The next morning could not come soon enough for the elf. He spent most of the night in thought and action concerning the preparations for it. Legolas had not lied - courting was an incredible pleasure for elves and they took it rather seriously. And in all his relationships - no matter how shallow or short-lived they had been, he had always been immensely gracious, kind and overwhelming for as long as the affair continued. Which, of course, had swept the women off their feet and made the parting even more difficult on their behalf.

However, even though he denied it fervently, his efforts of pleasing this lady seemed far stronger in comparison to the former times. 'Nothing to wonder about,' Legolas told himself as he lay on his bed, watching the ceiling. 'After all, I have an important wager to consider. Yes. Certainly I can not let this decision to chance. So.....true, there is more effort, but there is reason for it.' He almost fooled himself. Almost.

Irulan, on the other hand, had a sleepless night herself. Though not due to similar sentiments. She had arrived at her room pale as a ghost and Anne, rather worried at that, had squeezed the conversation out of her. Then she had proceeded to explain to Irulan how lucky she was to have an elf -Legolas, on top of that!- asking for such a thing and that she would surely never regret it and that she would have the best time ever.

Irulan had listened in silence, mumbled half hearted agreements, then had retired for bed. Though sleep evaded her now. 'How on earth did I end up in this position?!' she thought over and over again. No doubt that it was her own fault, as the elf had pointed out. But that still did not explain HIS sudden and rather awkward interest in her. For who was Irulan, compared to the many admirers a man like Legolas had? She was neither beautiful, nor exceptionally smart. As a matter of fact, other than her lineage, Irulan had nothing special about her, at all. She tossed and turned, the lump in her throat refusing to settle and her sleep intentionally avoiding her. It felt wrong. It was not natural. Not understandable. There was no logic to it. And certainly no feelings. Try as she might, she simply failed to find a reason for such a thing and though some might say that there are rarely reasons for affairs of the heart, 1-this was not an affair of the heart, and 2-Irulan was not in the mood to accept such a romantic babble.

'I can always refuse later,' she thought then. 'I can refuse and Cate and Jonathan can be happy forever. It is a small price for such a thing. What is a day or two in that horrid elf's company?!" With such thoughts she fell asleep in the earlier hours of the day and woke up with the shadow of confusing, dark dreams on her. Instantly she remembered the former night and moaning with defeat, got up to get dressed. 'The Heavens help me this day!' she thought bitterly as she was combing her hair rather harshly, 'Who knows what that mad elf is planning!'

However, she had no intentions of making things easy on him. None whatsoever. She dressed rather casually and avoided make-up on purpose. He might have backed her into a corner, but Irulan was not about to give in so soon. She grabbed her cell phone (to call in if she should get lost out there in the forest or something) and with such -rather hollow- determination finally strode out the room and halted for a moment, not sure how to proceed. A set of intimidated glances around proved that Legolas was not there. 'Stop acting like a stupid child!' she told herself mentally, annoyed at the degree of fear she was feeling. It did nothing to lessen her sentiments. Then suddenly the idea that he might not spot or find her soon enough to engage in any activity for the whole day came to her and her heart actually grew lighter with the thought of it! It was rather stupid, since she was not going to hide some place and the elf would not find it difficult to excavate her if he intended to do so, but for the moment it cheered up her spirits and Irulan felt a little better.

She strode down the corridor and was about to march down the stairs in silence, meaning to walk out of the castle to take a morning stroll and thereby get lost in the rather large woods surrounding it, when her glee was disrupted too soon:

"Good morning, Irulan," Legolas said softly, rising from the armchair he had been sitting in and which stood at an angle that was not visible from her current location.

She froze in mid-step and only after squeezing the phone in her hand till her hand hurt and taking a set of deep breaths managed to continue her action of walking down the stairs - far slower and with an air of defeat, this time. She glanced in his direction and indeed, Legolas stood erect, looking as gorgeous as ever in his green coarse sweater that gave his blue eyes a hazel hue, and his loose hair. 'Oh dear God!' she thought in dismay, struggling to keep the expression off her face, 'he has been WAITING for me!'

And Legolas indeed had been waiting for Irulan. For hours now. And as he stood there, exchanging glances with her and reading her face -which spoke of defeat, dislike and terror all at the same time- he felt that punch of excitement in his stomach once more. Surely he was far too old to feel like this! For any woman - much less for one of this character! And yet, he was excited and there was no use denying it. Finding excuses was far more useful at this stage. 'I am an elf, after all,' he told himself silently. 'No matter what the reason, the act of courting will heighten my spirits.'

His smile brightened at the small inner relief that explanation offered as his gaze wandered over he attire, which seemed to be even more casual today than before. And though Irulan had meant that to be a discomfort to him, unknown to her, it was only yet another source of delightful surprise, since he could not recall any other of his 'date's when the woman had shown up like this.

She had not replied to his greeting. But he ignored that and began a slow walk towards her while with each of his steps her expression grew even sourer. "Have you slept well?" he said softly, remaining a short step away from her.

"Like a baby," Irulan said smoothly, pushing up her chin.

His smile deepened at that. "I hardly did," he said then, and moving in to place his hand on her lower back -and ignoring the tenseness that traveled through her with that- guided her through the room. "I felt tempted to prepare more than I had in mind."

Irulan did not answer and walked a little faster to make him remove his hand. Of course he only moved gracefully along with her and his hand remained on her lower back. "Look," she began then with a stiff tone, "I don't think I feel up to anything today." She glanced at him to see the result of that and how surprising was it that he gave no indication of hearing at all! "I think I feel a little tired." She pursed her lips and hastily added "And a little sick. Perhaps I have a cold."

