The Welcome Home

Rellah winced when Odessa caught a tangled knot in her hair with the brush, the first expression she showed since their arrival home earlier in the day. Carefully brushing the knot out, Odessa finished combing through her ashen hair, before carefully placing a small crown on Rellah�s head. The crown glittered brightly as the candlelight hit the thousands of jewels set in it, lighting up Rellah�s sullen face and empty violet eyes. Nikita turned from the fireplace to watch the princess a moment with curiosity before speaking.

�My Lady, how are you feeling this evening?� Nikita slowly stood from the oversized chair of soft furs.

Rellah did not speak. It seemed to her guardians that she had fallen into a state of shock as soon as the grand gates of Amadul�s castle opened before their carriage earlier that afternoon. She had grown pale and quiet. Odessa had whispered something to Nikita about how it could be the thought of seeing her father again, after she escaped. Nikita had only smiled, not admitting anything to the other guardian, but keeping a careful eye on the withdrawn princess.

Odessa moved to the large bed with silk sheets and overstuffed pillows. Drapes of transparent pastel silks fell around the bed, allowing the princess some privacy during the night hours. She picked up a gown of white silk, admiring the work of almost invisible stitches before turning to Rellah. �Your father had this made for you, for when you returned home. He requested that you wear it to dinner tonight, princess.�

Parting her dry lips, Rellah whispered, �I will not be going to dinner this evening.�

Nikita frowned, looking to Odessa before turning to look at Rellah. �I�m afraid you have no choice in the matter, my Lady. He has ordered your audience at dinner tonight, with no exceptions.�

Rellah finally lifted her gaze to meet Nikita�s slender form in front of her, settling on her obsidian eyes. With a tone that made Nikita�s blood turn colder than it was, she said, �Very well.�

Odessa smiled nervously between the two, before moving again toward Rellah with the gown. Nikita moved to help Rellah out of her chair, and began to unlace her leather clothing. When it was all lying on the floor, the three stood awkwardly a moment, eyes fixed on the healing wound. Odessa snapped out of the gaze first, and slipped the gown over Rellah�s head, being careful of the crown she had placed on it earlier. Nikita began to tie the laces in the back of the gown, and Rellah sucked in her chest out of habit, not because she wanted to. Odessa fixed the bottom of the gown, smoothing it out.

The gown fit perfectly to Rellah�s delicate form, dipping in a V shape between her breasts, the point ending at her navel. The laces in the back were all that held everything in place, her soft skin exposed down to the small of her back, laces tied in a small bow. The arms of the gown fit tightly to her, loosening only at her wrists. The rest of the gown from her hips to the floor fell loosely about her, two high slits on either side, exposing some of her slender legs when she walked. Odessa helped her put on sheer silk gloves, to protect her from unwanted visions but at the same time look as though she was not wearing gloves. Nikita found her rings and slipped them on her fingers, two on her left hand, thumb and middle finger, and one on her right ring finger, all of them made out of the purest silver and etched with ancient writing.

Nikita paused a moment, listening, then turned to Rellah and Odessa. �They are ready for us.�

~*~

The grand hall was decorated with new lavish tapestries of silver and blue, Rellah observed as she made her way to the main dining room of the castle. Her guardians followed behind her, eyeing the guards who stood in the hall. No one dared to look at Rellah so long her guardians were watching. Their heads bowed respectively as she passed each of them, her eyes remaining fixed on the large oak doors at the end of the hallway.

A fear spawned in the pit of her stomach when she reached the doors. She was not prepared to face what was on the other side. Two guards began to pull the heavy doors open, Rellah�s fear growing larger as the doors grew farther apart. A hand rested on her shoulder then, and she turned to look at who it belonged to. Nikita gave her a reassuring smile before removing her hand and letting it fall to her side.

