Danae sat alone in her room, in one of the large chairs that surrounded the
large wooden table in the centre of the room. Mmmr lay peacefully asleep in
her lap, purring contentedly as Danae absently stroked her soft fur.
Her parent, Sparhawk and Ehlana were away, currently visiting some of their many old friends. Danae had of course requested to go with them, as she longed to see the fire-domed city of Matherion again, and wander through the streets, watching the buildings glisten as the sun sparkled off the many mother of pearl tiles that encrusted the buildings of the city. However her parents had refused to take her with them. A faint smile came to Danae's lips, as she remembered the scene that had occurred just days before.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"We need someone to stay here and look after things while we're away," Sparhawk said firmly, "Lenda can't manage on his own here now, he's an old man!"
"Your father's right," Ehlana continued, "And this is the perfect opportunity for you to get some practice in. You need to know what you're doing before you take over the throne young lady!"
Danae rolled her eyes, how typical of her mother, always the practical one!
Secretly, Sparhawk had been wondering why his daughter had asked to come with them, when she knew they would refuse. Why go through all of that when she could have just 'magic' herself there. She was the goddess Aphrael after all!
"It's not really magic you know."
Sparhawk jumped as he heard his daughter speaking to him telepathically. He looked at her menacingly as she moved to sit down and her mother quietly left the room.
"Everybody could probably do it if they thought about it hard enough!" she continued, avoiding her fathers' angry gaze, "But I guess that's why the God's are God's and you're not. Because we were given the knowledge to use our…'magic'.
"I do wish you wouldn't do that!" Sparhawk 'thought' back angrily to his daughter.
"Do what?" She asked out loud, innocently, "I didn't do anything!"
Sparhawk gave her one of 'those' looks and all traces of a smile vanished from her face. She knew when not to push it any further.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I won't do it again! But you do realise that I'll be going to Matherion anyway don't you?"
"I gathered as much."
"Good, then you won't be surprised if you see Flute there will you!"
"It'll be good to see flute again," Sparhawk said absent-mindedly, momentarily forgetting that Danae, Flute and Aphrael were all the same person.
"Just let me know when you get there, alright?"
"Alright!" Sparhawk agreed grudgingly "As long as we don't end up going on any long adventures again, I'm getting too old for that now!"
Danae laughed at her father. He obviously trusted her sooo much!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A loud knock on the door brought Danae back down to earth. The loud noise had startled her from her daydreams, and as she jumped up Mmmr fell grumpily from her lap. She hissed loudly at Danae before running to hide herself under the table.
"Oh don't be so miserable!" Danae told her as she moved to sit in one of the chairs by the fire, before she called "Come in!"
The door swung gently open and Talen, still wrapped in his cloak entered the room and stood in front of Aphrael by the large glowing fire.
"You requested to see me your highness," he said extremely formally, then bowed.
"Drop the formalities Talen," she told him sternly "this is me you're talking to, and we're friends! Or have you changed so much in five years that you've forgotten how to have a 'friendly' conversation?"
Talen laughed. "I'm afraid I expected you to have turned out exactly as your mother did. You know she's one for all that formal business!"
"Yes," Danae smiled, "She is a bit insistent on it isn't she! I guess it's just the actress emerging in her!"
"Don't let her hear you saying that!" Talen laughed nervously "She's have your head, daughter or no!"
Danae giggled and allowed herself to look closely at Talen for the first time since he had entered the room. He had certainly grown more handsome during his time away, and although she had seen him several times since he had left, appearing to him as Aphrael, she was still shocked at the change in him. He had become far more muscular, his body being more toned and far more manly. His hair had grown had grown and he now had a stubbly beard, obviously having not shaved for a while. His eyes were still the clear blue ones that she had known as a child, but now they held as certain wisdom behind them. Talen had grown up and he was now a man. He was ready Danae decided, but how to ask him?
"What was Rendor like?" she asked questioningly
"Hot, dry and dusty," he replied, "Has it ever been any different?"
"See anyone you knew?" she asked
"I saw Aphrael a couple of times." He said smilingly warmly at the memory.
"That's nice," Danae said, smirking slightly, "Do anything interesting out there?"
"Not really."
"Ok. Will you marry me then?"
"I…what?" Talen stopped mid sentence as he suddenly realised what Danae had just asked him. He had been worried about this, but had hoped that she had grown out of her childhood crush while he'd been away. Now it was apparent that she hadn't. His absence had just made her love stronger.
"Now, I know how Sparhawk felt when he realised he was going to be marrying Ehlana!" Talen thought to himself, "Like an animal caught in a trap."
He looked at Danae, staring in to her green eyes and answered her question honestly. However much he cared for Danae and couldn't bear to hurt her, he had to tell her the truth.
"I can't."
"What?" Danae asked him, surprised by his answer.
"I can't marry you Danae, because it wouldn't be fair on you, because I wouldn't be yours." He took a deep breath "I'm in love with someone else."
He reached out to touch Danae's arm to comfort her, but she took a step backwards from him, the hurt apparent as her eyes began to fill with tears.
"Who?" she asked quietly, not able to look him in the eyes.
"I can't tell you," Talen said sadly, "You'd only laugh at me."
"Talen!" she said loudly "At least have the decency to let me know who this girl is, so I can see who the woman you love is."
"You really want to know?" Talen asked, still unprepared to tell anybody about whom it was he loved, let alone the girl who had just asked for his hand in marriage.
Danae sniffed and nodded.
"Aphrael." Talen said quietly to her.
