Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Author's note: I never really thought about Eomer's queen and heir..guess I need to. Has led to an interesting situation..thanks for the heads up.
And thanks for the input. One question, who is big/bad enough to whip Haldir's ass? Of course Glorfindel!
And Yes, I want a sphinx! Oh thank-you for the idea. Must have sphinx...must come up with riddle...sheesh.
........................................................................................................................
Celeborn decided that they needed to head back towards Mordor and do some more cleaning up, maybe check out the nothern reaches of that land. Anything to distract the riders from the news that Tiger was dead. His grandsons were particularly disturbed at seeing the tiger skin at Edoras, and Haldir was a bitter mess. He wanted to kill something, preferably the King of Rohan, but Celeborn hoped going on a killing spree of a beneficial kind would cool his blood a little. That and Celeborn was wanting to see Arwen again.

Leaving Rivendell to his administrators, Celeborn saddled his nine up and on a beautiful spring evening, headed south towards the Gap of Rohan. There were more human settlements now spreading out over the land, but Celeborn rode clear of them. It would not be wise to associate with men right now, men who were beginning to forget what the elves had done for them, particularly one elf, who was now in such a black mood that even his brothers were having a hard time getting through to him.
........................................................................................................................

Tiger listened curiously as the king explained his plan to his steward. It was all so very simple. Tiger would now be known as Lea, and she was the steward's son's mistress. She would share a room with Melanorn and no one would be any the wiser. For his assistance, Melanorn's lover would have his own rooms at Edoras, and they would be under the king's protection. Simple. Tiger didn't really care one way or another. She liked the king, but with his mate and cub returning from their country estate, he needed her in her own rooms. Simple.

And she was to start wearing the clothes of Rohan women..with a veil. Less chance of anyone recognizing her who might recognize her. Simple? Tiger did not want to give up her blue silk robe, but the king insisted and even showed her one that was just as nice, he thought. Very flattering. She reluctantly put it on, and the steward's wife showed her how to cover her face with a silken scarf so that only her eyes showed, her golden tiger eyes. Simple.

But nothing could make her give away the suede boots that Glorfindel had bought her from the Gypsy. The shoes they showed her were strange and smelled funny. "No!" she hissed at the three humans who were trying to coax her into taking them off.

"Why?" Eomer shot back, clearly at the end of his patience.

"Because Glorfindel gave them to Tiger," she answered, the gleam in her eyes more than up to Eomer's impatience.

Glorfindel, the balrog slayer. "Was he your..lover?" Eomer asked curiously, almost afraid of the answer.

"No," she replied and said nothing else. They looked at her determined face and gave up. She could keep the boots so long as she wore everything else.

In the dark, when it was only them, Eomer asked her again, "Who was your lover?" For some insane reason, he needed to know, telling himself that he needed to protect her from that one, the one who had driven her into the wilderness. Having her lying in his arms with her head against his shoulder, he felt strange, like he was possessing something rare and wonderful, and if he only loved her enough, she would love him back. But he had to know who was in her mind when they made love. Who was she feeling when he took her? Who was she thinking of right now?

"Does man king really want to know?" she asked softly.

"Yes."

" Master."

"Who was master?"

"Hal-dear." She closed her eyes but no tears came. She was tired of crying, although her heart still ached for him. Longma had said she trapped herself. Trapped she was.

Eomer stared into the darkness and stroked Tiger's head. Anyone but him, he thought. Anyone but him.
................................................................................................................................................

Armanea stood as Queen Arwen's side as she welcomed her grandfather and brothers back to Minis Tirith. Even King Elaassar seemed pleased to be getting a break from the monotony of running government. Orc hunting in Mordor? This time Celeborn told him he could come along if he wanted with Legolas and the Gimli also.

Haldir accepted Arwen's welcome, and he read the sympathy in her eyes, but he didn't want it. Tiger was the one who deserved her sympathy, and she was dead. Dead because he had to fuck a woman with golden hair. His eyes slid towards Armenea who was still as perfect and cold as when he had last seen her. Did she feel nothing for her part in Tiger's death? She met his gaze as fiercely indifferent as he had ever seen. But for a second her thoughts betrayed her. The bitch still wanted him. She would regret that.

A light supper was prepared with only the immediate members of court present. Faramir, desiring to join the 'men' on their hunting trip, provided some humor when his wife stated she was perfectly content with their 'boring' life. If she never saw another orc, she would not regret it.

Haldir, savoring his second goblet of wine and feeling just a little mean, took a deep drink of the warm red liquid and said, "If you are fortunate, we will remove them for you. Like we always do."

Switching to Sindarin, Glorfindel smiled, leaned towards him and said, "Manners here, Haldir. Manners here." He would tolerate no nonsense out of Haldir in front of Lord Celeborn's kin.

"My apologies, Lady Eowyn," Haldir said and inclined his head. "I have been a bad mood since learning of the tiger hunt in Rohan."

"It is understandable, Master Haldir," she replied. "My heart grieves with you."

"You are kind," he muttered and took another mouthful of wine. He needed to get away and downed the last of it. Setting the cup down, he stood up and asked, "Has my room changed, my lord?"

