#ballads

Such as:

The Maiden and the Selkie, about a girl who falls in love with a seal-lord

Riding With Private Malone, about a man who buys a haunted car

Dawson's Christian, about a ghostly space ship that defeats space pirates

Elven Harper, about a spinster who gets stolen by a handsome elf

Silver Ghost, about a spooky ghost train

The Witch of the Westmorland, about a knight who seeks the help of a centaur witch

Hallow's Eve, about a healer who gains a revenant lover on Halloween

Ghost Riders in the Sky, about a cowboy who sees

Karelia's Song, about a sorceress duchess who makes her lover and her husband change bodies

The Highwayman, about a highwayman and his lover who died a violent death and still meet as ghosts

Fairies Stole My Keys, about...fairies who stole the singer's keys

Lady Isabel sat at her window a-sewing

Aye as the gowans grow gay

When she heard an elf-knight on his bright horn a-blowing

What if her dad’s a Peacekeeper? Mayhaps Maude Ivory fell for one and got pregnant by him.

The ballad she was named for, Maude Clare, is about a woman who gave her past lover gifts at his wedding to a fine English lady, the ideal woman. Meanwhile, Maude Clare’s reputation is ruined by her past affair with the man.

What if Maude Ivory fell in love with a Peacekeeper, but he was “married” to the state, meaning that he could not be with her.

Perhaps she gave him gifts as he left for the district he’d been reassigned to when the head Peacekeeper found out about their affair.

It’s mentioned (I believe in SOTR itself) that sometimes a young lass in 12 will have an affair with a Peacekeeper—and often, a child.

It would also be interesting what with Lenore Dove being so anti-government and all, if her father had worked for the very system she hated until her dying breath.