�Sister,� a familiar voice drew Rellah�s attention back into the dining room. A handsome man rose from the other side of the table, a smile on his face. He quickly made his way to her, kissing her cheek delicately. �I am happy to see you are well again.�

Rellah blinked before smiling politely at him. Her eyes focused in the room, noticing many nobles and their wives standing from their seats out of respect for her. She then looked to the handsome man once again, her hands reaching to his arms in somewhat of an embrace. She kissed his cheeks lightly, before saying, �I am happy to be well again too, dearest Dinendal.�

He smiled broadly, leading her by an arm to sit at one end of the table, across from him. Once she was seated, the others in the room sat too. Rellah looked to her brother again, then looked down the table to see only an empty chair where her mother would normally be. Odessa and Nikita had made their way into the room quietly, standing ten paces behind Rellah, arms crossed behind their backs. Her father�s seat, which she was sitting right next to, was empty. Rellah leaned toward Dinendal and asked quietly, �Where are our parents, brother?�

He looked at her a moment, a tint of sadness in the gleam of his eyes, but before he could open his mouth to speak, the doors behind her father�s seat opened, and another handsome man made his way gracefully into the room.

Everyone stood almost as soon as they saw him, but Rellah�s jaw dropped, her eyes flickering with fear. He looked to her as she looked to him, an odd expression in his eye. He was at her side in two strides, reaching for her hand and almost pulling her out of her seat. His piercing blue eyes bore into her violet ones as he spoke loud enough for all to hear. �My dearest Rellah, it�s wonderful that we can celebrate the return of your health on such a beautiful night.�

Unable to speak, unable to break the eye contact from her father, Rellah simply nodded in reply. She could see her guardians shift in their stance in the corner of her eye. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, and at the same time whispered, �We�ve much to discuss, darling. You�ve been sick with a fever and that is why you�ve been absent. Do not say otherwise, or I will make you regret it.�

The grip on her arm tightened, and Rellah nodded again. Pulling back from her, he smiled again, then to the room of guests. �Let us celebrate the return of my daughter�s health!�

~*~

Dinner seemed to never end. Rellah barely looked up from her plate, except when a guest asked her a question. Soon, the last course arrived, and Rellah sighed with relief. She would be able to return to the Tower and sleep. Her heart kept tearing into itself as her mind wandered to Azeron. Had he found Lindel yet?

A hand on hers interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up with surprise. Her brother smiled at her, helping her up from the table, and leading her into the next room. The ballroom.

�Dinendal, what are we�� she began, but he cut her off.

�Father ordered the Orchestra here tonight, for a bit of dancing after dinner,� he smiled again.

�I do not feel well,� Rellah lied, looking to her brother. �I want to go back to the Tower and rest.�

�My dearest, that is not an option tonight,� her father put his arm around her waist, spinning her around to look at him. �I�ve many questions to ask you.�

Rellah�s heart stopped as she felt the warmth of his hand and arm around her. Before she could pull away, he lead them into the middle of the ballroom floor, signaling to the Orchestra to begin playing. Rellah could do nothing except follow his lead, dancing slowly about the room full of people. He leaned into her and whispered, �Did you really think I�d let you get away from me?�

Rellah could not find her voice. She had grown so strong over the last months she had been in Brittania, but now, here, she was back to being that helpless girl who was terrified of her father. She stammered, �I already told you, I�m not the One you think I am.�

He laughed, his silvery hair shining under the lights. Others had begun to dance as well, and so he drew her closer to him. �You need to stop with the lies, Rellah. They do not become you.�

A collision of emotions welled up inside of her, but again, she found herself hesitating, frightened at the thought of what he might do in reaction to what she said. Instead, she asked, �Where is mother?�

An eery smile spread across his face. �Mother�s fallen ill. Soon after you left, she became distraught. The worry of losing you again began to eat away at her. It began to kill her. Of course, the rest of Amadul believe she�s gone away to see distant relatives across the ocean, just like they thought you were sick with a fever.�

Rellah gasped. She began to pull away from him, but he held onto her tightly. In an angry whisper, she said, �Let me go. I demand you let me see her, now.�

�After you answer my questions, I might let you visit her. It really depends on you, my dear,� still grinning, he loosened his hold on her.

