Old Grudges

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"You, elf." A gruff sounding human man was seated in a tavern in the human village of Earlestown. It had once been a bustling market place, a meeting place for merchants and scholars. But now... It was lucky if a handful of hunters passed through on their way elsewhere. The people here lived close to the neighbouring kingdom that boasted that is was the seat of all civilisation, Elven, of course. The exact border was somewhat of a foggy issue, meaning battles often broke out over ownership of land. Elves passed through, most of them simply wishing to look down upon what they considered the uncivilised and rather boring humans, before returning to their own cities of silver.
"Elf?" The dark haired female asked, spitting that one word back at the man who had called it to her as she walked past his table. "You do not address the other women here as 'human', so not call me by my race either." She added rather haughtily.
"Well la-di-da! Ain't you just lady of the manor!" The man sneered, banging his glass down on the creaking wooden table. "Your kind aren't welcome here! You never will be! Get your knife ears back to your own side of the border!" 
The elven woman sighed heavily and with silent and sudden movements, she was in front of the human, her ornate elven dagger slammed into the chair all too close to his privates. "Do not test me, human. I have no humour for your kind this evening."

"See, you give orders like a queen." Abalas teased. "Although I am curious... I Ste did you find so much fabric?" He mused, stooping aittle to allow Iris to reach his shoulders. 

Dahlia saw the flowers and was certain every single person in that room heard her scream in anguish,though shI made no sound. The youngest p incess simply say in the seat she was fired to occupy every day... The one in between Gwen and Rotbain.

"I found it in the cabinet in my room." Iris said, grinning when the cloak fit perfectly on his shoulders. It made him look even more regal than usual and she couldn't help continuing to fuss over him. "Along with a sewing kit. I was so longing for both." She admitted. "I hope you don't mind."

"The table looks lovely, Gwenny." Eirwen purred, her dark eyes locked on Dahlia. "I can't think of a better way to start a family dinner. Especially since we are welcoming a distant cousin. I suppose someone will have to hunt down your father, Gwen."

"I do wonder how they got there so secretly." Abalas mused with a s mirk. "After you were only speaking of such things yesterday..."

"I'll go." Dahlia breathed as she rose to her feet, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Indeed." Iris went on, missing his meaning. "There are many different fabrics there. Enough to make you an entire wardrobe if you'd like." She was still smiling, standing back to admire him. 

"Why would you do that?" Eirwen asked, scowling at her step daughter. "You hate your father."

"There is a palace tailor to do that, Iris." Abalas chuckled. "Does making clothes keep you happy?" He asked curiously. 

"I hate you more." Dahlia replied bluntly, her nails sinking into the oaken table in front of her.

Iris nodded, though she was beginning to blush deeply. "I'm sorry." She said softly, stepping foreward to remove the cloak. "It's a guilty pleasure of mine. I...will leave it to your tailors..."

"Don't ruin my furniture, you wretched thing." Eirwen snapped, shaking her head. "You and Rohan will stay here to entertain our guest. Besides, your sister needs more time with your father."

"Silly human..." Abalas chuckled, tilting her chin up to look at him. "I would much rather have something made by someone who wants to, not by someone who has to."

"Gwen needs more time with the business end of a hunters axe!" Dahlia hissed, at which point the room fell deathly quiet.

Iris couldn't help but smile at this. She paused where she had been taking off the cloak, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Silly elf," she breathed, well aware of how close they were in that moment. "You always know what to say to melt my heart."

"You mean like the one that killed your mother?" Eirwen asked, hee,lips curing into a decidedly cruel smile. "Go find your father, Gwen. And you, Dahlia, had better be nice to our dear cousin. Are we clear?"

"It's nice to meet a lady who has one to melt." Abalas chuckled, taking hold of Iris' slender hands within his own.

"Our? So I'm a part of your family now?" Dahlia sneered. "I'll treat him the same way I treat every other member of this pathetic family!"
Gwen purposefully bumped against Dahlia as she passed the younger girl, causing crimson coloured wine to spill all down the front of Dahlia's dress. "Oops, clumsy me." She purred, smiling at her mother before leaving the great dining room.

Iris adored this man. There was no denying it. He certainly wasn't the monster her brother had made him out to be. The familiar tingle was going through her as he touched her and it was getting harder and harder to ignore it. 

"Gwen. That's enough." Rothain admonished as he watched the elder girl walking toward the exit. "Come on, Dahlia, I shall escort you to your room to get changed."

