Hello, hello! Surprise to see me? Right. I promised to come back next month but…Tada! Here I am! My keyboard and I are so eager to get started! Forget about the Board Meeting scheduled the next day. This just can't wait!

Anyway, this story is an AU (As if my other stories are not. LOL!) I somehow got the idea to write this after watching a stupid B-grade horror movie. Sigh. Yes, I know. My life is pathetic. There are so many great movies out there and I got to watch this low budget over-creative production. I will not give out the title of the film, because I don't even have a clue what it was! He! He!

This story takes place right before 'Touch Of A Healer'. Legolas is equivalent to human's twenty-year-old, while Keldarion is thirty.

Happy reading!

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A lone owl suddenly hooted somewhere up in the monstrous tree outside his chamber.

Legolas blinked, looked up and expelled a weary sigh. It was past midnight, which meant he had been painting for many hours now. Putting down his brushes and palette, the prince turned away from the half-finished painting and stretched languidly, trying to loose all the kinks from his tired limbs and muscles after he had been standing there, engrossed in his work, for quite a long time.

He had gone straight to his chamber right after dinner, suddenly having a wild craving to paint the beautiful scenery of his father's realm at night. It was late autumn and the trees surrounding the Mirkwood palace were almost bare, signaling that winter was just around the corner. But there was a full moon above, smiling big and bright upon the indigo sky among thousands of stars, cloaking the land below with its ethereal blue and silver glow. It was mysterious and breathtaking, at least to Legolas' eyes.

King Thranduil could only shake his head in mild exasperation mixed with amusement when he saw his youngest son kept glancing outside during the evening meal, muttering to himself about color tones and shades and lighting. The prince had barely touched his dessert before he leaped off his seat and left the dining table, shouting goodnight greetings to everyone and vanished up the stairs.

Rubbing a hand up and down the back of his neck, Legolas kneaded the knots there as he leaned against the balcony rail, staring dreamily at the moon. The night chill began to seep through his bones after working on the opened balcony for hours, but he didn't care. It was worth it.

His painting had turned out wonderful. He managed to capture the scene so well that it looked alive, even when it still needed several additional touches here and there. No doubt his father would be eager to hang it up on the wall in his study or the royal gallery, where hundreds of his other paintings were.

Yawning, he was about to turn around and gather all his art supplies back into his room when a sudden movement in the garden below caught his eyes. Frowning, he sharpened his gaze to inspect the moving shadow more closely.

"Who would be out in the garden in this cold, now of all times?" Legolas wondered out loud, knowing that the night sentry did not include the private royal garden in their patrol. But then he realized that the figure was very familiar to him.

"Kel?" Legolas' frown deepened, instantly recognizing his elder brother's tall form and raven long hair. Prince Keldarion's movement was all grace as he entered the shrub maze in the middle of the garden, and he was completely…

Legolas' eyes nearly bulged out of their socket. "He is naked!"

His mouth dropping open, Legolas stared in shock when his brother vanished through the maze. "Elbereth. What is he up to?"

Shaking himself out of his stupor, the prince quickly grabbed the rail and vaulted over, landing nimbly on his feet twenty feet below. Then he started running, heading directly for the maze entrance where Keldarion had disappeared into.

As he walked through the path among the tall shrubs after his brother, Legolas heard someone singing. It was Keldarion's fine tenor voice, sounding bright and clear in the deep silence of the midnight hour. Legolas couldn't help but cringe when he recognized the song, a lewd and bawdy number that only graced the taverns of men totally unfit for noble elven princes.

Shaking his head in disbelief and completely lost for words, Legolas diligently followed after his brother's voice. It led him directly to the heart of the maze. What he saw there stunned him even more.

Torn between worry and amusement, Legolas stared, dumbfounded, as Keldarion skipped and danced around the marble statue of Qestari, a beautiful ancient nymph who was legendary among the Silvan elves since the beginning of Arda.

Legolas was not sure whose idea it was that had commissioned the statue as the heart of the maze. He only knew that she had been there since before he was even born, a subject for Keldarion to scare him with when the younger prince had misbehaved as a child. His elder brother had warned him that Qestari would come alive and eat naughty little boys, not that Legolas ever believe a word of it. In fact, he had loved to play at the statue's feet when he was an elfling, playing hide-and-seek and climbing up the fifteen-feet-tall white marble.

And that was exactly what Keldarion was currently doing.

"Kel!" Legolas rushed forward, staring up at his brother in dismay. "What the blazes are you doing? Get down from there!"

The elder prince saw his younger brother and instantly stopped singing. He blinked and broke into a huge grin. "See, Legolas! I've caught myself a beautiful maiden!" he exclaimed, giggling like a besotted fool.

Legolas didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He rolled his eyes instead. "Kel, are you drunk?"

