"I think it would be better if we just took the subway. Depending on where you want to go."

"You know your way around?"

Know your way around was a bit of a mouthful. "I once spent a week on vacation in Hamburg."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more. Shortly after, we entered the city. As soon as a side street opened up, I turned off and parked the van in a suitable spot. I had weighed the risks against each other and had come to the conclusion that we could be discovered more quickly in public transport. But in a big city like Hamburg we could also disappear more quickly. It would be much easier to vanish in the crowds of the subway and suburban train stations, even if there were cameras hanging everywhere.

I left the key in the car and closed the door of the van. Legolas did the same.

I looked around and then took off in one direction at random. A few meters away, I spotted a park bench. Perfect.

I headed for it and as soon as I reached it, I sat down and crossed my arms in front of my chest. Then I looked at the elf. "We can't be overheard anymore. Either you tell me now why you are here, or we part ways."

I didn't really intend to just leave him, but I didn't have any other leverage. I just hoped he didn't call my bluff.

Legolas nodded and took a seat next to me. "All right."

He was staring at a plastic bag being blown across the road by the wind, his hands resting loosely on his thighs. He looked as if he were considering which of the many truths he could safely tell me without revealing his true motives.

"So?"

He startled, and for the first time I saw uncertainty in his eyes. "I need to see an old friend."

That wasn't just tenuous, that was ridiculous. "So you've come all the way from a non-existent world just for a little chat? I thought you'd be a better liar."

"It's true."

I closed my eyes for a brief moment and then stood up with a jolt. "Listen, I've never been patient, I have a headache and I'm terribly tired. Unless there's a really good reason, I'm going to leave now."

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"He has something I need, and so do you."

"Legolas, stop speaking in riddles."

He stood up as well. "You said earlier that you would like to hear from me about the past if I were not from Middle-Earth. What if Middle Earth is your past?"
I crossed my arms in front of my chest and took a step back. He was scaring me. Again. "That's crazy."

"Crazier than the fact that I'm standing here in front of you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

I took another step back. "I'm studying archaeology. I know what the past looked like. And elves, dwarves, wizards and orcs certainly didn't exist."

"So you were there?"

"Of course not."

"Then how do you know for sure?"

I stared at him. For the first time, I doubted not only his motives, but also his state of mind. I had spent years in my studies learning all kinds of things about the past, I was about to write my thesis, and all that knowledge was supposed to be wrong? From one second to the next? What would that mean? For me? For the world?

I was able to believe a lot of things he had said, I had believed a lot of things he had said, but not this. It was like a barrier, huge and impassable.

"No," I whispered, turning and running away.

"Ina!"

I ignored him and was trying to block out my racing thoughts, but it didn't work. The fabric of my world should have come crashing down much sooner. I didn't know why, but I had obviously been able to accept all of this somehow, as long as it was still the invention of a single man - brought to life and real, but in a sense just fiction. As long as there was still the possibility of turning back the clock and getting everything exactly as it had been before. It was twisted and I didn't understand myself, but I just couldn't accept what the elf had said.

"Do you know when I wished to be mortal?", I heard Legolas' voice behind me, but I didn't stop. "When Aragorn died and I watched the world of men crumble and fall into chaos. If you do not help me, then your world will become a different one."

I stopped and turned around. "This is utter nonsense! If people had perished back then, I wouldn't be standing here today."

The elf caught up. "It's complicated, but it's not absurd. Let me explain." He somehow managed to catch my gaze and not let it go. "Please."

"Go away."

I just couldn't manage to turn away and felt him put his hands gently on my shoulders, almost like how you would treat a shy horse you wanted to stop from bolting. I pulled back and a sigh escaped him. "I need your help."

"You're repeating yourself."

"That may be because you're challenging it."

"Then just leave me alone!"

"I can't."

I stared at him. Was I ready to listen to him? Was I ready to get involved? If I did, everything I had believed in, everything I had worked for, would vanish into thin air. Everything I had taken for granted and secured would no longer apply.

I wriggled out of Legolas' grip and shook my head. "Find someone else. I'm not the one."

With that, I turned and walked toward the street corner, beyond which was a main traffic artery. I knew the elf couldn't let me go and he was probably already close behind me, but he would soon have no choice.

I made it to the intersection, but instead of pausing, I just kept running, into the flowing traffic.

"Ina!"

I heard him call out to me, and at the same moment felt the breeze of a car whizzing by against my pants leg. Damn, that was close!

With a leap, I pulled myself to safety and glanced over my shoulder. Legolas was standing on the other side of the road, trying to make his way toward me, but there was no gap in the traffic for him to take advantage of.

Fortune favors fools. The thought flashed through my mind. Then I turned and ran toward the nearest subway sign. I sprinted down the stairs, the stale smell hitting me.

Then the train pulled in.

As its doors opened, scores of commuters streamed past me, heading for their end of the day. I pushed my way onto the train and stopped right at the exit, my heart pounding. Legolas had managed to cross the street and was now also pushing his way through the crowd. I saw him. He was desperately trying to make it, but he wasn't going to in time.

"Stand back, please."

The doors closed beeping, but I didn't take my eyes off him for a single moment. He had stopped and was now just looking over at me. Our eyes met one last time, and something went through me like a sword.

I winced.

I knew exactly what it was: guilt. And I also knew where it came from. Trembling, I took two steps back and hid behind a seat. Nevertheless, I still saw the face of the elf in front of me. On it there had been no anger, no annoyance - only disappointment.