@Kayo : Yes, mate. I know about the…err…'centered' thing. I had some problems while updating. Believe it or not, I had to upload for SIX times! But the preview section was still all jumbled up! I'll re-upload today and see how it goes. (Hate it when ffnet went crazy! Grr!!) Oh yeah, Happy Halloween!
Nikki1 : Kel or Lego? Sorry. I'm not telling. You'll know in the last chapter! He! He!
@Alkvingiel : Which prince? Make a guess! Oh. You're right. I never asked reviews before. But I really like the interaction between the readers. It's healthy.
@MorotheWolfGod : Okay! Okay! I will!
@Aranel of Mirkwood : Thank you, girl. Now go kiss Legolas-the-poster for me!
@HalandLeg4ever : I'm glad you like it!
@Queen of Shadows : I have never seen 'Into The Woods'. A musical, you say? That's interesting. How can I see one? (I love musicals. One of my favorites is CATS!) And yes, I will re-upload the chapter. I just wish the ffnet wouldn't act up again (glares at ffnet url).
@layla146 : Girl, you're making me blush! For that, I'll give you more of Kel!
@szhismine : I will let you hang on to the pomegranate tree but sorry, I've cursed the fruit so that whoever eat it will be bald for a year! He! He!
@Lady Lenna : You really don't want Leggy to take the fruit, do you? Don't worry, girl. Kel is there. He'll know what to do.
@namarie2legolas : Oh, poor you! You went to the dance but then had to go home? Even I will blow my rooftop if that happens to me! Oh, your birthday is just around the corner! Let's see. Do you want Orli's latest pic as birthday present?
@Kristina : You're right. I love writing! Oh, you write sport stories! Can you write about F1 Racing, or about a driver in particular whose name is Kimi Raikkonen? (hint) ~_^
@Jamie : Remember the idea you suggested to me? I'm working on it. The title is 'Token Of Love'. Soon, coming up!
Do you know that Orli had just been nominated for an AFI (Australian Film Institute) Awards in the 'Best Actor in Supporting Role' category for his role as Joe Byrne in Ned Kelly? Wow. Way to go, Orli. And the other latest story is that he has also signed up as the lead role in 'Kingdom of Heaven' under the direction of Ridley Scott! How many Lady Luck is hovering over this young man, I wonder?
One question, please. Anybody knows when POTC DVD will be out?
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"Legolas, don't!" Keldarion cried out, rushing closer to his brother.
Legolas went absolutely still, his hand mere inches from the nearest fruit. He looked back at his brother in bewilderment. "What's wrong?"
The elder elf stared at the pomegranate tree thoughtfully, trying to recall an old story that he had once heard from the elders. "Maybe nothing, Legolas. But I don't think you should take the fruit."
"But it is so rare to see pomegranates in winter! Look at them! They are already ripe for picking. I bet they taste delicious!"
Legolas reached again but Keldarion instantly knocked his hand away. "I said don't! Stop being such a glutton!" His fatigue and previous despair mixed with his exasperation at Legolas' stubbornness had caused Keldarion to raise his voice at his brother.
Glutton? Legolas blinked. His face fell as he slowly lowered his hand. Feeling highly censured, he turned his horse around and away from the tree. "Right. Let's go home," he said quietly.
Keldarion looked up at the sky and sighed. He ran a hand down his face, willing himself to regain his composure. It's not the kid's fault that I feel this sudden unease. There's something very peculiar about this tree, but what?
"Legolas, wait!" Keldarion called out, kicking at his mount. Legolas didn't reply as he guided Red Star through a path along the cliff. Obviously, he was still hurt by Keldarion's harsh words.
Keldarion sighed again as he stared at Legolas' stiff back. He couldn't get to his brother's side because the path was too narrow for two horses. Nice going, you idiot! he scolded himself. I bet he won't talk to you in the next few weeks!
Glancing briefly at the hundred feet drop on their right, Keldarion worked his brain to try to come out with the correct words to apologize to his brother….but then the earth started to quake without any warning.
Red Star's reaction was instantaneous. The stallion bucked instantly in pure panic, neighing and screaming with fright. Legolas tried hard to control the horse, but the trembling ground along with the falling rocks and heavy snow from above was scaring his mount even more.
As he struggled with his own mount, Keldarion watched in horror as his brother flew off Red Star's back and vanished over the cliff. "LEGOLAS!"
One of the falling rocks suddenly hit Keldarion's horse on its flank. The stallion neighed in pain and stumbled to the ground, throwing its rider off its back. The prince landed hard, hitting his head on the snow-capped rocky surface. For a while he saw stars…then he saw the thick white blanket of snow coming down on him.
Then he saw nothing else.
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It was the cold that awakened him. Deep, biting and freezing cold.