"Ah.....how fitting, then that we will be in a warmer climate soon enough."

"Yes. So I think.........er…….warmer climate?"

Legolas only smiled brightly at her and continued leading her through another corridor as her ears picked up a very peculiar sound. And try as she might, she failed to place it in her mind for the next minute or so, while their stroll through the castle persisted and the sound grew louder and louder. Until they reached the exit to the large rear garden and behold, a private helicopter stood on the lawn, the engines already running! Irulan just blinked and looked agape as the wind assaulted her with the opening of the doors and Legolas pushed her gently out into the open, towards the machine.

Luckily she was too shocked at such an unexpected thing at this eerie hour and that shock prevented any drastic moves on her behalf. Only when they reached the steel bird did Irulan feel her mind beginning to function again and grabbed the frame of the door in an attempt to resist. It did her no good, for Legolas swiftly entered and while doing so, grasped her waist, effectively pulling her along with him.

Irulan felt her hands gliding off the frame that was not much to hold on to at his strong pull and to her horror, ended up sitting on his lap as he glided onto the seat, one of his hands letting go of her waist to pull the door shut. With that motion the sound decreased a good amount and she felt his hand resuming its place on her waist. Instantly Irulan jumped up and as far away from him as possible. An amused smile was on his lips when she turned around to give him a glare.

"You are free to remain if you fear flying," he said coolly and that set her off.

"Are you insane?!" she yelled over the noise. "I want out! NOW!"

"Do not worry, it is not a long flight," he said, his face as expressionless as possible. "But...I must urge you to buckle up for your own safety." Under her disbelieving look he calmly grasped her arms and pushed her to sit beside him. Another moment later he was adjusting her belt and once again Irulan tried to get up. Though Legolas was faster and pushed her down with a single hand. "Don't get up. We are about to leave ground."

"*I* am not going anywhere!" she yelled in rage.

Her words proved to be empty as she felt the chopper rise and sway exactly at that moment. Irulan, all rage suddenly forgotten in the face of the unbelievable becoming real, unconsciously grasped his forearm and shut her eyes with all her strength. Legolas finished tying his own belt, then carefully unclenched her hand and entwined his own fingers with hers, watching her as she, unconscious of that action, did not fight him or open her eyes. On the contrary, her grasp on his hand grew in an effort to find support. And why on earth did that feel so good?

He sighed and looked out the window. Already they were halfway through. Another fifteen minutes later the airport was beneath them. The chopper circled the nearby landing area a few times, then began a descend.

"We are almost there," soothed Legolas, leaning closer to be overheard.

Irulan just pursed her lips and did not open her eyes. "I will so kill you Greenleaf when this is over!" she hissed between her teeth and if Legolas was not reading her lips, he would not have understood at all. In reply his smiled grew wider.

Five minutes after that they were out of the chopper, Legolas still in grasp of her hand. Irulan, very blanched at this point and more than bewildered, just ran along with him till they left the noise and wind behind and once they were in the airport itself, Legolas slowed to a milder pace. She swallowed down the sickness that had come with the bumpy ride and only then became aware of her hand in his. Her eyes widened with shock and with one sharp pull, she snatched it away and stopped abruptly.

"You.....you......" she stammered, unable to utter anything else for a moment, "you MADMAN!" The elf only looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I am going back!" she hissed between clenched teeth. "Right this minute!"

"And how exactly are you planning to do that?" was his calm question.

And that's when Irulan finally realized that she was in the middle of a huge airport, hours of driving away from the castle, her bag left behind due to the unexpected trip. Which meant that she had no ID. No money. No credit card. She swallowed softly, the chill of the day working its way through her shirt, since she had not taken a jacket with her, either. She locked eyes with him again, now feeling more afraid than mad. And for the first time, she saw what Legolas really was. He was beyond her in everything. Always five steps ahead of her. He was smarter. Faster. Better. More experienced. More determined. More calculating. There was simply no way she could compete with a creature like this. She might as well give up now.

Legolas, having given her enough time to digest the condition she was in, slowly walked up to her, his eyes never leaving hers. After all, he did not want her to dash away again. This one had that tendency. But also, he was not evil. Or rude. Or coarse. He would not treat a woman –much less a woman he is courting- in an unbefitting manner. He placed his hand on the small of her back again before he spoke up: "No need to fear. You are safe. We are taking a little trip, that's all."

Irulan swallowed again, entwining her fingers before her and looking down. "I do not.....like being dragged.....like this," she said, her voice shaking a little. A part of her tried to summon her New York spirit. But finding herself so helpless and clueless, her courage just refused to return. Legolas' scheme had worked, by the looks of it. For the sudden 'kidnapping' had indeed put her in a stupefied state.

"Yes, of course," he said a moment later and gently pushed her along as Irulan finally began a slow walk. "It was meant to be a surprise, therefore I did not explain." True to his guess, his soft and gentle manner helped her to relax and calm down a little. Humans were so easy to read!

"Well....what is the surprise then?" she said, not sure what to think.

"Ah," he said with a beguiling smile, "if I told you, it would not be a surprise now, would it?"

She glanced up in irritation, but he did not look down at her and instead, guided her to the private jet that was awaiting them.

****

"It looks far mightier in reality," she said in awe, her eyes traveling along the Coliseum. The elf did not speak and merely watched her profile, observing her reactions. Her excitement was obvious and he smiled at her unheeded expressions. She was like an open book, waiting to be read and no care about hiding this fact. Again, this was not like the Aragorn he had known. But it was not a bad change of character. Not bad at all.

Suddenly she turned to him and locked eyes and he blinked with the surprise of that. Irulan looked at him for a long moment and he gazed back, unable to look away and distantly hoping that his astonishment was not too obvious on his visage. "Have you been here before?" she said then very slowly, cocking her head, her gaze becoming more intense.

