Part 2
In the following days, the dwarf prince enslaved himself to the elvin king's will, performing the most menial of tasks and debasing himself before the king's authority. Every task, the prince performed without complaint, no matter how humiliating or backbreaking. Everything he had to give was given gladly for the sake of the one whom he loved most of all.
The hidden kingdom of the elves was beautiful to behold, but the prince saw none of it. His eyes were only for his brother. The king had hoped that, as happened with most outsiders who entered their land, the prince would fall prey to the many delights of his people…that he would taste their food, drink of their wine, and be pierced by their loveliness, and in the end forget that he had ever loved his brother. The prince was not taken in, though. He knew what he had to do, and he would not be distracted from his goal.
There was yet one final card the king had not played, though.
XxX
Fili staggered under the weight of his own exhaustion, but Kili was at his side immediately, a shoulder for him to lean on as the two brothers made their way back to Kili's quarters. The younger dwarf had to half drag his brother to his bed most nights, as he could barely stand after the tasks Thranduil set upon him. Kili imagined the king would have taken exception to the two of them sharing a bed were it not for the fact he must have been absolutely certain Fili was too exhausted to try anything with Kili.
"Just two days," Fili said softly as Kili helped him lay down on the bed. "Two more days until the moon's full again."
"And Thranduil's showing no signs of easing. How do you know, Brother? Why are you so certain they'll give up their claim on me?"
"They cannot kill you," Fili said, reaching a hand up and tangling it in Kili's hair, pulling him back down close to him, "not so long as we hold true to each other."
"That's what worries me," Kili said as he lay down beside his brother. "Thranduil hasn't tried to lie with you yet."
"Why should he?" Fili asked, turning onto his side to look at Kili. "I look only at you."
"But if he asks it of you, you will not be able to refuse him," Kili reminded him, reaching a hand forward to trail it along the line of his jaw. "And to lie with an elf…it can make you forget…"
Fili pulled his brother a little closer, pressing his lips to his in a searing kiss. "They have not made me forget. Their guile has not turned my head…and it never will. I will cleave to you…as flesh to bone."
"Aule, I pray that's true," Kili said, their kisses becoming more and more frantic as they tore at each other's clothing. "Remember. Remember! He'll want you to forget. Please!"
"Kili," the older prince soothed, even as the sparks between them ignited. He took his brother's hands and held them against his chest. "This is my heart…right here…in the space where we join. Without it, I am already dead. I will not lose this."
Weeping openly now, the stolen child gave himself over to his lover's touch. It had been long since anyone but Thranduil had taken him, but he opened up for his brother gladly. Sex had never been a particularly satisfying activity for Kili; it was just something that people did. Sometimes, it felt good, but mostly it was just a hurried tangle of limbs and sweat. It hadn't been anything truly meaningful until the night he'd taken Fili hard against a tree. The rightness of it, the absolute bliss, had sung in his very blood. The same song reverberated throughout his being tonight as Fili moved in him, whispering his name against his sweat-slicked skin as he thrust into him from behind.
At first, Kili was positioned on all fours, completely exposed to his older brother and taking everything he had to give with tiny cries of delight. However, when the younger felt himself drawing close, Fili suddenly withdrew from his body, leaving him aching and desperate. Before he could even ask why, though, his brother was lifting him, turning him in his arms so that they faced each other, knees supported by the soft give of Kili's bed.
"Want…to see your face," Fili panted as he leaned in to kiss Kili's chest, his own skin tinged red with his need.
"Hngh…yes…yes," Kili moaned as the elder pushed him back against the wooden headboard, burying himself in his body once more. Kili actually screamed as his brother's first thrust struck the exact right spot. So close…so close!
Sobbing with his own desire, Kili reached between them and furiously started to stroke himself. Fili groaned harshly at the sight.
"Oh…hah…yes…"
"Mm…Brother…make…make me come!" he cried out. It took only one more thrust to send him spilling over his hand with a cry that could only be described as rapture. Before he'd even had a chance to come down from the high, Fili's own cry sounded in his ears and he was filled with his essence. Sighing in contentment, the younger dwarf felt his body fill with warmth and tenderness, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. Had it been possible, he would have been overflowing with them, just as his body overflowed with his brother's seed.
Fili didn't even pull out of him. Mere moments after they'd both reached completion, he collapsed against Kili, quickly falling asleep in his arms. Kili chuckled quietly as he stroked his brother's mussed golden hair, content to remain exactly where he was.
