@szhismine : Raspberries, eh? Good choice. Just don't eat them too much or you'll get drunk!

@Nikki1 : Dun dun dun! Thranduil will turn into Batman to save the day!

@alkvingiel : You always want Kel to kill my villains, aren't you?

@MysticalWoodElf : Why didn't you strap in your seat belt to avoid falling off your seat? Better safe than sorry, mellon!

@Lomiothiel : Zuïlean's means of torture also include forcing her prisoners to watch 'Baywatch' reruns. Erk! That's cruel!

@Fire Breathing Ferret : Sorry. No can do. Cliffie is my middle name.

@Kayo : I love you too! Now you make me guessing, which of the princes that you want to be your slave?

@Kit Cloudkicker : It is indeed very cruel.

@Menthol : Actually, she will take Elrohir. No! I mean Elladan. Err, wrong again! It's Elrond! But what did the elves from Rivendell had anything to do with this? A-hah! I know! She wants Gandalf!

@Aranel of Mirkwood : Is it the same moose that had kept me and the Ferret in war?

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

Something woke Keldarion from his slumber. He blinked, and then cursed himself for falling asleep. His mind and body was getting so lethargic he couldn't think straight. The feel of something wet and sticky on his chest made him look down…and his eyes widened in alarm at what he saw. "Legolas!"

The younger prince did not reply. He was too deeply asleep or he had succumbed into a coma. But what had horrified Keldarion the most was the blood that trickled down from the corner of Legolas' mouth and seeped into his tunic.

"Legolas, wake up!" Frantic, Keldarion repeatedly patted his brother's white cheeks. "Legolas…are…are you still with me? Please, brother, speak!"

Except for a low moan, Legolas did not respond. Keldarion quickly re-inspected his brother's injuries, instantly realizing that Legolas might have punctured his lung earlier. The high pressure from the frigid temperature was making the prince's condition even worse. His body had stopped shivering, but that did not mean he was not feeling the extreme cold.

Keldarion tightened the blanket wrapped around his brother and gently wiped the blood away. Already in tears, the elder prince then cupped Legolas' face in his palms as he said, "Legolas, listen to me. We are going to get out of here, all right? Are you listening, brother? We will get out of this...this 'prison'! For that you must stay alive! Got that, brat? Stay alive!"

Legolas' head moved feebly from side to side at his brother's words. "That's it!" Keldarion cried out. "Awake! Open your eyes now, brat! Wake up!"

But then, Legolas went absolutely still once more.

Keldarion panicked. After grabbing his sword with haste, he painfully got to his feet and started to whack at the wall of ice that was imprisoning them. "Let us out!" the prince yelled in anger as he struck his sword repeatedly against the wall. "Do you hear me, lady? I want you to let us out!"

The blade was sharp and Keldarion's swings were powerful but the wall was even stronger. It neither broke nor crumbled. Keldarion grew even more desperate. "Please, lady, set us free! My brother is dying! You have to let us go!"

Exhausted and in pain, Keldarion finally collapsed beside his brother a while later. His throat was hoarse from all that yelling and his arms had lost all the strength to lift the sword again. Barely able to contain the sobs that escaped his lips, Keldarion weakly gathered Legolas back into his arms.

"Stay alive, little one," Keldarion softly crooned. "Father will come."

Resting his forehead against his brother's, he whispered again, "Father will come…"

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

Zuïlean stopped walking about half a league later. Frowning, Thranduil looked around and tried to find any signs of his sons. "Where are they?"

She pointed at the direction of an overhanging rock ledge where there was a wall of ice beneath it. "In there." At her signal, the wall crumbled, revealing the two Mirkwood princes that had been trapped inside.

Thranduil's eyes widened. "Keldarion! Legolas!" he shouted and ran forward to get to his sons.

Unfortunately, Zuïlean barred his way. "Not so fast, Thranduil!"

Clenching his fists, Thranduil retorted, "What more do you want? Haven't they suffered enough? I need to know if they are all right!"