Shaken by the sudden and strange air that had overcome him, he remained silent for a moment. "Of course," he said finally. Though he STILL could not look away.

She smiled then and another punch landed on his stomach. Before he could even get annoyed by that, she spoke again: "No," she said with a lower voice. "I meant........BEFORE."

Legolas took a deep breath and finally broke his gaze, swallowing softly. "I have," he said, his eyes wandering over the structure. He shifted slightly and stood erect; placing his hands on the railing he had been leaning on – mainly to gather his focus again.

"How was it?" she said, with a tinge of nervousness in her voice. He did not dare to turn back to her, a part of him –as ridiculous as it sounded- afraid of getting caught in her gaze again.

A bitter smile emerged on his lips, then. "Why the past?" he said finally as she did not divert her eyes from him and he did not turn away from the view. It sounded more like a question asked to himself, than to anyone else. "It is gone and dead. For all times."

A moment passed between them as a cluster of birds took wing and rushed by and above them. "Why do you say that?" she said then and try as he might, Legolas simply could not help his head from turning around and his eyes locking with hers again. "YOU are not dead," she said, her voice serious, her brows furrowed. "The past lives in you."

He stared back, something about the whole conversation and the surroundings and the atmosphere dazzling him to a strange state of mind. But he could not find what that thing was and itched with the helplessness of it. "Sometimes," he heard himself saying then, amazed that he was actually speaking, "I wish it did not."

Her eyebrows rose slowly in reply to that. "A curse you say," was the comment, her voice sounding almost inhuman and strange in its gentleness and slight tinge of surprise, "but a blessing it is."

No words could describe what Legolas felt then. If he were asked to, he could not explain it, either. It was perhaps too ethereal to be put into words. It was a break. A gap. An interlude. A pause. Though, of course he did not know it to be so, then. For after that moment, his life was divided into two eras: The time before Irulan, and the time after her. Out of nowhere, she came flying like a little, seemingly common rock, right into the calm, composed and tranquil pool that he was. So small a thing came out of the blue and behold, a chaos of ripples and waves erupted in him! Gone was the peace. Gone was the serenity. A little rock…and the end of inner peace. For all times.

"Will you tell me or not?" Irulan said then, waking him up from his daze. He swallowed and once again turned his head away.

"Tell what, Lady Irulan?" he said, perhaps a bit stiffly, his mind whirling and that damn punch landing on his stomach once more.

She caught the tenseness in his voice (not to mention his formal way of addressing her) and slightly shifted to step away from the railing, feeling uncomfortable about many things at once. First off, the fact that she was not mad at him any longer was not good. Not good at all. Second, 'What's with the friendly conversation, Irulan?!' she scolded herself, unconsciously rubbing her arms, though it was nowhere as chilly here as England. Third, he was not trustable! He was not nice! He was not a real date, damn it! "About.....about the past. This place," she said, shrugging deftly, unsure how to behave towards him.

The elf used all his willpower to gather his wits again. He was aware that the last sentence had come out a bit rough, and this was not the time to act hasty and break the spell. He smashed away the remnants of his daze, not caring for explanations and not wanting any either at this point, and produced another one of those breath-taking smiles. When he finally turned to Irulan, she was observing him with unease and suspicion, but he did not find it hard to break those sentiments now. "If that is what you wish," he said gently and watched her unease growing at his soft tone. The true hunter he was, he had learned fast enough that the way to capture a beast like Irulan was to be soft and trustworthy, instead of aggressive and frightening. He had no intentions of lying to her. Or playing with her. Or fooling her. But he did intend to tempt her, after all. And she seemed rigid and determined in the face of force, but rather bendable with a kinder approach.

"But," he added then, loftier, "I shall do so only if you agree to dine with me."

Irulan rolled her eyes then, as if expecting that sort of move. "I think we should return now," she said, trying to remind herself that she was in a different country. Suddenly something occurred to her: "Wait! How did I enter this place with no passport?"

"Ah," he said, waving his arm dismissively, "to create identification or passports is, by now, a rather easy procedure to us," he said, his self-confidence slowly returning. "You know that. Besides, the European Union has changed all that. It is rather easy to travel around here, nowadays."

He watched her as she pursed her lips, thinking about that. "Good," was her sole reply. "Let us return, then."

Legolas smiled. No matter how old or wise or well-taught, children they were, forever. "I take it that you do not want to know what kind of man Caesar was, then?" he said with an air of disinterest. She bit her lower lip, not looking up. "Or Cicero?" Irulan swallowed softly, still refusing to lock eyes, afraid that he would read her frantic excitement in them. Legolas sighed and barely keeping off a grin, crossed his arms on his chest. "How unfortunate! For if you WERE interested.....I could tell you much about other men that I met in Greece, as well. Like Socrates. Or Aristo." He waited another moment, watching her shift on her feet with suppressed discomfort. "My conversations with Alexander the Great are worthy of telling. And Cleopatra was not half as beautiful as many say she was. Though twice as cunning. Also, if I recall-"

"Alright!" she burst then, blushing with anger towards her own weakness but at this point simply unable to refuse. "Alright, damn it!" Legolas tried to look as blank as possible, though he was certain that some of his amusement emanated from him, no matter what. She gave him a furious look, then glanced down at her fingers again, entwining them nervously.

He was no man to take advantage of something like that or to slap her weakness and curiosity to her face. It was ill mannered and childish. Having gained what he wanted, he softly grasped her arm and began to lead her away, instantly erasing the atmosphere of a victory on his, or a defeat on her behalf. "I know a very fitting place," he said matter-of-factly. "And this time, Irulan, I hope that you will stay long enough to actually taste the food."

