A/N - here's the next chapte! Things are heating up! You get lots of explaining in this chapter!
Chapter 17
Rovin hadn't cried in years. She always told herself she had to be strong, and whatever the boys say or do, just ignore. One day you'll get them back, and then they'll regret ever hurting her. Of course, after a few years of being teased, usually when she was younger, the guys stopped once she hit puberty. They realized she was growing up and they probably should stop the wise cracks about not being that great a thief, and never able to keep someone entranced by her very long. All that changed. Then once they all hit puberty, Rovin had something to laugh at. All of her friends shot up like bean poles, no longer being shorter than her, they were now all much taller. Their voices took a few years to change, and even now Candle still squeaked every once in a while. But lately things had really settled down. Rovin had first noticed it the day she came home after stealing the three guards purses. The harmless teasing that occurs between her and the others had died down a lot. Usually in every sentence they made some wise ass crack. Then again when she came home from the palace. Instead of teasing her about possibly sleeping with Daniel, they asked her questions and really seemed to be listening. She wished things would just go back to normal. She liked things the way they were before Daniel became involved. Yet now, she loved having Daniel around.
Rovin was awoken that afternoon by her father. He sat on the edge of the bed looking down at her with a smile of his face.
"Hey hun," he said. Rovin noticed he was twirling something in his hand. She knew what it was, but wasn't about to bring it up, for fear he would ask her to wear it.
"Hi dad," she replied sitting up against the wall and wrapping her blanket around her. "How's Daniel?" she asked before he could say anything
"He's fine," her father replied a bit startled "He'll be able to leave in a few days. We can move him into one of the spare rooms, so you can have yours back"
"Thanks," Rovin muttered quietly. They both sat there for a few minutes in silence. Rovin didn't know what to say. She hadn't had a civil conversation with her father in a long time. She missed talking to him long into the night and never wanting to go to bed. She loved the sound of his voice, and his strong hands that always felt welcoming when he hugged her before bed.
"It was your mothers," Her father suddenly said, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"What?" Rovin asked not sure what he was talking about. He held up the red ring, that Daniel had taken from her, and fiddled with it.
"It was your mothers." he repeated "I had them specially made when it was announced that we were to marry. I thought she was the most gorgeous person on earth. She had hair like yours, long and golden brown. It hung by her waist, and was always neat. Never was there a hair out of place. She had soft, pale skin, that shone in the summer. Her eyes were an amazing blue, like the sea. She was always happy and kind. Treating every person she met the same, as if they were all equals. We guessed that she probably didn't have an enemy in the world. I loved her so much. When we to be married, I couldn't help myself, so I spent a good amount of the fortune I had saved up to have the matching rings created, with love put into the stone. Then I presented it to her on our wedding day. She loved it.
"We were happy over the years. Whenever we did possibly fight, we always apologized immediately and went on with our lives, happy as ever. Then the day came when we found out she was with child. I don't think I was ever happier. A few days after that, we found out that Heith's wife was also with child. It was a very joyous time here at the Rogue. The months passed quickly and all our preparations for the two babies paid off. Two weeks after midwinter started, both your mother, and Heith's wife delivered baby boys. They were the cutest things ever. We named ours Ryan, and they named their baby Bobby. The boys became friends over the years, and when Christian was born they treated him as if he had been playing with them for years. They made friends with all the boys in the Rogue and soon, no one was a loner.
"Then, both the mother's became pregnant again. Heith's wife gave birth to a girl, who died soon after birth, and your mother gave birth to girl, who died as well. The gods must have decided that neither of these babies were to live. The mother's both went into morning over the lose of their children. When they did, everything that was happy in the Rogue seemed to disappear. Everyone avoided the other person, and their wasn't laughter for a year or two. Even the children stopped laughing. They didn't play in the streets together, or get dirty, or do anything to make their parents worry about them.
