Part 9
The Company stood still as a huge dark form loomed around the slope of the small hillock. The moon played eerily over the grasses, and silver shots of light bounded everywhere. The rustling, snorting and drumming came to an abrupt stop as the creature rounded the hill and stopped short.
Legolas' fast reflexes let him string his bow and he held it aimed, but he dropped his arms when he saw what it was.
It was a centaur, and a female at that. She stood seven feet at the shoulder and her body was a glimmering dark chestnut with well-defined muscles and a long silken tail which she twitched occasionally. Her legs were long and delicate and she trembled with nervousness. Her equine body changed smoothly into her human body at the waist, and her hair was chestnut as well, shining deeply. Her eyes were a deep green and her skin was alabaster. She stared at the Company in terror.
Gandalf was the first to drop his sword. "Your pardon, my lady. Our deepest apologies for threatening you in your own lands." At this, the rest of the Company lowered their weapons.
The centaur looked at them all for a long time and finally spoke in a sweet, unearthly voice. "Mithrandir. You promised our kind that if we let you pass through Rohan, you would not harm the creatures that dwell here. Rohan is a place of peace, I remember saying to you." She shifted her weight and moved gracefully.
Gandalf bowed his grey head in shame. "I am deeply sorry, my lady."
Just then, they heard more drumming, but the sound was not rhythmic, as it had been before. The galloping they heard was uneven and was accompanied by sporadic whinnying. Another centaur burst around the side of the hillock and almost ran down the Company. She stopped short in front of them and stared curiously.
This centaur was not nearly as elegant as the first, although she was even more beautiful. A deep bay with brown eyes, dark, shining hair, and gloriously tanned skin, the horsewoman was taller than her companion and if possible, even stronger. But instead of the elegant softness that her companion exhibited, this centaur seemed slightly scattered and much less frightened. She gave off an air of incredible strength and confidence.
Legolas spoke. "It is a pleasure to meet two such beautiful horsewomen as Rohan can provide. Please, what are your names?"
The chestnut one spoke. "I am Nelumaiel. My companion is Telperonwen. We are the guardians of the Rohan fields, appointed by the Supreme Rider himself. We protect our peaceful lands from harm and evil." She studied them gravely. "You bring great evil here."
Telperonwen piped up, "I do not see any evil. My companion is nearsighted, and is paranoid as anything!" She did a slight little jump and spun around quickly. "We are a formality, like a welcoming committee!" Telperonwen startled, as if spooked, and took off across the fields. The Company looked at each other, confused.
Nelumaiel cleared her throat. "Please excuse Telperonwen. She is a great centaur, but she is slightly touched because of her involvement in the battle of Helm's Deep so long ago." She turned her piercing eyes upon Legolas and Gimli. "You were there. I remember because it is so unusual for Elves and Dwarves to be on speaking terms."
Gimli scowled. "Well, times have changed, horsewoman. We all must bond together now, for a new evil is darkening Middle-earth!"
Nelumaiel looked grave. "This is why I was sent to find you. My master, the Supreme Rider of Rohan, wishes to see you all tomorrow at dawn. Telperonwen and I are ordered to take you to his palace. The enemy has moved closer than you think, and her voice fouls whatever air of peace there is." She moved away quietly after her friend, calling, "Be ready at dawn, masters, for the continued life of your lands depends upon this meeting!"
Elrond looked puzzled. "In all my years in Middle-earth, I have never once met a creature like that. What are they, Mithrandir?"
Gandalf spoke. "They are centaurs, as old as the Ents that live in the forests surrounding Rohan. They are half woman, half horse, and were the original guardians of the Fields of Rohan before the Rohirrim took them over. They are now servants to the Supreme Rider, and obey only him. They are his messengers, steeds and protectors and are among the strongest animals that Middle-earth has seen. Unfortunately, as brave and willing as they are, they have a tendency to lose their sanity, as you have seen with poor Telperonwen. A more intelligent centaur you could not find . . . but her mind is broken. She was the leader of the Rohan centaurs before Helm's Deep and she and Nelumaiel, her sister, were the aristocrats and the most respected of their kind. Nelumaiel has taken over her spot as leader now, and Telperonwen, although in her shafts of reason has been known to solve the most puzzling problems of wizards and Elves alike . . . follows her sister and remains mostly in her world of broken joy."