****

"Alright. Rome! Tell me about Rome!"

He smiled at the tone of enthusiasm in her voice and took a sip from his wine. "Which Rome?"

Irulan moaned, then pursed her lips, looking around her. It was not right to moan in a fancy restaurant like this one. She looked ridiculous enough in her current overly casual outfit. Not to mention that she suspected Legolas bringing her to an overly classy place like this ESPECIALLY because she had dressed so casual! Though of course he had offered to shop for clothes but she had declined. Once again she turned to lock eyes with him, his amusement rather annoying at this point. "The old Rome," she seethed.

"Which period?" he said leisurely and grinned at the flutter of fury across her face. She exhaled with defeat and turned to gaze down on her plate. And was that a soon-to-be pout on her face? 'Amazing!' thought the elf with awe. "I have been here several times," he said finally in a soothing manner. "And it was different each time, of course." Though her stance relaxed a little, she did not look up. "If it is its Golden Age you are asking about," he continued, "Rome was indeed a city worth seeing. It was.....vibrant. And brutal. It was sensual and merciless. It was all about pleasure - in any imaginable way. Most of which, I am sure, humanity would not recall fondly."

He halted, locking eyes with her as she listened with rapt attention. "Many cities can be described like that, today," she said. "Some would say New York is so, too."

Legolas nodded deftly, his gaze wandering around him, perceiving the soft light of candles, the expensive and tasteful design, the silent murmur of conversations. "New York or any major city may have some of those features......but it has nothing of the glory Rome had. Or the splendor that Thebes had. Or the majestic beauty of Istanbul." He sighed softly. "There was a spirit in those cities. One could almost call it romance. It was not harsh and mechanic like today. It was tasteful and pleasant to the eye. For in those days humans were concerned about aesthetics and beauty and art."

She nodded absent-mindedly, thinking that the coldness and rather ugly and pragmatic facade of the metropolitan cities of today could hold no comparison of the elegance of those times.

"You see," he said and slightly leaned forward, placing his arms on the table, "life was perceived different. It was not about working and shopping. It was about....living. About enjoying that time given to you. About cherishing the mere joy of it." Irulan watched him as his eyes seemed to glaze ever so slightly and he became silent for many moments. It was the way of the elves and she was aware of that, so she did not move or speak and waited patiently. "Even clothes were such a grave matter," he continued in a while, with a tinge of amusement. "And hair. And looks altogether. It mattered how you spoke. How you walked. And unlike today, it mattered a lot how well and how much you knew about the world. As a matter of fact, verbal discussions about philosophy or politics were very common and sought out, in ancient Rome. Not just beauty of the body was expected - but beauty of the heart as well. And of the mind. Beauty in every form and shape."

Legolas blinked then, amazed that he had spoken so long and given himself over to the memory of those years. He had never liked delving into the past - mainly because it brought that sting of longing with it. And yet today it seemed a rather enjoyable experience. He swallowed softly, staring back at her focused expression, a part of him still not in understanding how she could have such an effect on him.

A moment passed between them. "Yes?" Irulan said softly. "Please continue."

He did not look away, mentally in hard effort to grasp the fluctuations of his sentiments. Finally, failing once more, he plastered another smile on his face. "Surely," he said slowly, "it is not fair to take and not to give?" Irulan just blinked back in confusion. "Many decades has it been since I have recalled these memories," he added cautiously. "And though it may seem simple, it is not so easy a step to take, on my behalf." He allowed a short silence. "Would it be too much to ask you to take a step as well?"

Her eyes only betrayed her growing confusion and Legolas, his eyes never leaving hers, very slowly reached out then, gently enfolding his hand on hers, which had been playing with the stem of her wine glass. Her fidgeting stopped immediately and her hand went limp and rigid. Irulan swallowed softly, not daring to look away from him, though she wanted to do so, very much at the moment. She felt his fingers gliding into her palm and gaining a loose grasp on her hand, and it felt...downright.......WRONG. She broke the gaze, staring at the white surface of her plate instead and wondering how such a stupidly simple thing could affect her so much.

"As I have said before," she managed to choke out finally, rather shaky, "I have someone in my life."

"He is not here with you," came his calm voice. "But I am."

"Still," she swallowed softly, "I am loyal to my bonds."

He did not answer right away. But a moment later said: "No bonds of your heart are these."

Irulan pursed her lips in frustration. Good thing she had actually made up a boyfriend. If he was this daring and persistent now, who knows how he would be without it! "They are bonds of my words. I am true to them," she said finally, tugging at her hand. To her shock and surprise, Legolas did not let go and automatically her gaze glided up to lock with his.

"Such an innocent touch would not break them," he said with determination, watching with disbelief how she refused him over and over again. A thought fluttered though his mind, then: 'Could she indeed be worthy of Estel's line?' But a stubborn and sterner part of him drowned it immediately, whispering to him not to give in to idle observations so easily. "And I ask for nothing more," he added in a soothing manner.

"Lord Legolas," she sighed and he knew that she was angry at him just by the use of his title. "You may have a larger view of life. Which is very natural. But I am only human and my borders are not drawn so leisurely. What you ask for is not an act of friendship, so I must decline." With that she finally managed to pull her hand away and deftly exhaled a breath of relief at the loss of contact.

The same loss of contact stroke a flame of frustration in Legolas, who was amazed at such a discovery and once more hesitated, searching his mind as to why that was. "Friendship is not my objective, Irulan," he said, his mind finally finding no good explanation and settling down again. He swallowed, looking at her and feeling the pulsing need to reach out and touch her again. The thought alone confused and unsettled him immensely.

