Goodness me! You guys are so generous with your reviews! Your compliments truly humbled me; a simple 'thank you' is not enough!! I think I'm gonna cry now! Thank you, guys! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a gift, I leave you with this…

Lord Elrond and his daughter watched as the elves of Mirkwood dismounted, his eyes focusing on the younger of the two princes. The message from Thranduil was right; Legolas was incredibly quiet…even worse than the time when he arrived those several weeks ago to spend the summer here.

"My lord," Keldarion greeted him, while Legolas only bowed respectfully, keeping his silence.

"Welcome back, dear sons of Thranduil. Refreshments await you all after your long journey. Come, let's proceed to our great hall."

The troop from Mirkwood followed the Rivendell lord. Arwen immediately fell back beside Keldarion, clutching his hand. She stole worried glances towards Legolas, questioning Keldarion through her eyes. Keldarion only shook his head slowly.

Legolas still didn't speak, but at least he didn't object when Thranduil coaxed him to go visit Rivendell. The Mirkwood king had sent a whole battalion of elven warriors to protect his children on their journey, so frightened he was that the same tragedy would happen again. The king had hugged Legolas tightly to him, as the troop was about to depart. Legolas had smiled in return. The dimple in his right cheek was still not visible, but it was a smile nonetheless. And it gave such great relief to Thranduil. He can't wait for Legolas to return, whole and sound like he used to be.

They were about to walk through the grand entrance when Aragorn came running. "Legolas! You're here!"

Legolas visibly stiffened as the boy stopped right in front of him, grinning in full joy. "I know you'll come back! I'm so glad to see you!"

The prince backed away from the young human, glaring down at him. The boy's smile faltered when he saw the odd expression on Legolas's face. "Legolas? What's wrong? Why do you look so angry?"

The Rivendell twins arrived at the scene, rushing for their little human brother. "Estel!" Elladan looked up to his father and said apologetically, "He'd escaped us."

"Legolas, are you okay?" The boy tried again, reaching up to touch the prince's arm. Legolas jerked, before he swiveled and walked fast towards the woods behind the Rivendell palace. They all watched in dismay to see him go. Keldarion made a move to follow his brother but Elrond stopped him, "Leave him be, Kel. He won't go far, and my guards would protect him."

Aragorn looked up, his eyes bright with tears. "Why does Legolas hate me so, father? Why did he turn away from me?"

Elrond crouched down and smiled. "He doesn't hate you, Estel. He's facing a great problem right now, that's all. Give him some time."

"But he looked so angry. Have I done something wrong?"

Aragorn's voice was so full of sorrow that it struck Keldarion's heart. He also knelt down and faced the boy. "You have done nothing wrong, Estel. Legolas was angry with himself. Just don't stop being his friend. He is going to need you. Can you do that?"

Aragorn nodded. "I will always be his friend."

"Good. Now go and play with these two pea-brained monsters," the lord said, teasingly. The twins grimaced. "Father, you're encouraging him," Elrohir complained.

The boy followed his brothers back to the open field where they'd been practicing archery before. Once in a while, Aragorn would glance at the direction that Legolas had gone to, hoping for the prince to join them.

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

Legolas was sitting up high in a tree, brooding. He couldn't help feeling terrible guilt as he recalled the hurt on Aragorn's face just now. Deep inside him, his mind was having a fierce battle with his feelings.

I was too harsh on him. He has no fault in all this.

But he's a human! You can't trust humans! They are cruel, worse than animals!

But Estel is just a child! He's innocent. He's not like them.

He could be like them one day, when he becomes an adult.

You don't know that. He's being raised by elves, your own kind. Give him a chance.

Legolas leaned his head against his upraised knees. No…This is still too hard for me to bear. I can't face him yet. I keep seeing those men's faces every time I look upon him. What am I going to do?

Up on a branch above him, a golden bald eagle perched and watched over the dejected elf prince like a faithful sentinel…

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

A week after that, Legolas was still avoiding his friends…Aragorn especially. The prince stayed away from the group, looking on at them from afar, longing to join in but too scared to do so. He didn't want to see the twins and Arwen staring back at him in pity. He understood that they didn't know the extent of the terrible things that have been done to him, and yet he felt uncomfortable around them. Keldarion kept glancing at his brother, beckoning Legolas to come near. The only response he would get was some head shakings…then the younger prince would disappear again.

Legolas was sitting cross-legged under a weeping willow in the garden one day, the shrouding branches hiding him from other people's gaze, when a Rivendell elf-maiden approached him. She was Narasene, the maiden that had caught his interest earlier during the summer.

Narasene walked through the willow branches, carrying a tray filled with fruits and a jug of juice. She paused, looking straight at him for his consent. He nodded slightly at her and she came closer, sitting down beside him on the ground.

This beautiful maiden, the only niece to Lord Glorfindel, poured the juice into a glass and offered it to the prince. He took it in silence, staring at her all the while, searching for any sign of disgust or pity on her face. Finding none, he breathed a sigh of relief. At least, someone is treating me normally.

Narasene started to peel the skin off an orange with her slender fingers then. And they both shared the plate of fruits until none was left. Both of them were quiet the whole time, not speaking even a word. Half an hour later, Narasene picked the tray and stood up gracefully. After sending him a soft smile, she left.

It became a routine for them both from that day forward. Legolas would wait for her under the willow tree every noon, and she would come with a tray of refreshments in her arms. Like the first time, they never speak to each other, simply enjoying each other's company without the hassle of making small or nonsense talks.

Of course, the situation didn't escape the other elves' notice. They saw how the two bonded together, how compatible they were and the way they complemented each other beautifully; Narasene with her rosy colored cheeks and a riot of black curls flowing down her back, and Legolas with his golden hair and muscle-toned body. The prince was seen smiling more often now…yet, he was till staying away from his best friends.

