Chapter Four
Daralis stared, unbelieving, at who she saw. It was him, just as he had been in the pictures, same golden hair, same sapphire eyes.
After several moments of just staring at each other, she was greeted with the same dazzling smile.
"Yendeamin." Daralis' eyebrows slanted down in a frown at her father.
"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here until tomorrow."
"When I heard that you had appeared, I came all the faster. " He was stepping closer to her, his eyes shining with tears. When he put his arms out to embrace her, however, she stepped back warily.
"Don't touch me," she hissed lowly. Legolas stood there in shock, eyes wide.
"How can you say such a thing to me?"
"Easy enough! How could you leave us like that?" Now Legolas was frowning.
"Your mother bade me go. I told her I wanted not to, but she asked it so eagerly of me.. After all she had done for me, I could never have denied her any request." Daralis turned on her heel and stormed away from him, seeing red. Her mother would have never done that; she would have known that her daughter needed a father.
Finally, she found her bedroom. As soon as she had closed the door behind her and slid down its length with tears in her eyes, soft knocking was heard upon the door. She stood up quickly, and opened it, to be face to face for the second time in all her nineteen years with her father.
She quickly wiped her eyes, crossed her arms and threw him a glare, which was met with confusion.
"Why is it, Yendeamin Daralis, that you harbor such ill will against me?" She turned away from him quickly, because the question infuriated her. If she didn't even know, how was she supposed to tell him? A part of her wanted to leap into his arms, and tell him of her life, and get to know him. She naturally felt love for him, he was her father, but the anger she also felt, that drowned out complete love and trust, she couldn't explain.
But apparently, something inside of her could, as she had whirled around to face him again, and began speaking, her volume raising steadily while she did.
"You want to know why? I'll tell you why. It's because of you that I was alone!"
"When were you ever alone? Surely your mother must have taken care of you?"
"Yes. She did. But when I sat in that hospital room by myself, and held her hand while she died, alone, there was noone to come home to, noone to help me through it, noone for anything! She left, she left me, and if you hadn't already done the same, I would have had someone, anyone, to be there for me!"
She blinked, causing the blistering tears in her eyes to cascade down her flushed cheeks, and she saw for the first time since the beginning of her emotional tirade the horrified look on Legolas' face.
"What did you say? Rhiannon.. she is but she cannot be." Daralis paused, studied his face quickly, and continued.
"She died. Two days ago."
"How?" There was abhorrence and shock in his face, trepidation in his whispered voice, and devastated tears in his eyes.
"She She just started getting weaker, and depressed, and she would go into her room for hours at a time, sometimes she wouldn't eat. I had to force feed her once. It was the worst thing I have ever had to do.
"It went on like that for years, before finally she was so weak that she had to go to the hospital, and she- she died two weeks after that." Daralis' eyes were facing the floor, and her mind was racing, as if retelling the story made it all true- when all she wanted to believe was that it had never happened.
The anger she felt reared up again.
"But it's not as if you care. And that's why I'm angry- you didn't even care about my mother enough to stay. And if you had stayed, she probably wouldn't have-" Legolas' face became clouded in anger.
"If I had not left, Rhiannon would never have come to existence, and neither would you. How you can say such things to me, I shall never know, but I can tell you this. I loved Rhiannon more than anything. Which is why I left. I had to put her, and you, above myself and what I wanted. So I came back to complete what I then knew would be the future. What do you think I would rather have been doing? Raising my child alongside the love of my expansive, unending life, or roaming Middle Earth and becoming an inactive figurehead in my realm, attending the pointless councils and boresome dinners of my fathers?"
His words produced nothing, which was made obvious when Daralis looked him straight in the eyes, those glowing blue orbs whose brilliance mirrored her own, and spat back,
"I think I'm beginning to be glad you left."
"I will never be," he responded, sorrow in his voice. It softened his daughter.
"Well, at least you remember her as being beautiful, don't you?"
"Yes, but it makes no difference. I did not fall in love with her beauty. I would rather have had decades of memories, no matter the appearance or condition, than the short time we had together." When Daralis said nothing, he continued.
"Do you know, daughter mine, that constantly, every second we had together, every word, every experience runs continually through my mind? Before her, it was the call of the sea, but after I returned, it was nothing but she. Those memories are all I have, and I have promised myself never to forget them. I gave her that necklace, " He said, gesturing to the chain around Daralis' neck. She placed her hand over the stone. Tears were now running down her cheeks hurriedly, as if they had somewhere to be, a meeting they were late for on the front of her gown.
"And now," Legolas went on, "You have come. I can see your mother in you. You have her eyes."
"But not her color."
"You are right, Yende. The color is mine." Daralis looked at him again and realized that he was right.
And then finally, finally and for the first time, she embraced her father.
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Daralis arose the next morning with a headache. After staying up for hours talking with her father, she had lain in her new bed wide awake for hours, thinking about her mother. She still had her necklace on, and was rubbing the stone, staring at the dark velvet above her head, when a knock at the door announced Imsiriel's arrival.
