Glorfindel heard the bones clacking together like broken wind chimes, and knew that Asfaloth was quickly closing the distance...
Vel turned, for he heard the pounding of hooves, so fast the white stallion must have come out of nowhere, and so strong he marveled that the ground was not shaking.
"An elf," Sen said, stupidly.
"A wolf," Vel answered, watching as a scruffy gray figure stopped several meters behind them, turned, and waited for her pursuers.
When they arrived, Vel found that his own horse shied away from the fire that burned in the Elven stallion's eyes. Vel saw that about the elf there was a light, and it called to mind the fear that was in his heart when he stepped onto his first battlefield. Yet when the Elf came closer, the light faded away and disappeared, and Vel wondered.
He had only seen a few Elves thus far, and that had been after the wolves, or Gamphall, had their way with them. In a way, this one was not so different from the shocked, beaten servants he had captured; but their glory was pounded down as they were bruised, and while this Elf bore many scars, he had a determined strength in his fair face. Vel rode forward to meet him, rather than having him shot off the stallion's back, though it was a moment before he risked moving his own horse.
"Who are you?" Vel asked.
"I am Glorfindel, of Rivendell," the Elf replied, his voice clear and low, carrying a note of authority Vel had never heard from any man, save perhaps in Aragorn, and even that had been changed by the anger the King had for the Laskannik ruler. Glorfindel did not turn his head to follow the sound of Vel, as the man continued to circle him. "And I would not have disturbed you, except that you have my wolf."
At this Vel halted. "Your wolf? I think you are mistaken, Master Glorfindel. This wolf is mine; I am Vel Ptens, and I trained her."
A pale gold head turned to him now. "Yea, truly?"
Vel nodded, and smiled kindly before he realized that such actions went unseen, and were wasted. With the full weight of his knowledge, that this was a blind Elf, Vel felt control flood back into him. "Yes, Elf, I did." His tone was harsh now, and the kindness that often masked his eyes was gone. "And the majority of her pack; which brings me to something else. Where are they?"
The Elf's expression was smooth, and unreadable. "Dead, I'm afraid." His sharp white eyes turned directly on Vel, though they could not see him. "They have gone the way of all mortals."
Vel's eyes narrowed for a second. "If I did not know better, I would say that was a threat."
Glorfindel returned quietly, "For what reason do you think I would not threaten you?"
"Because you are in no position to be doing so!" Vel said, guiding his horse away from Asfaloth to a safer distance. A white figure appeared over the ridge of the hill, curious, no doubt, about the scent of blood from Glorfindel's battle with the wolves.
To the men's surprise, the Elf turned an ear in Gamphall's direction, and then turned back. "Perhaps not. But which do you suppose is more dangerous, to attempt to kill me now, or to take me prisoner and reunite me with my kin? Surely you understand that in either case, you take the same risks; that is, the loss of your life, and of your goal."
Vel laughed, but his eyes flashed with a hard, intelligent light. Gamphall stalked closer, his paws making no sound that mortal ears could catch. "We shall see, Elf, what fate decides for you."
The truth of the matter was, Glorfindel had scarcely heard the panther, and had he been alone, he would have paid the sound no heed. Vel was the true focus of his attention, but not of Asfaloth's; the horse had tensed when he smelled the predator, and brought the Eldar's focus onto dangers behind them.
He touched Asfaloth's neck in gratitude, and then Glorfindel tilted his chin towards the wolf, who had made no sound since leading him here. "Draug, im coth din, dan beriannen cuil lin. Thelo ha si. Sto ammen!"
With nothing but a prayer to the Valar that the wolf would do as he bid, Glorfindel waited. Seconds later, he heard the wolf spring forward, snarling. At that same moment, Asfaloth raced forward, out of range of claw or fang.
Glorfindel reached to his right, knowing there was a horse and rider there though he knew not which man it was, and jerked the horse's head aside by the reigns. It nickered at him in indignation, but the effect was worth the insult. The man was unsteady for the few seconds Glorfindel needed to find him; he grabbed the man's tunic and pulled him forward. Unsheathing his blade with unfathomable speed, he placed the sharp edge against Sen's throat.