So, knowing that he'd given Legolas enough time to brood, Lord Elrond decided to drop the bombshell several days later…

**********

From the veranda, Elrond saw Narasene leaving the willow tree. Legolas also left a few minutes later, heading upstairs directly towards the guest chamber. The lord intercepted the prince in the middle of the way. "May I speak with you, Legolas?"

The Mirkwood prince halted, and stared at the Rivendell lord questioningly. "Let's walk to the open field, shall we? I believe they are having sword practice there." Legolas was quite reluctant to follow, knowing that his friends were there, but surely he could not object to the lord's request. With hesitant steps, he walked beside Lord Elrond, wishing he were somewhere else.

"So, you like Nara?" Elrond asked. Legolas looked back at him and smiled shyly before turning away. The lord chuckled. "Yes, I can see that she likes you too."

Legolas's face changed then. Valar! I really like her! But am I worthy enough for her? No, she deserves better!  I'm not good enough for her! She's so pure; while I am…I'm already used.

"What is it, Legolas? Why do you look so sad?"

The prince didn't reply, not that Elrond expected him to. "Are you ashamed of what the men had done to you?"

Legolas snapped his head to stare back at Elrond, wide eyed. How does he know? Then his eyes drew to a slit. Keldarion. He'd promised not to tell anyone!

With purposeful steps, Legolas walked hurriedly towards the open field, leaving Elrond smiling behind. Now I'll leave the rest to you, Kel. Your brother looks so pissed he's going to chew someone…and that someone is going to be you!

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

"Move your feet, Estel. Here, like this." Keldarion was showing Aragorn the right stance while holding a sword. The boy enjoyed the lesson so much he was beaming ear to ear, even though the sword was heavy for his young arms. Arwen and the twins were watching with proud smile on their faces. Once in a while, they would shout words of encouragements to their little human brother.

Arwen lifted her sword and tapped Keldarion on his shoulder. "Let's show him how this thing really work."

Keldarion looked her up and down. "Aren't you afraid to have your dress cut down to shreds, my lady?"

She chuckled, amid the twins' teasing whistles and hoots of laughter. "You can try, prince."

"Okay, then. Estel, step away please. You are going to see an expert in action."

"Expert? Hah!" Arwen replied, and her brothers laughed louder.

The two bowed to each other, before they lifted their swords and posed a starting stance. She made the first move, moving forward gracefully and swung the blade. As she expected, Keldarion blocked it skillfully…but she didn't expect him to grab her into his other arm and kissed her lips!

"Kel!! I can't believe you did that!" she yelled indignantly, still wrapped in Keldarion's left arm. Aragorn and the twins were rolling on the ground now, roaring with laughter.

The Mirkwood prince was grinning back at her. "That sword fight was too short, don't you think? Would you like some more?" He bent down his head again, stealing another kiss. Arwen started to laugh. "You are impossible, you know that?!!"

She stopped laughing suddenly as she saw Legolas coming their way. "Err…Kel, your brother is heading this way. And he looks incredibly furious!"

Keldarion turned and saw Legolas's fierce expression. At first he felt alarm, but then he saw Lord Elrond following his brother at much slower pace. The lord of Rivendell was staring directly back at him, and Keldarion recalled the talk they both had the first night he got here. He was not surprise to find out that Elrond knew exactly what had happened to Legolas. The lord had the special sight to see beyond the eyes and mind, just like his mother-in-law, the Queen Galadriel. Something that Elrond had said must've snapped Legolas to react this way.

Legolas grabbed a sword from Elladan's startled grasp and advanced towards his brother. Arwen had stepped away when she saw the determination on Legolas's face. Keldarion stood calmly, waiting for his brother to make the first move.

When Legolas lunged forward, Keldarion was ready to block the attack. Legolas came again, and again, and again, swinging his blade with all his might. Keldarion had to use all the energy he had to counter them, before he too started to make his own offensive charges.

The sight of the fight was eerily beautiful, terrifyingly mesmerizing. The brothers were obviously very skillful in swords play. They moved gracefully like orchestrated warriors dance, turning and parrying left and right, swinging their blades high and low. Aragorn and the Rivendell elves were all staring in awe at the two sparring brothers. This was a sight that they would never forget.

Even though he favored his bow and twin blades, Legolas's expertise in using a sword cannot be denied. He had had good teacher; his own brother. Keldarion was very proud to note that Legolas was getting remarkably better in the using of a sword. He had been a good student anyway. But Keldarion also knew that Legolas's action right now was initiated mostly by his turmoil feelings.

Taken over too much by emotion, Legolas suddenly made a mistake. He moved too low to the right and gave Keldarion the opening to knock him down. Falling on his back to the ground, his sword flew off from his hand, Legolas looked up to see Keldarion's sword pointed straight at his neck. Keldarion looked down at his brother. "Do you yield?"

Legolas shook his head, before he yelled, "Never!" Keldarion gaped, so stunned he was to hear his brother's unexpected voice. He also heard the others gasped in surprise.

"You told him!" Legolas hissed.

Keldarion frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Lord Elrond knows! You promised not to tell anyone!"

Keldarion shook his head. "Legolas, I never break my promise."

"But how…?" Legolas understood then and couldn't help feeling incredible shame for behaving so foolishly. Of course Elrond knows! He has the sight! Valar! I've just tried to kill my own brother just because I couldn't think straight!!!

Averting their gazes in deep embarrassment, Legolas scooted backwards, got up to his feet, and ran towards the direction of the woods. He didn't respond when his brother called out his name.

TBC…