With great and joy, Alariel begins her journey with her brothers by her side.

Chapter 2: The Letter

IN the middle of the night, Alariel not being able to sleep anymore woke up and took a look around her room. She couldn't wait top get out of the palace and into a place where she actually felt like she belonged. Besides the fact that Alariel loved adventure and going into the unknown, she also took the trip as a way to spend more time with her brothers since they traveled a lot she couldn't spend that much time with them before. She valued her time with her brothers, especially Elvadriel, Telad, and Fel. Those three she had no problem with getting along with. She always laughed when thinking about the times when she and all three of them had left the house and adventured the forest grounds near the palace especially the time when they almost got caught and they had to hide in the trees and use some of their powers to protecting themselves. She imagined the time that Telad had accidentally turned Fel into a color-changing slug just to fool a guard. Alariel smiled as she was remembering all the moments that happened in the past and smiled more when thinking what memories was yet to come since she is now a messenger.

She couldn't believe that she was now a messenger. She couldn't believe that her undying wish for adventure had actually come true. Alariel was imagining herself flying through mythical lands and meeting new animals when an unexpected knock on her door made Alariel come back to reality. She looked at the door and wondered who would that be this time of night. The person at the door knocked a couple of times more. Silence then suddenly went through the whole palace. The silence was broken with one more knock at the door.

"Alariel? Are you up, honey?" Lady Tiri softly asked from the other end of the door.

Alariel sighed and answered," Yes, mom, I'm up."

Her mom opened the door, stepped in and then closed the door behind her. She looked at her daughter and came to Alariel's bed, where her daughter was sitting and sighed.

"Alariel, honey I don't want you to accept this job," Lady Tiri said softly and gently.

Alariel seemed almost appalled that her mother would suggest such a request. Not take this job? Even though this has been a dream of mine since I realized a long time ago that I don't fit in! She stood up and gave her mother a surprised look.

"Not take this job?" She hissed at her mother. "Why cause its too dangerous, too extreme, too violent for an average ladyship. Well guess what mother; I'm no average ladyship! I can handle it!"

"Alariel, that's not the problem I know you can handle it. Isn't it a right for a mother to worry about her own daughter!" Lady Tiri hissed back at her daughter's response.

She took one good look at her mother and calmed herself down. She hated getting into fights with her mother, even though she always seem to get into one, one way or another. Alariel slowly sat back down next to her mother.

"Yes, mom it is your right but I'm old enough now and it's time for me to make my own decisions. Like you just said I can handle it," Alariel said gently.

As Alariel said this her mother looked at her with disbelief.

"Make your own decisions! What by becoming a messenger! Your own decisions will lead you to an early grave, you hear me! I will not allow a ladyship in this family become a messenger! Being a messenger is meant for a lordship not a ladyship and especially not for my daughter!" Lady Tiri roared. Her mother started to stand up and headed for the balcony to take a breather.

"And what would happen if I take this job? Huh? What happens if I turn against your wishes and decide to become a messenger!" Alariel yelled back she almost screamed back at her mother.

Lady Tiri took one deep breath and looked at her daughter. "Then you will no longer be my daughter," she silently said as she turned to leave the room. As she walked out the room, Alariel quickly got up and slammed the door after she left.

What nerves does she think she have, telling me not to be a messenger? Alariel thought to herself. She went back to her bed and fell on it recalling the conversation in her head. The last words that her mother said had shocked her so badly that she could feel that she was shaking. 'Then you would no longer be my daughter', those words replayed in her head over and over again until she felt like she was going to breakdown inside. Her whole body began to ache and her head was throbbing, she only knew one person that would be able to comfort her. Alariel got up from her bed; she had to hold on to the bed in order to keep from falling since she felt so weak. She grabbed her robe and then opened the door. She checked the hallways and then headed slowly to Elvadriel's room.

When she finally got to his room, she knocked on the door two times. No answer. Then she knocked one more time but this time she got a response.

"Yes?" came a voice.

"Elvadriel, can I come in?" Alariel answered weakly.

Elvadriel sensing that something was right came to the door just in time to catch Alariel from fainting. When he caught her, he immediately brought her into his room. He laid her on his bed and waited until she opened her eyes again.

"Wha?" she asked still weak.

"You fainted. What's wrong?" he asked her.

She tried to sit up but found out that she still had a splitting headache. She then remembered the conversation that she had with their mother and told him everything.

He sat there in thought for awhile and then decided to speak," I can't believe that she would say something like that to you," he started as he got up to fetch some potion he brewed to help Alariel regain her strength," You understand that mother doesn't really understand you and why you want to become a messenger in the first place," he finished as he poured some of the potion in a cup and then handed it to Alariel.

