Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night
folder
-Multi-Age › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
88
Views:
9,352
Reviews:
155
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
-Multi-Age › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
88
Views:
9,352
Reviews:
155
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
the Oracle
Tiger entered the tent and stretched herself out on top of Master. She wanted to feel him, to listen to his heart beat, and since this was not the first time she had done it, he was not startled and only lightly awoke to run a hand over her back and before going back to sleep.
Tiger loved Master and wanted to please him. Her first Master had not been happy with Tiger and had simply left her without telling her where he went. One day he was there, loving Tiger, and then the next day he was gone and no one would tell her where he went. Then she wound up in the hands of Dio -not -nicest. She had never learned to say his name right. He was a drunk and wanted to ride Tiger as a tiger. She didn't like him. And then Longma came on Celestial, rescuing her from Dio-not-nicest. She had never seen Longma before, but Longma said a friend had told her to come and get her and take her back to the keep.
Tiger raised her head and looked at Master. He was asleep with his eyes open. That always puzzled her. The other elves also slept with their eyes open, although the twins sometimes closed theirs if the light was too bright. Laying her head down on Master's breast, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but sleep was not coming. Too much was going on inside her head. Too many memories that had been forgotten thousands of years ago.
...................................................................................................................
Waiting for the oracle to open for business proved a little unnerving for some people, but Prince Menelaus had a warrior's patience. Instead of sitting around his tent all day, he took them hunting for wild boar and lions. Tiger did not care for the lion hunt, but kept her thoughts to herself. But the wild boar were great fun. She loved it when they squeeled and gnashed their tushes. And being on foot made it doubley dangerous. She wanted to chase the boars herself as a tiger, but Hal-dear refused to let her do it. He was afraid the hunters would mistake her for a real tiger and kill her.
The hunting trip went on almost a week before a messanger from Delphi arrived with news that the Pythoness was now seeing visitors. It was time to go back.
Menelaus, as a powerful Hellene prince, had head of the line priviledges, and he saw to it that Celeborn did not have to wait too long for an audience. Once he had the answer to his question, he acted as a representative for Celeborn and Glorfindel. Tiger, clinging to Haldir behind them, was all eyes as they entered the temple. It was dark and smelled of sulphur, a smell she did not like, and there were strange people standing around looking at them. But they all stepped back for Menelaus. Apparently his answer had been very powerful.
"Tiger," Celeborn said as they stopped in front of the veiled priestess, "ask Menelaus where can we find the balrog and how can we defeat it?"
Tiger, shy in front of all these strange people, slipped up to Menelaus and whispered the question in his ear. He gave her a curious look and then repeated the question for the pythoness.
The pythoness, her robes pure white, her veil leaving only her closed eyes visible, seemed to tremble in her trance. Suddenly she jumped up and pointed at Celeborn, and in perfect elvish, she said, "Give the creator god back his creation, and you will know everything! Go to the mountains of the wild horsemen and trouble me no more." The wild expression in her eyes faded and she returned to her stool. It happened so suddenly and ended so abruptly, her assistants did not know what to make of it, but it was pretty obvious that she had given them their answer.
"Now what did she mean by that?" Rumil asked, bewildered by the woman's actions. He had really hoped for something spectacular and all he got was a riddle and a location.
"Tiger, ask Menelaus where the mountains of the wild horsemen are?" Glorfindel asked.
The prince crouched and drew a map in the sand. The Mountains of the Wild Horsemen were a long way from Delphi.
"It will take us weeks to get there," Elladan stated tonelessly.
"Do you have pressing matters back in Rivendell?" Elrohir asked.
"No. It's just I had hoped it was closer."
Glorfindel, studying the prince's map, smiled and said, " If I remember right, the wild horsemen are Sakas. Their women ride into battle and mate like mares."
"You are a wonder of knowledge," Orophin teased. "Perhaps some elven stallions might settle a few Saka mares."
Celeborn shook his head in amusement and then said to Tiger, "Ask the prince if its all right for us to know his fate?"
Tiger repeated it, listened to his answer and then said, " He will be king of Sparta, husband to a goddess, and his city will out shine all others......and he will bring another powerful city to her knees." Menelaus was smiling as she told his answer.
"Tell him we are happy for him," Celeborn said, although he pitied the city this fiery young prince was going to destroy. "Tiger, tell him his friendship has been valuable to us. WE need to ride. Apparently the answer to Glorfindel's most troubling question is somewhere in the MOuntains of the Wild Horsemen."
"But what did the pythoness mean give the creator back his creation?" Rumil asked.
"I don't know. Maybe if we find him, he will tell us," Elrohir said as they started for their horses.
Tiger slipped under Haldir's arm and held him tightly. He wrote it off to shyness and held her protectively against him. It made him feel needed when Tiger sought his comfort, and she had been seeking a lot of it lately. Something about the place really disturbed her, but since it reeked of sulphur, that was probably it.
On the ride back north, she didn't relax until they crossed a place where they could see the water in the distance, a place called Hot Gates. Only then did Tiger seem to relax. When Glorfindel asked her who the creator god might be, she said she didn't know. There were lots of gods who were creators, like Zeus. She didn't like him, but she really couldn't remember why.
