The Balrog Slayer Rides Again

Chapter 5

Clip-clop

Glorfindel gritted his teeth. Really, a broken bone shouldn't be so painful. The strides of the horse were graceful, but somehow managed to jar his already painful break.

Pressing on, he urged the horse to a faster pace.

It was not unusual for Glorfindel to get injured, but it was rare for an injury to hinder him to the point of exhaustion. Glorfindel knew the facts, and he also knew his body's limits.

He would rest, but for his compelling urge to keep going. There was very little he could do about his exhaustion, strange as the feeling of helplessness was.

He looked up at the sky, wishing for the sun to show her bright face through the boughs of the trees and the thick clouds. There were more dangers in the wood when the sun hid her face. Glorfindel remembered the days of youth when the clouds gave the thrilling prospect of rain. He had loved to play in the rain. But now the clouds bid ill omen, and he wished again for the carefree days of childhood, though he knew they would not come.

Glorfindel sighed quietly, then concentrated on the problem at hand. The light was dim, providing little protection from the sun-fearing predators. Considering this, both options, whether to keep going or whether to stop, had pros and cons.

Continuing would mean risk of being ambushed, and in his current state, Glorfindel knew he would have little chance of defeating his enemies. But he would also be closer to helping Estel and the Hobbits, and he felt the desperate need to find them as quickly as possible.

The other option, to stop and rest, held little appeal to Glorfindel, but he knew that if he did not stop soon he would verge on the point of collapsing. Glorfindel knew he had an instinct of when there was danger about, but the enemies could still get past his small line of defense while he was already down. It was dangerous to run a solo mission in these days, Glorfindel thought bitterly, repressing another groan.

A/N: Finally posted…So sorry about the long wait. I had tons of homework. And I caught something really bad, got a 101.8-degree F. fever, and felt horrible for awhile. I haven't even used my comp much for the past few weeks. And, my hardrive died. Luckily all my documents were saved though. Again, sorry about the wait.

Disclaimer: Definitely not mine.

Replies to reviews:

Elven Script: Lol! Asfaloth is cool :)

Starlit jewel: Well, it's only supposed to take 9 days…So yeah, this is like his 3rd or 4th day on the road. I guess I can always say elves heal fast!

Ellfine: I'm not sure how I'm going to keep him in one piece… I still have several events planned for him.

Seeing-spots: Yeah, I had to do that because it's just so…Glorfindel :)

Lynn-G: Thanks for reviewing! It makes my day.

Rhys: Thank you so much for reviewing! I am hoping to rewrite those chapters, but it will take a long time. I have plans for rewriting them, but I came to the conclusion that I should just post revised chapters after the story ends. It will be a long time, but I have many plans!

And my poem, 'Lost', was supposed to be post-war of the ring. Like how Rangers were not respected in towns… And then Aragorn has something really depressing happen to him. I will probably finish writing this story and post the other one when complete.

Again, thanks for reviewing!