Hello everyone,
I am so glad that most of you have gotten used to this new façade of things. It is not easy to adjust to, I am aware of that. And yet, change is always welcome.
For those who asked: The history given in the books is made up by me. Though I will take it a compliment that some thought they were actually quoted!
I know it is depressing. And full with angst. And dark. Yet, this is what I wanted – a break of the same Legolas and the same romance. A story that led into rawer feelings and harsher realizations. No pink romance here. But dark longing.
"I can not BELIEVE you!" said Anne in shock, remaining rooted at the door. Irulan just rolled her eyes and stepped around her, already having begun to loosely braid her hair for the night. "What were you thinking, Irulan?!"
"I was thinking that that arrogant creature deserved something far worse," she sighed, watching the braiding process in the mirror.
"He is our HOST, you fool!"
"Does not mean I have to sit and take all that crap!" she said with an edgy voice and reeled back on Anne. "As a matter of fact," she added then, cocking her head and narrowing her eyes, "I am surprised YOU did. I mean.....the least you could do was to support me."
"Against ELVES?" was the disbelieving reply of Anne, followed by a roll of her eyes. "In any case......they had a point, you know."
The other woman threw up her hands and turned away, continuing her task. "Does not matter, Anne," she said after a moment of tense silence. "They are EXACTLY like humans. They can't see beyond the limits in their vision. Not to mention, as RUDE as humans, too!"
"If I had to compare you guys, "Anne said then, proceeding to undress, herself, "YOU would definitely take the prize today. Lord Legolas-..."
"Would you PLEASE not call him that!"
"We both know that he is a Lord," said Anne with a blank face. At Irulan's angry expression she said "Or would you prefer 'Prince'?"
"Just call him Heath. That's his name now, remember?" was the mocking reply.
"Anyway. I still think he is gorgeous. Incredibly attractive!" mused Anne.
Irulan only moaned and proceeded to the bathroom. To her dismay, Anne followed. "He is THE elf, Irulan! A member of the-"
"I don't care!" hissed Irulan then, cutting her off. "I just want this thing to be over fast, that's all!"
They stared at each other for a moment. Finally Anne said "Wow.......you certainly REACT, my friend," with a low and surprised voice.
Irulan just clenched her jaws and went to bed, harshly pulling the covers over her. Neither spoke for the remainder of the night.
****
She did not go for breakfast the next day. And told herself stubbornly that it was not out of shame, but due of the fact that she did not like breakfast. Never had. Instead, she stole out of the house –actually "giant castle" was more the word for it, but nevertheless- and attempted a stroll. Which proved to be more difficult than thought, for the rain had turned the gardens into a heaven of mud and Irulan, never having expected so much rain and never having seen so much earth in one location, had failed to calculate the combination and therefore, not attained any suitable boots for the purpose.
She tried to walk here and there, but gave up eventually and decided to return, with a sense of defeat. On her way back she encountered guests from the night before and only nodded curtly, avoiding any further dialogue. Thankfully they were kind enough and did the same, showing not the slightest sign of remembering her behavior of the former night.
And just when she thought that things were not going as bad as she had feared they would, a voice chimed close to her and even before she lifted her head, her face fell.
"We missed you at breakfast," Elizabeth said and Irulan had to fight with all her might to keep away a moan.
"I'm sure you did," she mumbled and attempted to walk by. To her dread, the woman joined her and as if invited, began a lazy stroll alongside Irulan, who was trying very hard not to quit the fight and sink down to sit.
"I assume that it was your little.....act......from yesterday that kept you from attending?"
At that, Irulan halted and looked up with disbelief. Elizabeth stared back with a perfect smile plastered on her face. Many moments passed before she spoke: "I do not regret my actions from yesterday, Elizabeth," she said, a little out of breath from the entire struggle. "I stand to my word."
"So I see, dear colleague," she said then, her smile growing a little wider. Irulan, amazed by such boldness, blinked, and shaking her head, continued to walk with the mud making her feet incredibly heavy. Elizabeth, who had no mud on her soles (and only the Heavens know how that was possible!) joined her. "Lord Legolas," she continued and Irulan literally rolled her eyes, "was incredibly kind to overlook your rudeness. He could have replied and embarrass you in front of everyone. Oh wait!" she said then with mock realization, "you already did that yourself!" A fabulous smile lit her face them.