"An in roch nef, Asfaloth," he said, and Asfaloth moved to a position where Sen would be unable to pull a knife or fight Glorfindel's hold without having his throat slit first.
All the while, Vel watched with bemusement. Vel Ptens, who had killed so many of his own men, was not about to be concerned with losing one more; especially one so insubordinate as Sen. "Well met, Elf. Not quite enough, I'm afraid, but I find myself impressed nevertheless. Farewell." With that, Vel shifted his attention to the fight between the wolf and the panther.
Gamphall was toying with her. It flattened itself to the ground and swiped at her with one paw, then rolled out of the way and was on its feet before she could retaliate. Seconds later, the playful twitch in Gamphall's tail ceased; a cold light came into its eyes. The wolf lunged at it, but the panther was far quicker. It came up from the ground and closed its fangs around her neck. Then it lay back down, dragging her onto her back.
She yelped, but it was a strangled sound, and Gamphall was not worried in the least about her attempts to pull free. She had no claws with which to cut him; no hooves to strike him with; nothing but soft paws and worn down nails.
Vel watched until the wolf quit struggling, and then turned his horse aside. Over his shoulder he said, "You have choices now, Glorfindel. You may die, at my hand or Gamphall's. Or, you may come with me and join your kind. This choice is rarely given, and you receive it now because you were quite educational. I never knew that the immortal beings could be damaged so...permanently."
Glorfindel dropped Sen to the ground and whispered to the man's horse, and it galloped away. Asfaloth easily cut off Vel's passage. "I have made my choice," Glorfindel answered quietly. "And it is to see my kin again."
Vel nodded. "Good!" he slid off the horse's back and walked over to Gamphall. He attached a message to the panther's metal collar, and sent it on its way. He turned back to Glorfindel. "Willing as you are, I still would be a fool to trust you to simply follow me. Your hands, if you please."
Glorfindel held out both hands, wrists together with the soft inner sides touching. If he had to be tied, he would not risk having his wrists cut and bleeding to death if Vel's horse suddenly became skittish, or if he had to struggle against the bindings.
The ties were leather, and thin; well-used, and very rough and dry in at least two spots that rubbed against Glorfindel's skin. Dried blood...that's what it was.
When Vel was seated, Glorfindel pulled slightly away from him, to see how firmly the rope was tied, and if it was attached to the horse or to Vel.
Thinking Glorfindel's actions no more than a result of Asfaloth lagging behind, Vel wrapped the lead around his left hand twice more. "Keep up, Elf. We've got a ways to go."
They went on for perhaps twenty winding miles, and Vel showed no signs of slowing even when the sun sank low, and the sky was stained with sunset. Had Vel been attuned to the wildlife around him, rather than simply his destination and fear of the enemy, he may have noticed the high cries of the birds. And had he known anything about the wildlife this far Northeast, he would also have noticed that the birds he should have been hearing did not ever come so far from their Western homes.
"We ought to stop now," Glorfindel said at last. Vel's horse didn't break stride for an instant. "There are creatures in this part of the world that you would not want to meet in the dead of night, not knowing where you are going. Had I my sight, I would direct you, but alas! I am blind, and know only of the threat, not how near or far it is."
"Are you a well-traveled Elf, then?" Vel asked, though his horse continued to plod on.
"Yea, I have traveled very far. To places that no mortal may step, save the Ringbearer. As for the land here, I have traveled them many years, and you would be wise to hearken to my warnings."
"I have faced harsh things in my own land, Glorfindel, and I do not fear the weaker beasts that dwell out here in the West. Hold your tongue...your fair voice does not sway me into obeying your commands."
Somewhere, a bird called; it echoed off the hills, and even if Vel had tried, he could not have pinpointed where it had come from.
To Glorfindel's ears, there was a faint whistle and the air stirred; he yanked hard away from his captor, expecting there to be some resistance, but his strength was greater than the man's. Vel was yanked off his horse and landed hard on one knee; Glorfindel nearly toppled from Asfaloth's back, but the stallion felt the sharp unbalance, and, craning his neck, he touched Glorfindel's leg with his nose. Glorfindel reacted by grabbing Asfaloth's long white mane with what grip he could manage with his bound hands, and steadied himself again. Vel moaned, but judging from the slack of the rope, was making no move to rise to his feet.
