A/N: Thanks a lot for all the feedback, hope you enjoy and look forwarding to hearing back from you. To answer a question posed on a review, this version is friendship only so no worries for those who are not fond of slash.

Chapter Three

Yes, there I was, staring down a great hunter with my blade as mighty as a kitchen knife; about to be a quite tasty, if not stringy, snack. Some Balrog Slayer I was, but we all have our off days.

Now, don't yell at me about not being prepared. Honestly, who would think that this would happen, certainly not I, this was only a jog! Obviously, this is some fault of Elrond's being that this is his realm. I'll think of some way of making it his fault.

So, just when I thought I could feel the breath of the beast on my neck, something absolutely amazing happened.

A horse, a great stallion, came leaping from the brush and attacked the dog. The dog, startled, snapped at the legs of the horse, but the larger animal actually had more grace then the predator and almost seemed to dance around it showing great ability by jabbing at the dog with its front hooves.

It was the most beautiful animal I had ever seen. A coat as black as night shone with health and stamina. Long thin legs gave it wonderful lines of body, along with a small body and graceful neck. The well-shaped head kept a constant eye on its foe.

For the dog, it was out matched and the stallion gave it a deathblow to its head. Kicking it twice more for good measure the horse cried its victory and ran off through the fields. I watched it go back into the wilds.

I got a better gaze at the beast and knew it would not do well as a utility horse. It did not have the bulk strength of a stock horse and wouldn't do well pulling a load or even a carriage, but no one is perfect. With its trim body and long legs it was a speed horse, quick in short distances, probably not having huge stamina for long flights. I thought about what it would be like to ride such a being in a quick race. Probably would feel as close to flying as one could come.

Thinking about it more, I then remembered not having seen any mark of tack anywhere on its body. It had no shoe on its hoof, so it was not a horse from the world of men, though one like that would more than likely only be an elven horse. A mortal could not contain such spirit. These kinds of animals have wills of their own and would only obey if it's in their best interest to do so.

Now, before you start making your theories and shouting out your guesses, keep in mind that I am a warrior, not a storyteller. Let me finish my tale.

Needless to say, I stood in shock. What an experience, what a fright, what a horse! Wild horses were not seen around Imladris, they did not exist here, but mainly in Rohan or Gondor. This was a rare experience indeed. Why would it save me?

Suddenly, all I could think in my mind was I had to have that horse for my own. I could only imagine what it would be like to feel such speed, to ride something of that force into battle. I already had a plan forming on how to capture him and hopefully befriend him. Of course, if he was really not happy with me, I would release him, but I had to try.

That night I stayed quiet at the dinner table. Unnatural for me, I know, but I was forming a plan. The moonlight was making the trees outside glow and in my mind I was imaging the stallion out there in the wilds, the moonlight shining off that rich black coat.

"Glorfindel?" Erestor questioned. "You seem a little lost tonight."

How odd, Erestor questioning me, initiating a conversation? My mind changed direction and looked at my friend gearing up a response.

"I am thinking about the day, thinking about the day to come as well. The lessons I am going to give the twins tomorrow." In my mind I smirked, what a wonderful cover. Erestor would not approve of my thinking about how to capture a wild horse; he would think it disgraceful to cage it. But what did he know about horses? He did not even keep one of his own. It would be much easier on my new equestrian acquaintance to have a nice place to live and a steady supply of food.

In fact, I actually did begin to think about my lesson plan tomorrow. How to capture a stallion: Lesson One.

Of course, I would have to get up early to find my future mount. Plus, figure out how to tempt him into a position for me to capture him with no harm coming to the stallion himself. Very difficult and a very challenging prospect indeed, but I adore a challenge.

So, that day I cancelled lessons with the children, much to their "disappointment", and headed out. Today is the set-up, tomorrow the game begins.

I swept through the kitchens to gather my much needed supplies. That only consisting of as many apples as I could carry. The apple trees this summer were not due to bring forth their fruit until late in the season, so I was sure that this would tempt my new friend into revealing himself and associating me with a sweet treat.

Deciding quickly, I headed into the fields where the stallion ran to yesterday. Trying to think like a horse, I presumed that he would head for his home realm after fighting an enemy. One does need to recharge and gain comfort after a battle. So I hoped my guess was right and I was heading towards its lurking grounds.

Tracking skills at the ready, I looked around for any signs of the passing of my friend. A stick bent here, some ground debit scraped there, whatever would point me in a direction. I searched for a good part of the day until in the mid-afternoon I found a sign. There was an open patch of dry, sandy ground among the forest trees. It had sweeping marks drawn into it. Apparently, he likes to roll in the dirt here to relax. There was no mistaking the marks of a horse's pelt into the dirt and the curve into the ground that spoke of multiple uses. He stops here, but I doubted he slept or ate here. There were no other signs, but this was definitely a starting point. Now the question was, from here where would he go?

Closing my eyes and opening my senses, my answer came much easier than I would have thought. Water. I heard water from a small brook nearby and where else would he go after a fine play in the dirt than off for a refreshing drink. Heading that way, I kept as quiet as possible just in case he was close. Luckily, an elf is a bit more silent than a horse and I was pretty confident I could sneak up on him. I did doubt that I would be able to get too close if he was in the open. We may be sneaky and stealthy, but elves have yet to learn to be invisible.

At the stream was another sure sign I was on the right track. Literally. Tracks were visible on the riverbanks. The last few days had been dry, so the water level had gone down leaving mud. When he stepped into the mud to get a drink, hoof prints were left behind and dried in the baking summer sun later on. Older prints along with fresher ones showed signs of frequent visits and a place probably visited daily. This might be a good place to sit and wait. The woods stretched close to the water, so I could hide in the trees and wait for him to appear without him noticing. Then hopefully I could get him near to me. Perhaps if I placed a couple apples under the tree I would hide in. He could get my smell, but not have a target to startle him. Quickly, I implemented my plan and climbed the tree leaving three red apples at its base.

I waited.

I ended up waiting for the rest of the day into the night with no success and decided to try again tomorrow. Picking up my bait, I headed back to the house for another night. The next day would be better though, now I knew where I was going and I also knew from my failure yesterday that this place where I was at was more than likely visited early in the day and not in the afternoon. So as soon as the sun began rising I was up my tree prepared for a stakeout.

TBC