Father of Mine

Chapter Seven Departures and Promises

A week had passed, and finally the time had come for Elias to return to his ship. Alannah had woken up that morning, and after breakfast had gone to see her Father, and been informed by the butler that he and Mirana were in the throne room. "Her Majesty has something she wants to ask both you and your father."

Alannah nodded in acknowledgement, and then headed into the throne room. Mirana smiled at her. "Thank you for coming, Alannah. I have asked your father if he would be willing to accept a permanent position at Court. That way, you would both be able to spend more time together and perhaps become closer. He said he would leave the decision in your hands."

Alannah looked at her Father, her mind racing in thought. Did she want him to stay here permanently? Would he be happy if he stayed? She knew that they had reconciled, but how long would it be, she wondered, before the Siren Song of the sea became too much for him to resist? She suddenly realized the answer, and smiled before speaking.

"No. Don't take the position, Daidi. I know you think that by doing so you would make me happy, but in the end, you would grow disenchanted with the sedentary life. You said at dinner last week that you never stood on formality, and if you became a Court Lord, you would be expected to be Formal in all your Ways, and you would be most Unhappy with that."

Mirana looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure that is what you want, Alannah?"

Alannah nodded, and smiled at her Daidi.

"He's a sailor, Mirana. It is what he is good at, what he knows, and he would be most unhappy if he had to remain in one place permanently. I know and accept that now. But if he will promise that he will write me once a month and come back here often, then I will be most grateful. Can you promise me that, Daidi?"

Elias hugged her tightly. "I most certainly can, my dear. It's a simple enough request, and one that I will do my utmost to fulfill. Now, I must ask that you too maintain a correspondence with me."

Alannah smiled. "I shall, and I tell you what-I'll even have Katarina and Michael write to you. That way you can be in touch with them as well."

Elias beamed. "That would be wonderful." He looked at Mirana, and bowed. "Majesty, I am grateful for the offer you made, but as my daughter says-I belong to the sea. However, I realize now that it does not mean that I have to neglect everything else. I had forgotten that, and it cost me dearly." He gently took Alannah's hands in his, and smiled softly at her. "I almost lost the chance to reconcile with you, my inion. And that, I think, would have ultimately hurt me more than Jessicah's death." He laughed. "And she is also right in that I would be most unhappy playing the part of a stuck up Lord. I would much rather be a merchant seaman."

Mirana smiled. "Then I wish you Fairfarren and a Safe Journey. I will have a carriage waiting for you when you are ready to depart. May the wind be at your back, Captain Sullivan."

Elias smiled. "Thank you, Majesty. Alannah, I have one more thing to ask before I go and pack my sea bags. Will you and your family accompany me to the docks to see me off?"

"Of course we will, Daidi. I would not miss this chance for anything. What time will you be leaving?"

Elias thought for a moment, and then grinned. "Give me about a half hour to get all packed, and I will meet you in front of the main gate. Is that enough time?"

Alannah laughed. "More than enough, Daidi. We shall meet you in front of the gate in a half an hour." She gave him one final kiss before heading back to the cottage.

Stayne smiled at her as she entered. "How did everything go?"

"It went wonderfully. Daidi is leaving an half an hour, and he wants all of us to accompany him to the docks to see him off." Stayne gaped at her, and was about to speak, but she held her hand up. "Ilosivic, before you say anything, I need to explain something. My Daidi is a sailor. He loves the sea, and he loves the places his work can take him. Mirana offered him a permanent place at Court, but I think that was more of a kind gesture than anything else. Daidi would not be able to live a quiet, sedentary life or be able to play the part of a Lord. He's happy with who he is, and I've realized that I am happy as well. I will miss him while he is away, but he's promised to write me often, and he will come back to visit us. So I can let him go, knowing that I haven't lost him."

Stayne kissed her. "I doubt you ever truly lost him, love. But that's wonderful to hear, nevertheless."

