(Warning, this chapter contains slash, don't like it, don't read )

Chapter two: What was seen…

The healer was busy, terribly busy. He was crushing some herbs into a paste with a bit too much energy and everybody who knew him could tell that he was clearly upset. He threw another handful of leaves into the bowl and hissed at the strong smell they emitted. He was so confused, and he didn't know whether or not he should believe his own gut. But there was something there, an ache almost, telling him that something was off.

Gilorn had been a healer for ages, he had served underneath the first king of Beleriand and his maia wife and he was skilled, and even more so, he was able to see things others would not even notice. His great sense of duty and experience made him a very valuable member of this court and everybody listened to him but this? This had shocked him to the very core. Something wasn't right, he just knew it. His gut instinct had kicked backwards the very moment things had started happening, there were things that just didn't make sense at all.

He took a deep breath, his gentle amber eyes rather dark and his face looked closed, as if his mind was far away. He put the bowl away, went through it all in his mind. The elleth had clearly been beaten and raped, no doubt about that. The injuries were real but he had reacted to something most peculiar. According to the guards there had been lots of scratches on the prince's back and shoulders, but there had been no blood underneath her fingernails. Second of all she had been deflowered but as he washed her and took care of her injuries he became aware of something lacking. There had been no semen present, none at all. The injuries were so peculiar, and as he went through what he had seen in his mind he started to believe that it had been just one thrust, to break her hymen and cause bleeding. It had to have been done with some sort of object, for the pattern of tears wasn't right. If a male had tried to fuck her it would have looked different.

As he had thought of it more and more things started to seem wrong, just wrong. The blood on the sheets hadn't coagulated as it should have, if the prince had emptied all the wine bottles by his bed he ought to have died. He had slept way too hard and the confusion could be a symptom of too much alcohol but it could also indicate the use of drugs. Gilorn squirmed, he felt so unsure, he had no clear evidence of this but his experience told him that something was off. The bruises on the girl were peculiar too, they faded too fast and he had a suspicion that she had been given something to stop her from hurting, a pain killer which altered the healing process.

And then her death, tragic and terrible and everybody knew that the prince had caused it. Gilorn started to doubt this, and doubt it a lot. She had indeed swallowed poison but the scene he had found seemed almost theatrical, unreal. She had lain in the bed with a goblet in her hand and he had started to feel the doubt right then. It had sort of triggered his suspicion and caused him to look at everything yet again. The position was wrong, anyone who ingested that particular poison would die convulsing violently, often soiling themselves and throwing up and the body would look rather disheveled. She looked as if she was in peace, eyes closed and mouth only partly open and her limbs had been straight. He had checked the goblet and there was a trace of poison in it, the residue was very visible since it looked almost like tiny specks of silver. He had opened her mouth and saw that she had bitten down onto something, very hard. Two teeth had been cracked and her tongue cut too. There was some fresh bruising around her wrists and he had started to realize that she had been forced to drink the poison.

Gilorn wasn't stupid, he knew the elleth had been murdered but why? The most immediate suspicion was that she had been silenced, that someone had made sure that she couldn't speak. Everything started to point in a rather disturbing direction, the prince could be innocent after all. But why would anyone frame him? Why would anyone have him accused of something that terrible? The answer was what made Gilorn most frightened, and he suddenly realized that he didn't know who he could trust with his suspicions. It could be anyone! And at the same time they could all be in danger. So, what was he really to do?

He had no idea, there was no evidence to strengthen his claims and he had only his intuition to show for. That wasn't enough, he had to see if he could come up with something better, something that would remove the doubt from his mind and show him the real truth behind all of this.

Galion and Thranduil did make it to the river and left Greenwood behind, it was hard on both of them but there were no choice now. Thranduil felt like a wreck, Galion did tend to his wounds and his fever went down and he started to feel better physically but he was a mess otherwise. He missed his family and his home and he still couldn't believe that it all was true. Galion had to be the one to keep them safe and see to their needs now, and he did it without complaining.

One evening when they were sitting by their small campfire Galion started boiling some herbs in a small pot and Thranduil stared at his friend with confusion within his eyes,. "What is that? It smells just awful?"

Galion nodded. " It does, but it has a purpose mellon. By now your father must have sent messengers to every elven realm, telling of you and the escape. We will not be welcome anywhere, in fact I suspect that we might get hunted if the elves learn of who we are."

