Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Author's note: Here's hoping it goes all the way through.

Haldir awoke tied belly down on a fast moving horse. He thought the jarring was going to rip his gut open but there was nothing he could do, and he certainly didn't want to think about Tiger. Then, some time during the night, the men stopped and changed horses that were already on hand waiting for them. This time they let him sit on the horse, but they made sure he wasn't going anywhere by tieing his hands to the pommel and his legs to the saddle fenders. Someone stupid said something about him being able to bewitch them with his voice, which was totally idiotic, but over his protests, a dirty rag was stuffed in his mouth and then another one was used to tie it in place.

One ugly brute rode his horse beside Haldir's and grinned lasciviously at him, and while Haldir was certainly in no mood to be raped, he refused to flinch or be intimidated by the beast's gaze.

"I'm going to enjoy breaking you," the brute threatened and then laughed, but the rage in the elf's eyes made him pause a minute. Haldir might be taken, but he wasn't broken yet. Contempt burned in his eyes, and the brute slowly eased his horse back so he wouldn't have to see that look again.

They changed horses one more time before reaching a large estate nestled in a valley with a mountain range around it. Haldir didn't know where he was until Armanea stepped out.

"You got him," she said as they freed him from the pommel and fenders and threw to the ground. She crouched beside him and grabbed a fistful of hair. Jerking his head back, she smiled and said, "Welcome to hell."
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Rumil, Orophin and Galadhrim followed the trail as high into the moutains as they could, but an early morning storm washed the tracks away. They tried to relocate it but anything that remotely looked like a trail was now cascading water. All they could do was turn around and hope Tiger was well enough to tell them something.
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But Tiger was not well. Between Longma's healing abilities and elven powers, they succeeded in stopping the blood loss, but Tiger was terribly weak. Her color was ashen and her lips were bloodless. Glorfindel made a special tea for her and managed to drizzle a little down her throat, but too much and she would start gasping for breath.

And it was hard to keep her asleep. Driven by pain and fear, she would punch through the magic with moans of pain, calling weakly for Master. Longma would put her back under and then check her wounds for any signs of opening.

Glorfindel, looking down at her little lost dog, picked it up and set it on the bed with Tiger. It crept to her shoulder and lay beside her head. He hoped it would keep her calm.
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Haldir did not take being chained to a T-Post very well and succeeded in taking out a couple of knees before Armanea's guards got him secured. Furious, he glared at them, but his courage had no teeth behind it. The Brute, grinning viciously, picked up a piece of wood that looked like it had been used as a club and approached him. Haldir couldn't protect his head if the Brute meant to hit him there, but he tensed his abdomen just in case. The harder he could make it, the easier it would be on his spleen and liver. Still, it hurt like a son of a bitch! If his stomach had not been tight, he would not have been able to breath with the gag still in his mouth.

When Brute drew the club back for a second swing, Armanea stopped him. "No, I have something more interesting planned." Brute stepped back and grinned. Armanea left the cell for a few minutes, but when she returned she had a running iron in hand, the end of it glowing red hot. She was going to burn him. "Cut the tunic off," she told one of the men following her.

Haldir jerked on his bonds as the men cut his upper clothing away. What kind of evil burned in this woman's mind? He stared at her, her smile chilling him to the core of his being. No one wanted to be burned, but she was carrying it one step lower, she was going to brand him like an animal.

She laid the red hot curve on his left breast and held it there, the stench of burning flesh filling the cell. Haldir couldn't move away from it, but he threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. No sound rumbled in his chest or tried to tear from his lips. Nothing but a gasping, clenched teeth silence.

Armanea hated his courage and dragged the iron down his body. Haldir refused to scream, refused to acknowledge that the pain was anything he couldn't stand. But it was, he fainted, his body slumping against the bonds.

"Leave him," she said and handed the iron to the man behind her. "And make sure it stays dark in here."
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He didn't know how long he had been out, but the absolute darkness of the cell unnerved him. Small, dark places were always unnerving to creatures of the forest, whether elf or animal. His body was on fire, and he could only imagine what it looked like. Thinking about Tiger, he was a little relieved that he could still sense her presence although it was extremely faint and far away. She was alive, but he knew she wouldn't be able to find him. Right now he wished he could talk to Celestial. And then there were his brothers. They would be looking for him. Oh Eru, she had hurt him. He needed to keep his wits about him and think.