Post by Ailsa on Dec 20, 2014 22:56:05 GMT -5
Ailsa shook her head when she heard what Figwit had planned for the blacksmith's daughter. She was all to familiar with men like that and had barely escaped marriage to one. “I pray that it is only talk,” she said with a sigh. “If your friend should be missing from the training field one day, you may wish to check the wall of his shop for a new decoration. It may be too much to talk with the blacksmith himself, but perhaps I can talk with the daughter. I have the unfortunate honor of facing such boys before.”
From the way Eldarion's eyes widened, it was clear that he did NOT know of the gossip problem in the marketplace. She worried that the high elven court would learn of the news before they could return. At the mention of his sister, Ailsa lowered her head. “I do not wish to cause you grief,” she told him. “Perhaps you should leave me now and go to your family. You must speak to them before it is too late! You are honorable to think of me as an equal, but not all high-borns are as kind. Even if your own family will not shun you, I know many others that will.”
The blush on Ailsa face deepened when Eldarion said that he had noticed her movements the first day. “I hope that you are the only one to notice,” she said. “If others get the same idea, all will be lost. I do not want to bring dishonor to the Queen for giving me work and a home.”
Parting from their kiss, the girl heard his whispered words and her gaze fell. “I care for you, Eldarion,” she told him. “I know not if it is love, for love was never taught in my life. Yet, I can say that you are loyal, handsome and a dear friend. I fear for you – for your honor if you are found with me. I would break my own heart to save you, to protect you . . . is that a part of love?”
The girl cringed when he spoke of her parents. “My mother was a kind heart,” she said. “But she was forced into a marriage out of political ties. She never loved my father and suffered at the hands of his mistresses. I pitied her long before I knew her true suffering, before I knew my own, for she always walked with tearful eyes and a look of captivity on her face. When I was of age to marry, I knew I could not follow her path. I abandoned her to live alone again, alone with him . . . even if I swore in my heart to return. I never could, for the war had come and my mother disappeared from sight. I never knew what became of her, until I came here.”
Wiping a tear away, she took Eldarion's hands. “I am the daughter of an evil king, a corrupt monster that nearly destroyed the world . . . I will never be able clear my family name. It is better that I live a new life, one that I can build on my own character. Now, after today, I fear that dream has been shattered.”
Drawn into his arms, the girl tensed when he spoke of marriage. Gazing up at him, she saw the sparkle in his eyes, the yearning. “You speak with your puppy-love again, my friend,” she told him softly. “The time of marriage is still years away . . . can we not wait until then to speak of our future? For now, I wish to know one another as friends. Will you allow that?”
From the way Eldarion's eyes widened, it was clear that he did NOT know of the gossip problem in the marketplace. She worried that the high elven court would learn of the news before they could return. At the mention of his sister, Ailsa lowered her head. “I do not wish to cause you grief,” she told him. “Perhaps you should leave me now and go to your family. You must speak to them before it is too late! You are honorable to think of me as an equal, but not all high-borns are as kind. Even if your own family will not shun you, I know many others that will.”
The blush on Ailsa face deepened when Eldarion said that he had noticed her movements the first day. “I hope that you are the only one to notice,” she said. “If others get the same idea, all will be lost. I do not want to bring dishonor to the Queen for giving me work and a home.”
Parting from their kiss, the girl heard his whispered words and her gaze fell. “I care for you, Eldarion,” she told him. “I know not if it is love, for love was never taught in my life. Yet, I can say that you are loyal, handsome and a dear friend. I fear for you – for your honor if you are found with me. I would break my own heart to save you, to protect you . . . is that a part of love?”
The girl cringed when he spoke of her parents. “My mother was a kind heart,” she said. “But she was forced into a marriage out of political ties. She never loved my father and suffered at the hands of his mistresses. I pitied her long before I knew her true suffering, before I knew my own, for she always walked with tearful eyes and a look of captivity on her face. When I was of age to marry, I knew I could not follow her path. I abandoned her to live alone again, alone with him . . . even if I swore in my heart to return. I never could, for the war had come and my mother disappeared from sight. I never knew what became of her, until I came here.”
Wiping a tear away, she took Eldarion's hands. “I am the daughter of an evil king, a corrupt monster that nearly destroyed the world . . . I will never be able clear my family name. It is better that I live a new life, one that I can build on my own character. Now, after today, I fear that dream has been shattered.”
Drawn into his arms, the girl tensed when he spoke of marriage. Gazing up at him, she saw the sparkle in his eyes, the yearning. “You speak with your puppy-love again, my friend,” she told him softly. “The time of marriage is still years away . . . can we not wait until then to speak of our future? For now, I wish to know one another as friends. Will you allow that?”