Elrohir and Elladan, both the best by far with animals, looked close to tears. Elladan spoke. "How horribly awful. What could have happened to such a graceful animal to destroy her greatness?"
Gandalf just looked sad. "At the battle of Helm's Deep, an army of centaurs charged against an army of wolves, which, as you know, are the Orcs' steeds. Telperonwen was in the front, her head high, her spear outstretched. It was her first battle, but she had been trained well, as a centaur-lady is. She speared a wolf and killed him, but all of them jumped upon her and ran her down. She was left for dead as her army ran in terror. Only Nelumaiel stayed beside her, crying for help. It is then that I found them, in a field littered with Orc and wolf carcasses. I was able to heal Telperonwen physically, but her mind had been torn into a thousand pieces with the trauma from the attack, and she was never the same again. Still strong and brave, she has the best aim of all the Rohirrim archers, but put her in hand-to-hand combat and she cannot cope . . . she runs, frightened beyond all hope."
Elrohir bowed his head quietly. "War destroys so much, even as it fixes problems. The Rohan lands were saved, true, but how many creatures and people had to die and be corrupted before it was? Sometimes I wonder why we try to save our lands when we lose so much of our lives."
Gandalf put a hand on his shoulder. "Such is the way of war, Elrohir. Not a one of us does not wish that there was some other way to keep ourselves safe. The best we can do is try to keep peace by being peaceful ourselves."
The Company turned from their black thoughts and slept again, this time leaving Elrond on watch. The elven-king turned his ring on his hand and looked thoughtful as he sat by the fire. Aragorn noticed and sat beside him, looking at him questioningly.
Elrond looked up. "I have the power to keep peace in our lands forever. With this ring given to me, I could erase all strife, Estel."
Aragorn looked surprised to be called by his childhood name. He sighed and said, "Elrond, your ring promises you that, but you know that if you relinquished its power, evil would ultimately take over in the end. How many times have you told me this?"
Elrond turned his gaze upwards, his dark head crowned with the light of the stars. "Many, I know. I just . . . I hate to see my sons, and all of you, put yourself out again to try to save Middle-earth. You know that the Elves are leaving this land, slowly, but they are all going. Elladan's children will be the last heirs to the throne of Rivendell. I wonder if there is even a point to save Middle-earth when its only protectors are leaving it."
Aragorn smiled sadly. "You told me once that Middle-earth's future was in men. You told me that is why you named me Estel, meaning hope."
Elrond sighed. "Yes, and to some extent I do believe this. I believe in you, Estel, and your abilities to protect our lands, but if you are killed in this latest battle against the everlasting evil, then who is left? Who can we, the Elves, leave our precious lands in care of? I lose hope, Estel." He looked up with tears in his bright elven-eyes. "I lose hope that we will ever defeat evil itself if we are not always on our guard."
Aragorn wrung his hand in sympathy and the two fell into silence as the night rolled majestically on. Soon it faded, and it was day.
*******
The Company awakened at first light by the sun's unobstructed light shining on their faces. Legolas was so happy to see the sun that he was the first up and had the fire started, lembas prepared and things packed. Slowly the rest of the Company followed and they all sat, eating lembas and talking cheerfully about a conversation that Elladan had had with an imp in the forest of the Ents.
They looked up as the returning drumming of hooves sounded on the turf and the centaurs cantered up, their coats and hair gleaming in the bright sunlight. If anything, they were more lovely then they had been the first time the Company saw them.
Nelumaiel beckoned to them. "Come. My master awaits your company." She stepped aside and the Company's horses walked up to their masters. "It is a long ride. You are invited to spend the evening at the Supreme Rider's palace."
Telperonwen giggled at them all and did a few circuits around the field. "It will be a great party! You will be entertained by the best of Rohan!" She stopped in front of Gandalf and smiled. "Especially you, Mithrandir. You are the best Middle-earth has, and so your power shall be honoured by our hospitality this evening."
Gandalf stroked her side and smiled. "I will be most honoured to attend."
By this time the Company was mounted, and together they cantered off in the morning light towards the far side of the fields, many miles away. Each was full of joy and light heart, and they sang and laughed as the horses sprang airily beneath them.
The sun rolled on through its age-old path as the grasses whispered the names of those gone, and the Company of Elessar rode on towards their destiny.
