Notes: Here's a little background story for Jaheira I have been thinking over recently. The recollection takes place following the campfire scene in Dark Encounters from my fanfic Baldur's Gate: Blood of the Father.
I'll probably be coming up with a few of these, giving a better view on certain characters past life should the need arise. Anyways, this should be the first of many I hope.
And a special thanks to Dean for a character name!
Memories of the Past
Jaheira sat quietly as she stared deeply into the crackling fire, thoughts of her past still fresh her mind. Alerac's manner in combat had concerned her and her husband Khalid recently, the young man having a strange ferocity the like she'd never seen before. They had traveled with Gorion's ward for less than a few days now, already the inexperience of youth becoming apparent as the days progressed. They had both promised Gorion some odd years ago that they would take care of him, though she only hoped it would not interfere with her current duties.
Her mind continued to wander, darkened memories of her childhood once again coming to light from her recent chat with Alerac. The two had talked for a short while earlier, her original intentions only to learn more about the troubled young man and his unexplained prowess in combat. In the end she felt pity for him, divulging some of her own secrets in an attempt to ease him some from his plight. It warmed her that it had indeed helped, though these thoughts of her past life always seemed to cause her to lose sleep more often than naught. She had sent Alerac to rest now, replaced by his young companion Imoen who had already fallen asleep soundlessly beside her. It felt nice to see such innocence captured within this young girls spirit, such things hard to come by these days Jaheira thought.
She could only wonder what it must be like, to have a childhood not forever marred by death and sorrow...
"Mother, I'm bored! Can't I go outside and play now?" I asked her in annoyance, the slender woman merely smiling softly at me in return. I had always hated these formal occasions with my family, and I made good work on making sure they all knew this.
She reached over and brushed my hair softly, attempting to dissuade further talk. "Not now Jaheira, we have guests of your father at the table. It is very important they be here right now." She explained in a hushed tone, her attention immediately turning back toward the several members of some noble family I cared not to remember the name of.
Father and the head of the other family were quietly discussing something near the end of the dinner table, the two men seeming concerned about something. I did not feel much worry though, father always said he could handle any problem in the past. I continued to play with the food on my plate, sighing in boredom as I waited impatiently for dinner to be over. One of the servant girls my family employed walked up to me, taking away my half eaten plate of food from me with a smile. I always liked Litha, since she too had both elf and human parents much like myself. The two of us played games together sometimes when no one else was round, though much of my family strongly disapproved. Mother would always get upset when my dresses would get dirty and scuffed from our fun, but I never let Litha get in trouble for it.
It was very late in the day now, no doubt there would be no time to spend with Litha once dinner was over. I wondered if I could maybe sneak out from my bedroom and visit her families quarters later tonight. They were always nice to me.
The serenity of dinner was suddenly disturbed when a man in clinking metal armor burst through the dining halls main doors. He and two other men who looked the same as him quickly rushed to father, the man courteously removing his helmet before speaking.
"My lord, the mobs of locals are gathering outside our castle walls. We must prepare for battle." He explained with a frown, though his tone was calm and cool. Father immediately stood upon hearing this news, sparing both mother and I an anxious glance before addressing the man.
"Order all troops and servants able to wield arms into defensive positions, make sure all are manning the battlements." He ordered in a flash, the helmetless soldier nodding curtly in return. "And have someone fetch me my armor and blade, we must not allow them to breach the gates."
Immediately father and the guards left in a rush with some of the other noble family as well. The dining hall was suddenly full of hysterical commotion, everyone scrambling to go one place or another all at once. Mother grabbed me by the wrist and rushed us out of the dining hall as well. As we exited the large room she noticed Litha and called out to her, the young girl seeming just as confused by all this as much as me.
"Litha, You must hurry! Take Jaheira upstairs and the both of you hide until all of this is over. Do you understand?" She asked her worriedly with her hands clung tightly at her shoulders. Litha gave a quick nod of understanding in return, unsure of what else to say. Several more armored men came storming past us noisily, rushing out the front doors of our keep with their weapons drawn.
"I must find your father now, stay with your friend Litha upstairs and you will be safe, I promise." Mother told me before turning away, rushing to find wherever my father had went.
"Mommy, wait!" I pleaded for her as she ran away, tears welling in my eyes as she neared the front entrance. She turned back around one last time, her face set with fear as she spoke.
"Please Jaheira, do as I say!" She yelled from afar, finally disappearing outside in an instant. I wanted to run after her but Litha held me back, urging us to move upstairs instead.
"Come on Jaheira, we have to hide!" Litha pleaded with me, the sounds of yelling outside suddenly reaching our ears. Eventually I stopped fighting her, holding her hand as we ascended the long stone staircase that lead to my families quarters.
We hid in my parents bedroom together for what seemed like many hours. All throughout the night we could hear screaming of the foulest sort, the both of us huddling in together in fear. Eventually the screaming began to fade, though we could still hear much commotion outside. After awhile we worked up enough courage to look out a nearby window, curiosity finally getting the better of us.
It was horrible. My home was set ablaze with fire, bodies of men in that same metal armor lie strewn about the courtyard. I could see many different looking men as well, but not the same ones my father employed. The main gates to our home were forced open, and now a large group of men were huddled around the keeps front doors, trying to force themselves in. Panic began to overtake me, unsure of what to do.
"We need to find father, he'll protect us!" I exclaimed suddenly as I backed away from the window, not wishing to see the carnage outside further. Litha shook her head, taking my hand as she looked straight into my eyes with fright.
"Jaheira, don't you see? These bad men are coming for you and your family, we have to get out of here!" She tried to convince me as best she could, though I would have none of it. I freed myself from her grip, only wanting to go look for mother and father.