"Perhaps he did not, because he had enough sense to see that I was right," she spat, too occupied with her mud-battle to give her a better and heftier reply. "Unlike SOME!"
"Just because your lineage goes back to a mighty man," hissed Elizabeth then and Irulan halted once more, startled by the hate and fury she saw in those blue eyes, "does not mean that there is anything mighty about you, Irulan."
"What is it with the lot of you?!" she exclaimed then, placing her hand on her hip and shifting to take a more threatening stance. "Why on earth should I -or anyone else for that matter- be less than anyone present here?!" rang her voice in the deserted garden, as her arm waved out to include the castle. The other woman hastily looked around her, alarmed at Irulan's uncaring behavior and unconsciously stepped a little away. Then, not in the mood of proving her cowardice, simply remained standing and staring back.
"I am a human, yes!" Irulan said and to her own demise, although being aware of her unfitting tone of voice, could not bring herself to change it. "I have faults and flaws, yes. SO?! I also do happen to have other and good.....aspects….." (she failed to find a better word at the moment), "……that, for some reason, no one is interested in seeing!"
Elizabeth smirked then and said "I'm sure that you have none of tho-.."
She was mercilessly cut off by the other woman though: "I don't expect you to understand, Elizabeth, cause you happen to have the brain of a squirrel. And all squirrels shall forgive me for saying this!" Alright now this was really RUDE. She needed to stop. NOW. But to her own demise, continued: "But yes, I do have virtues, skills, good and nice aspects. As –incredible but true- do you! And anyone else on this planet! Elves are amazing creatures, yes, but no better than me. I stand to that, period!"
"ANYONE is better than you!" yelled Elizabeth then and the fact that she actually yelled alone was a mighty surprise.
They both stared at each other again in silence. Finally Irulan shook her head and clenched her jaw. "Even if, Elizabeth," she said with a low voice, "I refuse to excuse for who or what I am. And who asked for your opinion anyway?" she added then with a firmer voice. "Why waste time in a muddy garden with silly ME? Go and be with the better ones, then." Elizabeth clenched her jaws, too, and did not move. Irulan smiled an evil smile. "Or could it be that they are too good for you, too?" she said with a bemused tone. "Not feeling worthy, Elizabeth?"
The woman gulped audibly and if for nothing else, Irulan congratulated herself for making a woman like Elizabeth gulp.
Another staring duel ignited between them. Then was broken by a third voice: "Can we be of any assistance, ladies?"
And why was it that the voice had to belong to no other than Haldir? And why oh why did his companion at the moment have to be LORD Legolas himself?! Irulan barely kept herself from moaning and cursing. Here she was, literally stuck in mud, drenched in sweat, looking like a pig (especially since Mighty Aphrodite Elizabeth was there to be compared with) and most certainly heard screaming and yelling for minutes now, since elven ears happened to be so damn sensitive.
She looked away in annoyance at the penetrating gaze she was receiving from Legolas and tried to shake off some of the mud from her boots. "No, thank you," she said curtly, not looking up again.
"We should have warned you about the mud," Haldir said then gently, "You lead a city life. And it is your first time here."
Irulan smiled up at him, then, her sympathy for the elf instantly doubling. She had observed his mature and soft ways the day before, yes, but every reminder was welcome. "Actually.....it was interesting. I got never stuck in mud before. And well.....you have to do all things in life at least once, right?"
Haldir laughed a melodious laugh then, and Irulan, seldom having heard an elf laugh, was dumbstruck by it. He walked towards her and she watched with fascination how he did not sink in, even in spots where the earth seemed softer. Arriving by her side, he smiled in understanding. "Light of foot, remember?" he said slyly, winking to her.
"Oh," was her dazed reply. Haldir reached out and slowly enclosed his long fingers around her hand and for the strangest reason, that innocent action made her heart beat three times faster. She looked up to his face and felt nothing short of awe.