~TO BE CONTINUED~
The Company stood still as a huge dark form loomed around the slope of the small hillock. The moon played eerily over the grasses, and silver shots of light bounded everywhere. The rustling, snorting and drumming came to an abrupt stop as the creature rounded the hill and stopped short.
Legolas' fast reflexes let him string his bow and he held it aimed, but he dropped his arms when he saw what it was.
It was a centaur, and a female at that. She stood seven feet at the shoulder and her body was a glimmering dark chestnut with well-defined muscles and a long silken tail which she twitched occasionally. Her legs were long and delicate and she trembled with nervousness. Her equine body changed smoothly into her human body at the waist, and her hair was chestnut as well, shining deeply. Her eyes were a deep green and her skin was alabaster. She stared at the Company in terror.
Gandalf was the first to drop his sword. "Your pardon, my lady. Our deepest apologies for threatening you in your own lands." At this, the rest of the Company lowered their weapons.
The centaur looked at them all for a long time and finally spoke in a sweet, unearthly voice. "Mithrandir. You promised our kind that if we let you pass through Rohan, you would not harm the creatures that dwell here. Rohan is a place of peace, I remember saying to you." She shifted her weight and moved gracefully.
Gandalf bowed his grey head in shame. "I am deeply sorry, my lady."
Just then, they heard more drumming, but the sound was not rhythmic, as it had been before. The galloping they heard was uneven and was accompanied by sporadic whinnying. Another centaur burst around the side of the hillock and almost ran down the Company. She stopped short in front of them and stared curiously.
This centaur was not nearly as elegant as the first, although she was even more beautiful. A deep bay with brown eyes, dark, shining hair, and gloriously tanned skin, the horsewoman was taller than her companion and if possible, even stronger. But instead of the elegant softness that her companion exhibited, this centaur seemed slightly scattered and much less frightened. She gave off an air of incredible strength and confidence.
Legolas spoke. "It is a pleasure to meet two such beautiful horsewomen as Rohan can provide. Please, what are your names?"
The chestnut one spoke. "I am Nelumaiel. My companion is Telperonwen. We are the guardians of the Rohan fields, appointed by the Supreme Rider himself. We protect our peaceful lands from harm and evil." She studied them gravely. "You bring great evil here."
Telperonwen piped up, "I do not see any evil. My companion is nearsighted, and is paranoid as anything!" She did a slight little jump and spun around quickly. "We are a formality, like a welcoming committee!" Telperonwen startled, as if spooked, and took off across the fields. The Company looked at each other, confused.
Nelumaiel cleared her throat. "Please excuse Telperonwen. She is a great centaur, but she is slightly touched because of her involvement in the battle of Helm's Deep so long ago." She turned her piercing eyes upon Legolas and Gimli. "You were there. I remember because it is so unusual for Elves and Dwarves to be on speaking terms."
Gimli scowled. "Well, times have changed, horsewoman. We all must bond together now, for a new evil is darkening Middle-earth!"
Nelumaiel looked grave. "This is why I was sent to find you. My master, the Supreme Rider of Rohan, wishes to see you all tomorrow at dawn. Telperonwen and I are ordered to take you to his palace. The enemy has moved closer than you think, and her voice fouls whatever air of peace there is." She moved away quietly after her friend, calling, "Be ready at dawn, masters, for the continued life of your lands depends upon this meeting!"
Elrond looked puzzled. "In all my years in Middle-earth, I have never once met a creature like that. What are they, Mithrandir?"
Gandalf spoke. "They are centaurs, as old as the Ents that live in the forests surrounding Rohan. They are half woman, half horse, and were the original guardians of the Fields of Rohan before the Rohirrim took them over. They are now servants to the Supreme Rider, and obey only him. They are his messengers, steeds and protectors and are among the strongest animals that Middle-earth has seen. Unfortunately, as brave and willing as they are, they have a tendency to lose their sanity, as you have seen with poor Telperonwen. A more intelligent centaur you could not find . . . but her mind is broken. She was the leader of the Rohan centaurs before Helm's Deep and she and Nelumaiel, her sister, were the aristocrats and the most respected of their kind. Nelumaiel has taken over her spot as leader now, and Telperonwen, although in her shafts of reason has been known to solve the most puzzling problems of wizards and Elves alike . . . follows her sister and remains mostly in her world of broken joy."
