Through water's depth

Chapter one

Unedited

Centuries ago

Tallulah stood at the edge of the cliff and as the wind swept at her dark long curls of a hair and her light blue dress she stared into the darkness beyond. Her thoughts travelled, she stared at the darkness but what she saw was the water at the foot of the cliff.she heard the sound of the sea splash against the rocks beneath,her human eyes couldn't possibly make out that image with the darkness which the sky had already cast as it was just before dawn but she could make out the picture in her mind. If only she had the strength of the water, she thought. If only she had the strength and courage of the water to stand against the rocks knowing that the rocks had their roots deep in the sea for so long but still fighting them but she was nothing like them, she was weak and ill willed, she had, unlike the water given up. The will to live for herself had deserted her. She wasn't always this way, she was full of life with the gift to attract people with her smile and the contagious aura of happiness, which was both a blessing and her own undoing for she had fallen for someone forbidden, she had reached for something beyond her as her father had always warned her not to. He would always say that the best fruits are always forbidden for the would lure, tempt and destroy but despite his warnings she couldn't resist the pull, the excitement he brought, the fire he sparked within her. He was the chief of their little village who had newly assumed the position as the result of the untimely death of his father. He assumed the position, given power and also a wife of same status. It was never a love match, or so he told tallulah. She had first met him with her father John. Who was laying complaints concerning his cattles which her father believed someone had stolen. Her father had introduced tallulah to Patrick the chief of their little village and that marked the beginning of their affair. Tallulah left for her house that evening to find herself dreaming of Patrick, she was so sure the both shared a connection but it didn't matter because he was married and her father John had brought her up right. She would never commit adultery or break up a happy home or so she thought. She had lost her mother when she was just five and for the past two- tens of her life she had lived alone with her papa. She missed her ma most times and her father would always tell her stories of her ma.He would always tell her how much she looked like her ma. She had her ma's hair and her face, to sum it all she was the replica of her ma and that was why her papa had a soft spot for her. He could never stay mad at her for long and as he would always say she had her spirit too.
    Tallulah's father came home late bothered for he had something on his mind which seemed to bother him. After treating him to dinner she stayed behind to talk with him rather than taking off to bed. Their little hut was Cold that night thus the fire tallulah had set up earlier. She sat with her father in silence rubbing his hands softly. They loved each other, they had to there was no other person but themselves for two- ten years now. They had grown so close, she knew he had something bothering him which he wanted to share but had difficulty as to where to begin so she spoke up first. " how was your meeting papa, I trust it went well" he nodded. She pushed further " what is to be done about the thief" he responded this time " Patrick said he will handle the matter that 'tis no problem for us again" " then what is wrong papa, you do not seem happy". He then sighed grabbing tallulah's hand and rubbing it in his, he placed a hand on her cheeks and gave her a sad smile and said " you look so much like your ma". Still smiling he continued " you are my blessing tallulah. A blessing I tell you. You might not be of me but you will always be my daughter" that did not surprise tallulah for somehow, somewhere deep down she had always known this. She knew she was not of his blood but she loved him all the same and she needed him to know that. So she said "I know papa but I love you as though your were of my blood, nothing will change that. You have loved me so and that is enough. I am lucky pa, you are my blessing" this time she comes closer and puts her hand over his staring at him, she asked "is that what has you so bothered pa" she said with a smile which she new always cheered him up. He smiled back and let out the air he had since been holding in. It seemed the matter really bothered John and he was surprised though happy that secret had been brought to light. That was when tallulah asked a question which he had already anticipated "can you tell me about her life before she met you?" "Aye" he said.One could see he had beautiful memories with her. "She was not from here.She had come from far away, far south. She was with child when I met her. So beautiful. Aye she was a beauty and  unaffected by her journey. One would expect her to be sad,distant or even grieving but she wasn't" he said smiling oh how proud he was of his beloved. His stare left tallulah and was now currently placed on the fire, he continued "she had been through a lot, one could see it in her eyes, the stories left untold. She had run away from her tribe, from her betrothed. You see, she was already with child. Aye. She was. She had laid with a farmers son who had promised her his love and she returned his affection but it turned out to be false he had just wanted her virtue and seeing herself as spoilt and to avoid being punished on discovering by her betrothed she ran away. Took passage on a ship and fled north, to me" he said smiling " that's what she always said. She was a believer of fate, of gods". This time when he had spoken he looked to her his eyes almost pleading to tallulah to believe what he was about to say next " she was of the sea aye, she belonged to the sea". " what do you mean pa" tallulah was lost she was finding quite difficult to understand what he papa was trying to say. What did he mean by she was of the sea?. " your mother had a gift to control the sea. She was one with the sea and all that resides in it. She could bend water to her will. She was of the water tribe but was different. She could not only control water but the sea. She was always so peaceful and happy when near the sea. It called her, the spoke in whispers of a language long forgotten. At first she was scared to tell me of her gift, to confide in me but she did and I never saw her differently. She was still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen". This time he said with a hint of sadness in his voice. Tallulah was lost in her thoughts, now she could make sense of a lot of things. She could understand why she felt at home near the sea, why the see beckons to her like a siren. Does this make her different too. Does this make her less human, is she human?.she was so little when she lost her ma but from the little she could recur she couldn't tell if her ma was different. " tallulah" her papa called her, snapping her out of her thoughts. " aye papa" she responded with a reassuring smile her hands still gently rubbing her pa's. " you have your mothers gift, your ma always said that but you somehow managed to show it over the years. I know it there in your very being" her father said pointing at her heart. " 'tis a lot to take it. Let us go to bed we will continue our discussion tomorrow. My body grows wary" he lets out a sigh and rises up, looks down at his daughter oh how she looks like  her mother. He gives her a sad smile and goes to bed leaving tallulah to her thoughts for he knew she was no longer with him. She had a lot to process about what he had just relayed to her, he knew this night would come but it had to be done, she had to know. Time was no longer on his side, he was old,tired and wary, soon he would be with his beloved to part no more but before then he had to make sure his lovely daughter knew who she was to better prepare her for what is to come. Aye!! He thought to himself nodding as he laid his head to rest. It had to be done.

                 Chapter one is a little shabby, as written above it's unedited, but totally worth the read.thanks for indulging😊.