Disclaimer: I do not own Dark elf trilogy nor any of it`s characters. If I did, Dinin would still be alive.
Before you start you should know that this is my first fic. So, plz don`t expect much (that way you won`t be disappointed :)) You`ll probably think it`s boring, incoherent, grammaticaly totally incorrect... to sum it up - not worth reading. But I really hope to improve with time.
About the title: Sargtlin means warrior in the drow language.
Other translations:
Xas - yes
Nau - no
Piwafwi - a magical cloak
Melee-Magthere - drow academy of warfare
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ch 1: Restless night
Koranon sat up in his bed.
`What`s going to happen tomorrow? What if he`s better than me?´
Thousands of questions ran through his head, consuming his thoughts and allowing him no rest.
`What if I lose?´
For start, he knew how imaginative his sisters were when it came to `teaching him a lesson´. Undoubtly, they would think of a long and ruthless punishment.
And Matron Mother? Cold sweatdrops appeared on his forehead as he thought what her reaction might be.
`Nau! I won`t lose. I can`t...
I mustn`t lose...´
He jumped out of the bed and reached for his sword-belt. A second after, sharp blade was drawn out with astonishing swiftness. Not a slightest sound was heard. He took a couple of swings to pluck up courage, to prove himself he can do it.
He ran his finger over the cold metal. His first sword. It was given to him two weeks ago by Matron Quarya herself, together with the new piwafwi.
Normally, he would have been thrilled. Drow females, especially Matrons, treated males as expendable, replaceable objects. And that sword was high likely the only thing he will ever get from her.
Beside the taste of her whip, that is.
But still he wasn`t used to the heavy weapon. And losing that fine balance between the fighter and his weapon has prove to be fatal on many ocassions.
He remembered the day she called for him. All he could think of walking down the corridor was what had he done to deserve upcoming torture. For that was what he expected.
No,he wasn`t a paranoid; he was a drow. And he was a male. Life in Menzoberranzan thought him that this was more than a sufficient reason to never walk out of that room alive.
With his eyes obediently on the floor he entered the vast room.
`Come in,Secondboy!´
The voice belonged to his mother, Matron Quarya. Koranon hardly knew what she looked like. Seldom was he allowed to lift up his sight. But one thing he did get to know extremely well - the stinging bites of her whip.
Even now he could see it, hanging from her belt - a five headed snake., always ready to tear smooth skin of his shoulders and back. He couldn`t even remember how many sleepless nights he spent, filled with burning pain and stiffled screams.
`Look at me, Koranon!´ - she ordered.
He slowly lifted his head up, but his eyes were still diverted.
`I shall feel those five heads dug into my flesh whatever I do.´ - he was convinced.
The only question was whether to continue examining the floor and thereby disregard her order, or to look at her and be punished for disrespect.
`I said LOOK AT ME,Secondboy!´ - Matron was getting annoyed.
`I shall not waste my day over a male!´ Her final word was dripping with despite.
Koranon choose his second option. Slowly he looked in front of him. He met her blood-red gaze and lingered.
Instead of a whip she was holding a sword-belt and a piwafwi. Drowing the sword out of it`s sheats, she slowly started towards him.
`In a fortnight you will have to prove you`re fit to be a drow warrior.´ - she stated handing him the weapon.
`Until then, I don`t want to see you doing anything else but practising. You shall walk, eat and sleep with this sword in your hand. Understood?´
`Xas, Matron Mother. But...´
`But what?!´ - she frowned.
`Well, I never practised with this sword.´ - he wasn`t sure why she gave it to him; when Melee-Magthere already had dozens and he was used to most of them.
`I practised with every sword in Melee-Magthere, maybe I should fight with one of them.´ He tried to explain.
`You won`t be fighting in Malee-Magthere!´ - she interrupted, constraining herself from hitting him for contradicting her.
` The fight will be held in our practice hall. You will be given all necessary informations on time. Now take this piwafwi and get lost if you hold your puny life dear!´
Koranon felt he pushed it too far. He shouldn`t have questioned her decision. Taking the cloak and the weapon-belt, he bowed and promptly left the room, not leaving her time to change her mind and unloose the whip.
Now, when only short hours stood between him and the bigest challenge in his life, he wished he didn`t have to fight. Not that he wasn`t good in wielding sword. His teachers would say much more than good - excellent, as the matter of fact. He was the best in his class for the last two years.
But something just didn`t feel right.
Why is the fight being held in their own house?
Why nobody never told him the name of his opponent, explained the rules?
So many questions and no-one to give him answers. He dared not facing his mother again and everybody else claimed they knew nothing. Nor did they care.
`What is she hiding from me?´ - he wondered as he lay back, placing his hands behind his head. His ruby-red eyes turned black as he switched to the normal spectrum, hoping to find his rest in the utter darkness which now embraced him. But sleep wouldn`t come to his troubled mind.
~~
Matron Quarya soundlessly entered the house chapel. The vault was supported by high pillars,each of them adorned with spider-shaped ornaments. In the centre of the vast hall stood the `orlenggin´ - a sacrificial altar. As she was approaching it she started an unholy chant - a prayer to her dark deity, Lloth - The Spider Queen. With her help, her youngest son will prove worthy that day.
The time has come for Koranon to become a warrior. And drawing another dark elf`s blood was the first and biggest step to becoming one.
He never killed in his life, and Matron clearly felt Lloth`s growing discontentment. Quarya wasn`t going to risk losing Spider Queen`s favour.
The boy must stain his hands with drow blood.
If not, he must die.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I still have to finish second (final) chapter. Plz, let me know what do you think. Should I even post the next ch? There`s no point in writing the whole story if nobody will read it.