He offered her support to step out of the muddy spot and guided her towards firmer places. Irulan stood wiping the sole of her boots on the grass as everyone just observed her in silence and finally managing to wipe off at least a good part of it, looked up smiling to Haldir. "Thanks," she said, realizing that he had not let go of her hand.
"No matter to thank for," he said gently, smiling back himself. A short silence issued between them during which she was acutely aware of the penetrating gaze of both Legolas and Elizabeth. "You did not attend breakfast today," he said finally and Irulan blinked in surprise.
"Em......yes. I am not really a breakfast person." She swallowed softly, feeling awkward and trying very hard not to think about her hand in his.
"Perhaps some coffee or tea, then?"
Irulan laughed softly. "I am addicted to coffee. To say the least."
"Wonderful! It is one of my favorites, as well. Would you join me for a cup, then?" he said, his smile growing. And without waiting for an answer he guided her hand to his arm.
The only thing Irulan could think of at the moment was 'Finally I met an elf who acts like an elf!' Her fingers gained a stronger grasp on his arm as Haldir broke away to look back at Legolas who was still observing the couple with a blank look, his hands clasped behind his back. "I will see you later, my friend. Good day," he said and if Irulan did not know better, she would say that his voice had a certain mocking tone to it. Legolas, though, showed no reaction whatsoever and instead only fixed his eyes on Irulan who was slowly guided away from the scene, already feeling much better for leaving the perimeter of that frosty elf.
"How can you tell that he is still alive?" she whispered inaudibly when they had put a good enough distance between themselves and the other two. "He might be dead and we would never know!"
She flinched slightly with surprise at the beautiful laugh Haldir offered her the second time this day and not being able to do anything else, broke into a smile at his amusement. "Lady Irulan! You are truly an immaculate being!" he said, his eyes a sparkling river as he briefly placed his hand on hers.
She glanced back and saw that Legolas and Elizabeth were standing together, conversing. Though at Haldir's laughter the other elf had looked up to them and the blue of his eyes was visible even from this distance. For no apparent reason she felt a sense of satisfaction then and turned back to the man by her side. "Was he always like this?" she said, feeling bold at his ease of attitude.
Haldir smiled a wry smile then and looked into the distance. "No. To be honest with you, he was a very different person once." Irulan just gazed up at him, baffled by his way of speaking and his gentle voice and the way he just rolled the words on his tongue. It was.....magnetic just to hear him speak. As it was probably with all elves. "I'm afraid all of us Eldar are a little prejudiced and stiff when it comes to the unknown and new. It is a nature that comes with our age. But no matter how strong you are, you will never be strong enough to resist change. Legolas changed a lot -and may I say, for the better- after his experience with the Fellowship. We all did, of course. It was a time of changes."
Irulan gazed ahead at the little alley that preceded the castle gates, trying to imagine those days. But once more she failed to do so. It was hard to actually believe in a time when Hobbits and dwarves existed and dragons lurked in caves while orcs roamed in forests and magic was as common a thing as electricity today. "What happened?" she said then, not conscious of saying it.
Haldir shrugged deftly. "Nothing." He turned to look down at her once more. "And that is the problem, Lady Irulan," he added gently. She did not speak but only gazed up, very aware of the awe on her face at seeing an elf from such close distance, but not able to swipe if off her expression. At her silence, he continued: "Time can be bitter and torturous when one is denied the things that make its passing easier on the spirit."
"Like what?"
Haldir sighed and looked ahead again, the entrance very close now. "Like companionship. Like purpose." A moment passed before he added "Like love."
Irulan swallowed softly and kept her gaze on the ground. "We seem to lack the same things," she said softly. "We mortals, I mean."
"Yes," he said with a mild smile, "but not for centuries, Lady Irulan."
She nodded then, not knowing why she did and no clue what she was thinking. Haldir's presence seemed to be overwhelming in its softness and warmness and as much as she hated the thought, she realized that her adoration of elves had just doubled itself only because of this short and unimportant morning stroll.
"Is it possible for you to skip the 'lady' part?" she said then, her voice gaining a lighter tone.
"Ah with pleasure!" he said, smiling in amusement. "I have had enough formality in my life not to miss it again."
