I'm very…uh…glad to know you all freaked out after that last chapter. Love to hear the screams and shrieks and fainting and murder threats! He! He!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for the wonderful and overwhelming reviews! And I'm so sorry for not responding to any of them because they are so many! Wow! Besides, I'm supposed to submit my monthly financial report to my boss today, not logging in to the board and typing this thing. (I had to lock my door to stop him from bursting in!) But whose fault is that? Someone out there still fails to kill that boss of mine! LOL!
Now, on the story. I promise to reply your reviews in the next chapter.
####################################################################
It was already past midnight, but the tall raven-haired elf was still wide awake.
Keldarion put more twigs into the fire, stoking it to built bigger flame. Then he stepped back and cast a leisurely glance around him. The surrounding woods were blanketed in darkness, completely silent and still saved for the sound of the singing crickets and the whisper of the breeze among the trees.
Legolas chose that moment to moan.
Keldarion quickly turned and knelt beside his brother. He placed the back of his hand against Legolas' cheek, frowning when he felt the heat. Concerned yet not overly worried, he took off the cold compress off his brother's burning forehead and replaced it with a fresh damp cloth.
Feverish, Legolas was still unconscious, his eyes closed and his head moving restlessly from side to side. He had not awakened when Keldarion brought him to this secluded place under a large oak tree. After removing the hated manacles, the elder prince immediately saw to his brother's many injuries, treating them as gently and thoroughly as he could. The wound in Legolas' calf was now neatly bandaged, the arrowhead already dug out of the festering flesh. Keldarion had even dressed Legolas in loose fitting leggings and shirt, before wrapping two layers of blanket around his brother's shuddering body.
Sitting down with his back against the tree, Keldarion then pulled Legolas onto his lap, his arms wrapped protectively around his brother. His blue eyes sad, Keldarion gazed down at Legolas' face in silent.
Ai, Legolas. He sighed, tenderly stroking his brother's head. How strong you are, even after all that you have gone through.
When Keldarion first saw his brother—hanging naked from the pole in the Easterling's market place, he had been so furious he nearly killed someone. But he had reined in his wrath, sticking close to his original plan, and had smoothly gotten Legolas out of that terrible place without further mishap.
His brother might hate him afterwards for the way Keldarion had treated him so abominably, by buying him off from the Easterlings as if he were some kind of trade goods, and pushing him to walk on his bleeding feet through the village streets, completely nude. But Keldarion had no better choice. He had disguised himself as a Haradrim and he had to play well his part, even though it was the hardest thing he had ever done. Showing his pity and compassion to his brother would only attract suspicions and could blow his cover.
Keldarion had remained stoic and calm as Legolas limped ahead in front of him, heavily bleeding and badly hurt. But inside him, Keldarion's heart was breaking to pieces. The moment they were out of the village boundary, he had immediately called a halt and quickly dismounted, rushing to get to his brother to embrace him wholeheartedly after the successful ploy. But he had not expected Legolas to attack him and try to kill him!
Well, who wouldn't? Keldarion chuckled as he rubbed his still aching jaw, amazed by his brother's tenacious will and fiery spirit. His eyes filled with pride, he continued to gaze down at Legolas' slightly flushed face.
Oh, Legolas. How I miss you so! He wanted to shout, but bit his lips instead as tears welled in his eyes. He leaned down and buried his nose in Legolas' hair, inhaling his brother's wonderful scent that he had always remembered.
"Kel?"
Keldarion raised his head at Legolas' sudden whisper. He saw that his brother's eyes were now wide opened, staring back at him in great wonder.
"Kel," Legolas croaked, his hand trembling as he reached up to touch Keldarion's face. "This…this is really you?"
Nodding, Keldarion smiled through his tears. "Yes, brat. Who else do you expect? I came here to save your hide, just like old times."
Legolas softly chuckled. "Yes. Just like…old times."
But then, almost abruptly, his face crumbled as he broke into heart wrenching sobs, heavy tears falling freely onto his cheeks. "Oh, Kel…please…Valar…please hold me…Kel, please…"
"I am, Legolas. I am," Keldarion crooned, also weeping, as he embraced his brother, rocking him gently like a mother would her babe. "I'm here, brother. I'm always here."
Clutching desperately at his brother's tunic, Legolas continued to cry heavily as if his heart would break. All those years of greatly missing Keldarion—pining for his deep love and fierce protection—was clearly evident in his sorrowful weeping. His entire body shook with his sobs, his tears rolling fast down his face. Keldarion's sudden return was like a godsend to him, a miracle. He was not sure how it could be possible, and he didn't really care to know. He just knew that his soul was now complete, after it had been torn apart when Keldarion abruptly sailed to Valinor over ten years ago.