Rellah�s eyes began to well up with tears. Her father was enjoying the fact that her mother was sick, and could possibly die, and to be able to blame it on Rellah was even better. Though, she knew something was wrong with his story. Rellah knew her mother would not become sick over her escape. Not since she was one of the people who helped her get away. A great need to see her mother overwhelmed her, and she clenched her teeth in anger. �What is it that you wish to know, father?�

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> Rellah winced when Odessa caught a tangled knot in her hair with the brush, the first expression she showed since their arrival home earlier in the day. Carefully brushing the knot out, Odessa finished combing through her ashen hair, before carefully placing a small crown on Rellah�s head. The crown glittered brightly as the candlelight hit the thousands of jewels set in it, lighting up Rellah�s sullen face and empty violet eyes. Nikita turned from the fireplace to watch the princess a moment with curiosity before speaking. > �My Lady, how are you feeling this evening?� Nikita slowly stood from the oversized chair of soft furs. > Rellah did not speak. It seemed to her guardians that she had fallen into a state of shock as soon as the grand gates of Amadul�s castle opened before their carriage earlier that afternoon. She had grown pale and quiet. Odessa had whispered something to Nikita about how it could be the thought of seeing her father again, after she escaped. Nikita had only smiled, not admitting anything to the other guardian, but keeping a careful eye on the withdrawn princess. > Odessa moved to the large bed with silk sheets and overstuffed pillows. Drapes of transparent pastel silks fell around the bed, allowing the princess some privacy during the night hours. She picked up a gown of white silk, admiring the work of almost invisible stitches before turning to Rellah. �Your father had this made for you, for when you returned home. He requested that you wear it to dinner tonight, princess.� > Parting her dry lips, Rellah whispered, �I will not be going to dinner this evening.� > Nikita frowned, looking to Odessa before turning to look at Rellah. �I�m afraid you have no choice in the matter, my Lady. He has ordered your audience at dinner tonight, with no exceptions.� > Rellah finally lifted her gaze to meet Nikita�s slender form in front of her, settling on her obsidian eyes. With a tone that made Nikita�s blood turn colder than it was, she said, �Very well.� > Odessa smiled nervously between the two, before moving again toward Rellah with the gown. Nikita moved to help Rellah out of her chair, and began to unlace her leather clothing. When it was all lying on the floor, the three stood awkwardly a moment, eyes fixed on the healing wound. Odessa snapped out of the gaze first, and slipped the gown over Rellah�s head, being careful of the crown she had placed on it earlier. Nikita began to tie the laces in the back of the gown, and Rellah sucked in her chest out of habit, not because she wanted to. Odessa fixed the bottom of the gown, smoothing it out. > The gown fit perfectly to Rellah�s delicate form, dipping in a V shape between her breasts, the point ending at her navel. The laces in the back were all that held everything in place, her soft skin exposed down to the small of her back, laces tied in a small bow. The arms of the gown fit tightly to her, loosening only at her wrists. The rest of the gown from her hips to the floor fell loosely about her, two high slits on either side, exposing some of her slender legs when she walked. Odessa helped her put on sheer silk gloves, to protect her from unwanted visions but at the same time look as though she was not wearing gloves. Nikita found her rings and slipped them on her fingers, two on her left hand, thumb and middle finger, and one on her right ring finger, all of them made out of the purest silver and etched with ancient writing. > Nikita paused a moment, listening, then turned to Rellah and Odessa. �They are ready for us.� > ~~ > The grand hall was decorated with new lavish tapestries of silver and blue, Rellah observed as she made her way to the main dining room of the castle. Her guardians followed behind her, eyeing the guards who stood in the hall. No one dared to look at Rellah so long her guardians were watching. Their heads bowed respectively as she passed each of them, her eyes remaining fixed on the large oak doors at the end of the hallway. > A fear spawned in the pit of her stomach when she reached the doors. She was not prepared to face what was on the other side. Two guards began to pull the heavy doors open, Rellah�s fear growing larger as the doors grew farther apart. A hand rested on her shoulder then, and she turned to look at who it belonged to. Nikita gave her a reassuring smile before removing her hand and letting it fall to her side. > �Sister,� a familiar voice drew Rellah�s attention back into the dining room. A handsome man rose from the other side of the table, a smile on his face. He quickly made his way to her, kissing her cheek delicately. �I am happy to see you are well again.