I may not be here tomorrow so I leave you all with TWO chapters today! Happy?

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

It was already past midnight. Still, Celeborn and his family, as well as Thranduil's, had not retired to their own bedchambers. They all sat anxiously around Keldarion, waiting for the prince to regain consciousness. Celeborn had alerted his warriors about the incident, cautioning them of what might happen if Keldarion should escape.

"He awakes," Galadriel said softly when Keldarion finally stirred.

Legolas, his many cuts just recently treated, approached the bed on silent feet. "Kel?" he called out when he saw his brother's eyes fluttered open.

Keldarion stared back at him…and sneered. "Well, well. The little prince is back on his feet."

Legolas flinched, angered and disappointed. His brother was still lost to him!

When he realized that he was tied to the bed, Keldarion began to pull against his bonds but to no avail. Although the strips were of soft linen and would not chafe against his skin, they were securely restraining his movements, leaving him no chance at all to get free. He laughed crazily then. "This is wonderful! Brilliant job, all of you! I'm sure you like seeing me like this. Or rather, seeing Keldarion like this!"

Legolas growled and lunged for Keldarion's neck. "Get out of him, you demon! Get out! GET OUT!!"

"Legolas!" Thranduil and Celeborn hastily reached forward and pulled the screaming prince away.

"Calm down, Legolas!" Thranduil said, hugging Legolas' back to his chest. "This is not the way!"

Keldarion laughed harder. "Ah…the ever spoiled little brother! Legolas, hmm? The Greenleaf. What a name. You're sickeningly beautiful like the trees, but wonderfully feisty, like a thunderstorm! I like that! Your brother truly adores you, do you know? He couldn't stop screaming when I trashed you just now. I wish you could hear him. That was so funny! He's so pathetic!"

Legolas growled again and moved to charge at his brother. Thranduil tightened his hold on him, glaring at Keldarion. "Stop this, Jakarran! What do you want?"

"So! You know me!" Keldarion grinned and gazed malevolently at Celeborn. "What do I want? Well, I have an unfinished business with someone here who had put me in a bottle and tossed me out to sea!"

"That was a lot less than what you deserve!" Celeborn retorted hotly, clenching his fists. "I should have tossed you into the fire of Mount Doom!"

Celeborn and Keldarion exchanged glares for a long moment as the others looked on in silence. Arwen leaned closer to Galadriel, frightened to see the malicious glint in Keldarion's eyes directed at her grandfather.

Keldarion broke into a smile then and turned to the young lady. "Arwen, my beautiful star. Do you want to know what Keldarion here thinks of you? I can clearly read his mind and decipher his feelings. Oh yes, he desires you completely!"

Arwen gasped in shock at those words.

"That's enough!" Celeborn shouted. "Cease taunting us, Jakarran! Stop demeaning Keldarion this way! Just tell us what you want and get out of his body!"

"What I want is to see you DEAD, Celeborn! I want to feast upon your blood and tear out your flesh! Then I'll go for your lady next! Then your granddaughter! Then the little Greenleaf, the Mirkwood king, and the rest of you elves!" He shrieked with wild laughter. "And the best thing is, you can't even kill me! I'm sure you would not want Keldarion to die, would you?"

Legolas broke free from his father's arms and pounced upon his brother. "Leave him, you monster!" Legolas cried out, beating at Keldarion's chest repeatedly as the other elves watched in horror. "I demand you to return him to me! I want him back!"

"Legolas, stop!" Arwen stepped forward and embraced him from behind, pinning his arms at his sides. The tears flowed yet again from her eyes. Legolas' shoulders sagged in defeat as he knelt by her brother's form on the bed. "I want him back…" he repeated lamely.

"Legolas?" Keldarion suddenly whispered. Legolas turned to glare at him. "What do you want?!!"

Keldarion smiled sadly. "Hey, brat. Didn't you just call?"

Legolas' eyes widened. For a while there, he was completely startled. "Kel? Is that really you?"

"Not in the best condition but…yes. It is I, little one."

With a cry of relief, Legolas slumped onto his brother, burying his face against the crook of Keldarion's neck. Thranduil also leaned forward to place a kiss on his eldest son's forehead. "My son…" the king's voice trembled with emotion, losing all his austerity as a ruler of a great elven kingdom.

Legolas then reached up to untie the bonds but Keldarion cried out, "No, Legolas! Don't!"

The younger prince went still. "But why? You have returned."

"But he never left. He is still within me. Can't you feel him?"

With hesitant fingers, Legolas touched Keldarion's skin. His brother was right. The dark chill from the soul of the demon was still there for him to sense. He shook his head in sorrow. "Why does he stay? I cannot see you tie up like this!"

Galadriel laid her hands on Legolas's shoulders. "It is painful for us too, Legolas. But until we find the way to get Jakarran out and kill him, your brother needs to be restrained. It's for everyone's safety."

Legolas lowered his head without saying a word. He listened with one ear as Celeborn suggested that they all take some rest. Galadriel bent down to kiss Keldarion's temple. After ordering several warriors to stand guard outside Keldarion's door, the lord of Lorien then steered her wife out. Arwen lingered behind for a while.

Keldarion was so ashamed of what had been done to her that he turned his face away. He couldn't face her like the valiant warrior he was after all that had happened. Understanding his feeling, Arwen crouched down and tipped his chin, nudging him until he looked at her straight in the eye. Without a word, she kissed him gently on the lips.

When she pulled back, Keldarion gazed sadly at her. "Forgive me, Arwen."

She put her fingers on his lips. "It wasn't you." After kissing him one more time, she straightened up. "Rest well, Kel. We'll help you through this." Then she gracefully left, leaving Thranduil and his sons alone.

The king of Mirkwood stared deeply into his son's anguish eyes. "She is right, Kel. We will help you. We'll find a way. Be strong, son."

"Thank you, f…father. I…I will," Keldarion replied with some difficulty, choking on the big lump that formed in his throat. The king smiled reassuringly and stroked his son's raven tresses. Then he also left.

Keldarion turned to Legolas and gazed sadly at the long cut on his brother's cheek. There were tears of regret in his eyes when he said, "Please forgive me, Legolas. I had not the power to stop myself from hurting you."

"No, Kel. Don't. It wasn't you. It's the demon. Please don't apologize for things that were not your doing."

"I tried, Legolas. I tried so hard but I couldn't stop it!" Keldarion was openly crying now.

"I know, Kel. I know," Legolas soothed his brother, also weeping. He reached up and wiped Keldarion's tears away. "You are not to blame, brother. Remember that."

The younger prince then lifted the coverlet and lay down beside his brother on the bed, resting his head on his brother's chest. Keldarion was alarmed. "Legolas! What are you doing?"

Pulling the coverlet over them both, Legolas replied, "I'm staying here with you so you will not be left alone with him."

"But Jakarran will return and you might get hurt again! Don't endanger yourself!"

"You are bound. He can't do anything to me." Listening to his brother's beating heart beneath his ear, Legolas continued, "Go to sleep, Kel. I won't leave you all alone."

More silent tears tumbled down Keldarion's cheeks. Rising forward a little, he kissed the top of Legolas' head. "Thank you, brat," he whispered in a broken voice.

And that was how Thranduil saw them when he went looking for Legolas afterwards. Both his sons were deeply asleep, sending support and love to each other even in their dreams. The king's heart constricted painfully at the heart-wrenching sight. He should have known that Legolas would never leave his brother facing the demon all by himself.

Thranduil always knew that his sons had a very close relationship and he was glad by that. But he also knew that the current circumstances were greatly affecting them both.

He just hoped that their closeness would not become the death of them.

TBC…