Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Author's note: Thank you...all of you...but particulary gingersnap and Marzbar who keep me going.
I think we need a monster and maybe an exotic city to visit. I thought about Troy, but that would mean crossing the Straits. So let's pretend....we've doing it all along, haven't we?
As for the gods and goddesses. Agaz was guilty of stalking and attempted murder. Agaznamahan - sexual harrassment and coersion. Selene - sexual politics and maybe drug smuggling.
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Celeborn did not want to cross anymore mountains for awhile and decided to follow the coast on around to the great sea that Menelaus had drawn on his sand map and then go north into the plains of the wild horsemen. They would have to pass through one human city, or perhaps circle it, but he didn't see any problems there. Tiger assured him that most humans between here and the great inland sea spoke Hellene. It was good for business. Besides they were in need of provisions.

In no hurry, enjoying the sea breeze coming from the east, they rode along easily and engaged in light conversation when something pricked their interest. It was Tiger who first heard the sounds of battle.

Topping a sandy ridge, the blue of the sea visible to the right, the elves stared in amazement and then horror. A centaur stallion, magnificent with his long black mane and tail flying was trying to drive three horrid bird like creatures away from a centaur mare lying in the sand with a wounded foal in her arms. One creature would attack the mare and the stallion would retaliate, leaving her open to the others' attack. She resisted as best as she could with a short sword, but the foal in her arms was seriously injured and the main interest of the bird creatures. They were trying to drive her away from it and she would not leave. Whenever the stallion tried to stand over her, all three of the birds would descend upon him, and from where they were, the elves could see blood flowing down his dark bay flanks. The mare, a beautiful palomino, also bore wounds on her body, but she would not yield her foal to them.

"We must help them," Elrohir whispered tersely and took his bow off his back.

Tiger slipped off the horse's back as Haldir and the Galadhrim reached for their bows as well. Eight bows readied and released at the same time. A terrible scream ripped the air as one of the birds took the brunt of the elven attack. It fell from the sky and flapped helplessly in the sand. Eight more arrows in rapid succession found their marks.

The stallion, seeing he now had help, drove his spear into one of the flopping birds and then yanked it free to finish off the other. The third bird screamed defiantly and tried to escape, but eight Galadhrim arrows caught it on the wing and brought it down. The stallion did not need to finish it off. Now able to see to his mare and foal, he threw the spear down and knelt beside them.

"We need to offer our help," Glorfindel said and nudged his horse forward.

The foal, a beautiful little buckskin, clung to his mother and whimpered horribly. It's wounds were terrible, and without help, it would die soon. The stallion sprang to his feet and scooped up his spear, placing himself between his mare and the approaching elves. Men and centaurs did not get along, and this great stallion's race was on the decline because of it. He did not attack because they had helped him, but trust was not easily given.

"Tiger, tell him we mean no harm," Celeborn said to her, now riding behind Haldir. He motioned for all of them to stop while Tiger talked to him.

Tiger slipped off the horse and cautiously approached the stallion. The sea breeze ruffled his great mane and tail, wrapping them around him like a cloak, and the fire in his blue eyes was most intimidating. Tiger thought he was beautiful, and she grieved for his mare and her foal. She told all this to the stallion and said that Glorfindel and Lord Celeborn wanted to help him. That they had healing ointments.

The stallion hesitated, but the mare made the decision for him. Picking up her foal, she approached Celeborn and sat in the sand in front of him, the plea in her eyes almost heart breaking. She looked young and this probably her first foal. They couldn't not help her.

The elf lords dismounted and knelt before her, their hands caressing the wounded foal. Celeborn took the ointment out of the pouch on his belt, while Glorfindel took his canteen and poured clean water over the slash marks on the foal's body. It struggled against their touch, but the mare held it protectively and watched with tear blurred eyes as they tended to it.

The ointment stopped the bleeding and relieved some of the foal's pain. Since it was not immortal, it would take some time to heal. Tiger translated this for Celeborn. The mare understood, but the look in her eyes was heart wrenching. Celeborn gave her the salve and had Tiger explain its use to her. Now she smiled.

"And tell her she can use it on her and him," Glorfindel added.

Tiger did as she was told, but the stallion then said something back to her that had her smiling. "Melanippus said centaur warriors do not take medicine from foals," she answered.
But he was not adverse to applying some of the salve on his mare. She looked back at him and smiled. Centaur warriors apparently did not smile in front of strangers, but he helped the mare up and then took the foal into his arms and held it tight to his breast. The mare took his spear and followed him back down the beach. Before they disappeared into the brush, she looked back, her pale mane catching the breeze and whipping about her lovely face, and raised the spear in a salute.

"Did you get her name?" Elladan asked curiously.

"Chrysippi," Tiger answered. "She is the golden filly, he is the black stallion."

"It suits them," Elrohir said, glad that they were able to help. "Well let's retrieve our arrows and maybe get some feathers for flights."

The monsterous birds were horrible to look at, and their feathers were sharp and prickly. Even their downy feathers were harsh. It was decided to leave them where they were. Mounting back up, they continued on their journey.

Elrohir glanced back as they passed the trail the centaurs had gone down, and on a distant ridge, spear in hand, the butt resting in the sand, the centaur stallion watched them leave.
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The afternoon sun was beginning to throw long shadows as Celeborn and his nine rode into the walled city of Thero. There was so much activity going on that no one paid any attention to the elves, who with their cloaks on were easily mistaken for men. And just to be safe, Haldir had Tiger wear hers. He didn't want anyone to become too enamoured with her.

Exotic music filled the air as well as the aroma of cooking food. Tiger admitted that she did not know much about Thero except that it was named after the nurse of Ares, the Hellene name for the god of war. That was not good, but they hoped to be in and out in a day. Finding a place that took boarders for the night, they stabled their horses and rented three rooms. This meant sharing, but privacy was no longer an issue. Hadn't been for ages. Haldir, reluctant to go out into the city, went into hiding with Tiger, while his brothers, the Galadhrim and the twins decided to see the sights. Celeborn and Glorfindel took their own walk, but since their interests were probably different from the younger elves, they did not go with them.

"We should have invited Tiger along," Glorfindel said as a hawker tried to get them to buy a silver platter.

Celeborn, fighting with himself, cleared his throat and said, "The creator god we must find is Tiger's original master, Prometheus."

Glorfindel looked at him with surprise on his face. "Does Haldir know this?"

"No, and I don't want you telling him," Celeborn told his friend. "We must see him. Selene said if we try to change the oracle's message, ill will befall us."

Glorfindel wiped his mouth with one hand and grimaced. He did not like keeping secrets much less ones as violatile as this. "Haldir will not like this."

"I know, but what do we do? Tempt fate or go on?" Then as an after thought, he added, "Selene said he knows we are coming. I would not want a god angry with me."

"Nor I," Glorfindel concurred. "I suppose we must play this game as it appears to us."

"Yes."
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