"You were Marchwarden in Lothlorien," she said then, her voice betraying the awe of remembering that fact all of a sudden. He smiled and did not look down at her. "In the Golden Woods! With Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn!" Again, Haldir did not answer, approaching the doors that led inside. His was not a rude silence, but a silence of modesty. "Tolkien wrote of her as this.......amazing, fabulous and glamorous being," she said, cocking her head to look up at him.
"Tolkien's words do no justice to the Lady," he said then, his smile growing broader as his eyes fixed her again.
"It is hard to imagine such a woman," was her slow reply.
"And impossible to forget," was his gentle one as he guided her through the doors of the castle.
****
"Good morning, Lord Greenleaf," came her voice and Legolas, momentarily distracted from watching the pair of Haldir and Irulan leave slowly, turned to see Elizabeth standing at a much closer distance. He smiled deftly, the blankness not leaving his face as his eyes inspected her face. Elizabeth was fairly beautiful for a mortal woman. She lacked the glow and feminine aura that elves naturally possessed, but Legolas thought that no lack to the attractiveness of humans.
"Good morning, Lady Elizabeth," he said gently and watched her swallow softly with excitement. He smiled in return, the sensation of being admired so, washing over him. He was quite used to it and found it a childish and cute thing to observe on women.
Unsure of how to continue, she looked out into the garden. "This is a wonderful place," she said then, pursing her lips. Legolas sighed softly, feeling a pang of disappointment with the all too well known and meaningless string of conversations showing up in the horizon. Not that he expected anything else, but to discover that no one around him offered an interesting or intriguing topic of argument or a beguiling character that would invoke his curiosity, was still a frustrating discovery at times. With every passing day, it seems, he was forced into more and more trivial conversations and relationship. An ocean that looked so promising, and yet was in fact so shallow and empty.
He opened his mouth then, ready to reply in a boring and yet most fitting manner to this boring and most fitting statement, when Haldir's laughter erupted in the distance and both of them looked up to the pair that was walking away. Many things happened then. For one thing, Haldir was gentle and smooth - but not an elf that could be described as merry and playful. To hear him laugh so often in one day was a matter of exception. And then Irulan turned around to glance at him and in that fraction of a moment, he felt something that he had not felt for many, many centuries.
Later that afternoon his mind went back to it, assuring him that it was a normal and understandable sensation, since he was standing there, talking about the beauty of his garden while obviously Haldir and Irulan were talking about far more interesting and entertaining matters. Too feel in envy of such a thing was but only natural. Anyone in his state would have felt the same. Legolas had nodded deftly in agreement with this, his mind clinging to this argument with passion. And yet, even while that was the case, a different part of him was also resisting in the most peculiar fashion, taunting him and saying that he should dive beneath the surface of that ocean and just discover how deep it could be at places. That voice would not stop mocking him as, hours later, the new and unexpected sensation that he had felt at that instant still refused to let go of his psyche. 'Your waters may be shallow, Prince of Mirkwood,' it said with bemusement (and how daring a thing it was for it to call him so!) 'but there are places in this ocean that go so deep, the journey there would take a lifetime alone! The water is warm there, and thick with the unknown. An abyss, a crack in the smooth, known surface of things, where mystery lurks. Where ruins of long lost civilizations sleep in their blue slumber. Where creatures of the strangest nature prowl.'
The thought sparked in his mind into a slow, kindling flame. He would never admit it to be so, but a fear was feeding that fire. Fear of the unexpected. Fear of facing -for the first time in an incredibly long line of years- something unknown. Fear......and excitement. But one must not forget that Legolas was no more the lighthearted, flexible elf that he used to be. He had grown bitter and stiff. He had grown tired and bored. A spark of that nature was nowhere enough to break or even crack his shell. But it was enough to annoy him and set his heart to dislike against the one that had caused it.
In this case, that someone was Irulan. He sighed with irritation and pushed his shoulders back, clasping his hands behind him. "She came with those damnable dreams!" he said slowly. And alas, it was true! Ever since that woman had arrived in his home, the past seemed to haunt him even more fervently. He did not like to be hunted like that. Not at all. If anything, he was built to be a hunter - not some helpless prey.
