Chapter 3
"After I had read it, one the elders asked me if I thought it was true. I looked at both names on the bottom, and I recognized both of them. One was the name of an elf and the other was a human. I told them that I knew both names and that it was a very old document. My guess is that it was recorded at the same time as the pact was made. As soon as I had said that the elders exchanged looks and I was dismissed. The next day everyone was summoned to the town square for a meeting, where we were informed of some changes. The first change was that Jocen had been chosen to fill the dead elder's position, which came as no surprise to anyone. He had always wanted to be powerful and rich. The second change was that effective immediately neither Thariel nor myself were to be permitted to leave the city. I had no problem with it as I never left the city, but Thariel was a different story. Even though she was very young, she would often go out into the woods by herself, and she could not bear the thought of not being able to do it. She stood up to Jocen and the elders. She told them that it was not fair to single us out just because we were elves. She had every right to leave the city if she so desired. Most of the village agreed with her. Then Jocen said something that seemed to take all the fight out of her. His exact words were, You do not want to meet the same fate that your mother did, do you.? Thariel froze as everyone else gasped. I got angry. How dare he throw her mother's death at her. I wanted to smash my fist into his face, but I held myself back. Instead I watched Thariel. She looked up at him and in a serious voice said, 'I am an elf. When I choose to leave the city you will not be able to stop me.' Without another word she turned and started to walk away. The superior smirk that had been on Jocen's face quickly slid off. She didn't know it at first, but she had made an enemy of Jocen. From that day on he's tried to make her life miserable. He's had her followed and on several occasions I've been told he's made derogatory remarks about her in public."
"Unfortunately, it is not only him any more. Most of the town avoids her now. "
"Is that why you told her to avoid the square," Legolas asked. Beriel nodded.
"Of course, she usually does. She has the uncanny knack of knowing who she can trust. Those people are getting to be few and far between though. Most of the townspeople have been getting pressure from Jocen and his friends to avoid Thariel. Right now I would say there are only two, perhaps three families that I trust anymore."
"When we came into town we were greeted by a young man called Codian. Thariel seemed to trust him. Is his one of the families you trust," Aragorn asked.
"Yes. Codian, his sister Muria, and his father Coniel live two houses down from here. The other family I trust are Jilien and her husband Tolon. The only other one is the town merchant. We've been friends of old, but I know that Jocen is pressuring him to cut all ties with us."
"Why is he doing this? It's almost as if he's trying to drive you out of town," Aragorn mused.
"I've puzzled over his motives but can come up with no good answers. I've decided that his motives are no longer important. What is important is my daughter. Even though she says nothing to me, I know the situation weighs heavily on her. I do not want my daughter raised this way. I can not abandon the city, and I will not sacrifice my daughter for it. That is why you are here. You are going to take Thariel to live in Rivendell."
Legolas and Aragorn looked at him then at each other.
"Does Thariel know you are sending her to Rivendell," Legolas asked.
"No, and that may be problem."
"A problem," Aragon queried.
"I love my daughter, but I am not blind to her faults. She can be headstrong and stubborn. She may put up a fight," Beriel admitted to them. "I'll speak to her tonight. I'd like to see you leave by tomorrow night, and certainly no later than the following evening. The sooner she is away from Conath is all the sooner she will be safe." He stood up.
"Would you fine fellows care for a tour of the town. It may be helpful to know the layout. Just be careful of what you say to people is all I ask of you." They nodded, and together the three of them left the house.