The two brothers could not speak for a long time, so overwhelmed they were by their bittersweet reunion. Only the sound of their weeping and broken sobs filled the night. Even the crickets went silent and shied away, giving Thranduil's sons some privacy to express their sorrow and grief.
"Legolas, come now." Keldarion finally pulled himself together after almost an eternity later. He grinned down at his brother, brushing away Legolas' tears. "You had better stop crying before you get dehydrated."
With a vehement shake of his head, Legolas buried his face deeper into Keldarion's chest. "No, please don't let go…Not yet…"
Keldarion chuckled as he cupped his brother's cheeks. "Relax, brat. I'm not going anywhere." Then, sighing, the elder prince wrapped his arms once more around Legolas, hugging him tight. "Lord, I've missed you so much! You and father both."
His chest still hitching from the aftermath of his weeping, Legolas blinked and reached up to touch Keldarion's face. "How…? How could this be possible? I thought you…You were supposed to be…"
"In Valinor, I know. It's a long story, brother. I will tell you all about it later," said Keldarion. He caught Legolas' wandering fingers and brought them to his lips. Then, still cradling his brother, Keldarion reached over for the flask that he had left near to the fire to keep it warm. "But right now, I want you to drink some medicated tea I've steeped for you earlier."
Legolas made a face at his brother's words. "Tea? I hate tea. Especially the one that you made. Don't you have anything else? A keg of beer, perhaps?"
Keldarion froze and blinked. Then he burst out laughing. "Cute. Very cute, little brother. Don't you remember what happened the first and only time you drink that stuff?"
Giving his brother a weak grin, Legolas chuckled. "Of course, I remember. I had the worst hangover ever! Come to think of it, I'm having it still, if the great throbbing in my head right now were any indication."
Keldarion's face darkened at that. He could clearly recall the Easterlings' cruelties towards his brother. He saw how terribly pale Legolas still was, how dreadful his injuries were. There were also glimmers of agony and shame in Legolas' eyes that he valiantly tried to hide, but Keldarion wasn't fooled.
Clenching his fist around the flask, Keldarion put it to Legolas' lips. "Drink," he curtly ordered.
Legolas raised his eyebrows at Keldarion sudden change of mood, but he didn't comment. He drank the tea, taking careful sips at first before settling into considerable gulps. Despite of what he had claimed earlier, the tea felt good to his dry throat, sweet to his tongue and quickly warming his entire system. But then, he started to grow exceptionally drowsy.
"Did you…put something…in that tea?" Legolas mumbled as his eyes started to droop, his body relaxing.
With a slight smile, Keldarion gently lowered Legolas' head onto a folded blanket. "You need to sleep. And rest. You have been badly hurt, Legolas, and now your body needs to heal. You'll be safe here. The trees will look after you until I get back."
Legolas blinked, trying hard to stay awake. "What are you saying? Where…where are you going?"
"I have to settle an unfinished business…with a pack of Easterlings." Keldarion's voice sounded harsh and bitter at those words, causing Legolas to stare.
The younger prince started to realize then that something had changed in his brother during the ten long years of their separation. Keldarion still looked the same, yet he also looked…different. His eyes still held that familiar kind gaze, but they were also closely guarded, as if he was keeping a great pain that he didn't want to share with anyone. Legolas wanted to puzzle over this further but he was fast growing increasingly groggy.
"Don't fight it, Legolas," Keldarion gently admonished, arranging the blankets more securely around his brother. "Sleep. Just go to sleep."
Keldarion bending down to kiss his forehead was the last thing Legolas remembered before he drifted out of consciousness.
He must have slept the entire night, undisturbed, because when he woke up the next day, the sun was already high on its zenith. Even under the heavy shade of the large tree, Legolas could still feel its warmth pelting at his skin. It was truly a bright beautiful day, even more so now that he was free, no longer a slave and prisoner to the Easterlings.
Legolas struggled to sit up, groaning when his injuries screamed their protest at his movements. Instantly he heard someone chuckle.
"You should take it easy, brother," Keldarion said with a smile. He was just returning from the nearby stream after filling the waterskins. "You still need a lot of healing to do."
"I'll be fine," Legolas replied, scowling slightly. He carefully moved until his back was leaning against the hard bark of the tree. A grateful sigh escaped his lips. Even such a simple feat was taxing him overmuch, causing his limbs to tremble with fatigue. Perspiration dotted on his forehead, and his face had turned another shade of pale.
