"Aryanna you're doing splendidly!" Marlena called as she watched the young girl ride her Stridor. Aryanna pulled the beast to a halt. She felt awkward boucning around in the saddle and her bottom agreed with her.
"Riding one of these is harder then it looks! I think I'll stick to walking!" she said with a laugh. Marlena laughed and watched the young woman wave as she walked across the field and back to her chores. Morylyn stepped beside Marlena.
"It's wonderful to spend time with you again and I know my daughter agrees. This week has been a very joyful one."
Marlena turned to her old friend. "It has been one of the best weeks of my life. I wish I could stay here forever."
Morylyn saw something in her old friend's eyes. "Will you walk with me?" she asked. Marlena nodded and the two women began to walk down the field toward the woods and finally took a seat by a small brook. "What is it Marlena?"
"Hmm?"
"Why is it that you came all the way out here to Noteran?"
"I came here to visit two of my closest friends."
"Perhaps but I think you came here for something else as well. Is it Randor? Has something happened at the palace?" Marlena suddenly would not look her in the eye. When she said nothing Morylyn continued. "Certainly you can tell me? I'm one of your closest friends." Marlena looked up with tears in her eyes. "Oh Marlena, what makes you so unhappy?"
"I have been truly happy at the palace for the many years that I have lived there. I love Randor with all my heart and my dear son Adam."
"Then what is it?"
"Sitting in that throne the last few years has made me miserable."
"Does anyone know this?"
"I briefly told my son that I needed to get away to find myself again, but not much more. My son is a wonderful young man. He is sweet and loving and so much more then meets the eye. Unfortunately his father finds him clumsy and foolish. He takes every opportunity to remind our son that he is shaping up to be a failure. I normally sit idly but when Adam missed a meeting Randor just tore right into him."
"Oh no."
"Oh yes. I went into the room and I believe that I surprised them both with my tone and my eagerness to defend Adam. I ended up leaving the room frustrated and Randor followed me. We fought more and I realized then and there that I had to get away from the palace. Memories of the past came back to me and I desperately wanted to see you and Tolamey again. I miss you both dearly. I think Adam kept me content for so many years as I watched him grow but now he is an adult and very capable of taking care of himself. I realized that I needed my friends back. My only regret is that I didn't realize this sooner."
Morylyn reached over and hugged Marlena. "Oh hush. If only we all had realized that sooner but we didn't." Morylyn released Marlena and looked her friend in the eye. "Tolamey and I spoke of that last night after you had gone to bed. We really have missed you. It is good to see you and spend time with you. I'm sorry that Randor is making you miserable."
"If only he could change. He has become so hard and unforgiving. I sometimes feel as if he is not the same man I married. Or he is but he has become worse then he was. I love Randor dearly, he is a good king and he treats me very well."
"But not your son." Marlena nodded. "What is it about Adam that he dislikes so?"
"Just about everything. He's not brave enough, he's too clumsy. He's always too late. He doesn't have enough interest in kingdom affairs, need I go on?"
"I see your point. What about your daughter Adora? Does he feel this way about her as well?"
"Adora is fighting the Horde on Etheria and she rarely visits. Adam visits her but Randor and I don't have the luxury of leaving the planet. Randor adores her, but the sad truth is that we do not even know our daughter very well. She has been missing most of her life and now that she had decided to help Etheria we still do not know her."
"It sounds as if you all need to sit and talk and heal."
"Yes we do. I can only imagine what has been going on at the palace this past week. Hopefully Adam has stayed out of his father's path."
"Perhaps I should postpone Aryanna's travel plans of going with you to the palace. There is no reason to add her problems to your own."
"No no. Aryanna is welcome to come back with me. She is a very sweet girl. I see a lot of similarities between her and my son. Perhaps they will develop a friendship and she can help my son. I want to try and fix things with Randor. I want life to be similar to how it was years ago before he started becoming a moody king. Then after I have talked some sense into him about us, perhaps I can get him to realize what a wonderful young man his son is."
"I hope that everything works out as you picture it. You are a good person Marlena and I want to see you happy and your family happy. After things are settled in the palace with your family Tolamey and I would like to visit. We would enjoy meeting your son and seeing Randor again."
"I'd enjoy that as I'm sure my son and my husband would."
Morylyn smiled. "It's nearly suppertime. Interested in making one of your earth dishes for us? I'm sure Aryanna would love to try some of that pizza you once made us."
"I'd be delighted." The women started making their way back to the house but Marlena stopped halfway. "Mory thank you for talking with me. I don't have anyone to confide in at the palace so it was nice to be able to share something with a good friend."