His mind busy with such issues, he finally began his stroll towards the chamber downstairs - a chamber where only the most important and most secretive of meetings were held. It was built in the basement, with no windows and in high isolation. There, some of the Circle members were awaiting him. The official meeting was still several days ahead. But the ones that had arrived early, had decided naturally to come together for a more casual discussion of the matter and a general evaluation of the issue.
As his silent steps strolled closer to location, the dreams and the woman who had dared to wake him from a seemingly endless slumber, vanished from his mind.
***
"We too have great doubts about this union," said Michael, his tone of voice softly echoing in the dimly lit room. "I assure you that it is not with our consent."
"She seems naive for a human," sounded another voice then and everyone present turned to look at an elf who was standing afoot by one of the long, rectangular lights that were evenly distributed in the room and were casting a soft, yellow light in its windowless darkness. His fingers glided along as the glow was caught in his reddish brown hair, that hung loosely down to his shoulders in soft waves.
"Yes. And that makes her....unbalanced, does it not, Master Maneth?" Elizabeth said almost with enthusiasm.
Maneth did not turn around, his elven profile with the slightly olive tinted skin and the high cheekbones a beauty to observe. Neither did he answer, but instead crossed his arms on his chest and began a lazy stroll around the massive ebony oval table that stood in the middle of the room and that took up most of it.
"Such a comparison would not be fair," Haldir said, folding his hands on the table and leaning slightly over it as he made eye contact with many sitting sporadically around it. "All humans are naive if you compare them to the Eldar. And yet, it does not mean that they are weaker of spirit."
"What about weaker of heart?" said another elf - this one with short, tousled dark brown hair that matched his slightly slanted dark brown eyes. He carried the natural elven air to him, but from an appearance and looks point of view was almost indistinguishable from a human.
"Weaker of heart?" was Haldir's confused reply.
"Yes," continued Saelban then, leaning slightly back in his chair, the yellow glow of the candles shimmering on his black shirt. "Our younger brothers are so easily tempted by worldly things."
"I doubt that Cate will have a greed for worldly things," said a woman called Irene then. When all turned to look at her, she swallowed softly and continued with as much determination as she could muster: "Not only will she have access to these things, but she has eternity to attain as much as she wants - which I doubt she will pursue, in the first place. She is not such a woman."
"I wish I could agree with you," was Michael's dry reply as he, too crossed arms, "But I agree with Saelban. Very few humans have shown resistance to the pull of riches."
"It is not the riches that worry me," Maneth cut in smoothly, his stroll around the table continuing. "Many of our former attempts showed a growing desire to reveal both themselves and us to the world, in time. Fame, it seems, is more worhty for humans than it is for us."
"If so, she could have done so earlier. She has been aware of our presence for over a decade now," said Irene.
"A decade," said Saelban, gently waving his hand in a dismissive gesture, "is not by far enough for a test, my dear Irene." Not his gesture, but his fabulous smile stunned her and she did not reply.
"Not to mention that pointing fingers is a different story, while a demonstration is a far different one," Michael intervened once more.
"They have asked for time. And we have given them time. For over a decade now -which may not be too long in our terms," was Haldir's comment, "but is a fairly long time for mortals- she has not wavered. Not shown weakness or temptation. Is her effort not worthy of praise?"
"That may be," Legolas said then, and all turned to the elf who said a little apart from everyone in his black attire, his arms crossed on his chest and his posture slightly turned away from them, "but it does not guarantee further valor."
"And yet," broke in Maneth gently, "nothing is guaranteed. Who can see the future?"
"With all due respect, Master Maneth," said Michael with the ghost of a smile, "YOU can. For with your time and experience in this world-" and his gaze wandered around the room, taking in all the Eldar present, "-it is very possible for you to see what the probable outcomes will be."
Maneth smiled and having arrived by him, placed his hand on the shoulder of the seated man. "The key word here is 'probable'. Nothing is set absolutely in life."
"Not to mention," said Michael then, with a more formal tone, "the inflicts this has on the human psyche, which, gentlemen and dear ladies, I am sure I do not need to repeat here."
