Chapter 3

Your chances of getting hit by lightening go up if you stand under a tree, shake your fist at the sky, and say, "Storms Suck!" – Johnny Carson

A month later, there was a knocking on our door. I wiped my hands on a dishtowel and ran to the door, opening it.

Father stood in front of me, his hands holding the reins to the most beautiful horse I had ever seen with a mane of pure white. I gasped, but not because of the horse: it was because of father. He was changed.

His hair had turned a worried white, and his eyes were dull. His clothing was worn, and his hopeful, smiling face was replaced by one of woe. In one hand he carried a bulging saddlebag; in the other he carried a blood red rose.

"Father?" I whispered, reaching out of the doorway.

"It is I," he said, smiling grimly. "Who else did you expect? A ghost?"

I stood there dumbly, my mouth hanging open like that of a lunatic in the streets. I was too surprised to do anything. Where was the gold? The jewels? Some small sign that we were wealthy now?

"May I come in?" father asked.

My brain started working again. "Oh… yes, father, come in! We've missed you…" I stared at the rose in his hand. It was the most beautiful flower that I had ever seen… was it meant for me?

"Yes," he said, reading my mind, "This is your rose, and you'll never know how much it cost me."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "And where's everything else? Where is the gold and the glasses for Briac and-"

My father put up a hand to silence me. "I will tell you everything, but first… I'm tired. Might I lie down and rest?"

"Oh… yes…" I said, leading him into his bedroom. I took the saddlebag and nearly dropped it. It was much to heavy for its size.

Father sighed loudly. "It's so good to be home…"

Something in his voice caught my ear. "Father? Are… are you all right?"

"I'm fine. "He glanced at me as though he barely recognized me. "I will tell you everything when I am rested."

"If you're sure…" I murmured.

He let himself drop onto his bed and closed his eyes, falling asleep instantly. I looked down at him with worry in my mind. Now that I was close to him, I could see that he was much thinner than before. I leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"I love you, Father."

-

The next day, father came out of his room. He was still looking rather old and worn, but he was a little more alert. He found the rest of us in the kitchen with mugs of weak tea.

"So what happened?" Rowena asked, looking at him expectantly. "Did you get my pearls?"

"I will tell you what happened from the beginning." Father said. "Please listen carefully. I don't want to repeat myself."

"Go ahead, father." I murmured.

He sighed. "I headed strait for our old town the moment that I left your sight. I travelled for about two weeks and arrived in the town square shortly after noon. I went strait to the address in the letter and… it turns out that the letter was a mistake. The gentleman that died wasn't related to me. We spoke at a pub once. That was all. His real relatives were located shortly after the letter was sent."

"That's terrible!" I cried.

"I tried to come home as soon as I could, but there was a hail storm a few miles out of town." Father went on, brushing my remark off. "I got lost, and ended up wandering around in circles for a few days. Soon after my detour I happened upon an incredible castle. I was very hungry, and extremely tired, so I decided to go inside. Luckily, the doors were unlocked, and I was able to let myself in. There was a meal already laid out for whomever owned this castle, but I was starving. Hoping that he or she would understand, I devoured the meal."

"Was it good?" Aisling asked.

"It was delicious, like nothing I had ever tasted before." Father replied, smiling unenthusiastically. "After I had eaten my fill, I wandered the halls, searching for my host, but found no one. Instead, I found a beautiful room with a very comfortable bed inside. I couldn't resist; I lay down upon the bed and slept. A few hours later, I woke up and it was morning. I searched again for my host, and again I found no one. I did, however, find another meal laid out for me. I ate again, and then saddled up the horse to leave."

"So, you never met the person who owned the castle?" Briac asked.

Father shook his head sorrowfully. "I did meet him, when I was just leaving the castle. You see… there were hedges of roses as far as the eye could see in all different shades and colours, and I thought of you Adara. Aisling," father continued, "I'm sorry. I couldn't get the doll, candy, glasses or any of the other beautiful gifts."

"That's alright, father." Aisling, Rowena and Briac said in unison, Rowena's voice by far the most disappointed. It was, after all, her birthday. She was eleven years old now and no one had marked the event with even a tiny celebration.

"I just couldn't bear to disappoint Adara as well," Father went on, "So I went to pluck a rose from the hedge nearest to the doorway. At that moment, I heard a roar."

"Were you scared, father?" Aisling asked.

"I was, but I was more terrified when I turned and found a hideous monster standing right in front of me…"

-

Torin had seen this traveller as an opportunity to break the spell. If he was kind to the traveller and gave him food and shelter, perhaps the spell would break…

… But when the ingrate had the audacity to steal one of his roses, Torin was infuriated. With an enraged roar, Torin leapt out the door and raced towards the ungrateful intruder.

The intruder had fallen to his knees, his face twisted in terror at Torin's hideousness. Torin knew this and it only infuriated him more.

"You will pay dearly for your treachery…" Torin growled. It had taken him years to get used to moving and speaking in this body, but now that he had the hang of it he used these talent to his advantage. He hunched over like a savage beast and lowered his voice to a depth beyond human capability.