Thranduil hadn't thought of that, but he knew that Galion was right. His father would never let him get away, his pride demanded that. " I understand but what does that goo has to do with anything?"

Galion smiled, a rather stiff grin. " We are too recognizable, I cannot do anything about your height but that hair of yours? It has to change."

Thranduil cringed, his hair? He was so proud of his hair! " Are you gonna dye it?!"

Galion had to laugh, the horror in his friends voice rather apparent. " Yes, you are gonna become a brunette and I think I will go blonde. And there is more."

Thranduil looked horrified and Galion stirred the pot with a wry grin. " I will pluck your eyebrows, and cut some of your hair and that fair complexion of yours has to go as well."

Thranduil just gawked, he managed to speak only after a few minutes. " How?"

Galion was as calm as ever. " Nut juice, it will make you look tanned."

The prince cringed and looked sad. " Alright then, I guess we ought to change our names as well then?"

Galion just nodded, added some more water to the pot. " Yes, of course, from today you are Doron and I am Iorthon,"

Thranduil scoffed. " Old pine, that suits you well."

Galion removed the pot from the fire and filtered the goo through a piece of cloth before he got Thranduil to sit down and applied the stuff to his hair. The prince cringed but didn't protest and Galion did a good job. He did pluck Thranduils eyebrows and it sort of transformed his face, he looked much younger and a bit feminine and he sniggered and suggested that they could pretend to be a couple. Thranduil just moaned. His mother would have wept had she seen this. Galion cut of most of his hair, now it only reached his shoulders and looked rather dry and stiff and Thranduil touched the sad remains of his lovely locks with profound sadness.

Then Galion had him strip and started smearing nut juice over him, in an even layer. Thranduil just sighed, feeling as if he no longer had any influence on his own life. He was just getting dragged along like a plow after a horse. " It is a good thing you have kept yourself so fit Thran, we will have to pretend to be sell swords or something like that. Makes it more believable."

Thranduil just sighed, he was so resigned these days, there was no joy left in him, no spark. He felt like laying down and fading, what was the purpose of going on now? He had lost everything! Even his name! He almost felt as though it would have been for the better if they had executed him, at least he would have been buried within his beloved forest. Galion finished the make over and then he mixed some new dye and took care of his own hair and appearance. They were heading west towards the coast and there were human settlements everywhere. Some could be hostile towards elves and they had to be careful. Luckily the horses were plain palfreys bred by humans and their clothes were worn and simple.

Galion looked nothing like himself when he was done and he grinned and washed the pot. " At least we will be unrecognizable to anyone who doesn't already know us. You look almost like some Noldo with your hair dark Thran."

The prince scoffed, he just rolled his eyes. " Valar forbid, so, where are we heading?"

Galion smiled and sat down, opened a pack of lembas. " There is a small city to the west of here, we can try to blend in with the crowd there and see if we can make a life for ourselves there."

Thranduil just sighed and leaned his chin onto his hands. " A living? I wouldn't call it that, it will be like just existing, not truly living."

Galion stared at his friend and the usually gentle eyes were hard. " Thran, I do not doubt you, I really don't believe that you did what you were accused off, but think about it for a moment. You were too easy to be picked out as the guilty one. If some ellleth had come rambling about being raped by Alagir, do you think they would have believed her?"

Thranduil shook his head. " No, he is almost afraid of females."

Galion nodded. "And there you have the point I am trying to show you. If you had showed some more self-restraint and tried to behave like a prince and not like some whore this would never have happened."

Thranduil snapped his head around, he was staring at Galion with huge eyes. " I beg your pardon?!"

Galion just nodded slowly. " You heard me, you have acted like some darn dog in heat, heck, I am surprised that something like this hasn't happened before"

Thranduil glared at his friend who didn't react at all. " Do you mean that she hurt herself?!"

Galion just grinned, a rather nasty grin. " Yes, or someone helped her. I have heard of such cases, among humans that is. A female manages to accuse a male of having molested her and then he has to pay her a huge compensation. Perhaps this girl tried to do the same?"

Thranduil hissed " No elleth would stoop so low! And if she indeed tried to get some money out of me or my father then why did she kill herself afterwards?"

Galion shrugged. " Perhaps she realized what she had started and regretted it? Didn't dare to come forth and tell the truth? Maybe she understood that she had in fact murdered you?"

