My Wingless Angel
Disclaimer: I don't own Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn so let's just leave it at that. I mean god, I have enough lawsuits on my butt for Diablo II
It was the evening of the fifth day since the beginning of my journey, or rather my necessity to escape from Irenicus's dungeon. In the one day alone during our escape, 'our' being Imoen, Jaheira, Minsc, later Yoshimo, and myself, we learned that Irenicus had taken more prisoners before us and had done gruesome horrifying things that would sicken the heart of any hardened warrior.
I suppose we were lucky that he didn't do the same to us, or at least we escaped before he could. But now, I'm just reminincing on things I shouldn't be.
As I said, it was the evening of the fifth day the Capital City of Amn and we had just relieved Jaheira of a curse some baron from her past had placed on her. Whatever the reason was, I didn't really care, but it did cost us a night to obtain the money we needed to move on. Yet despite how anxious my half-elven feet acted, the same didn't go for the rest of my party.
We stayed at the Copper Coronet, the closest of inns, where Jaheira was immediately put to rest. Yoshimo, our bounty hunter and thief, had also retired to his room immediately after we rented them out. When I went to check on him, he seemed to be in a state where he was neither asleep nor awake, meditating. Though Nalia was pacing as well, her sluggish movement told me that she wouldn't last another hour especially on a trek through the wilderness to her castle. Even Minsc, who I respected as one of the most energetic and strongest man of the lot, was weighed down with fatigue, resting by the bar to drink and occasionally feed Boo a nut. Lastly, there was…
"Renyth?" Aerie spoke up behind me. I turned in my seat and glanced up at the golden haired elf-girl clasping her hands together over her chest. "Are you well? You seem rather jumpy."
"Don't worry about me. I guess I still have too much energy."
"Perhaps you should take a walk. It um… usually works for me. That is, if you do mind."
"Mind what?"
Aerie looked away uncertainly, a mild blush streaking across her face. "That you would like to walk with me. Just for a few minutes to work it out. Um, it probably be better if you didn't bring any equipment. You know, since it's been a harsh day with Jaheira's curse and all."
After some thought, I nodded, half-lying and bringing my dagger just in case. We kept close to the Copper Coronet as we strolled around the slums of the Capital of Amn. While we walked, Aerie folded her hands over her lap and gazed longingly at the stars, a mixed look of nostalgia and sadness coming over her gentle eyes. It was when we climbed the top of the tavern and stood still that I realized who Aerie had reminded me of.
"My wings have been clipped…" She suddenly mentioned, telling me what it was that saddened her so. "Oh, I wish you could understand how it feels to be bound to the ground, chained and weighed like a miserable prisoner of earth…"
If I was a heartless bastard, I would just tell her to shut up and cease her senseless whining, but I saw Aerie as a gentle soul that rarely wished to harm anyone. Such people were ones I sympathized. The aura of sadness that she carried reminded me somewhat of my own dark past, maybe it was even moreso gruesome than mine.
"What was it like to fly, Aerie?"
Immediately her attention focused to me. that nostalgic look in her eyes sparkling, "Oh…it-it's so hard to describe." She paused, looking a little frantic for the right the description until she decided on: "It's the ultimate freedom, to soar above the clouds and become part of the wind, itself." A faint smile came across her lips, yet her eyes still retained that glint of sorrow as she went on, "I remember I used to be so happy. The clouds are a special place up there, Renyth… It's like a land of billowing white beauty that you can almost walk upon." She said no more, returning her stare up to the stars.
A while later, we began our descent to the slum grounds when a dark band of three humans blocked our path. They wore black leather and devilish smiles, one patting the flat side of his swords into his palm and while other two fiddled with their dagger and mace. "Nice woman you got there." One in front remarked, "Not well protected, is she? How does she taste?"
"Re-Renyth? Who are these people?" Aerie whispered, retreating behind me. The cold tremble of her fingers told me that she was frightened. Something about these men really terrified her and I figured she wasn't in the position to tell me.
"Tell ya what. You give our the elf-broad and we'll let you go alive." The same man remarked, "If she's good, we may even pay you later."
"Forget this!" Another one said, "Lets just kill him and take her then. We'll get first crack at his goods as well."
"Meh, you're right, this isn't worth it." With that said, they all ran up to us, ready to stab at my gut or bash my face in. Fortunately, before they reached us, Aerie fired a acid arrow at the dagger-man's leg, making tumble back down the stairs. When they did come in reach, the first one thrust his sword at my chest, which I swiftly avoided as the other brought his mace around to strike me. Quickly I grabbed his wrists and kicked the swordsman back down the stairs, shortly pushing the other one down with him.
"Move up!" I ordered and Aerie quickly went back to the roof and hurried across for another way down.
Meanwhile, the three assaulters were up again and began another attack. The swordsman reached me first, redoing the same strategy as before. This time I dropped down and stabbed my dagger through his leather into his belly. I grabbed his sword and yanked it from his grip before he fell back. The other two stood up again, readying their weapons for another attack. They came up and swung their weapons to my head. Both weapons were abruptly ceased as I struck the mace with the sword and the other one's dagger with my own. Before they could pull back and strike again, I pushed the dagger man away again and quickly slit the other's throat.
The last one stumbled back down the steps and grunted as he landed on his backside. "You mangy little!" He hurried to his feet and waved his dagger threateningly at me. "You're gonna pay for this, you half-bred cur!"
Rather than waste my breath to respond to his remark, I took a single step forward. He then dropped his dagger and ran.
Several days later, after we returned from ridding Nalia's castle of trolls and other creatures, we immediately retired back at the Copper Coronet. Yoshimo, once again, went to his state of meditation, while Jaheira, Nalia, and Misnc went to the bar and drank, telling the others of our journeys through the perilous castle.
Meanwhile, I sat off on the far, lonesome end of the bar counter, occasionally bothered by some random patron about Nalia's Castle or how tough the trolls were. Each and everyone that came up I answered with silence or a swig of my drink and they left soon after.
"Renyth?" Aerie's spoke behind me. "Are you well? You acting rather… seclusive lately."
"Tired," I admitted, which was an oddity since I'm usually the last to claim as such.
"Oh…um… then I suppose you would not want to take another walk, would you? I mean, I'll understand if you don't."
"Nah, it's fine." I replied with a smirk as I lift myself from the bar. "I think I'm a little drunk when I think about it and the fresh air will do me good." The winged elf merely giggled and gently held my arm as we went to the door.
Gemakai- (Pats hands) And that's end of that chapter.
Kora- But what about th-
Gemakai- I said … (Pats Hands) And that's the end of that chapter! Now give the message!
Astar- (sigh) Numbnuts… (to audience) Please review this now or Gemy will be sad. You will not like him when he's sad.
Kora- I do!