"Until Noah was born. Then things got back to some level of normality. The boys started to play again, but there still wasn't any laughter in the inn. None of the other women had ever had a daughter, who lived passed the age of one. Then you came along. You were the first daughter of anyone, that has lived. When you were born, everyone was worried about your birth. No one wanted you to die. They all wanted a little girl running around bossing the boys, and being in control. That's what they'd all imagined you'd do. And you did. You ran around playing with the boys, bossing them and bringing laughter back into the Rogue. But your mother never seemed to recover after the death of your sister. She never seemed to want to associate with you, as if you brought back horrible memories of the dead child. She just kept pushing you farther and farther away from her. Heith and I ended up doing most of the caring for you, along with Heith's wife. Unfortunately, Heith's wife soon died after giving birth to their second daughter, who died a few days later. Your mother had one more child after you, but that baby, a girl, died as well. Most of the men proclaimed you a gift from the gods.
"I guess she couldn't take the pain. She when you were four years old, your mother took your brother and left Corus. She didn't even tell anyone. There was a note on the table when I came in, saying she was leaving and would never return, and to forget about her. Unfortunately, I went into morning for her. I was angry at myself for letting her slip through my fingers. We had grown so distant, I guessed the love in the rings had worn out, but I knew I had to raise you the best I could. So with the help of everyone in the Rogue, we all raised you and life went on.
"Heith and I sent a man after Daylynn, to watch her and try to persuade her to return home. I gave him the ring I had that matched hers, so he's know who she was. Over the years we heard bits and pieces on her, but nothing about her returning. I always believed she would return. Then, the man brought news that she had died. He was there with her when she did. She gave him her ring and told him to give it back to me, for our daughter when she got married. He put both the rings together in a purse, that was taken by bandits, and somehow ended up in the hands of the noble.
"So Heith and I decided to get them back, since they were lawfully mine. After you had gotten them back, it gave me great joy to see you wear it. You remind me so much of your mother. Daylynn will always be in my heart, but I know she's gone. And I want you to know that she always loved you and she always will. But sometimes it pains people to see someone, who reminds them of someone who died."
Rovin listened to everything her father said. She knew in her heart that her mother had always loved her, but she was angry at her for leaving, and she probably always would be. Whatever tears Rovin had left, she shed them. She cried for a while on the floor, before her father sat beside her and gave her another one of his big hugs. She cried for a while before asking a question that had been on her mind.
"What about Ryan? Where is he?"
"You probably don't remember him that much, do you?"
"Not really,"
"Well he's coming home. After your mother died, he decided to return to the Rogue, but first he has to sell the shop your mother had set up."
"Where?"
"That's not really important."
"So he's coming home. When will he be here?"
"In a few days. Be patient"
"Everyone seems to be returning," Rovin muttered hugging her knees close to her chest and burying her head in them.
"What do you mean?" her father asked
"Ryan's coming back, Christian has returned, and I have a hunch that Bobby will show up next." Rovin replied with a small laugh
"Possibly" her father said. They sat in silence until her father spoke again. "Who are you going to chose?"
Rovin was somewhat surprised he asked. She guessed everyone knew about Daniel and Noah. How had she missed all this?!? "I don't know," she whispered
"Take your time" he replied in a whisper.
Rovin hesitated in asking the question that was hovering in her mind, but she needed to know the answer. "Why did you give the rings to Noah and I?"
Her father stared at the ring that he still hand in his hand, and sighed before responding. "It had been his mother's dying wish. She knew you would grow up and live a healthy life, and she, at the time, knew that you and Noah got along quite well. So she wanted you to be betrothed to Noah, and your mother agreed, so you were. We never told either of you the decision we made. After you two started fighting we knew telling you would make you fight even more. So we thought we'd wait it out, and hope that you would cooperate again, like you did when you were young, but that never happened. When we heard the rings were finally back in town, we couldn't help ourselves. We gave them to you two, in hopes that there was still some magic left in them."