Elrohir and Elladan, both the best by far with animals, looked close to tears. Elladan spoke. "How horribly awful. What could have happened to such a graceful animal to destroy her greatness?"
Gandalf just looked sad. "At the battle of Helm's Deep, an army of centaurs charged against an army of wolves, which, as you know, are the Orcs' steeds. Telperonwen was in the front, her head high, her spear outstretched. It was her first battle, but she had been trained well, as a centaur-lady is. She speared a wolf and killed him, but all of them jumped upon her and ran her down. She was left for dead as her army ran in terror. Only Nelumaiel stayed beside her, crying for help. It is then that I found them, in a field littered with Orc and wolf carcasses. I was able to heal Telperonwen physically, but her mind had been torn into a thousand pieces with the trauma from the attack, and she was never the same again. Still strong and brave, she has the best aim of all the Rohirrim archers, but put her in hand-to-hand combat and she cannot cope . . . she runs, frightened beyond all hope."
Elrohir bowed his head quietly. "War destroys so much, even as it fixes problems. The Rohan lands were saved, true, but how many creatures and people had to die and be corrupted before it was? Sometimes I wonder why we try to save our lands when we lose so much of our lives."
Gandalf put a hand on his shoulder. "Such is the way of war, Elrohir. Not a one of us does not wish that there was some other way to keep ourselves safe. The best we can do is try to keep peace by being peaceful ourselves."
The Company turned from their black thoughts and slept again, this time leaving Elrond on watch. The elven-king turned his ring on his hand and looked thoughtful as he sat by the fire. Aragorn noticed and sat beside him, looking at him questioningly.
Elrond looked up. "I have the power to keep peace in our lands forever. With this ring given to me, I could erase all strife, Estel."
Aragorn looked surprised to be called by his childhood name. He sighed and said, "Elrond, your ring promises you that, but you know that if you relinquished its power, evil would ultimately take over in the end. How many times have you told me this?"
Elrond turned his gaze upwards, his dark head crowned with the light of the stars. "Many, I know. I just . . . I hate to see my sons, and all of you, put yourself out again to try to save Middle-earth. You know that the Elves are leaving this land, slowly, but they are all going. Elladan's children will be the last heirs to the throne of Rivendell. I wonder if there is even a point to save Middle-earth when its only protectors are leaving it."
Aragorn smiled sadly. "You told me once that Middle-earth's future was in men. You told me that is why you named me Estel, meaning hope."
Elrond sighed. "Yes, and to some extent I do believe this. I believe in you, Estel, and your abilities to protect our lands, but if you are killed in this latest battle against the everlasting evil, then who is left? Who can we, the Elves, leave our precious lands in care of? I lose hope, Estel." He looked up with tears in his bright elven-eyes. "I lose hope that we will ever defeat evil itself if we are not always on our guard."
Aragorn wrung his hand in sympathy and the two fell into silence as the night rolled majestically on. Soon it faded, and it was day.
*******
The Company awakened at first light by the sun's unobstructed light shining on their faces. Legolas was so happy to see the sun that he was the first up and had the fire started, lembas prepared and things packed. Slowly the rest of the Company followed and they all sat, eating lembas and talking cheerfully about a conversation that Elladan had had with an imp in the forest of the Ents.
They looked up as the returning drumming of hooves sounded on the turf and the centaurs cantered up, their coats and hair gleaming in the bright sunlight. If anything, they were more lovely then they had been the first time the Company saw them.
Nelumaiel beckoned to them. "Come. My master awaits your company." She stepped aside and the Company's horses walked up to their masters. "It is a long ride. You are invited to spend the evening at the Supreme Rider's palace."
Telperonwen giggled at them all and did a few circuits around the field. "It will be a great party! You will be entertained by the best of Rohan!" She stopped in front of Gandalf and smiled. "Especially you, Mithrandir. You are the best Middle-earth has, and so your power shall be honoured by our hospitality this evening."
Gandalf stroked her side and smiled. "I will be most honoured to attend."
By this time the Company was mounted, and together they cantered off in the morning light towards the far side of the fields, many miles away. Each was full of joy and light heart, and they sang and laughed as the horses sprang airily beneath them.
The sun rolled on through its age-old path as the grasses whispered the names of those gone, and the Company of Elessar rode on towards their destiny.
~TO BE CONTINUED~