Beneath the large tree, Rossiath sat; secluded and hidden, she picked up another pebble from near the bank and tested its smoothness with her thumb before throwing it out on the pond to watch it skip across the water. One … two … three … four … before it finally sank beneath the water, leaving ripples chasing each other across the once mirror-like surface. She watched, a smile crossing her face, as the movement seemed to soothe her turbulent emotions.
The sound of a small branch being snapped jolted her out of her thoughts, and she turned towards the source. “Father ...” she said, lifting her hand to shade her eyes as she stared up at the tall, grey haired man standing nearby. “How …?”
Tallandan moved towards where his daughter sat, crouching down to pick up a random pebble – much as she had – and skipped it across the water with a quick flick of his wrist. “I remember the first time you came here,” he mused, selecting another stone. “You were eight at the time, was right after your mother lost the babe she was carrying. You'd run off, blamed yourself for it of all the fool things. Took us til next day to find you.” He reached over, placing a hand on Rossiath's shoulder. “You always came here after, when something was bothering you.”
He took a deep breath, tossing the pebble onto the pond, before continuing. “I ran into that new fellow while I was headed into town. He told me how you'd run off after he mentioned your birthday. Was right baffled about it too, I can't blame him.” Gently squeezing her shoulder, he paused and waited.
“I … well it wasn't his doing,” Rossiath started, stuttering as she turned pink at the thought of how she'd reacted. “But … but father! I have tried to tell mother – repeatedly – that I didn't want a fuss made over my birthday. I wanted a simple day, nothing special. Yet she doesn't listen! I don't want to be around all those people, I just want peace … quiet.”
“She loves you, your mother does.” Tallandan said gently.
“I know she loves me.” Rossiath replied. “But she doesn't understand me! She loves big parties and being the center of attention. I don't!” Rossiath angrily brushed a tear away from her face. “I can't breathe around so many people, I can't hear myself think over them.”
Tallandan remained silent, a look of contemplation crossing his lined face. 'Did she remember? She'd been so young when it happened.' he thought to himself, before shaking his head. No, other than her fear of large gatherings, she seemed to have forgotten the incident and he briefly closed his eyes, grateful of the fact. Pushing up from the ground, he stood up and held his hand out for her to take. “It's only one day, Rossiath,” he said, gently but firmly. “And I happen to know my daughter can handle it. You simply have to do what needs doing, and when it's done you'll feel better.”
With a long, heartfelt sigh, Rossiath looked up at her father. She knew that expression on his face, the one that took no arguments, even from her. Closing her eyes briefly, she drew on the strength she had inside and, knowing he was right, placed her hand in his and stood up. “It is just one night,” she said, somewhat reluctantly, “I suppose I can survive it.”
Wrapping his arm around his daughter, he gave her a hug and smiled. “That's my Rose. Thorny, but tough and beautiful,” he replied, his smile widening as he heard her giggle. “Come on, your mother will be waiting for you. She doesn't know you've run off, and if we get back soon, she won't have to find out.”
Her face hidden in her father's shoulder, Rossiath rolled her eyes before pulling back to look up at him. “Well, we wouldn't want her to get mad at you,” she said with a chuckle, knowing her mother's temper could boil as easily as water – and cool as quickly.
Together, father and daughter turned and headed back towards home.