A silence set in then. "If she is willing to risk her sanity and her life," said Haldir softly, "it is worth a try."
Another silence. Finally Saelban spoke again. "What say you, Lord Legolas?"
Once again all looks turned to the elf, who had not changed his stance and was not looking up to them. They remained waiting for his answer for a while. All present in the room knew that elven conversation was not to be rushed and therefore, none felt impatient. "As always," he said then, "I am in ill favor of such a thing. And I see nothing that would encourage me to change my view in the matter."
Another silence. Until Maneth's soft voice cut it: "What of Lady Irulan?" It was hard to miss the tenseness traveling around the chamber at the mention of her name. Especially amongst the humans present. The human members had always found it easy and natural to bow to elves and accept them as equals - if not superiors, but the rivalry amongst themselves prevailed, no matter what. The idea of Irulan's heritage and the natural place it gained her in the Circle (which happened to be far above theirs, by the way), made them envious and uneasy.
"She is obviously very much in favor of it," said Haldir, entwining his fingers before him and there was the hint of a smile on his face.
"She is Aragorn's heir," said Saelban matter-of-factly. "Her vote counts immensely."
"I offer to challenge that rule-"
"That rule is not for you to challenge," Haldir said coldly and Michael, who had meant to continue, closed his mouth. "Aragorn's representatives always have and always will have prominent rights in this circle."
"We have served this cause for so many years," broke in Elizabeth then, with her usual hasty ways, "and she has served none. We have passed all tests while she has shown no valor-"
"She WILL show valor when the need for it arises," cut in Haldir once more, his voice low but frosty. "They all have. As has Estel."
"Are you saying," began Michael then, playfully, "that she is above other humans?"
"I am saying no such thing," was the cool reply. "But I do not doubt that she has many virtues that are invisible to the eye, until the right time comes for their demonstration."
"Aragorn's line has always made good and right decisions," said Saelban in agreement. "Her status is not to be questioned." All elves -with the exception of Legolas- nodded to that. For them, Irulan's place in the Circle was as natural as a river flowing downhill. Even though she had refused and walked away from it, they would not refuse her if she intended to claim it this or another day.
"What IF she proves to be weak and easy to deter?" said Legolas then and the nodding stopped immediately. A silence set in as none knew the answer to such a thing. For none had ever thought of questioning her valor to begin with. As they had not done with Aragorn's former representatives. And they had always proven to be worthy of such blind trust.
"Why should we doubt his kin NOW, Legolas?" was Haldir's confused and somewhat tense reply.
Once more, Legolas did not answer immediately and instead chose to stand up and clasping his hands behind his back, face the rest of the room. He seemed majestic in his black over black outfit, the golden glow of the lamps playing on his long silver hair and on his fair skin. "I never doubted Estel. I would follow him to my own death - even today if he but showed up and asked it of me." A short silence before he continued: "But....she is not Estel." He looked each in the eye, then. "Everything in this world changed," he began and assumed a slow walk around the room as every eye rested on him, for he was a man of great importance. "It has grown weak. And shallow. Humans are diminished to what they were in the Old Days." He gazed at their faces and some looked away, knowing that they could not argue with this truth. "Why should that not hold true for bloodlines, as well?"
Silence again. To the point when almost the buzz of the dim lamps could be picked up. "The strong blood that has made heroes out of the common man is now diluted and wasted. I do not doubt Aragorn's ancestry. And I do not doubt your tests and evaluations - surely Lady Irulan carries his chemistry along with many of his virtues." He allowed a small gap before he continued: "And yet.....will it prove to suffice, as it has before?"
"Have you reasons for doubt, my friend, and not shared them with us?" Maneth said, seating himself and thereby leaving Legolas as the only standing persona in the chamber.
"Though I see Aragorn's fire in her," the blonde elf continued, his gaze narrowed now, "I also see much that does not resemble him. She is rash and impatient. Estel was calm and calculating. She is rude and ill mannered. Estel was kind and speculative."
"She listens to her heart," Haldir said then, "As did Aragorn."
