She eyed him for a moment before a small smile crept to her lips, "You're teasing me..." It was more of a statement than a question.
      "Me?" Legolas asked, putting a hand to his chest and placing a look of shock in his features, "Me, tease you? How could you dare say such a thing?"
      Ashley sighed and put her hands on her hips, "Elves..." she shook her head but smiled back at him, "Your kind delight in banter, or so I've read."
      Legolas laughed, "That we do, but tell me that you and those close to you do not joke with one another, if the occasion rises."
      "Well..." her thoughts drifted back to some lunchtime conversations she had taken part in. Some could be classified as brutal, "I suppose you are right. My friend Amy and I used to gang up on our other friend Mark all the time."
      "Really?"
      "She had a better knack for it than I, I'm afraid. But I did learn a few tricks of my own."
      The Elf's eyes shone brightly as he spoke, "Then I look forward to meeting them sometime. Provided they can banter better than I. We Elves are very proud of our sharp wits and tricks, you know."

      For some reason, Ashley found herself unable to answer, save for a nod. His eyes locked on her own and all time seemed to freeze for a moment. Legolas' hand brushed a stray hair from her face and he smiled. Something in Ashley's subconscious went off at that moment, warning her of how this situation could turn.

      He has to go back, her mind screamed. I can not let him in, not into the part of me which is reserved for love. He lives in a different world, under different rules. It is impossible.

      In that fleeting moment, Legolas sensed something in her eyes and withdrew his hand from the side of her head.

      "What is wrong?" he asked, not quite sure what he had done or what was driving his emotions in such a way.
      Ashley shook her head and pulled away from him, knocking over her cup of tea in the process, "It's late and we have to go into town in the morning. Get some rest, Legolas. I'll be in the guest room if you need anything."

      The woman grabbed the phone from the table and with that, disappeared down the hallway.

      Legolas stood in the silence of the living room, alone and feeling very much a burden. He raised his hands and, looking at them in shock, turned them over, palms facing up.

      What was I doing? The Elf asked himself with a sigh.

      "She is mortal and I am immortal, why place myself in the same situation as Estel? Still..." he spoke to the darkness about him, held at bay by a small lamp within the room. "I have just met her and I find myself acting the part of the fool."

      Legolas turned and, with silent grace, walked out the backdoor and onto the porch. He stared out at the forest around him, breathing the fresh air once more. But a pang of despair settled itself in his heart as he stood in the silence.

      "Speak to me..." he whispered into the gloom of the night, "Why do you not speak? I am an Elf, a trusted friend of the forest. Why do your ancient tongues speak only silence? I need your counsel, I want only to know why my heart feels such pain."

      Grief overcame him suddenly and he sank to his knees. The trees would not answer, they could not speak in this world as they did at home. Even the great star of Elbereth was nowhere to be seen in this foreign sky and that, more than anything, tore at his heart.

      The guest room was dark and no light from the moon shone in that night. Ashley leaned against the wall, her heart pounding and at war with her logic. She was taken by him, greatly so, but knew in her mind that he would leave and she would be as broken hearted as before.

      Having noone else to turn to for solace, she dialed her friend's number once more.

      "Ashley? What's wrong?" Amy asked when she heard her friend's broken voice.
      "I can't do it, Amy. I can't. He must return as soon as possible or I shall lose myself."
      "Lose yourself? I... I don't understand."
      Ashley's eyes went to the window and she walked softly up to it, "I was so tempted to kiss him and, to pull away... that hurt more than anything."
      "What happened?!"
      She put her hand upon the window's cold glass, "We were talking, laughing about teasing one another. Then, he got this look in his eyes and I... my entire mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of him. His face was so handsome, so beautiful and... and standing in that room I felt like all time had stopped. I've never felt this way before. He... his hand touched and embraced the side of my head and, I felt as if I could just fall into his arms right then." she stopped, seeing Legolas' form outside on the balcony, "But my mind screamed at me, saying that he had to return and that I would be left behind without him. I knew that... that if I gave in now..." tears fell down her cheeks, "I can't face that again... it's too hard."
      Amy was silent for a moment but when she spoke, her tone was soft and understanding, "I'll be at your place in the morning. Will that help?"
      "Yes." the woman managed to choke out.
      "Good, then get some sleep. Don't worry about it so much, when he's gone we'll go out and have a good time. You'll see, everything will go back to the way it was."
      Ashley smiled, but inside she was still as miserable as ever, "Thanks, Amy..."
      "I'll see you in the morning then, goodnight."
      "Night..."

      The woman hung up her phone but she continued to watch the Elf on her balcony. Suddenly, he fell to his knees and Ashley feared that he had moved wrong and hurt his already healing wounds. Rushing from her room, she flung open the backdoor and knelt by his side.

      "Legolas... Legolas, what happened?"

      He turned to her, his eyes searching for something that he could not find. Tears threatened to spill over his cheeks but he held his emotions in check.

      "It is so silent.." he whispered at last, his eyes finally focusing on her, "At home, I could always hear the murmur of the trees or the call of the birds to their young. There was always something to occupy my mind but here..." he looked back out into the darkness, "Here, all is so quiet and it fills me with despair and horror. I am reminded of the tales of the Second Age, of the darkness of Sauron and his hordes of servants that ravaged the land. The stars give me no comfort, nor do the trees sing their sweet song to me any longer. I fear for Estel and for Mithrandir and the Pheriannath. ~[Hobbits]~ I fear for the fellowship and the fate of Arda. Something terrible may have happened in my absence and I sit here, doing nothing but..." his voice trailed off and Ashley heard no more.
      But she took him by the shoulders and turned his body towards hers, his eyes coming to rest on her own, "I swear this to you once more, Legolas. You WILL return to Arda and you will shape the future of your world. You and Aragorn and Gimli, you will become heros that will be sung of in times gone by. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, they will all become the bravest of all Hobbits. Boromir's greatness shall be shown, as shall Faramir's, his brother. Gandalf shall lead the armies of Men when all hope in the world has gone out. You are destined for great deeds, Legolas. Do not despair, not now, or you shall surely fail."

      It seemed to her, in that moment, that Legolas' eyes shone brighter than the full moon. He smiled and, for the first time since she had met him, he appeared to be the mightiest of Elves.

      The two then stood and, for some time just let the silence envelop them.
      Not long later, Legolas put his hand to his chest and bowed his head, "Hannad le, Nileregwen." ~[Thank you, Nileregwen.]~ he then let his hand pass before him and fall to his side.
      Ashley looked to him, a bit confused at first, "Im maus, Legolas." ~[My pleasure, Legolas.]~ she answered, but then gave him a quizzical look, "But what does Nileregwen truly mean?"
      The Elf smiled, "That is your name in the tongues of the Elves." and he took her by the hand, "But come, let us go inside or you may catch your death of cold. For we Elves do not find much hindrance in the temperatures of the world, but the mortal man however, does."
      She smiled in return, all thoughts of earlier leaving her mind, "I hope you will take this time to sleep, kunn Legolas. For in the morning we go to find the answers to all these riddles." ~[kunn - prince]~
      They had walked toward the hallway but he stopped, releasing her hand, and his eyebrows shot up, "How did you know I was..."
      But she continued on down the hallway and, as she stepped to the guest room door, she turned back to him. "I already told you... I know everything about you and your world, remember?"
      Legolas visually shrugged, "Then I suppose that I am at a loss in this matter." But he smiled, "Till the morn then."

      And with that, each went their separate way.

      Early the next morning however, there was a knock at the door. Ashley's friend Amy had arrived, right on time.