"Iris... do you truly wish to stay here?" Abalas asked out of the blue as he looked down at her, still holding her delicate hand.

Dahlia didn't say anything, though she did head in the direction of the exit. She could hear the hushed whispers and giggles from the other elves, all gossiping about how Dahlia wasn't true royalty anyway.

"I like it here." Iris said, though she didn't look away from him. "You treat me like I'm worth something...wanted...I can't think of anyone in my life back home who ever did that. Why? Are you ready for me to go?" 

"This cousin is a set up." Rothain said as soon they were far enough away from the dinning hall to be heard. "I have an odd feeling that he is here to kill your father. Your brother was oddly absent from the meal today."

Abalas shook his head ever so slightly, realising this was the very thing he had been protecting Dahlia from; he already couldn't bear the thought of losing Iris. "I want you to be happy, you deserve it, Iris."

Dahlia nodded her head in agreement. "I noticed he is absent more and more recently." she agreed. "And all they talk about is my union with you... Should it not be Gwen who marries first, as the older daughter?"

"There's only so much happy I can be, your grace." Iris laughed softly. "I don't want to leave. But I'm afraid I'm pulling you away from more important matters in your kingdom. What if you're missing something that could be the difference of life and death?" 

"Your mother is prolonging Gwen's union." Rothain said, frowning at the darkness of the hall ahead of them. "I think once she kills off your father she will be able to chose the man for her and the one your father has stated. You and I...she is more than happy to combine us because I am not royal. Once you are away with me, you will be powerless to stop what happens. The wedding will happen before your father's death. Maybe mere moments. But it will happen that way."

"My death, or someone elses" Abalas teased gently. "Worry not, little one. They may be spoilt and indulgent, but my family would not see me harmed."

More than anything Dahlia hated to be told she was weak, or powerless in this instance. "I will not allow this to happen!" She swore to Rothain hotly. "You all think me some silly little girl that no one will miss. I can make allies too." She added, also staring into the darkness, though it was almost like it called her name.

"I'm afraid I would not be so trusting. I believed the same of my father and brother." Iris whispered, gently pulling herself away from the elven king. "You would not believe the things that dwarf did to me..." She added, her arms sliding around herself as she stared at the sunflowers now in front of her. 

"Like the human king?" Rothain asked, though there was no mockery to his tone. "You really think that he would come here and help you save your father? Even if it was for you..." He shook his head. "I do not think so. You are still holding on to him. He hasn't dared to show his face here. He is no use to anyone."

"Does the creator still draw breath?" Abalas asked, wishing he could simply reach out and pull Iris into his arms. She was such a gentle creature compared to those around him he called family.

Dahlia didn't say anything for the longest moment, wishing she too hadn't thought to often about that tiny fact. Had Saul even thought about her once, or had she been the one enchanted?

"He does." Iris nodded, wishing she hadn't brought it up. This secret corner of their garden had taken away all the bad memories. In her worry for him, she'd brought them back up. She hated herself for that. "He let me go when a minor war between humans and elves started not long after Molly was born. He wanted no part of it and I was not worth saving." 

"Nevermind him." Rothain said as he opened her door and let her inside. "I shall protect your father as I always have. With any luck your cousin will miss him and kill me instead. I have a feeling that it will please many people."

"And that was that? He had no empathy at all for his own offspring?" Abalas asked incredulously. "Suddenly I have the desire to go hunting!" He growled, this new revelation filling him with a seething anger.

Dahlia hated these restrictive dresses her step mother forced her to wear. She missed the freedom of her leather hunting gear, even the smell of the lightweight material made her realise just how many freedoms had been stolen from her lately. The young princess let out a long sigh as she perched on the edge of her soft bed. "I think many people would miss you, Rothain."

"He tried to kill Molly at birth." Iris said. "I suppose he thought he was doing her a mercy. He knew what you did." She added, her eyes beginning to burn. "Molly was safe inside the castle when the elves came and started burning the outer villages. I had gone to a healer for medicines and he came with me. He was...we were...in a back room of an inn when they set fire to it. He left me inside and I never saw him again." She added softly, not sure why she was telling Abalas something she'd never even told her brother. "

Rothain gave a bitter snort and shook his head. "Like who? My horse? Perhaps. But he is old now. Soon he'll leave and become a spirit too. You and your sister especially will rejoice. Your father will mourn only because he will lose a guardsman."

Abalas didn't know whether to feel guilt or anger. He was the reason Iris had been trapped at all. "That was the last time you saw him?" He asked quietly, already plotting war on the dwarves for this act that had taken place years ago.

