Chapter 2
Three weeks later...
"Mother, who is she?" he asked as he looked at the child. She had been born a couple hours ago, but she already looked like she was at least 3 weeks old.
"She is a member of the other royal family. They wanted you to name her," said Alqua.
"Me? Name her? But what am I supposed to name her?"
"Anything you want. It's your choice."
Sorator didn't know what to say. He hadn't known that she was supposed to be born, and he already had to name her. He didn't even know that the other royal family was expecting a baby. He was greatly confused, long story short.
He took a look at the baby, and she smiled at him. It was the first smile she had given to anyone, considering that she wasn't even a day old. She held out her hand, waiting for him to grab it, and he did and smiled. "Is this the surprise you were keeping from me?" he said softly.
Alqua nodded. "Why, you don't like her?"
"No. She's perfect."
It had been two years since the girl was born, and she was already walking and talking regularly. She was still not given a name, but Sorator would always answer for her. There was not a day that she wasn't without her "brother" Sorator, who showed her around the city. The townspeople loved her; in fact, there was not a person who showed any sigh of dislike towards her. There was a certain aura about her that appealed to the people, but the Kings and Queens, also known as the Elders for short, grew very impatient, at least all but Alqua.
They had expected for Sorator to find a name for the child by now, but he still could not think of one. One day, Alqua went to talk to him about this situation. She fel like the rest of the Elders would go mad if the girl had not been given a name.
Sorator was sitting by himself while the girl had been taking her afternoon nap. He knew about the Elders being upset at him, so he sat away in the garden by the palace. His mother knew where to find him; he would always go to the same place when he was upset. "Sorator, come back in the palace. The Princess wakes soon, and I'm sure she wishes to see you."
"I can't go back in there," he said sadly, "the elders could put some kind of curse on me."
"You still couldn't find a name for her, could you?"
He sat in silence for a moment. Then he said, "Why did they have to put such a responsibility on me? They know I can't handle a task like this."
"This is why they asked you to name her. You, of all people, have proven that you can handle something like this."
"Name one great thing I did within the past year." he hoped for her to hesitate so he could prove her wrong.
She knew what he was trying to get her to do, but she had the perfect thing to counter it. "You found a royal heirloom that, for some reason, always seems to get lost."
Sorator was confused. "And what might that be?"
"The golden anklet, or at least the beads to it- the string is always being replaced," she smirked.
"Are you referring to that fishing trip with father?"
"I suppose I am," she smiled.
"That was only a fluke. Some stupid fish found it for me."
"I already know about the rainbow fish." Sorator was shocked when he heard this.
"How did you know that?"
"You have to remember, your mom is an Elf. When need be, I can read deep into your soul." Sorator looked at her like she was a mad woman. She had this sort of cocky smile on her face that almost scared the wits out of him.
"Are you serious?"
"That...and your father told me what happened."
"Oooooh.... ok.... wait, can you really read into people's souls?"
"Not to the point where I can read their minds. I was only teasing you." They both laughed.
Just then, the little girl ran to Sorator, and started crying. That was probably the first time he saw her cry, but he didn't know whether it would be the last. "What's the matter, sweetie?" asked Alqua.
"I...h-ha-had a n-n-night ma-ma-mare..!" she cried. Sorator rubbed her back for her to calm down.
"Tell your brother all about it." They were so close that they called him her brother.
"I think I'll let you talk to her, Sorator," said Alqua, before she made her exit.
She was still crying in Sorator's lap, while Sorator was still rubbing her back. "Shhhhhhhh. Tell big brother what happened," he whispered.
She started to calm down, and finally lifted her head from Sorator's lap. He sat on the ground beside her, and put her on his lap. She rested her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.
Then she started to talk clearly. "There was this ugly goblin thingy, and he started to attack people, and the people were dying, and I was real scared."
This made Sorator think. What's a two-year-old girl doing dreaming about goblins and death? "Is that all of it?"
"No. You were still alive, but you were about to get shot, and this Elf with bright colored hair came and saved me. Then there was a big 'splosion, and everything disappeared."
"There was an Elf in your dream?" He seemed surprised to hear about the Elf, seeing as how he only saw one in his life. Other than his mother, who was high-elven, he thought that wood-elves were nothing but urban myths. But then again, he was still young.
"Uh-Huh. And he saved your life and everything. It was just all crazy. The place was on fire and people were dying..." she trailed off into tears again.
"Shhhhhh," he said to her softly. "It's gonna be okay. It was nothing but a bad dream. They don't come true."
Pretty soon, she stopped crying, and just lay there in her big brother's arms. She seemed to be in deep thought, which was unusual for a two year old. "Do you think those kind of elves exist?" she asked him.
"I don't know. I have heard of them in stories when I was younger, but the only one I actually saw was my mom, but she looks like the people here. O well, who knows? I have seen different things."
"Like what?" She want from thinking to interested, as she sat up to look at him.
He sat trying to remember what he saw. "I remember seeing a dwarf here some years ago when I was maybe ten.... I think his name was Gimli or something like that. Pretty interesting person if you ask me."
"Well, maybe there might be that kind of Elf in Middle-Earth. Who knows? Maybe there may be some other kind of creature out there." Then she laid her head on Sorator's stomach to look up at the night sky- they didn't notice it was night until the Princess pointed up to the stars.
Now it was Sorator who was in deep thought. I think I got the perfect name for her, he thought to himself. "Do you feel better?"
"Yeah." She was still pointing at the stars in the sky.
"Good," he said. Then he sat up, making her sit up as well. "What do you think of Armena as your name?" She smiled when she heard this.