Rovin couldn't believe what she heard. She and Noah were betrothed!
Chapter 17
Rovin hadn't cried in years. She always told herself she had to be strong, and whatever the boys say or do, just ignore. One day you'll get them back, and then they'll regret ever hurting her. Of course, after a few years of being teased, usually when she was younger, the guys stopped once she hit puberty. They realized she was growing up and they probably should stop the wise cracks about not being that great a thief, and never able to keep someone entranced by her very long. All that changed. Then once they all hit puberty, Rovin had something to laugh at. All of her friends shot up like bean poles, no longer being shorter than her, they were now all much taller. Their voices took a few years to change, and even now Candle still squeaked every once in a while. But lately things had really settled down. Rovin had first noticed it the day she came home after stealing the three guards purses. The harmless teasing that occurs between her and the others had died down a lot. Usually in every sentence they made some wise ass crack. Then again when she came home from the palace. Instead of teasing her about possibly sleeping with Daniel, they asked her questions and really seemed to be listening. She wished things would just go back to normal. She liked things the way they were before Daniel became involved. Yet now, she loved having Daniel around.
Rovin was awoken that afternoon by her father. He sat on the edge of the bed looking down at her with a smile of his face.
"Hey hun," he said. Rovin noticed he was twirling something in his hand. She knew what it was, but wasn't about to bring it up, for fear he would ask her to wear it.
"Hi dad," she replied sitting up against the wall and wrapping her blanket around her. "How's Daniel?" she asked before he could say anything
"He's fine," her father replied a bit startled "He'll be able to leave in a few days. We can move him into one of the spare rooms, so you can have yours back"
"Thanks," Rovin muttered quietly. They both sat there for a few minutes in silence. Rovin didn't know what to say. She hadn't had a civil conversation with her father in a long time. She missed talking to him long into the night and never wanting to go to bed. She loved the sound of his voice, and his strong hands that always felt welcoming when he hugged her before bed.
"It was your mothers," Her father suddenly said, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"What?" Rovin asked not sure what he was talking about. He held up the red ring, that Daniel had taken from her, and fiddled with it.
"It was your mothers." he repeated "I had them specially made when it was announced that we were to marry. I thought she was the most gorgeous person on earth. She had hair like yours, long and golden brown. It hung by her waist, and was always neat. Never was there a hair out of place. She had soft, pale skin, that shone in the summer. Her eyes were an amazing blue, like the sea. She was always happy and kind. Treating every person she met the same, as if they were all equals. We guessed that she probably didn't have an enemy in the world. I loved her so much. When we to be married, I couldn't help myself, so I spent a good amount of the fortune I had saved up to have the matching rings created, with love put into the stone. Then I presented it to her on our wedding day. She loved it.
"We were happy over the years. Whenever we did possibly fight, we always apologized immediately and went on with our lives, happy as ever. Then the day came when we found out she was with child. I don't think I was ever happier. A few days after that, we found out that Heith's wife was also with child. It was a very joyous time here at the Rogue. The months passed quickly and all our preparations for the two babies paid off. Two weeks after midwinter started, both your mother, and Heith's wife delivered baby boys. They were the cutest things ever. We named ours Ryan, and they named their baby Bobby. The boys became friends over the years, and when Christian was born they treated him as if he had been playing with them for years. They made friends with all the boys in the Rogue and soon, no one was a loner.
"Then, both the mother's became pregnant again. Heith's wife gave birth to a girl, who died soon after birth, and your mother gave birth to girl, who died as well. The gods must have decided that neither of these babies were to live. The mother's both went into morning over the lose of their children. When they did, everything that was happy in the Rogue seemed to disappear. Everyone avoided the other person, and their wasn't laughter for a year or two. Even the children stopped laughing. They didn't play in the streets together, or get dirty, or do anything to make their parents worry about them.
