Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR. Just the ideas I come up with to write about for my own amusement.

James8 is beta-ing for me, so if there is anything wrong with it, I can blame her!

Thoughts are in italics.
Speaking in "quotes".

Elven Horse

Chapter 1

A small gray head lifted from the rich smelling straw and opened large bleary eyes for the first time to take in the earthly colors of the world outside the womb. The newborn colt instinctively looked for his mother blinking in the darkness of the barn. She had already moved to stand and turned to get a better look at her new son. He inhaled her scent deeply and blinked several more times to clear his vision. He shook his head and leaned toward her loving touch. The foal watched as his mother walked around to his backside and pushed gently on his butt. He reacted quickly reaching his long legs out in front of him. The colt felt a firmer bump from his mother as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He looked around from his new height before falling back into the straw. He lay there for several seconds trying to figure what had just happened before trying again. The colt pulled himself into a standing position and stood on his splayed legs. When realizing he wouldn't fall, the colt wobbled around the stall testing his long legs. He made his way shakily over to his mother, and feeling his first hunger began to suckle her milk.

Elegain and her father, Lord Gaealis, watched in concern and then amusement the first few minutes of the colt's life. The girl looked in on the colt and stifled a yawn behind her sleeve. Lord Gaealis however noticed his daughter's antics and gestured to her quietly. Elle followed her father out of the barn with a questioning look.

"Elle, it is time to go back to bed. It is very late and there is much to do in the morning."

"Daddy, it is early. I will just have to be up in a few hours time. Why go back to bed now?" The girl grinned at her father trying to make an argument while suppressing another large yawn.

His only answer was to grab Elle up by her nightclothes and pull her back to the dark house.

XxXxX

Elegain ran to the barn as fast as her fifteen-year-old legs would carry her. Lord Gaealis had allowed his daughter to sleep later than usual. Of course, it had only happened because the girl had been too excited to go back to sleep immediately. She reached the birthing barn with its personal mare and foal paddocks just as the new foal was coming out of the barn. Lord Gaealis stood next to the fence to look over the newest edition to the horse herd raised by thefamily. The colt was a light gray with long legs.

Unusual coloring considering his parents. Lord Gaealis began thinking about the heritage of the colt. His grandsire was gray, but I haven't seen one similar to him before. This colt is maybe even a little lighter than his grandsire.

Lord Gaealis was still in thought when Elegain climbed up to the top of the fence to sit next to him. He watched her from the corner of his eye as she bounced around gleefully.

"Elle, you know better than to make a lot of movement around a new colt." Lord Gaealis chided his daughter thoughtfully. She settled but still fidgeted slightly. "Have you begun to think of what we are going to call him?" He saw her eyes light up.

"We need something that commands power and attention." Elle quieted thinking, "also something with authority and respect."

Lord Gaealis smiled and nodded his approval. He hadn't realized how taken his daughter was with the foal. Uh-oh, was his next thought.

"Come along Elle, there is work to be done. Think of a name and dwell on it before deciding." He pulled her off the fence and headed towards the barn. Elle kept looking over her shoulder at the gray colt who had discovered the tickling sensation of grass and the freedom of running around.

XxXxX

"Elle, keep your heels down. It will help keep your balance." Lord Gaealis disciplined his daughter lightly. He took pride in his daughter's abilities as a horsewoman and did not like to see her being careless. He noted the immediate reaction Elle had when critiqued. She was just as serious as her father was about horses. This mental note had allowed him to make the decision he had carefully mulled over the past few weeks. He pulled up the young horse he was working motioning for Elle to do the same. They dismounted and walked the horses next to the river for a short breather before returning home.

The family lived on the south side of the Limlight River, but owned land on both sides of it. A small group from Rohan had settled just north of the main settlement as a branch out community. Lord Gaealis was the leader of the providence known as Limduin. There were several families who worked the earth in the valley, but he had the best horses. Many went to King Thengel as horses for the Rohirrim Riders. Lord Gaealis had belonged to the Rohirrim until he retired with the King's blessing and started breeding horses.

Lord Gaealis and Elle had ridden north following the Anduin River to include water work. Elle looked out over the land, squinting to see the Woods of Lorien in the far distance.

"Elle, we must talk for a moment." Lord Gaealis began, "the colt that was born a month ago. He will need proper training. I was thinking you would like to work with him."

Elle gaped at her father. "I would love to! I was hoping you would let me at least help with his training. You mean I would be in charge of him!"

"You will not be alone. I will be advising in his training and helping with some things. You must think about what is best for the colt at all times without letting him get away with things he mustn't."

Elle was ecstatic, "Yes, yes!"

"I'm happy to know you want to learn as well as teach. He won't be ready to start working for another few months yet, but this way you will be ready." Lord Gaealis mounted his horse to begin the ride home. "You must not shirk your other chores though." Elle nodded enthusiastically climbing back into her saddle. "Have you thought of a name yet for the colt?"

"Pharaohirrim." She answered him immediately, "pharaoh for king and rohirrim for Rohan."

"We must get back. I am expecting company from the north." Lord Gaealis turned towards home and picked up a strong trot back the way they had come.

"Who?" Elle looked at him while racking her brain to think of who would be coming to the farm.

"The Lorien Elves."

Quick note: King Thengel was Theodin King's father. Another thanks to James8 for helping with the history.

Hit that review button and let me know what you think. I promise to have the elves make an appearance in the next chapter.

Review, please!