"Oh, my love…you're so tired," he murmured, kissing the top of Fili's head as he felt sleep start to descend on his own mind.
Well, one way or another…it will all be over in two days.
XxX
Fili wasn't particularly surprised when he was called to the king's bedchamber the following night…the night before the sacrifice was to take place. What he found a little harder to remain unsurprised about was the fact that Kili was there, too. He was kneeling on Thranduil's bed, already stripped naked, shoulders trembling…unable to meet Fili's eyes.
"As I'm sure you already know," Thranduil began, appearing from nowhere to stand beside the bed, laying a hand on Kili's hip, "Kir holds a special place among my lovers. He's my darling little dwarfling. The only trouble is that he hasn't been any fun in bed ever since he first lay with you. At first, I thought you might have ruined him for me, but then I thought…what if Fili joins us? Perhaps that will make things exciting for him again," he suggested, his hand trailing a little further down to ghost over Kili's sex. The young dwarf only squeezed his eyes shut.
"You…you wish me to lie with you?" Fili asked, forcing himself to go on looking at the elf king, keeping his face carefully blank.
"Mm, no…not quite. I know you quite enjoyed the show…that first night you watched me take him. Perhaps it tears at your soul, but you like it. You like watching him get fucked…and whether or not he wants to admit it, he likes how hot you get seeing him like this. So I'd like you to watch. I want you to watch while I take your little brother…make him come for me. Maybe he won't do it just for me anymore, but with you watching, well…I'm pretty sure we can get our little one off between the two of us. What do you think?"
It took everything Fili had not to turn away in shame. True…it was all true…every last word. He didn't want to put Kili through this, but if he refused Thranduil now, everything they had suffered would have been for nothing. So, swallowing heavily, he faced the elf king and his brother, nodding his acceptance.
"Good boy," Thranduil said, kneeling on the bed behind Kili and slipping a hand around front to work between his legs. At first, Kili looked like he might cry, but then the elf king took the tip of one pointed ear in his mouth and began to suck. Kili's mouth fell open and he allowed his head to fall back against Thranduil's neck…but it wasn't his name he called as he began to groan.
"Fi…li…" he moaned, his eyes barely open as he gazed at his brother. Again, Fili swallowed, feeling his body begin to react to the sight of his lover.
Thranduil's hands roved over Kili's body, but his gaze was focused on Fili, leering as he watched him twist uncomfortably.
"I can see how much you enjoy this, little prince. Don't deny it. Touch yourself. Let Kir see you," he urged. Fili couldn't see what his hands were up to at that moment, but that fact alone meant it was certainly something to do with Kili's backside.
The prince growled in heated frustration, but he did as he was bid, baring himself and stroking hastily, hoping to have this hideous task over with quickly.
Easily reading his intentions, though, the elf king changed his tactics. If the sudden, harsh movements of their hips didn't indicate that Thranduil had thrust into Kili, then the way his brother screamed in pain certainly did.
"Kili!" he shouted, taking a step forward before being stopped by Thranduil's glare.
"What? A dwarf can't handle a little rough sex?"
"You're hurting him!"
"And it is my right, if I so choose. Do you defy my command, Fili?"
Shaking with rage, Fili slowly shook his head. "No."
"Good. We will continue, but I will give you one last warning. You will watch this, and you will take your pleasure of this sight. If you fail in this, or if you look away, then our agreement will be forfeit. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Fili said, taking hold of himself once again. He had lost what little arousal he'd had and he had a lot of ground to cover now.
Kili had gone limp in Thranduil's arms. He had also lost the hardness he'd had, but the moment the king touched him again, it began to return. Thranduil had never been this rough with him before; he was in intense pain…and yet the feel of the elf king's hands on his body could still arouse him. He was still held in thrall to his power. As torn as he was between pain and pleasure, he did not want his brother to suffer anymore than was necessary, so he tried to make it easier for him. Even though his face was streaked with tears, he groaned with desire. He knew well how to fake want.
"Fili…Fili…Brother," he cried out.
I feel you. I feel the heart of you. Though we cannot touch…we are still together…through all bliss and all pain.
"Touch me," the younger dwarf urged, the words only for his lover.
Fili took the message for what it was, stroking himself a little harder.
"Kili…my Kili…" he called softly, struggling with the tears in his own eyes. He mustn't shut them. He mustn't!
"I love you," Kili called to him, smiling, even though he was in pain.
"And I you," Fili panted, leaning back against the door as the muscles in his legs began to quiver, barely able to support his weight. He was close, and he could see that Kili was, too. "Love you…so much."
