This story is written in response to Dragons of Summer Flame. It is a what-if story - what if Usha really is Raistlin's daughter? It is also written so that it does not interfere with anything in Dragons of Summer Flame. Nothing in the books would change if this idea were true. It is written from Raistlin's point of view.

The timeline for this chapter is after Raistlin died and before Palin's test, when Usha is about eight years old.


Silence.

In the end, there was only silence.

Raistlin Majere sighed. He had just woken from one of his dreams in the Abyss. Many of his dreams were pleasant ones about what was happening with his family. They were dreams about his brother, his nephews and nieces - Crysania. But this dream was not, by any means, pleasant. Raistlin supposed that it was a fictional dream, one of those occurrences that were so rare now. This dream was about a child.

Raistlin tried to replay the dream.

The child had silver hair, like starshine. Her skin was pale, her features delicate. She was dressed in outlandish, silvery clothes that could only be worn in a hot climate. The Dawn, his mind whispered. This is the Dawn.

The child was in what was undoubtedly her room. Toys were scattered carelessly around it, lines scratched into a wall seemed to serve no purpose, outside the window beautiful trees swayed. But the child ignored her toys, ignored the view. Her face was buried into her bed, the tangled mounds of hair on her head all Raistlin could see. Raistlin, standing on the other side of the small bed, could hear the muffled sounds of crying from the tiny figure. He felt compassion for the child and wondered why she wept. Stepping silently closer, Raistlin was startled when the girl lifted her head to stare right at him.

Raistlin shook himself, trying to cast aside the useless dream. Inexorably, however, the dream returned.

The child stared right at him, through him. Her eyes, swollen and red from crying, filled Raistlin's vision.

Gold eyes.

Like Raistlin's.

"Mommy, Daddy, why aren't you here? Who are you? Mommy, why don't you hold me?" The girl cried out, the words ripping from her throat, shaking the house with her scream. The child fell upon her bed, whimpering. She writhed, shuddering with silent tears. Raistlin was rooted to the spot, watching. The girl finally ran out of tears and looked again at Raistlin, although she still apparently could not see him. Her golden eyes, so much like his, were miserable. When the girl spoke, her voice was soft and hoarse from crying.

"Daddy? Why don't you help me?"

Raistlin snarled, shoving away the dream. It certainly was not true; he had fathered no child, for none but Crysania had ever been truly interested in him and Raistlin had never allowed himself to fall prey to his love for her. No, the dream was only a dream, a figment of imagination. Perhaps it was fostered by Raistlin's continual loneliness, a longing to be accepted and loved. Perhaps Raistlin even wanted a child to be his own like Caramon had his. In any case, the disturbing dream was fictional.

Having arrived at this conclusion, Raistlin permitted himself to fall asleep.


There will be more chapters. Please review, all constructive reviews are welcome!