"No! They're still out there, they could be looking for me!" Sadness began to overtake me once again, tears seeking to stream down my face. I did not wish to leave while my parents could still be alive somewhere, I felt so alone and scared without them. Litha continued in urging us to leave but suddenly stopped when heavy footsteps came rushing towards the bedroom door. My heart skipped a beat as the door handle slowly turned, the both of us held completely still from fear. There wasn't enough time to hide.
A bloodied man in metal armor opened the door, his face scratched and bruised as he looked down at us both in relief. "Thank Helm I have found you. Come Jaheira, I was ordered to get you out of here safely." The wounded man explained, limping over to us as he held out his gauntleted hand.
"Where are my parents?" I asked worriedly, the guard hesitating for a moment before answering.
"I'm sure they are safe. Come, there is a secret escape route downstairs, follow me and I will protect you." He explained with a pleading look.
I nodded after a moment and took his hand, the two of us being led downstairs through a smaller staircase near the back of the keep. As we walked I noticed the guard was the same one from earlier, the one who had talked to father just before all of this had happened. He went first as he slowly peaked around corners, making sure no one else was there before we continued. Though we didn't see a soul as we traversed the stone hallways the commotion outside was still going strong. Eventually we came upon a small storeroom, the metal clad guard moving away several crates that left a small portion of wall bare. He pressed a hand into one of the stones and several others began to give way with little effort, leading out into the open courtyard.
"This is where I must leave you." He said after a moment, taking a knee to look at us both. "There is another stone doorway like this one across the courtyard outside. Follow the edge of the wall and do not attract attention to yourselves, these men will kill you if they see you." His gaze was like stone as he spoke, making certain we understood the severity of the situation.
Both Litha and I nodded in return timidly, the man seeming satisfied with our answer. He stood back up with a grunt, leaving us without another word as he closed the door behind him shut. Litha and I both looked to each other nervously before moving through the small exit, the loud excitement outside filling our ears. We could see dozens of people hollering and raising their various sharp weapons into the air, all seeming to be centered around a man in the middle standing on a wooden platform. We kept in silence as we sneaked against the stone wall, staying in the shadows as best we could. Suddenly the man in the center began to talk, the crowd falling silent for a time as we stopped to listen.
"For too long have we suffered under these foul nobles rule!" He exclaimed loudly, the crowd cheering in return before falling silent once again. "Today that will come to an end! Bring the prisoners!" He bellowed further, a path being made clear as more men forced three prisoners onto the stand with a blade at their throats. I could barely breathe when I realized who they were. Mother, father, and the other nobleman were on the platform now, surrounded by angry peasants as they yelled curses towards them for their supposed crimes. The man speaking earlier held up his hands, causing the crowd to go silent once more.
"The time is now!" He shouted loudly, turning to the three men who held them by the throat. "END IT!"
As one the men took their blades and slashed each of their prisoners throats, kicking all three of them off the platform to the ground below a moment later. Litha held me back as I screamed in agony at their death, my cries being unheard over the roaring cheers of the crowd. I could do nothing for them, helplessly watching as my parents were murdered before my eyes. Litha was nearly dragging me away now, forcing me to come with her as she brought us near the secret exit the guard had spoken of earlier. I could do nothing but cry as she freed the loose stones from the wall, an escape becoming clear for us. She looked to me for a moment once all of the stones were moved.
"You first." She spoke quietly, helping me through the large hole in the wall. I sniffled as I made my way outside, still overcome with sadness. I looked back through the hole as Litha got down to crawl through herself. All of a sudden she screamed, being yanked away by someone from the other side. I reached out to grab her but she was already out of reach, hauled up to her feet by someone.
"We got one tryin' to escape!" The man on the other end yelled before giving a grunt as he was hit in the chest by one of Litha's fists. I could just barely see Litha kicking at the man as they held her back, screaming protests to let her go.
"A servant girl." Another man said from nearby, the second man coming into view through the small hole in the wall I remained behind. Litha continued to struggle against the two men, though they easily overpowered her. I desperately wanted to do something but remained utterly speechless, tears once again threatening to spill from my eyes.
"She worked for them no doubt." The second man spoke as he studied her further. He considered her for a moment, finally coming to a decision.
"Kill her."
All of a sudden her screaming was muffled, though she tried her best to kick and claw at her attackers. With a quick jerk and a sickening snapping sound Litha suddenly ceased to move, one of the men merely dropping her to the ground unceremoniously. The two soon departed without a word while her body lay there motionless on the ground, her lifeless eyes staring back at me accusingly. I wanted to do scream again but I remained speechless, too shocked to do much of anything now. Instead I turned and ran, wanting to be as far away from the place as possible. I could only think of how much it was all my fault. If I had helped her clear the stones, or if she had gone first instead of me. It was all my fault! I was to blame! I-
A single tear rolled down Jaheira's cheek, the woman wiping it away with back of her hand a moment later. The crackling of the fire filled the silence now, replacing the haunting echoes from her memory that plagued her. Suddenly Imoen stirred, waking up from her sleep with a yawn. Jaheira quickly turned away at this, not wanting the young girl to see her during such a vulnerable moment.
"Hey Jaheira...sorry I fell asleep." She whispered quietly, fighting back another yawn. Imoen sat up from her resting position, taking notice Jaheira had not spoken to her yet. "Is something the matter Jaheira?" She asked with concern, the druid only sparing her a partial glance in return. She sighed raggedly, attempting to keep her voice level as she answered.
"It is...nothing." She explained vaguely without looking back towards the curious young girl, her soft features tarnished by her frown of concern for the druid. Jaheira looked back at her a moment later once she composed herself, feigning a smile for Imoen's benefit.
"Just some memories of the past."
~End