Even though they were separated by six feet and a hopeless task, the two brothers had never been so close…so attuned to each other. They breathed one breath and their hearts beat as one.
I am with you.
"Ah…hah…Fili!" the younger cried out, his body going rigid in the king's embrace as he came into his hand. Fili felt his toes curl in his boots as he followed him over the edge.
Unfortunately, their moment of perfect union was over almost the moment it had begun.
Still caught in the throes of his orgasm, Fili suddenly found himself seized, turned about, and slammed against the door. Before he'd even realized what was happening, his trousers were gone and he could hear Kili crying out.
"No! Don't! Please, don't! My brother, he's…my brother! You…you can't do this!"
The next thing Fili became aware of was the painful wrenching of his right arm as Thranduil twisted it up painfully behind his back. The left was pinned between his torso and the door.
"What…what's…"
"I didn't want to command this of you. It had to be taken…willingly," Thranduil hissed in his ear as he thrust into him, a hand that was still slick with Kili's seed squeezing at his sex, "and you are…quite willing."
Only then did Fili realize what was happening…and was horrified to find himself growing hard in the king's hand. He tried to struggle, but he was already caught in the unyielding press of Thranduil's power.
"You may have been able to fight me in the past, but no longer…not like this."
All at once, Fili was helpless. As he fell deep into the grip of enchantment, he could hear two very distinct sounds: the sound of Kili screaming was in his ears…but the sound of Thranduil's singing was in his head and heart. He hardly noticed as his body broke for the elf king, laying him bare to his most devastating magic.
For he comes, the mortal child,
To the waters and the wild,
With a faerie, hand in hand,
From a world more full of weeping than
He can understand.
He was caught. He had no will to resist as tendrils of dark magic pierced his soul and cocooned his heart, locking it away from the world…from everything he loved. The last thing he heard before he was completely gone was the sound of Kili crying his name.
He's…crying.
Fili's eyes were already dead before the act was even complete. Kili had tried…he had tried so hard, but he just couldn't get to his feet, too much in pain from Thranduil's brutality. He'd only managed to drag himself off the bed. Even though he knew he was too late…knew he had lost his brother forever…he continued to drag himself forward.
When the king had finished, he let the prince's body slide to the floor. Fili just lay slumped there against the door, still as death, eyes wide and unseeing.
"No! No!" Kili sobbed, dragging himself the last few inches to his fallen love. The older dwarf still drew breath, but he was gone. His spirit had been stolen.
"Hmm, I may have overdone it a little," Thranduil said as he surveyed his work. "I'd only meant to take his memory. But this suits me just as well."
"Fili! Fili!" the shattered dwarf cried as he wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in his nearly still chest. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. Are you listening?!" he cried, even though he knew his voice would never be able to reach Fili where he was now.
"It's no more than he deserves, Kir. You were foolish…to think you could ever know real love. For how can this prince love you…if he doesn't even know who you are?"
"Can you…ever bring him back…from where you've sent him?" Kili asked.
"Perhaps…not until the full moon has passed, though."
"No…of course not. I wouldn't…dream of asking such a thing. I would only…pray you give my brother his life back."
"That I can grant. He can even keep his memory of you. He did not defy me, after all."
"No," Kili said, his resolve strong, though his voice was still run through with tears. "No. I would not have him burdened by the memory of me. When you…send him back to his family…to the people who love him…give him back all of his memories…except for the ones of me. Take away the memory of my birth…of my existence. I would have Fili live in peace…after I'm gone. Only…only wait until it is done…to send him back."
"Why?"
"I don't…I don't want to be alone."
"As you wish, my Kir. Do with him what you will. He's little more than a vegetable right now," Thranduil said, dismissing them with a wave of his hand.
Still weeping softly, Kili gathered his brother in his arms and carried him back to his own room, even though every step hurt like sharp knives burying themselves in his body. Back in his bedchamber, he laid him out comfortably on the bed. Then he knelt beside him, reaching out to tangle his fingers in his golden hair for what he knew would be the last time.
"This isn't love, Fili…what I've done to you. This is torture…sickness…greed. I thought I could keep you, but…look what I've done to us. I have…twisted your love…and turned it into darkness. I am a stolen child…I'm not…not capable of real love. I can only bring you despair. So I will go away…somewhere I can never bring harm to you again. I only pray, my brother, that you live well…that you find happiness…someone who fills your soul with joy…as I never could. I don't deserve it, but…find real love…for my sake. As twisted as I am…as mangled as my heart is…I love you, Fili…but you deserve so much better. You deserve true love…so I release you…to go forth and find it."
