Ok, Ok!! I WILL NOT kill Keldarion! I promise I won't kill him! Ever! There! Happy?

Wow, you guys really love him! So do I! By the way, Tiger is the only character death in this story. No more, I promise again.

Oh, thank you for the reviews! You guys are totally terrific! I don't mind death threats too. Gimme, gimme!!!

Notes ; I changed some facts in the original LOTR. We know that no one except Elrond knew about Aragorn's true identity, and that Aragorn will only be told about it when he's an adult. In this story, Aragorn still didn't know the secret (that's why they called him Estel). However, some highest rank elves in middle earth were aware of it and had taken oath to keep the knowledge to themselves, and prepared to give anything to protect the boy if he was harmed.

The two brothers were stunned into silence, not daring to show any expression on their faces that would give the secret away. "We don't know what you're talking about," Keldarion said.

Jongos just smiled. "Indeed? I'm not surprise. That was the same answer that we received from the elves we captured previously." Legolas eyes widened. "You are the one behind all those missing elves!"

The man laughed. "I see that our reputation precedes us." He stopped laughing suddenly and his eyes glittered angrily. "Still, we do not have what we seek! You are going to tell us where the boy is!"

"Why is the child so important to you? What do you want with him?"

Jongos pondered for a moment before saying, "We want nothing to do with the child. We are being paid handsomely only to hand him over to Maifron."

"Maifron!!" The brothers spat. "That evil wizard, Sauron's faithful servant! What does he want with the boy?" Keldarion asked, pulling his brother behind his back as the men moved closer forward.

"Oh, don't play dumb. You know why. The boy is going to be the king of Gondor when he's an adult, the king of all kings. Maifron got premonitions that the boy would also be a great risk to the re-arising of Lord Sauron. He is a risk that needs to be eliminated. And you will tell me where he is!"

"Never!" Legolas snapped back.

"We'll see. Take the dark-haired one!" Jongos ordered. The men reached out and grabbed Keldarion, dragging him away. Keldarion gave little struggle, knowing he had no place to run, not if it means leaving his own brother behind. He glanced back at Legolas, who was struggling against the men that were holding him back. "Keep your cool. I'll be fine," his eyes seemed to say.

"No…" Legolas slumped to the floor, deep in distress. He knew what the men were going to do to his brother. They will torture him, forcing the information out of him.

Jongos looked back at the younger elf prince. "Start praying that your brother will tell us what we're looking for, or I will come after you next." Then he walked out and shut the door, leaving Legolas all alone in great worry for his brother's safety.

*************

Thranduil looked down at the woodland guard, horror reflected in his eyes. But he kept his calm façade, even though the news that the guard brought was a grief one. "You saw no sign of my sons?"

The guard shook his head in regret. "Nay, my lord, only the dead bodies of their escorts and the horses. We've scoured the area but the attackers had covered their tracks."

The Mirkwood king closed his eyes in anguish. Please not again. This is too much. The troubles that his sons had gotten into the last several years nearly sent him to early grave. But this one was quite different. Something dark was already rising. He'd also received news from the other elven realms about their missing elves; Lothlorien, Tradis and Narlwen had lost several of their high rank officers or nobilities. They were never found. Now, it was happening to his own realm. Thranduil knew he must do something fast or he will lose his children too.

*************

                Legolas paced the floor anxiously. Keldarion had been taken away for far too long. It was already dawn, the light from the rising sun burst through the small window above. The prince nearly ran out of his mind with worry. What are they doing to him? Aren't they finished yet? Please bring him back! Please let him be unharmed! Valar, this is killing me!!

                He started to imagine the terrible situations that Keldarion might be in. They'll definitely whipped him, or beat him up! By Elbereth, he could already be dead!

                Losing his control at last, Legolas went to the door and banged at it in all his ire. "Open the door! Open this damn door, I said!" He kept banging and kicking at the sturdy door like a man possessed, creating so much noise and disturbance.

                When the door was pushed open a few minutes later, he nearly stormed ahead with his swinging fists but had to stop in dismay when he saw his brother's battered body being dragged in by the men. "Kel!" Legolas caught Keldarion's limp form as the elder prince was thrown inside. He stared in horror at his brother's bleeding back. He had been correct; they had whipped him up, terribly.

