Chapter twenty-four

The doctor observed me carefully. One week after Christmas dinner, my parents had contacted the most famous psichiatrist in the region, hoping that he would help me. His room was elegantly decorated, he was young and was smiling kindly to me.

"Well, Alana.. it seems that lately you don't feel too well.. can you tell me what's going on?" He asked, his blue eyes questioning me.

"Nobody could help me before.. why do you think you can?" I asked, tired of doctors and interviews. He raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"It's a good question.. so you admit that you need help?" I shrugged.

"Obviously I need some help, yes.. the problem is.. that I have to tell you everything in order to be helped, right?" He smiled again, and looked at me.

"I see you're already an expert.. just tell me one thing.. all the times you visited other doctors..were you able to tell them what really happenned to you?" I looked up at him, it was the first time someone had asked me this. But it was true.

"I never told them what was wrong.. they just said I had a depression and that I should eat a couple of pills before going to bed" I explained, wondering how could be a stranger so interested in my personal life.. but then I remembered that my parents were paying him a high amount of money. He was the most expensive psichiatrist in the Northern corner of Spain. Spain. I couldn't tell Orlando where I lived. And it was stupid.. as if he was coming here.

"Why are you smiling so sadly?" He asked, and I felt surprised. "You were thinking about something, right?" What a doctor, he could read my mind.

"I was just thinking that it's a sad thing that you have to pay someone if you want to be listened" He left the pencil he was holidng on the table, and frowned.

"Why are you saying this? You don't have friends? Am I the only perosn who listens to you ?"

"I have three good friends, but only one of them knows the real story.. she's the only one who believes me" Silence came, while he was checking my face. He took a deep breath and stood up.

"Lets start from the beginning.. I suppose you never took the pills that the doctors gave you.." He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why?"

"Because I knew that I didn't have a real depression.. there was and there is a very big reason to feel like I feel now" Somehow I felt confident with him. Maybe it was his handsome face, maybe because he wasn't too older than me.. I didn't know why, but for the first time since I had told Pat about the story, I was ready to talk again.

"Alana.. is it so amazing, so shocking, so unbelievable that you can't tell me?" He sat down again, looking at me. "Was it because of a man?" I felt my face blushing.

"I could say it's because of a man, yes.."

"Did he hurt you?" His tone of voice changed, I wasn't sure but I thought I had seen anger in his eyes.

"No, well, at least not physically, if this is what you think.. he just.. left. He forgot about me"

"But this is a very common story, Alana.. we all experienced this sometimes.." I looked at him and smiled, shaking my head.

"If it was so simple, believe me that I wouldn't be here"

"Then.. what's wrong? Why don't you want to tell anybody? If your friend believes you, why wouldn't I believe you?" He looked worried, or this I thought.

"Well, you're not my friend, you're earning money with me" I couldn't help being sarcastic, and he sighed.

"Lets do something." He took a piece of paper from a notebook and wrote down a telephone number. "Call me today in the afternoon. I'll invite you on a coffee, as if we were two friends. Without paying, without appointment, without office. Just two friends who go out. I hope you'll tell me then what's so wrong that a young girl like you can't handle to go on living happily" I looked at him, amazed, and picked the paper with trembling fingers. He stood up and walked towards the door. "Tell your parents that everything is solved, that you don't need to come back again, or pay again" He said the last words with a special tone of voice. "From now on, you won't be a patient, you'll be my friend" I left the building shocked, unable to believe what had just happened. Never before a doctor had treated me like that. Looking at the folded paper, I opened it and read the name. Jan Romh.

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"It's over" He said, looking at her. Her blue eyes were full of tears.

"What do you mean, Orlando?" she asked, taking his hand, but he refused it, standing up.

"I can't be with you, Kate.. I just can't. Not after the accident.. I did love you before, but now I can't lie to myself or lie to you." He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

"You're breaking up with me because of a stupid dream? Are you crazy?" She walked towards him, her face red, shouting. "Those are your reasons?" Orlando thought about this, he knew she would never believe him, that it would be useless to try to convince her. He looked at her and took a deep breath.

"Of course I have real reasons, and it's not because of a dream. After the accident..." He started, but didn't know how to go on.

"Well? I'm waiting!" She said, calming down.

"I'm in love with another person.. since long time ago" he said, waiting for her reaction.

"What? But.. you have just said that you loved me.. how could you be in love since a long time ago?" He knew she was right, but how could he explain her that he had loved a girl centuries ago, and that he kept his love with him since he woke up from that kind of experience?

