Chapter 11: Her father.
Celeste followed Elyon down the winding stairs and towards the dungeon. It was a place she had never been. Trembling almost violently, she joined Elyon at the edge of a well-like hole.
Elyon looked down into the pitch black. "Cedric! Wake up!" She called loud enough for him to sleep.
A low voice replied in an annoyed tone. "Why should I? Did you bring that child that you call mine? I don't want to see her." It snapped. Elyon signalled for her daughter to step forward and speak.
Celeste looked down at the blackness, steadying herself. Finally,she forced her lips to part. "Father...it's me. I'm your daughter, Celeste." She blurted. "I've always wanted to meet you."
A few rustling noises responded. "Good for you. Am I supposed to cry or something--say that I always wanted to meet you too?" The voice said after a moment. "Hardly. You mean less to me than your mother did."
Elyon stepped forward. "Cedric! You can at least try to be polite, can't you?" She snapped impatiently, eyes moving over to Celeste to make sure she was okay after his show of carelessness.
But Celeste shook her head. "Did you ever think of me? Even once in 18 years?" She demanded.
Cedric was quiet. Then his voice resounded around the room. "No."
Celeste blinked a few times--either from hurt or alarm, it wasn't sure. "Oh. Well. Step into the light, please." She added. But it wasn't so much a request as it was an order.
A blonde man stepped forward reluctantly. His green eyes matched Elrin's rather nicely, and Celeste had his hair color. In fact, Elrin could have been the man's twin. His eyes squinted up at Celeste, either from the light or annoyance.
Celeste gave a thoughtful nod. "You could have had it all, you know. You could have. I would have let you go, eventually. Because you were my father. But you know, I think Mother must be mistaken. My father was there when I took my first step, and he thinks of me every day. I don't know why I came down here." Celeste turned and smiled at Elyon. "Thank you, Mother. But next time when I ask you where my father is, show me into the den where Palar sits."
"How sweet." Cedric said sneeringly as he retreated into the shadows. "How touchingly sweet."
Celeste looked down at him. "Yeah. I guess it is sweet. Bye!" The mother and daughter walked up the stairs laughing, where Palar waited for them.
"Hi Father!" Celeste said cheerfully. "Come on, we have a wedding to have here in a few hours!"
The family escaped upstairs, laughing. But Elrin slipped down the stairs before the door shut.