"Until Noah was born. Then things got back to some level of normality. The boys started to play again, but there still wasn't any laughter in the inn. None of the other women had ever had a daughter, who lived passed the age of one. Then you came along. You were the first daughter of anyone, that has lived. When you were born, everyone was worried about your birth. No one wanted you to die. They all wanted a little girl running around bossing the boys, and being in control. That's what they'd all imagined you'd do. And you did. You ran around playing with the boys, bossing them and bringing laughter back into the Rogue. But your mother never seemed to recover after the death of your sister. She never seemed to want to associate with you, as if you brought back horrible memories of the dead child. She just kept pushing you farther and farther away from her. Heith and I ended up doing most of the caring for you, along with Heith's wife. Unfortunately, Heith's wife soon died after giving birth to their second daughter, who died a few days later. Your mother had one more child after you, but that baby, a girl, died as well. Most of the men proclaimed you a gift from the gods.
"I guess she couldn't take the pain. She when you were four years old, your mother took your brother and left Corus. She didn't even tell anyone. There was a note on the table when I came in, saying she was leaving and would never return, and to forget about her. Unfortunately, I went into morning for her. I was angry at myself for letting her slip through my fingers. We had grown so distant, I guessed the love in the rings had worn out, but I knew I had to raise you the best I could. So with the help of everyone in the Rogue, we all raised you and life went on.
"Heith and I sent a man after Daylynn, to watch her and try to persuade her to return home. I gave him the ring I had that matched hers, so he's know who she was. Over the years we heard bits and pieces on her, but nothing about her returning. I always believed she would return. Then, the man brought news that she had died. He was there with her when she did. She gave him her ring and told him to give it back to me, for our daughter when she got married. He put both the rings together in a purse, that was taken by bandits, and somehow ended up in the hands of the noble.
"So Heith and I decided to get them back, since they were lawfully mine. After you had gotten them back, it gave me great joy to see you wear it. You remind me so much of your mother. Daylynn will always be in my heart, but I know she's gone. And I want you to know that she always loved you and she always will. But sometimes it pains people to see someone, who reminds them of someone who died."
Rovin listened to everything her father said. She knew in her heart that her mother had always loved her, but she was angry at her for leaving, and she probably always would be. Whatever tears Rovin had left, she shed them. She cried for a while on the floor, before her father sat beside her and gave her another one of his big hugs. She cried for a while before asking a question that had been on her mind.
"What about Ryan? Where is he?"
"You probably don't remember him that much, do you?"
"Not really,"
"Well he's coming home. After your mother died, he decided to return to the Rogue, but first he has to sell the shop your mother had set up."
"Where?"
"That's not really important."
"So he's coming home. When will he be here?"
"In a few days. Be patient"
"Everyone seems to be returning," Rovin muttered hugging her knees close to her chest and burying her head in them.
"What do you mean?" her father asked
"Ryan's coming back, Christian has returned, and I have a hunch that Bobby will show up next." Rovin replied with a small laugh
"Possibly" her father said. They sat in silence until her father spoke again. "Who are you going to chose?"
Rovin was somewhat surprised he asked. She guessed everyone knew about Daniel and Noah. How had she missed all this?!? "I don't know," she whispered
"Take your time" he replied in a whisper.
Rovin hesitated in asking the question that was hovering in her mind, but she needed to know the answer. "Why did you give the rings to Noah and I?"
Her father stared at the ring that he still hand in his hand, and sighed before responding. "It had been his mother's dying wish. She knew you would grow up and live a healthy life, and she, at the time, knew that you and Noah got along quite well. So she wanted you to be betrothed to Noah, and your mother agreed, so you were. We never told either of you the decision we made. After you two started fighting we knew telling you would make you fight even more. So we thought we'd wait it out, and hope that you would cooperate again, like you did when you were young, but that never happened. When we heard the rings were finally back in town, we couldn't help ourselves. We gave them to you two, in hopes that there was still some magic left in them."
Rovin couldn't believe what she heard. She and Noah were betrothed!