"Kate, I don't want to hurt you, this is why I came here and this is why I'm being sincere. I can't be with you because I love another girl. It just happened"

"It just happened? How could you allow it to happen?" She walked to the door, and opened it. "Leave, Orlando. I don't want to see you again, so please go out from my life" He walked towards the door. "You made a journey in vain. You shouldn't have come to tell me this. Go away"

"Kate.." He took her hand, but she jumped back.

"Go away!!" She pushed him and closed the door. Orlando stood outside for a while, and then went to the beach for a walk. He had done soemthing he didn't expect. He had given this step and now Kate was out of his life. He sat on the sand, looking at the sea. He remembered Troy, he remembered his last day there, with Alana. Alana.. one week had passed since they spoke, and since that day, he wasn't the same person. He didn't know what to do. He knew it was impossible..he was on the top of his career, his childhood dream had come true. And he also knew that the only way to be with Alana was to give up with everything. Would he sacrifice everything for her? His phone rang and he answered it

"Viggo! What a surprise, it's been a long time!" He smiled, standing up and removing the sands from his jeans. Walking to the parking space, he heard his friend explaining about his last projects.

"I'm giving a party next week, but not here. I have an appointment in Spain, I'll show my latest sculptures in an art gallery.. and as I know you're a sculptor as well.. what do you think about it? About Spain?" Orlando kept silence. This is what he needed. A break, a trip with his friends. "Come on, Elijah will go too!" Orlando opened the door of his car and sat inside, giving a last look to the sea.

"Ok, tell me when and how do I get there.."

"Great! We're going to the North , to an unknown lost village in the forest, although the art exhibition will take place in the capitol of the region.. first go to Madrid and once there, wait for us in the Vip room. Oh, and bring your London clothes, you can't imagine how cold is this northern part!"

"Thanks, Viggo. Really" They hang up, and Orlando drove to the airport. A new stage began.

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Three days after I decided to call the doctor.. or Jan Romh. I didn't know why, but I had a good feeling, and without thinking more about it, I picked up my phone and dialed his number.

"Hello?" He had a nice voice.

"I'm Alana.. do you remember me? You said I could call you.." I replied, shyly.

"Of course I remember you, I was waiting for your call. Can we meet today, at 7 pm? In front of my building?" I was surprised with his rushing manners.

"Ok, see you then.." Once I hang up, I started to think. Was that a date? No, not at all.. but I was suspicious about this man.. this interest he showed about my case.. everything was too mysterious to forget about it, I just had to go.

The evening was cold, I had to wear my long coat and the scarf and gloves. It was already night, and the streets were crowded. After some minutes of walking I reached his building in the centre. He was standing there, and when he saw me, he walked towards me with a smile.

"Hello, it's cold! Lets go to have a coffee" I nodded and followed him among the crowd. We arrived in a nice old coffee shop. We chose a distant corner, with a small lamp over the small table, and rounded by a red sofa. After ordering two coffees, I felt a bit more confident. He looked up at me, his blue eyes were smiling.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, and he looked surprised.

"You shouldn't start the conversation at this point.. you'll understand everything after you'll tell me the whole story"

"I don't know if this is a good idea.. I think I should leave.." I picked up my bag, but he took my hand gently.

"Please, Alana.. you have to tell me what do you remember about Troy" I stared at him in shock.

"How do you know about Troy?" He looked down, and then closed his eyes, sighing.

"I didn't want to talk about it the other day.. but I recognised you as soon as you entered my office.. and then, when you told me your problem.. I was more and more convinced that it was you.. "

"What are you talking about?" He came closer to me, with a worried expression on his face.

"I know which is your problem. I know why you can't tell it.. because nobody would believe you,right? Because you lived an experience in a distant century.."

"Pat called you,right?" I said, already shaking. He looked at me in surprise.

"Pat? No, no.. I don't know her.. I know you for another reasons.. "

"You're scaring me.." I said, wanting to leave. "Who are you?"

"I thought I was becoming crazy, Alana.. but it was real.. I also went to Troy that time, when you went there.. when Orlando Bloom went there.." Now I was speechless. "And you can't imagine the horrible feeling I have about myself, once I woke up.. I wanted to die.. I wanted to delete all the horrible memories.." He was about to cry.

"Horrible?" I managed to ask, still in shock. He looked at me and nodded.

"I'm a monster"

"What do you mean? How can you say this?" I asked, now with curiosity.When he looked up at me, his blue eyes became cold, and his words made me freeze.

"I'm the soldier who shot you"

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Disclaimer: Orlando left Kate, but it's fiction : ) And I really hope that tomorrow someone from the Court won't visit me. If Kate and Orlando broke up soon, for any reason, I want you all to know that I didn't put any spell on them.