"Princess, you have missed breakfast already. The court is curious about you, and Prince Legolas is worried. Are you well?"
"I'm fine, Imsi, I'm just sleepy. Did my father tell you that we met last night?"
"Yes, he did inform me of that."
"Well, good. After that, we stayed up talking and then, I laid awake thinking about my mother." She sat up and turned towards Imsiriel. "Do you think she can see me, Imsi? Like, right now, see me? Because I've been thinking, and I think that if she can, she's happy. She knew what I went through without him, and she'd be so happy if she could see me right now, wherever she is."
Imsiriel had taken on an extremely uncomfortable look.
"Princess, I do not believe that it is my place to speak with you over such things."
"It's a simple yes or no question, Imsi."
"Princess, please. I cannot. Excuse me." And she left, leaving Daralis worried and saddened. But not solaced.
Five minutes later, Legolas entered the room, a concerned look on his face.
"What is the matter, Daralis?" By then, tears were filling her eyes, as they had become prone to doing lately.
"It's nothing. I'm just sleepy."
"Imsiriel said that you were troubled, Daralis."
"I'm fine. I am hungry, though."
"Look at me, Daralis." His tone was more commanding, and she did so. He gazed at her with a piercing stare before speaking.
"Your mother is on your mind." Daralis sighed.
"My mother has been on my mind my entire life."
"But now, you are distressed."
"It's nothing." Daralis stood, and went to the door. Opening it, she spoke briefly. "I'm hungry, can we go down and get something to eat?"
"Well, in your nightclothes, you cannot." Daralis looked down sheepishly.
"Oh."
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After a two hour ordeal with Imsiriel, Daralis was finally ready to eat. Unfortunately, something had been brought up for her, and she was no longer hungry.
"Talk about 'all dressed up and no where to go'", she muttered to herself, hair pinned, face powdered and accented, and pale pink dress of satin fastened tight. Her mother's necklace was again around her neck. Imsiriel, hearing her, spoke while collecting her night gown for the laundresses.
"You have complete freedom over this kingdom, Princess. I am sure you can find something to do that will interest you."
"Any suggestions?"
"You could go to the archery targets, the stables, the gardens, or the bathing springs," Imsiriel replied.
"I can't shoot a bow, I can't ride a horse, and I'm not quite ready for communal bathing, so I guess the gardens it is. Could you tell me where they are?"
"Yes, Princess. You leave from the west exit of the Royal Family Wing, which you will get to by turning right from this room, and going straight past eight halls, then turning left at the fork you shall come to, and going right again after thirteen doors. After you have left, the gardens are five-hundred paces northeast."
"Umm.. okaaaay." Imsiriel looked pleased.
"Splendid. I must go now and give these to the laundresses, find out what will be served tonight and plan your dress accordingly, and go to the seamstress to see if she has finished any of the clothes that were commissioned for you." She gave her dependent a nod, and turned and left before Daralis could protest.
Daralis stood, went to her door, and opened it, trying to remember the directions to the gardens. "
"Okay turn right, go past four halls? No, that's not enough six halls, yes, that sounds right. Okay. " At the sixth hall, she turned left, beginning her turmoil. She counted thirteen doors, and turned right, to be faced with a grand hall filled with what looked like girls her own age, perhaps a year or two older, done up more than she was and simply milling around. Confused, she stepped down the spiraling staircase, lifting her belled gown as she went. The girls slowly, one by one began to pause and look at her. She stepped off the last step, every eye in the grand room on her, immensely uncomfortable.
Daralis shifted slowly through the room, very aware of her audience, in a desperate search for a familiar face. There were four that she knew in this kingdom, and none of them were present. Finally, she just paused, turned around and decided to ask for help. She went to one of the girls, and spoke.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where the gardens are?" She was met with an expression of utter confusion.
" Amin uume lle sairya." A look of apology was on her fair face.
"Great, that's just fucking perfect," she muttered under her breath. And then, she watched and listened a the girls in the hall gasped, and began primping their hair, and dresses, looking collectively at the head of the staircase. She turned, and, relieved, saw Legolas.
"Your mother liked that word, as well, Daralis." With a smile (which caused little whimpers and sighs from the crowd), he descended to his child.
"I have been looking all over for you!" He exclaimed, giving her a peck on the cheek.
Then, taking one of her arms in his and without so much as glancing at the occupants of the hall, he led her back up the staircase, leaving surprised, impressed, and jealous she-elves behind them.
Elvish Translation:
Amin uume lle sairya. - I can't understand you.
Okay, I know - MEAN CLIFFHANGER! Last chapter, I mean, Which is why I've put this one up so soon. Also, it's to sort of calm you - I'm going to be out of town this weekend, and then next week is finals week, so really, you shouldn't expect an update until next weekend. And I also know that I hadn't updated in general for a while, but that's because I was writing! And I think that's it. Yeah.
Maybe if you leave a review, I can do well on my finals.
P.S. I'm really not kidding about the reviews- they make me SOOOOO happy. I think they're really amazing, and usually when I have a lot, I end up updating whether I planned to or not. Okay, that's it.