Wow! So many speculations I received from you guys. Love them! Is it true that the nymph never come to Linden? Or has the nymph come to visit Linden the second time? Is Linden her lover? O-oh. What's going on here?

Want to find out what the heck is really going on? Read on and you will see!

For your information, this is the finale!

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"My darling Linden," she said softly in that musical voice of hers.

Linden calmly got to his feet, his eyes never wavering from her face. "Lady Qestari," he responded with a slight tilt to his head.

She smiled wider, almost laughing. "Why so formal, my valiant knight? Aren't you glad to see me?"

Linden clenched his fists as he tried to keep his desire for her under control. "Glad? Annoyed is more like it," he curtly responded. "The younger one nearly died last night."

Qestari looked at the sleeping brothers and moved forward to approach them. Linden quickly got in front of her. "Enough toying with them, my lady. Let them sleep."

She chidingly clucked her tongue at him. "Linden, Linden. You know I come to them only once."

"But you came to me more than once."

"Ah." She smiled and cupped his cheek in one palm. "But you are special to me, you know that too. You are so handsome, and you look so like him."

"I'm not my brother, my lady," he replied, stepping away from her touch. "Felagund is dead and can never be replaced."

Her face grew sad a little. "I'm completely aware of that, my darling. Still, your elder brother's blood runs in your veins. And that is enough for me to know that Felagund's soul is still alive in you."

Linden glanced at the Mirkwood princes and was relieved to note that they had not stirred in spite of the sound of her voice. "You still love him, even after all these years?" he asked quietly.

"Always," she answered. "How can you ask me that? Don't you love him still?"

"Of course, I do! He died while I was still a small child, but he was the only brother I ever had."

"And he was my only true love," she said. "And nothing can change that."

"Even after you have had your fill of innocent lads and princes in your little playground of seduction and desire? Even after you had turned them into complete besotted fools, nearly killing one of them in the process?" Linden's voice came in a harsh whisper now. Miraculously, Keldarion and Legolas went on sleeping as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

She shrugged. "I can't help what I am, Linden. I'm a nymph. I seduce. I tempt. That's what I am. That's what I do." She gazed adoringly at Legolas. "I didn't mean to harm him. It's not in my nature to give the boys pain, only pleasure. I guess I got a little careless last night. But I've been watching Thranduil's sons for so long I know that they never failed to be there for each other. I knew Keldarion would go searching for his little brother and save him, like usual."

Turning back to Linden, the nymph gave him a sweet smile. "I won't disturb your precious princes again, my valiant knight. And as they are the youngest and last Silvans in this realm, I will stop coming entirely."

She raised her hand and trailed her fingers down Linden's chest. Kissing him in the lips, she softly added, "But I will come back for you, darling Linden. And I know you want me to."

"I'm not my brother!" he hissed, catching her hand before it could roam south.

She chuckled. "No, you are not. That's why I'm beginning to fall deeply in love with you."

"You spoke of nonsense, my lady."

"Oh, was I?" She arched her eyebrow. "Tell me, Linden. Why do you remain unwed?"

Linden chose not to answer. He just stared at her with nary a word, his eyes dark and cloudy like a thunderstorm.

Smiling, the nymph finally retreated. "Very well, love. I won't press you. But remember, if you missed me, just call out my name and I will come to you."

With that, she steadily vanished into thin air. Only the cold breeze that came blowing through the opened balcony doors gave evidence that she had been there in the room.

His knees slightly shaking, Linden dropped into his chair and buried his face in his hands.

Outside, it was snowing heavily. But inside the warm dwelling, two noble princes were dreaming happy dreams, their sleep undisturbed, while a Silvan warrior kept a faithful vigil watching over them.

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"Come on, Linden! Tell us what she did to you," Legolas urged for the umpteenth time, dogging Linden's every step as they headed to the palace the next morning.

The commander gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the young prince. But Keldarion suddenly planted his feet in front of him, causing Linden to stop abruptly. "Come, Linden. Don't be shy," the elder prince said with a grin, his arms folded across his chest.

Linden rolled his eyes and muttered an oath. I should have gagged them and tied them up while they were sleeping! he thought, exasperated with the brothers' incessant questionings. Ai! They are insufferable!