"It is all that you will get from me," she said, trying to sound as determined as possible.

He sighed and entwining his fingers on the table, slightly leaned forward, focusing on her. "What is it that this David has and I do not?"

She blinked in surprise, then shifted on her seat with unease. 'Fine thing indeed, Irulan! Go on elaborating.....since your lie seems to require more and more details every day,' said a rather dry voice in her head.

"That is none of your concern," was the dismissive reply and a rather anxious effort to close the subject.

Of course the elf had no intentions of letting go. "It is very much so," he said, and that cold voice was back again. Obviously Legolas did not like to be declined.

"Look," she said finally, "I don't know. I just....happen to......well....."

"Do not say you are in love with him," he cut in then. "For as I have told you before, I can see that you are not."

She glared at him, then continued playing with her wine glass. A moment later, though, afraid that he would hold her hand again, hastily took it back and folded it on her lap. "What exactly does this have to do with Rome?"

He smiled with amusement then and leaned a little back, observing her discomfort. "He has not called you today, either," he said suddenly and watched her freeze with the surprise of it. As foolish as it was, her gaze went to the phone that stood on the table and she looked up to see Legolas inspecting her with one of those penetrating gazes again. "He is busy," she added, her throat feeling dry. Damn this elf! And Rome! And David!

"Busy?" was his awe of a reply, followed by the raising of his eyebrows. "My word would be 'unworthy'," he said a moment later. Irulan clenched her jaws and did not reply. Unconsciously she began to play with her wine glass again. "And foolish," he added, and this time she flinched when his hand found hers once more. "It is a grave mistake to be so careless about a woman like you, Irulan. For sooner or later someone will see your worth and seek your company."

"Let go of my hand," she said tersely.

Legolas looked at her for a long moment. "I will do so," he said finally with a fabulous smile, "when David calls."

Her eyes widened at that as he only strengthened his grasp and pulled it a little towards himself, his face berating no discomfort at all. "W-what?!" she stammered, panic growing in her.

"You have nothing to worry," he said leisurely, and the tint of mocking was hard to miss, "since he calls you ever so often."

"A-are you........let go!" she hissed, pulling a little, to no end.

"It is only fair," he said calmly, observing her protests. "All get what they deserve. You are worthy of such treatment, as I count myself privileged to share your touch. And David," he said, leaning slightly forward again, "deserves the lack of it. For his disregard of you, to say the least." Irulan just stared at him agape, once again feeling only fear at his cunningness. She gave the phone a sidelong glance, wishing with all her might that it would ring. And then something strange occurred to her: How come Anne had not called her, although she had been missing the whole day? She had no chance to delve further into that strange little fact before he spoke up again, this time with a far merrier tone: "Now......ask away. What would you like to know about Rome?"

Irulan pursed her lips and gave him a very stern look. A string of silent moments passed as his fingers gently caressed the back of her hand, though he did not break eye-contact with her. Finally Legolas sighed softly. "I am true to my word, Irulan. If he calls, I shall let go." He waited a little, then added "But....he doesn't."

"I am not a piece of furniture," she hissed finally. "I do not have to belong to a man. You can not make such demands of me, regardless if he calls or not."

"I demand nothing," he said calmly. "I only seek to please you. And to gain your liking in return."

"This does not please me!" was her rather harsh reply. Suddenly she hesitated as his expression grew frosty with a speed that she did not expect. An aura of anger emanated from him and Irulan, against all her courage, found her heart faltering at the perception of it. She stopped tugging her hand as -no matter how ridiculous- a fear came over her. For a few hours, she had actually forgotten what this creature was and had thought of him as a mere man. But this was no man.

"Neither does it please me to be scolded like some misbehaving child," the elf said very slowly and in all their time together, she had only observed his calm and cold facade, along with his arrogance and irritating self-confidence. His anger was completely new and overly intimidating. At the face of such a thing she only managed to swallow and remain unmoving, afraid of fueling it further.

Legolas released her hand then and folded his once more on the table, looking down on his plate. A storm of frustration was roaming through him and for many millennia he had not felt so weak in the face of it. For the first time, he questioned his decision concerning this wager. For the first time, he almost thought that he should regret it. Because things were not going the way they should. Not at all!

It was not her reluctance or refusal that upset him so. No, that only intrigued him. It was his.....desperation, for the lack of a better word, in the face of such refusal! He brought up his left hand and massaged his face, trying to wipe away the overpowering sentiments that seemed to spring forth at any given chance. All this confusion......all this chaos.....for what? Because some woman denied him what he wanted? And what was it what he wanted anyway? Holding her hand?! He almost chuckled at the silliness of it, but swallowed it down mercilessly. The wish to do so was beyond funny at this point. It was more like.....insane. And irrational! And stupid! And yet....there it was....pulsing in him like a single flame.

'This is ridiculous,' he thought, but no stern determination was in that thought. 'Certainly there is another reason for my confusion!' He swallowed, his hand on his face remaining as he still did not feel like he had resumed his cool composure and control. 'Fine move, Legolas,' he scolded himself mentally. 'Your skills of courting seem to have diminished quite a bit!'

And then something utterly unexpected happened. He felt her touch on his right hand that remained on the table between them. And the touch brought a tremor of pleasure that was downright frightening in its intensity. He did not breathe or move out of sheer strain to keep the grasp on the leash of his sentiments. There was a time to accept failure and the might of your opponent. That time, though not too far now, was not here for Legolas, yet. So, no matter how aware he was of the unbelievable gush of feelings it caused in him, he carefully avoided any thought as to why that might be and stubbornly cleared his mind of any thoughts concerning the matter.