Three weeks later...
"Mother, who is she?" he asked as he looked at the child. She had been born a couple hours ago, but she already looked like she was at least 3 weeks old.
"She is a member of the other royal family. They wanted you to name her," said Alqua.
"Me? Name her? But what am I supposed to name her?"
"Anything you want. It's your choice."
Sorator didn't know what to say. He hadn't known that she was supposed to be born, and he already had to name her. He didn't even know that the other royal family was expecting a baby. He was greatly confused, long story short.
He took a look at the baby, and she smiled at him. It was the first smile she had given to anyone, considering that she wasn't even a day old. She held out her hand, waiting for him to grab it, and he did and smiled. "Is this the surprise you were keeping from me?" he said softly.
Alqua nodded. "Why, you don't like her?"
"No. She's perfect."
It had been two years since the girl was born, and she was already walking and talking regularly. She was still not given a name, but Sorator would always answer for her. There was not a day that she wasn't without her "brother" Sorator, who showed her around the city. The townspeople loved her; in fact, there was not a person who showed any sigh of dislike towards her. There was a certain aura about her that appealed to the people, but the Kings and Queens, also known as the Elders for short, grew very impatient, at least all but Alqua.
They had expected for Sorator to find a name for the child by now, but he still could not think of one. One day, Alqua went to talk to him about this situation. She fel like the rest of the Elders would go mad if the girl had not been given a name.
Sorator was sitting by himself while the girl had been taking her afternoon nap. He knew about the Elders being upset at him, so he sat away in the garden by the palace. His mother knew where to find him; he would always go to the same place when he was upset. "Sorator, come back in the palace. The Princess wakes soon, and I'm sure she wishes to see you."
"I can't go back in there," he said sadly, "the elders could put some kind of curse on me."
"You still couldn't find a name for her, could you?"
He sat in silence for a moment. Then he said, "Why did they have to put such a responsibility on me? They know I can't handle a task like this."
"This is why they asked you to name her. You, of all people, have proven that you can handle something like this."
"Name one great thing I did within the past year." he hoped for her to hesitate so he could prove her wrong.
She knew what he was trying to get her to do, but she had the perfect thing to counter it. "You found a royal heirloom that, for some reason, always seems to get lost."
Sorator was confused. "And what might that be?"
"The golden anklet, or at least the beads to it- the string is always being replaced," she smirked.
"Are you referring to that fishing trip with father?"
"I suppose I am," she smiled.
"That was only a fluke. Some stupid fish found it for me."
"I already know about the rainbow fish." Sorator was shocked when he heard this.
"How did you know that?"
"You have to remember, your mom is an Elf. When need be, I can read deep into your soul." Sorator looked at her like she was a mad woman. She had this sort of cocky smile on her face that almost scared the wits out of him.
"Are you serious?"
"That...and your father told me what happened."
"Oooooh.... ok.... wait, can you really read into people's souls?"
"Not to the point where I can read their minds. I was only teasing you." They both laughed.
Just then, the little girl ran to Sorator, and started crying. That was probably the first time he saw her cry, but he didn't know whether it would be the last. "What's the matter, sweetie?" asked Alqua.
"I...h-ha-had a n-n-night ma-ma-mare..!" she cried. Sorator rubbed her back for her to calm down.
"Tell your brother all about it." They were so close that they called him her brother.
"I think I'll let you talk to her, Sorator," said Alqua, before she made her exit.
She was still crying in Sorator's lap, while Sorator was still rubbing her back. "Shhhhhhhh. Tell big brother what happened," he whispered.
She started to calm down, and finally lifted her head from Sorator's lap. He sat on the ground beside her, and put her on his lap. She rested her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.
Then she started to talk clearly. "There was this ugly goblin thingy, and he started to attack people, and the people were dying, and I was real scared."
This made Sorator think. What's a two-year-old girl doing dreaming about goblins and death? "Is that all of it?"
"No. You were still alive, but you were about to get shot, and this Elf with bright colored hair came and saved me. Then there was a big 'splosion, and everything disappeared."
"There was an Elf in your dream?" He seemed surprised to hear about the Elf, seeing as how he only saw one in his life. Other than his mother, who was high-elven, he thought that wood-elves were nothing but urban myths. But then again, he was still young.
"Uh-Huh. And he saved your life and everything. It was just all crazy. The place was on fire and people were dying..." she trailed off into tears again.
"Shhhhhh," he said to her softly. "It's gonna be okay. It was nothing but a bad dream. They don't come true."
Pretty soon, she stopped crying, and just lay there in her big brother's arms. She seemed to be in deep thought, which was unusual for a two year old. "Do you think those kind of elves exist?" she asked him.
"I don't know. I have heard of them in stories when I was younger, but the only one I actually saw was my mom, but she looks like the people here. O well, who knows? I have seen different things."
"Like what?" She want from thinking to interested, as she sat up to look at him.
He sat trying to remember what he saw. "I remember seeing a dwarf here some years ago when I was maybe ten.... I think his name was Gimli or something like that. Pretty interesting person if you ask me."
"Well, maybe there might be that kind of Elf in Middle-Earth. Who knows? Maybe there may be some other kind of creature out there." Then she laid her head on Sorator's stomach to look up at the night sky- they didn't notice it was night until the Princess pointed up to the stars.
Now it was Sorator who was in deep thought. I think I got the perfect name for her, he thought to himself. "Do you feel better?"
"Yeah." She was still pointing at the stars in the sky.
"Good," he said. Then he sat up, making her sit up as well. "What do you think of Armena as your name?" She smiled when she heard this.