The moment they had woken up, Keldarion and Legolas had been pressing Linden for answers. They were not aware of what had transpired last midnight because Linden said not a word about it. But the brothers were still very curious to know about Linden's experience with the nymph in his youth. And they wouldn't stop bugging the poor commander until he told them.

"Will you tell us if I pulled rank on you?" Keldarion asked, cocking his eyebrows. "You wouldn't say no if I commanded you to do so, would you?"

Linden glared. "I'd throw myself over the cliff first, your extreme highness," he growled.

Keldarion lost his confident stance and eyed the commander warily. Legolas nudged him. "Kel, I think he is really, really angry."

Glancing at his brother, Keldarion finally conceded. "All right, Linden. Please forgive us for being such a nuisance. We will not disturb you again." Grabbing Legolas' arm, Keldarion added, "You have a right to keep your experience to yourself. We understand."

Then the two brothers moved away, their heads bent and their steps heavy. Legolas even glanced with sorrowful eyes over his slumped shoulder at the commander.

Linden muttered another string of curses under his breath. He knew he had been duped, but he couldn't stand to see the forlorn expression on the brothers' face. That was his biggest weakness where the princes of Mirkwood were concern.

"All right! All right! I'll tell you!" Linden exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. Keldarion and Legolas' faces instantly brightened at that and they rushed back to Linden, bubbling with excitement.

"But," Linden said seriously. "Don't you ever tell this to another soul, do you hear me? No one else must know. Not even the king."

The brothers nodded enthusiastically like two little kids about to be given some candies.

Linden looked to the left and right, making sure that no one was about in the palace courtyard except for them, and began to tell his tale.

Not long after, the two princes had collapsed to the ground, laughing helplessly like crazy hyenas.

Linden rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the brothers to finish laughing their heads off. But it took a while until their laughter finally subsided. By then, Linden had already turned all kind of shades of red and purple.

"Have enough amusement, your highnesses? Want me to add more?" the commander asked sarcastically as he cast them a droll look.

"Oh…that's…that's all right, Linden," Keldarion gasped between fit of laughter as he helped his brother to his feet. "Enough already. My stomach feels like bursting!"

"I thought Keldarion's experience was funny. But yours was even funnier! Ha! Ha!" Legolas collapsed against his brother as he burst into laughter all over again. And of course, Keldarion instantly joined him.

How Linden wished he could jam his boots down their royal throats to shut them up.

"Do you know what's even funnier?" Linden voiced out with a sweet smile. "How about if I shave the both of you bald while you sleep?"

That had the immediate effect. Keldarion instantly sobered while Legolas swallowed his giggles, anxiously fingering his golden mane. Linden smiled. "Well, now that we understand one another, will you promise not to tell anyone about it?"

The brothers exchanged glances before they placed their right fist on their heart and exclaimed, "We will tell no one! Prince's honor!"

Linden couldn't help it. His mouth twitched before he also broke into laughter. "Valar! That was the most embarrassing moment in my life! I couldn't even look at that poor lad again without wishing I was dead!"

"Where is he now? Does he still work as your groom?"

The commander had the grace to look sheepish. "Not anymore. I've sent him to Valinor on the first boat I found the next day!"

"Poor chap," Keldarion said with a shake of his head. "He must have had nightmares afterwards."

"Well, who wouldn't?" Legolas said, grinning. "I know I would if I woke up from deep sleep only to find Linden riding on my back, urging and spurring me onward as if I were a wild mearas!"

Linden swung an arm around Legolas' neck and squeezed good naturedly. "I'll give you nightmares if you repeat that to anyone!"

"I promised not to, didn't I? You don't have to kill me to keep it a secret," Legolas responded with a roll of his eyes. "But please excuse me if I have to laugh again. It was very funny. You went out for a ride with Qestari, but ended up riding your own groom instead? Hah!"

"I'm still curious," Keldarion voiced out, grinning widely. "Were you not aware that you were not on an actual horse?"

Linden grimaced. "She always has this knack for covering our eyes with illusions. Most of what we saw was not real. She plays with our mind and emotion, which make her very powerful."

"And dangerous," Keldarion added, glancing at Legolas as he remembered his brother's near death.

Chuckling, Linden put a hand on Keldarion's shoulder. "Worry no more, my prince. That will be the last time either of you saw her. She only came to us only once in our lifetime."