Danae's eyes widened in disbelief, but this sudden revelation only saddened her even more. Although she now knew that Talen did love her, she now had to tell him that she had been lying to him for the last seventeen years. Without breaking his heart.
Her parent, Sparhawk and Ehlana were away, currently visiting some of their many old friends. Danae had of course requested to go with them, as she longed to see the fire-domed city of Matherion again, and wander through the streets, watching the buildings glisten as the sun sparkled off the many mother of pearl tiles that encrusted the buildings of the city. However her parents had refused to take her with them. A faint smile came to Danae's lips, as she remembered the scene that had occurred just days before.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"We need someone to stay here and look after things while we're away," Sparhawk said firmly, "Lenda can't manage on his own here now, he's an old man!"
"Your father's right," Ehlana continued, "And this is the perfect opportunity for you to get some practice in. You need to know what you're doing before you take over the throne young lady!"
Danae rolled her eyes, how typical of her mother, always the practical one!
Secretly, Sparhawk had been wondering why his daughter had asked to come with them, when she knew they would refuse. Why go through all of that when she could have just 'magic' herself there. She was the goddess Aphrael after all!
"It's not really magic you know."
Sparhawk jumped as he heard his daughter speaking to him telepathically. He looked at her menacingly as she moved to sit down and her mother quietly left the room.
"Everybody could probably do it if they thought about it hard enough!" she continued, avoiding her fathers' angry gaze, "But I guess that's why the God's are God's and you're not. Because we were given the knowledge to use our…'magic'.
"I do wish you wouldn't do that!" Sparhawk 'thought' back angrily to his daughter.
"Do what?" She asked out loud, innocently, "I didn't do anything!"
Sparhawk gave her one of 'those' looks and all traces of a smile vanished from her face. She knew when not to push it any further.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I won't do it again! But you do realise that I'll be going to Matherion anyway don't you?"
"I gathered as much."
"Good, then you won't be surprised if you see Flute there will you!"
"It'll be good to see flute again," Sparhawk said absent-mindedly, momentarily forgetting that Danae, Flute and Aphrael were all the same person.
"Just let me know when you get there, alright?"
"Alright!" Sparhawk agreed grudgingly "As long as we don't end up going on any long adventures again, I'm getting too old for that now!"
Danae laughed at her father. He obviously trusted her sooo much!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A loud knock on the door brought Danae back down to earth. The loud noise had startled her from her daydreams, and as she jumped up Mmmr fell grumpily from her lap. She hissed loudly at Danae before running to hide herself under the table.
"Oh don't be so miserable!" Danae told her as she moved to sit in one of the chairs by the fire, before she called "Come in!"
The door swung gently open and Talen, still wrapped in his cloak entered the room and stood in front of Aphrael by the large glowing fire.
"You requested to see me your highness," he said extremely formally, then bowed.
"Drop the formalities Talen," she told him sternly "this is me you're talking to, and we're friends! Or have you changed so much in five years that you've forgotten how to have a 'friendly' conversation?"
Talen laughed. "I'm afraid I expected you to have turned out exactly as your mother did. You know she's one for all that formal business!"
"Yes," Danae smiled, "She is a bit insistent on it isn't she! I guess it's just the actress emerging in her!"
"Don't let her hear you saying that!" Talen laughed nervously "She's have your head, daughter or no!"
Danae giggled and allowed herself to look closely at Talen for the first time since he had entered the room. He had certainly grown more handsome during his time away, and although she had seen him several times since he had left, appearing to him as Aphrael, she was still shocked at the change in him. He had become far more muscular, his body being more toned and far more manly. His hair had grown had grown and he now had a stubbly beard, obviously having not shaved for a while. His eyes were still the clear blue ones that she had known as a child, but now they held as certain wisdom behind them. Talen had grown up and he was now a man. He was ready Danae decided, but how to ask him?
"What was Rendor like?" she asked questioningly
"Hot, dry and dusty," he replied, "Has it ever been any different?"
"See anyone you knew?" she asked
"I saw Aphrael a couple of times." He said smilingly warmly at the memory.
"That's nice," Danae said, smirking slightly, "Do anything interesting out there?"
"Not really."
"Ok. Will you marry me then?"
"I…what?" Talen stopped mid sentence as he suddenly realised what Danae had just asked him. He had been worried about this, but had hoped that she had grown out of her childhood crush while he'd been away. Now it was apparent that she hadn't. His absence had just made her love stronger.
"Now, I know how Sparhawk felt when he realised he was going to be marrying Ehlana!" Talen thought to himself, "Like an animal caught in a trap."
He looked at Danae, staring in to her green eyes and answered her question honestly. However much he cared for Danae and couldn't bear to hurt her, he had to tell her the truth.
"I can't."
"What?" Danae asked him, surprised by his answer.
"I can't marry you Danae, because it wouldn't be fair on you, because I wouldn't be yours." He took a deep breath "I'm in love with someone else."
He reached out to touch Danae's arm to comfort her, but she took a step backwards from him, the hurt apparent as her eyes began to fill with tears.
"Who?" she asked quietly, not able to look him in the eyes.
"I can't tell you," Talen said sadly, "You'd only laugh at me."
"Talen!" she said loudly "At least have the decency to let me know who this girl is, so I can see who the woman you love is."
"You really want to know?" Talen asked, still unprepared to tell anybody about whom it was he loved, let alone the girl who had just asked for his hand in marriage.
Danae sniffed and nodded.
"Aphrael." Talen said quietly to her.
Danae's eyes widened in disbelief, but this sudden revelation only saddened her even more. Although she now knew that Talen did love her, she now had to tell him that she had been lying to him for the last seventeen years. Without breaking his heart.