� > Rellah blinked before smiling politely at him. Her eyes focused in the room, noticing many nobles and their wives standing from their seats out of respect for her. She then looked to the handsome man once again, her hands reaching to his arms in somewhat of an embrace. She kissed his cheeks lightly, before saying, �I am happy to be well again too, dearest Dinendal.� > He smiled broadly, leading her by an arm to sit at one end of the table, across from him. Once she was seated, the others in the room sat too. Rellah looked to her brother again, then looked down the table to see only an empty chair where her mother would normally be. Odessa and Nikita had made their way into the room quietly, standing ten paces behind Rellah, arms crossed behind their backs. Her father�s seat, which she was sitting right next to, was empty. Rellah leaned toward Dinendal and asked quietly, �Where are our parents, brother?� > He looked at her a moment, a tint of sadness in the gleam of his eyes, but before he could open his mouth to speak, the doors behind her father�s seat opened, and another handsome man made his way gracefully into the room. > Everyone stood almost as soon as they saw him, but Rellah�s jaw dropped, her eyes flickering with fear. He looked to her as she looked to him, an odd expression in his eye. He was at her side in two strides, reaching for her hand and almost pulling her out of her seat. His piercing blue eyes bore into her violet ones as he spoke loud enough for all to hear. �My dearest Rellah, it�s wonderful that we can celebrate the return of your health on such a beautiful night.� > Unable to speak, unable to break the eye contact from her father, Rellah simply nodded in reply. She could see her guardians shift in their stance in the corner of her eye. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, and at the same time whispered, �We�ve much to discuss, darling. You�ve been sick with a fever and that is why you�ve been absent. Do not say otherwise, or I will make you regret it.� > The grip on her arm tightened, and Rellah nodded again. Pulling back from her, he smiled again, then to the room of guests. �Let us celebrate the return of my daughter�s health!� > ~~ > Dinner seemed to never end. Rellah barely looked up from her plate, except when a guest asked her a question. Soon, the last course arrived, and Rellah sighed with relief. She would be able to return to the Tower and sleep. Her heart kept tearing into itself as her mind wandered to Azeron. Had he found Lindel yet? > A hand on hers interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up with surprise. Her brother smiled at her, helping her up from the table, and leading her into the next room. The ballroom. > �Dinendal, what are we�� she began, but he cut her off. > �Father ordered the Orchestra here tonight, for a bit of dancing after dinner,� he smiled again. > �I do not feel well,� Rellah lied, looking to her brother. �I want to go back to the Tower and rest.� > �My dearest, that is not an option tonight,� her father put his arm around her waist, spinning her around to look at him. �I�ve many questions to ask you.� > Rellah�s heart stopped as she felt the warmth of his hand and arm around her. Before she could pull away, he lead them into the middle of the ballroom floor, signaling to the Orchestra to begin playing. Rellah could do nothing except follow his lead, dancing slowly about the room full of people. He leaned into her and whispered, �Did you really think I�d let you get away from me?� > Rellah could not find her voice. She had grown so strong over the last months she had been in Brittania, but now, here, she was back to being that helpless girl who was terrified of her father. She stammered, �I already told you, I�m not the One you think I am.� > He laughed, his silvery hair shining under the lights. Others had begun to dance as well, and so he drew her closer to him. �You need to stop with the lies, Rellah. They do not become you.� > A collision of emotions welled up inside of her, but again, she found herself hesitating, frightened at the thought of what he might do in reaction to what she said. Instead, she asked, �Where is mother?� > An eery smile spread across his face. �Mother�s fallen ill. Soon after you left, she became distraught. The worry of losing you again began to eat away at her. It began to kill her. Of course, the rest of Amadul believe she�s gone away to see distant relatives across the ocean, just like they thought you were sick with a fever.� > Rellah gasped. She began to pull away from him, but he held onto her tightly. In an angry whisper, she said, �Let me go. I demand you let me see her, now.� > �After you answer my questions, I might let you visit her. It really depends on you, my dear,� still grinning, he loosened his hold on her. > Rellah�s eyes began to well up with tears. Her father was enjoying the fact that her mother was sick, and could possibly die, and to be able to blame it on Rellah was even better. Though, she knew something was wrong with his story. Rellah knew her mother would not become sick over her escape. Not since she was one of the people who helped her get away. A great need to see her mother overwhelmed her, and she clenched her teeth in anger. �What is it that you wish to know, father?�
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