A/N: Here is chapter two. I figured since the intro was very short and all that I would post this as well. Sorry about the sucky summery too, I'm not good at those.

CHAPTER TWO: Free Me from My Gilded Cage

"Feeling like the walls are growing stronger,
I don't know if this cage can hold me any longer

you never dreamed you'd have to live your life so guarded...."

~Tomorrow - SR-71

"Where is she?!" The king roared at the royal guard in front of him. The guard tried to reply but was cut off. "I do not want to hear any of your excuses! I sent you out there to keep a close watch on her and what happens?! You LOST her!" The king paced about his halls, frantic with worry. "GO! Get out of my sight! I don't want to see your face again until my daughter is safe inside these walls once more!" The king sank into a near-by easy chair and rested his forehead in his hands. "Faira, what am I going to do with you?" He asked the silence, and received not answer.

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Faira gently stepped onto the log that touched the bank on the other side of the river. Her light steps brought her quickly to the middle where she sat down, laying her bow beside her. She sighed as she watched the calm water ripple with the current.

"How I envy you, river. You have all the freedom to fly down the banks of your home, push the limits and to go over your boundaries on a whim. You have brute strength to crush your enemies and at the same time a motherly gentleness to caress those who are worthy of it. Oh how I long to be as free as you, Ladywater."

"Princess Faira!" The shout startled Faira, it sent her off balance and caused her to fall headfirst into the river. "AHHHHHH!" She fell with such a force that whatever air was left in her lungs after her scream was knocked from her. The cold water was such a shock to her body that she didn't even register the fact that she needed air, and quick, until her lungs started to burn for attention.

She didn't even have time to try to swim to the surface when a hand grabbed her collar and dragged her back onto the long. "Ethalias!" She gasped as she pushed her damp dark locks out of her eyes. "Never scare me like that again! You almost killed me!"

"Forgive me, Princess." Was his reply. Faira rolled her eyes. Ethalias was the most annoying elf she had ever met, not to mention that he seemed to throw himself at her at ever chance he could find reason to. She gave him a hard look and waited.

After several tense and silent moments, Faira decided to break the silence. "Well?"

"Well what, your highness?"

Faira sighed, "Did you come all this way just to make me fall into a river, or did you have some important reason to disturb my peace?"

"Well, yes actually, I did have something important to tell you." Another long silent moment.

"AND?!" She yelled, annoyed.

"And," he stopped as if he didn't really want to say what it is that needed to be said, "Your father knows about you escaping your guard and has thrown the whole kingdom into an uproar in search of you."

Faira's annoyance turned to anger. "Well, he can do whatever he likes, but I am not coming back!" Unfortunately, she could not fulfill her words, for at that moment her royal guard stepped out of the shadows of the trees. She glared at Ethalias, "You led them here?!"

"I'm sorry, your highness, but I must do as my king commands."

"Why you annoying, little ORC. How dare you?" But whatever else she might have said was cut off as one of the guards grabbed her roughly by the arm and started to drag her back into the direction of the palace. "Let me go! Now!"

"I'm sorry, Princess" replied the guard, "but you do not have the authority to overrule the king's commands." Faira sighed in desperation and allowed herself to be dragged into the palace like a common criminal. She knew that she was in for quite a lecture when she got home, and how right she was.

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"How dare you disobey my command, Faira?!" Her father yelled. "I specifically told you to stay with your guard and not to wonder off, but you did not head my commands! Instead you go gallivanting off into the unknown reaches of Ardenwood into danger only Iluvatar knows about! And you almost drown in the river!"

"That was not my fault, Ethalias..."

"You are lucky Ethalias was there to save you!"

"But he is the reason I...."

"I have had it with your escapades. You shall have no more privileges! No horse, no knifes, no bow, no weapon of any kind! No anything!"

"That is not fair! It is not MY fault that I have been kept in a gilded cage all of my life! Do you want to know why I sneak off or do the things I do? It is because of YOU! It is the fact that you have kept me from doing the things that I so want to do, therefore I must do them behind your back!" Tears started to form in her eyes as the truth was finally said.

"Do NOT raise your voice at me!"

"I would raise my voice to Sauron himself if it would make you see through your own world into others!" She turned and began to walk to the door.

"Do not turn your back on me!" The king roared

"NO! I'm through with being locked up like some fragile bird! I need to fly, father." She said a little softer, "Will you not grant me that privilege?"

The king lowered his voice, "Daughter, you are the only heir to the throne of Ardenwood. If something should happen to me, Ardenwood would need a ruler. I cannot let you leave the safety of the palace to travel into unknown danger. You are not old enough!" His temper then returned. "And if you think that after today, I would let you leave my sight for even one minute then you are sorely mistaken!"

"Father! You cannot keep me locked up like a child! I'm leaving and there is nothing you can do about it!" She turned again and opened the door.

"If you walk out of that door, don't ever think about coming back." Was this father's last attempt at keeping his baby elfling a little girl forever.

Silent tears stung her eyes as she replied, without turning around, "I am sorry father, but I am suffocating here. I must go." She took one more step forward. "I love you, ada." She whispered almost inaudibly as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Her father sank into the chair he had so recently occupied. Tears streaming down his cheeks as his grief overwhelmed him. "Oh Valar, what have I done?"

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