"Thanks," she said taking the cup from Elvadriel's hand. She thought there in thought. "But how can I make her understand why I am the way I am? How can I make an old fashion lady come back to reality? Its almost impossible."

Elvadriel raised a brow at his sister and then sat down next to her on the bed. "Impossible? I don't think I've heard that word come out of your mouth before. Look, sis you can write a letter explaining how you feel about everything and why you are the way you are. Ever thought of that?"

With that thought in Alariel's head and the potion going into work, she slowly fell back to sleep. Almost at the time when the two of them had to leave for the Sorcerer's Lair, Alariel and Elvadriel woke up. Alariel had woken up first, she had been up writing a letter to her mother like her brother had suggested. She had scratched out part of it and then redid it. It read:



Dear Mom and Dad,

I know that in the past few years I have been acting odd. That I have been acting out of our kind.

I know that in the past few years you have been worried about my safety and me. I am truly really sorry mother for disobeying, and becoming a messenger I hope that one day you will forgive me. I hope that this explanation of why I want to become a messenger is good enough to satisfy you: Mom I can't help it, you know me I love adventure but I have my ways of getting by. I can take care of myself and I have great survival skills. And all of these qualities add up to what being a messenger needs to be. I know that you care a lot about me and that you wish that no harm will come to me but the truth is that you have to let me live my own life. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. I love you too with all my heart.

Dad, I'm living my dream, please be happy. Think about this at least I'm not going to be alone. I'll be with Elvadriel, Telad and Fel. Please know that I love you too with all my heart and I hope to see you as soon as my duties are over.

Goodbye your daughter,

Alariel

She sighed as she looked at the letter and decided to go get ready. She went to her room and packed up all the things that she had forgotten to pack last night. She gathered her stuff then took one last glance at her room and left the room with the letter in her hand. She had almost forgotten that she still had the letter when they were just about to leave so she put the letter on the table where her father usually sits. Then atlas she went to the stables where her brothers already were. When she came in, they all smiled at her. The caretaker of the stable, Valgad, had already had thunderbolt ready to leave as her brother had ordered. He was sad that they were leaving so soon after all they had just gotten back. Alariel and her three brothers said their goodbyes to the caretaker. After a few moments after saying goodbye they were off. Alariel was riding her Pegasus, Thunderbolt, she felt the wind flow through her long rainbow hair and press against her clothes. Elvadriel was riding his griffin and was looking ahead and was gazing into the passing dawn. Alariel looked to see what her brother was looking at and when she looked she knew exactly why he was looking at it. It was beautiful, she thought to herself as Thunderbolt flew steadily in the sky.

Elvadriel glanced at his sister and smiled to see that she was enjoying herself. The truth was that Elvadriel would have suggested his sister to become a messenger a long time ago but there wasn't a right moment to suggest it until sadly Elvilas was missing. He knew that the sorcerer wouldn't say no because the sorcerer knew that Alariel would love to become a messenger any day and that she had the abilities (if not better) than any messenger. (Their family had a reputation of having some of the best messengers come from their line of blood.) Then for a split second Elvadriel thought of home and the thought of what Alariel had told him just last night. He hoped that their mother could handle the fact that Alariel was meant to be a messenger.

-/-

While this was happening back at the palace a good hour later, the palace began to wake up. Lady Tiri had not slept good the night before. Since the fight with her daughter and her wanting to become a messenger, which she still thought was absurd, she felt a strange urgency all night that made her want to wake up at dawn to do something. But what did I want to do? She asked herself. She walked downstairs to the grand hall for breakfast and she was pretty hungry but when she went to go sit down she saw something on the table. With curiosity she went over to that part of the table and looked to see what it was. It was a letter, it was addressed to mom and dad so she decided to open it at her own risk.

When she finished reading the letter, Lady Tiri dropped to the floor on her knees while holding the letter in her hand. She reread one part of the letter and started crying. 'You have to let me live my own life,' it read. She was still crying when Raine came downstairs, when she saw her mother like this she ran over to her to comfort her. Not too long later they were joined by the lord and her five other brothers and sisters. When she finally calmed herself down, they asked her what happened but all she could do was holding out the letter for them to read. One by one the all read the letters. They could understand now why she had collapsed. There was a moment of silence and then finally Lord Celil-Garion was ready to speak.

"All we could do now is hope a pray is for a safe return," he said and then he helped his wife up and ordered food from the kitchen to be brought upstairs for the Lady. He carried her upstairs. Raine that had been deathly worried about her mother since she found her closely followed him upstairs.

How could she do this? She must have known that mother would react like this. Raine thought to herself. She was now angered with her sister and wondered if Alariel had even thought about the effect of her becoming a messenger would do to this family. But then throughout all the anger that was there about her sister, she also hoped that she did return safely and intact.