With that, Kili bent down and pressed a chaste kiss to his brother's lips…a kiss to replace forever.
XxX
The stolen child spent his last day in a haze. He drifted from place to place, unable to bear the emptiness of his brother's gaze. The elves offered him unimaginable delights for his last day on earth, but he couldn't bring himself to care about any of them. Ever since the light had left his brother's eyes, his world had gone grey. He had seen tributes before him happy to be ascending in this way, but he just felt heavy, weighed down by sorrow…so ready for everything to just stop.
When at last the hour came, the elves bathed their tribute and dressed him all in white. The prince stood with the other elves to witness the ceremony, as cold and empty as a starless night.
XxX
The sacred grove was the one place in all of elvendom the stolen children were not permitted to see…not before it was their time, at least. To Kili, it didn't seem all that different from any other neck of the woods…or rather it didn't until the procession of elves came through the trees to the entrance of a cave. The procession had been stopped all of a minute when a spark of flame flared to life deep within the cavern. It wasn't long at all before that spark had blossomed into a raging inferno, blazing forth from the mouth of the cave. With it came a voice that was part angel…and part demon.
"Who among you do you name as tribute?" the voice called. At once, the elves parted ranks to reveal Kili, standing at the back of the somber procession.
"I see you, my child. Come. Come be with the ancestors."
Briefly, Kili felt the stir of enchantment in his blood, but it wasn't that which compelled him. It was the faint stirring of warmth in his heart…the thought that both he and his brother would soon be at peace. Before he began his last trek into night, though, he turned his gaze to his brother one last time.
Fili was standing with Thranduil, staring at nothing. He moved where he was led and looked where he was pointed, nothing more. Blinking tears from his eyes, Kili smiled at him, taking his hands in his and resting his forehead against his, breathing in the scent of him for the last time.
"Goodbye, my love. A thousand times goodbye," he whispered against his lips. Then he withdrew, taking one last look before turning to face his destiny alone. The emptiness in Fili's eyes hadn't changed.
He's…crying.
As the young tribute walked away, the prince's fingers began to twitch…as if aching to reach out…to grasp him. Something stirred within…something buried so deep it was almost gone.
You are…my love.
The rest of the world seemed to fade away around Kili as he moved through the corridor of elves. He could vaguely hear them chanting…songs of mourning and celebration…but mostly he could just feel the heat of the fire, growing stronger with every step.
Fili, meanwhile, was struggling within himself. There was something important…something he must not lose…but he couldn't…
He's going. You're losing him. Damn it, you're losing him!
Who? Who was he losing? Something…so important…Mahal, he was dying without it. But what?
No! Don't leave me! I love you! I will die without you! Don't go!
As the struggle between the spell and his heart grew to a fever pitch, the prince fell to his knees, clutching at his head.
"No…no…don't…" he groaned in pain.
Had Kili looked back even once, he would have witnessed his brother's struggle, but he did not look back. His gaze was singularly focused on the blaze that was soon to consume him. He could feel the warmth reaching out to embrace him.
Fili looked up, his eyes fixing on the retreating white figure…moving ever farther out of his reach.
Can't lose him. Can't! But…who is he?
His mind was assaulted by the feel of a kiss, pressed warm and tender against his lips. He felt…complete. Soft dark hair twined in his fingers and mischievous dark eyes gazed into his. There was pain, frustration, anger…but there was also love, light, and happiness.
I swore to you…that I wouldn't let you go…ever again…ever…again!
Suddenly a blinding smile lit his memory, filling his heart with an emotion so powerful it was too strong to ignore.
"I love you, Fili."
All at once, the spell was broken, and Fili was watching his only love about to consign himself to a wall of fire.
"KILI!" he screamed, his voice echoing out across the night.
The moment the younger dwarf heard the sound of his brother's voice, he froze where he was. Could it…be?
"Fili?" he whispered, mouth going dry. He didn't dare to let himself look.
The moment the dwarf prince was awake, he was running. None of the elves attempted to stop him, so shocked were they at the interruption. Kili was mere feet from the blaze when Fili caught him in his arms.
"Kili, stop! Don't do this!"
"Fili, you…you have to let me go."
"I'll die first!" Fili snarled.
You might want to listen to him, Thranduil's voice in his head advised.
"No," he ground out. "I will never let go of him!"
We'll see about that.
The air around them seemed to hold its breath for an infinitesimal moment…before Fili suddenly found himself clutching a warg in his arms.