But the slight surprise was still on his face when he finally uncovered it and looked at a rather anxious and worried, somewhat embarrassed Irulan. 'A mortal woman!' he thought then, eager to find flaws in her. 'Not beautiful. Not graceful. Not well mannered.' To his demise, these thoughts echoed no dislike in him whatsoever.

"I apologize," she said gently and he could only blink in reply to that. The feeling of her hand on his was overwhelming and it took a lot of strength to divert his thoughts from it. "I was rude......to say the least." A moment passed and Irulan took his silence and blank expression as a sign of his doubt and disappointment. And why the hell was his disappointment in her so damn important? "My treatment of you was wrong. It will not happen again," she finished. 'Or so I hope. But with me...you never know,' she added mentally with a tinge of dismay. 'Some heir of Aragorn, indeed! Stupid, silly woman!'

On her behalf, Irulan's gesture was one of innocent goodwill. Not to mention, embarrassment. No matter how irritating and demanding, Legolas was doing his best to entertain her. He had been doing so the whole day. And this entire trip proved that he had made extreme preparations for this date. The least she could do was to be kind to him. She could still refuse him, but why be ill mannered and ungrateful? And……let's face it – she had been rude. Her tone and her attitude was one that was fitting for the scolding of a child – not an elf of his status and power. He had not been stressing his title with her, but that did not mean that she should treat him like a commoner or even lower than any commoner.

He exhaled a breath he did not know he was holding and the smile that followed was not fake, but very real. "No worries," he said, his heart beating with something he failed to recognize and at the moment not cared to recognize, either. His hand glided around hers to grasp it gently once more and though her gaze reflected slight unease with that motion, this time she did not pull away - probably in fear of causing some similar tenseness.

A silence set in between them as both -unknown to each other- felt very parallel feelings of confusion, surprise and unease. Thankfully the waiters arrived then, adorning their table with the ordered dishes. And finally, though another wave of resent seemed to swell with it, Legolas let go of her hand and watched her picking up her wine glass. His own gaze went to his food and with a sigh he picked up his fork, though all appetite seemed to be lost for good.

****

The rest of the meal began tense, but soon softened into comfort and as Irulan relaxed with the effect of the exquisite wine on her senses, Legolas let go of his tenseness at the sight of her ease. He discovered soon enough that Irulan was an incredibly curious woman -something that not too many were amongst mortals these days - and that for one answer that he gave, she had the ability to produce three more questions. Though Legolas did not mind. He told himself stubbornly that nothing had changed. That everything was still going as planned, and then shoved the idea aside. 'I can not allow it to distract me now,' he said to himself as an explanation for that move and delved into the pleasure of the conversation of the moment.

And a conversation it was, indeed. For in all honesty, he could not remember speaking so much since an incredibly long time! Like all elves, he was not too eager about verbal interaction. And had grown less eager in time, as boredom of the same, cliché communications had tired him. But today, he found himself in a mood that was fueled by quite extraordinary circumstances. For one thing, Irulan was aware of the existence of elves. This was an immense difference, of course. Otherwise, under normal circumstances it would not be possible to explain to any mortal encounters with Titus or Plato; or his recollections of the older version of this country. Secondly, she was more than interested and such an audience was a surprisingly delightful thing. And last but not least, HER presence was simply......a pleasure.

"Alexander the Great HIT ON YOU?!" she said, her mouth falling open.

He chuckled despite himself at her shocked expression. "He was VERY interested in me, yes," he said with a slight grin.

She just looked at him, bewildered. "You must be joking!"

Legolas chuckled again, shaking his head as his fingers glided over hers in a caress. "I really am not. Would you like to see the letter he wrote me?" Her mouth fell open again and he grinned. "I am sure that my description would not suffice to do justice to such....ardor."

"So w-what happened?!" she said with an urgent whisper, slightly jumping in her seat.

Legolas looked up at her with surprise. "Nothing, of course," he said slowly, not sure if he should take her question as a joke or as a serious comment.

"You REFUSED Alexander the Great?!" The amazement in her tone was even stronger than before.

He leaned back, his eyebrows raised in amusement while his hand did not let go of the warm contact with hers - although she seemed completely oblivious to it at the moment. "This might come as a shock to you, Irulan," he said then, "but Alexander happened to be a man."

She halted suddenly, realizing the suggestion she had made and a blush moved up her cheeks at that. The elf just observed her with increasing delight and kept silent as she swallowed hard, her free hand traveling to the napkin to play with it in discomfort. "Well....I know that......of course," she choked out with difficulty.

"Oh," was the soft, surprised reply. Legolas fought down a grin and added: "Then.....why such a question?"

She blushed a deeper red and her fingers tortured the napkin with further strength. "No...I mean........I just........"

"What exactly are you suggesting?" he said slowly, with mock shock. But since her gaze was not on him, she took his words serious enough and stopped stiffly.

"Nothing!" Irulan bit her lower lip mercilessly, frantic with embarrassment. To say such a thing to an elf! Not to mention, THE elf! They were so damn sensitive about manners and obviously she had said something very rude. "I only.....I mean I was carried away.......because you know.......I mean......"

She heard him laugh then, and did not know what she felt more surprised about - the fact that he had been playing with her, or the fact that he was actually laughing. Though certainly this should not be called a laugh - for it was far too melodious and graceful a thing for that word. Irulan watched in amazement as his soft laughter continued for several moments and something warm bloomed in her at the perception of it. Something that had not bloomed at the sight of his impressive and breath-taking beauty. And it could not be her imagination, either - for from the corner of her eye, she observed many heads turning to the sound that was perhaps the strongest proof that this creature was no human. 'Against all his coldness and bitterness, something in him is alive after all,' she thought then and the idea brought a smile up to her face.