** Alone on a mountain, eyes that only knew pain opened as a bitterly cold wind beat against immortal flesh. Hope stirred in his breast even as he waited for the next attack. Tiger was coming.*******
Tiger loved Master and wanted to please him. Her first Master had not been happy with Tiger and had simply left her without telling her where he went. One day he was there, loving Tiger, and then the next day he was gone and no one would tell her where he went. Then she wound up in the hands of Dio -not -nicest. She had never learned to say his name right. He was a drunk and wanted to ride Tiger as a tiger. She didn't like him. And then Longma came on Celestial, rescuing her from Dio-not-nicest. She had never seen Longma before, but Longma said a friend had told her to come and get her and take her back to the keep.
Tiger raised her head and looked at Master. He was asleep with his eyes open. That always puzzled her. The other elves also slept with their eyes open, although the twins sometimes closed theirs if the light was too bright. Laying her head down on Master's breast, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but sleep was not coming. Too much was going on inside her head. Too many memories that had been forgotten thousands of years ago.
...................................................................................................................
Waiting for the oracle to open for business proved a little unnerving for some people, but Prince Menelaus had a warrior's patience. Instead of sitting around his tent all day, he took them hunting for wild boar and lions. Tiger did not care for the lion hunt, but kept her thoughts to herself. But the wild boar were great fun. She loved it when they squeeled and gnashed their tushes. And being on foot made it doubley dangerous. She wanted to chase the boars herself as a tiger, but Hal-dear refused to let her do it. He was afraid the hunters would mistake her for a real tiger and kill her.
The hunting trip went on almost a week before a messanger from Delphi arrived with news that the Pythoness was now seeing visitors. It was time to go back.
Menelaus, as a powerful Hellene prince, had head of the line priviledges, and he saw to it that Celeborn did not have to wait too long for an audience. Once he had the answer to his question, he acted as a representative for Celeborn and Glorfindel. Tiger, clinging to Haldir behind them, was all eyes as they entered the temple. It was dark and smelled of sulphur, a smell she did not like, and there were strange people standing around looking at them. But they all stepped back for Menelaus. Apparently his answer had been very powerful.
"Tiger," Celeborn said as they stopped in front of the veiled priestess, "ask Menelaus where can we find the balrog and how can we defeat it?"
Tiger, shy in front of all these strange people, slipped up to Menelaus and whispered the question in his ear. He gave her a curious look and then repeated the question for the pythoness.
The pythoness, her robes pure white, her veil leaving only her closed eyes visible, seemed to tremble in her trance. Suddenly she jumped up and pointed at Celeborn, and in perfect elvish, she said, "Give the creator god back his creation, and you will know everything! Go to the mountains of the wild horsemen and trouble me no more." The wild expression in her eyes faded and she returned to her stool. It happened so suddenly and ended so abruptly, her assistants did not know what to make of it, but it was pretty obvious that she had given them their answer.
"Now what did she mean by that?" Rumil asked, bewildered by the woman's actions. He had really hoped for something spectacular and all he got was a riddle and a location.
"Tiger, ask Menelaus where the mountains of the wild horsemen are?" Glorfindel asked.
The prince crouched and drew a map in the sand. The Mountains of the Wild Horsemen were a long way from Delphi.
"It will take us weeks to get there," Elladan stated tonelessly.
"Do you have pressing matters back in Rivendell?" Elrohir asked.
"No. It's just I had hoped it was closer."
Glorfindel, studying the prince's map, smiled and said, " If I remember right, the wild horsemen are Sakas. Their women ride into battle and mate like mares."
"You are a wonder of knowledge," Orophin teased. "Perhaps some elven stallions might settle a few Saka mares."
Celeborn shook his head in amusement and then said to Tiger, "Ask the prince if its all right for us to know his fate?"
Tiger repeated it, listened to his answer and then said, " He will be king of Sparta, husband to a goddess, and his city will out shine all others......and he will bring another powerful city to her knees." Menelaus was smiling as she told his answer.
"Tell him we are happy for him," Celeborn said, although he pitied the city this fiery young prince was going to destroy. "Tiger, tell him his friendship has been valuable to us. WE need to ride. Apparently the answer to Glorfindel's most troubling question is somewhere in the MOuntains of the Wild Horsemen."
"But what did the pythoness mean give the creator back his creation?" Rumil asked.
"I don't know. Maybe if we find him, he will tell us," Elrohir said as they started for their horses.
Tiger slipped under Haldir's arm and held him tightly. He wrote it off to shyness and held her protectively against him. It made him feel needed when Tiger sought his comfort, and she had been seeking a lot of it lately. Something about the place really disturbed her, but since it reeked of sulphur, that was probably it.
On the ride back north, she didn't relax until they crossed a place where they could see the water in the distance, a place called Hot Gates. Only then did Tiger seem to relax. When Glorfindel asked her who the creator god might be, she said she didn't know. There were lots of gods who were creators, like Zeus. She didn't like him, but she really couldn't remember why.
** Alone on a mountain, eyes that only knew pain opened as a bitterly cold wind beat against immortal flesh. Hope stirred in his breast even as he waited for the next attack. Tiger was coming.*******