In his moment of shock, the prince almost let go…almost…but he was able to remind himself it was still Kili he was holding, and kept his arms locked fast around the dangerous creature.
What followed was a trial of shapeshifting, through numerous deadly forms of all different shapes and sizes: a bear, a venomous snake, a choking tangle of vines, a poisonous spider that Fili nearly lost, thorned plants, fanged and clawed beasts…Fili held fast through it all and Kili remained as dormant as his forms would allow, vowing not to harm his brother, no matter what shape Thranduil forced him to take.
When this first round failed to dislodge the young prince, Thranduil moved on to even harder forms: ice, a tiny seed, a handful of snow that quickly melted into water, a sliver of wood, a strand of fine gold wire, an unhilted blade that cut his hands…a handful of salt. Through agony and torture, Fili remained steadfast, never relinquishing his hold.
Come on, you foolish child. Just let him go!
"NO!" Fili screamed. "I'd rather be dead!"
Then so be it!
With that, Kili became fire.
Fili screamed in agony as the flames began to burn through his skin, but he kept his hold. Kili screamed right along with him, horrified at the sight of his own flame licking away long strips of his brother's flesh.
Fili, let go! You have to! You'll die!
"Then I will…die with you," he hissed as his skin burned.
No. No, this can't happen! Kili cried out in his head. Sweet Valar, take me now, please!
At his prayer, the fire was suddenly pulled away from Fili's arms…pulled to join the roaring conflagration. For a single moment, Fili could see the image of his brother impressed upon the flames. A single fiery hand reached across the space between them as tears of ash fell from the spectre's eyes.
"I cannot…let you die."
Then there was a blinding flare of light and the raging fire winked out in no more than the blink of an eye.
When Fili was finally able to turn his eyes back to the spot where his brother had been, nothing remained…nothing except the bejeweled white shirt Kili had worn, now tattered and blackened with ash.
"NOO!" Fili screamed in anguish, crawling into the cave, unable to stand for the burns on his skin. Gathering the shirt in his arms and clutching it against his chest, the dwarf prince's screams of grief and denial soon rent the night air.
"Kili, why?! Why did you leave me?" he sobbed. "I would have held you…until the end. Why?!"
As the prince wept helplessly, he did not see the gathering of elves beyond the cave all fall to their knees in unison, nor hear the hush that fell over the grove. He knew nothing until a hand suddenly lifted his face up by the chin and he found himself staring up at an elf lady clothed all in white with long blonde hair flowing down her back like a cascade of water.
"Why do you weep, young one?" she asked him. Her face and voice were gentle, but Fili was hurt, grief-stricken, and angry, so he lashed out.
"Why? Why? I love him! I love him…with all my soul. I did…everything they asked…and they killed him…anyway. Where…where did my Kili go? Give me back my baby brother! GIVE HIM BACK!"
The elvin lady offered him a sad smile as she knelt in front of him. "It is a grievous thing…what has been done here tonight…for I believe that you truly did love him…and that he loved you in return."
"No," Fili whispered, tears still streaming down his face. "Not…'did love'…don't talk about it like that. I will always love him…until the very last breath leaves my body."
"Love…true love…one who is chosen in tribute must be able to give all of his love to the Valar. This cannot be so with a child who has known love. That is the reason why the law was laid down as it was…and the reason why, on this one night, the gates of death may be made to move in reverse."
Fili's breath caught in his throat as he looked up at her again. The elvin lady held her hands up to the moon in supplication. The pale light shone down to the mouth of the cave, the space just above the elf's arms shining just a little brighter…until it suddenly shaped itself into a dwarf and Kili was lying in her arms. He was naked as the day he was born, but so undeniably there as the elf lady laid him with his brother, his head resting in his lap. Fili held his breath as he bent down over him, pressing an ear to his lips…and nearly melting with relief when he felt the sweet ghost of breath across his skin.
"He's alive," he whispered, his tears now of relief.
"Kili," the lady called softly, brushing her fingers through his hair. "Kili, you can go home now."
Slowly, Kili's eyes opened, and he looked up at the elf who had spared his life. "But…they said I-"
"Kili," she interrupted gently, "you gave your life for your brother. Never let anyone tell you you don't love him. Go home."
Kili's expression was caught on the edge of smiling as he looked up at Fili, as if he wasn't certain he should allow himself to.
"Kili…"
"We can…go home?"
Both weeping, the brothers just hugged for several minutes, too overcome for anything else.
