meisalliam : I'm glad you like the portrayal of Legolas' artistic side. Trust me; he's very shy about it.
Hp-Azn : What was that, you ask? Err…I don't know. Let's ask Kel.
Fire Breathing Ferret : Come out from your hiding place, will you! Things are just going to get hotter!
Artex : No. Kel is definitely not all right!
astalder27 : Thank you for that reminder. I will update my Biopage now. So sorry. I was so lazy. Ha! Ha!
othrilis : Poetry? Really? Oh, I'm honored! Please do so! And send them to me! Thank you!
Sailor Elf : Yes, I do have some explaining to do. A little incident with Leggy? Just a little? Are you sure?
BRazgirl : Thank God your computer is safe!
Althelas : Helps her back into her chair There, now. Comfortable? Good. I'll tell you what I'll do next to Leggy; I'm going to—tuttt!—him. (Sorry. Censorship board in progress.) He! He!
Dur En Thurin Naur : The father disowned his good son just because the son saw him naked? What's the matter with that guy? Didn't he know that 'Father's Day' is coming this Sunday and you have to be on good behavior? Disown his son? Bah! Shame on him! Interesting story, though. ;)
Aranel of Mirkwood : It's freaky, all right. More cliffies after this, yes? (I hope Kimi wins something before this season ends! Hopefully the B-car will be better too. McLaren has such big budget. It's impossible they haven't figure out their problems by now, right?)
Gwyn : He could have subdued me too! I'm so willing!
Tauron : 'Humping' the statue! Now that's the word I should have used! Hilarious!
Someone Reading : Keep reading, mellon!
beginning end-314 : Addicted to the website while having exams, are you? Hmmm. I have a cure. Bring the whole thing into the exam hall!
Nathalia Porter : Yep. Keldarion has gone loony. Somewhat…
Lady Lenna : Thank you! And I'm updating now!
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It was right after dawn.
Keldarion blinked himself awake…only to find a pair of bright silver eyes staring back at him. The elder prince went still, gazing dazedly at his younger brother. "Wha…"
"Before you say anything, I want you to answer me first," Legolas said. "Are you going to kiss my lips again?"
Keldarion blinked. And blinked once more. Then he shot upright and shouted, "WHAT?!"
Legolas winced and stepped away from the bed, putting his arms in front of him as if to ward off some demon. "Whoa. Easy, big brother."
"What the blazes were you saying just now?" Keldarion growled. "I don't think I heard it right."
"Are you feeling like yourself?"
Keldarion glared. "Of course, I am!"
"But you were very different last night."
"Different? Different how?"
"Don't…don't you remember what happened?"
Frowning, Keldarion worked his brain to recall. "Last night? I went to bed early after a game of chess with father and I believe I slept soundly like the dead. Why?"
"Are you sure?" Legolas was skeptical.
"Why are you asking me this?" Keldarion frowned even more. "Did something else happen while I was asleep?"
"Well…" Legolas gulped nervously. "Last night at midnight, I didn't find you sleeping. In truth, you were not in your room."
Keldarion stared without a word, waiting for his brother to continue.
Legolas bit his lips, contemplating whether it was smart for him to do so. "Instead, I found you in the garden," the younger prince finally said, wincing. "You were stark naked."
Keldarion's eyes bulged. "I was what?"
Legolas took another step back when he saw his brother's face turned red. "You were naked! You had not a stitch on, naked as the day you were born and…"
"All right! All right! I got the picture!" Keldarion cried out, putting up a hand.
"In fact, you still are under that cover," Legolas softly added.
Keldarion quickly lifted the coverlet and looked down. He blushed even more. Turning back to Legolas, he snapped, "Explain."
Legolas settled himself back in the chair beside the bed, warily eyeing his brother. "I don't know what had gotten into you last night, Kel. I found you deep in the maze, singing and dancing around the statue of Qestari."
Keldarion felt himself choking. "I…I was dancing around naked? But why would I…?" Then he glared. "Right. Very funny, little brother. If this is your idea of a joke…"
Legolas rolled his eyes upward. "This is not a joke! I'm not lying to you! I saw you there, dancing around and around that statue like a maniac! I thought you were drunk! But I saw that you were not and that something else was definitely wrong with you. What you did next was totally…uh…indecent."
Keldarion felt the shiver of dread run up and down his spine. "What did I do?"
Grimacing, Legolas reluctantly told him, "You climbed up the statue and you…you…uh…fondled her breasts as you rubbed your…uh…you-know-what against her."
There was a long silence afterwards. And then, groaning out loud, Keldarion twisted and buried his head under the pillow.
Legolas cringed as his brother's muffled scream and expletives hit his eardrums. "Uh…Kel? Are you all right?"
Keldarion flung the pillow away and glared. "Oh, I'm just peachy, little brother! I'm so all right I want to dance naked in the garden at midnight again! The problem is, I can't even remember doing it! Arghhh!" He covered his face with his hands, shaking his head in disgust.