The human had the courage to speak. "P-please, sir… f-forgive me if I have done anything to upset you."

"You have upset me!" Torin hissed. "I supply you with a room, and food, and you repay me with theft? Now you will pay with your life!"

"No!" the man cried. "Please, don't kill me! I have a family. If I were to disappear… they'd have no money. They'd starve."

"Your family is of little importance to me." Torin snapped. "And if they were important to you, you should have stayed home."

Quickly, the man spun a story of poverty and false hopes. He spoke of his poor children going without and the death of his lovely wife. He went on to tell Torin about the gifts his children had asked for, saying, "All Adara asked for was a rose. I couldn't stand to disappoint her as well. She works so hard! Please, sir, you must understand, I meant your roses no harm!"

Torin paused for a long moment, thinking. The trespasser would still pay, there was no doubt about that… but perhaps he could pay in a way that benefited Torin as well.

"I will let you go free," He offered, "If you will give me one of your daughters."

"Never!" the human cried. "I won't let you kill my daughter in my place."

"You misunderstand me, old man," Torin replied. He was beginning to like this new idea. "She is to come of her own free will. And, you have my word, no harm will come to her if she is to stay here."

"I… I can't possibly do that." The trespasser said. "My daughters would never subject themselves to this…"

Torin went on as if he hadn't heard. "You have a week to stay with your family and decide. After that you are to return to me, with or without your daughter. If you don't, I will come to collect you."

"Y-yes, sir." The man whimpered.

Torin bent down to retrieve the rose that the man had dropped when he appeared, holding it out for him to take it. "Here, take this to your eldest daughter. When it wilts, you will know that it is time to return to me."

After a brief hesitation, the human took the rose. "Yes."

"And take a horse from the stable." Torin added as an afterthought. "The white one, Lightening. She's one of my fastest horses. She'll be able to cover the distance from here to your home in half the time that your old horse could. After you come back, with or without your daughter, she will go back to your home, so you can keep her."

"But-"

"Go now." Torin turned and left him, "Or you'll be late getting home."

-

After hearing fathers story, the five of us were silent. I felt extremely guilty. All of this, just because of my stupid little rose. This was my fault. Why did I have to pick that, when I could have chosen rubies, or pearls, or something of the like?

"I will go." I whispered.

"Nonsense!" father murmured. "I will go. You will stay here and care for the family once I am gone."

"No, father." I murmured. "I am the one who asked for the rose when you offered everything else. I should go."

"No, Adara!" Briac cried. "Let that monster come for Father! When he knocks on our door, Father and I will kill him, and then we shall take his castle. Ha! We shall be rich after all."

"You can't see more than three feet ahead of yourself without squinting." Rowena snapped. "How do you suppose you're going to kill the monster without shooting yourself in the foot?"

Briac cleared his throat, avoiding his eyes. "I don't know."

"Leave him alone, Rowena." I muttered.

"I don't want the monster to come to our house!" Aisling sobbed, oblivious to the alternative.

"Father," I insisted. "I asked for the rose. I will go."

"No."

"If you don't let me go, I'll steal away in the night." I replied. "I'm going no matter what you say."

"No." he repeated. "I won't have you killed by that… that beast."

"Father," I murmured, "He said no harm would come to me."

"He was lying." Briac cut in. "All he wants is to-"

"Who knows," I interrupted him before he could destroy my sudden courage with tales of gore and fear. "This beast may turn out to be… compassionate."

"How on earth could you think that?" Rowena asked. "He nearly tore father's head off for the sake of a rose!"

I picked the rose off of the table and held it delicately, watching so I couldn't prick my finger on a thorn. I ran a finger along the soft petals, marvelling at their texture.

"Maybe someone who loves roses so much won't be so bad." I murmured.

"Roses are pretty." Aisling agreed.

"Yes," I replied, trying to smile at her sweet face, "Roses are very pretty."

"I appreciate that you're trying to be positive about this," Father muttered, trying to keep his voice from rising in anger, "But be reasonable. This creature could kill you without a second thought. You can't just waltz over there and expect him to treat you decently because he likes roses."

"Father, I am going and that's that." I replied, laying the rose on the table again. "If you don't like it, I'll leave in the middle of the night and then you won't be able to say goodbye."

He glared at me. "I'll lock you in your room if I have to."

"Fine. And then what happens?" I asked. "With you gone, who's going to earn money for our food?"

"… You may have to earn money for a few years, until Briac is old enough." He admitted.

"And then who takes care of the meals?" I challenged, "And who watches Aisling and makes sure that she's happy?"

"Rowena and Briac can, until-"

"Rowena can't tell the difference between a ladle and a hole in the ground, and the only thing she'd watch is her own face in the mirror." I snapped. "And how is Briac supposed to watch Aisling when he can't see more than three feet in front of him. How can he cook without hurting himself?"

Father put a hand to his head. "It would just be until he's a little stronger, so he can do manual work-"

"No one in their right mind will hire him when he can't see." I replied. "And no one is going to pay me a decent wage. You know that. Without you, we'll starve."