Except for me, Linden added in his thought. After that 'horse' ride, Qestari had repeatedly come to him to take him stargazing, swimming, dancing and…well…doing other intimate activities that he would not dare mention to the Mirkwood princes. Those memories would remain his greatest secret.

They proceeded into the palace, and were greatly surprised to see King Thranduil already waiting in the dining hall, about to have his breakfast. His face broke into a smile when he saw them. "There you are!" the king exclaimed. "Where have you two been? I'm beginning to concern."

"Father!" both princes cried out in relief and rushed forward. They grabbed the startled king into their arms and hugged him tight.

"What the…!" Thranduil was perplexed, nearly choking on his pudding. "What is the matter with you two? Please, stop squeezing my ribs! Have you two gone mad?"

They let their father go and eyed him up and down. "Are you well?" Keldarion asked. "We thought you went off to Rivendell yesterday. How do you come to be here?"

"Has something happened?" Legolas intervened, his eyes widened. "Did she…did she came to you last night?"

"Of course, she didn't!" Keldarion told his brother. "Father is a Sindarin, remember?"

Legolas blinked. "Oh, right. I forgot."

"What in Arda are you talking about?" Thranduil glanced between his sons. "Who is she?"

"No one!" the princes answered simultaneously, looking so innocent that it was almost comical.

Frowning, the king turned to Linden who stood watching in amusement. "Linden, do you know what's wrong with these two?"

"I have no idea," Linden said with a shrug. "Too much playing around with the Qestari statue in the maze, I guess. Maybe she has put a curse upon their heads."

The brothers glared at the commander, daring him to say more on the subject. Linden wisely clamped his mouth shut, but it twitched dangerously with mirth.

Thranduil was puzzled by his sons' obvious discomfort. "The Qestari…?"

"Never mind him," Keldarion quickly said. "Tell me, when did you get back? I thought you have a conference to attend."

After taking a gulp of his tea, Thranduil explained, "I just returned before dawn. We have to turn back. The pass is completely blocked. It is still too early in the season but the snow was so thick that…"

The king kept talking about his cancelled trip and of the strong blizzard that hit them in the middle of the way, but the two brothers were no longer listening. They were just glad that their father had returned safe and unharmed, and that he had no idea of the strange incidents that his sons had gone through the last several days. So they joined him at the dining table and ate their second breakfast for that day as Linden took his leave, smiling secretively at them.

"So," Thranduil suddenly voiced out after a long companionable silence. "Apart of killing each other, what have the two of you been doing while I was gone yesterday?"

"We were at the maze, trying to get rid of the statue," Legolas instinctively answered without thinking.

"Legolas!" Keldarion burst out loud, glaring at his brother.

The younger prince blinked, his spoon lay suspended in mid-air. "Oops. I shouldn't have said that."

"Oh, you think?" Keldarion felt like wringing his brother's neck. This was the second time that Legolas nearly gave their secret away.

"All right! That's it!" Thranduil threw his napkin onto the table. "What are the two of you hiding from me?"

"Nothing," the brothers meekly answered, eyeing their father warily as they rose and moved away from the table.

"Excuse me, father. I think I had better go to the training field for my sword practice," said Keldarion before he fled.

"Me too!" Legolas stated and ran after his elder brother.

Thranduil was frowning, deep in thought, after his sons had left. Hmm. Something definitely wrong is actively brewing here. They won't tell me about it, but that's fine. I will find out what it is, sooner or later.

And that turned out to be much sooner than he expected.

"LEGOLAS! KELDARION!" Thranduil was heard yelling repeatedly the next day from his eldest son's chamber.

Hearing that, the two princes instantly came running from the dining hall below stairs, leaving their breakfast untouched. "Yes, father?" the brothers asked as they burst into the room. They froze to see the great astonishment on their father's reddening face.

"That," Thranduil said, pointing at something lying on Keldarion's bed. "What the blazes is that?"

"What is it, father?" Keldarion was puzzled. He stepped forward to take a good look. "What are you…?" And then he began to curse when he finally saw what had caught his father's attention.

"Why you little...!" Keldarion whirled around with murder in his eyes. To his complete disbelief, his brother had vanished. "LEGOLAS! I could kill you for this!"

Before Keldarion could go chase after his brother, Thranduil grabbed his arm and firmly held him back. "Explain," he ordered.

