So sorry for not responding to any of the reviews today but I'm in kinda hurry. (Great and nice reviews, though. Thank you!) I'll try to respond to them on the next chappie, okay?

On to the story!

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Legolas was silent for a long moment as he tried to swallow what his brother had just told him. Then he burst out laughing. "Oh, that's right! The statue comes alive! So scary. Very funny, Kel! That's a good one! You truly got me there…"

"I'm serious!" Keldarion snarled, glowering at his brother.

Legolas instantly snapped his mouth shut, blinking in return at the obviously rankled elder prince.

Sighing heavily, Keldarion ran a hand through his hair. "It was like a dream, but now I know it was real. She came to me while I was asleep. I suddenly woke up to see her already lying beside me on my bed. She was so lovely."

Unsure on how to respond to that, Legolas kept quiet and waited for his brother to continue.

Keldarion looked even more miserable. "I don't know how it started, but then we…we were undressing each other and…Ai Elbereth! I believe we made love!"

Legolas gulped. He opened his mouth repeatedly, and finally managed to come out with a whisper, "You mean…you made love to…that statue?"

"No!" Keldarion responded, scowling. "I told you she was real! A maiden of actual flesh and blood. I could feel her touch and smell her breath. I could…" He glared when he saw his brother's skeptical expression. "Fine. I don't care if you didn't believe a word I said, but it really happened."

Legolas neared his brother and grasped his arm. "I didn't say I do not believe you," he softly said. "Tell me, what happened after that?"

Keldarion gazed forlornly into his brother's kind eyes and sighed. He leaned dejectedly against the statue and continued, "I remember her leading me by the hand to this place. She was singing and dancing and laughing, urging me to play with her. I couldn't seem to resist her charm and wiles. I followed her every whims like a puppet."

"Did she say anything else to you? Did she tell you who she really was?"

Keldarion frowned. "No, she didn't." Then, with deep fear in his eyes, he stared beseechingly at his brother. "Do you think something is wrong with me? Have I truly gone mad?"

Vehemently shaking his head, Legolas pulled Keldarion into his arms, embracing him consolingly. "No, you have not gone mad, or I would have already sensed it. Trust me, you are still sane and that something else is playing with your mind. I don't know what it is yet, but we shall find it out together."

As they pulled apart, Keldarion gave a wan smile. "Thank you. Looks like our roles have reversed somewhat."

Legolas chuckled. "You don't like it, eh?"

"Not in the least!" Keldarion responded with a laugh. "I'm used to protecting and comforting you, not the other way around. Lady Qestari or whoever the blasted maiden is must be laughing like crazy to see us like this…"

As soon as Keldarion finished the words, a strong gust of wind blew all around them, tugging hard at their hair and cloaks. As immediately as it started, the gale suddenly stopped, leaving the two brothers pale and trembling, hugging each other in fright.

"Such a foul mouth you have, Kel," Legolas dryly commented, releasing his death grip on his brother's tunic.

Keldarion weakly chuckled, his heart still racing. "All the better to kiss you with, my dear."

Finding no humor in his bother's teasing statement, Legolas quickly turned around and headed for the path that would lead the way out of the maze. Keldarion took a step to follow after him. But then he paused and gazed up at the statue.

The marble eyes seemed to be staring right into him.

"Kel!" Legolas called out from several yards away. "Come along, will you?"

Shrugging away the eerie feeling he received from that stares, Keldarion whirled around and fell into step beside his brother, feeling that the eyes were following their every move.

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Legolas shook his head as he watched his brother paced restlessly in front of the roaring hearth. "Are you sure you are not going to tell father about this?"

Keldarion stopped pacing and glared. "For the tenth time, the answer is still no."

"Fine." Legolas shrugged, dropping onto his stomach across his brother's bed, one palm placed under his chin. "But if you went naked into the garden again, just don't tell me I didn't warn you."

"That will not happen again because I'm going to stay awake the entire night!" Keldarion replied hotly. "So there is no point in telling father about my shameful conduct last night. He will go livid!"

Trying to hide his smile, Legolas gazed in fascination at the myriad of emotions on his brother's face. There was embarrassment there, as well as anger and anxiety. As the day went by and night approached, Keldarion had become even more restless, fidgeting and squirming nervously like a prisoner nearing his execution. Not surprisingly, their father had noticed this.