Thranduil just stared at Galion, sometimes his servant had a mind that was rather dark, he didn't see that side of the normally very merry ellon that often and he was glad. " There is something about this that feels just wrong Galion, I think you maybe right, and then not."

Galion frowned. " What do you mean?"

Thranduil cocked his head. " It feels wrong, I think this could be something way worse than an attempt at blackmail, Why I don't know, I just feel…bad"

Galion shrugged again and put some more wood onto the fire. " Never mind, we are here now, and we have got to make the most out of it. Let's eat, and tomorrow we will ride. A new life awaits us old friend."

Thranduil just sighed. " If you can call it a life!"

The palace had become a very silent place now, there was little laughter to be heard and people saw that their king was struggling with a deep conflict within. He had of course sent a message to every other elven realm telling of what had happened and that his son was to be regarded as an outlaw and that he ought to be arrested if he showed up but at the same time he felt relieved that he had gotten away. He of course suspected that Elhedril had drugged the headsman and organized the escape but he never confronted her. She had done what he couldn't and he was grateful in a way.

Life sort of returned to normal but there was a shadow hanging over them all, a constant nagging doubt. Alagir and Daerion refused to believe that their brother had been guilty and Beria was somewhat confused and didn't really know what to believe. She sought comfort with her fiancé and Oropher did give them permission to become married rather fast. Normally a betrothal should last a year but regarding the circumstances a wedding would do a lot to raise people's mood. And so Beria got married and there was feasting and partying going on for days and the realm seemed to have returned to normal again. But there was a huge gap in their heart where the oldest son ought to have been and Elhedril was suffering.

Oropher had loyal people everywhere but nobody saw any sign of Thranduil and Galion, it was as if the very earth itself had swallowed them. The king liked to imagine that his son was safe somewhere, and happy too. It was naught but a pretty lie but he wanted to believe in it. The alternative was too grim. And so years passed by, Beria followed her new husband to the coast and settled there since he was working at the grey havens as an emissary. Elhedril was slowly succumbing to her grief and so one day she left Greenwood and sailed, much to the immense sorrow of her family and her husband not the least. They had shared everything for hundreds of years, not having her by his side felt just wrong. Alagir was a nice young ellon but Oropher doubted that he was capable of being a king, he was too soft and malleable. If Alagir had been tougher Oropher would have abdicated and followed his wife, but he couldn't. He had to stay for his people.

Darkness was creeping in from the south and spiders were multiplying day by day. The warriors were out fighting this menace all the time and lives were lost quite often. The king didn't have time to think of his lost son any more, he missed him but he did never let anyone see that. He only focused on his work and became rather withdrawn and cold. Then one evening some riders came galloping into the courtyard, screaming for a healer. Three of the elves were held by others and were unconscious and when the healers came running they saw that it was Daerion and his uncle and one of the guards who had been following them. They had set out for Imladris early that day and the king had wanted them to ask the famous healer Elrond for some advice regarding the spider venom.

Oropher was aghast when he saw that both his youngest son and his brother in law were injured and unconscious. He ran alongside the stretchers to the infirmary and was met by Gilorn who immediately started working on the wounded elves. The guard didn't make it, he died before the healers could do anything for him and Gilron swore and concentrated all of his efforts on the remaining two. He cut their clothes off and the head of the guards told the king that they had been riding along quite peacefully when something had spooked Daerion's horse. His uncle had immediately tried to catch up to stop it and the guard had followed. Apparently they had ridden straight into a huge pack of giant spiders and they had fought well but before the rest of the group could join them all three had been bitten.

Gilron saw that Daerion had two bites, one in his shoulder which wasn't that deep but oozing blood and poison and another in his thigh which was much nastier and deeper too. You could survive one bite if you were lucky, but two? Gilron saw that Oropher realized the facts and went pale, he gestured for one of the other healers to escort the king out. " We will do all we can my liege, but it looks bad!"

Oropher was shaking and his eyes wide with disbelief and sorrow and he made a keening sound as they gently escorted him out of the room. He could not lose yet another child, no, it couldn't be true! Daerion was the strongest of his remaining sons, the one most like himself. It could not be happening, he could not be dying.

