Killing Beauty

Lord Elrond decided he needed to go to Lothlorien to visit Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel on matters of importance and he was taking a relatively large party with him, including the twins and Lady Arwen, who was the jewel of her grandmother's eyes.

Mara was excited because she was going to make the trip as Lady Arwen's companion. If the lady needed anything from taking care of her horse to getting water for her, Mara would do it. She didn't mind. Her ada performed the same task for Lord Elrond. But it did bother her that Erestor was expecting her ada to do the same thing for him. Ada good naturedly oblidged when he could.

For the trip there were six additional guardians, all under command of the twins. And that first night in the wilds, they made sure that half of the guards were on duty at a time. All the ladies had their tents set up by Lord Elrond's tent, that is all but Mara. She considered herself one of the guards and stood watch with her ada. He tried to get her to go rest, but she didn't want to. She had never tried to seduce him again, but she still found herself covertly staring at him admiring his beauty, the clearness of his eyes, the gold of his hair.

Elrohir came by and sat with them awhile, no one saying anything. There were creatures in the wild that could hear the softest whisper miles away. But Mara was certain Elrohir had more than security on his mind. Their encounter had changed his mind about her. She wished it hadn't. She had never really been interested in either of the twins, and now she had one following her.

The wild horses returned to her dreams, wild horses so black in color they disappeared into the night sky. Then one turned to face her and she saw it was white. It's face was white. And for some reason she thought she knew it.

The second night started as the first, all quiet, but a little after midnight Elland woke all guardians and had them get their bows and follow him into the darkness. Lord Elrond had shed his robes and was wearing something akin to what his sons wore, and more omeniously, he had his sword with him. Lady Arwen came to the fire and bid Mara sit with her. Erestor joined them, his eyes reminding Mara of a nervous mouse in a room full of cats. Those ladies who had gone to sleep were allowed to stay that way, but those awake waited anxiously for the guardians to return.

A raging scream broke the silence as the guardians attacked whatever it was out there. Lord Elrond frowned, his hand on the hilt of his blade. If the guardians did not stop whatever was tracking them, he was prepared to defend his people.

Mara stood, but Arwn gently took her hand and bid her sit. There was nothing she could do until the battle in the dark was over. Squeals and grunts and snapping teeth seemed to be popping just beyond the light. Mara listened and she was certain that over the noise she could hear the groan of her father's great bow. Suddenly there was a cry that was not orc or warg or troll but elven. Mara tensed up. she could not hear the great bow's groan anymore.

She looked at Arwen, who gazed back at her with such tenderness in her eyes that Mara knew she realized it too. Mara could not be held back by anyone save Lord Elrond himself. "Wait, child," he cautioned her.

Mara waited. Waited when it was silent. Waited when the guardians returned without her ada or the twins. Waited when she saw Elrohir carrying her ada back to the camp. He had been taken from behind with a heavy axe. Elrohir laid him on the ground and then knelt beside Mara as she gazed in shock and disbelief on the beautiful face that she loved above all others. Ada with the golden hair was dead. They left her to grieve over his body, and at first light they built a cairn over his remains and continued on towards Lothlorien. He was buried with his sword, but Mara insisted on keeping his bow. She unstrung it and vowed it would never be drawn again
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Mara's brain was no longer functioning and Lady Arwen was kind enough to not expect anything extra out of her, but Mara knew if she didn't keep moving and doing she would fall apart. AS foolish as it had sounded, she had asked Lord Elrond if she could assume her ada's duties. Surprised by the request, he had still granted it.

On the day they were arrive at the Golden Woods, they were stopped by a warden named Melanor, an old friend of the twins. The marchwarden was away on business, but the woods were still safe from intruders. Mara almost smiled at him.

Deep in the mallorn forest, she felt some of the terrible ache in her heart starting to loosen. Ada had been here many times, and she felt some of his spirt in the forest. Melanor dropped back and expressed his condolences. He had known her ada and grieved at his passing. Mara accepted his wishes with a polite nod.

When they arrived at Calas Galadhrim, Lady Galadriel was on hand to greet them, in particular her beloved Arwen. Mara waited until they were all climbing the great mallorn tree and then she asked one of the Galadhrim where she could take their horses after all the supplies were unloaded. The other guards would take their belongings to Lord Elrond and his party or stow what was not needed.