Keldarion groaned as he pushed himself out of the pile of snow, kicking and jabbing left and right. It took him several long minutes to be completely free of his white prison. When he got to his feet, he swayed unsteadily as his vision swam out of focus while his head throbbed inside like a drum. His ankle was badly twisted and there was a deep laceration on his temple, but otherwise he was fine.
Red Star was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, the young stallion had instantly taken flight after the avalanche. Keldarion's mount lay unmoving in the snow, already beyond help. The prince shook his head in sorrow, knowing that there was nothing else he could do for the dying animal.
"Legolas," he said to himself. "Find him first."
He gingerly picked his way down the cliff, mindful of his steps as he repeatedly called out for his brother. To his great consternation, Legolas never responded. Keldarion tried hard to stop himself from imagining the worst, hoping that his brother still lay breathing down there.
It was a slow and painful descent. His injured ankle was screaming with pain and his limbs were shaken and tight with strain, but he safely made it to the bottom. Wincing as his feet sunk deeply into the snow, losing all his elven gracefulness to lighten his steps, Keldarion resumed his search for his brother. His eyes busily swept over the stark whiteness, looking for any sign of Legolas.
He must've landed here somewhere, Keldarion mused as he dug up a mound, fearing that Legolas was buried alive underneath. "Legolas!" he called again, close to panic now. "Answer me! Where are you!"
Only the wind answered him, sighing and moaning in sympathy for the prince's distress. Keldarion did not give up though. He kept digging and calling, praying over and over. "He's still alive! He's not dead yet! Just bloody find him!"
A sudden sound of someone's coughing coming from his right caught Keldarion's attention then. "Legolas?" He dug much faster, finally revealing his brother's ashen face to his eyes. "Legolas! Hey brat, can you hear me?"
Legolas' answer was a deep groan, his face screwing in a grimace with his eyes clenched tightly shut. Keldarion reached down and patted his brother's cold cheek. "Legolas? Come on, answer me."
"Stupid…bloody…orc…Get…lost…!" Legolas muttered, turning his face away.
Keldarion couldn't help but grin at that. "Thank you for answering, brother. Now wake up." He continued to brush the snow off his brother's body, noting how Legolas was shivering from the cold.
"Kel?" Legolas' eyes fluttered open then. He stared dazedly at his brother, his silver eyes a little confused. "What…happened?"
"Avalanche…or that's what I think it was," Keldarion replied.
"Hmm...This reminds me…of the time we got caught in that landslide last spring."
Keldarion laughed and began to inspect his brother's form all over. "Tell me, where do you hurt?"
Legolas cried out when he tried to move. "Unhhh…I hurt…everywhere!" He then looked up at the rocky wall of the cliff. "Did I just fall…from there?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes. You are lucky the snow cushioned your fall somewhat." Keldarion nodded, bending over the gash behind Legolas' right ear, which was still bleeding. Then he began to poke at several other parts of his brother's body.
"Awww!!" Legolas cried out again when his brother's fingers came in contact with his left side. "That hurts!"
Keldarion smiled apologetically. "Sorry." He swiped away Legolas' cloak and lifted the tunic underneath. Legolas' left side, as well as his chest, was covered with blue and purple bruises. "You've got some broken ribs from the look of it," Keldarion finally voiced out, pulling back down his brother's shirt.
"Great. That will be…what? The third time this year?" Legolas shook his head in disgust. "I swear that if I should get paid in compensation for my every rib that gets broken, I would be very, very rich!"
Keldarion chuckled. He unclasped his own damp cloak and placed it over his brother. Legolas frowned. "What are you doing?"
Instead of answering, Keldarion told his brother, "Stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."
"But…Where are you going?"
"I have to leave you here for a while." Still kneeling in the snow, Keldarion reached up and touched Legolas' face. "When we get back home, I'll order the servants to gather all the pomegranates that you want. Forgive me, brother, for speaking so harshly to you before."
Legolas grinned back. "Nah. It doesn't matter." His smile suddenly vanished as he remembered something else. "The horses! Red Star! Is he well?"
Keldarion glanced up at the path above. "I think Red Star has fled. I didn't see him. But my stallion…" He sighed and turned back to his brother. "I've packed extra blankets on Wild Thunder. I'm going to climb back up and get them. You need to be warm and those ribs need to be bound."
Legolas noticed the way his brother was favoring one foot. "But you're hurt!"
"I can manage." Keldarion quickly dodged away when Legolas reached over to touch his injured ankle. "No healing task for you for the time being, brat! Just stay here and gather your strength. I'll be back even before you know it."
Legolas rolled his eyes and let Keldarion push his hand back under the protection of the cloak. "Just be careful, will you?"
Keldarion bent down and briefly kissed his brother's forehead. "Sure. Unlike you, I'm always careful," he quipped. At Legolas' muttered oath, Keldarion laughed. Then he turned and began his way up.
TBC…