Hebo Estel

Chapter Six: Relizations

A/N: Hello, everyone! This is the sixth chapter! Hurrah! Well, I'd like to thank LothirielofRohan for being my new beta, and forhelping me out.

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Outside the palace of Minas Tirith, there was a vast courtyard. In it was a fountain, and next to it a white tree. The courtyard came to a point, and if one stood at the point, one could plainly see the fields of Pellanor, and Osgiliath beyond.

As the noon bell rang, this is where Delyth stood, tears flowing down her cheeks, and the wind throwing her dark hair all about her. Suddenly, there came a great sound of someone blowing a horn, and Delyth recognized it to be Boromir's. Squinting her eyes, she could just make out a lone horseman, riding away from the city. Seeing him riding away made Delyth's sobs even more intense, because she knew that Boromir had left, and she knew that there was a chance that she may never see him again.

Delyth fled to her bedchamber, which was a small, unkempt room that she shared with her older sister, Eirien, and her younger sister, Dera. Eirien was there, lying on their bed and staring at nothing. She started when she saw Delyth enter, crying so violently.

"Delyth! You poor thing! Don't worry! Boromir will return!" Eirien said, frantically trying to calm her sister down. Dilwyn entered just then, and joined Eirien in her attempt to soothe Delyth.

"Father!" Delyth sobbed, clutching at his shirt. "Father, Boromir has left!"

"I know, I know, dear."

"But, Father, I could've gone with him! He asked me to go to Rivendell with him and marry him there, but I wouldn't, and--"

"Whoa, hold on there, Delyth!" interrupted the cook. He waited until Delyth's sobs turned into sniffles, and then said, "Now, my dear, tell me the whole story, if you please."

Delyth took a shallow breath and began her story. "Boromir returned to his chambers after telling his father he wanted to marry me soon after I had arrived there. He said that the Steward was very angry, and that he threatened to have you removed from the kitchens. Boromir assured me that this was an empty threat, but then told me that I would have to work in the stables for awhile to keep me away from him."

"The stables?" Eirien gasped. She sat back on the bed, her eyes widened in shock. "You can't work there! We need you here!" Dilwyn nodded in agreement.

"I know," said Delyth. "That's what I said, also. But Boromir asked me to go away with him to Rivendell. He wants to abandon his title and live with me there, if we are welcome. I, of course, told him that there was no way I could ever do that."

"So, after all of the trouble you two went through to keep it a secret, you give up, just like that?" Dilwyn bellowed, folding his arms.

Delyth said, "Father, I did not give up!" Dilwyn gave her a meaningful look. "All right, I gave up," she admitted. "But you have to understand how hard it was for us! If he tried to marry me, than he would be punished for disobeying the Steward, and you would be kicked out of the palace, and then our whole family would suffer. I could even get exiled! I couldn't do that to the family."

Dilwyn suddenly looked very grave. "No. No, I suppose it would be unwise to go against the word of the Steward." He paused, looking thoughtful.

"Delyth, I don't think you should give up Boromir just for us," Eirien said slowly. "I know this must sound horrible, but I think you have to choose."

Delyth furrowed her brows and looked inquisitively at her older sister. "Choose? Between what?"

"Between who." Eirien corrected. "Us, or Boromir."

Delyth's eyes widened considerably. "Choose?" she exclaimed. "I could never do that! I love you all too much!"

"Hear me out, sister," Eiren said rather calmly. "Look, Boromir isn't a man to make hasty decisions. Even I know that, and I only serve his meals. He must have been planning on taking you with him to Rivendell for quite some time. Don't you think, that if he had already planned it all out, that he would know what he was doing? You immediately assume that if you married him, the worst would happen, And maybe it would. All I'm saying is that maybe he knows how to make this work; how you can both be happy.

"Look at it this way: in twenty years, do you see yourself with Boromir, married with children, or do you see yourself serving his meals, old and alone?"

Delyth was about to protest, but then closed her mouth and thought. She tried to think of her future, but all she saw was Boromir. She saw his intense silver eyes, and his dark brown hair. She saw his stern, proud face, with its strong jaw and handsome chin. With a sudden realization, Delyth knew that would only ever love Boromir, and that she would never stop thinking about him, no matter how hard she tried. "I see myself with him, or at least, that's what I hope for," she whispered, as if talking to herself.

