A very quick chapter before the finale!

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After spending another night under the big oak tree, Legolas had proclaimed himself well enough to travel back to Ithilien. But Keldarion didn't completely agree.

"You are still weak," the elder prince said in exasperation as he watched his brother fumble to mount the grey stallion that Keldarion had managed to steal from the village that night.

Legolas scowled. "I'm fine!" he claimed stubbornly, his face growing paler from the effort.

"Right. And I'm Gimli the dwarf," Keldarion glibly responded, his arms folded across his chest. "You are not fit to ride. You'll only fall flat on your face."

"Better than to fall flat on my butt!" Legolas retorted. "And I'll tell Gimli you insulted him!"

After much grumbling and swearing, Legolas finally succeeded in mounting the horse. He sat there, panting and wincing, his head spinning. Then, after he was sure the earth had stopped moving around him, Legolas arched his eyebrows at his brother. "Well? What are you waiting for? Let's move it."

Keldarion laughed, shaking his head. "Let's see how long you will last on that beast, brother." After he had tied the last of their gear and belongings to his own horse, Keldarion mounted and began to lead the way to Ithilien.

"So," Legolas started several minutes later. "You still have not told me how you escaped the Corsairs."

Sending a sidelong glance to his brother, Keldarion took his time to respond. "I'd rather not talk about it right now. Let's talk about you instead. And father. Tell me, how is he doing?"

Legolas frowned at the way his brother evaded his question, but he chose not to press him any further. "Father is well. Do you know that Mirkwood is now known as Eryn Lasgalen?"

"Yes, I've heard," Keldarion nodded. "Has father's hair turned grey from all your wild adventurous streaks?"

"Not the last time I saw him." Legolas grinned. "But he still has his famous short temper that tempts me enough to make his hair turn red. Remember that henna shampoo incident?"

The two brothers exchanged amused glances and roared with laughter, recalling how flustered their father had been when Legolas had accidentally given him the wrong bottle of shampoo, transforming Thranduil from a blonde into a red-haired!

"How about Commander Linden? Has he finally found a bride for himself?" Keldarion asked next after their laughter subsided. Legolas' smile instantly faded, his eyes filled with sorrow. Keldarion clearly noticed this. "What's wrong, Legolas? Has something happened to him?"

"Linden is dead," Legolas replied, still sad thinking about the previous commander of Thranduil's army. "He died saving my life, and father's. There had been a vicious takeover in the kingdom a year after you had been gone. One of the Mirkwood lords thought he deserved the throne more than father, so he tried to kill us both. He kept us captive in a burning cabin. Father and I might have joined mother in Mandos that day if not for Linden. He came just on time to drag father and me out of our fiery prison, but Linden himself had perished in the fire. The commander had sacrificed himself for us and the entire realm, Kel. And no, he never married."

Legolas glanced at his brother and found that Keldarion had turned deathly still on his mount, his eyes watering. "By the Valar…What else had I missed?" he heard Keldarion whisper brokenly.

"Oh. A lot," Legolas said teasingly as he reached over and clasped a comforting hand around his brother's arm. "Want to hear about my famous adventure during the War of The Ring? Or would you like to hear about Hawkeye? You still remember Hawkeye, don't you? My pet eagle. Well, actually, he is only half eagle. He is also half human."

"Half man, half eagle?" Keldarion's eyes widened, surprise overcame his sadness. "Hawkeye?"

"His real name is Prince Gallard, now king to the realm of Tasqamaran. He is one of the legendary shraqs, a shape shifting human who can change into an eagle at his whim." Legolas smiled to see the great astonishment on his brother's features. "You should see him change forms. It was incredible."

Keldarion could only nod, still dumbfounded.

"Oh! I should also tell you about the time his enemy, the draqs, abducted me by mistake! They thought I was Gallard because we look quite alike, you know. When they realized their error, the draqs had dropped me into the ocean! I had to swim for land for three full days. Thank the Valar that a ship from Dol Amroth was making rounds, or I could have reached Valinor by then, only to find that you weren't there."

Unable to speak because of his shock, Keldarion just blinked in respond.

Legolas continued to regale his brother with the stories from his many escapades, some were funny and yet some were downright horrifying. Keldarion was left laughing and fuming and crying in turns as he listened to Legolas' tales, wishing he had been there to get his younger brother out of his usual scrapes.

As Legolas talked, the ride continued on towards Ithilien.

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Legolas had grown very quiet after a full day of riding.

Keldarion glanced across and saw that his brother was swaying in his seat. So anxious to get home, the stubborn younger prince had refused to take a brief respite like Keldarion had recommended an hour ago.

"I don't need to take a break! I can manage!" he had snapped in return when Keldarion suggested rest for the umpteenth time.

"You are exhausted and obviously not well!" Keldarion had retorted, staring worriedly at Legolas' white face. "Look at you. You are shivering."

"It's nothing! It's just the cold wind…" Legolas urged his mount faster forward, ending the discussion, leaving his elder brother to grit his teeth in exasperation.

Keldarion was planning to whack Legolas upside the head and knock him unconscious when his brother slowly tilted to one side, about to fall off his mount. Reacting quickly, Keldarion reached over and grabbed Legolas around the waist, pulling the younger elf in front of him.

Legolas instantly regained his senses. "Wha…?" he asked in a slurred voice, blinking dazedly.

"Hush, brother. All is well," said Keldarion, his arms wrapped firmly around Legolas to keep his brother in place.

