Chapter 2
I was the only person in my family that my father could trust. In fact, I was the only person who he could ever confine in and trust. We both knew it, we always had. I think it helped that we were of the same blood. After my mom died giving birth to me, I was the only one he had left to call family. My fathers parents had died shortly after my mom and father were married, and being an only child like both of his parent, he was left without any family. I don't know anything about my mother's side of the family, father refused to talk about them. I don't know why, because he would refuse to talk about them, I mean literally whenever I asked he would say just that "I refuse to talk about them."
My father was a merchant and he was always out traveling, that's why he knew he needed to get remarried. He wanted someone to look after the place as well as me. He had already fallen in love once and had yet to fall out of love, so he did not marry for love. Since he was a noble he knew he should marry another noble and took lady Thalia for a wife, making her my new step mom. Her husband had died from the coughing disease when it was still around. The coughing disease was horrible; it was where you couldn't stop coughing until…well, I would rather not say what. My step mother also had a daughter, whom I could tell was a spoiled brat from the moment I saw her, she was a pig in disguise that went by the name Kayra. Both of them had brown hair and brown eyes with perfectly arched eyebrows. There weren't anything special, just the usual court looking and speaking people.
Since my father was not around often, he and Thalia always remained on polite distant terms, never bothering to get to know one another. Father was only married to have someone look out after his home and daughter; she only married to have someone rich with lots of money and large estate, making it hers.
That's why when father was home he spent all his time with me, and only a little with Thalia and Kayra. That's also why I was the only one who knew father wasn't really a merchant. Actually, he was in a way; he just worked in the black market, so I am not sure about what you could call him. It started after my mom had died, we ran into some hard times. Around that time the king had hired a new tax collector, in charge of the kingdoms money. The king felt that it was a waste of time for him to do that, since he could spend that time doing other kingly duties, whatever they may be. Tollan used his position to get back at people and to steal gold, his favorite thing in the world. A while back he and father had quarreled as young boys over my mother, and father had won easily. Tollan still held a grudge and taxed my father heavily; and there was nothing father could do about it. Whenever he tried to talk to the king about it, the king would just absent mindedly tell him to talk to him about it later, or tell him to bring it up with Tollan. My father did the only thing he could do to pay for his taxes; he started working as a merchant in the black market, which brought him tons of money.
I think my father actually enjoyed it, cancel that, I knew he enjoyed it. He learned many tricks, like self defense, picking locks, and how to lie without someone's truth magic detecting it. My father taught me everything he ever learnt, which in some weird way made him feel better about working in the black market. Father never told Kayra and Thalia, and they were too thick to figure it out. They didn't even think it was weird that father never took any of his clients home, or thought twice, not even once, when he came home with black eyes. They just assumed it was a natural merchant behavior and happenings. As long as father brought home money, they probably would never think about it, which was good because Tollan continued to tax father, and father continued working in the black market to pay it off.
There was only one problem with father being gone, my step family. I knew they didn't like me, they even told me so. I don't really know why, maybe the just saw me as a nuisance. They hated buying me new clothes or anything in general, but they knew they had to, because if father would find out, they knew he would not think twice about dumping them in the streets, not caring about what the court would think. I was the reason father lived, even with his new job, I was the reason he would come home. They knew that if they did anything to hurt me and father found out, well, it would not be good for them.
Because of this protectiveness I was able to live with my step family; sometimes they would make me do chores, small enough that it wouldn't be a big deal if father found out. I knew as long as father was around I was safe. I knew that my father was getting old though, and he missed my mom terribly, and that he wouldn't be here forever. So I always treated my steps nicely, no matter how hard it was, I learned to hold back my tongue and bite back my anger, I stayed out of there way and they stayed out of mine.
But one day when I was 16, about to be introduced to court for a suitor, father came home one last time. He told me "It would be the last time I ever saw him at home, for he had found out something that would make us richer than the king and would stop Tollan from taxing us." But he told me he had "a riddle that would explain what it was," because he was bounded by magic and was prevented from speaking outright about what it was he knew.
"Aubree I tell you this only because if I fail, Tollan will come still demand what It is I'm seeking, because he knows not where it is and how to find it, and it shall stay that way. So I'm going to tell you, knowing I put your life in risk. I tell you because if I fail, I will be gone, If that happens you and I both know Thalia and Kayra will do whatever it is they can do to harm you, and if they found out my secret than they will use it to destroy you. So keep this in mind in case Tollan comes back one day and not I, so you can take your life into your own hands, rather than having yourself in someone else's hands to beg for mercy." My father sighed. He looked deep in thought; his dark brown hair with hazel eyes speckled with brown looked at me from under his bushy eyebrows. I knew he was thinking hard, because his callused hand was stroking his brown beard. I met his eyes and saw that he knew he wasn't going to make it through whatever it was he was doing. I saw how tired and worn out he had become. I felt filled with sadness for my father, for after my mother died, father's life had been far from easy.
I wrapped my arms around him and said, "father I love you, and I know whatever you do is for my own good. Please tell me this riddle; I will know what to do with it when the time comes, besides I learned from the best." Yes I know it was cheesy, but it had the effect I wanted and fathers face filled with amusement. With a nod he than spoke the riddle that would mean more to me than I knew:
"Over the hills when it becomes mountain land,
But before the Region of desert sand,
Behind the Golden Mountain,
Follow the path of the spraying green fountain.
To where life is lost and fortune sought,
Dwells the pool where time is caught.
In it, your reflection you can never see,
But the bottom you will find, this I guarantee,
The most desired by a heart of greed.
Be wary and do not allow yourself to be misled.
For you must constantly be aware,
That not all things are as they appear."
Father than stood "I must leave now, remember that I always love you, and great things can come of those who allow it." After a hug and kiss goodbye, I watched my dad leave me, seeing him for the last time.
A.N.- sorry it took me such a long time to update! ive been busy and the only time i have to update is on the weekands. this chapter is ALOT longer than chapter 1 as you can tell. Aubree (main person narrator) is sarcastic when it comes to humor, pay attention and you will catch it. Also i changed the name of tolan to tollan with 2 ll's by accident. o one last thing, i decided on her father career as merchant with inspiration from my brother. i asked him what job would be back in the Renaissance time and in which they would travel round alot, one other than merchant, and he said a bandit so i just decided to have him work in the black market.
Thanks so much to rainkisser (love that name by the way) and healergirl my 2 reviewers!