Celeborn's Nine - Riders of the Night

Author's note: sanity is back...and yes, Thalionwen,please don't anyone regard chapter 7 as gospel. I was sad and this just popped into my head. I had gone to the video store looking for some certain movies....and nothing! I was devastated. Can someone tell me where I can get any Craig Parker videos in the US? Sheesh!Oh well, on with the ride.

PS...I know in LOTR that ring snaffle bits were used on the horses, but for this scene, please visualize a Persian shank bit (kinda like the ones cowboys use). Makes the scene easier to write.
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Glorfindel and Celeborn felt it first like a dry wind on their faces. It was coming, a demon even they feared. Unsure of themselves, they watched and waited as the light drew closer and closer. There was no outrunning it, no horse had ever been born that could outrun Thought.

It appeared like a white antelope of great beauty and stared at the men and elves while stomping its silver hooves. It's horns of solid gold caught fire in the dark and created the ethereal light around it. It's eyes gleamed like dark sapphires, and gold dust was its breath. It was temptation and all who looked upon it saw their heart's desire. Celeborn saw his family united, Haldir his golden wood, Glorfindel the loves of his youth. Aragorn saw the power to do good that he desired, and Gimli saw the glory of the dwarves rising again from the earth. It was temptation at its worst. And it was a lie.

Hearing the approach of the demon hounds, the two elf lords ordered the riders off their horses and told them to turn their heads, to not look upon what was coming. "Legolas if you love your friend, do not let him see this!" Legolas shielded Gimli's eyes with his own body as the white hounds with the red ears descended upon temptation. The baying became unbearable, but nothing was so terrible as the riders in pursuit of the lie. Riders of the damned, condemned through all eternity to chase that which they can not catch.

"Look away!" Glorfindel yelled, but the men were already entrapped by the power of the LIE. Elven hands grabbed at bridles and bits, trying to keep their friends from falling to the temptation, from losing their souls to the demon.

Aragorn spurred Brego, but two elves were holding him fast. The stallion reared and pawed, torn between the spur and the hands holding it. Crazed by the riders, the baying of the hounds and the explosion of light, Aragorn lashed at the elves with the ends of his long reins. One of his retainers broke free and joined the chase. The cry became deafening, the hounds on top of them in all their fury, then it was dark and silent, the demon and the damned gone with one of Aragorn's retainers.

Realizing what he had done, Aragorn gazed down in horror at the elf he had struck. Why did it have to be Haldir? Why did there have to be blood running down his face from the leather rein.

"I'm sorry," Aragorn painfully apologized.

Haldir didn't want his apology. "Why couldn't you just listen?" he asked bitterly. "Why couldn't you have just looked away?" He wiped his face with the back of his hand and then stared at the blood on his glove. "You will not bleed me anymore," he told the King of Gondor and caught the reins of his own horse and mounted.

Aragorn clenched his fists and slowly shook his head as the elves mounted their horses and Celeborn led them back into the velvet night. The King of Gondor rode along knowing that he and the elf would have to face each other eventually. Haldir was coming to terms with his grief, but the anger was only getting worse.
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Green grass and a river! All of the elves were smiling at the prospect of getting clean. The men and Gimli were not quite as thrilled. And they were even less thrilled when they realized the elves meant to hit the river the moment they had their horses taken care of. Gimli had never cared for naked elves and decided to go ahead and take his nap now. Aragorn, more inhibited than his adopted brothers, put his tent up and readied his bed. After last night, he was more than tired; he was exhausted. He'd wash up later on. The last thing he saw before he entered his tent to rest was Haldir sitting in the water, a dark slash down his forehead, through his right brow and cheek. He was watching the King of Gondor with an evil light in his eyes.
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Elrohir was still lying naked in the water, the sandy bank supporting his head as the current gently flowed around him. Orophin was tossing shelled nuts at him, which he was trying to catch with his mouth. Everyone else was resting.