"That was not funny," she managed to say several moments later; though with the smile on her face it was not too much of a scolding.

"I must disagree," he replied, his grin still prevailing.

Giving him a dry look she opened her mouth to answer, but was prevented by the ringing of the phone. Both elf and woman froze in surprise to the sound of that and neither moved for a moment. It rang again and Irulan blinked, then reached up and brought it closer for inspection. "Excuse me," she said then and not feeling comfortable with Legolas being in earshot, stood up to leave. She did not see the hard expression of dismay that overcame his features momentarily as he stood up during her departure while his gaze followed her towards the exit of the saloon that led to a hallway.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Hello? What is going on?! WHERE on earth are you?!"

"Calm down, Anne," she sighed, glancing back at the table where Legolas sat in a statuesque manner.

A sound of relief came. And a moment later: "Damn it, Irulan, I thought you were kidnapped or something!"

"In a way, I was," she said, combing her fingers through her hair.

"WHAT?!"

"Stop yelling, I can hear you just fine." She sighed again. "Legolas had a surprise for me. So......we kind of.......we are.........we are in Rome," she finished hastily.

The silence that followed was not good. "In Rome?" Anne said finally and the awe in her voice was hard to miss (Anne was rather good in pretense. She knew that Legolas had been planning something of that nature, but of course this information should never come out into the sunlight). Irulan bit her lip as she guessed what Anne must be thinking. And true to her guess, the next comment was dripping with sly amusement: "Oh......well.......what a drastic change, Irulan!" Irulan closed her eyes at the chuckle and felt irritation rising in her.

"What change?!" she said dryly.

"What change? Er.....the change from hate to love, of course!"

"What the hell are you saying?!" Irulan hissed, glancing back at the table and noticing that Legolas was not looking at her anymore, but seemed to be focused on his wine glass. "He dragged me here!"

"Ah of course," was the slick answer. "I am sure that you were having a horrible time before I called."

"Look......what do you want?"

"Don't be stupid," Anne said curtly. "I was worried. But........not anymore, my friend!"

"Anne...stop it!"

"Aw Irulan, come on! At least you can be brave and face it." At her lack of response, she continued: "So....it took you surprisingly little time to go from hate and dislike to such intimacy! See....all that babbling about his arrogance and his rudeness was needless, after all."

The flame of anger engulfed her so fast, that she did not even feel its coming. Probably because Anne was so damn right. A fury exploded in Irulan and must have been evident enough to be picked up by the other woman, who suddenly hesitated. "I'm not mocking you," she said hastily. "Not at all, Irulan. I am only happy that-"

"Sure you are, Anne." 'Frosty' would not suffice to describe her voice.

A momentary silence. "Irulan, come on! I was only joking."

"But you were right, my friend," she hissed, the anger grasping her heart and squeezing with merciless force.

"No! It was a stupid joke, I'm sorry."

"So am I, Anne. Sorry that I did not strangle you when I had the chance!"

"Eh.....Irulan?"

"Goodbye!"

She turned off the phone, fuming with fury. 'What the hell am I doing?!' she thought with disbelief and glanced at the table again. 'Are you STUPID, Irulan?! Are you insane?! An ELF?! Not to mention, a member of the damn CIRCLE?! Not to mention a man whose actions towards you are highly doubtful?!' she pinched the bridge of her nose, battling the sudden awakening and only succeeded many, many moments later. Though the fire died, the heat was left behind as a painful reminder.

Legolas stood up when she arrived and seated himself only after she dropped into her chair. The tenseness was incredible between them and he did not know how to ask it. For she seemed rather upset at the moment. Which, of course, was nothing compared to how upset HE was feeling.

"Ill news, Irulan?" he said finally, observing her state.

"No," she said curtly, diverting her gaze and crossing her arms on her chest. "It is late. Can we leave?"

The cool tone was very different from her voice just minutes ago. Right at that moment the phone rang again and Irulan flinched while Legolas felt himself tensing, to his own amazement. They locked eyes for a moment, then she picked it up and plugging the earphone to her ear, answered the call. "Hello?" she said with an annoyed sigh, thinking that Anne seriously needed to learn how to stop when told to.

He cast his gaze downwards to conceal his irritation. If she were not using those damn earplugs and accursed background music and murmur in this place was not so loud, he could pick out the conversation! 'Only because it would serve me as an advantage to know,' he told himself stubbornly.

"Look.....alright. No....it's okay," Irulan said, massaging her face. She was softening! Legolas felt a wave of frustration hit him out of nowhere at that.

"And how come you did not call earlier then?" was her hissed remark that spoke of open accusation. This woman was more than fit for the kill! She looked away in annoyance and met his gaze. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable of talking under such a stare and not able to leave at this point, she hastily said "Alright, yes. I understand." A moment of silence. "It's alright. Yes yes.....I love you too. Bye."

Irulan turned the phone off and placed it on the table again. She sighed loudly and managed a nervous laugh. "Sorry. Some people simply won't let go!"

Her smile froze at the elf's expression that spoke of something.......well....it was hard to say exactly what....but it was dangerous, that's for sure. He looked at her for so long, the woman shifted on her seat with discomfort, the second time feeling irrational fear towards him. "Is something the matter?" she said finally with unease.

Legolas just kept looking at her with that cold glare for another moment. "Why did you say you love him?" he said slowly between clenched teeth.

Irulan merely blinked in reply and for a moment seriously did not understand his meaning. "Him?" she said then, feeling stupefied.

"David," was the terribly terse reply. Finally understanding his question, she opened her mouth, but he cut in: "Why did you say that, when you don't?"

