OMG! Can it be? I HAVE A NEW STORY!

At long last.

Yes, I have finally sorted out my computer, and everything is up and running once more. I have been typing away as much as possible to get stories re-written, and scooting all over the place to find where I have backed things up and so on and so forth.

This story……I have a rough draft of the whole thing, but I'm not entirely happy with it. (Am I ever entirely happy with anything!) Any ideas will be exceedingly useful. Don't ask me where the plot came from, because I don't have a clue. And something that is rather different from my usual stories…

LEGOLAS DOES NOT FALL IN LOVE.

I'm quite pleased with myself for not making him fall head over heels in love with someone. I'm getting kinda bored of the love stuff now. (She says as yet another idea pops up for a love story.)

Damn it.

Anyway, enough of my babbling, on with the new story. Hope you enjoy it and all comments are welcome. Even flames – I'm freezing in this house!

Faerlain

Brotherly Love.

Chapter 1: Faith.

If I hadn't have been born, would this world be any different?

If I didn't exist, would my family be different?

If someone else had been born as me, a different spirit, a different soul, would that have changed anything?

Would they have made the mistakes I have made?

And I have made plenty.

Perhaps this world would be a better place without me. If I didn't exist at all.

Being the eldest isn't fun; it isn't good. The others look up to me, respect me.

But why?

What have I ever done to earn their respect?

I am useless as an older brother. I've never been any good at it. Father expects me to act as the perfect son, put on a good impression for my younger brothers and sisters.

But it's harder then he thinks. Than anyone thinks.

The trouble is, my family is just so big. I have so many siblings; there is a lot of family rivalry between us. Nothing serious, just the usual - tiffs you get between brothers and sisters. The second eldest is also a son, my brother, and he is always trying to do better then I at everything.

Father keeps encouraging me to try my best, reassuring me that I am good at this older brother thing, but I'm not!

I never wanted to be in this position; I never asked to be the oldest son, the oldest child of a huge family. But here I am all the same.

Perhaps Legolas will be better at being Crown Prince. In fact, I know he will be.

I'm going to die for them.

I hope they realise this.

"Your precious family don't give a damn about you."

"They'll have forgotten all about you already."

"No one's coming to look for you, 'Prince'."

"No one cares about you."

"Never did, never will."

Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up…

"Hey boys, come and look at this."

I open my eyes to watch as they leave my cell. The door slams shut behind them, and I am alone again.

I slump back against the wall and sigh, ignoring the throbbing pain in my back.

Their whips sting, making my skin rip and bleed. Their punches bruise, their kicks mark. But they do not receive a sound from me. Not a whimper of pain nor protest. I refuse to let them see me weak.

And I ignore the lies they tell me. Of course my family care. They have to care. They wouldn't just leave me. They couldn't. I know they love me. The Orcs are just lying, trying to make me mad.

But I won't let them taint my soul or mind.

I sit alone for hours on end. My stomach growls for food, reminding me I have not eaten for days. My throat is sore and parched. I need water more than anything else. I can try and ignore the rumbles in my stomach, but no one can ignore the dry, dusty feeling in ones throat when in need of water for long.

I keep moving my arms as much as possible, trying to keep the blood flowing. I keep getting pins and needles in my legs, and although it hurts, I must move them too. Cramp would be even worse.

How many hours have gone by now? Three, four, five? Or maybe it has been days. I do not know how long it took us to get here. I have no idea at all. There is no way of tracking time in this eternal darkness. I cannot see the Sun or the Moon. There are no windows in my tiny cell. Only the firelight outside my door flickers.

Ah, even that has gone out now. Great. I am in total blackness. I shudder. No Elf likes the dark. I am used to semi-darkness. Mirkwood always has it, but this darkness…it is impenetrable. Even with my Elven eyesight, I cannot see the bricks in the wall, the knots in the wood of my door. I feel blind.

Every sound in this place is magnified ten-fold. I can hear the Orcs laughing at something further down the corridor. Probably some other poor prisoner is being tortured.

Yes, there's the screaming, followed by more laughter. Well, they've broken whomever it was they were trying to break.

They will not break me.

I am strong. I can hold on. And my family will not desert me. We are all too close for them to do such a thing. Even if Adar feels it is too late to save me, Legolas will still try.

I am the closest to Legolas out of my whole family. There are no more than 60 years between us, a tiny gap. He won't just stand by and let me suffer. I know him. He's not like that, not like that at all. He'll do anything to get me safe back home.

I have every bit of faith in him.

And I'm going to hold onto that bit of faith.

Ahh...nice imprisonment of an Elven Prince. Kinda cliché, but you've gotta have some of the orginal stuff in there.

I know it was a short chapter, and the second will be up soon. All reviews, asi said, are welcome, and please do review, asI need ideas etc. Hannon lle!

Faerlain