"You know I am bored when this is entertainment," Orophin said finally. He was dressed save for his boots.

"And to think I was staying awake just so you'd have company," Elrohir replied with a yawn and a good stretch. Frowning, he pointed into the sky and asked, "What is that?"

Orophin looked up and squinted. There was something up there, that was for certain, but what was it? It was green and blue and yellow and white and it had antlers. "It's a dragon!" he hissed and jumped up. "It's a dragon!" he yelled louder.

Suddenly feeling very vulnerable, Elrohir jumped up and reached for his sword and leggings on the bank beside him. The dragon, flying like a serpeant crawled, slowly descended towards the river. The two elves had never seen a dragon like this before, but they were certain it was a dragon.

Celeborn, fully armed and ready for battle, stepped out of his tent and then lowered his sword. It was a dragon all right, a Chine dragon and the woman on its back was a friend from another time. Setting down in the river, the glorious creature of magic and light, purred contentedly as the woman in scarlet robes walked down its tail to the bank.

"Elves in western Chine," she said in their own language. "Only Celeborn and Glorfindel would come this far for a cup of tea."

"Longma," Glorfindel, still tugging on his leggings, greeted as he stepped out of his tent. "It has been ages."

"But you wear them better than I do," the woman said and pointed a long laquered finger at the elf, who was quick to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"You are always beautiful," Glorfindel said as Celeborn planted a kiss on her other cheek.

"And you are still a handsome liar," she scolded him. "I remember you said you were going to come back."

"And here I am," Glorfindel said and opened his arms in his infamous "here I am" pose.

"I wanted you to return before I was too old to enjoy you," she continued and turned to look at the gaping mouthed men, elves and dwarf. "Have they never seen a woman before?" she asked curiously.

"Not one who arrives on a dragon," Celeborn explained. "And where is the tea you have spoken about?"

"Make me a fire and I will show you," she said, a small pan miraculously appearing from one of her long scarlet sleeves.
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The twins and the Galadhrim bowmen sat a safe distance away from the Chine dragon on the river bank. It acted more like a large cat than the kind of dragon they were familar with, and it was beautiful. It's eyes gleamed like gold and its five fingered toes did not seem as vicious as the dragons of Arda. And they were certain they could hear it purring.

"What does it eat?" Rumil asked softly.

"Nosey elves," Elladan answered. "How would we know what it eats any more than you?"

"It has no wings," one of the Galadhrim said. "How does it fly without wings?" Everyone looked at him. "I'm just curious."
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Longma and the elf lords made pleasant conversation for most of the day with Aragorn, his companions and Haldir listening in. AS it turned out, she was old...very old and had known the elf lords when they had been little more than adventurous children. She had even known Gandalf when he had been a youth, and they had visited before he sailed off with Galadriel and Elrond. She was also one of the Maiar, but she liked Arda and was not yet ready to abandon it. What was ten thousand years to an immortal?

It pained her to see Haldir's beautiful face marked, and with the gentlest of touches, she healed the wound and placed a smile on his lips. She also understood more about the young elf than he realized and that troubled her. He suffered much guilt and anger, and believed himself betrayed by the ones he had loved and counted on the most. How can you be the good knight when your queen has abandoned you? He loved Galadriel with his entire being, she was perfect, and only with her was he chaste, and she had sent him off to die and had then abandoned him. How could he love himself when she didn't? He thought himself unworthy, somehow dirty. Poor forest child, how can you live that way? It wouldn't last, but she caressed his face, and for a little while Haldir saw value in his life and loved himself. He was grateful.

Rising to her feet, Longma said, "Go that way two days and you will reach my keep. I know what you are after, and I am not out of the way. I will be looking for you, and do not disappoint me this time, Glorfindel."

"We will be there," Celeborn promised as the dragon rider returned to her beast. It purred louder and rose on its feet as she walked up its tail to her seat on its back. Then with a sensuous undulation of its body, the dragon rose into the air and disappeared into the clouds.