"Stubborn creature," Keldarion stated with a shake of his head. He put down the waterskins and grabbed a clean towel from his pack. Dampening the cloth, he then gently ran it all over his brother's face and neck.
Legolas sighed again. "That feels good."
"You will feel a lot better if you have something in your belly." Keldarion turned to rummage in his bag of rations, and pulled out a package that he quickly unwrapped.
Legolas' eyes widened at the loaf of bread that his brother showed him. "You are right. I must eat something, that bread in particular. Oh, my! It looks delicious!"
"Wait, brother," Keldarion put up a hand when Legolas eagerly reached for the food. "No solid food until I'm sure your stomach can take it. When was the last time you ate?"
Looking slightly hurt, Legolas answered, "Two, three days ago. I remember eating a rotten cabbage the tavern owner threw at my head. Look, I'm starved enough already. Now give me that thing!"
Keldarion's heart broke when he saw helpless tears shimmering in his brother's eyes. "Legolas, you know I don't plan to keep you starved any more than you already are," he said softly. "Let me soak this bread with tea first so that it will be more soft and tender for you to take."
"Oh. Right." Legolas blinked. "Sorry for that outburst."
Keldarion smiled. "I understand. I know how it feels to starve."
Thoughtful, Legolas stared hard at his brother as the elder elf took out a bowl and began the process of saturating the bread. "What do you mean by that, Kel?" Legolas asked with a frown.
Instead of answering, Keldarion pinched a piece of the now damp bread and fed it to Legolas. "Here. Open your mouth, brat."
Legolas obeyed and took the offering, chewing and swallowing slowly even though he wanted to gobble down the entire bread in just one go, so hungry he was.
Keldarion kept feeding his brother in silence, his face impassive. He was hiding something, Legolas was sure, and it started to drive him crazy because the Keldarion he knew never kept anything from him. The brothers were so close that there had been no secrets between them. Until now.
Just as Legolas was about to express his mind on this, Keldarion put the empty bowl away and went to get something lying on the ground beside his pack. "I got these back for you," he said when he returned to Legolas' side.
Legolas' mouth dropped open to see the long bow that Keldarion placed on his lap. "My bow! The one I received from Lady Galadriel! You found it!"
Keldarion smiled to see his brother's face lit up with joy. As the elder prince watched, Legolas ran his fingers up and down his favorite weapon. "How? I mean…" Gulping uneasily, he stared directly at Keldarion. "You went back to the village last night, didn't you?"
Keldarion shrugged. "I told you I had an unfinished business to settle with the Easterlings. Only that they never knew that I was there. And now, Gervas doesn't walk with a limp anymore. In fact, he will never walk again. I've cut some of the arteries at the back of his knees. He will be lucky if he died in another couple of days."
Legolas could only blink, so stunned he was to hear the icy coldness in Keldarion's voice. No compassion or remorse whatsoever appeared on his face when he said those words.
"The rest of the men who had tortured you were not so lucky, though. I cut their throats while they slept, yet I let them live enough so they could still hear themselves choking in their own blood before they died."
"And…and Budal?" Legolas asked, bracing himself for the answer.
"The last time I checked, he was still hanging from the pole where they hang you yesterday—by his neck."
Silence reigned.
Legolas blinked again, dumbfounded. This was no longer the gentle Keldarion that he knew. This was the new Keldarion who was filled with deep bitterness and scorn. Something did happen to him, he thought, staring at Keldarion's handsome yet grim face.
"Kel…" Legolas started, but Keldarion cut him, "I also found this."
Legolas' eyes widened when Keldarion gave him two identical looking ivory-handled daggers. "It's the twin blades!" he exclaimed.
Keldarion chuckled. "Yes, I can see they are."
"But…" Legolas pushed the blades back at Keldarion. "But they were yours to begin with. You gave these to me before you left for Valinor."
At that, Keldarion grew quiet for a long moment. Then he replaced the blades on Legolas' lap, folding his brother's hands over the beautiful weapons. "Yes, I gave these to you. So keep them. They are still yours."
Legolas shook his head. "Kel…"
Keldarion reached up and placed the tips of his fingers on his brother's lips. "There's something you need to know, Legolas. Something very important."
Legolas took Keldarion's hand off his lips, holding it tight like a lifeline. Somehow, the tone of Keldarion's voice didn't bode well in him. "What is it?"
Keldarion took a deep breath, and then looked straight into his brother's trustful eyes before he responded, "I never sailed to Valinor."
TBC…