"Kel, are you well? You look so quiet tonight," the king had asked at dinner.

Keldarion had nodded his head in reply, mumbling that he was completely fine.

Unconvinced, Thranduil pressed again. "Are you sure?  I heard that you did not join the daily patrol like usual. Why is that?"

Seeing the way Keldarion stumbled to give the king the appropriate answer, Legolas had jumped in to aid him, "Because he and I had something else to do today."

"Oh?" Thranduil turned his attention to his youngest son. "May I know what it was?"

"No!" Keldarion said, at the same time that Legolas answered, "Yes, we…"

The two brothers blinked at each other, glanced at their father once, and dropped their gazes back onto their dinner plates, growing instantly quiet.

Thranduil frowned at the strange exchange. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," his two sons answered simultaneously, smiling superficially bright as if they were hiding something—which they were.

 The king wanted to say more, but then Keldarion suddenly leaped off his seat and announced, "Please excuse us from the table, father. Good night." With that, he grabbed a fistful of the back of his brother's shirt and yanked him out of the chair. Legolas could only smile apologetically at Thranduil and let his elder brother drag him above stairs without complain.

Slightly dumfounded, the king of Mirkwood then turned to Commander Linden, the formidable looking warrior who sat on his left hand side. "What is the matter with those two?"

 Linden had to swallow a grin before replying, "I'm afraid I have no answer to that, my lord. And, truthfully, I feared to know."

Just as Legolas feared to know what Keldarion might do at midnight—which was only an hour away. "Come on, Kel. You cannot stay awake forever," he said.

"I will if I have to," Keldarion stubbornly replied.

"But if we told father, maybe he can help…"

"I told you, he must not know!" Keldarion snapped, advancing furiously towards the bed. "I'm already humiliated enough as it is. I don't need one more person to know what I've done."

"Kel, he's our father," Legolas said quietly. "You don't have to be ashamed to tell him about your problem."

"Oh. So it's a problem now?" Keldarion glowered, his fists clasped about his waist. "Tell me, brother. Have I become demented? Do you think I've really, truly lost my mind?!"

Legolas met his brother's eyes with a sharp glare of his own. "You are not making this easy, for me and yourself."

"I don't care if it's not easy for me. But if you want to have it easy, why don't you go to your room and get some beauty sleep! I don't need you to wait on me!"

Legolas jumped off the bed and strode swiftly to the door. "Fine! I'll do just that! Give my regards to your lover!"

At that, he went out and slammed the door shut.

Groaning, Keldarion pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to bring his anger under control. He immediately regretted what had just occurred. His brother was innocent in all this, and yet he had yelled at him for no reason. He wanted to chase after Legolas, to say he was sorry and that he wanted to be waited upon while he sleep, but his pride wouldn't let him.

So he turned to check the door that led to the balcony, making sure that it was firmly locked, and continued to pace. It would be a long strenuous wait, but he would be damned if he went to sleep only to wake up naked after frolicking in the garden again.

So he waited.

An hour later, he was still wide awake, if a little tired and frustrated. Midnight had come and gone. To his surprise—and great relief—the seductive maiden didn't appear. Curious and somewhat vexed for all his unnecessary worrying, the prince threw opened the balcony door and peered outside.

The garden was empty and silent, just as he had expected. And to his absolute delight, it had begun to snow!

Gazing with a pleased smile at the lightly drizzling snow flakes, Keldarion instantly thought of his brother. Legolas had always liked snow. He might want to see this, he thought, a little guiltily. I should wake him up and show this to him, and I will apologize for being such a cranky orc earlier.

He walked out of his chamber towards his brother's. After a brief knock, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Legolas?" he quietly voiced out, expecting to see his brother deeply asleep in his bed.

But the bed was empty.

Keldarion's heart raced faster. His mind reeled. "No. Oh, no…"

Legolas was not in his room. But, there on the floor was Legolas' nightshirt, while his favorite boots stood side by side beside the bed.

And the door to the balcony was wide opened, letting the biting chill from outside to come streaming in.

Keldarion panicked. "Legolas!"

TBC….