Before you start you should know that this is my first fic. So, plz don`t expect much (that way you won`t be disappointed :)) You`ll probably think it`s boring, incoherent, grammaticaly totally incorrect... to sum it up - not worth reading. But I really hope to improve with time.
About the title: Sargtlin means warrior in the drow language.
Other translations:
Xas - yes
Nau - no
Piwafwi - a magical cloak
Melee-Magthere - drow academy of warfare
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ch 1: Restless night
Koranon sat up in his bed.
`What`s going to happen tomorrow? What if he`s better than me?´
Thousands of questions ran through his head, consuming his thoughts and allowing him no rest.
`What if I lose?´
For start, he knew how imaginative his sisters were when it came to `teaching him a lesson´. Undoubtly, they would think of a long and ruthless punishment.
And Matron Mother? Cold sweatdrops appeared on his forehead as he thought what her reaction might be.
`Nau! I won`t lose. I can`t...
I mustn`t lose...´
He jumped out of the bed and reached for his sword-belt. A second after, sharp blade was drawn out with astonishing swiftness. Not a slightest sound was heard. He took a couple of swings to pluck up courage, to prove himself he can do it.
He ran his finger over the cold metal. His first sword. It was given to him two weeks ago by Matron Quarya herself, together with the new piwafwi.
Normally, he would have been thrilled. Drow females, especially Matrons, treated males as expendable, replaceable objects. And that sword was high likely the only thing he will ever get from her.
Beside the taste of her whip, that is.
But still he wasn`t used to the heavy weapon. And losing that fine balance between the fighter and his weapon has prove to be fatal on many ocassions.
He remembered the day she called for him. All he could think of walking down the corridor was what had he done to deserve upcoming torture. For that was what he expected.
No,he wasn`t a paranoid; he was a drow. And he was a male. Life in Menzoberranzan thought him that this was more than a sufficient reason to never walk out of that room alive.
With his eyes obediently on the floor he entered the vast room.
`Come in,Secondboy!´
The voice belonged to his mother, Matron Quarya. Koranon hardly knew what she looked like. Seldom was he allowed to lift up his sight. But one thing he did get to know extremely well - the stinging bites of her whip.
Even now he could see it, hanging from her belt - a five headed snake., always ready to tear smooth skin of his shoulders and back. He couldn`t even remember how many sleepless nights he spent, filled with burning pain and stiffled screams.
`Look at me, Koranon!´ - she ordered.
He slowly lifted his head up, but his eyes were still diverted.
`I shall feel those five heads dug into my flesh whatever I do.´ - he was convinced.
The only question was whether to continue examining the floor and thereby disregard her order, or to look at her and be punished for disrespect.
`I said LOOK AT ME,Secondboy!´ - Matron was getting annoyed.
`I shall not waste my day over a male!´ Her final word was dripping with despite.
Koranon choose his second option. Slowly he looked in front of him. He met her blood-red gaze and lingered.
Instead of a whip she was holding a sword-belt and a piwafwi. Drowing the sword out of it`s sheats, she slowly started towards him.
`In a fortnight you will have to prove you`re fit to be a drow warrior.´ - she stated handing him the weapon.
`Until then, I don`t want to see you doing anything else but practising. You shall walk, eat and sleep with this sword in your hand. Understood?´
`Xas, Matron Mother. But...´
`But what?!´ - she frowned.
`Well, I never practised with this sword.´ - he wasn`t sure why she gave it to him; when Melee-Magthere already had dozens and he was used to most of them.
`I practised with every sword in Melee-Magthere, maybe I should fight with one of them.´ He tried to explain.
`You won`t be fighting in Malee-Magthere!´ - she interrupted, constraining herself from hitting him for contradicting her.
` The fight will be held in our practice hall. You will be given all necessary informations on time. Now take this piwafwi and get lost if you hold your puny life dear!´
Koranon felt he pushed it too far. He shouldn`t have questioned her decision. Taking the cloak and the weapon-belt, he bowed and promptly left the room, not leaving her time to change her mind and unloose the whip.
Now, when only short hours stood between him and the bigest challenge in his life, he wished he didn`t have to fight. Not that he wasn`t good in wielding sword. His teachers would say much more than good - excellent, as the matter of fact. He was the best in his class for the last two years.
But something just didn`t feel right.
Why is the fight being held in their own house?
Why nobody never told him the name of his opponent, explained the rules?
So many questions and no-one to give him answers. He dared not facing his mother again and everybody else claimed they knew nothing. Nor did they care.
`What is she hiding from me?´ - he wondered as he lay back, placing his hands behind his head. His ruby-red eyes turned black as he switched to the normal spectrum, hoping to find his rest in the utter darkness which now embraced him. But sleep wouldn`t come to his troubled mind.
~~
Matron Quarya soundlessly entered the house chapel. The vault was supported by high pillars,each of them adorned with spider-shaped ornaments. In the centre of the vast hall stood the `orlenggin´ - a sacrificial altar. As she was approaching it she started an unholy chant - a prayer to her dark deity, Lloth - The Spider Queen. With her help, her youngest son will prove worthy that day.
The time has come for Koranon to become a warrior. And drawing another dark elf`s blood was the first and biggest step to becoming one.
He never killed in his life, and Matron clearly felt Lloth`s growing discontentment. Quarya wasn`t going to risk losing Spider Queen`s favour.
The boy must stain his hands with drow blood.
If not, he must die.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I still have to finish second (final) chapter. Plz, let me know what do you think. Should I even post the next ch? There`s no point in writing the whole story if nobody will read it.