Getting off the chair, Legolas took a seat beside his brother on the bed. He gripped Keldarion's shoulder comfortingly. "If it makes you feel better, then know that no one else saw you except for me. I quickly got you in here before anyone could spread the word that the crown prince of Mirkwood has suddenly gone bananas."
Keldarion weakly chuckled and looked up at his brother. His smile froze when he recalled what Legolas had said to him the moment he woke up. "What else did I do?"
His younger brother avoided his eyes, blushing himself. "Nothing worth mentioning," he said.
His eyes narrowing, Keldarion bit the words out, "What. Did. I. Do?"
Legolas started to get off the bed. "Don't worry, Kel. I know you were not acting yourself and…"
"Just tell me!" Keldarion shouted, yanking his brother back down.
"You kissed me!" Legolas shouted in return. "I was trying to get you off the blasted statue when you suddenly whirled and embraced me and then you kissed me!"
"On your lips?" Keldarion was clearly mortified.
"No. On my butt." Legolas rolled his eyes. "Of course, on my lips! I think you thought I was her!"
"Who?" Keldarion was moaning, his head clasped between his hands once again.
"I don't know who! Maybe she was some maiden you were seeing in your mind at that time. Who knows?"
Keldarion raised his eyes and stared dazedly at his brother. "Oh, Lord. I'm so sorry, Legolas. I don't know what had come over me. I don't even remember doing that."
Legolas sighed. "I know. I'm sorry too. I had to punch you to knock you out."
"You…" Keldarion chuckled. "You punched me?"
"Yes." Legolas grinned. "Is your jaw still sore?"
Keldarion smiled wider, touching his jaw. "At least it is still there. I just can't believe…Ai Elbereth! I kissed you?! Uuugh! Get me some water! Quick!"
Again, Legolas rolled his eyes, looking quite offended. Still he stood to pour a glass of water for his brother. "You don't have to react that way, as if you would rather kiss an orc!"
"No offense, brother. The only one I ever prefer to kiss is a maiden. You, are completely not my type," Keldarion said before he drank the entire glass.
"Oh, I'm so heartbroken," Legolas responded, playfully clasping one hand over his heart. Then he turned serious. "So, are we going to tell father about this?"
Keldarion's eyes widened, nearly dropping the glass in his shock. "Of course not! I've had enough humiliation to last my entire lifetime!"
"Fine, then. I won't tell him."
"Thank you. This is our secret, all right? Don't tell anyone."
"I won't. I promise."
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"Remember anything?"
Keldarion turned at his brother's question and shook his head. "Not really."
"What exactly do you remember?" Legolas asked again, carefully watching his brother's grim handsome face.
Sighing, Keldarion walked closer to the marble statue and touched it, running his hand up and down her smooth calf. He stopped abruptly when he saw the funny look his brother was sending him. Quickly dropping his hand, Keldarion averted his gaze, blushing.
"Well,'" the elder prince said, clearing his throat. "I believe something is coming back to my mind, but it is still vague."
It was early morning. Instead of joining the Mirkwood warriors in the training field for their daily sword practice, the two brothers were standing at the heart of the maze in the garden, staring up at the Qestari statue to find some answers. They had made a thorough scrutiny of Keldarion's chamber but found nothing unusual except for the way his night clothes lying strewn all over the floor, which was very strange because the elder prince was known as a neat and orderly person.
Biting his lips, Legolas asked next, "Don't you even remember coming here?"
Keldarion shook his head, walking around the marble nymph and gazing at her angelic features. Then he frowned. "I think I remember it now. I climbed her up, you say?"
Legolas nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, you did! It was such a sight! You were naked and you were hugging her tight, like two lovers in a heat of passion and…"
"Enough! You don't have to go into such details!" Keldarion cried out, clasping his hands over his ears, his face bright red.
Grinning, Legolas couldn't stop teasing his brother. "Apart from that…uh…kiss, what happened last night was quite amusing, actually. You looked like a rake. A very desperate rake."
Growling, Keldarion made a move to wring his brother's neck.
Laughing, Legolas danced away, out of Keldarion's reach. "You know, Kel, you look good naked," he said, still chortling. "What do you say if I paint you? Nude."
"You wouldn't dare!" Keldarion yelled and leaped, dragging his brother to the ground.
Amid shrieks of laughter and growls of exasperation, the two brothers wrestled each other senseless, trying to pin the other down. It was so loud and boisterous that surprisingly nobody came running to investigate.
"Valar! You should have seen your face!" Legolas exclaimed with mirth. "Or better yet, I can paint that entire scene for you so you can understand what I'm talking about! You looked so splendid and you…Kel? What's wrong?"
Keldarion had suddenly gone still under his brother's firm hold, his eyes slightly glazed. Panicked, Legolas quickly get off him and shook his shoulders. "Kel? What's the matter with you? Can't you hear what I'm saying..?"
"I hear you," Keldarion finally responded, pushing himself to a sitting position. He glanced briefly at his brother before turning towards the statue.
"What?" Legolas was puzzled. "What is it?"
"I remember it now," Keldarion answered, getting to his feet. His cobalt blue eyes were burning bright with recognition as he gazed deeply at the features of the marble nymph. "She brought me here."
TBC….