"Bathe in the river that divides the two realms," the elvin lady advised them. "There your wounds will be healed. Now," she continued, addressing the elves, "where is this king who would defy commandment and attempt to give us a child so loved…a child who would lay down his life for his love? Who would do this?"
Thranduil said nothing as he stood forward to face the ethereal lady. For a long time, they just stared at each other. Thranduil was the first to look away. It was plain what this otherworldly beauty asked with her eyes.
"I could not…bear the shame," he said quietly, "to be so bested by a dwarfling."
"Then you understand the consequences."
The elf king's hands dropped to his sides. "By your will, my lady Galadriel."
With this, Galadriel began to sing…a very different variation of the faerie song than had ever before been heard.
Come away, immortal child,
To the waters and the wild,
With a faerie, hand in hand,
For death knows less of weeping than
You can understand.
The flush of enchantment was apparent in Thranduil's face as he moved slowly toward Galadriel. Holding out her hands to him, she smiled at him as he came to her. Then he took her hands and they both disappeared in another blinding flash of light. When Fili and Kili could look again, they found themselves alone at the mouth of the cave. All the other elves had vanished.
"It's…over?" Fili whispered, barely comprehending.
"Yes," Kili said, reaching up to touch the hair he thought he'd never be able to touch again. "They…they do not linger where they are defeated. Fili?"
"Yes?"
"Can…can we go home now?"
"Yes," Fili said, smiling down at his brother. "Of course. Anything you want."
Both brothers were still injured and weak, Kili having just been raised from the dead and Fili still badly burned, so their going through the forest was slow, but they managed, supporting each other. Fili draped what remained of his coat around his brother's shoulders, covering him just a little. Neither really had any idea of how much time passed before they arrived at the riverbank.
Being careful of each other, they moved slowly into the cool water. Immediately, Fili began to feel it soothe his tortured flesh and Kili felt himself revitalized, more alive than he'd ever felt in all his days. Luxuriating over the experience, the two brothers made certain to douse every inch of the other's body.
At the end of their impromptu bath, they climbed up on the opposite shore, tumbling into each other's arms. Fili pinned Kili to the ground and kissed him hard…desperate.
"Mahal, Kili! I thought I'd lost you," he said, pressing kisses to every inch of his little brother's face.
"Mm…for a moment there, you did," Kili said, briefly glancing away from him. When he looked back, he seemed almost…nervous. "Would you like to know why they let me return?"
"Because…because you're loved," Fili said, slightly confused.
"Yes…but they realized this because…because when I consigned myself to the flames…I was with child."
For a moment, Fili just stared, dumbstruck. He had heard of such things…elvin men falling pregnant, but…Kili was not an elf. How could it be?
"When elves…come together…a child will only be created if there is love between two consenting partners; under any other circumstances, there would be no child…and I have lived among the elves long enough for their magic to affect me in this way."
"So…so you…" Fili struggled with the words, unable to say them out loud.
Kili nodded slowly. "I'm going to have a child…your child."
For a long while, Fili just stared down at his brother, a look of shocked amazement in his eyes…but as the silence continued to stretch, Kili started to feel afraid.
"Please…please say something, Brother. Are…are you…ashamed? Will it shame your family to have your brother bear you a child?"
Fili blinked several times in confusion. What was Kili speaking of? Only then did he realize Kili thought he was angry with him.
"Oh, no…Kili, no…it's nothing like that. It's not…I just…it wasn't what I was expecting to hear. I'm happy," he said, his face breaking into a beaming smile as he kissed his brother yet again. "I am, I was just…so amazed. I love you, Kili."
"And they…they won't mind? Our…our family?" Kili asked, his expression uncertain.
"Of course not. They'll just be so happy to have you back. We were all devastated when Thranduil took you. There are some who might care, but they don't have to know. No one else has to know. All they will know is that my brother's child follows me to the throne, as I will follow our uncle. Everything will be all right now, Kili."
"You've…no idea…how long I've waited to hear that," Kili said, snuggling even closer to his brother, relieved to at last feel safe in the arms of the one who loved him.
XxX
It was just as the prince said. The lost prince was welcomed back with open arms and tears of joy. The secret of the child to be born was kept among the members of the royal family and the child who had once been lost was kept hidden a little while longer…until after the baby's birth.
When their son was born, he was named as the prince's nephew and crowned a royal prince, attaining the title of heir apparent when his father at last ascended to the throne.
Together at last, and raising their child, the two brothers never had to trouble themselves with elves again. And of course, because you are wondering, they did indeed live happily ever after.
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