Gilron cleaned the wounds and got as much anti venom as he could into the young prince, he was a strong and healthy ellon, there could be a chance but it was small to say the least. Then he focused on Daerion's uncle, the ellon was bitten just once, in the arm and it was a small bite. Gilron knew that the small spiders were just as poisonous as the large ones, in fact they could be way worse but something about the bite seemed almost contradictory. The tissue around a bite would normally swell and create a red raised ring but there was nothing like that here. But there was a lot of poison, thick black goo that stank really bad. With that amount of venom present it was no wonder why the ellon was unconscious.

Gilron started to clean the wound but stopped after just a few swipes with the cloth, what the? He took a small tongue presser and touched the venom, it was way thicker than normal? Like tar? Was this something new? The spiders did evolve and if they had a new sort of poison it didn't look good at all, he would have to check this out. He took some of the goo and placed it in a small glass jar and put it aside for later. He gave also this ellon a huge dose of medicine and had him stitched up and put bandages on the arm.

It became a waiting game by now, Gilron just prayed that they would make it and he got so tense and frustrated he started to work on the dead guard to make him look presentable when his family came to claim the body. He undressed the dead elf while humming a lament and washed the ghastly wounds and closed them. It always made him feel just terrible to see a dead elf, it was unnatural and just awful. Gilrion suddenly noticed something odd, he was about to close the dead guards eyes one last time but saw something that shouldn't have been there. There were small red dots in his eyes, tiny bleedings. Gilron felt how a weird sense of foreboding rushed through him, what was this? People with that type of hemorrhage usually had died from asphyxiating, not venom. Unless these spiders had venom that would paralyze the victims muscles? That was a terrifying though. Gilron bit his lower lip, turned the body over and started to look at the wounds once more, in detail. They were spider bites beyond any doubt but the guard had to have been laying on the ground when the spider bit him, why would he be on the ground whilst being attacked by spiders? It didn't make any sense.

He grasped a probe from a tray and started to examine the wounds one by one, probing them. They seemed normal except from one, it was so soft, and the edges a bit torn too. It was as if the spider had bitten on top of another injury? Impossible! Or perhaps? Gilron made a mental note of it. He went over to check on the two wounded ones and it was apparent that Daerion wouldn't make it. He was barely breathing by now and turning blue and Gilron had to accept the defeat and called for the king and Alagir to come and say their goodbyes.

Daerion passed away just before midnight with both his father and his brother by his side and both were devastated and barely able to understand how this had happened. Before an hour had passed the entire realm was in full mourning and laments were sung everywhere. Oropher just collapsed and they all feared for his life, with all the loss he had suffered lately they feared that he would fade. Alagir was in shock and he didn't really appear to be grieving at all but it was a façade, he was completely crushed and at the funeral he just broke down and lay there bawling like some child.

Gilron found it odd that Oropher's brother in law didn't wake up until after the funeral and he was in surprisingly good shape too. He complained about being dizzy and nauseous and he was of course just as devastated as the others when he was told of Daerion's sad passing, but he hadn't suffered any long term effects of the bite. Gilron had feared that this was some sort of super venom but apparently it only kept the victim immobile for a long time. With the realm in mourning Gilron could finally start to experiment on the samples and he was looking forward to some days of hopefully fruitful work.

Thranduil and Galion had indeed made themselves a living, they had settled down in a town near the coast and now they worked at a local inn as bouncers. It had a bar and sometimes the mood got a bit too festive and the sight of two elves usually made even the most rowdy guest surrender and leave. Thranduil had been appalled at first, the humans disgusted him and the scents and the filth and everything made him want to fade. But Galion did make him go on, and for each day things got a little better. He got used to it, the lewd language, the insults and the badly hidden invitations. He got used to the food and the wine and the smells and he got used to working for a living. He was in fact starting to enjoy this new life in a way, he felt so free, so unrestrained.

He became the cooks favorite for praising her food and he was also held in high regard by the stable hand for being able to handle even the most difficult of horses. Galion was popular too, he had a rather nice voice and would sing songs that were way too indecent to be sung elsewhere and he could also play cards and juggle. Thranduil learned more about humans now than he had in all of his previous life and he started to understand them better. They lived such short lives, no wonder why they tried to squeeze as much into it as possible.