The gazes of both elves locked, and in an invisible fashion, so seemed their wills. The rest watched their long, silent duel, not daring to interfere. Legolas smiled then and moved to place his hands on the black table, slightly leaning onto them and looking at the company under his brows. "It is not a matter of prejudice. Or of belittling them. I value life in every shape and form. Humans were precious to me, and always will be. I think we can not argue that for any of us - for if they were not, we could have chosen a wiser path for ourselves and left them to their fate to depart with the rest of our kind." His words were followed with a soft wave of confirming murmurs. "But what is asked of us in this case is not a wise call. I stand firm in this. No matter what our hearts say, we are forced to use other sentiments when it comes to granting immortality to mortals." He gave a pause, sensing that he had already turned the room in his favor.
"We respect your wisdom, Lord Legolas," said Saelban in an unreadable voice, "Always have and always will." He placed his hands flatly on the table, slightly tilting forward then. "But her vote means much to us. You know that."
Legolas nodded softly, as if expecting this answer. "And therefore the question - what IF she proves to be weak and deterrable, as the majority of her kind? Surely then her vote would seem dubious?"
A silence that spoke of hanging questions set in, then. "Surely it would," said Maneth slowly, trying to read the blonde elf's meaning, but failing.
Legolas turned to Saelban, then, with upraised brows. The elf nodded. "Surely so. But only then."
When he locked eyes with Haldir, who had not moved and sat still as a statue, Legolas said softly "And you, Haldir? If she were tempted by simple and fleeting sentiments, would you still trust her judgment?"
Haldir looked at him for a long time without moving. And the other elf stared back without blinking. Finally the Lothlorien elf spoke, his voice soft but determined: "If it were to come to what you said, my vote would lie with yours."
Legolas smiled with satisfaction and gazed at the other members -both elf and human- of the Circle. All nodded silently. "Then I shall prove to you all what my heart has painfully come to see. That Estel's blood has run dry and his kin has grown weak."
"How will you do that, son of Thandruil?" Maneth said with amusement, folding his arms on his chest. No one had called Legolas that for over a millennia now. But then...Maneth feared no one and nothing.
Legolas walked back to his seat, and sat down once more before he spoke: "I will seduce her," he said and a shock ran through the room like electricity.
"Seduce her?!" said Irene, unable to keep it in. (She was human, after all)
Legolas gave her an amused look and that look sufficed to cause a blush to bloom on the woman's face, who hastily gazed away. It was no miracle that the elf had an incredible effect on every woman he confronted - especially the human ones. Every woman on the Circle was infatuated with him. "Would that not prove my argument?" he said softly, his gaze wandering to Elizabeth who was looking at him agape, and upon realizing that he was looking at her, lowered her eyes and closed her mouth.
"Will you play with Lady Irulan?" Haldir said increduously.
"I will not play with her. I will test her," Legolas said to that, coldly.
"Master Legolas....that seems unfair to me," Maneth said with amusement. "For who, in her right mind, could resist you?!" He laughed melodiously to that as several of the others joined him softly.
"One who has other priorities in life would not find it hard to resist my offers," mused Legolas then, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"It is not right to hurt mortals so," growled Haldir, breaking the atmosphere at once. "Since when do we toy with their sentiments and their affections, Legolas?" he seethed.
Legolas leaned back then, taking in his friend with a lazy glance. "I shall not toy with her affections, Haldir," he said, "worry not. I shall not lie to her." He took another look, then glanced away in disinterest. "I don't need to. All I will do is to offer her the very temptations that all humans should fear. If she is strong in the face of those, she has all my respect."
"Seems like an idea of praise to me," Michael said then, grinning widely. "If Master Legolas can not stray her from her path, nothing can."
A silence followed as everyone in the room thought about Irulan, Legolas, seduction and the combination of that. "I have faith in her. She will prove you wrong, my Lord," Irene said, though her voice was not as determined as before.
"And I agree," said Haldir. "You might end up regretting this test," he added somewhat bitter.
"I, too, think that Estel's kin will be no easy challenge. Even for you, Legolas," said a smiling Saelban.
"She is a lost case for sure," was Michael's comment.
"No matter what the outcome, it will be an interesting engagement," mused Maneth.
And interesting, it would be.
**
