Are you calling me cheap?

"How may I help you, human?" he asked with honey in his voice.

"Save me." answered Irony, without taking the time to think. A voice inside her head told her she ought to be scared. But the situation was way too peculiar for Irony to be frightened. The Black knight was obviously dangerous, but as far as she knew, he might not even be real.

The knight smiled a little then cocked his head to the side. "I can." he told her. He extended his hand to her, to help her up. "If you offer me something worth the trouble." Irony had extended her hand to take his, but decided to stand on her own after hearing that.

She used the tree to pull herself to her feet. "What do you want from me?" she asked him, wiping the donkey's blood off her face. His cruel smile grew wider. He had obviously been waiting for her to ask that question.

Yet did not give her an answer right away. Instead, he circled her, looked at her up and down, took her chin between his index and his thumb to look at her from close. Then he released her, turned, walked to Legolas and put his hands on the elf's shoulders. "A life for a life." said the black knight.

Irony furrowed a brow as she analysed the situation. In front of her stood a ….'greater power" who claimed she had called upon him, who had seemingly stopped time before she was cut in half, and who was offering to save her life if she...killed the elf in exchange? And how was she supposed to accomplish that? Legolas was twice her size in both inches and muscles, a trained warrior and an elf and she was...well, human and definitively not stupid enough to engage in such a confrontation.

Unless, she could kill him while he time kept him frozen. The elf did not seem like he was conscious at the moment, he looked like a emotionless statue, so he would probably not feel a thing let alone know he was dying. It was a reasonable option. But unfortunately, it was not one she could bring herself to take for when she looked at the elf, all she wanted was to protect him the best she could.

" No. I want you to save him too." she heard herself say. She wished she eat back those words, for they revealed, to her dismay, that she valued the elf over herself. Think before you speak, you silly girl!

After that answer, the apparition examined Legolas from closer than he had examined her. He seemed to understand why she would not give him up so easily. "A life for a life." he repeated without even glancing at her. "And you have none other than his to offer me."

"I can give you orcs. All of those here." she replied immediately pointing at the ugly creatures around them. She would even kill them without weapons if he asked t of her. At this point, there was nothing she was not ready to do to get out of this mess alive, with Legolas.

"Orcs come cheap." he said looking down at Bolg without interest. He traced the monster's swords sharp edge with a gloved hand like one would caress a lover. "And what poor soul they have is already mine by rights." He looked at her again. "Only untainted souls can be given to me for I do not have the power to reach for them any more."

"Would my soul make up for his?" asked Irony. She doubted she would be able to go as far as to sacrifice herself for the prince, but she was curious to know if the option existed.

The Black Knight laughed out loud. "Would you settle for a copper if you could have a golden coin instead?" He did not wait for her to answer. "No, you wouldn't." He shook his head. "And like I said, untainted souls are those I am interested in."

Are you calling me a cheap too, ass-hole? she thought, but did not say. "If I killed the elf for you right now, what guarantee do I have that you would not...inhale me like you did the orc a minute ago." she asked him.

The knight sighed. "As you seem to have understood, your soul is tainted. And that is why I heard your call for help. Unfortunately, you are not a creature of darkness and therefore, even if I can kill you, I could not feast upon your soul for it also must be given to me." His cold eyes focused on her so intensely she felt like a target about to be shot with an arrow. "I will make you an offer you may find very generous; give me the elf, and I will save your life, get you rid of all those...mindless beasts and even grant you the strength of five men for the rest of your short life. And of course, the day you perish, your soul shall come to me."

If he asks me to kill the elf for him, it must mean that creatures of darkness cannot give him souls, or he would have Bolg do it, she supposed. If I am right, I can get use that and get a far better deal, she thought, fighting the urge to smirk.

"No."she shot back, looking dead serious.

"Then feel free to die along with your friend." he answered, his cruel smile back on. He turned and started walking away.

"You won't let me die." she shouted after him. It sounded like an order. "And you will help the elf too." she added. She seemed to have picked his curiosity; the black knight stopped and turned to her again.

"Will I ?" he asked, graciously raising a brow.

"Yes, you will." She took a deep breath, hopping her plan would work. "I'll make you a deal that will satisfy both of us." She paused. "Save the elf, save me, make me immortal and...and I will sacrifice to you my two first born." The apparition's face did not show any interest, nor anything else, as he stared at her silently. "Just born babes have untainted souls don't they?" she asked, trying to trigger a reaction.

"Tempting." He walked to her and brought his face close to hers. So close she could feel his glacial breath on her skin. Her legs shook from both the cold that emanated from him and her heart beat faster for she feared her plan would not work. It was so simple. And maybe the Black Knight could read thoughts and had read hers.

"Two lives would save yours and the elf's. But immortality will cost you more." he told her. Irony had expected something like that. No bargain was ever easy.

"How much?"

The apparition's cruel smile reappeared, crueller and colder than before. "I have seen your future through a wise stone. You are meant to have many strong, healthy children." he told her as if to congratulate her. "I shall have all of their souls. And your soul, if you were to be slain by either a hand or an illness."

Irony wondered if the object he called a 'wise stone' was the one Legolas had told her about. What had the elf said about it again? That it showed the future? It probably wasn't that, or it had lied for she was sterile and there was no cure for it. Or, maybe the knight was lying about having seen her future. He was certainly thinking himself smart for doing so, when truly, he was only tricking himself.

"All right." she agreed, pretending to be reluctant to take the deal to arise no suspicion.

Looking satisfied, the knight took off a glove, and put his cold hand on her belly. She shivered but did not wrench back from his touch. "To ensure you fulfil your part, I will curse your womb now so that every child that grows in it comes to me before even its first breath."

Irony bit her lips. The thought of dead babies growing in her belly was more than unpleasant. But it would not happen. It could not happen. Or could it? What if he hadn't lied, and she was to be with child? What she was being tricked?

"Will it hurt?"

"Terribly so." he replied smiling

The fowl smell of blood and death is what brought Irony back to consciousness. Her eyes opened, but her vision was blurry. She did not know how long she had been unconscious. In her ears rang a strident noise that covered a familiar voice. Even her own whining, she could not hear properly because of it. Her brain felt like it was melting, and the pain she felt in her womb was so intense she could not move her legs, nor even speak.

She could feel friendly hands cupping her cheeks, trying to get her to focus, but she could not. Even thinking was too hard a task right now.

"Irony are you alright? Irony? Irony can you hear me?" asked Legolas. Irony managed a weak nod. She came to understand that if her vision was so blurry, it was because her eyes were full of tears. "You are loosing a lot of blood...too much. Where is your wound?" although he spoke slowly, the elf sounded panicked. "Where is it?" he insisted. "I can't find your wound. Irony?"

She could not answer. She moved a hand shakily and touched the apex of legs, and it made her fingers feel wet. Wet with blood.

The thought that the black knight had tricked her and was currently trying to consume her soul crossed her mind.

Her vision blackened...

...All there was left was blackness, a cold ghost of a breeze and Legolas calling her name.

Then her consciousness faded.

A/N Thank you for reading the story so far!I have begun to leave informations here and there that may seem irrelevant but will be important for the grand finale! I hope the story and Irony never cease to surprise you in best of ways!

know I am always open to suggestions for the intrigue if you have any!

And my special thanks to Ainele-fin-de-siecle for the heart melting review and to NightlyRowenTree for the support!