"I can assure you that both of them are still breathing," she curtly replied. "But we still have an unfinished business, Thranduil, or have you forgotten? Before I let you go to them, I want you to tell me this; which one of them is mine?"

Thranduil knew the question was coming. Instead of answering, he just stared at the goddess, his eyes hard and unyielding.

"Father?" Keldarion was looking in confusion at the strange scene in front of him. He gingerly rose to a sitting position, wondering why their father was so silently distraught.

"Kel." Thranduil nodded back at him after releasing a sigh of relief. "You are well?"

"I'll be fine, father. It's Legolas I'm worried about," Keldarion answered, indicating his brother who lay cradled on his lap.

"Thranduil!" Zuïlean fumed. "You still have not answered me! Which one of these boys is mine?"

Thranduil turned to the goddess once more. "Neither!"

Zuïlean was a little taken aback by that answer. "What did you say?"

"Neither one of these two sons of mine is the child that you are looking for, lady, nor are they the child that I've promised to you."

"Thranduil, nothing detests me more than a liar and anyone who does not hold to his words!'

"I'm not lying!" Thranduil shouted. "And I never broke my words even if you do not believe me! It was not that I didn't want to give you the child but I just simply could not! "

"You are so dishonorable, Thranduil, for giving me such lame excuses and reasons!"

"You don't understand." Thranduil sighed, glancing briefly at his sons. Keldarion was gazing back at him in dismay while Legolas was slowly stirring. Now they will hear things they have never been told before, he thought. After taking a deep breath, the king finally blurted, "The child is dead."

There was a long and uncomfortable silence then. Zuïlean was frowning, while Keldarion was gawking. The child is dead? What 'child' is father talking about? The prince was getting even more confused.

"When I took the fruit that day, my wife was pregnant with our first child," Thranduil continued, now staring directly at Keldarion. "She had begged me to find her a winter pomegranate for she craved it so much. When I got home, I never told her about my promise to you, lady, for I feared to break her heart. The whole thing was killing me inside, believe me!" Thranduil was looking beseechingly at Keldarion, as if asking for his son's forgiveness for agreeing to such a terrible pact.

 "Then, something unthinkable happened," Thranduil continued. "When she went to gather scented herbs in the woods with her maids, their group was attacked by orcs."

Keldarion jerked in shock. I never heard of this before! Knowing that there was more to this story, the prince kept on listening with complete attention.

"Marwana was skillful with blades. But at such an early stage of pregnancy, her condition was delicate and…" At this, Thranduil briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When the king reopened his eyes, Keldarion was flabbergasted to see anguished tears swimming in there. "Father?" the prince softly asked. "What happened to mother after that?"

Thranduil gazed sadly at his eldest son. "She had a miscarriage."

Another long silence ensued.

Keldarion's face reflected his great disbelief. "Are you saying that…that I…I..."

"Yes, Kel. Technically you are not the first child we conceived," Thranduil said quietly. "You always remained our firstborn, Kel, but you might have had an older sibling before you."

Keldarion shook his head in wonder. "Why did you never tell us this before?"

"Because I didn't want to cause your mother to grieve. She had had enough hurt. It was better for her to forget." Thranduil sighed deeply as he turned to Zuïlean who had been so silent during his long explanation. "Like I said, lady, I never turned back from my words. Once I give an oath, I never break it."

She frowned in contemplation before saying, "Answer me truthfully, Thranduil. If the child were still alive, would you give the child to me?"

Thranduil slowly shook his head, overwhelmed. "Honestly, I don't know, my lady. I definitely wouldn't want to, but…" He gazed back at his two sons. Legolas had just regained consciousness and, like Keldarion, was staring back at their father with sorrowful eyes.

"But I'm a person of my word," Thranduil continued with new resolve. "It was I who had taken the fruit in the first place, and it was I who should be punished. So take me, my lady. Let my sons go free. Take me, and this entire matter will be forever settled between us."

TBC…