                "You'll be next!" The men told Legolas as one of them threw in Keldarion's tunic before they shut the door. The elf didn't hear them though. His attention was entirely focused on his brother's grim condition. Sitting down in a corner, he gently laid his brother's head on his lap, carefully keeping Keldarion's wounded back off the floor. "Kel?"

Still unconscious, his brother did not respond to his call. Legolas then saw the burn marks on Keldarion's wrists and arms. There were many bruises and cuts on his brother's face too. How he had suffered through it all!

Angry tears started to fill Legolas's eyes. "They are going to pay dearly for this!" he said through gritted teeth as he pulled out a silver chain from under his tunic. Attached to the chain was a brightly shining small stone. It was the stone of manya, his legacy; the stone of healing that used to be buried at the back of his own neck. It had given him the mystical power of healing touch. But a disastrous event over fifty years ago had caused the stone to be dug out of him. Now the stone could only work with natural water, something that they did not have in the prison.

Legolas glared at the door, the tears already spilled onto his cheeks. He was sure the men would not heed him if he requested a bowl of water. Sadly, he looked down at his brother; the person who was always there for him in good and bad situation, the one that had come to his rescue for countless of times. "You will be fine, Kel. I'll make you well again."

                Bending down, Legolas then caught his own teardrops within the cup of his palms, submerging the manyan stone in his hands. The small pool of tears then turned translucent blue in color, a sign that its magic was at work. He then used the liquid to smear over the hundreds of lashes over Keldarion's back, crying all the while.

                When the liquid ran out, he started the exhausting process all over again…

*************

                Keldarion fluttered his eyes open. He was quite confused for a moment. The last thing he remembered was screaming in pain, willing himself to die as Jongos and his men used the burning iron poker to stab at his hands. Now, he found himself back in the prison…with his head resting on his brother's lap. He looked up and saw Legolas's tired face, his eyes glazed. Legolas was asleep.

                Keldarion slowly sat up, astonished to see the healed wounds over his body. He caught sight of the shining stone in his brother's grip. But when he looked around, he saw no sign of any water source whatsoever. How did Legolas do it?

Legolas stirred awake then. The younger elf's face lit up into a smile when he saw that his brother had regained consciousness. Legolas's eyes were puffy and red, though. That's when Keldarion knew how his brother had healed him. "Legolas! You used your tears?!!"

                His younger brother smiled sadly, and shrugged. "Hey, it works."

                Speechless, Keldarion grabbed his brother into his arms and held him tight, reluctant to let go. "Please don't do that again! It must be so terrible for you!"

                "Anything for you, my brother. Anything at all," Legolas replied softly.

                The door to their prison opened then. Jongos walked in and saw the embracing brothers. "Ahh…so touching. What a nice sight to see." The human leader smirked before he stretched and yawned. "A pity it had to be cut short. I've had my rest, and now we must proceed with the interrogation. Take the blond one!" Jongos ordered his men.

                Legolas managed to sneak the manyan stone into Keldarion's hand before he was grabbed and dragged away. His older brother was yelling in anger, "Don't do anything to him, Jongos! He knows nothing!"

                Jongos frowned back at the elder prince when he saw the healed wounds and injuries that they'd caused only several hours ago. "You've healed. I nearly forgot that elves healed so fast…but this fast?" He turned to Legolas who was struggling against the men's grips. "Looks like we have to hurt you even more!"

                "No!" Keldarion shouted. He charged forward but Jongos's men came at him and struck his head with the hilt of a sword. The elf crumpled to the floor, bleeding in his temple.

                "Kel!" As he was dragged away, Legolas glanced back at his brother. Keldarion was painfully pulling himself off the floor, staring sadly at Legolas's horrified face just before the door shut close. "Legolas…"

                He looked down at the manyan stone on his palm. Legolas will need this when he returns. Keldarion then put the stone into the inside pocket of his leggings at the waist. He picked up his abandoned tunic from the floor and put it on…then sat in a corner and started to wait and pray…

TBC…

Hmmm, cliffie from hell? He! He!