The two of them shared a room, and a bed. At first it was out of necessity alone but soon it became more than that. Thranduil hadn't felt even the smallest tingle of desire towards anyone after what had happened. He had sort of been shocked into a complete celibacy but when the natural urges slowly returned he didn't dare to approach anyone. He was terrified to, in fact the very idea of touching someone made whatever small spark of desire he felt disappear completely. Galion had understood and it had happened sort of naturally. They shared a bed and would snuggle up together in their sleep and they were rather used to each-others bodies.

Thranduil had been shocked the first time it happened, he had woken up way too early and found that peculiar until he moved and realized that he was hard. He had grunted with discomfort and tried to go back to sleep but it was impossible. He had resigned to just laying there staring into the darkness when Galion stirred behind him. They had gotten so used to sleeping like that it just felt comforting to feel his skin against Thranduil's own but now he tensed up and his friend immediately reacted. " Something wrong?

Thranduil just shook his head, he had dyed his hair again the day before and some of the smell still lingered, it made his nose itch and he almost sneezed. " It…it's just that darn smell."

Galion had put an arm around him and Thranduil froze, he tried to slip out of the bed but Galion sort of manhandled him and before he knew it he was on his back and Galion was staring down at him. His eyes were soft, and there was a gentle smile on his lips. " You do not need to lie to me Thran, I know what it is that is bothering you. "

There was a hand gently touching his aching length and he couldn't help himself, he gasped and his hips jerked involuntary, the contact was just too much, it felt too good. Galion whispered. "Relax, allow me to help you. I do really want to. "

Thranduil could only groan as Galion started to stroke him, very gently but with enough force to make it almost unbearably pleasurable. He had been with other males before but none had treated him thus, with such tenderness and yet with such skill. Another hand was cupping his balls and the sensation made him gasp for air and buck and he felt that the hand pumping his length was getting slick with his pre come. He surrendered, needed it so bad, needed it like he needed water and air and it had been so long, too long. Before long he was whimpering and sobbing and begging his friend to finish him off, he couldn't stand it anymore but Galion just sniggered and kept the same slow almost torturous pace. He really knew what he was doing, teasing and touching and he bent down a bit and gave one of the prince's nipples a firm but gentle little nip that made Thranduil yelp and squirm and buck his hips against the hand that created such long longed for pleasure.

Then his friend laid down next to him and turned him onto his side and they lay there belly to belly and Galion grasped them both in one hand and the sensation was more than he could bare. A thumb caressed the most sensitive spot he had almost teasingly and it was all it took. He shuddered and groaned Galion's name and then he came so hard he was seeing sparks. Galion moved his hand vigorously a few times and spilled too and from then everything changed.

He knew that he wasn't in love with Galion or anything like that, he did love him as a friend but this was just for comfort, for joy. He had never allowed another male to take him but he would allow Galion that privilege and the frequent love making made him more relaxed and less gloomy. When they lay there entwined on the bed, covered with sweat and so very satisfied he could for just a while pretend that the world was a good place, that everything was fine and that Galion was all that he would need to feel happy.

They had stayed at the inn for a few years and everybody knew them, the innkeeper of course knew that the two shared a bed and he didn't mind it at all, elves were after all not humans but he had warned them that some would dislike the way they lived and so they never touched or caressed each other while in public. It felt weird but they accepted it, they were in the world of humans now and had to adapt. One evening a group of travelers came by, they were merchants and Thranduil stood at the bar talking to the innkeeper when he heard the word Greenwood being mentioned. He immediately started to listen and what he heard almost stopped his heart. The merchants had been there to trade and from their conversation Thranduil learned that his mother had sailed and that his sister had married and moved on. But he did also learn that his youngest brother was dead and that darkness was threatening to engulf the forest. It made him shiver and he had to retire early that night.

Galion just held him when he told of what he had heard, the warm body and the steady heartbeat of his friend kept him there, kept him in control of himself. Thranduil shivered and wept, missed his mother, missed them all and Galion kept stroking his hair, whispering soft words to him. After a while he calmed down but he felt a desperate urge to forget, to hide the grief and sorrow behind other emotions. They made love again and he begged Galion to be rougher than normal, to help him wash the dark feelings away with pleasure. His friend did comply and took him rather hard and in the end Thranduil came screaming into a pillow, shuddering so violently Galion had to grasp onto his hips hard to stay in place.