"I…I'm able to ride…by myself," Legolas mumbled, looking around for his mount that trotted along behind them.

"Oh, I'm sure you are," Keldarion responded sarcastically. "Be still." He then frowned when he felt his brother shudder in his arms. Heat was coming from Legolas' skin, cold sweat peppering his forehead, an indication that his fever had returned with a vengeance.

"Go to sleep, Legolas. I'll get you home before you know it," Keldarion said and nudged his mount to take speed. The white mare instantly responded and broke into full gallop, a graceful blur against the wide span of the green opened meadow.

When they finally reached the walls of Ithilien keep a long while later, night had already fallen

Keldarion expertly reined in his mount before the closed gate, patting at the mare's neck soothingly. The horse snorted in reply, her front hoofs pawing at the dirt, clearly disappointed that her free run had come to an end. Legolas, meanwhile, was indifferent. In fact, he was completely out cold, his body still raged with burning fever.

"Hold!" A voice sounded from the parapet above the gate. "Who goes there?"

Keldarion had packed away his Haradrim disguise and now wore a simple riding cloak with the hood pulled over his head, but the attire still left him totally unrecognizable. He looked up and responded. "I'm a friend! I bring home your lord!"

There was a long stunned silence afterwards before Keldarion heard the sound of surprised mutterings from the wall.

"Who are you, stranger?" someone asked next, nearly causing the prince to lose his temper.

"Who I am is not important!" he snapped. "Prince Legolas is very ill and will not last longer if you tarry on like this, now let us enter!"

Several minutes later, the heavy doors of the gate steadily swung inwards with a slight gritting sound. Without waiting for the doors to fully open, Keldarion kicked at his mount and dashed inside. He cut through the stone-paved courtyard and stopped in front of the receiving terrace. Ignoring the gaping guards and servants around him, Keldarion quickly dismounted, pulling his brother into the cradle of his arms.

"Your lord's chamber," Keldarion curtly said to the nearest guard.

The elf instantly snapped to attention, pulling his widened eyes away from Legolas' pale face. "Right this way, sir," he responded. Keldarion followed after the warrior, paying no heed to the gasps of surprise and cries of joy around him as the Ithilien elves began to grow aware of their lord's sudden return.

The guard swiftly led him up a flight of stairs, through a long corridor and across a vast inner courtyard. Then they went up another flight of stairs before Keldarion found himself in a private wing of the keep. As they came to a door at the end of the hallway, the guard pushed it open and stepped aside to let Keldarion enter.

"The lord and lady's chamber," the guard informed him, but Keldarion no longer listened. He rushed to the big bed that stood in the middle of the room and gently put his brother down.

"Send word to Lady Narasene," Keldarion told the guard without looking up as he arranged Legolas to be more comfortable on the bed. "And get me some clean towels and a basin of water."

The guard left, leaving Keldarion to tend to his brother. As he brushed the sweat soaked hair off Legolas' face, the younger prince suddenly moaned, his eyes fluttering open.

"Ah…" Legolas breathed with a dazed smile. "Nice, warm bed…"

"I'm glad you approve." Keldarion grinned despite it all. "You are home, little brother. You are home and safe at last."

"Legolas!" A beautiful elven lady came running into the room just then, so swift and graceful on her feet even with the additional weight in her belly. She came to a halt beside the bed, her chest heaving and her green eyes sparkling.

Legolas' smile grew wider as he gazed lovingly at his wife. "Hello, Nara."

Narasene snapped back, "Don't you hello me, you oaf! Where in Arda have you been? Don't you know how worried I was?"

Then she promptly burst into tears and threw herself into her husband's arms. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, my love. I didn't mean to sound so ungrateful…I'm very glad you've returned…Oh, darling, I've been so worried…Thank the Valar you are home…"

"Hush, my dear," Legolas crooned to her, stroking her long fine hair. "Everything's fine now. All is well. And I'm also glad to see that our child is still in your womb. I would be devastated to miss its birth."

Narasene chuckled through her tears. "And I would be disappointed to miss the panic look on your face when it finally comes."

Legolas laughed and kissed her lips. And then he caught sight of someone standing so still in the doorway. "Father?"

Thranduil needed no further urgings. He rushed forward to sit on the other side of the bed, pulling Legolas out of Narasene's arms into his embrace. "My son!" he exclaimed, almost choking with tears. "What had you gotten into this time? We have searched for you everywhere but to no success! Oh, Valar! Don't scare me like that again!"

Legolas' face crumbled and he started to sob. "Forgive me for worrying you yet again, father. I was stupid, I know. But I'm home, now. And I swear I won't worry you ever again."

"And the wargs will fly!" Thranduil responded, hugging his son tighter as Narasene watched with tearful smile. "You worried me constantly since the day you discovered you have two feet, you silly elfling!"

The other person near the bed chuckled at that. "I believe I had to agree with you on that, my lord. He has been a pain in my backside since the day he was born, that's for sure."

Thranduil and Narasene looked up toward the heavy cloaked stranger who had been standing in the background all the while.

"You are the one who brought Legolas here," Thranduil stated with a curious frown. "Who are you, sir? You claimed to know my son very well."

Keldarion had to swallow the huge lump in his throat before he could reply. "I also know you very well, my lord. Very well, indeed."

As Legolas observed with a secretive smile, Keldarion tugged the hood off his head and gaze directly at the elven king. "Hello, father."

TBC…