"I take it my actions did not cause a complete miss on your part," Glorfindel said, hearing the whisper of feet across the grass.
"No, fear not! My aim is not so terrible that I cannot still hit a moving object," was the chuckling answer.
"Still, I must apologize; rarely have I made such a misjudgement in balance and strength!"
"Here, then, let me see your hands." A deft stroke released him from Vel's tether. "And I insist you do not feel guilty. This may come to our advantage, if he is willing to tell us where the rest of the Elves are."
"I doubt that he will," Glorfindel frowned. "But I think a ransom would be paid for him. To his people's eyes, I deem he is worth setting free all their prisoners. Did you find the other? He was several hours' ride back that way," he motioned West.
"Halbarad did. I saw the tracks and continued after you; fortunately, you heard me! A new respect I have for the ears the Elves! Though that was a risky gamble; it was near night when you whistled."
"Hardly a risk; even if it had been, it would have been well worth it," Glorfindel rubbed his wrist gingerly. "The leather was far from comfortable."
Two men laughed now. One was down by Vel, removing the arrow, and the other was the one that had cut Glorfindel loose. It was the latter who spoke, "Let it be known; the penalty for tethering an Elf like a dog shall be one arrow in the shoulder! And then whatever punishment they deem fit. Come, Glorfindel; I think we have much to discuss with your captor, and with his words, we will have much to do ere the week is out."
Ral had reached the Northern fortress, but even when a week had passed, he found no desire to return to the blood-stained land of Laskan. Rather, they would wait here for the next group, and continue on together. True, he feared Vel's wrath, if the Captain were to come himself and find that Ral was being so lax in his duties, but the chances of Vel traveling over the mountains simply to check up on this group were too remote for real concern.
Up here, it was cold at night, but the stars shone as if there was no black sky between them and the earth. The Elves sang quietly at night, perhaps when they thought all the men had fallen asleep. It was at those times that, shivering so hard his bones ached, Ral would drag himself out of half-dreams and really watch the stars. He would stay up at night simply to hear the Elven songs, though he could not understand the words, and sometimes he feared he would lose his mind from the weariness. But each night he heard them, and each night he knew that nothing was worth more than the handful of hours spent lost in their songs.
The injured Elf, whose name Ral had learned was Galtaur, had recovered with the rest. If only men could heal as quickly! The wolves, too, had changed up here, in this strange land beyond the mountains. They were mellower; this mood was not constant, and they were still prone to bite for little reason, but they were more playful and more gentle for longer periods of time. If they came home tamed, Vel really would have Ral impaled. Ral reflected on this as he stared out over the flat, rocky terrain.
Very well then; I don't care if I ever come home, Ral thought to himself, feeling a rush of joy and pure freedom at admitting it, even if it was only to himself. For what purpose should he return to the ranks of Vel Ptens army, only to live in constant fear of torture, or obsolete hope of rising in stature?
But the men with him would never agree; and there would be other groups coming, and they would disagree as well. There was nowhere to hide up here in the North. Ral's fate was sealed...but he could put that off for a little while.
With a sigh, half of contentment, half of weariness, Ral nodded to himself and promised, Just for a little while.
"Draug, im coth din, dan beriannen cuil lin. Thelo ha si. Sto ammen!" means "Wolf, I am your enemy, but I protected your life. Resolve it (the debt) now. Help us!"
"An in roch nef, Asfaloth," means "To the horse('s) side, Asfaloth"
AUTHOR'S NOTES: The guys that helped Glorfindel are Rangers. I mentioned Halbarad, because he was the only Ranger I could find the name of, so if you're hard core that might've been a big hint. Unless you're a Pachelbel-type hard-core, in which you never remember names, so then it wouldn't have made a difference. :-) It was just a crazy experiment...I wanted to see if I could do the whole scene without the word "Ranger" or "Dunedain". Sorry for any confusion/disappointment!