"Gwen loves you." Dahlia corrected quietly. "And I know you love her." She added, though she was watching the window, not Rothain himself. "You should find her in the garden before she gets to my father... You need to talk to her."

"He blocked the doors, trapping everyone inside...let the horses out..." She paused, finally glancing over her shoulders with a look that held nothing but shame. "Yes. Sorry...You didn't need to know all that...Yes. It was the last time I have ever seen him. I have heard of him though. The dwarf Dahlia brought...that was a daughter of his. He is...a very cruel man, Abalas...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have ruined this evening for you." 

"No. The Gwen that exists now is not the one I fell in love with." Rothain said, shaking his head. "The only thing left is a spoiled brat with a nasty temper. She is not the woman I once knew. She loves only herself and I...cannot stand her anymore." He added softly.

Abalas strangely found himself smiling as he brushed Iris' cheek. "Suddenly I don't feel so guilty that I had her killed." He mused. "As for ruining the evening, I would say being here with you has been the highlight of it." He breathed, daring to lean in and touch his lips lightly to the human princesses.

"That is why you must help me leave this place." Dahlia insisted. "Gwen is the way she is because I am here... Because she hates that I am to marry you." She was looking at Rothain this time as she spoke.

Iris sighed against his lips, unable to help herself. The taste of him, even a small amount was intoxicating. She wanted more. It was like a cold winter's night, far away from the flames that still left her terrified. She wasn't sure one kiss like this would be enough. 

"Marrying you wouldn't be so bad, you know. If you could learn not to hate me." Rothain said, suddenly finding something on his boot to pick at. "I'll send him a message, if it would make you happy, Dahlia. And...don't wear a dress. Stop pleasing that bitch."

When Iris didn't push him away, the elven king slid his hands around her waist pulling her against him and kissing her again. He wasn't to know his eldest daughter now bore witness to this action.

Rothain's words surprised Dahlia, after his actions in the garden only a few weeks ago. "No... I think perhaps you were right, he isn't thinking about me. I shouldn't act like some love sick little girl." The dark haired woman rose to her feet with her back to her future husband. "Could you loosen my dress a little? Eirwen always instructs the maid to lace it tighter than needed."

Iris gave a soft moan as the king's tongue slid past her lips. Her hands clung to his arms and she found herself wishing she could do more than push the cloak off his shoulders. She'd been longing for him to do with since he'd first laid eyes on her. It was almost too much to bear. 

"Only if you promise to wear your hunter's gear." Rothain breathed as he got to his feet and began working on the laces. His rough fingers brushed her skin and he was surprised at how very soft she felt. He hadn't expected such a thing from her and he wasn't even sure why.

The sunflowers all around them suddenly caught fire in the cool evening air. Gwen didn't need to show herself, this was entirely the kind of cruel thing she would do to hurt someone who she felt had wronged her.

Dahlia glanced up over her shoulder at Rothain when she felt his fingers linger against her skin longer than was needed. "You like such clothes on a woman?" She breathed, having been told several times her personal choice in clothing left much to be desired.

Iris panicked when she saw the fire. It wouldn't take much for Abalas to guess that much more had happened to her in that fire than she had told him. She all but clawed at his chest, her eyes wide with a raw fear that most people would never experience. 

"Only you." Rothain chuckled, careful to keep his eyes on the bare skin of her back as he pulled away pulled away the last strap. Anything else and he wasn't so sure of himself. "You are a warrior, Dahlia. It's what you were born to be. I often told your father that when you were small. There are not many like you..."

Abalas lifted Iris up into his arms, a cloud above them suddenly erupting above them and beginning to douse the fire. It was a dangerous thing to get caught in the middle of quarrels with magic users. "It's okay, Iris. I promised nothing would hurt you, remember?" The king breathed against the tumbling woman's ear.

Dahlia felt the bodice of her dress fall away, and though she had her back to Rothain, she felt far more exposed than if she were facing him. Running vertically down from each shoulder blade were two six inch long scars on the young woman's back. It was something she usually kept hidden from sight. "Not many... or none?" She whispered quietly.

"Thank you." Iris whispered, pressing her face to his neck to get the image of the fire to go away. She did her best to stop the shivering, not yet letting it sink in that her little piece of paradise in the garden was suddenly gone. 

Rothain's long thin fingers traced the scars, though the movements were hesitant. "Not many." He said softly. "I have met a few who are willing to serve your father. But they are better as assassins and thieves. You are a warrior. That is rare and...beautiful..."