Keldarion laughed harder. "Noooo. Do I look like I'm drunk? Oh, yeeees. I'm drunk all right! I'm drunk with lust…err…love! Ai! Look at her breast! So pretty!"

Legolas' felt his jaw drop when Keldarion grabbed the said body part and squeezed. To his horror, Keldarion didn't stop there. The crown prince of Mirkwood, the most respected and highly skilled warrior of the realm, moaned out loud and arched his back, pressing himself harder against the marble statue.

Legolas grimaced involuntarily to see the position of his brother's crotch. "Uh…Kel…you…you better get down from there before you…uh…hurt yourself," he managed to utter, blushing furiously with embarrassment. He understood that his brother was no virgin, but Keldarion would never behave so lewdly. Something was definitely wrong with him.

"Kel!" Legolas called out, a little louder. He yanked at Keldarion's arm when his brother continued to ignore him. "What the blazes have gotten into you? Get down! Now!"

Keldarion choose that moment to release his grip. The next thing Legolas knew, his brother came tumbling off the statue and crashed into him. With a surprise yell, Legolas dropped to the ground, with Keldarion landing hard on top of him.

For a moment, Legolas saw stars, the wind being knocked out of his lungs in a big whoosh. Then he heard Keldarion giggle.

"Oh, Kel…" Legolas heavily sighed, wiggling out from under his brother. He grabbed Keldarion's wrists and pulled him to his feet. "Come. Get up. I had better get you inside before you freeze to death out here!"

"Better freeze to death than dry out of love!" Keldarion responded, grinning stupidly.

Shaking his head, Legolas draped his brother's arm over one shoulder, grumbling all the while. "I can't believe you would act like this! Being out here, nakedand….Kel? What are you…? Umph!!"

To Legolas' great shock, Keldarion suddenly whirled around, hauled him into his strong arms and kissed him!

It went on for several tense seconds, with Legolas standing stock still like the blasted Qestari statue, his eyes opened wide. Then he began to struggle frantically. "Ummph….Kk…Kel…mmph…GET OFF!" he yelled, pushing against his brother's hard chest.

Keldarion stumbled backwards, smiling roguishly. "What's wrong, my lady? Don't you like my kiss?"

Grimacing, Legolas hastily wiped the back of his hand against his mouth. He was sure his entire jaw had landed somewhere at his feet. "Lady? Are you out of your mind?! I'm your brother!"

Swaggering forward, Keldarion gripped his brother's shoulders and dragged him closer. "A lady of your beauty should not deny who you are, love. I know you want me…"

At that, Keldarion swoop his head down to claim his brother's lips once more. Growing desperate, the younger prince raised his fist and struck his brother's face with all his might.

Without a sound, Keldarion toppled over and crumpled to the ground. Unconscious.

"Owww…" Legolas moaned, favoring his quickly swelling fist. "What do you have in that jaw, Kel? A rock?"

Not expecting a reply, Legolas knelt beside his brother's supine body and poked him in the ribs. "Kel?"

No respond. Keldarion was deeply lost to the world, his eyes closed. And he was smiling!

Sighing, Legolas gingerly gathered his brother's limp form and draped him over his right shoulder. "I don't know what have happened here, Kel," he growled as he got to his feet, turning to the palace with his burden. "But something is definitely strange about you and I'm going to find out what it is. So you had better behave or I'll dump you where we are standing!"

Luckily, Legolas didn't stumble upon anyone on his way up to Keldarion's room. He had avoided the main staircase. Instead, he had climbed up the vine that hugged the palace wall. From there, he had deftly leaped onto his brother's balcony and entered the chamber, not overly surprise to see the door standing wide open. Keldarion must have used the exact same way to get into the garden without anyone else noticing.

Legolas dumped his brother unceremoniously onto the bed. Then he straightened up and looked around with critical eyes. Something happened here, he thought, looking at the rumpled bedspread and scattered pillows. Keldarion's nightshirt lay on the floor, along with his boots and leggings.

With a rueful shake of his head, Legolas walked to the nightstand to pour some water into a bowl. Grabbing a clean towel from inside a chest, he strode back towards the bed and sat beside the still unconscious form of his brother.

Staring at the bruise already forming at Keldarion's jaw, Legolas felt a slight remorse. I shouldn't have hit him so hard, he told himself and started cleaning the dirt off his brother's face and body. Still, he knew he had had no other choice. Keldarion could have subdued him and kissed him again! Ai! That would be horrible!

Debating with himself whether it was a good idea to heal his brother with his manyan healing touch, Legolas finally decided not to. He would rather wait and let Kelarion wake up all by himself. Besides, Keldarion was not that badly hurt—only a big bruise to his jaw and a bigger bruise to his pride.

Pulling the coverlet over his brother's nude form, Legolas then settled himself in a big chair beside the bed.

And he patiently waited.

TBC….