"That's what I thought," the old cook nodded.

"But, Eirien," said Delyth, "I don't see why that matters. And why must I choose?"

Eirien sighed, sounding like she did when she had to tell the twins not to run in the kitchen. "Delyth, if you went with Boromir, you would have him, and you would be able to return and see us once in awhile. If you stayed here and worked in the stables, you would see us only rarely, and you would never be with Boromir again. So here lies your choice. Should you choose Boromir, things will be very hard at first, and you may not see us for a long time. If you choose us, you will work in the stables, continue to live in the palace, and watch Boromir from afar. Which choice sounds more appealing to you?"

"Well," said Delyth, "that's quite obvious, I think. But I cannot do that. The Steward would not accept it, and father, you would be kicked out of the kitchens for good."

Dilwyn was silent for a moment, thinking very hard, and then he finally said, "Not if you weren't my daughter."

"What?"

"Well," the cook said, his round face breaking into a sly smile, "if you weren't my daughter, the Steward wouldn't punish me."

"Father, I am your daughter. There really is no way around that. I'm not sure I understand your meaning." Delyth looked at him, her face scrunched up with confusion.

"There is a way around it, though," said Dilwyn. "I could go in front of the Steward and tell him that I disown you, so that your actions would not affect me."

"Father!" cried Eirien. "That's brilliant! Then Delyth can go after Boromir now, and I'm sure the Steward will let you stay on as the cook!"

"Exactly."

Delyth couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That doesn't make any sense, father. If you disown me, then I won't see you ever again."

Dilwyn frowned. "No, I think you'd see me again. A very, very long time from now. But we would see each other again."

Delyth's eyes swelled with tears again. She lunged at her father's chest and sobbed as he wrapped his strong arms around him. "Father! Oh, father. I couldn't leave you! I'm not ready to leave you. I'm too young! Please, please, father!"

The cook chuckled and patted his daughter's back gently. "My dear, dear Delyth. I'm getting old. I am learning that I need to let go of my girls, as much as I love them. I will miss you terribly, and think of you all the time, but we both need to let go." Delyth sniffled. "Remember when you two were very young, and your mother and I showed you that bird that had made her nest in the bushes next to the door to the Great Hall of Feasts?"

When both girls nodded slowly, Dilwyn continued. "Do you remember how we watched the mother watch over her eggs, and feed them once they had hatched? Remember when the little baby birds learned to fly? Remember the day when the mother bird pushed her babies out of the nest and watched them fly away for good? Do you think the mother still loved her babies, even though she had made them leave?"

"Yes," Delyth responded, knowing where he father was going.

"Well," smiled Dilwyn, "that's how I feel. I love you girls more than anything, but I have to let you out of the nest; you need to lead your own lives. You are women now, not little girls."

Delyth sighed and rested her head on her father's shoulder, and felt Eirien lean on her father's other shoulder. "Father," she whispered, "I love you, too. I think I am ready to fly." She heard a muffled agreement from Eirien and smiled.

The hours between one o'clock and five o'clock were usually the only hours the girls got to themselves. They didn't have to start making the Steward's dinner until five, because he liked to eat at seven. After the Steward and his sons had finished their evening meal, it took a very long time to clean the table and the kitchen, so sometimes they didn't get to bed until ten o'clock at night. And after getting up at dawn, they were always very tired. Of course, Delyth often stayed up even later to be with Boromir.

Sometimes, they ran errands, and sometimes they did other things to help their father. But usually, for those few hours they had to themselves, they would stay in their bedrooms and talk to each other, or, now that they were older, go out into the city and explore.

Delyth rested on her bed and stared up at the dark, musty ceiling, which looked like it was about to fall at any moment, and thought about Boromir. She thought about his soft lips, and the way his dark hair fell into his eyes. She remembered the way his eyes lit up when he saw her, and the way they burned with desire when he held her in his arms. She remembered one night when they had slept on his balcony together, and they had looked at all the stars, and she had felt so… at home.

And now he's gone, Delyth thought sadly. I should have gone with him. I should have married him. I am such a fool!

And hour later, Delyth fell asleep, and she dreamed that she and Boromir were living in the country side with their children.

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! Please REVIEW!