Good Company
The sound of smooth scales sliding against scales mingled with the hissing of serpents.
"Are you truly blind?" She asked.
Edwin knew then who he was dealing with. "Yes, My Lady." There was a harsh laugh, "My Lady?" The voice was mocking now, "I have met several men who feigned blindness, a cheap trick." She ripped away the blindfold covering the young bard's eyes. "By Sebek's jaws!" The sound was one of genuine shock. He was used to the reaction, though not exactly from a Medusa. He felt soft hands move over his eyeless face. "I was born without eyes, My Lady." The Medusa seemed to ponder this for a moment, then sighed heavily, as if a great weight was pressing upon her. "Bard," She asked softly, "Will you play for me?"
So he played, the lute, the pipes, and sang songs of adventure and glory, of lands he had never seen, and never would. He told of Jander Sunstar, the noble elven vampire, of Drizzt Do'Urdon, the heroic drow swordsman. He talked and sang and played well into the night. The Medusa was quiet throughout, enraptured by the sight and sound of another living being.
"I have a tale for you." She said, softly, "The Tale of The Medusa. My name is Aria, though no one but my mother knows it. I have lived over two hundred summers, and I have never before entertained a guest. Can you imagine what it is like, young man, to turn every living thing you see to stone? Can you imagine the helpless agony of watching your newborn child turn to stone in your arms because it was born human? To know that the mere sight of you killed your own..." There was a soft sob, then she continued, even quieter now, "Can you imagine the loneliness of knowing that you will never have a mate, that the only way to obtain that which is required to give life, I have to hide my true self from the one with whom I am making love? I have lived in this cave my entire adult life, and the only people who purposely visit my lair come here either to murder me, to take my possessions, or both. There was one man who came here simply to commit suicide, he wanted to die by my gaze." She paused, " I did not know whether to be flattered or grieved. If you could see, and survive my gaze, you would see twenty-seven statues that were once living beings, in this clearing alone. The heroes you spoke of, they are 'monsters' in a sense, but they are beautiful to human eyes, drow for all their evil, are exquisitely attractive, and I imagine that even as a vampire an elf would retain his fey beauty... But a Medusa is born hideous, and even in death our ugliness can kill. Such is my life, I am accursed of the gods and hated by men for the simple fact that I was born a monster."
Edwin felt a wave of sadness wash over him, he doubted he'd ever again complain about his lot in life, his blindness, compared to that of a being who could not even gaze upon others without killing them. "May I..." He asked softly, holding out his hands, "...Feel your face, look upon you, if only in my mind." His hand were guided to a slender, delicate face, with a slight hint of scales, by human terms she would be beautiful, if any could look upon her. He felt serpents slither across his hands, his arms, but he was not afraid. "You're beautiful," He said softly, and hot tears began to run down Aria's cheeks. "You only say that because you cannot see me," She replied bitterly, her bitterness was directed inward, not toward Edwin. "And thank your gods as I thank mine that you cannot." She smiled grimly, "You're good company."
Aria looked sadly at the young man sitting upon the stone remains of what had once been an orc, his instruments beside him, his walking stick... "How do you survive? How does a blind man travel this perilous world alone and live?" "I usually travel with others for protection, but sometimes I have to make my way alone, as I am now. Thieves rarely trouble me, as they figure a bard's purse is emptier than their own, and, as for other threats... I try to take routes that are known to be safe, but that's not always possible. I that case I wait until a group passes through or I have no choice but to go it alone." "And they did not warn you of me in Arbordale?" "They said nothing. Perhaps they did not like my performance." Aria laughed for the first time in decades, and Edwin joined in. He was handsome, if you looked past the blank skin where his eyes should have been, a slim youth with straw-colored hair dressed in simple, somewhat tattered green and brown garments. He looked a little too thin, in fact. Aria imagined meals must come few and far between for those wandering, courageous beings who braved the dangers of the world simply to bring joy to others.
"I owe you for your performance, please, stay and eat with me." There was a terrible loneliness in her voice, "I have only vegetables at the moment, when I hunt game I must kill my prey before it sees me... or end up eating rocks."
"You do not owe me anything, your story is payment enough, still," He smiled, "I would be honored to eat with you, My Lady Aria."
The End?
Notes:
I changed Aria's Alignment from Lawful Evil to Neutral because she's not really evil at all, just cynical and world-weary. Paranoia is merely recognizing the truth, everyone is out to get her, well, almost everyone.
The Medusa strikes me as a tragic creature, doomed to centuries of loneliness and grief. In the D&D books, some Medusa children are born human and turned to stone by their own mother's gaze. Can you picture a worse nightmare for a parent than that? Some sources say a medusa can control her gaze, classically she cannot, as in Aria's case.
For some reason, in Dungeons and Dragons, women with snakes for hair are called Medusa or Medusae as a race, not Gorgons. They belong to TSR.
Dungeons and Dragons Gorgons are an entirely different type of creature, a vicious bull-like creature with hard metal scales. They can turn you to stone with their breath! They belong to TSR.
Sobek is the Crocodile God in Egyptian mythology. He was also god of the Nile river and fertility, as the Egyptians rely heavily on the Nile for successful crops.
In D&D Sebek is the Mulhorandi god of crocodiles, reptiles, river hazards and wetlands. He is, of course, based on Sobek. He belongs to TSR and Wizards of the Coast.
Jander Sunstar belongs to Christie Golden
Drizzt Do'Urden belongs to R.A. Salvatore
Finder Wyvernspur is a bardic god and belongs to TSR and Wizards of the Coast
Edwin the eyeless bard and Aria the Medusa are mine.
Aria:
Height- 6'1"
Weight- 185 pounds
Alignment- Neutral
Class- Ranger
Patron Deity- Sebek
Why does a Medusa serve Sebek, the crocodile god, over any of the serpent gods? Because she chose to, of course.
Edwin:
Height- 5'6'
Weight- 93 pounds
Alignment- Neutral Good
Class- Bard
Patron Deity- Finder Wyvernspur
He was born with skin over his eye sockets, and has no eyes beneath. He leads a very dangerous life, traveling as he does, but his only weapon is his walking stick.