Rowena chewed her lip while Briac tried to see further than three feet without squinting. All he managed to do was look like a drunken sailor.

Father closed his eyes, murmuring, "What am I supposed to do?"

"You have to let me go." I replied, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart. "Better to lose one child than all four."

Father refused to open his eyes. He didn't reply, but his shoulders drooped enough to let me know that I had won.

I stood, trying my best not to sigh. "I'll make supper."

-

One week later, I stared at the wilting rose on our kitchen table, deciding that I had made a terrible mistake.

It had been a strange week. Father stalked around the house as if he was a zombie, and Rowena sobbed every time she looked at me. Briac looked at me with big, sad eyes, and little Aisling barely ever smiled or even spoke to me.

Father refused to speak of the creature after he told us that horrid story, so I knew nothing about him. I had no idea how the monster looked, or how tall he was, or anything else like that. I had no idea what to expect.

I had packed my belongings up. It was rather pitiful. I had only three dresses including the one that I was to wear while riding to this castle, a brush, the ring the my father had given my mother the day of their wedding, and a gold necklace with a small locket hanging off of it. In the locket, there was a tiny strand of my mother's hair.

I gathered my things and went outside. I had said my goodbyes late that night. It was early and it had taken long enough to get the children to bed. I didn't want to wake them up.

I went into the stable to find that father was already there, putting the saddle on Lightening. He looked up upon my arrival. "Are you ready?"

I nodded, my heart cold. "I am."

We rode silently throughout the day, giving me plenty of time to think. Or, rather, to worry about what was to befall me whence we came to the castle. This monster of father's had promised that I would stay safe, but… well, that was a fine thing to believe when you were safe in your house, but I was riding towards my fate now.

And all for a stupid rose.

I felt a strange surge of hope after a few hours as my mind began to twirl ideas of freedom. Maybe I would wake up in the morning, back at home. Maybe this was all a bad dream. Maybe-

"We'll be there soon." Father said quietly.

All hopes that I had crashed down on top of me. "Oh…"

"You know… Adara…" he began, swallowing hard. "You can turn back now, if you want… I'll go in your place…"

"No!" I exclaimed. "Father, you have to go home. Briac needs a father, and Rowena can do all of my work if she really wants to. And Aisling needs you more than she needs me. Besides, he promised you that no harm would come to me."

Father didn't give up so easily. "You are too young to make such a hasty choice."

"Father, if I am old enough to raise three children and fix their supper, I'm sure that I am old enough to make a decision like this." I said.

"I didn't mean for you to grow up this way." He murmured, "When you were born, I had such big plans for you… and then I took that stupid bet… and then, when your mother died…" I heard him choke back a sob. "I'm sorry. I know how I've ruined my children's lives… and especially you, Adara. I can't even begin to imagine how hard all of this must have been on you."

"It's been fine." I replied, feeling thoroughly guilty for bringing up this torrent of emotions. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You've been a wonderful father."

This seemed to calm him a bit. It was strange, how the thought of leaving someone you loved suddenly made your memory of them into something beautiful. I knew that my father was far from perfect in his parenting, but as I tried to recall his mistakes, all I could remember where happier times.

"Was I really a good father to you?" he asked.

"The best." I assured him.

-

I stood in front of the castle gate, staring inwards. There were thousands of beautiful rose bushes beckoning to me with their beauty. Not a petal or leaf was out of place.

I was repulsed.

"Adara, I know that we've talked about this…" father said, holding my shoulders and looking into my eyes, "But I… you can still turn back now…"

I smiled in spite of myself. "No, father," I replied, a tear resting on the brim of my eye, "It is my choice… I am the one who should go…"

At that moment, the great gates opened. Father jumped back, and I turned again to face the ominous rose bushes. I tried not to picture the monster that waited for me in the castle.

"I should say good bye now, father." I murmured, my voice void of emotion. "I couldn't bear to say good bye… in there…"

"Please, Adara, let me at least-"

"No, please. I would rather it be done here." I replied.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he half-heartedly ruffled my hair. "Alright…. I… I will miss you…"

"You know I hate it when you do that." I murmured.

"I know." he said, his voice flat with hopelessness. He was certain, just as I was, that I was to die upon entering that castle.

I gave him a sad smile and carefully erased the emotion from my voice. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

I took my bag off of the horse and then stepped into the castle courtyard. As I turned back to give my father one last hug, the gates slammed shut.

I bit my lip. "You should be going soon, father… they'll worry."

He nodded, mounting his horse and taking the other's reigns. "I love you…"

Something startled the horses and they began to snort and prance uneasily. I could see that father was having a hard time controlling them until they finally decided that they'd had enough and they turned, trotting for home.

"I love you, too." I murmured, turning towards the castle door.

-

A dark figure stood at one of the windows, watching the old man and his daughter outside. Finally, the girl turned and came towards the castle.

"She came…" he whispered.

-

Well, I'm not as happy with this chapter because to me it seems long and boring. But you guys be the judge. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You all made my day!

This song is Hope and Memory from one of the Lord of the Rings soundtracks.