Eye of the Beholder

Two.

The aromatic smell of rich spices and sweet fruit filled the kitchen, as Eliana stood in front of the counter, absentmindedly smothering her slice of spiced bread with moonberry jam. The early evening rays of the moon, as pale as the very tips of a moonpetal lily, drifted into the room through the open window, but she barely even noticed the presence of Elune, that was normally so comforting to her.

Her father, Ardrias Starhelm, stood just behind her, observing her blank mental state. When the amount of jam on her bread threatened to overtake the slice, he stepped up and took the spreading knife from out of his daughter's hand, and set it on the wooden countertop.

He looked down at her, his light olive-hued eyebrows furrowed, and shook his head slightly. "Eliana, what is troubling you this morning?" he asked, his tone warm and soothing.

Her father's voice had always reminded her of a rumbling bear; it was deep and could be intimidating, but more often than not, it made her think back to her childhood and all the times he'd comforted her when she was afraid. This moment, though the fear was in a different context, was no different.

Eliana glanced up at her father, strands of her snowy hair glittering in the brilliant light of the moon. She belatedly realized that she no longer held the spreading knife in her hand, and set her bread down on the counter. "Oh, it's nothing, Father. I am not troubled."

"No? Then why is your bread practically drowning in jam?"

"Is it?" At that, she looked back down at her meager breakfast and shrugged. "Oh, I suppose it is. Well, I do like moonberry jam."

"Not that much. Come now, tell me what is bothering you," he insisted gently.

A deep sigh left Eliana's lips, and she picked up the knife again, subsequently scraping off a few layers of jam from her breakfast. "Cytheas, he...he asked me to attend the Festival of the Moon with him last night."

"And? You always attend the Festival together. Ever since you were little, if I recall correctly."

"Yes, but...this is different. He asked me to attend with him."

Understanding dawned on Ardrias' angular face, and he arched an elongated eyebrow. "So the boy finally found the nerve to start courting you, hmm?"

Eliana whirled around to face her father, the spreading knife forgotten yet again as it clanged to the floor, and incredulously asked, "You knew how he felt?"

"Well, of course. He has never made it a secret how he felt about you."

"I have never known his intentions until last night!"

"That is because you have remained blissfully blind for the past few decades, my dear. Cytheas has always harbored feelings for you," Ardrias explained, his tone condescending in the way that fathers often were, when teaching their children a lesson.

Her silver, pupilless eyes turned downwards and slowly, she turned away from her father to hide the emotions flitting across her face. She felt so many things in that one moment: anger at being left out of the loop, and subsequently caught unaware when her friend admitted his feelings; confusion at how she really had never noticed all these years; and frustration at the fact that he'd even told her. If he hadn't, they might've been able to remain close friends forever.

Her heart raced in her chest and she tightened her grip on the edge of the kitchen counter. This newfound knowledge of her friend's emotions changed the entire dynamic of their friendship. She gazed out the window in thought, admiring the birds whilst they sang their enthusiastic nightly greetings, wishing she could also be so carefree.