Alannah smiled, and kissed him back, stopping when she felt a tugging on her skirts. She looked down. Michael stared up at her, an eager and excited expression on his face. Katarina was beside him, looking just as excited. Michael spoke first.

"Momma, are we going to see Grandda's boat?"

Alannah nodded. "We are, but first the two of you have to go get dressed. The carriage will be here soon, and you can't go to the docks in your night clothes. There's clean clothes hanging in your closets, and your shoes are under your beds. Hurry up!" They ran out of the room, and Alannah called after them: "Make sure whatever you wear matches!"

"Yes, Momma!" Came two answering replies, and Alannah sighed in relief and sank onto the couch. Stayne sat next to her, a grin on his face.

"Good advice, love. But I don't think you need worry too much-they both are pretty adept at picking out their clothes."

The carriage arrived five minutes later. Ten minutes later, Alannah, Stayne, and the children had piled in, greeted Elias, and were on their way to the Port on the White Sea.

When they arrived, Katarina and Michael stared in rapt wonder at the ships that lined the harbor. They ranged in size from small sloops to large, three masted frigates. Alannah and Stayne were no less fascinated. Both had spent their entire lives in Underland, and while they did know about boats, much of the information came from books. Elias smiled to himself, noticing the eager look in their eyes.

"The Golden Bird is this way." He led them down the path, stopping in front of a medium sized merchant vessel. "Here she is, and isn't she a beauty?"

Stayne and Alannah nodded in agreement. The Golden Bird was a dark brown in color. She had just been polished, and the wood shone darkly. There were three masts, and from each mast a sail hung limply, ready to catch the wind and send her flying over the waves. Elias smiled in pride. "Well, what do you think?"

Alannah smiled. "She's beautiful, Daidi." Alannah turned so that she could see the fore of the ship, and gasped in delight at the figurehead-a large golden bird, wings spread in flight. "I see where you found the name."

Elias nodded. "Yes. She named herself. Would you like to come on board and have a look around?"

Alannah smiled, and then shook her head. "No, Daidi. We need to be getting home. The children are exhausted after that long carriage ride, and I have things that need doing. But thank you for showing her to us. She is a truly beautiful ship."

Elias pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for being willing to reconcile with me, my inion. Ta ghara agram duit, Alannah."

"I love you too, Daidi. Slán leat."

Elias kissed her cheek. "Slán agat, my inion. I promise to write you as soon as I can."

He shook hands with Stayne, kissed Michael and Katarina, then turned and headed up the gangplank to his ship. Alannah watched him go, a sad smile on her face. She waved to him. "Remember your promise, Daidi! Write to me!"

"I will, Alannah! Don't worry! Fairfarren, my beautiful daughter!"

They waited and watched until the Golden Bird had disappeared from view, then Stayne spoke. "I think it is time we returned home, love. The children are about to fall asleep on their feet, and I'm rather tired myself. We're in for another long carriage ride, you realize."

Alannah sighed. "I know. At least Mirana loaned us a comfortable one. We should be able to get some sleep. Katarina, Michael, come along. We're going home."

They climbed into the carriage, and the children immediately curled up on the seats and fell into a deep sleep. Alannah leaned against Stayne, and he began gently stroking her arm. She sighed happily, and then tilted her head so she was looking up at him. "Ilosivic?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you for forcing me to go and talk with my Daidi that day. If you hadn't, I probably would never have been able to work up the courage, and we would have remained forever estranged."

Stayne chuckled, and then kissed her. "You're quite welcome. Now, get some sleep. We've got a ways to go before we reach Marmoreal."

Alannah shut her eyes and let the rhythm of the carriage lull her into slumber. Her last thought before sleep claimed her was that she finally had her Daidi back.

And on the Golden Bird, Elias Sullivan grinned in joy as he realized that he had not lost his daughter as he had feared. Instead, he thought in happiness, he had found her-and he was determined to remain a part of her life.

No matter what.

THE END