living eyes. But he dried her cheeks with his sleeve and kissed her brow and bade her farewell. So she came away, as the first breath of an early winter was icing through the flowers and a bone-white moon was rising in the north, and her people were weary and few.

But, in the woods of the East, we remember. We are alive. We are Bor’s people. We fought the Dark Lord once--and, when our strength allows, we will fight him again.

A/N: the title is taken from the lyrics of the song. A couple of sentences in the story also use imagery from the lyrics. I do think the theme or mood of the fic is related to the song as well, but that is probably less obvious. No actual unicorns were harmed in the writing of this ficlet.