Chapter Four: Hello, My Daughter

            "Four months, she's been there for four months!" Greysir shouted in his sorrow. "How can my daughter be getting better if she is away from those who love her for so long!" He rubbed his hands over his face and over the thick stubble of a neglected beard. "I want her home, now!"

            "Don't you think we all do?!" Snapped Lindie, slamming down a pot of boiled roots. "Your yelling isn't going to change that! Now stop it and eat!" All at the table fell silent and slowly began to fill up their plates with the simple dishes. Since Loraefin had left them, Lindie had not the energy or the heart to put much into her meals. But then again, no one had much of an appetite lately anyway.

The construction on the tunnel had been complete for two weeks now, despite delays due to random tremors that had been scattered about the last few months. They had shaken the caves quite a bit, causing few minor cave-ins, but since had been reinforced. None of the Hylians save for a few farmers and Royal Officials ever came into Murieope though. And after the attack of Loraefin, Greysir, Lindie, nor anyone else for that matter had not left Eidua either.

Joshuan had been the quietest of them all, very rarely speaking at meals when arguments of Loraefin came up. Guilt ate at him. What kind of brother was he if he couldn't protect his own sister from such things? She was strong and certainly far from frail, but she was also too small to stand up to them, two grown men. He imagined it sometimes when the guilt was too much for him, as a way of penance somehow, and she would have been overpowered within a minute, crushed under their weight and vulnerable to their dirty hands. That was the way he imagined it because he did not know what really happened.

No one talked about the burns on the men.

"Joshuan, I thought I told you to feed the dogs!" Lindie snapped again and pressed her fingers to her temples to try and stifle her irritation and longing for her daughter.

"I did," Joshuan looked up, defending himself quietly. The dogs only barked like that when they were hungry, but Joshuan had fed them not an hour ago.  It was a terrible racket that drove the already present tension higher. It even forced Greysir out of his seat and he threw the door open making it bang against the wall on its hinges so he could yell at them. He shouted at them but they were excited about something and would not stop. They took off running from the house in an ecstatic furry. Lindie had joined her husband in the doorway and stared after the dogs in wonder.

"What has gotten into them?" she asked.

"I don't know," Greysir replied and walked a few steps out onto the path. Horses' hooves were trotting down the hard-packed earthen road through the middle of town. Greysir's heart jumped into his throat for an instant with the thought that it might be whom he wished it was.

            She rode in smiling despite herself. Balius trotted along happy to be home after such a long parting. Laelaps scampered ahead and promptly knocked Styx off of his feet in full stride as she galloped home. She ran flying into the house yipping excitedly and jumping up into Joshuan's lap, attacking his face with her tongue. People began to come out of their houses and see what they commotion was that was disturbing their quiet evening. They certainly were surprised when they found it.

"Loraefin!" Greysir shouted and ran to his daughter, pulling her down off of Balius and grabbing her into an embrace. Rae Lawen immediately melted into Loraefin again as she grasped her father with all her might. When he let her go she smiled at him and told him she was all right so he didn't need to ask.  And she was fine. As she walked into the house Greysir marveled at the changes. She was harder, he noticed that when he hugged her, firm muscle had replaced the softer stuff she was made of when she left. And her eyes were more intense. Not only intense he could see how they could be fierce. What struck him harder than anything though was that she was a woman now, a grown, strong, independent woman.

"Megeara!" Loraefin opened her arms just in time to catch the redheaded flash that had shot through the open door. Megeara hugged her extremely hard and Loraefin was soon bombarded with two other, smaller bodies. She looked down and saw little Alari, not so little anymore but still the baby of the village, and Jack, who was not much older. "Let me breathe you three! I've just walked in the door!" Loraefin was grinning madly and her mother came up and cupped her face, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Are you…alright?" She asked, her voice shaking with motherly concern, "you've come back with no word…How could Tiamra just let you go off by yourself! I thought her more responsible than that!" Loraefin hugged her mother as the tears started to well in Lindie's eyes.

"Mother, I'm fine," the gray-blue eyes struck straight into Lindie's, allowing the mother to see that everything was alright, "really, I mean." And at that her mother truly did burst into tears and clutched her daughter so fiercely that Loraefin had to brace herself against it.

"My daughter! My daughter is home!" Lindie sobbed until Greysir came and took her crying on his shoulder instead. He beamed with fatherly pride as Loraefin reluctantly let her go. Joshuan had been frozen in his seat during the entire whirlwind of a reunion. It was now that he got stiffly up and met Loraefin's gaze as he turned. She was the one who embraced him, holding him more tightly than the others. She didn't need to say anything to him, for the words were plain on his face as well as hers. She had missed his brotherly companionship. Laelaps had taken her rightful spot by the fire already and was sound asleep with Acantha lying devotedly near.

"You're here to stay, right?" Joshuan wanted to be reassured. Loraefin nodded and let him go, resting her hands still on his shoulders.

"I asked them to leave me when we got through the tunnel, which looks great by the way," she shot an amused smile, "I didn't want to make a big entrance."

"Bre'kenaar, you're hard," Joshuan smiles sheepishly, squeezing his sister's toughened muscle under her sleeve. Rae Lawen surfaced for a moment but did not stay long. She really didn't answer, but just laughed and walked upstairs leaving everyone else in wonder. She wanted to lie in her own bed for a minute.

AN: Just a friendly reminder to REVIEW!!!!!!! I'll even give you an idea to review! What do you think of Loraefin? Realistic? Mary-Sue? Annoying? :)