As he had no other choice in the matter, Keldarion weakly nodded with a defeated sigh. "Believe me, father. I didn't know he would do this," he said, plopping himself onto the bed. "When we met downstairs just now, he told me he made something 'special' for me, but I didn't know that it would be this! I mean, who would have thought that he…that I…Valar! He just painted a nude picture of me! Why, I'm gonna kill him!"

Slightly amused, Thranduil pushed Keldarion back down when the prince jumped to his feet. "Easy, Kel. Don't kill him just yet. Imagine how shock I was when I came looking for you here and found that painting instead. But it's a very good painting, by the way. Legolas is greatly talented because you looked totally…um…magnificent. Naked, but magnificent."

Not knowing whether to laugh or stick his head inside a hole, Keldarion glanced back at the painting and grimaced. He was naked, all right, and he was standing in the heart of the maze under the pale moonlight. There was no sign of the Qestari statue, though, but Legolas had put him on the marble pedestal instead. He looked like one of the warrior statues in his father's garden—sans the clothing. The expression on his face was sober enough, as if standing naked in the open was his favorite pastime.

And he made me hold a sword, for heaven's sake! What was Legolas thinking?!

"Does this have anything to do with your strange behavior the last few days?" Thranduil asked, grinning.

Knowing that he could no longer hide his secret from his father, Keldarion relented. "Very well, father. I will tell you everything. But first, promise me one thing."

"And what would that be?"

"Don't you ever hang that painting in this building."

"Oh, you mean I can hang it outside in the trees?"

"Father!"

Thranduil laughed to see the look of horror on his son's face. "I was just joking! Relax. So, what are you going to do with it?"

Keldarion picked up the painting and couldn't stop himself from blushing. "My first thought is to burn it," he said, gazing down at his own face. "But, annoying and embarrassing though it is, this is Legolas' artful creation, a gift from him to me. Even if he made this as a joke, it's still very beautiful and priceless. I will put this at the very back of my closet, so that no one can steal it and blackmail me with it!"

As Keldarion was left to explain everything to his father, Legolas meanwhile was happily munching on a piece of apple pie at the breakfast table. Linden sat opposite him, looking highly puzzled at Thranduil and Keldarion's absence. The commander was also curious to see the mischievous gleam in Legolas' eyes when the prince eyed him intently, up and down.

If Linden only knew what Legolas was plotting inside that cunning brain of his, the commander might have taken off running and screaming.

Naked Keldarion in the maze?Legolas smiled, thinking to himself. Done.

Linden on a wild ride?

The prince's grin grew wider as Linden squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.

Work in progress.

THE END.

Thank you for reading this story to the finish! I'm glad you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. I'm very grateful for your time, and thanks a million for all the reviews! They really made my day.

Like usual, here are the faithful reviewers in alphabetical order : AbbiCat14; Althelas; Aranel of Mirkwood; Artex; astalder27; Becky Greenleaf; beginning end-314; Bluewater; Brazgirl; Coolio02; Deana; Dur En Thurin Naur; Effigy; Enigma Jade; feanen; Fire Breathing Ferret; fondued jicama; Gwyn; HissoriOokami; Hp-Azn; Jamie Leigh; jubisaurus; Karina; Lady Lenna; Laire Eryn; Laswen; Legolas' Garden Light; Legolas Greenleaf; Legolas TroyGurl; Manders1953; meisalliam; Mellaithwen; MoroTheWolfGod; Namarie an Lalaith; Nathalia Porter; Nessa Thranduiliel; Nikki1; Oh nO I'm no alcoholic; othrilis; popo; Rath; Sailor Elf; szhismine; Someone Reading; Starlit Hope; Tararith Greenleaf; Tauron; tbiris; The Cheese Turkey; WitchofNZ; wolfman357; Young Storyteller

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COMING ATTRACTIONS: I know I've promised you Tremor and Towering Inferno before this, but I suddenly lost the plots in the middle of the way. Grrr! Don't worry, I'll come back with them later when things get straightened up. By the way, I have a post-LOTR in progress. For the time being, the title is 'Time Will Heal'. Oh, yeah. It sounds angsty to me. So to all angst lovers out there, stay tuned!

See you next…uh…year? Sorry. Just kidding. Next month.

Smile!