The Galadhrim took some of the reins and walked with her to the stable where the elven horses were kept. It was not as beautiful as the one in Imdalis, but it was large comfortable enough for the Rivendell horses to have their own stalls. Finding hay and grain for them, she then set about rubbing each and everyone of them down. It would be late by the time she finished and would be able to sink into oblivion and not think about her ada for at least another night.

Passing by a closed stall, she saw a sign on it warning that the horse inside was a biter. Mara had learned the language of horses from her ada and dared to open the upper door of the stall. Inside a great black stallion stood with its back to her. When it looked around she was shocked to see that it had a white face and blue eyes. The stallion laid its ears back and bared its teeth. Mara remembered the words that her father had used on similar animals and found the horse responding to them. Turning around it tossed its head in mistrust.

"No wonder you bite, you're bored, I bet," she said and held her hand out to it.

The Galadhrim who had been helping her stopped and said, "Be careful. No one has been able to do anything with that horse for the last ten years. It's as if he went crazy day and never recovered from whatever it was that drove him to madness."

"Who owns him?" she asked curiously.

"Orophin. He's up on the northern fences. There used to be another one just like him, but it was killed by the orcs."

"How sad." She cocked her head and saw the fear in the stallion's eyes. "You saw it, didn't you?" she asked softly. The stallion snorted and tossed his head with a high pitched squeal.

"Best leave him be," the Galadhrim said and closed the door.

Mara accepted his suggestion and returned to her own charges. She had enough to do without worrying about someone else's horse. But something about the stallion tugged at her thoughts. It was like a whisper of a memory, something that was just behind her eyes.

Deciding she felt more comfortable in the stable with the horses instead of wandering around in ther trees trying to find Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen, she found a nice pile of hay and made a bed for herself. There was something wonderfully familar about it. She lay back and stared at the ceiling where through a crack she could see the stars. Unable to sleep, she started humming a tune that her ada used to hum to the horses when he worked around them.

Getting up, she returned to the stall where the black stallion with the white face stood. This time when she opened the upper door, he did not bare his teeth or squeal in fear. Holding her hand out to him, she whispered the magic words that calmed th animal's troubled heart. This time it approached and sniffed her hand.

The animal was built to run and she imagined being locked up all the time must have been a torture to its soul. Opening the bottom gate, she entered the stall and stroked the animal's strong neck. It quivered beneath her hand. "Easy," she whispered and grasped a handfull of mane. As light as a feather she leaped on his back and held her breath. He was accepting her. Nudging him in the side, she rode him slowly down the aisle towards the open door. Another nudge and he picked up his pace. Another kick and he was galloping towards the gate. Anothe nudge and he was sailing over the gate. The moment his hooves touched ground he kicked it up another notch. Mara held tightly on to mane and discovered all she had to do was lean her weight to one side or the other to get him to turn.

The sound of hard clattering hooves was heard on the street of Calas Galadhrim for the first time in a long while. Leaning forward Mara sent the stallion sailing past the great tree, where for one split second he lashed out with his hind legs and squealed for joy. Elrohir looked down from from the walkway outside of his grandmother's talan and saw Mara gallop into the forest. And he could have sworn he heard her yelp three times as the stallion stretched out even more.

Mara felt like she flying as the powerful animal beneath her seemed to just run faster and faster. Once more she was a little ellyth riding with her ada. And she could almost hear him saying, "Fly Mara! Fly!" And fly she did. And when it came time to turn him back, he willing accepted the command to stop. And even though he tossed his head and pranced with excitement, he obeyed her.

Elrohir was at the barn when she returned. "Have fun?" he asked as she returned the stallion to his stall.

"I did she confessed. This horse is not bad."

"He does not belong to you," Elrohir reminded her.

"I know I shouldn't have taken him," she admitted, "but he needed as it much as I did."

"And what else might you need?" Elrohir asked seductively and moved closer towards her.

"I have worn myself out," she told him, "and desire only sleep. It is still too soon after my ada's death to think of anything else."

Elrohir looked as if he accepted her explanation. "Your ada was a great elf and will be sorely missed by me."

"I thank you," she said. "If you will excuse me now, I have made a bed in the hay and it is calling to me."

Elrohir stepped back and inclined his head. "Til the morning then."