"Alright," she began, in an effort to set the record straight: "First of all.....I DO love David. And secondly, the call-"

"You do NOT!" he interrupted and she flinched at the tone of his voice. Certainly this could not be the same man who was laughing with delight a moment ago! A tense silence set in between them as they stared at each other stubbornly.

"I said I DO," she growled.

An expression of sudden amusement came over his features then. "You call that love, Irulan?"

Irulan tore her gaze away and grasped the napkin in an effort to ease her kindling temper. "Do not assume to know me," she continued blankly. "You know nothing about me."

"I know enough to see that you are eager to convince yourself of such a thing."

"Judge as you will, Legolas," was her cold answer. "It does not change the truth. And the truth is....my affairs are none of your business."

Legolas closed his eyes at the sudden assault of dread that landed on his stomach. He had made a terrible mistake. Wise hunter indeed! Although he knew how she hardened at the face of rough treatment, he had given in to his sentiments and acted purely……purely……He swallowed hard, not daring to finish that sentence as his fingers grasped the fork with such force that his knuckles whitened and it even bent beneath his elven strength. Though at the moment he was not aware of it.

"I wish to go," Irulan said again.

He looked up at her, his emotions whirling as he struggled for his face to remain blank. "Please let us stay a while longer," he said then, and it came with effort indeed. She looked away sharply. "I am sorry. Forgive my behavior."

Irulan pursed her lips. "No need to apologize, Legolas. It is not too different from what I have seen in other men, before."

That just hit him like a slap in the face. And true enough, he had been acting exactly like a Man! He looked at her for a moment, unable to find the words to utter, then managed to say "I deserved that. And more." She refused to look back at him, but he continued: "I am not used to spending such fabulous time in the company of a woman. I was.....angry that it was disrupted by another."

Still she did not answer and Legolas looked down to see the bent fork in his grasp. He swiftly fixed it –more or less, anyway-, then left it aside. "Irulan," he said gently and though that voice had made many hearts falter and give in, this one looked very unaffected by it, "forgive me. Even in millennia it is not possible not to falter and fail. It was a mistake I regret deeply."

He reached out and touched her hand, but she pulled it back and finally looked up to meet his eyes. "David has called," she said with a low voice. "Remember?"

The pain of that fact doubled instantly and the battle kindled anew. He was not....he would never admit that he felt.........

Legolas shook himself awake from the trance. "We can not go back," he said then, calmer, and none who saw him at the moment would have guessed the torment he was going through. "The jet will not be ready until tomorrow."

Her eyes widened with that. "What?!" A tense moment passed. "W-what.....what on earth are we...going to do till tomorrow?!"

"I reserved rooms for our stay," Legolas said a moment later, regretting the fact that he did not get the chance to break it to her in a better manner and with better timing. "I did not want you to tire too much."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, eager to calm down. "You could have asked me," she seethed, feeling like crying. She was in a foreign country, with no money, no passport (the damn elf seemed to have hers!), no way of going home and even no damn clothes! She stood up abruptly and very much like the garden scene, strode out with large steps. The elf, baffled at that, remained seated for a moment or two, then swiftly rose and paced after her. He did not wait to pay a check – the management knew him well enough and would put it on his usual credit card.

Irulan rushed out the doors and then stood there, in a crowded street, in a city unknown to her, at nighttime. 'Very nice, Irulan. What now?' Legolas appeared beside her then and she turned away from him, afraid to show the desperation in her that was seeking some sort of release.

He was silent for a moment, not sure how to react as his battle kept on raging. Then said with a cautious voice: "The hotel is not too far." She did not look up and that frustrated him. And when was the last time he had felt frustration of this sort? "Please, Irulan," he tried again, a part of him overly amazed that he was in this situation with a woman, "let us go. You look in need of rest."

A silence hung between them as the irreversible tears were too much to press down and silently glided down her cheek. She hastily wiped them away, feeling even more helpless now and more than afraid that he would see her weakness. It was an underestimation of elves, for Legolas was very well aware of her state, even though her expression was hidden from him. And finally, under the threat of such overwhelming sensations, at the risk of losing what he had gained so dearly, Legolas decided to face the truth. Both inwardly and from the outside. It was pointless to run, anyway. Such things always caught up with you, sooner or later. "I was jealous," he said with a low voice, looking at her face that remained turned away from him. "Never before have I felt it to such degree," he added with a whisper then, the shock and awe of it evident in his voice. And it was true to the last word.

Irulan stilled in surprise. Now why on earth did that confession make her feel.......so........glad? She blinked, everything else forgotten for the moment, and concentrated on that thought. Indeed, she felt glad at it! And oddly relieved. Comforted, in a way. Also......VERY tempted to forgive and give in. She swallowed at the realization of that and shivered slightly. 'Please God,' she prayed silently, 'do not make me fall for this elf! Please!'

His hand found her shoulder and she turned her profile towards him, not daring to look into his eyes. "It is alright. I am only.....a little......upset. About other things, Legolas."

Her breath caught when he placed his fingers underneath her chin and turned her face, forcing her to lock eyes with him. She stared unwillingly, awed how this could be the very same man whom she had met at the castle that day and who had been more than rude to her. A long moment passed and he did not give indication of any feeling as he gazed down at her. Nor did he seem to care about the current crowd moving around them steadily. Irulan remained silent, not sure what to do. "Do not lie for me," he said finally and dropped his hand, ceasing the touch. A part of her downright resented that. "Come," he said gently then, grasping her arm and guiding her away. He did not speak during the walk, and neither did she. It felt good to be guided. To be taken care of. To be freed of frustrating decisions. Very unlike New York. Very unlike the century. Very unlike a modern woman like Irulan. But.......good nevertheless.

***