"I'll always be around to listen and give advice as I was in the past. I may not give the best advice but I try."
"You do my friend. You do."
"Riding one of these is harder then it looks! I think I'll stick to walking!" she said with a laugh. Marlena laughed and watched the young woman wave as she walked across the field and back to her chores. Morylyn stepped beside Marlena.
"It's wonderful to spend time with you again and I know my daughter agrees. This week has been a very joyful one."
Marlena turned to her old friend. "It has been one of the best weeks of my life. I wish I could stay here forever."
Morylyn saw something in her old friend's eyes. "Will you walk with me?" she asked. Marlena nodded and the two women began to walk down the field toward the woods and finally took a seat by a small brook. "What is it Marlena?"
"Hmm?"
"Why is it that you came all the way out here to Noteran?"
"I came here to visit two of my closest friends."
"Perhaps but I think you came here for something else as well. Is it Randor? Has something happened at the palace?" Marlena suddenly would not look her in the eye. When she said nothing Morylyn continued. "Certainly you can tell me? I'm one of your closest friends." Marlena looked up with tears in her eyes. "Oh Marlena, what makes you so unhappy?"
"I have been truly happy at the palace for the many years that I have lived there. I love Randor with all my heart and my dear son Adam."
"Then what is it?"
"Sitting in that throne the last few years has made me miserable."
"Does anyone know this?"
"I briefly told my son that I needed to get away to find myself again, but not much more. My son is a wonderful young man. He is sweet and loving and so much more then meets the eye. Unfortunately his father finds him clumsy and foolish. He takes every opportunity to remind our son that he is shaping up to be a failure. I normally sit idly but when Adam missed a meeting Randor just tore right into him."
"Oh no."
"Oh yes. I went into the room and I believe that I surprised them both with my tone and my eagerness to defend Adam. I ended up leaving the room frustrated and Randor followed me. We fought more and I realized then and there that I had to get away from the palace. Memories of the past came back to me and I desperately wanted to see you and Tolamey again. I miss you both dearly. I think Adam kept me content for so many years as I watched him grow but now he is an adult and very capable of taking care of himself. I realized that I needed my friends back. My only regret is that I didn't realize this sooner."
Morylyn reached over and hugged Marlena. "Oh hush. If only we all had realized that sooner but we didn't." Morylyn released Marlena and looked her friend in the eye. "Tolamey and I spoke of that last night after you had gone to bed. We really have missed you. It is good to see you and spend time with you. I'm sorry that Randor is making you miserable."
"If only he could change. He has become so hard and unforgiving. I sometimes feel as if he is not the same man I married. Or he is but he has become worse then he was. I love Randor dearly, he is a good king and he treats me very well."
"But not your son." Marlena nodded. "What is it about Adam that he dislikes so?"
"Just about everything. He's not brave enough, he's too clumsy. He's always too late. He doesn't have enough interest in kingdom affairs, need I go on?"
"I see your point. What about your daughter Adora? Does he feel this way about her as well?"
"Adora is fighting the Horde on Etheria and she rarely visits. Adam visits her but Randor and I don't have the luxury of leaving the planet. Randor adores her, but the sad truth is that we do not even know our daughter very well. She has been missing most of her life and now that she had decided to help Etheria we still do not know her."
"It sounds as if you all need to sit and talk and heal."
"Yes we do. I can only imagine what has been going on at the palace this past week. Hopefully Adam has stayed out of his father's path."
"Perhaps I should postpone Aryanna's travel plans of going with you to the palace. There is no reason to add her problems to your own."
"No no. Aryanna is welcome to come back with me. She is a very sweet girl. I see a lot of similarities between her and my son. Perhaps they will develop a friendship and she can help my son. I want to try and fix things with Randor. I want life to be similar to how it was years ago before he started becoming a moody king. Then after I have talked some sense into him about us, perhaps I can get him to realize what a wonderful young man his son is."
"I hope that everything works out as you picture it. You are a good person Marlena and I want to see you happy and your family happy. After things are settled in the palace with your family Tolamey and I would like to visit. We would enjoy meeting your son and seeing Randor again."
"I'd enjoy that as I'm sure my son and my husband would."
Morylyn smiled. "It's nearly suppertime. Interested in making one of your earth dishes for us? I'm sure Aryanna would love to try some of that pizza you once made us."
"I'd be delighted." The women started making their way back to the house but Marlena stopped halfway. "Mory thank you for talking with me. I don't have anyone to confide in at the palace so it was nice to be able to share something with a good friend."
"I'll always be around to listen and give advice as I was in the past. I may not give the best advice but I try."
"You do my friend. You do."