"No, it's the same," Aragorn replied, almost relieved Haldir was leaving the table.

"Then I bid you good night." Haldir touched his heart and inclined his head. He was almost too formal. But it was not his room he was headed towards. He had other prey in mind.
.......................................................................................................
Armanea knew he was waiting for her there in the dark. Entering the room with her lamp in hand, she pretended it made no difference to her to see him lying there fully clothed with his weapons beside him on her bed.

"Comfortable?" she asked and set the lamp on the table beside the bed.

"It will do," he said and stretched. The bitch looked at him hungrily. He had never told anyone who his indescretion had been with because the crime had been his not hers, but the fact that she had never shown any remorse for her part in the tragedy filled him with a cold rage.

"Why are you here?" she asked bravely and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I thought about killing you," he answered and put one arm behind his head, "but that would cause problems with the king, and I sort of like him."

"That's commendable of you."

"Yes, I thought so, also."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Make you wish you had never set eyes on me."

And the smile he gave her would have chilled a saner woman to the core of her being. A saner woman would not have surrendered to his kiss, a kiss that would never be repeated, a kiss that ignited a fire he had no intention of putting out. Too late she realized he had no interest in her, too late she saw the cold look in his eyes as he left her side, left her aching for him. She was nothing to him, and he didn't care that he left her deep in the flames of need. He just didn't care.

When Celeborn rode out the next night with the King of Gondor and his companions, Haldir laughed at her standing beside the queen. He wanted her to feel at least 1/5 of what Tiger had felt before she died.
................................................................................................................................................

Queen Lothiriel, daughter of Prince Imrahil of Dof Amroth, could see right away that something was amiss when she returned to Endoras with her young son Elfwine in tow. Eomer's welcome was genuine enough, and he literally doted on the small boy as he welcomed his family back to the great hall. But looking around, accepting the welcome homes of the men and women of the court, she noticed the woman in the back watching her, the woman with unusual golden eyes.

"Who is that?" she asked Eomer.

"Her name is Lea. She is Melanorn's mistress," he answered as he led her back towards their rooms. Sharp eyes if she had already noticed Tiger. He smiled affectionately and even planted a quick kiss on her tender lips. Indeed, he loved his beautfiul wife greatly, he just couldn't help himself. Tiger was a thorn in his side he couldn't remove.

Lothiriel glanced back at the woman and frowned. All the women of the court knew Melanorn had no interest in women, that his lover was a minstrel from Minis Tirith. A chill ran through the young queen's body. What was the king up to?
.................................................................................................................................................

Three weeks after the queen's return, bandits struck one of the king's studfarms and made off with over a thousand horses that they were East. Eomer could not let a thousand horses go and saddled up the Rohhirim to go get them back. The steward's wife had explicit orders to keep Tiger as far away from the queen as possible. Having said nothing since their last tryst, Tiger didn't seem to be interested in meeting the queen, which was a good thing for Eomer. Things were starting to become complicated; the queen suspected. When he got back, he was going to have to move her out of Edoras.

Lothiriel watched her husband ride off and then looked at the strange woman who also seemed to be interested in him. Although the steward's wife tried to hustle her off, the queen stopped her and said, "I will speak to Lea."

Tiger, upon hearing the queen say her new name, turned to her and waited.

"Come with me," Lothiriel said. "Let us walk awhile, and if you like, you may show your face."

Tiger was glad to be rid of the scarf if even for a little while. The queen looked a little surprised.

"Why do you keep your face covered?"

"Tiger was told to."

"By whom?"

"The man king," she answered.

"Why?"

"Man king does not want elves to recognize Tiger," she answered again.

"Who are you?"

And Tiger told her.

Lothiriel felt the strength leaving her body as Tiger finished her story. The Queen of Rohan looked at the jinn tiger and found no hatred in her heart for her. Tiger had run away from her Master over a love affair that was clearly nothing. Who did not know of how the elves had searched for Haldir's mistress? Only the elves and King Aragorn had not told anyone that she was also a tiger. Finding a place to sit facing the magnificent mountains nearby, Lothiriel said, "I fear my king is doing the same thing to me that your master did to you."

Tiger frowned. "Man king does not love queen anymore?"

"No, that's not it. Sometimes men...elves...do bad things without thinking out the consequences." She looked up at the jinn tiger and saw what it was about the woman that fascinated her husband; Tiger was beautiful in an exotic way that no mortal woman could compete with; and there was probably more but Lothiriel didn't want to think about that. "Tiger, I need to get you back to your master."

"Master does not love Tiger anymore," Tiger said softly.

"Not true, Tiger. Lord Faramir and Lady Eowyn are my kin and they told me your master drove himself to dispair looking for you." Rising to her feet, she said, "I have to right this wrong. I want my husband back Tiger." Then just to be sure, she asked, "Do you love him?"

"Man king? Tiger loves Hal-dear."

"Then that is who you belong with." Lothiriel returned to her rooms and set about writing a letter to Queen Arwen, telling her the jinn tiger was alive. They needed to find a way to get her back to Haldir. She sealed the letter with a wax seal and then sent a rider on to Minis Tirith with orders to give the message to no one but the queen.