Afterwards he wept silently for his brother and Galion just held him through the night. He couldn't return home, there was still a death sentence on him but he missed them all, Eru how he missed them. For the next days he was acting rather strange, withdrawn and silent but he slowly returned to normal although he would sit and just stare into nothing rather often. Galion made sure that he didn't get too caught by his grief and before the year had ended things were back to normal.

In Greenwood the battle against the spiders and orcs made the elves move north, to a pine forest near Emyn muir. There Oropher built a huge wooden palace and it became a beautiful place filled with light and joy. Unfortunately sorrow struck again, Beria lost her husband in an accident and was left with two young sons. She chose to return to her childhood home and she was welcomed by everybody. The sound of children playing made everybody happy and Oropher could even be seen smiling when his grandsons were running around his feet, having fun.

Beria was strong, she didn't let her grief overcome her and she kept her strength but she had become very quiet and didn't seek the company of others as often as before. Being a widow she couldn't remarry and she admitted that she would sail as soon as her boys were old enough to manage without her. That news didn't get very popular with the rest of the family and her uncle in special was almost begging her to reconsider. He claimed that both Oropher and Alagir did benefit from some female company, and she reminded him of his sister. Even those words didn't make her reconsider but she would stay until the boys reached their majority.

Then one morning Beria was found in her bedroom by her maid, dead. She had apparently gotten out of bed at night, taken a walk in the garden and slipped on the doorstep and broken her neck. It was a freak accident but one that left the entire family in shock and now some started to mutter about a curse having been cast upon the royal family. It couldn't be natural that so many died, like that? The palace was thrown into a year of grieving once more and Oropher started to look old, to look faded. The light in his eyes was gone and his movements had become stiff and slow, like those of an ageing adan. Some whispered that the king probably would succumb to his grief soon if he didn't abdicate and left for the havens.

The boys were as stricken as the rest, too young to really understand that their nana was gone forever and Alagir had to take care of them, he didn't really have the time to grieve. He tried to keep them occupied and so they would go for rides and he would teach them to use a bow and he would play hide and seek with them too. Alagir was eyeing an elleth now and it was rather obvious that it was serious for she was returning his feelings and many believed that they soon would be betrothed. Alagir hoped so too, he wanted a family and he wanted lots of children and a house filled with song and laughter. The palace had become a somewhat sinister place to him, even if it was filled with light and very beautiful.

One day they were visiting the old palace, it was slowly crumbling to the ground but it was still standing and he told the two young ellyn of everything that had happened there. They went exploring and he was very glad they had forgotten their grief for a short time. They went through some corridors in the basement, it was still safe and even though most things had been removed there was still a few things left there. The lads found a small crate and it was locked and appeared to have been hidden behind a wall that had collapsed. Alagir grinned at their eager faces and pried the lock open with his knife. The crate contained just a few objects but they did make Alagir go white and pale and the boys stared at him, looking a bit nervous. "Uncle?"

Alagir forced himself to smile, to hide his shock. He carefully picked one object out of the crate, it was a ring. He had seen a ring like that before, on his lost brother's hand. But it wasn't the same ring, this one had exactly the same shape but it was made from metal through and through and wasn't made to be worn. It was ugly, but it would leave a bruise just like that his brother's ring would make. Alagir swallowed a whimper and looked into the box again. It did also contain a small crystal vial with something black in it, it had to be poison for sure, and it did also contain some weird contraption that resembled a hand with long fingernails carved from hard wood. There were still dark spots in the wood and Alagir pressed his hand to his mouth to suppress the need to retch. " Oh Thran…we didn't believe you! Dear Eru what have we done?!"

The lads stared at him with wide eyes, they looked frightened and he put a hand on their shoulders. "Elhedran, Orodhran, please listen to me and listen carefully. You must never ever tell anyone of what we found here, nobody!"

The two elflings bit their lips and blinked. " Not even Daeradar?"

Alagir nodded. " Nobody, only the two of you and I are to know of this, do you understand? This is important! Can you swear to me that you won't tell anyone of the crate?"

The two nodded. " We swear!"

He smiled and kissed their brows" Good lads, now, let's go and play some more."

They left the basement in a hurry but Alagir hid the ring and the vial inside of his jacket. When he returned home he knew of just one person he trusted with this, one person who could free his brother of the accusations and clear his name. He knew now that his brother had been wrongfully accused and he would do everything he could to bring him back. Little did he know of the danger he was getting himself into by doing that.